Three thousand congratulations

【0】

Paradise or something.

It must be nowhere.

The end of the world... is empty.

No matter where you go, only the same path continues.

despite this···

Why am I always driven by an impulse?

I vaguely heard someone say...

talking about

"Aim for Paradise."

【1】

When the moon was full again, the uncle pushed the cart to the bank of the river and started to set up a stall.

It has been like this for many years.

Every few days when the moon is full, I come out to sell oden and sake at a stall, and there are always few visitors, sometimes there are not even a single customer.

This probably has something to do with where you do business.

Now everyone in Edo likes to go to those brightly lit bar streets at night. Who would come to this desolate riverside without something to do?

However, he still quietly guarded his small stall, cutting vegetables, warming wine, arranging dishes, and doing everything meticulously.

Occasionally, he would look up at the blurred lights on the other side, thinking about some past events.

Thinking about it will make me sad, so I quickly keep my hands busy, and I am not allowed to think about anything else in my mind when I am concentrating on cooking.

I don't have the time to feel sad when I'm busy.

【2】

After adding soy sauce to the soup, a very fragrant taste overflowed.

The uncle smiled proudly when he smelled the fragrance.

Over the years he's been a cook, helping out in many places, and he smells like miso, soy sauce, and ramen all over him.

These smells are mixed together, even after taking a bath, they are still on the body.

Smelling these smells every day, one day you will forget that you were once a samurai, right?

Will forget those wars, those enemies, those scars.

But there are some things he doesn't want to forget.

For example, the former companions and the careers they have worked hard for.

He sometimes has some illusions, thinking that the next second Huayu and Honglian will come to his shop and sit down holding hands.

The three will talk and laugh as before.

Guren-san will laugh as happily as we did together.

Thinking of this, something wet seemed to fall from the eyes.

Professional chefs can't do that.He frowned.

He wiped his eyes with his sleeve, and then he heard footsteps approaching, and a samurai-like figure sat down.

"Welcome, what would you like to order?"

"Please give me the black wheel and fish board...ah, and konjac shreds."

With a familiar voice, he raised his head and looked at the other party.

"Ah, it's you."

"It's not you, it's Gui." The other party still said solemnly, "Can you tell me something about His Highness Huayu? Please."

The uncle just took out a saucer of soy sauce and said neither salty nor weak: "Please use it."

【3】

"So, Lord Huayu committed suicide?" Gui said in surprise.

"Yes, I remember that was the decisive battle. At that time, the allies who had promised to help us suddenly turned against us. We were severely injured. Master Huayu drew his sword and killed himself on the way leading the remnant soldiers to retreat."

"Same as Xiang Yu?"

"It's not to the level of Xiang Yu, is it?" The uncle recalled with difficulty, "Although as a warrior, I can understand such an act of suicide. But I don't quite understand that Master Huayu left without warning."

"Could there be any other reason?"

"No one knows," the uncle shook his head, "Although he was betrayed and defeated once, he would never be defeated because of his talent. At that time, everyone thought that he hadn't reached the point where he really needed to give up. In this way It is indeed too rash to die. Why he did this has become an eternal mystery."

"Master Honglian doesn't know the specific reason?"

"Miss Honglian should be the most shocked, right?" The uncle sighed, "She was going to go to that war, but Master Huayu insisted on her keeping the camp, no matter how you look at it now, it was all deliberate. "

"Could it be that he expected his allies to turn against him? Was he determined to die that day?"

"It's not unusual for Master Huayu to have expected this, but why didn't he reveal it before? If he said something, Miss Honglian would definitely follow her and stop him, even if she couldn't. If you stop...you must be willing to die with him."

"Maybe he doesn't want Guren-sama and everyone to die with him..."

"Who knows...his most trusted subordinates don't know, even his closest lover can't understand. As a warrior and commander, it is understandable that he chose to sacrifice his life for righteousness, and as soldiers, we all chose to forgive him. But as a lover, he cannot be forgiven. Because he did abandon each other without explanation. What is even more unforgivable is that he not only made his lover suffer from being abandoned, but also sacrificed all her happiness. I was buried by my own hands. I have heard a little about what she experienced. It is a Shura field for a strong warrior, let alone a girl. Seeing her survive those sufferings, I think this is not a good thing at all. Living It's a kind of torture for her, and people who carry that kind of past can't relax."

"What will the army do after he dies?" Gui asked softly.

"Some rebelled, and some were captured by the enemy. Treason is a felony, and they were all beheaded. Those who survived by chance have been hiding in Tibet until today... Without Lord Huayu, we have only one way to go: failure." It's..."

Gui couldn't speak, he thought of Teacher Songyang, if the teacher was still alive... everyone, it would definitely not be like this now.

But those who left still left.

【4】

"Miss Honglian is just living day after day, trying to solve the unanswered questions left by that person. But the person who made the question has closed his eyes peacefully, and will never see all her misfortunes." The boss He poured out the last bit of sake in the bottle and spoke slowly.

"But..." Gui put down his cup and looked up at the boss.

"We can still see it, can't we?"

The boss looked him in the eyes and didn't answer.

After saying thank you for the hospitality, Gui took out his wallet to pay, but the uncle stopped him and said that this time it was his treat.

After thanking the uncle, Gui put his hands in his sleeves and walked home with his back to the moonlight.

He felt that something should be said.

【5】

"Sorry, I seem to know it all."

Hearing what Gui said, Hong Lian was not surprised, but said calmly, "I also have something to say to Mr. Gui."

【6】

"Actually, I knew this day would definitely come."

"After all, there is nothing static in this world, so I also know that change is inevitable. Even though I am obsessed with the past and hate the future, I am actually waiting for the appearance of new members in my life."

"It was true at the beginning. To Mr. Gui, it doesn't matter if it's me or not, but to me, it doesn't matter whether it's Mr. Gui or not."

"No matter who you meet, once the two people's lives intersect... If you are a human being, you will inevitably have some... some kind of feeling.

"I want to get rid of the numbness of waiting for memories to hit me every night. Even if I can never be happy, I don't want to run away because of that person. So for me, as long as I can change something, inspire something, in which form , It doesn’t matter what kind of feeling you feel. Even if it’s worse, it’s better than the status quo.”

【7】

"But in the middle, everything changed, it became difficult to proceed, and the best disguise became difficult..."

"It should have ended long ago, but because he is similar to Huayu, there is no way to break off with Mr. Gui easily... and Mr. Gui is not the kind of person who is good at breaking off."

"So it's not a mutual severing relationship, nor can it be blindly given. At the beginning... I also want to get something, whether it's a response, a watch, or a companion..."

"That's how everything started to deviate from expectations..."

"At the beginning, I thought about it. If the other party hates me, I can have a new reason, and I can continue to be numb in a logical way, and I can even die just like that."

"But I walked away from death step by step in this way, and some ideas for the future popped up in my mind."

"Simply unforgivable."

"He is a person who has nothing but a lot of crimes, yet he naively thinks that if it is with this person, there is probably no problem..."

【8】

"Sure enough, the thinking is too simple. It would be fine if I stopped earlier and ran away quickly. I underestimated the power of the past, repeated what I didn't admit, and ended up hurting innocent people."

"Obviously I haven't forgotten everything, I can't wait to replace the shadow of the past, but no matter how hard I try, I can't get rid of the shackles of the past."

"In the beginning, I really noticed Mr. Gui because I was similar to Huayu, and it was also because of the similarity that I couldn't just ignore Mr. Gui's affairs."

"But gradually getting along for a long time, I found that Mr. Gui and Huayu are two completely different people. What Huayu can do, Mr. Gui cannot do, and what Mr. Gui has, Huayu can never get. of."

"Just like this, I stayed beside Mr. Gui, who has a familiar outline and a completely different inner heart. I have been troubled and wavering. I want to confess, but I am afraid that I will be hated. I am afraid that Mr. Gui will do something against his heart because of sympathy after knowing everything. decision. So I chose to conceal and escape.”

"Until I can no longer be brave, I can only say it all."

I'm just scared if...

If the joy, excitement, and feeling of being cared for this time is still false.

What should I do?

Can I go on living?

【9】

Her candor, her sincerity, her distress, her unabashedness, her fearlessness touched me.

In my eyes, her cautiousness, firmness, and visible frustration when she lowered her head should not be blamed at all, on the contrary, she is very cute.

She really loves very hard.

He is really a gentle person. Such a gentle and beautiful existence should be hugged tightly, given the most beautiful flowers, and carefully cared for with the sweetest love words, instead of being left alone in the desolate The world is slowly falling with the night of every day, and is entangled by painful dreams.

But once near her heart, every thought of redemption becomes sacrilege.

Because what she needs is not other people's love.

【10】

But I still can't restrain my desire to get closer.

It would be nice if I could be with her.

If only I could do something for her.

From the moment I understood her stubbornness, her bravado, and her persistence, she became more and more dazzling in my eyes.

I want her to understand that the life she has been struggling with may not be so heavy.

I want her to know that she can do more than just talk.

After listening, I also resonated. I have something I want to share with her, and I can't wait to tell her now.

【11】

"Lord Honglian, I really love Master Huayu."

"Huh?" She seemed slightly surprised by what I said.

"The reason why Master Honglian feels that he has nothing is because he has always only seen Master Huayu alone." I continued unhurriedly, "In addition to the things that Master Huayu gave, Master Honglian, and the things given to Huayu Except for Mr. Yu's things, I don't care about everything else, right?"

"It doesn't matter if it's for the uncle, for Baizi's mother, or for the subordinate... They don't ask for anything in return, and they don't ask the other party to stay in their own life. If the other party wants to give something, they will stubbornly refuse. Really Stubborn."

"Because the only one I want all the time is Master Huayu, right?"

"That's why after parting, we lose all the reasons to live, we keep humans at arm's length, and we close ourselves off.

It is because you only hold tightly with both hands what you want, so you can't free your hands to accept other things. "

"Because I like it so much, it's so important, so after losing it, I can't restrain myself from missing, recalling, and suffering every minute and every second."

"Even after losing, I don't want to open my hands to accept others again. Even if what I pursue is no longer in this world, I still wait in vain, alone, and deeply in love. What I do is not to bury myself, destroy myself, but just want to get That person's comfort is nothing more than getting that person's return. It's really a unique way of acting like a baby."

She looked at me blankly, maybe no one has ever said such a thing to her.

"I am very envious of Master Huayu, who can have someone who loves me so much. Even if this love has reached the point of blindness, irrationality, and self-destruction, it is really enviable."

【12】

"There's nothing to be envious of. In the end, when making a choice, it's not the one that can be easily thrown away. People like me are hopeless."

Seeing her turning her face away and holding back her tears, somewhere in my heart suddenly ached.

Why does it hurt to see someone's tears?

Is it...

I was startled by a sudden thought.

What an irresponsible feeling.This will make Guren-sama feel troubled.

But I was encouraged by this ambiguous feeling to continue talking.

【13】

"I have a desire for Master Honglian, can I listen to you?"

"What do you mean?" She looked at me suspiciously.

"I want to know more about Guren-sama."

"The ones who have been waiting and watching are full of mysteries, who must be careful when speaking, and even asked not to approach Guren-sama..."

"In fact, I still want to talk about a lot of boring topics, favorite shows, hated clothes styles, delicious tastes, the names of dogs I have raised, and a novel I want to read..."

"Say a lot of things like this, and then laugh and complain together. Not only for Guren-sama to listen to my troubles and complaints, but I also want to hear Guren-sama's trivial thoughts. It doesn't matter if you are imaginative or unconstrained , there is no point, even if it is the Eighteenth Ban, there is no problem at all."

"To do a lot of boring things together, to waste time in a serious manner, but I don't feel regretful at all. I feel that if I'm with Guren-sama, I can do it."

"So, if one day, Guren-sama feels tired and wants to relax his clenched hands for a while..."

"You can wave to me at any time, and I will gallop over."

【14】

She cried.

My heart was tingling and relieved at the same time.

I was right.

I had this assumption after being exposed to her softer side.

I was even more sure after seeing how she was escaping.

She still has expectations for humans.

It's just that I'm afraid of being hurt, so I try to isolate myself.

【15】

"I'm sorry, Mingming is very happy...to hear Mr. Gui say that..." Mingming usually hates weakness more than anyone else, but now he is crying like a defeated weakling.

"But I don't know why I'm still crying... The tears don't seem to stop, it's strange, I'm obviously very happy..." Being understood, forgiven, and accepted is something to be happy about.

"Sorry, it bothers you to be moved so easily..." Why are you crying.

It's really inexplicable.

But in my heart I faintly feel that this is not a bad thing.

Because someone finally found out that I was trying to be brave.

Finally, I can stop pretending.

【16】

Watching her cry and say those words.

I slowly stretched out my hand.

If you touch each other at this time, you won't be blamed, right?

Because I can't bear it anymore.This is not the time to keep calm.

Because they are fleeting people like falling snowflakes.

If you don't hold it in your hand the moment you see it, it will disappear forever.

【17】

"Not at all, whether it's obsession or anything."

"I just feel that it is very pleasant to be able to exchange feelings with Guren-sama so frankly."

"Also, Guren-sama can show this side to me, I'm really happy."

I reached out and wiped the tears from her face with my fingers.

"Mr. Gui."

"Here." I smiled and answered eagerly.

Finally, I didn't call the wrong name this time.

She leaned her head on my shoulder, sobbing softly.

"Okay, just lean on me once in a while." I patted her on the back lightly and said softly.

【18】

At that moment I felt very happy.

Looking back later, I realized that we were too naive to attribute everything to accident.

Since then, the bond between Guren-sama and me has deepened. In addition, she has also formed a special bond with some people I care about.

As a result, those extremely deep and unknown hidden connections between her and my past have gradually surfaced, and this truth surprised us.

Looking back carefully in the future, I found out that this fateful web carefully woven by the fetters among people was actually laid out long before we met each other. Whether we met at that time or not, we would meet each other at a certain node of fate.

Because we have to meet, have to connect together.

Guren-sama and me, me and my important person, and Guren-sama and her important person, the bond between us is actually woven by the same loop.We are all but entangled in the threads of the net without knowing it.

And the person holding the other end of the thread is slowly retracting the ball of thread in his hand, leading us to him.

At that time, even I will start to waver.

【19】

In one thought, heaven becomes hell.

In one thought, hell becomes heaven.

The author has something to say:

The next chapter is a new phase of the story, perhaps hilarious?Anyway, cheers for new characters coming out~

The heroine continues to move forward on the road of CP~