"What happened with Father?" Raiden i asked, looking at the Raiden Ryoma who had returned from outside. His entire disposition was much calr, the sense of weary dejection from before completely gone. She was curious and turned to Xin Yu, who was beside her.
"If you were wronged or bullied outside, who would you instinctively tell when you got ho?"
"My parents... Ah, I see. That's not strange at all, then."
In an instant, Raiden i understood how Xin Yu had resolved her father's inner turmoil. And in that sa mont, she once again realized just how ga-breaking the power to control ti truly was.
If the one who held this power wasn't Xin Yu, if it was anyone else... just by allowing people to see their departed loved ones, by giving them a chance at immortality, how many would willingly pledge their lives and souls to him? In the face of such power, even death itself would cease to be an end.
If the wielder of this ability were even a little bit malicious, there would soon be only one power left on this entire planet.
But in truth, the one who controlled this power was a person of pure kindness.
Xin Yu had never felt any sense of arrogance or superiority after obtaining this ability. He only ever saw himself as an ordinary person who, by a lucky twist of fate, had gained this power. He still maintained his peaceful nature, still enjoyed helping others rewrite their tragedies.
In fact, Xin Yu himself wasn't what you would call a "good person." It was just that after he was fragnted, the "good" part of him happened to gain control.
But looking back, it didn't really matter which side, good or evil, ended up in control of the body. It wouldn't have affected his growth. The kind Xin Yu could evolve rapidly through his emotional bonds with others, while the evil Xin Yu could have just as easily gained vast resources for his own advancent through ruthless, bottom-line-free actions.
Perhaps it was his original self, who, when faced with the life-or-death choice for an entire world, ultimately chose to leave a sliver of hope out of indecisiveness.
Perhaps it was his innate kindness, or perhaps a naive dream from his youth. Perhaps it was the values instilled in him as he grew up, or perhaps it was just the inherent contradiction and hesitation that all ordinary people possess.
For these reasons, the kind, pure, and naive Xin Yu beca the dominant persona.
If even that ignorant version of him couldn't bear the world and chose destruction, then that too would have simply been fate.
Raiden Ryoma chatted casually with Xin Yu, his acceptance of him now total. Or rather, after realizing the sa thing Raiden i had, Raiden Ryoma had truly and completely accepted that he had such a son-in-law.
As night fell, Xin Yu was lying in his guest room, preparing to relax and let his consciousness wander the cosmos while his body slept, when a knock sounded at the door.
Xin Yu opened his eyes and said, "Co in." By the ti the person from outside entered, he had already dressed and was sitting on the edge of the bed.
Raiden i paused for a mont when she saw Xin Yu fully clothed, as if he had never even lain down. For a second, she thought he hadn't planned on sleeping at all.
"It's so late, i. Is there sothing you need?"
"Yes. Xin Yu... can we sleep together tonight?"
"If that's what you're asking, then of course, there's no problem. You've already introduced to your parents; our relationship is confird."
Xin Yu said this aloud, but he knew that if Raiden i wanted to take things a step further, it was absolutely impossible. After all, though her mind and consciousness were mature enough, her physical body was not yet of legal age in this tiline. He had said it before: he preferred to wait until after marriage for those things.
As for Yae Sakura and Mobius... with the forr, he had been mostly clueless back then, doing those things in a muddled haze, and in that era, such matters weren't given much thought. The latter was entirely due to a certain unscrupulous Aeon playing a prank on him, though that prank had indeed helped him a great deal.
It was precisely by recovering his complete emotions and nding his own human flaws that he gained the ability to fight the Heart-Demon. Otherwise, an incomplete him would have stood no chance against a complete Heart-Demon.
It must be said, both of them were complete as individuals. The battle they waged, the fight to the death, was to complete their status—their very level of being.
Only by possessing a complete status could they take the final step he had now taken and achieve Apotheosis.
Raiden i lay down beside Xin Yu. The Xin Yu of the past had looked like a seventeen or eighteen-year-old youth, and his features weren't particularly handso, leaning more towards plain and unremarkable. The current Xin Yu had matured; his appearance and body were now that of a young man around twenty-four or twenty-five. Although his face still didn't have any striking features, his aura was exceptionally warm and gentle.
It was like being in the presence of a long-lost friend you were reuniting with after years apart. You felt you could always pour out your grievances and frustrations to him, and always find comfort and help in return. This feeling, like a warm spring breeze, left a deep impression on anyone who experienced it.
Raiden i snuggled into Xin Yu's arms, soaking in his warmth and the sense of security that, just like in the past, enveloped her completely.
Xin Yu wrapped his arms around her, feeling the young woman's steady breathing and the calming of her spiritual fluctuations in his embrace. He knew that she had fallen asleep in his arms.
"Have a sweet dream," Xin Yu whispered softly. And perhaps because of those words, which felt like a blessing, Raiden i truly had an incredibly beautiful dream as she slept.
The next morning, Raiden i's mother knocked on her daughter's door. When there was no response, a guess ford in her mind. She tried the handle, found it unlocked, and a quick scan of the empty room confird where her daughter had gone.
She went downstairs to the dining table. Raiden Ryoma, who was checking the news on his phone, glanced up and asked, "What's wrong?" ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ NoveI-Fire.ɴet
"It seems i didn't sleep in her own room last night."
i's mother had expected her husband to look displeased at this news, perhaps even fly into a rage. To her surprise, Raiden Ryoma rely raised an eyebrow, his expression remaining perfectly calm.
"I know. Let's let them sleep in a bit."
"Dear, you're much calr than I expected."
"Xin Yu is not a man without a sense of propriety. Besides, what right do I have to interfere in their affairs? i is grown up now. She knows what she should and shouldn't do. As parents, while we raise our children, we shouldn't interfere too much in their personal decisions. Their future is, ultimately, for them to decide."
A while later, Raiden Ryoma saw Xin Yu and Raiden i coming down the stairs together. He discreetly observed his daughter's gait, and after confirming that nothing was amiss, he nonchalantly began to drink his morning coffee.
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