Apocalyptic Era: Starting from picking up a Bishoujo
Chapter 263 - 246 Captures My Heart

Chapter 263: 246 Captures My Heart

I slowly walked up to Mazao.

She was silent, head bowed, hands resting on her knees, her gaze fixed on her toes, completely immersed in her own thoughts, seemingly unaware of my approach. I pondered what to say next, faintly hearing my own heartbeat.

Zhu Shi really didn’t misjudge me. The more critical the moment, the more likely I am to lose my composure. Even though I’ve already spoken my true thoughts before, now that I have to say them again, I still feel uneasy.

Perhaps the reason I can speak my mind in most situations is that I am indifferent to most things. The opinions of those around me and the reactions of those I speak to are of secondary importance, even my own life sometimes seems dispensable to me. Just like many who appear brave aren’t actually overcoming fear with courage, but rather, they are not that afraid from the start.

At this moment, there is undoubtedly fear in my heart, the fear of the unexpected. If Mazao really believes what I say next and still rejects me, what should I do? However, at the same time, I also believe that true courage exists within me. Since I have the confidence to overcome the terror that comes with adventure by my own willpower, there is no reason I can’t offer my sincere heart to this girl shivering in the darkness of her spirit.

Whenever someone approaches her, she becomes anxious, fearing that others might hurt her and that she might hurt others; and when she’s away from them, she feels lonely, sometimes shedding tears alone.

Those days have ended today.

I slowly crouched in front of her and extended my right hand, placing it on the back of her hand. It was only then that she seemed to realize, looking at me blankly.

"Mazao, are you thinking about the soul-loss patients?"

I am still drafting my speech, first asking, then switching to a declarative tone: "You want to save them, even if it might mean sacrificing yourself."

"...Yes." She nodded.

"What about saving the world then?" I asked.

"I want to stop Doomsday...but, do I really have the power needed for such a grand mission? Maybe I can’t really contribute to such a great cause. After all, compared to you, who has already touched so many clues, I’ve accomplished nothing. So perhaps I should start with what I can manage." She said.

"But, I need you. Without you, I can’t even touch the shadow of the abnormal events. You know this, don’t you?" I said, "And what about Little Bowl? Without you..."

"Even with me, I can no longer reach Little Bowl now, nor can I be of any help to her." She said dejectedly, "And you don’t need me to interact with the abnormal world. Since so many Impermanence and those eligible for Impermanence have been able to normally interact with the abnormal world through the ages, there must be some simple way."

Even the mention of Little Bowl’s name didn’t perk her up, which surprised me a bit. But I soon realized that this might just be the wishful thinking always present in my heart. Unlike me, who can enter the Void Realm, Mazao has only known about Little Bowl No. 2 through my descriptions. Even if my recounting of Little Bowl No. 2’s words matches Mazao’s understanding, it still lacks a genuine feel. That indirect bond isn’t always enough to stir her emotions.

"Didn’t you always strive to protect Little Bowl in the past?" I asked.

"Protect Little Bowl..." Mazao self-deprecatingly said, "It’s not like that, Zhuang Cheng. It wasn’t me who protected her; she protected me. Before meeting her, I was already thinking of dying; it was because of her that I temporarily found a reason to live. But...

"Maybe now I just want a death that suits my own preferences. Like someone who only attracts calamities, what is the value of living a long life? If I can die saving the world, that’s best; even if I can’t, dying on the path of saving others is good too. I won’t have any complaints about that."

"What about me?" I asked, "Without you, I would return to a world that is dull and uninteresting..."

"That again. I’ve told you already, how could there be someone who would choose the perilous, even hopeless paths over a safe life? That’s certainly you trying to comfort me. I appreciate your comforting, but I won’t believe it." She said.

"It seems, you really are similar to me." I said.

"Similar?" She was confused.

Despite her being someone intent on dying, she still says, "I don’t believe there are people who fearlessly pursue adventure." However, even as we both move towards death, our hearts are the opposite. I increasingly feel that perhaps we complement each other not just in abilities, but also in many other areas where we are similar yet opposite. What a coincidence.

As she has said before, she is a girl who continuously attracts danger, which leads her into trouble and despair, while I am a man from a different era who just happens to love dangerous quests. It’s coincidental that she crossed time and space, coincidentally came to my side, and coincidentally became my partner. All these coincidences happening to her, who is often associated with misfortune, naturally make it hard for her to believe easily.

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