Su Shuang's world is collapsing [Comprehensive]

[Harada Zuanosuke branch line completed, the branch line was successfully closed. 】

[Yongcang new eight branch lines have been reached, and the branch line has been successfully closed. 】

[Todo Hirasuke branch line reached, the branch line is closed because the plot character [Fudodo Heisuke] has died. 】

[Isamu Kondo's branch line has been reached, and the branch line has been closed because the plot character [Isamu Kondo] has died. 】

……

I almost read everyone's names one by one... Even if some people are alive and some are dead, it still makes people feel a sense of nostalgia.

Liu Quan thought, probably because six years is really a long time. During this time we spent together, whether it was laughing, fighting, difficult or happy, now it seems So precious...and even if she didn't brush it deliberately, she has actually accumulated a high friendship value with everyone during the time spent together.

Immediately afterwards, the name of the person she was expecting appeared.

[The branch line of Okita Souji has been completed, and the branch line has been successfully closed. 】

...and the names of people who were not expected in advance.

[Xuecun Qianhe branch line has been completed, and the branch line has been successfully closed. 】

Liu Quan: "..."

Maybe it's because I have been assigned to take care of Xiao Qianhe as the only female team member of the Shinsengumi over the years, and it has been done very smoothly, so I have also obtained Xiao Qianhe's extremely high friendship value.

However, in any case, it is good that Mr. Zong Si is still alive.

Don't die, Souji-kun... You must work hard and fight hard to survive.Just like when we parted, we agreed.

[After the system calculation, the branch line of Keisuke Shannan has met the necessary conditions, but because the plot character [Keisuke Shannan] has died, the player automatically loses the opportunity to say goodbye to the plot character before leaving this world.This branch is closed. 】

Liu Quan:! ! !

The system bacteria suddenly mentioned Shannan's name, and its unprecedented way of announcing it once again upset the reality of Shannan's death, and spread it cruelly in front of her.

Liu Quan was silent for a moment, and then secretly complained about the system bacteria in his mind.

[...Can't you not poke the player's fragile heart at this sad moment?Do you want to see the players howling uncontrollably to be happy? What kind of bad taste is this...]

System bacteria didn't answer her.

Of course, as an excellent player who has experienced three worlds, and a mature woman who has grown to the age of 25+ in this world, Liu Quan didn't need the comfort of the system bacteria to better adjust his emotions.

What's more, the system bacteria still has something new to say.

[After the system calculation and judgment, Saito's line has met the necessary conditions, and the player can get a chance to say goodbye to the plot character before leaving this world.When the player leaves the world, the branch will be successfully closed. 】

Liu Quan: "..."

For some reason, she didn't feel very surprised this time.When she heard the announcement of the system bacteria, what surged in her chest was more of a sense of understanding and melancholy of "ah, it really is so..."; however, this announcement almost made her wry smile appear on her face ——If it wasn't for the thought of the deputy chief being by his side, he forcibly held back.

[But I only have 24 hours, don't I?And where is Yijun now...] She asked silently in her heart.

System bacteria is still unanswered.

...because what it says next is the point.

[After system calculation and judgment, the third branch of Hijikata has met the necessary conditions. Before leaving this world, the player can get a chance to say goodbye to the plot character.When the player leaves the world, the branch will be successfully closed. 】

...It's finally here.Ultimatum.

Liu Quan closed his eyes, then opened them quickly.

It seemed that there was an indelible melancholy and sadness accumulated in her chest, but at that moment, she had already figured out how to exit from this world.

"...Everything that Jiu Tiao Daoqing said is true."

She said quietly, raised her head, turned her face slightly, and looked at Hijikata's handsome profile.

"I was in Edo at the time... I really didn't intend to try my best to rescue Director Kondo. Because I knew from the beginning that this matter was not feasible... Whether it was the chief sage, Tosa, or even those big figures in the shogunate who avoided seeing him ...They all want Director Kondo to die. For such a powerful force, I alone is not enough. Even the strength of the Kujo family is not enough...so I simply gave up this futile attempt .”

With a tone that was so calm that it was almost empty, she began to complete her exit speech in this world.

"It was true that I had accepted Kujo Dokiyo's secret order before sneaking into the Shinsengumi pretending to be a man. Even Takasugi Shinsaku of the Choshu Domain, I let him go twice in Kyoto."

"There is a bookstore near Shijo Street in Kyoto. That's where we communicated in private."

"I did all this for my sister. I thought that if I did this, Jiu Tiao Daoqing would let her go, but it didn't... However, I don't think this can be a reason for me to defend myself..."

"It might sound ridiculous to say 'I've never done anything to harm Shinsengumi' now..."

"However, I still think so to this day."

Her almost transparent eyes were fixed on Hijikata's face.However, he tensed his jaw throughout and remained silent without turning his face.

A sense of helplessness slowly surged up and spread across her chest.

In this world, the scene of her seeing Hijikata for the first time suddenly floated up from the depths of her memory.

That was when the truth of her identity as a woman was exposed and she was still in confinement, he suddenly opened the door of her room and ordered her to go on missions with him.

...It turned out to be going to Shimabara to talk about business.This place name doesn't match the word [talking about business] at all, but luckily it ended satisfactorily in the end.

How much time has passed since then.

Didn't what they walked through together, the pain and warmth of life and death, difficult choices in the troubled times, with their blood and strong faith without fear, they confronted the impasse of the coming new era, the forest of swords and bullets and the valley of the shadow of death?

With such a strong determination to walk side by side to the present people, but when everything is over, they slowly let go of the hands that hold each other... Could this really be a clumsy plot that couldn't be worse?So when it comes to the end, she really can only be a cannon fodder female supporting role with a BE, isn't she?

"Hijikata-san... I'm very sorry about all of this."

She spoke lightly, and there seemed to be no deep sorrow in her tone, only a helpless sigh and helplessness.

"I, in the months before crossing the sea to Ezo, I often looked in the direction of Ezo in the north."

"Although I can't see Mr. Hijikata for the time being, I firmly believe that under the same sky, Mr. Hijikata must also work very hard to survive."

"Mr. Hijikata is still living somewhere under the same sky, in my opinion, that's better than anything..."

Hijikata's breathing seemed to be heavy for a moment, as if he was trying his best to hide the many emotions surging in his heart; but he remained silent and did not look back at her.

Liu Quan took a deep breath.

very good.Let's part now.

"I'm so sorry for not doing enough to rescue Director Kondo and for deceiving everyone for so long... for that."

"I have no position to defend myself, but please see that I have also risked my life to work hard for the Shinsengumi, I hope you can grant me a request..."

"I know this is a very capricious statement...I probably don't have the qualifications to say it...but—"

Liu Quan took another deep breath, and finally said the most crucial sentence with difficulty.

"Even if we can't meet again..."

"...I also hope that Hijikata-san will live somewhere under this sky and continue to live."

"Until everyone recognizes the faith and spirit of the Shinsengumi, and remembers those days when the Shinsengumi existed as a guidepost for the samurai..."

"One day the Shinsengumi will regain everyone's respect, admiration and memory. At that time, there must be someone who can uprightly pass on the noble, beautiful and admirable things represented by the Chengzi flag... in In my opinion, there is no better candidate than Mr. Hijikata."

"For this goal, please live a good life. 'Use your life for more meaningful things', didn't you once say that to me?"

"...So, even though I failed to do what I agreed with you at the time, I still hope that you can agree to my willful wish."

Even though she said so much in one breath, Hijikata still stubbornly remained silent.After her voice fell, the silence that permeated between them suddenly expanded and became embarrassing.

Hijikata lowered his eyes slightly, his brows were furrowed, and his expression was serious, as if he was facing such a huge and difficult problem that was difficult to decide and could not be answered easily.This kind of expression rarely appeared on his face even in the era of Oni's Deputy Chief who roamed all over Kyoto.

Watching him show such a look, Liu Quan felt a kind of apologetic pity for a moment, almost overcoming the unspeakable helplessness and pain of the imminent parting.

The deputy chief... originally didn't expect to hear such words, but wanted to hear her say that everything Jiutiao Daoqing said was a despicable slander, a lie in an attempt to shake and split the strong bond between the two of them, right? .

She almost saw the bright subtext on his face - what he wanted to say was [as long as you say those are lies, I will believe them, but why do you say so].

His breathing is also very heavy, showing that he is struggling with all kinds of pain, contradictions and embarrassments emerging in his heart; he even clenched his lips slightly, with an expression like a stubborn and helpless teenager, clearly knowing that he is about to What kind of important thing is facing, but I don't know how to deal with it correctly, and I don't know what choice I will make so that I won't regret it.

The silence between the two of them gradually became infinite, seemed to cover the whole world, and was suffocating.

Finally, he finally moved his lips slightly and tried to make a sound.

"you are always like this……"

His voice was hoarse and his voice was low and indistinguishable.After saying these few words, he stopped again, as if thinking for a long time, looking for the exact words to express his feelings; finally, he spoke again as if giving up, and went straight on.

"You said you were going to make a promise with me...then, I believed you..."

He paused.

Liu Quan:! ?

After a moment of astonishment, she realized that he probably remembered that in the last battle in Hakodate, she used "hitting the gold as an oath" as an excuse to trick him into going to Bentendaiba to spy on the news.

A faint wry smile could not help appearing on the corner of her lips.

Suddenly, Tufang turned around sharply and stared straight into her face.There was something akin to despair on his face.

"...I'll ask you again—in Edo...you really didn't have any intention of rescuing Kondo-kun, and didn't you really try to save him?!"

His voice is like a string that is very taut and vibrating due to excessive force, as if it will break in the next second.There was a frenzy of pain and despair in his eyes.

Liu Quan felt his heart pounding and missed a beat.

There was a terrible tremor from the heart, as if the chest cavity was about to be shattered by an earthquake in the next second, or it was about to explode with a bang, spurting out a large amount of ferocious scarlet blood.

Tufang stared at her like a trapped animal that had fallen into a trap, his eye circles were red, as if there was a kind of savage pain struggling and rampaging in his chest, if he didn't try to restrain it, the pain would be the next moment. It will explode with a bang and destroy the world.

The deep pain and sorrow in his body was conveyed to her, which made her even shake for a moment, wanting to answer him the answer he longed to hear, wanting to hug him because of the bitter battle with one enemy and many others just now. The bloody and even injured body wants to kiss those desperate, fragile, and unwilling eyes——

...but she couldn't.

At this time, she can do nothing but say goodbye.

[I'm such a scum...]

Such a thought floated in her mind blankly.

Because if she hadn't chased him desperately, he would be able to achieve his personal HE with the really gentle and considerate heroine Xiao Qianhe now, right?Even if the world is destroyed, what does it matter? Is the deputy chief the kind of cowardly person who shrinks back because he is afraid that the world will be destroyed and his body will fall, and instead look for other ways to retreat? !As long as one can realize one's ideals and obtain happiness, it doesn't matter whether the world will be destroyed or not, right?

But what is she doing now.In order not to destroy the world, she destroyed his chance to realize his dream, deprived him of the opportunity to obtain happiness, and then selfishly walked away in the name of saving the world, leaving him alone in this general, In a desolate world where brothers, friends, companions and subordinates have all left, do you think this is the best ending? !

Now, she finally understands.

Hijikata Toshizo is not Munakata Reishi.He will never become Munakata Reishi.Just as Reji Munakata could never become Toshizo Hijikata.

Both are sacrifices. For Munakata Reiji, his righteousness is to maintain the justice, peace and the well-being of the vast majority of people in the whole world; Well, everything can be sacrificed.In his view, whether beliefs or ideals, they all exist to protect the world.Out of the righteousness of maintaining world peace, he can temporarily put aside his ideals, give up his friends, and even sacrifice himself.

However, Hijikata Suisan is different.In other words, his righteousness is exactly the opposite of that of Munakata Reishi.For him, beliefs and ideals, as well as the generals and companions of the Shinsengumi he established are more worth fighting for, and the existence of this world is not so important; the important thing is to prove that his beliefs and ideals are What is beyond all these existences is shining, recognized and admirable.

For Reiji Munakata, the world is bigger than the ideal, and bigger than the individual.So even though he wanted to save her life, when she was captured by the colorless king and might endanger the world, he gritted his teeth and tried to destroy her; just like in the projection she watched in the Endless Hall Although he really wanted to save Zhou Fangzun who was about to drop his sword, he still chose to protect the world at the last moment, like a sword piercing Zhou Fangzun's chest.

However, for Hijikata Toshizo, ideals or individuals are bigger than this world.He didn't really intend to delve into whether his determination to defend the shogunate's beliefs ran counter to the correct development direction of the world. What he cared about was whether the beliefs and justice he insisted on could be implemented, propagated and extended from beginning to end.

Therefore, she took the understanding of Munakata Reishi to face Hijikata Toshizo, which in itself was unfair to both of them.

Liu Quan looked back deeply at Tu Fang's handsome face that looked haggard and suffering, shook his head, and said softly: "...I'm sorry."

The author has something to say:

February 6:

Too bad, miscalculated, this volume will not be finished until tomorrow. . .

In short, let’s broadcast the [-]-character chapter today and tomorrow~~~ It seems like a good coincidence that this volume ends just in time for the end of the month.

The comparison between the chief and the deputy chief mentioned at the end of this chapter came to the author's mind suddenly.

Maybe the explanation is not perfect, but it always feels like that [.

PS. Since this volume is going to end, the soundtrack must be included! [dirt

The soundtrack of this chapter: "Fantasy-atruelovetale-" is the ED of "Hakuoki Snow Flower Record" souji chapter, which also appeared before.The lyrics are simple. . .Everyone must be a mother.

Here is the audition link: