Su Shuang's world is collapsing [Comprehensive]

Earthwork: ...! ! !

"I'm sorry for disappointing your expectations." She continued as if she didn't intend to let him go.Those black eyes, which were still as clear as before at this time, stared deeply into his pupils, as if wanting to see into the depths of his heart.

Suddenly, when she said similar words in front of Kondo at the end of the dark alley in Edo, his response popped into her mind.

[Please don't say that, Yukiha-kun.I am sure that everything you can do for me has been done well. 】

【Yukiha-kun has guarded the Shinsengumi for such a long time... As the director of the Shinsengumi, I am very grateful. 】

[Since before, Ah Sui has been a stubborn person. 】

[When you say goodbye to your friends and companions again and again like this, everything you endure...you will understand. 】

[Please don't give up on Ah Sui. 】

Tears suddenly welled up without warning.

Liu Quan slowly pursed his lips into a straight line, stubbornly holding back his tears, and ordered himself to continue looking directly into Tufang's eyes.

【Mr. Xueye, please show your courage, as you have always done. 】At that time, Kondo said to her like this.

You have to show courage...you have to end all of this properly.

"In the end... I was finally assimilated and swallowed up by the darkness behind me." She tried her best to pull herself together, and tried to express her dialogue—perhaps the upcoming farewell—in a flat tone. — Make it as complete and believable as possible.

"From this point of view, Jiu Tiao Daoqing is still successful... But I don't want to see him smiling triumphantly by the Santu River!"

She raised her voice slightly.

"So, whether you forgive me or not, you must live hard, live peacefully and wonderfully, and let those bad guys who want to see Shinsengumi's jokes and destroy Shinsengumi no matter what. Sometimes you can never get what you want—"

Unexpectedly, her next sentence turned out to be such a random dialogue.

...Can you be more serious to him? !

Of course he was distressed and angry.That kind of anger mixed with unbelievable emotions almost made him so angry that it was impossible to contain it in an instant.

He tried his best to order himself to remain calm, little by little to distinguish the connection and details between the so-called truths that Jiu Tiaodaoqing said and her words when she admitted these truths, and finally came to a conclusion that he had to accept.

That conclusion sounds like an absurd joke——

That is, all of Kiyohara Yukiha's dedication to the Shinsengumi is sincere, but at the same time, all of Kiyohara Yukiha's dedication to the Shinsengumi is also purposeful!

For a moment, her gleaming efforts, those sacrifices and contributions that she had risked her life to complete, were like sweet poison/medicine, which made him feel a constriction in his throat and a throbbing pain in his heart.

Her sincerity is mixed with her deceit, and she is also probing when she is working hard. All of them, good and bad, light and dark, are gradually integrated into her body, inseparable.

He tried his best to think through all this, trying to find a solution that was best and most suitable for both of them from this mess of truth and thoughts, but he failed.He couldn't think of anything.When he thought about how much he had trusted her and how Kondo-kun had trusted her, taking care of and trusting her as the most reliable, best, and most confidant soldier, she ruthlessly abandoned her in the end. Kondo-kun like that felt a tearing pain in his heart.

What she said and what she did, seemed to turn into a blunt sword with its blade cut back and forth in an instant, sawing back and forth on his heart, slowly cutting through the soft flesh and blood in his heart, tearing it apart. A hideous huge wound.

He was silent for a long time.Finally, he looked away, looked into the depths of the woods, and said in a low voice: "...I want to go for a walk alone. I have to think about these things clearly..."

She did not answer.

Although he had already made up his mind not to see her for the time being, she, who was always cheerful and talkative, made him feel almost overwhelming, and it always made people feel a little strange when she fell silent; he couldn't help but glanced at her again, and happened to see A faint shadow flashed across her face.

He couldn't help being a little surprised, and just about to say something more, but he couldn't help but feel that she deserves some serious and profound lessons; maybe it's a good idea to give her a cold shoulder, and she also needs to reflect seriously and apologize more deeply It's possible - thinking about it, he swallowed his urge to ask "what's the matter" again, and said in a slightly blunt tone: "I don't understand why you chose not to rescue Kondo-kun at that time...you clearly knew This pains me!"

However, as soon as he blurted out this sentence that seemed to vent his anger, he choked suddenly, almost biting his own tongue.

...what the hell is he doing? !Whispering or complaining like a procrastinating, indecisive guy? !There is absolutely no need to express this feeling!But why did she blurt it out? Is it because her repeated apologies just now have actually shaken him a little bit, or is it because the shadow that flashed across her face made him a little concerned? !Or was it because...he was used to relying on her to some extent, used to telling her his true thoughts and feelings? !

Habits are terrible.Thinking of this, he turned around suddenly in a bit of a panic, and strode into the depths of the woods without even saying a word to her.

But behind him, she raised her voice and stopped him.

"... Mr. Hijikata!"

He stopped suddenly, but he didn't turn around.

He thought she wanted an apology, or a more sincere and profound explanation of the danger or predicament she was facing at the time, the reasons behind her puzzling choice.But she just seemed to think about it for a while, and then said something that people couldn't understand.

"Sometimes... some things, no matter how painful, just sit back and watch it happen..."

"Because my strength alone is too small."

There seemed to be a deep sigh in her last words.He stood there quietly waiting for her next words, but she seemed to have no intention of continuing to speak; the embarrassing silence before suddenly enveloped the two of them again.

Hijikata endured and endured, and finally, because her words sounded too strange, he suddenly turned his head and stared at her.

However, he was slightly taken aback when he turned around.

Because she was standing in front of Jiu Tiao Daoqing's tomb, raising her eyes to look in the direction of his departure.The expression on her face was very strange, like sadness, reluctance, and relief. It was so complicated that it seemed to contain infinite words, it was hard to say.

But when he blinked because he was too surprised, he found that expression disappeared from her face in an instant.Her smile was as warm and calm as ever, and the strange expression just now was like a dream.

"...Then, I'll go back first." She smiled gently, and even after the violent dark storm swept through, the eyes that were still clear and bright stayed quietly on his face.Moreover, she seemed to be very surprised and happy because of his turning around this time.

In an instant, Tukata felt even more embarrassed and annoyed.

...It's impossible to forgive you so simply, otherwise how will I face Kondo-kun in the future, damn it! !Don't show that joyful expression of [It's great that the deputy chief is willing to talk to me now, he must have accepted my confession]! !

Because he thought of Kondo, at this moment he suddenly recalled several unrelated details about Kondo—to be exact, what Kondo said.

[Okay, let's do this!Ah Sui, you will bring Kiyohara with you later... No, how about Xue Ye going outside to continue participating in the festival? 】

[Hey... I said, Ah Sui, it's not that serious, is it? 】

[I am very impressed that a woman can have such courage and belief to do this. 】

[And since she joined the Shinsengumi, she has never made a mistake in her work, and she has performed exceptionally well in several incidents... Based on this alone, I also think that she has reached the standard of a qualified team member. 】

Earthwork: "..."

...there are some terrible things that come to mind.Is it because I subconsciously want to find excuses for the other party, this is... not so good? !

Kondo-kun is a warm, generous and broad-minded person.It is precisely because of such qualities that he was able to gather so many talented people around him back then, run the test room, set up the Shinsengumi, and become everyone's general.

Someone who can tolerate even a guy like Ito... Even if he learned the fact that Kiyohara did not actively rescue him, he would just smile and say it's okay, and shake his head and say that Ah Sui should not embarrass her, because she has been doing things for Xin Enough has been done with the selection group—is that the case? !

Hijikata raised his head slightly, closed his eyes, let out a long breath, and opened them again.

The setting sun at dusk dyed the canopy of the trees in the forest with a light golden orange.This kind of moment reminded him of the evening in Liushan when he escaped from the golden mansion and left Kondo there alone.

...Just smiled so easily and said it's okay, it's all over and I don't care anymore, is it really okay? !

His heart was in turmoil, his thoughts were complicated and mixed, and it was really difficult to make a decision for a while; when he heard her say "I'll go back first", he could only say hastily, and said again in a somewhat blunt tone: "...then , I’ll go for a walk in the woods by myself.”

After speaking, he didn't look at her again, just turned around again, and strode into the depths of the woods.

... However, after thinking about it afterwards, every word she said had a deep meaning.

Including the sentence "Sometimes... some things, no matter how painful they are, I can only sit back and watch them happen... because my strength alone is too small".

——Even including the phrase "Then, I'll go back first."

He obviously said so, but when the night completely enveloped the entire mountain and forest, he finally gave up and decided to go back first and wait until tomorrow before continuing to think about how to face the truth about Jiu Tiaoqing and her. When he confessed, he returned home, but he didn't see her anywhere.

She is not in that house.Without warning, she left.He walked swiftly and decisively, without even leaving him a single word to explain the situation.

He has been looking for her for days.A few days later, when he searched for her whereabouts stretched farther and farther, and finally discovered that he had stepped into Hakodate by accident again, he still felt a little unbelievable.

During the days of living in seclusion in the mountains together, she half-truly pestered him to teach him "superior makeup skills", saying that it was a housekeeping skill that she was proud of-even if he didn't want to learn it , I still learned a little from her long-winded words.It works now.

Thinking about it carefully, these things she did were really very forward-looking and purposeful, right? !

At least, in the current Hakodate, the original shogun and related people were basically cleaned up, imprisoned and expelled by the new government forces. No one knows his appearance anymore, and she stalked him forcibly. The professor's "superior makeup technique" can actually allow him to appear in Hakodate safely without being hunted down? !

Of course, you can't go to the vital places like Goryokaku.But this did not prevent Hijikata from going to Bentendaiba.

…Maybe she'll come back and see this place that means so much to both of them? !

With this in mind, and his own desire to see Benten Odaiba, which he had never had the chance to revisit after the Battle of Hakodate, Hijikata came here.

He finally stood at Bentendaiba, overlooking Hakodate Bay, but he couldn't find any trace of whether she had been here.Only the violent wind by the sea, and the sound of waves rising and falling in an orderly manner, made him have some kind of unreal illusion for a while.

[Your chance to live in this world is what Mr. Kondo would rather give up everything in exchange.Because he still has deeper expectations for you... If you don't live a good life with the expectations of such a person, you have failed Mr. Kondo's painstaking efforts! 】

Without warning, the words she yelled at him when he was leaving Liushan resurfaced in his memory.

Ah, actually, that's what she wanted to say to him.

After so many days, they were still anxiously searching, and the unacceptable feeling after suddenly learning a series of bad truths about her that day had long since disappeared without a trace.

[Director Kondo has always been very calm and calm.He said to me, let me tell the deputy chief... about the Shinsengumi and the future, please. 】

... So, calm down and think about it carefully, based on this sentence, she still met Kondo-kun in Edo anyway, and had a conversation, right? !

[I swear to Director Kondo...I swear that I will follow the deputy chief until the end. 】

...So, at that time, no matter whether she tried her best to rescue Kondo-kun or not, at least the two of them were calm, understood each other's position, and exchanged their final vows seriously, right?

This thought made him feel a sudden piercing pain.The inference that he was deeply aware that these two important people might not be alive floated up in his mind for the first time in a daze.

After coming down from Bentendaiba, there is a row of wooden railings on the path leading to the sea.Doji, who was about to go to the coast to have a look, suddenly found a white scarf tied on one of the railings.At this moment, the scarf was being fluttered by the violent sea wind.

He was stunned for a moment, then rushed up suddenly, grabbed the scarf fluttering in the wind, and unfolded it flat in front of him.

There was actually a line written on the scarf.The handwriting is correct and elegant, with a bit of style.

【Sighing at the Moon of Spring／The narrow living in the plain makes it hard to sleep／Only thinking about the coolness of the moonlight】

Earthwork:! ?

He remembered almost instantly, when Kiyohara Yukiha quoted... no, plagiarized this haiku written by him.

It was the eve before Yidong's faction was about to leave the team and set up the Royal Tomb Guards. He planned to use his tricks and arrange Saito to be an undercover agent in the Royal Tomb Guards, and he called her to have a secret talk with her, and asked her to cooperate with Saito's mission and be responsible for exchanging information and delivering news. .

At that time, she deliberately read this haiku loudly outside his room, pretending to come to ask him for advice, and said that it was her favorite work...

Then, she insisted on giving him her oil lamp, asking him to light an extra lamp when he was working at night, and the money for the lamp oil would be deducted from her share, and said with a smile, "I don't want to see a young The deputy chief who has aged so old that he can't see the figure clearly"——

Thinking about it now, although he had been shaken by her many times without knowing it, the first time he clearly realized that his mind was being shaken was at that time.

It's really like that guy's style, leaving behind such a haiku that doesn't seem like a farewell or a message without thinking at all... After all, what do you want to do!

Suddenly, her brisk, crisp voice with a smile sounded in his mind again.

"Ah, the money will be spent quickly when I get it, so please ask the deputy chief to save it for me. Maybe I can save a lot in the future, and then I can become a rich man and return home, marry a beautiful man, Going to the pinnacle of life or something—”

Strangely, at this moment, he suddenly couldn't remember many, many things she said; the only sentence he remembered was this answer he recalled at the time about how to deal with her salary.

Unknowingly, he slowly raised the eyebrows, flattened the corners of his lips, and smiled lightly.

... Later, she didn't turn into some kind of rich man and returned home.He's really a big talker, isn't he?

However, marrying a handsome man or something... What kind of girl would talk about such a topic so unashamedly? !

Hijikata's lips were trembling slightly.He bent the five fingers of his right hand and slowly clenched the white scarf with the haiku written on it.

...it's not possible anymore...

He pursued all the way to this point, and the only clue she left here was this scarf.

Probably, she tied it here on purpose, wanting to leave it for him who will also come here when he doesn't know when? !

...Did you notice something when you came here?

Without warning, Shannan's voice suddenly appeared in his memory.

【Because it's my own body... Anyway, I can always use my feeling to guess when I will use up all my strength...】

Standing by the sea, the gust of sea wind violently shakes Hijikata's body, blowing the hem of his feathered clothes.The sea breeze in late autumn is blowing on the face, which already makes people feel quite cold.

For some reason, he suddenly remembered the scene when Shannan Hesuke finally disappeared in Sendai City.

The bodies of Shannan and Heisuke turned into pale ashes in front of his eyes.When the wind blows, it disappears—

And on a seaside where the wind is so strong, such light and fluffy ashes will be blown to the sea in an instant, and nothing left will be swallowed up by the vast and unpredictable sea, right? !

Just like the tear that floated in the corner of his eye at this moment, it was also quickly dried by the wind.

...It will never be possible to say goodbye properly...

Just like when we parted with Kondo-kun back then...

Why, always like this.

Why do I always miss the chance to say goodbye to important people...

Why do we keep losing these important people over and over again? !

When everything is over, the only one who is left behind...

"...It's like a joke." He laughed at himself and said in a low voice.

"It turns out...it's me who is carefully and tenderly taken care of by everyone." He murmured, slowly untied the scarf from the railing, and first wrapped it around his wrist twice to prevent It was blown away by the wind, and then held one end tightly in its palm.

"... So, I'm sorry, I can't go to you yet." Looking at the rough sea, he took a deep breath.

"Because this life was entrusted to me seriously by everyone... Then, I can't be ashamed of everyone's trust."

"Live well... Pass on the spirit of Shinsengumi well, and you must see with your own eyes the day when everyone recognizes Shinsengumi, admires Shinsengumi, and misses Shinsengumi..."

"Then, I can properly tell you, 'Everyone's hard work has not been in vain, and everyone's ideals and beliefs are indeed the best'."

"Kondo-kun..."

"And... you," his voice paused slightly, and his voice became hoarse and deep.

"Xue Ye... No matter where you are now, just watch carefully."

The author has something to say:

February 6:

I wrote a lot of words again. . .The idea of ​​trying to end a volume from the perspective of the male protagonist is unexpectedly easy to use~~ The blade is also placed smoothly [I was kicked away]

Then. . .Tomorrow will be the end of this volume, and then there will be a few episodes, and then there will be a new volume!

Say something. . .Does anyone want to read the comeback chapter of this volume?Basically, even if I write it, it will be very short, because the meme is almost finished [.

2. In addition, continue to play the same soundtrack as yesterday~~

The ED of "Hakuoki Snow Flower Record", the chief division chapter, "Fantasy -atruelovetale-".