Chapter 92 The more one loves, the more one worries; sharing the fate of the water god...
No, that won't work. Absolutely not.
The combined negative emotions of a group of people don't even equal the amount generated by Rougete alone.
Mainkun returned home in a daze, and before the effects of the medicine wore off, he opened all eighteen locks to check on the cockroaches inside.
"Oh."
The one-eyed man lay in bed, flipping through a fairy tale book:
"You finally remembered me. I thought you'd forgotten you'd tied someone up."
"..."
Tell me about it.
Kares was not in a dominant position and could only take the initiative to negotiate and seek peace.
"Why did you kidnap me? For money, fame, or profit? State your purpose, and if it suits my wishes, I'm willing to cooperate."
Carles had never made such a concession in his life.
If the other gangs in Fontaine were to see this, they would probably be utterly astonished and would rush to take advantage of the situation.
But the boy with the heterochromatic gray hair merely twitched his cat ears and said:
"I just blew up the Grey River, are you angry?"
...
"oh."
Carles responded calmly, without uttering a single word of disbelief.
"You're having another episode."
...
Nothing was gained.
Mainkuhn took all the elegant records out of the phonograph and replaced them with sunshine, rainbows, and white horses.
"Hey, wait a minute, kid, let's be reasonable. I was just telling the truth, why are you retaliating against me like this!"
"What a despicable father and daughter."
After confirming that his physical condition was steadily improving, Mainkun locked the door, leaned against the door panel of Cares, and let his body slide down.
“...Foolish me.”
If only I were a little more ruthless, I could definitely...
The emotions suppressed by the medication surged within him, scattering the words he hadn't spoken.
"Waaah!"
Unable to contain his grief, Mainkun gritted his teeth, trying to stop his body from trembling—damn it! Every time the false ease faded and the painful reality returned, it was always so unbearable!
"Thump."
The door behind me suddenly shook.
"!"
Mainkun instantly lowered its ears, and its short tail exploded.
[Kares, what, what are you doing!? Wait, he's recovered enough to walk again?]
The effects of the drug had completely worn off. Carles knocked on the door twice, but heard no response from outside.
But he did feel the vibrations traveling through the floor.
Looks like this kid's had another episode.
Carles then came to this conclusion.
What kind of mess is this? I've been mingling in the dark for years, only to fall for a young, skinny bastard who clearly has a mental illness. What a waste of my lifelong reputation.
Kares sighed inwardly, but remained calm on the surface. He knocked on the door again and asked, "Are you alright?"
[…! Stop!]
Carles's behavior was like an insect scraping a paper cup with its antennae, while Maine's limbs were stiff and unable to move freely.
[Don't, don't pay attention to me, I'll be fine in a bit...]
But things didn't go as the cat wished.
Mainkuen stood frozen, hearing the sound of a man pacing behind him, the sound of picking a lock... of course, he failed. After a moment of silence, he heard the soft sound of pages turning.
"The Unhappy Little Stone, author unknown...tsk."
The tone was deliberately slowed down, yet the stiffness couldn't be concealed, carrying a hint of disdain for childish books.
[...]?
What are you doing?
Mainkuhn was horrified but also felt that the book title was somewhat familiar.
[It seems to be the fairy tale book I gave to Carles?]
While he was still confused, Carles continued reading awkwardly.
"Once upon a time, there was a little stone... The little stone was ugly and useless, so it was unhappy all day long, crying from morning to night, and from night to morning."
His voice was dry and monotone, like reading a terrible financial report. But you can't blame him; little Navia has grown up a long time ago, and fairy tales are too far removed from the adult world.
He cried and cried, his tears flowing like a river.
"The waves in the river smoothed his edges, the little fish wiped the mud off his face, and the pebbles became beautiful and shiny... How illogical."
He complained.
[...] Amidst these complaints, Mainkuhn slowly stopped trembling.
“The hardworking architect uncle saw it, picked it up, and exclaimed... ‘Wow, what a beautiful stone!’ Tsk.”
Carles frowned and exclaimed.
"The little stone was thus built into the wall, and together with his many beautiful companions, they were happily built into a beautiful building."
The story has ended.
[...]
There was complete silence outside the door.
Only a brand-new gramophone was playing catchy and cheerful songs.
Kares scratched his head in frustration, his throat bobbing as if he were trying to come up with something, but then he felt that nothing he said would be appropriate. In the end, he simply tapped twice, very lightly and very slowly, with his knuckles on the cold door that separated the two of them.
"Kid."
Are you feeling better now?
He heard no response from the boy, only the sound of sharp claws scraping against the wall and someone struggling to stand up.
'Hmm, looks like everything's fine.'
Kares blinked wearily in his single eye, touched his unhealed wound, and prepared to go back to bed to rest.
'Honestly, why did I comfort him? He's just a little rascal, a petty robber.'
Before he could turn around, he heard rustling sounds coming from behind the door.
Looking down, I saw the vinyl records the cat had confiscated being carefully slipped back through the crack in the door, one by one.
"...Oh, what a pleasant surprise! I can finally get rid of that annoying and noisy music."
The ticking sound abruptly stopped, and elegant, soothing orchestral music filled the cell. Kares sighed in relief, still feeling lost.
"He seemed like a good kid no matter how you looked at him... how did he end up on a life of crime?"
*
[They are not a despicable father and daughter.]
[Navia has the best father in the world.]
[Kares has the best daughter in the world.]
Although Mainkun has not met many father-daughter pairs, he is already making his own assertions.
[They are the best father and daughter.]
[...]
[I'm a little envious.]
The cat sat at the dining table, its ears drooping.
[Wait! Stop thinking about these things. The most important thing right now is—]
The cat shook its head frantically.
"Mr. En? Mr. En?"
[—It's about saving the world! It's about saving the world! We have to find a way, otherwise both father and daughter will die... What's wrong, Linni?]
The gloomy boy stopped shaking his head, turned dejectedly towards Linni, his vertical pupils fixed on the child's head, not wanting to meet his gaze.
He didn't want to make eye contact, but people insisted on doing so. Linni carefully observed the upper half of Mainkuen's face.
"Mr. En, you look a little... tired?"
"Yes."
Lynette added:
"Such heavy dark circles under your eyes."
"It's been there before, but it's too heavy now..."
Fimini was also very worried.
"Brother, you shouldn't always stay up late and sneak out to play."
[...]
"Does Mr. En sleep? I don't think I've ever seen Mr. En sleep."
"More than that, Lynette. Think back carefully. Mr. En has never eaten in front of us either. Have you ever seen him, Fimini?"
"I...I've never seen it before either."
[stop. ]
Mainkuhn quickly cut short the unpleasant topic, tapping the fried chicken wings on the table with his knuckles in a threatening gesture:
[If you say another word, I'll replace this with an onion! ...Do I really look that bad?]
Mainkuen quietly turned his head to look at his reflection on the refrigerator, a thin boy wearing a gray trench coat and a heavy scarf.
[I'm alright, though I do look a little tired... but that's unavoidable, given all the things that have happened recently that I couldn't control...]
"Mr. En, Mr. En."
Linni's call came from his side. He clearly didn't understand the half-demon's silent warning, or rather, he understood it, but worry outweighed fear.
Look...here!
Linni's voice suddenly rose, in a tone deliberately designed to attract attention.
[What... ugh!]
Mainkuen instinctively looked in the direction of the sound, a hint of bewilderment at being disturbed—and almost instantly, a strange and intense plant scent rushed into his nostrils.
[Huh? A sleeping potion? That doesn't seem like it...]
"Ta-da! Surprise magic trick!"
A small sachet fell from the sky amidst the flower buds made of folded colored paper, and Mainkuen instinctively reached out to catch it.
[Magic!?]
The cat looked up and discovered a hidden mechanism attached to the chandelier above its head.
[When did you start preparing?]
"How about that? Surprised? Unexpected?"
Linnie looked at him with sparkling eyes.
"The sachet contains garland chrysanthemum and romaine lettuce, which are leafy vegetables that have a calming effect."
Lynette added calmly, tilting her head back with the demure grace of a kitten:
"I'm so sorry, because it's winter, we couldn't find any flowers in the yard that could help us sleep, so we used vegetables instead."
"However, however..."
Little Fimi shyly added from the side:
"The fairy tale book says that if you dry these vegetable leaves and boil them in water to drink or just smell them, it can make you feel relaxed... Maybe it will help? Hmm, brother, give it a try..."
"yes."
After Linni finished her magic show, she distanced herself from the half-demon again:
"No matter what kind of job you have, you need to get enough sleep!"
He hadn't forgotten Mainkuen's blood-covered appearance.
"..."
But Mainkuen looked at the sachet in his hand, which was covered with familiar stitches.
Once upon a time, there were two children in a tent who, with their skillful stitches, knitted little capes for their favorite cat companions.
"Mr. Big."
"Mr. En."
Remember to get some rest!
[ah……]
"Why are you looking at me like that, Mr. En?" Linni asked, puzzled.
[It's nothing, I just feel very happy.]
[…Linnie, this is the first time you've performed magic for my human form, that's wonderful.]
"Brother En, come and drink some milk. Milk helps you sleep..." Little Fimi pushed her cup toward Maine.
"Wow."
Lynette's eyes lit up when she saw it.
“Mine is for Mr. En too.”
"Wait, little sister, you didn't deliberately give Mr. En that you hate milk to drink, did you!"
"What does it have to do with anything..."
[Ha ha ha ha…]
Mainkun narrowed his vertical pupils and revealed a rare smile.
"Wow--"
Amid the children's gasps, he clutched the sachet tightly and solemnly placed it inside his worn-out overcoat.
[Thanks. ]
[But milk is unnecessary.]
[It's not that I intentionally refused your kindness, it's just that the cat... is lactose intolerant, which is a shame.]
*
"Go get a good night's sleep after you finish eating, your dark circles are awful!"
The children want you to sleep, but you don't.
[This is not the time to sleep.]
After locking the bedroom door, Mainkuhn decisively jumped out of the window.
He quickly beat up the remaining nine people provided by Luger, but apart from the people who were beaten, he still gained very little negative emotion.
"Where are the lynxes? Damn it! Not a single witness? Damn it! We victims can't even keep up with the investigation!"
[…No, Navia, what are you after?]
After missing out on the Rose Society for the ninth time, Mainkuen felt he couldn't continue like this.
[No, I must, I need to find a more efficient method...]
Maine is exhausted.
[The extracted seawater has nowhere to go...]
It was already dark when I finished working.
Mainkun transformed back into his cat form, looking utterly miserable. He found a bench, lay down, and relaxed for a while.
[We must try our best to ensure everyone survives, okay?]
He didn't remain quiet for long.
Soon, a blue and white figure leaped over with delight, and Funinna grabbed the large cat with the severed tail:
"Cat God! What a coincidence to run into you here!"
[Ah, Furina.]
The big cat responded by wearily wagging its short tail.
What are you doing running around outside so late at night? It's dangerous.
"I can't sleep, you silly cat, you have no idea what's been going on lately..."
Furina had always been very understanding, and now she had evolved to understand cats as well. She hugged the cat, gently pressed her ear to its ear, and let out a barely audible whisper to reveal her fear:
"The seawater that dissolves human flesh, it's really appeared, what should we do..."
[It's okay, it's okay, I'm thinking of something.]
The cat stood on its hind legs and patted her shoulder with its large paws to soothe her.
[I like you too, but I won't let you die...!?]
Just then, through Frynn's hair, Mainkuen saw a sinister-looking man in black following behind her!
"What's wrong, Cat God? Why aren't you moving? You were scared too, weren't you..."
Funina was wiping away her tears by holding his hand.
"..."
A red light emanated from beneath the mask of the man in black; his hair was white with black streaks. His gaze toward the cat was one of speechlessness, shock, disdain, confusion, exhaustion, and a kaleidoscope of emotions.
[！！！]
Mainkun immediately lost his temper, grabbed Funina's hand, and ran away.
[Silly child! Run!]
[Otherwise, Peipei will beat us both up!]
-----------------------
Author's note: Honkai Impact 3rd will be updated tomorrow, so I won't be updating.
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