Words Left Unsaid

Xu Xiaoyou's words struck home, hitting the four right in their hearts.

One could clearly see their expressions shift from shock to resentment, and finally to anger.

Akabane Tsubaki cooperated reluctantly, wiping away the tears that had just fallen.

"Actually, I've long thought about leaving this place, but I was forced by the helplessness of reality."

The four members were quite indignant. "How could this be?"

"The world is unpredictable." Akabane Tsubaki shook her head. "In a moment of obsession, I fed my kindness to the Pomelo Pest."

"I haven't treated you poorly either, have I?" Xu Xiaoyou looked at Akabane Tsubaki with a face devoid of expression.

"My heart is free; don't even think about using those things to bind me. I'm just lacking an opportunity. One day, I will surely escape your demonic clutches!"

"Record it! I've already thought of the title: 'The Breakup of Light-Chaser Garden's President and Vice-President.' It'll be on the trending list immediately."

"How many truths are spoken under the guise of a joke."

"Do you think you aren't a handful yourself? Don't forget how many troubles I've had to cover for you. And who was it that stabbed me last time?" Xu Xiaoyou shrugged.

"Ha, you still dare to mention that time? Did you go easy on me?" Akabane Tsubaki's eyebrows shot up as she opened a mute barrier to cut off their voices from the outside world.

"Heh, if it weren't for my great kindness in not reporting your deeds, you would have been arrested long ago!"

"And you? How have you treated me?"

"Packaging a persona to deceive me for so long, and then playing out a farewell ceremony at the end—did you take me for a child who knows nothing?"

Xu Xiaoyou was momentarily speechless. "What do you mean by 'great kindness'? You simply didn't notice. Do you want me to spill the details about how you wouldn't sleep in the middle of the night and came to me seeking comfort while talking nonsense?"

"Fine, fine, you really want to play this way? Yuzu, don't go too far!"

Akabane Tsubaki turned angry from embarrassment, though it was unclear if she was ashamed of her former clear-eyed stupidity, annoyed by it, or both.

The two went back and forth, and whether it was the imagination of Angelina and the others or not, what started as a small squabble turned into a session of digging up old scores. Looking at their lip movements, the argument seemed incredibly fierce; not only were the four members of the savior crowd confused, but even Angelina's group was getting swept up in it.

Finally, Akabane Tsubaki huffed and turned her head away, refusing to look at Xu Xiaoyou, and ran over to Tang Xin to seek comfort.

Xu Xiaoyou also took a deep breath, covered her face, and shook her head slightly, reflecting that she shouldn't stoop to a child's level. She looked at the four members. "Have you considered it?"

Three clenched his fists and glared intently at Xu Xiaoyou.

"How do we join your 'guild'?"

"It's simple. Sign your names here." Xu Xiaoyou skillfully produced a contract from her robes.

At this moment, in the guild hall of Light-Chaser Garden, several burly men in maid outfits who were currently cleaning saw this contract through the livestream. Their bodies trembled as if they were seeing the stuff of nightmares.

"Don't sign it!"

Their souls roared with grief and indignation within their bodies.

These people were all members of the Silent Sequence who had been captured during the Battle of Pangard.

They hated their own weakness and helplessness; they could only watch helplessly as several innocent beings fell into the bottomless abyss.

"As long as you five can defeat her one day, and as long as this holy maiden is willing, she can leave with you at any time." Xu Xiaoyou nodded calmly and put away the contract that had already taken effect.

"Don't look at me like that. No matter how much you glare, I won't lose any sleep over it. She can't leave anyway, so go back and train harder."

The four left indignantly. Two turned back and spoke to Akabane Tsubaki with a solemn expression.

"Your Highness the Holy Maiden, no matter what unjust treatment you encounter, one day, we of the savior crowd will rescue you from this demon's den!"

The sincerity in his voice made Akabane Tsubaki feel a bit embarrassed. She responded sheepishly with a few words before burying her head in the blue-haired girl's embrace.

Xu Xiaoyou sighed. Just as she was about to exit the combat space, the blue-haired girl's calm voice sounded from behind her.

"Yuzu, you'd better explain things clearly when we get back tonight. What exactly were you doing in Red Heaven during the time I was lying in the Life Elegy Hospital? Every daily detail, everyone you met, every word spoken—I want to hear it all."

A drop of cold sweat slid down Xu Xiaoyou's forehead.

She turned around to find Tang Xin comforting the Akabane Tsubaki in her arms. Tang Xin's eyes were slightly dim as she looked at her, but after a moment, the girl's gaze returned to its usual clarity and curved slightly.

"Don't worry, I don't mean anything by it. I'm just curious."

"Because we are good friends, aren't we?"

....

When she opened her eyes again, a thin green color met her sight. Directly ahead was a row of simple sandalwood medicine cabinets. Smelling the crisp and bitter fragrance of medicine, Tang Xin returned to a pharmacy, where the sound of a girl's slight coughing reached her ears.

"A-Xin, are you back?"

She didn't speak, but continued to grind the poria in the mortar into a white powder. She added pinellia and astragalus, mixing them into medicine at a ratio of 5:3:5, then wrapped them in kraft paper, skillfully folding it into a small triangle.

"Why aren't you talking? Is A-Xin in a bad mood?"

As if sensing her thoughts, a girl wearing a pink fleece hat sat on a stool, lightly swinging her legs while she spoke.

"Don't think nonsense. If I say I'm not, I'm not."

Tang Xin walked over to the girl, rubbed her head, and placed several packets of medicine into her hands.

"Once each in the morning, noon, and evening. Remember to take them on time."

"I didn't expect A-Xin to know about these things. You're practically a walking encyclopedia!" The girl chuckled and opened her arms.

Tang Xin didn't speak; she crouched down. The light was dim, but the girl still wore a faint smile. Her face was a sickly pale, yet it radiated a small, warm sense of peace.

The surface of the girl's eyes looked as if they were covered by a layer of white film. The once bright, deer-like dark eyes were now only a dim grey.

She had lost her sight.

When first logging in, Oasis would create a profile based on a person's physical characteristics. Disabled or blind people could gain a new life through cybernetic transplants, but there were always those who lacked the ability to get that kind of money in Oasis.

Tang Xin's lips pressed into a thin line. She hadn't expected to meet the other girl here again.

"A-Xin has already achieved her dream." Chen Yi looked up and said, "Right?"

She could see a blurred face, the light outlining a warm silhouette. She could reach out and touch Tang Xin's face.

Even though her vision had blurred again, those soft hands still enveloped her palms. Everything testified that the blue-haired girl was no longer far away from her.

"Hehe, actually, I was following A-Xin from the very beginning. That 'Evening Breeze and You' was me. Later, because of the surgery, I didn't have time to be by A-Xin's side anymore." Chen Yi's gaze was peaceful.

"Because I was afraid A-Xin would worry, I didn't contact you. But whenever I heard your new songs on the television channels and knew so many people liked you, I felt at ease."

The girl's confiding words flowed into her ears like a stream, leaving Tang Xin's heart with a palette of mixed emotions.

Initially, she hadn't gathered the courage to ask about the other's situation. Later, as she grew busy, she gradually forgot that in some corner of a hospital ward, there might still be a slender figure following her with expectant attention.

"How did the surgery go?" Tang Xin asked the question that was long overdue.

"It was okay." Chen Yi said. "The people from Life Daybreak were all very kind. Thanks to you, A-Xin, they found me and arranged the best ward for me. The surgery was also very successful..."

Chen Yi seemed to have much more she wanted to say, but in the end, she only gave a tranquil smile. "At least, I still have three months of life left."