May 9th, Friday — Fifth day of the school trip, Tokyo, Japan. Deep within the bamboo forest outside the city — Wafuu Inn.
"Over the past few days of this trip, we've gone to many places and encountered so many things that I could never have imagined before."
"It feels like from the very beginning, this journey carried a different kind of meaning—but I still don't know what its true purpose is. Still, if it's something important to Chu Lian, then I'll definitely keep going, no matter what."
"To be honest, the things we've experienced lately have all been beyond anything imaginable. If she hadn't been by my side, I don't know if I could have continued this journey at all."
"It's a little embarrassing to admit, but even though I'm technically the older sister, I've had to rely on her in everything here. She's supposed to be my cousin, but in truth, she feels more like my big sister."
"Father once told me that Auntie was an incredible woman. Now that I think about it, it's not just her—everyone in their family is amazing. Unlike me, who's never been well-liked by family or friends. I've never had anyone to play with, and apart from a few hobbies, there's nothing particularly likable about me. I'm also easily embarrassed and too shy to approach others."
"Compared to Sister Chu Lian—someone I could never match and who's practically my idol—even little Sister Chu Chu shines so brightly that I could never reach her."
"Big Sister is a prodigy in both literature and music—her talent is known far and wide. Even in the world of cultivation, which I've only just begun to learn about, she's a rare super-genius. And little Sister Chu Chu… she's leagues ahead of me in painting. She's cheerful, full of energy, and beautiful—so much like Chu Lian, sharing at least sixty percent of her looks. In the cultivation world, she's already an emerging star, far surpassing most of her peers."
"But me? When I was eight, I was tested and found to have no talent whatsoever for cultivation. Chu Lian said the testing methods my father's people used were flawed and couldn't detect what type of cultivation body I had, which is why they labeled me talentless. But… if I really had such a special body, why haven't I shown any signs of it even now?"
"It's not that I don't believe her—I just… really want to prove my ability, to show her that I can train, so she'll teach me in advance. Then I could help her."
"Every time I see her and Sister Inori go into battle, she always ends up hurt in the end. Sister Inori clearly has the strength to fight beside her, but she's always ignored, while Chu Lian insists on carrying everything alone."
"It's painful to watch. Seeing Chu Chu silently training, and that faint, almost invisible trace of sorrow on Sister Inori's face… I don't know what to do anymore."
"If my safety comes at the cost of Chu Lian's suffering, then I'd rather die in battle."
"Maybe it's just my imagination, but I think I've seen that same determination reflected in Chu Chu's and Sister Inori's eyes."
"After what happened last night when Chu Lian fainted, their resolve became even clearer. Perhaps from now on, Chu Lian won't be able to keep pushing herself to fight alone anymore."
"I'm so happy for her—truly happy—and relieved that I can finally let go of the constant worry weighing on my heart."
"Maybe she doesn't even realize it, but when she forces others to stand back, they force themselves to step forward for her. But that's a good thing, isn't it?"
"She finally doesn't have to fight alone anymore. There are more and more people standing beside her now, shielding her from harm."
"I think that's what I want for my future too—to stay by her side, to be someone she can trust and rely on, a comrade, a partner… maybe even…"
At that point, the pen stopped. Li Xiu'er stared at the slowly forming words on the page but never finished the last sentence. Instead, she capped her pen and closed the diary.
She had been staying here for quite some time—and not just her. Chu Lian's group, including Kurosaki Satsuki and Cai Ya's team, were all waiting here as well.
They were set to board their flight to America that afternoon, but Chu Lian still hadn't come out of her room.
When Inori emerged earlier, everyone thought Chu Lian had finally recovered. But in the end, only Inori had left the room—leaving Chu Lian still inside.
Fortunately, Inori had said, "She's already awake—she's just changing. Wait a little," which eased everyone's worries as they sat nearby, waiting expectantly for Chu Lian to come out.
"Without realizing it, she's already become the center of everyone's world. Whether it's us or the others, we all worry about her health. Maybe that's her charm—so exceptional and captivating," Li Xiu'er thought to herself as she sat in the corner beside the equally distracted Chu Chu, quietly observing everyone's expressions.
After a short wait, Chu Lian appeared, wearing a gentle smile. She was dressed in a white, traditional Chinese-style dress that swayed gracefully with each step, like a white lotus dancing in the breeze above still waters.
Looking closely, her complexion was much better than yesterday's pallor—now fair with a faint blush of pink, the picture of good health. It seemed her spirit had fully recovered, though her physical injuries remained uncertain.
Noticing Li Xiu'er's gaze, Chu Lian smiled at her and said softly, "Don't worry. My injuries are healed. I'm taking Satsuki to get her wounds treated now. Once both of us recover, you can all rest easy."
Everyone understood what she meant by "rest easy." She was referring to their safety. After all, once she was fully healed—and with Kurosaki Satsuki, who could still fight even while gravely injured—ordinary enemies would no longer pose much of a threat.
Not to mention, they also had Inori, whose power had grown stronger, and Tina, who had stunned everyone last night with her unexpected might. Even Chu Chu, though not as powerful as those four, could easily take on dozens of normal foes.
Once everyone recovered, they would no longer have to travel in constant fear. Thinking that, their faces relaxed, and smiles replaced their earlier worries. They weren't just happy for Chu Lian's recovery, but also for the promise of safer days ahead.
"I've found a way to heal your wounds. Come with me," Chu Lian said, approaching Kurosaki Satsuki, who looked puzzled at everyone's sudden good mood.
The white-haired girl blinked in surprise, her voice soft and uncertain. "My injuries are… complicated. Are you sure they can be healed?"
She knew her own condition well. If they were normal wounds, her resilient cultivator's body would have already mended them. But these were not ordinary injuries—they were the accumulation of countless battles, with new wounds layered atop old ones, reopening before they could heal.
Worse still, wounds inflicted by people from the Otherside carried a special energy that suppressed natural healing. Without it, she wouldn't have been in such a state.
As for why Chu Lian wasn't affected by that energy—it was simply because her origins and physique were far too extraordinary. For an average Otherside warrior to influence her was almost impossible.
In fact, unless one was a high-tier Earth-rank being or possessed an exceptionally strong bloodline, that suppressive power would have no effect on her at all.
That was why Chu Lian had no idea such an ability even existed. The moment that suppressive force neared her body, it vanished instantly—so quickly that even her system hadn't had time to detect it.
Kurosaki Satsuki had assumed Chu Lian knew all this, which was why she'd never mentioned it. Ironically, the system hadn't checked for that particular anomaly when analyzing Satsuki's condition—otherwise, her wounds might not have been such a problem.
"Complicated? But they're just regular wounds, right? Why so difficult to heal?" Chu Lian asked, puzzled. Her own injuries had been severe but straightforward, only requiring a few days to recover. Satsuki's wounds seemed similar—her physique wasn't as strong, so her recovery was slower, but it shouldn't have been this troublesome.
Seeing Chu Lian's confused look, Satsuki finally understood—she must not have known that injuries caused by Otherside entities carried suppressive energy that hindered healing.
Though she didn't understand how Chu Lian, who had also been gravely wounded by the same kind of enemies, could be unaware of this fact, she patiently explained it.
"I see… so to heal your wounds, we first need to identify and remove that suppressive energy within your body," Chu Lian mused, nodding thoughtfully. "That's… going to be a bit tricky."
Chu Lian was well aware of Hare's Void—its healing power was comparable to a divine elixir. But when it came to cleansing or dispelling lingering energies, its effectiveness dropped significantly.
If Hare's Void could heal physical injuries at an S-rank level, then its ability to remove foreign energies was only around B-rank—or perhaps even lower.
That was why, despite how powerful her Void appeared, it wasn't rated particularly high. It was simply too specialized.
The further they advanced in strength, the more battles would revolve around energy and power rather than pure physical combat. Energy-inflicted wounds would increase exponentially, while ordinary injuries would become rarer.
As a fighter's attributes improved, their physique would naturally grow stronger, and their bodies would heal faster. While Hare's Void could accelerate physical recovery and prevent lasting damage, it couldn't completely purge foreign energies.
The reason was likely tied to the nature of the Guilty Crown world—where the only special energy, or "foreign force," was the Apocalypse Virus that granted Void abilities. Other types of harm there came only from physical combat or gunfire. Thus, Hare's Void had developed in a highly specific way, focused on healing bodily trauma rather than energy corruption.
However, just because Hare's Void couldn't cure this kind of injury didn't mean Chu Lian had no solution.
After a moment of thought, Chu Lian took Kurosaki Satsuki's hand without hesitation and led her toward the room.
Before entering, she turned to the others and said, "I'm taking Satsuki for treatment. You all go ahead and do what you need to. But remember—we're not necessarily safe yet, so don't leave the inn under any circumstances."
The moment she finished speaking, she shut the door behind her, leaving the rest of them standing there in confusion.
"Well, since she's fine now, we should go have breakfast," Cai Ya said sensibly after a brief pause. She could tell that certain things weren't meant for everyone to know, so it was better not to pry.
Her group had no objections. They had stayed only out of concern for Chu Lian's condition. Now that she had recovered, there was no need to worry.
Chu Lian's group, now down to three, had only Inori left to make decisions. Hearing Cai Ya's suggestion, Inori nodded and said to Chu Chu and Li Xiu'er, "All right, don't worry. Let's go eat."
Chu Chu, lost in thought, didn't even hear her words until Li Xiu'er gently pulled her along. As they were leaving, she turned back to glance at Chu Lian's door and whispered softly to herself:
"Big Sis… I'll be able to help you soon. Just wait for me."