She wore a Japanese-style shrine maiden outfit similar to Yae Sakura's: detached sleeves with a bell attached to each, a red Mizuhiki knot pinned to her chest and hair, and a black-and-red Shimenawa rope tied around her waist and right leg. Behind her swayed four pink fox tails, and atop her head sat a pair of fox ears.
However, these sartorial details were no longer important.
What mattered was that this tiny humanoid figure, only thirty centimeters tall, was rendered in a "chibi" style with a head-to-body ratio of 1:1. simply put, her art style was fundamentally different from that of a normal person.
Beside them, both Kallen and Yae Sakura were dumbfounded. They could never have imagined that Evan could transform such a massive fox into this petite, adorable form.
The development of events completely defied their expectations. Kallen had assumed Evan planned to defeat Higokumaru before reasoning with it, while Yae Sakura thought he intended to kill the fox spirit outright. So, what in the world was this outcome?
The tiny chibi figure was fast asleep. Evan cradled her in his arms like a pet, then turned his head to look at Yae Sakura, whose mouth was slightly agape in a rather cute, dazed expression.
"Doesn't the Lady Shrine Maiden intend to host her guest? I'm feeling a bit hungry."
Evan wasn't entirely sure if this space was a reality created by Higokumaru using the power of Corruption—making the creation myths come true—or if it was merely a crude illusion constructed from Honkai energy. However, when he passed through Yae Village earlier, he had indeed smelled the aroma of delicious food. He wanted to try it out, and verify a guess while he was at it.
In the real world, it was currently a cold winter. Yet in this space, it seemed to be spring; the vegetation was lush, and cherry blossoms were in full bloom on both sides of the shrine. Such a beautiful scene naturally deserved to be cherished.
Both Kallen and Yae Sakura were stunned by Evan's sudden jump in topic. They looked at the little creature in his arms—which should be Higokumaru—and then at the smiling Evan. Finally, Yae Sakura spoke.
"Alright. What would you like to eat?"
"I'm not picky. But please prepare some Fried Tofu. In the legends of the Far East, foxes love Fried Tofu, right?"
"I understand."
Yae Sakura nodded and took out a few coins from her pocket, counting them as if calculating whether she could buy enough ingredients. Seeing this, Evan spoke up.
"As Higokumaru's power was sealed by the tachi in my hand, the fake people in this place vanished. However, the food on the stalls should still be there. You don't need to worry about money; just take what you need."
It seemed Evan had replaced Higokumaru as the administrator of this space.
Yae Sakura didn't question his words too much. Her gaze lingered for a moment on the weapon that had terrified Higokumaru before she turned to leave. But then, she suddenly noticed Kallen.
according to Evan, the fake people had all disappeared. Then Kallen...
Realizing a certain possibility, Yae Sakura suddenly felt a tremble run through her. It was the feeling of witnessing a long-held fantasy come true—a mix of disbelief, joy, anxiety, and a myriad of other complex emotions all wrapped together.
"Have you finally realized it? Kallen is real. Otherwise, did you think a fake character casually created by Higokumaru could express such rich emotions and reactions?"
Hearing Evan's words, Kallen scratched her cheek in distress. Am I real? She had originally been just a puppet on a stage. But compared to the villagers of Yae Village or the citizens of the Schicksal HQ simulation, she did seem somewhat different.
"Kallen..."
Yae Sakura's usually flat voice revealed obvious joy, bordering on a sob. She hugged Kallen tightly, making Evan, who was smiling beside them, start to question his life choices.
Why does it feel like I'm cuckolding myself?
However, when he noticed the look of distress Kallen shot him—a silent plea for help—Evan felt relieved.
For the current Kallen, it seemed he still held a bit more weight in her heart.
"Since you two are so inseparable, let's go to Yae Village together to see what ingredients we can find."
In a trance, Evan recalled the happy times he spent picking up trash in Yae Village while playing the game.
Fried Tofu, vegetables, meat.
Surprisingly, these items were not created from Honkai energy but existed in a strange semi-real state. If eaten, one could taste them, but they wouldn't convert into nutrients for the human body.
Real objects had been eroded (corrupted) and then preserved or extracted using a special method. In the process, the essence of the items had long been altered.
Having used [Jizo Mitama]—no, perhaps it should be called [Jizo Mitama] now—Evan had a rough guess about the nature of these ingredients and even this entire space.
"Yae Sakura, what are your plans for the future?"
"I... I want to stay with Kallen."
Seeing that a bond had formed between Evan and Kallen, Yae Sakura's words now carried a tone of pleading.
Yae Sakura might still hold different feelings for Kallen, but the bond between Kallen and Evan wasn't something that would change easily.
However, I'll definitely have to find a way to capture Yae Sakura's heart later to ensure everything is foolproof. But for now—
"Due to various reasons, I can't let Kallen move freely in the real world just yet. So, Kallen, are you willing to live here with Yae Sakura for the time being?"
"Uh... Evan, the role you're playing right now isn't a priest in a church, is it?"
Kallen's cautious question made Evan pause slightly before realizing what she meant. He shook his head, laughing and crying at the same time.
"Naturally not."
"Then it's fine. I have no problem with it."
Kallen looked relieved. Seeing this, Evan also relaxed.
Contrary to Evan's expectations, Yae Sakura didn't show any strange expression regarding his interaction with Kallen, as if she didn't care.
Was it that five hundred years had cooled her passionate emotions? Or did Kallen's resurrection make her let go of everything else? Or perhaps Yae Sakura's feelings for Kallen weren't romantic after all?
Evan didn't know. But for now, he could at least let go of some of the crisis alerts ringing in his head.
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