"Ah~!"

After a deep sigh, I lay on the cool floor and looked up at the starry sky of the celestial realm.

Legend has it that the celestial realm always has a perpetual night, and whether this is true or not, at least there are stars bright enough to illuminate the sky here.

I felt like I was traveling through the galaxy, surrounded by stars.

"Is all this compensation for me..."

Facing such a beautiful and magnificent sight, it is truly immeasurable!

I wanted to reach out and touch that dazzling starry sea, then close my eyes, allowing those galaxies to envelop me, because this might be my last tranquility.

My friends, including my family.

Of course, the most special one is Youmu!

"I need the power to save all of you!"

"I won't let anyone around me be plundered by the dirty society established by humans!"

As long as it is a living being, it will experience life and death separations.

In this world, everyone will cry for their deceased family members and feel sad for the homeless wanderers.

But...

With one hand, I suddenly grasped the area where my heart was and thought, but I guess I'm the only one who truly feels pain in their heart?

"Are you still there, partner?"

I tentatively asked towards the abyss-like boundaries, "Is there really no other way?"

"...... It doesn't exist, even if it is a deity, they cannot reverse it."

In the end, it's the same result. He can't help with this matter either.

Is the Hakurei Shrine Maiden really unable to return?

"It... it's all my fault!"

I sat up abruptly from the ground, feeling a chill spread down from my scalp to my body.

"No, it's not your fault, little brother!"

A crisp sound called me from behind, and something pressed tightly against my back, as if someone was embracing me, making me unable to move even a fraction.

"Don't look back, I'm afraid my appearance will scare you, so listen carefully..."

"...Hmm."

I nodded in agreement, and then Youmu finally relaxed and lay flat against my back.

As a quiet time passed second by second, Youmu hesitantly explained the reason.

"From the beginning until now, you haven't actually encountered the real me. Those were just remnants of desires lingering in the cracks of time and space."

We are actually forgotten souls, compared to other humans, we are nothing.

"Is it like the inseparable bond between us right now?"

"Yes, they rely on faith and desires to obtain some power to coexist with me."

Power to coexist... does that mean?!

Although I didn't fully understand this passage, I had a vague sense of a bad premonition.

Youmu continued to say what I could have guessed eight or nine out of ten.

"That child can never come back. She is not a real existence, so she cannot enter the cycle of reincarnation and be reborn."

Youmu was like a demon who knew everything, severely hurting me with just a few words.

How... could this be...

When she wanted to eat something, I should have desperately tried to find it for her...

And when she wanted to be lazy, I should have been more indulgent towards her.

But look at me! What have I done for a life that will never exist again? At least in her last moment, I didn't even get to see her!

Tears uncontrollably flowed from my eyes, the first time I felt such fear, the fear of loss.

Seeing me so sad, Youmu couldn't say anything, and could only choose to silently disappear on my back.

When she left, she had a meaningful expression on her face.

"Hakurei, I... I'm sorry, I still prefer the original Hakurei, I like the way the Hakurei Shrine Maiden used to be above me..."

I forced a smile, holding back my tears.

"I also like how the Hakurei Shrine Maiden used to bully me... um, all of those are the unique charm of the Hakurei, although sometimes she's a bit silly."

At that time, I didn't realize that the spatial waves had slowly started to flow in reverse, and certain non-living vigor materials were gradually growing.

When I woke up, the rules of the world had been completely shattered.

"...Mmm, so sleepy!"

Unlike usual, I realized after waking up that my sleeping position had become really bad.

The room was still covered in a faint green, with clothes racks and bookshelves in every corner.

"Hmm?"

So much determination, and in the end it was all just a nightmare?

"I was so scared, but yeah, how could something so ridiculous actually happen... oh?"

The position on the left... this texture! So soft.

"This is..."

I lifted the covers and found the Student Council President curled up inside!

Luckily, I was wearing pajamas, but wait... what happened last night after I came back?

I tried to remember. Because there was a power outage, I had to come to the President's room in the dark. And because I was too tired...

"Haha! You sleep so soundly, huh, Juxi?"

"Oh, President, you woke up so early too."

Great, the President is still half-asleep. I should make my escape before she fully wakes up.

Quietly, I got out of bed, grabbed my clothes and shoes, and prepared to sneak back to my own room.

"Hold on... where are you going?"

The President woke up?! I'm completely exposed now. No matter what I say, it won't make any sense. I should just escape.

Swallowing my saliva, I turned around with a smile and greeted the President.

"You're up really early, President. Since it's winter break, I won't disturb your beauty sleep anymore... bye!"

After saying that, I tried to make my escape, but the President was still in bed, leisurely opening the covers and stretching.

"...How did this happen?"

"What's wrong? Don't you want to escape?"

The President said without hesitation, teasingly playing with the keys in her hand.

"You... ah, you were awake the whole time?"

"Yeah, to prevent you from running away, I locked the door. You can only leave if you get the keys!"

The President seductively used her fingers to grip the keys and placed them in her cleavage.

"Hey, do you have the guts to take it?"

"What... what do you mean?"

The President's expression became somewhat heavy, but that suppressed feeling quickly passed.

"I just wanted you to take the keys, nothing else."

As she spoke, she squeezed her cleavage for me to see.

As a healthy and passionate man, how could I ignore such a sight?

"Um, is that... okay?"

I gave up on escaping and approached the President. My gaze was fixed on the key gradually being swallowed by her cleavage.

"The key... I just came to get the key, not taking advantage of you!"

Slowly, I reached out towards those mountains.

The President seemed nervous, and a few beads of sweat dripped down her fair and delicate skin.

They dampened the pajamas she was wearing.

"President, I..."

When I looked up, I noticed there was something between the President's hair, a birthmark perhaps?

So I wanted to push aside the hair on her forehead and investigate.

Smack!

Just as I intended to look there, the President tightly grabbed my wrist.

"That's not your target, is it? Of course, if you want to see it..."

She gently lifted her bangs, revealing a mark the size of a fingertip, resembling a two-headed fish fork, located slightly higher on her forehead.

"What is this?"

"The divine mark left by our contract. It means that we are now connected."

"Oh, I see... Wait, what did you say?!"

Did my ears deceive me? It seemed like something incredible just came out of her mouth.

"Hmm? It means that our life forces are now connected. In simpler terms, if one of us dies, the other will also disappear completely."

"It's not a dream, wait, how do you know? It's not amnesia..."

"No, it's not!"

The President started changing her clothes in front of me, revealing some more private parts in the process, making me suffer.

Fortunately, the key dropped when she was changing, so I took the opportunity to dive for the key.

"Ah!"

Because I exerted too much force and couldn't stop myself, I fell into a bed of flowers.

"... Black lace?"

The keychain was bitten into the mouth, but the situation became even more precarious.

The president, with his head tilted back and his gaze lowered, locked eyes with me.

"Um, President, I just wanted to take out the keys, not..."

Hastily shielding my face, at least I couldn't let myself get a concussion!

"Huh?"

It's a bit different from usual. If it were any other time, I would have already been beaten up, but... looking at the person sitting on the bed with no reaction whatsoever, just smiling mischievously as if teasing me, it's quite amusing.

I cautiously took two meters back before disarming (my hands).

Something isn't right, I thought secretly. Why is the President being so generous with all these favors today?

Upon careful consideration, every time I make a mistake, there must be a huge conspiracy waiting for me.

"Hahaha, President! Your outdated tricks won't work on me..."

I started searching through the president's bookshelf, because there must be some trap waiting for me nearby, and I'll record all of my brute force actions.

Hehe, so cunning!

"Where exactly did you put it?"

Besides a bed, there are other hard-to-find items in the room, like bookshelves.

And at this moment, the president is already fully dressed.

Watching her busily search her room, I stood by the side and watched the spectacle.

"Hey, are you stupid... Xiao Xi?"

"Huh? I'm stupid... wait, what did you call me just now?"

Usually, it's always Juxi this and Juxi that. Why are you calling me by my nickname so affectionately today?

"Xiao Xi, is it not okay?"

"Xiao...Xi, uh! Well, it's not that it's not okay..."

"Then let's hurry, Yuanhui is waiting for us!"

The president happily grabbed my arm and pulled me outside.

"Wait, I haven't washed my face and brushed my teeth yet..."

She's only wearing her favorite white jacket, paired with the newly bought jeans, and she pulls me out.

"Gosh, what's the hurry?"

I complain while putting on my large, brown leather jacket.

"Haha, your current look is like a detective!"

"Oh, is that so... What do you mean when you said Yuanhui is waiting for us just now?"

She remained silent in response to my question.

But as soon as we left the house, I began to feel uneasy about the atmosphere, causing me to feel uncomfortable all over. However, after observing the entire street left and right...

Something's not right, it's incredibly eerie. There is not a single person on the street today!

Apart from the adjacent residential buildings and the distant high-rise buildings, everything gives me a feeling of emptiness and darkness.

Even the usually crowded trams have become empty, as if the whole world only consists of me and the president.

"President..."

"Yeah?"

Doesn't she notice it too?