章節 38: Old Photographs
Having fought against the Honkai for so many years, Himeko knew the terror of Herrschers all too well. Even her own father had died at the hands of a Herrscher.
But Murata Himeko was also a good person.
She understood that many times, the tragedies caused by the Honkai couldn't be blamed on any single individual. Just like back then, when she brought Kiana, who carried the Herrscher of the Void's power, and even Mei, who had awakened as the Herrscher of Thunder, into St. Freya.
Aside from their identities as Herrschers brought about by the Honkai, they were just children in their teens. At that age, they should have been enjoying a carefree youth, a relaxed school life.
Even Herrschers could be guided through care and education. This was the belief she always held. After becoming their teacher, after spending day and night with them, she became even more convinced of this. They had lost their families, left their friends, and gathered together at St. Freya to fight against the Honkai.
They were all warriors against the Honkai. They harbored dreams and yearned for a better tomorrow. And as their teacher, she was willing to be the flame, illuminating the path ahead for them.
Now, the children had embarked on their own paths, and it was time for her to leave the stage. It should have been like this, until that young man found her.
"So angry about the cat's mischief, yet so worried about it in your heart."
Himeko liked to drink but didn't like to gamble. Yet, sometimes she had to gamble. She gambled her life that Kiana could control herself, and she gambled her freedom that Ren wasn't purely evil.
She had won the bet. Even when facing her completely controlled self, Ren didn't show any malicious intent. Instead, he acted like a tsundere child, using a tough attitude to disguise himself.
What kind of experiences led to his personality? And why did a young man of only a dozen years old become a Herrscher?
She suddenly grew curious about it. If she could figure him out, then Kiana and the others… might gain another companion.
Thinking of this, she secretly glanced at the young man washing dishes diligently in the kitchen. She saw that the black cat named Taxue was squatting obediently at his feet, gently rubbing against the young man's legs. The light in the narrow kitchen was dim, with only a single ray from the window falling on the boy, the rest of his body hidden in the shadows.
Murata Himeko suddenly felt a strong urge. She wanted to reach out and pull him back from the shadows and into the sunlight.
As if sensing her gaze, Ren turned his head and glanced at her, a look of displeasure on his face.
"I'm already cleaning up." Her fiery red hair spread around her waist, and Himeko suddenly laughed, just like she used to at St. Freya.
Gently sweeping the glass into the trash can, Himeko picked up the picture frame from the floor. The glass of the frame was completely shattered, leaving only a slightly yellowed photograph.
Smoothing out the curled edges of the photo, Himeko looked at it carefully.
Sunlight, garden, lawn.
The feeling of a holiday, along with the kite flying high in the background, entered her mind. Colorful spring flowers filled the flowerbed, and the boy's smile was as bright as this beautiful spring day.
His small body sat on a long chair, the black cat, like dark clouds stepping on white snow, nestled obediently in his arms. Its tail lifted unconsciously, just happening to land on the boy's neck, making him laugh.
His gentle mother sat beside him, softly holding onto the boy's straw hat, which was about to fall to the ground. She wore a small flower tucked behind her ear, seemingly picked by the boy for her.
She pursed her lips, watching the interaction between the boy and the cat. However, Himeko keenly observed that her movements were somewhat unnatural, as if she hadn't heard the sound of the camera's shutter.
Moreover, besides the mother and son, there was no sign of the father in the photo. Although the possibility that the father was the one taking the picture couldn't be ruled out, it wasn't difficult to find a passerby to take a photo on a holiday outing. And from the angle, it seemed like this photo was indeed taken by a passerby.
"Is this him when he was little? He was quite cute." Looking at the boy laughing heartily in the photo, and then glancing at the silent boy in the kitchen, their styles were completely different.
What caused him to change so much…?
After cleaning up the broken glass, Himeko stood the picture frame up and, while Ren wasn't paying attention, quietly rummaged through the cabinets in the living room.
Unexpectedly, after just searching through two drawers, she found a stack of printed papers. She secretly pulled one out and found that it was a copy of a disability certificate for congenital deafness and muteness, and the name on it seemed to be Ren's mother.
"So my guess was right, his mother does have a physical disability." After learning this, Himeko sighed. Sure enough, there was always a cause for someone becoming a Herrscher. This world was not beautiful; it would not be gentle to anyone.
After obtaining this new clue, Himeko became increasingly curious about Ren's past, but he had already finished washing the dishes and walked out of the kitchen, so she had to quickly put things back.
The little cat, Taxue, padded over and lightly jumped onto the sofa. Himeko leaned against the sofa too, pulling Taxue, who was originally preparing to curl up and sleep, into her arms. Recalling the boy's actions in the photo, Himeko gently stroked Taxue's fur. It felt soft, but the tail didn't sway like the cat in the photo.
"Xiao Jue, I'm putting your photo back." As she teased the little cat, Himeko said this as a reminder. However, she didn't expect Ren to suddenly become agitated.
"Don't call me that!" The boy's eyes were full of anger, even the Herrscher's gold flickering within them.
After a moment of silence, Himeko softened her voice. "Sorry."
Himeko's apologetic voice slightly eased Ren's anger. He let out a long breath and shook his head irritably.
"It's not your fault. You can call me by my name, or you can call me Herrscher, but don't call me that." The tense atmosphere finally dissipated. Ren didn't pay any more attention to it, grabbing the old photo from the table, intending to throw it in the trash.
But his movements hesitated. In the end, he chose to lay the frame face down on the table.
"Don't touch my things."
After coldly throwing down those words, Ren shut himself in his room.
After the bang of the closing door, the whole house fell silent.
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