Bizarre Honkai, a Wife-Chasing Crematorium

"I understand. You don't need to say any more, and you don't need to make any more excuses for your selfish and narrow-minded personality. Saying so much is just to make yourself feel better, to shift all the responsibility, and leave without any guilt, right?"

"I can't stop you all by myself, and I won't stop you."

"But I will stay. I'm not that heartless. I know who saved me and who died for me."

"You really don't have to be so hypocritical, using high-sounding reasons while doing disgusting things."

"I'm not like you. I can't ignore the sacrifices of others. There are risks in staying. In this kind of environment, no one can guarantee complete safety. But even so, I will listen to my own thoughts and do what a living person should do."

"I have a clear conscience."

"I believe in him. That's all."

Saori Tsuruyo was sharp and assertive, her words harsh and pointed, a complete change from her usual timid and self-deprecating personality.

She had already decided that after this was over, she would leave the greenhouse that was St. Freya and join Shigure Kira's team.

If Shigure Kira died, she would reapply to Schicksal, join their Valkyrie unit, and receive the new artificial stigmata.

Li Mo's death had greatly affected her. The selfishness and hypocrisy that Hana had displayed made the selfless sunlight seem harsh, and the words "responsibility" and "duty" sounded incredibly ironic.

Saori Tsuruyo didn't want to impose her morals on others. Li Mo hadn't done so either. After all, no one in this world was obligated to do anything, and no one had to die for anyone else.

Only actions taken on one's own accord had meaning.

It was just that when weak people like her, with no power to defend themselves, were trapped in a dead end, only people like Li Mo would come to save her.

Those self-proclaimed righteous people would probably come up with all kinds of excuses to shirk their responsibility.

Things like "the risk is too high," "it's not appropriate," "I should conserve my strength," and so on.

In this bizarre event, Saori Tsuruyo, from the perspective of a bystander, had seen very clearly who had been holding them back, completely useless, and who had been risking their life again and again, testing and trying, finally turning the desperate situation around.

But that was the way the world was. The good guys would always be the ones with guns pointed at them, and would always be the first to die.

Wherever there were more than two people, there would never be true justice.

Saori Tsuruyo returned to the corner with a gloomy expression, without saying a word.

"If Big Brother were still alive... what would he do?"

Saori Tsuruyo looked at the empty space, hugging herself tightly. Now, the only person she could rely on was herself.

Shigure Kira's chest rose and fell slightly, a faint sound of breathing echoing softly.

But no one noticed. And no one would notice.

Everyone's eyes were only focused on themselves, thinking about how to act in their own best interests.

Except for Saori Tsuruyo, everyone else didn't sleep that night. They waited, occasionally looking up at the clock.

They eagerly awaited the clear and pleasant ringing of the clock, which would be the moment of their rebirth.

The early summer sun quickly rose from the distant horizon. When the minute and second hands overlapped, and the hour hand pointed to "7,"

the students rushed out, carrying some of the backpacks filled with food, toward the academy walls, in case of any unforeseen circumstances.

Saori Tsuruyo had fallen asleep against the wall at some point during the night. The burning grave incense kept her warm.

When her eyes sensed the bright light, she opened her sleepy eyes with difficulty. The lingering drowsiness hadn't completely dissipated.

She looked around. No one was left.

Perhaps a few of them had felt guilty and wanted to help bury Li Mo before leaving.

But once one of them left without looking back, the ones who were feeling guilty quickly followed, constantly reassuring themselves that since everyone had left, it would be fine if they left too.

Saori Tsuruyo wasn't surprised by this outcome. Seeking advantages and avoiding disadvantages was human nature. Greed and desire were the driving forces of mankind.

It would have been more surprising if she herself had still remained here.

Outside, the students who had left the auditorium followed their memories to look for the school gate.

"How long have we been walking? Why haven't we left yet…?"

"Yeah, we've been walking for half an hour already. I remember that the auditorium wasn't this far from the school gate."

"But there's definitely nothing wrong with the path. There's nothing wrong with the surrounding environment."

"Could it be that there's something wrong with our perception and memories?"

"..."

A terrifying thought crossed their minds. Their footsteps quickened and their breaths grew heavier and heavier.

How could they be lost in broad daylight?

Weren't all the ghosts in the academy eliminated by that terrifying entity whom Li Mo summoned at the very end?

This was absolutely impossible. The school gate was right in front of them. As long as they quickened their pace, they could definitely leave the academy!

"Don't be so paranoid! Didn't senpai leave twice before? The first time was with Shigure Kira, the Valkyrie squad captain, to gather resources. The second time was to find medicine by himself. Didn't he come back safely both times?"

Someone explained, trying to calm the uneasiness of the others.

After going through all the terror, even the slightest bit of disturbance or strangeness would make everyone panic.

When the bizarre entities descended, they didn't directly confront them, nor did they think about how to resolve the situations. They just huddled together, letting fear and panic fill their minds, and then blindly escaped.

They hadn't grown at all.

"But that was senpai..."

Someone suddenly said, and everyone instantly snapped back to reality.

Yes, the fact that Li Mo was able to perceive, understand, and quickly come up with solutions didn't mean that they could as well.

They had barely contributed anything to this whole incident. They were just ignorant and didn't know the rules and patterns of the bizarre entities, and they weren't quick thinkers either.

If an emergency arose, they could only wait to die in place.

"No, that won't happen. We're just leaving school. How can such a thing happen by coincidence? Come on, let's hurry…"

The person speaking was already trembling. Their footsteps were becoming faster and faster, more and more chaotic.

The six-person group, at some point, had gained the footsteps of one extra person…

Two hours later, at 9:00 AM, the scorching sun was blazing, as if torturing the world with its fiery presence.

Seven people were drenched in sweat, their backs completely soaked, revealing the fair skin underneath.

Their hair was also wet with sweat, sticking to their foreheads, no longer fluffy.

And coupled with the mental torture and harsh conditions from the past few days, they looked like disheveled beggars.

Their energy was severely depleted, looking as listless as if they had taken drugs, on the verge of death.

"Why haven't we reached the school gate yet? I remember that the school gate is just up ahead! I can't be wrong!"

"No... do you remember when senpai took us away from the broadcasting room?"

"Of course, I remember. We mistook a cleaner for our homeroom teacher, and we weren't even aware of it at all. We didn't even realize that there was something wrong with our memories…"

"You're saying that our perceptions and memories are messed up. There's a head ghost among us?"

"But didn't senpai summon that terrifying female ghost to kill all the head ghosts?"

Everyone stopped and started to argue. It seemed pointless to continue to move forward before they had finished arguing. Their conversation, at this moment, was being observed by a ghost.

A small child with greyish-black skin was sitting on the infirmary cabinet, dangling its thin, shriveled legs, staring intently at them.

They were drenched in sweat, but frost gradually started to form on the soles of their feet.

And above them wasn't the sun, but rather, an old and swaying chandelier, flickering on and off, becoming dimmer and dimmer.