Xin Yu's gaze lingered on the black box for a moment. Confirming that the will within was cowering and had no intention of emerging, he mused that the entity had probably sensed something amiss about him and was thus too frightened to come out.
However, this was also good. No accidents would occur. Once Yae Sakura and this Kallen developed feelings for each other, and he confirmed that Sakura had truly found her own happiness, he would personally offer his blessings and then leave with this black box.
...But then again, it seemed he would be all alone once more.
Xin Yu shook his head at this thought. Why should he concern himself with such things? Loneliness was a constant companion throughout one's life. One had to learn to get used to it, to embrace solitude, to accept it. After all, no one would stay by your side forever.
It must be because I've had someone by my side for all these years that I've become a little unaccustomed to loneliness. But it doesn't matter; these days are about to end. I'll quickly get used to it again.
Kallen, seeing Xin Yu once again drift into his dazed state, said no more. She merely thought of him as an ordinary person who liked to daydream, not detecting anything unusual about him.
Kallen only paused to observe the blooming sakura tree for a while before ceasing her wandering and returning to her room.
A short while later, Yae Sakura walked in carrying a new tray. On it were plain rice balls made purely from cooked rice, with no fillings, and a cup of boiled water that had cooled down.
"The village is rather remote, and the shrine doesn't have much food to offer guests. Please forgive us."
Although she said this, Kallen, looking at the cold expression on Yae Sakura's face, knew this was entirely because she had misspoken earlier and incurred the other's displeasure.
Kallen could only try to change the subject, hoping to ease the tense atmosphere. She remembered the young man sitting under the sakura tree in the courtyard and asked curiously, "Who is that young man sitting under the sakura tree outside?"
Yae Sakura looked at Kallen. Seeing her purely curious expression, devoid of any malice, she replied.
"That is Lord God, whom our village worships. Although Lord God is a benevolent deity who never cares about people's faith nor demands excessive reverence, please remember, that is the god we believe in. Please do not be too disrespectful."
Kallen's expression froze for a moment. She had never imagined that the young man outside, who didn't seem particularly special, was actually the god worshipped by the people of this village! What special abilities did he possess, or what had he done to elicit such faith?
Could it be that he was also a Stigmata wielder, and thus able to use some special abilities, leading the people of this remote village to consider him a god?
Kallen believed she might be very close to the truth, but she naturally wouldn't be foolish enough to deny someone else's faith. Doing so would be akin to insulting their parents, perhaps even worse.
"I understand. Thank you for telling me. My name is Kallen Kaslana. Might I ask for your name, beautiful lady?"
"...Yae Sakura."
After replying, Yae Sakura stood up and left the room, clearly unwilling to engage in further conversation.
After leaving the room, Yae Sakura went to the sakura tree outside. Looking at the god who had accompanied her for so many years, her previously somewhat cold expression now softened considerably. She knelt beside Xin Yu and said gently, "Lord God, it's time for lunch. This time, little Rin made it herself. She wants to bring it over personally for Lord God to taste."
Xin Yu first nodded, then looked at Yae Sakura beside him and asked with some curiosity, "Sakura, what are your thoughts on this woman you rescued? Do you have any particular feelings about her?"
"Particular?" Yae Sakura tilted her head, somewhat puzzled. After thinking carefully for a moment, she said, "Her accent is a bit strange, and she's somewhat frivolous."
"...Is that all?"
"...Besides that, she's somewhat disrespectful towards Lord God. Earlier, she even said something like she was more real and important than Lord God. Those are utterly traitorous words."
"Ah, this..."
Xin Yu felt that something was not quite right with the situation. Only after he began to carefully analyze the current circumstances did he realize that a problem had indeed arisen.
In the original history, Yae Sakura had found salvation in Kallen after experiencing all past tragedies, when her spirit was withered and broken. That was why the two had fallen in love, transcending the bounds of gender.
But in the current situation, Yae Sakura hadn't experienced any tragedy at all. Or rather, all the tragedies she might have experienced had been erased by his miraculous power.
Her sister, who was supposed to die, had survived and been healed. Now she often followed them around, lively and energetic.
The foolish and hidebound villagers who had caused her sister's death had been atoning for their past mistakes for all these years. Everyone was positive and optimistic. Apart from their excessive faith in a god, there was basically nothing wrong with them.
Even an innocent person she had once killed with her own hands had been saved by Xin Yu through time travel.
It could be said that Yae Sakura's heart currently held no regrets, no pain whatsoever. Or rather, the only thing troubling the current Yae Sakura was her inability to create food that Lord God could find delicious.
Under these circumstances, would Yae Sakura truly fall in love with Kallen?
Xin Yu was momentarily at a loss. The bond between those two was incredibly deep; he knew this. After all, Yae Sakura had endured for a full 500 years sustained by her love for Kallen, all while constantly battling the will that sought to possess her body.
One could imagine just how profound and pure that love must have been to allow someone to struggle through such agony for 500 years.
I saved a person, but in doing so, I destroyed a beautiful future relationship for her. Is this right or wrong?
I cannot judge this, nor can others. The only one who can determine if it's right or wrong is she herself.
Xin Yu looked at Yae Sakura beside him and said.
"Sakura, that woman named Kallen is your original lover. In a world where I don't exist, she would have been your original lover."
The gentle smile on Yae Sakura's face froze.
She had no doubts, because Lord God had said it. The power of a god surpassed mortal imagination; it wasn't strange for him to be able to foresee different futures.
"What I'm about to tell you is the story of another Yae Sakura, one from a world where I didn't appear."
Xin Yu slowly began to recount everything the former Yae Sakura had experienced.
Yae Sakura listened in silence, her brow slightly furrowed, her fists clenched. When the entire story was told, Xin Yu looked at Yae Sakura, waiting for her to say something.
"...Lord God, why are you telling me this?"
"Actually, my original plan was to wait for you two to fall in love again, just like in history. Then, I, as your god, would give you my blessing. That way, you could avoid the judgment of the times and live happily ever after. Then I could leave without any hesitation."
Hearing this, Yae Sakura lowered her head slightly, making it impossible to see her expression.
"Lord God, I want to think about this alone for a bit."
"Mm, it's indeed a lot to take in at once. You should think it over carefully. After all, the future me is destined to leave. You should pursue your own happiness."
Xin Yu stood up and patted the shoulder of Yae Sakura, who was still kneeling on the ground.
What he didn't see was Yae Sakura's lowered head, her expression slightly狰狞 (ferocious/twisted).
After returning to his room, Xin Yu thought for a moment. Perhaps the Yae Sakura from the future could persuade the current Yae Sakura not to remain so fixated on him. Even if she didn't end up with Kallen, she could still bravely pursue her own happiness.
So, Xin Yu vanished from the room, preparing to bring the future Yae Sakura to the present.
Although he didn't know the principle, before a certain condition was met, the past he changed wouldn't completely overwrite the future. So, that Future Yae Sakura hadn't been changed by the bestowed past. This was also reflected in the Future Mobius from before.
And not long after Xin Yu left, Yae Sakura, her heart still in turmoil, pushed open Xin Yu's door with Yae Rin, ready to bring in the meal Rin had personally prepared. They were met with an empty room.
The expression on Yae Sakura's face froze, her pupils constricting violently.
"Eek! Has Lord God gone out? I haven't seen Lord God go out much over all these years!" Yae Rin, unaware of the situation, said with some surprise.
"...It's all because of that person! All because of that damned person! Since things have already changed, why did she have to appear in my life!"
"If she hadn't appeared, would Lord God never have left..."
"Kill her, kill her! KILL HER!!!!"
Yae Sakura's eyes were filled with an extremely ferocious killing intent. This terrified Yae Rin, who was watching her sister, causing her to fall to the ground. And Sakura, who usually doted on her younger sister, paid no mind to her terrified sibling this time.
Kallen was sitting in her room, daydreaming to pass the boring time, when the door was suddenly thrown open.
Just as Kallen looked over in confusion, she saw Miss Yae Sakura, now holding an unsheathed longsword, her face etched with icy killing intent.
"Die!"
Kallen didn't even have time to speak, not even knowing what was happening, when she saw Yae Sakura shout with a somewhat hoarse voice and charge towards her. The longsword in her hand slashed towards Kallen without any hesitation.
"Wait a minute! What on earth happened! Can't we discuss things properly!"
Yae Sakura remained silent, merely continuing to swing the longsword in her hand.
...
In the future, Xin Yu, having traveled through time back to the future, found his body feeling surprisingly light. It seemed he hadn't suffered any painful after-effects from the time travel, and the reduction in his lifespan wasn't much either.
"Achoo!"
But soon, Xin Yu sneezed. He rubbed his nose and said, somewhat puzzled.
"Did the side effects change from vomiting to a cold?"