CHAPTER 232: MEETING

"Hmm...is this the place, Nyzz?" I ask Nyzz as she leaves me in front of a wooden cabin.

"Yes, this is where your date will be. As soon as you enter, it starts. Enjoy it, Yui. I hope you like what Shizune has planned," Nyzz says, disappearing. I look at the dress Nyzz chose for me to wear, a beautiful dark green dress that I had put away for special occasions.

It is elegant and has many lovely floral details. I can only feel a certain anxiety about the situation, but I decide to move forward. I open the door and immediately see her.

A beautiful girl with black eyes and equally dark hair, her hair reaching down to her waist, which contrasts with the beautiful long dress that reminds me of the universe. As soon as she sees me, she blushes and seems enchanted.

"Shizune..." I murmur her name. It has been a while since she last called me, and I have been too busy to even try to see what she was doing.

"Yui!! Come in," Shizune says excitedly, coming to me and taking my hand as she guides me inside. She quickly takes me to a table, and I am surprised.

"These...are ice roses..." I see a vase full of beautiful Glacios roses. They have been well cared for, so they no longer freeze the environment, and their beauty is magnificent.

"Yes! They are a gift for you. I’m glad you like them," she says as she carefully places me in the chair and pushes it slightly to fit with the table. I move my hand to the vase of flowers, taking one of the roses and feeling the aroma.

’It’s been...a long time since I could smell this good scent...’ It is exactly as I remember, a "cold" and pleasant smell that reminds me of a gentle winter breeze.

"Here, would you like some water? I’ll go get the food while you’re at it," she says, and I nod in agreement.

"Of course, I’d love some," I say, and she grabs a crystal bottle next to the table with a glass. She pours me the water, which creates the crackling sounds I know well.

The only water that even at room temperature generates such warm crackling sounds is water with a higher degree of its own vitality.

"Here you go," she says, handing me the crystal glass as she gets up and leaves the room through a door. I take the glass and put it to my mouth, feeling the refreshing and pleasant taste.

"The best water...she’s really making an effort," I murmur with a smile, even without knowing the reason for the meeting. I continue drinking the water until she returns with a tray.

"Ta-dah!" She places the tray, opening it, and what I see surprises me even more.

"That’s..."

"Tyryantros! I found out I liked it," she says as I see a perfectly roasted bird. This bird is an extremely rare species that is 70% plant-based, 20% water-based, 9% mineral-based, and 1% pure vitality-based.

"Here you go," she says, carefully cutting the bird and placing it on a plate with plain rice that I also enjoy. She then hands me the plate with a smile. She also serves herself and sits on another chair.

"Shizune, how...is your situation?" I ask, starting a conversation with interest in how she has been living recently.

"Well, I’m...dealing with it better. I tried to become a better person. I don’t know if I’ve had good results, but I’ve learned a lot," she says, and I nod in agreement.

"I’d say it worked out. Your aura is now more pleasant. It’s not what one would expect from a 100% good person, but it’s much better than in the past," I say, and she smiles.

"That’s great, and you, Yui, are you doing well? How’s your life going?" She says, making me give a small smile, as I am life itself, and asking how "life" is going is somewhat illogical, but amusing.

"I’m doing well. My existence is also...going well," I won’t talk about the "minor" problems I have now.

"That’s good..." She says as we start eating, talking. Shizune begins to talk about some things she’s done in some of the worlds, and I nod along, and we continue like this for practically hours, as she has quite a lot to tell.

"..."

"..." I look at Shizune as I finish my meal after a long conversation. It was fun, although the adventures she experienced were not the safest or most pleasant for her.

"So, Shizune, have you been a saint again? It’s really cool that you’ve sacrificed yourself for those who cared about you, not that dying is good! But the act itself is quite honorable," I say after hearing the stories.

Shizune seems to have better understood the value of life, sacrifice, and even love, even if in a superficial way, but for her, considering her past, this is quite a lot.

She is dealing with her curse better than one would expect, given how terrible her curse is, and this encourages me a bit.

’Maybe if I show Sayuri that Shizune has changed, I can get her to forgive Shizune.’I really wish they would get along well and that Sayuri would remove this horrible curse.

"Thank you, I really just did what at some point seemed natural... Since we’ve finished the meal, how about we go outside and see the scenery? I think you’ll like it," she says, taking my hand and walking.

I follow her excitedly. It was strangely simple, but also fun. It helped me relieve the stress from work, so talking to her was like taking a good day off.

"...Oh...it’s a...very beautiful view," I say as we step out. I see a beautiful crystalline lake with deep blue water, and the view in the background is a beautiful dark green pine forest that seems to stretch to infinity.

The scent of nature, the gentle and humid breeze from the lake is also very nice.

’It’s obvious that this beautiful place has something to do with Nyzz...but it’s okay...’ I look at Shizune, who smiles at me.

"Shizune, why did you want this meeting? Nyzz just told me I would have a date with you, but she didn’t explain much about why," I ask, now curious about this.

"Well...I wanted a way to make amends for my mistakes, and also perhaps to come out on top, as selfish as it may seem, I really do want a relationship with you," she says, leaving me surprised.

"Yes?" I make a confused sound, asking her to provide more context to this strange statement.

"Yui, I organized this meeting to ask you for a chance. I know I’ve made a lot of mistakes, and I can’t say that I love you, but I’m really trying to improve, and I want to share this journey with you," she says, and I make a sad face, understanding that she is asking me out.

"Shizune...I can’t," I say, and she seems genuinely sad, but even though she is sad, I can’t accept it, and it’s not just because she was with my sister in the past and betrayed her.

"...Is it because of what I did in the past?" She asks, looking at the ground as if she’s too ashamed to look at me.

"No, it’s because there are rules...Shizune, a relationship between something like me and a mortal is forbidden. Sayuri should never have been with you in the past either," I say, and she looks at me with wide eyes.

"Wait, she shouldn’t have?"

"No, she broke a rule...I can’t break rules like she did, or the others, because I understand the weight of it. If it weren’t for the rules, I would even accept your proposal to help you become better," I say with a smile.

"I see...well, then do I still have a chance?" She says, and I’m confused.

"You do?" I ask.

"Of course, as long as I’m reborn as a higher-level being, like a superior goddess or maybe even a cosmic entity, then we could, right?"

"Well...it’s a possibility," I agree with a nod.

"Great! Then I’ll try to improve as much as possible until that chance comes!" She gives me a genuine smile.

’But there’s that idea from Nyzz...’ I still don’t know what Nyzz is going to do.

"Well, how about a hug then, Shizune? It’s the most I can give you, but I think you can receive one and be satisfied for now, right?" I say, and she nods.

"Yes, that’s enough. A hug from a friend is better than a cold rejection," she says jokingly, and I smile.

"I agree, come here," I open my arms, and she quickly comes to me, giving me a hug.

"You know, I’ve missed your advice in the last few worlds," Shizune squeezes me tightly as she speaks.

"I’ve missed it too. We spent little time together, but it was fun talking to you, so..."

"U-Urg..." Shizune lets out a painful groan, and I feel something wrong. I look at Shizune, who looks at me, and I see a hand going through her heart and mine. I look behind in disbelief, seeing Nyzz behind me, responsible for this cowardly attack.

"N-Nyzz? W-Why...?" I speak, feeling an extremely bitter taste in my mouth.

"Sorry, Yui, I said you wouldn’t like what I’d do, and I could only hit you when your guard was down, but don’t worry...it’ll...it’ll be over soon," Nyzz says, without her characteristic smile, as I feel chaos invading my body.

I look at Shizune, seeing that her veins are covered in chaos quickly infiltrating her. I try to speak, but all I can do is cough up a strange black substance.

"Thank you for making it easy, Yui. I was really worried about how I would ’kill’ you both at the same time...and I’m sorry, really...but it’s the best for everyone," Nyzz says as everything seems to fade into darkness, consumed by the darkness overtaking my body.