Very Good, but Not as Good as Mine

"Two ice cream cones, please!" "Two Lalafell skewers, as well." Having bought a mountain of street snacks, Yaxiu remarked with a sigh, "Even though war has been raging for eight months now, it feels as if nothing has happened in Black Robe Town at all." "They're just used to it," Black Crow said, carrying the bag of snacks. "Tanomu once said that in the Wasteland, you can count the days without war in a year on one hand." "Let's not head back just yet. We can eat right here." Yaxiu suddenly turned into the corner of a dark alley. Black Crow shook his head. "I'm not eating." "I'll lean against this wall, and you lean against that one. Even if you take off your mask, I won't be able to see you." Yaxiu pointed to the perpendicular walls of the corner. "I can already hear your stomach growling." "Impossible. I can go three days without a drop of water and have no physiological reaction whatsoever." "Are you eating or not? If you don't, I won't bring you along next time we get food. Every time, you just watch the rest of us eat, making it look like we're ostracizing you." Yaxiu pressed himself against one wall and reached an ice cream cone out around the corner where he couldn't see. "At a time like this, you should accept my kindness with weeping gratitude and choked sobs." "My apologies. I truly was never trained in weeping, so I cannot fake tears." Despite his words, Black Crow took the food, leaned against the wall, took off his mask, and began to eat quietly in small bites. "How is it? Good?" "Very good, but not as good as mine." Yaxiu was stunned. "Not as good as yours? You know how to cook?" "Yes," Black Crow said. "I was the best cook in the Kill-All-Crows. Every time I returned to the cult, everyone waited for me to make a meal." "So you're saying you can do anything except sorcery," Yaxiu quipped. "Then why don't you usually cook?" "No opportunity, and no need. We've been braving the elements the whole way. Having canned food is already a luxury." "Still, I'm really curious about your culinary skills! Who would have thought that the ruthless, cold-blooded Black Crow could also whip up a home-cooked meal?" "If there is ever a chance, I can cook for all of you." "Then it's a promise!" Licking the ice cream on his cone, Yaxiu asked, "So, Tamashi, when are you planning to leave?" "...Huh?" "We've given up on hunting down Silver Lantern, and we don't want to get tangled up with Mercury Trojan anymore. We're solely focused on finding a way to leave Senluo," Yaxiu said. "Our path no longer overlaps with yours. So I felt that we shouldn't keep holding you back—" Before he could finish, a splat sounded as the ice cream cone hit the ground. "Are you sick of me?" Yaxiu froze, then burst out laughing. Without turning around, he reached over and gave Black Crow a chop on the head. "Is the Kaleidoscope's effect really that strong? Are your hormones messing with you? How could you say something so pathetic?" "Besides, I wasn't finished talking," he added. "I was actually worried you might feel obligated to stay because of us and be hesitant to leave. I don't want to waste your time. But if you aren't holding back for our sake, and instead want to walk the same path as us..." "Tamashi, do you want to leave Senluo with us?" Beyond the alley, voices bustled, and pedestrians wove through the streets like a tapestry. The clamor of the bustling night market permeated every corner of this town, as if this were not the Wasteland, as if there were no war raging outside. "Mercury Trojan." Black Crow did not answer directly, offering only a single name. "Right, you still have your revenge against Mercury Trojan." Yaxiu sighed. "And I can't give you bullshit advice like letting go of your hatred. Even though Mercury Trojan is far stronger than you right now, and even though Mercury Trojan can make countless mistakes while a single blunder would ruin you forever; even though the Four Pillar Cult is on the verge of unifying Senluo, making your chances of revenge even slimmer; even though..." He paused. "You definitely know all the reasons why it's impossible better than I do, and you definitely understand the insurmountable obstacles better than I do, yet you still insist on your revenge. What right do I have to dissuade you? It's just..." Yaxiu fumbled over "it's just" for a long while without managing to say anything useful, before finally letting out a long sigh. "I'm sorry, Tamashi." Black Crow was somewhat surprised. "Why apologize?" "You helped me so much, yet I can't help you take your revenge," Yaxiu said softly. "I have people I want to see. I cannot squander my life in Senluo." "You don't need to apologize," Black Crow said. "I never expected to gain anything from you." "Yet you're still willing to help me leave Senluo?" "Mm." Yaxiu was silent for a good while before a sudden flash of inspiration struck him. "Oh, right! As long as I leave Senluo, Silver Lantern will automatically become the feeler. When that happens, Mercury Trojan will turn back into a mortal, and your chance for revenge will come!" Black Crow was taken aback, then nodded. "Right." "So it's impossible for you to leave Senluo with us," Yaxiu said. "In that case, though, I need to think about how to settle you. You definitely wouldn't want to join another cult, but you can't reorganize the Kill-All-Crows Cult either. That means I need to find a few helpers for you..." "You don't need to plan for me," Black Crow said. "I can survive on my own." "Tamashi, did you forget that you're illiterate?" "Yaxiu, did you forget that before I met you, I always wandered alone, assassinated Mercury Trojan alone, and fought the Four Pillar Cult alone?" "Then did you prefer surviving alone back then, or living together with us?" Noticing Black Crow's silence, Yaxiu smiled. "Even tools need maintenance. You're actually terrible at taking care of yourself. If you keep living like you did before, you'll break sooner or later." "...No, I won't." "In any case, before I leave, I'll figure out a proper arrangement for you, as payback," Yaxiu said. "After traveling across most of Senluo, is there any place you fancy? Where would you like to live? Or will you move back to the old grounds of the Kill-All-Crows Cult?" "Oh, right—what type of girl do you like? Thinking about it carefully, I really ought to help sort out your personal life before I leave. That way you'll at least have a partner to care for you and keep you company, so you won't fall into emptiness after your revenge succeeds..." Seeing Yaxiu's thoughts wander further and further astray, Black Crow had to repeat: "You really don't need to plan for me!" "But—" "I haven't actually made up my mind." Yaxiu paused. "You haven't?" "I haven't," Black Crow said. "I have reasons why I must stay, but... I don't reject the idea of leaving, either." Yaxiu blinked and chuckled. "Then take your time thinking about it. We're in no rush anyway. To tell the truth, we haven't made any progress on leaving Senluo. Who knows, by the time we leave, Mercury Trojan might already be dead." "When that time comes, you can come with us without any reservations and keep rampaging through other nations." Yaxiu patted Black Crow on the shoulder. "If you want more people to follow your path, then let the renowned name of the Kill-All-Crows spread across all six nations!" "Mm." "Alright, let's head back. If we don't return soon, Igola is going to curse our heads off." Stepping into the light of the street, Black Crow looked at the red-haired, red-eyed Yaxiu. Perhaps because they had just opened up to each other, he finally could no longer contain his curiosity: "Yaxiu, the appearance you took under the Kaleidoscope's effect—why doesn't it look like your true self at all?" Although the others had undergone major changes as well, prominent traits like Igola's blonde hair, Harvey's dark skin, Chikala's beastman features, and Gwen's blue hair were all retained. Only Yaxiu's hair color, skin tone, and every other feature were completely different, transforming him into an entirely different person. "Ah?" Yaxiu blinked, hesitated a moment, and said, "I'll tell you a secret, but you must never tell anyone, especially not Igola and the others." "You remember that my romantic life is a bit complicated, right?" Black Crow blinked. "Could it be..." "That's right!" The cult leader stepped back two paces, spun in a circle, and beamed. "I don't know why, but every time, the Kaleidoscope turns my appearance into the girl I like. Tamashi, you're the first person to ever see her—even Igola and the others only know about her, but have never seen her!" "How is she? Does she look good?" After waiting a moment without receiving an answer, Yaxiu curled his lip. "Fine, fine. I shouldn't expect much from the aesthetic tastes of a Kill-All-Crows crow like you anyway. Let's hurry... Wait, that smells amazing. I'll buy a portion to take back as a midnight snack." As Yaxiu walked over to buy the food, Black Crow watched his retreating back and only then murmured softly: "Very good."