That Person

Yaxiu let out a soft sigh. He was reminded once again of how different Niya was from Sonia. Sonia often threw little tantrums like a pampered college student, yet at critical moments she was more reliable than Yaxiu himself, mature enough to put anyone at ease. Niya, on the other hand, had endured plenty, but she would still throw childish fits regardless of the situation. "I feel like even if I said 'it's not ugly,' you'd just accuse me of being a hypocrite." "Because loving beauty and despising ugliness is simply human nature. It's not just you—even I look in the mirror and think it's hideous," Niya said coldly. "I have burns on my arms, knife scars on my waist, gunshot wounds on my thighs... Right now, the thing I hate most is mirrors. I don't even want to look at my own body when I bathe. I disgust myself." Yaxiu didn't ask why she had so many scars, nor did he ask what she had been through. After thinking for a moment, he said, "I know a girl who was already very pretty, but she wanted to be the prettiest. "Even though she came from a humble background and her family was dirt poor, on top of her studies she worked tirelessly to earn money. She bought cosmetics, skincare products, pretty clothes, had her hair styled, had epicanthoplasty done, cleared her blackheads—doing everything to make herself look better day by day. If she were left with scars on her body like you, she would definitely do everything possible to remove them, rather than smash every mirror so she wouldn't have to see them. You can deceive everyone else, but you can never deceive yourself." "What do you mean?" Niya questioned in a cold voice. "Are you trying to say I'm weak and living in denial?" "I just hope you make choices that make you happy." Yaxiu chuckled softly. "When I first met that girl, I actually thought she was very shallow. After all, there isn't much difference between a ninety and a hundred—did she really need to invest so much effort into her appearance? Then she gave me an earful. She told me she knew she was shallow and vain, but she simply loved living that way, and told me to mind my own business. "Back then, I didn't really understand what she meant. It wasn't until later, after meeting so many people—some obsessed with corpses, some wanting to overturn the order of the world, some clinging to moral codes, and even some who wanted to destroy the world... "There were good people and bad people among them, but the one thing they had in common was that they made choices that made themselves happy, never caring about what anyone else thought." Niya suddenly asked, "If that girl asked you whether you liked her after she became prettier or preferred the way she originally looked, what would you say?" "Good question. I feel like she's definitely going to ask that someday; I need to think carefully about it." Yaxiu pondered for a moment. "The correct answer is... 'I like the happier you.'" "I don't know who she is, but I'm certain that answer will make her furious." "We're getting off track. Right now, the focus is on you," Yaxiu said seriously. "If you really care about those scars, I can help you remove them later. "I wouldn't laugh at a wanted criminal who loves beauty; I'd only think she's cute." "I don't care at all." Niya shamelessly went back on her own words, stubbornly adding, "The cross-shaped scar on my face helps scare off people with bad intentions." "I think your cross scar looks pretty cool too." Yaxiu stopped bantering with her and reached over directly. "But your other injuries still need to be treated. Stop squirming." When Yaxiu's fingers touched the skin of her waist, Niya shuddered violently, twisting and turning in complete refusal to accept treatment. Just then, she felt a sharp pain in her arm, as if scratched by an exposed piece of rebar. Yet even as she struggled, she was confined within Yaxiu's embrace. How could there be...? She traced down the rebar with her fingers, touching clothing soaked with blood, followed by a body impaled straight through. Yaxiu said calmly, "You can't heal, so what are you feeling around on me for?" "You... you here..." "Just bad luck. My lower left abdomen was run through," Yaxiu said. "Don't mind it, the bleeding's already stopped." "Why haven't you pulled it out?" "Because we aren't holed up in a spacious apartment; there isn't room to maneuver... Close your eyes, don't look." Yaxiu caught hold of the arm she had just scratched. "This is only halftime. We're going to suffer even more injuries later, so we need to treat what we can right now. "You went through a lot of trouble to save me, and I went through a lot of trouble to save you. Precious lives can't be squandered. This is as good as it gets for me, but at least you can be restored to your peak condition." This time, Niya finally stopped resisting and obediently let Yaxiu treat her injuries. Only now did Yaxiu realize that Niya was actually quite petite; curled up, she could easily be gathered into his arms, like a little hedgehog. But the Sonia in his memories was never so... How should he put it? He couldn't imagine Sonia curled up like a small animal in his embrace; instead, he often dreamt of Sonia preying upon him like a leopardess. After finishing treating the scars and bullet holes along her waist, Yaxiu's palm brushed across the rounded curve of Niya's hips, and he clearly felt the little hedgehog in his arms shudder. He stopped his hand. "I really can't see anything. How about you just tell me where you're hurt?" After a brief silence, Niya kept her voice down and said, "Calf. Ankle." Niya was wearing short boots. As soon as Yaxiu slipped them off, he felt shrapnel wedged inside along with dark, oozing blood, so he pulled off her socks as well. "Your foot is hurt too." "I, I..." Though Niya's voice seemed devoid of emotion, she sounded faintly bashful. "I haven't changed my clothes in days." "It's fine. It doesn't smell great in here anyway." The warm glow of 'Joy Sword' emanated from Yaxiu's hand as he grasped her foot, noticing that her toes were tensely curled. He smiled and said, "Still, you should pay attention to personal hygiene. A girl as cool as you ought to wear nice clothes more often to bless the world." "I don't want to bless the world." Niya arched her back, her body taut. "I hate this world. I hate everything." "Do you hate Feili?" "Hate her." "What about Weixi? Her spear-halberd is pretty amazing, isn't it?" "Hate her." "And me?" "Hate you the most." Yaxiu shrugged, plucked the debris from her sock, put it back on her, and then slipped her boot back on and tied the laces. Completing all this in the pitch dark wasn't easy. Honestly, Yaxiu would have preferred Niya do it herself, but she only handed over the boot and sock, suddenly turning lazy and insisting on his help. "Any other injuries?" "There is..." Even in the cramped, enclosed space, Niya's voice was so faint Yaxiu could barely hear it. He asked again, "Where?" Niya said nothing more. Yaxiu suddenly felt his right hand taken by another hand and guided upward, gliding past the firm lines of her abdomen, until his palm came to rest over a soft, supple fullness. There, Yaxiu clearly felt a bullet wound still oozing blood, along with a wildly pounding heart. "You almost died." With all distractions cast aside, Yaxiu earnestly treated Niya's horrifying wound. "My miracle can't reverse a fatal injury... Why are you only telling me now?!" Hearing the touch of anger in Yaxiu's voice, Niya uncharacteristically didn't snap back. She merely let out a soft murmur of agreement, as if truly acknowledging she had done wrong. Right then, Niya suddenly spoke: "Can you tell me about that person?" Yaxiu asked casually, "Who? Weixi? Feili?" "The one you care about, but who isn't in this world," Niya said softly. "The one who kissed you in my place. "The one who makes you care so much about me. "The one who made you instinctively rush over to protect me. "The one who, whenever you look at me, is the only person you see."