The shining Shoko Toyokawa

In the end, even close friends will resort to violence when they disagree, even to the point of fighting to the death..."

"Ms. Natasha, you are so strong,"

Xia Ya gently held her hand. Her hand was extremely cold, as cold as the snowflakes on the Caucasus Mountains.

…………

……

"Huh, shooting training?"

Aine's eyebrows were furrowed into an inverted eight shape.

"Anon-chan, do you hate guns?" Deng looked at her nervously.

“How could that be? My shooting skills are very accurate,” Aine said with a confident smile, “Let’s go, Tou Mo Ling-chan, I will definitely be the first this time. I want to be the woman of Penelope’s pilot!”

In May, the rainfall in the western Pacific islands gradually increased. The dark clouds covered the sky one second, and the rain fell the next second. Under the guidance of Naomi Misora, Aine loaded the gun and took off the safety to shoot.

The sound of gunfire echoed in the air where the air pressure suddenly dropped, dull and incomparable.

After confirming that it was empty, Aine waved happily at Deng, "That's great, Deng, I'm second this time, second! Only two rings behind Riki-chan, next time I'll definitely... Ugh!"

Before she finished speaking, she instinctively bent down.

The next moment, breakfast and lunch came out of my mouth.

"Damn it! Did I have a stomachache?"

Aine found that her body was shaking.

The next moment, she lost consciousness...

…………

Is the gun beautiful?

Different people have different answers to this question.

But if you ask whether a person shot by a gun is beautiful, any mentally healthy person will have only one answer:

When a copper and lead projectile is fired, its speed will exceed the speed of sound. At this speed, the human body is as fragile as tofu.

The bullet will roll and shatter in the fat, muscles, internal organs and bones of the person.

In the past, the death penalty was carried out by shooting in the head. When the bullet entered from the front, it would make a small hole as big as the tip of a little finger, and when it came out from the back, it would make a hole.

Aiyin had experienced such an "execution scene" and pulled the trigger herself. The man's death was still vivid in her mind.

It was a feeling as if the robot was suddenly unplugged and everything came to a standstill.

But the power (life) can never be restored.

There was no guilt involved. He wanted to kill Xia, so Aine killed him. It was just a simple matter.

This was exactly why she felt fear and disgust. 'It turns out that the weight of life is lighter than air...'

In her past life, Aiyin was always taught that human life is above all else.

As if it were divine and transcendent,

But reality told her clearly——

The weight of life is no heavier than snapping your fingers.

That terrorist's life is like this,

The same is true of her, Chihaya Aine's life.

The only difference is that her luck is better than his, that's all.

"I really can't do it, Xia Ya-san, I'm not as brave as you..."

"Is that Xia Ya-san the one who saved everyone?"

"Ugh?"

A sudden voice beside her startled Aiyin, and she turned her head to look.

Su Shi, dressed in white, sits under the cool light.

At this moment, Aine's heart stopped beating.

It wasn't that she fell in love with Su Shi, but that outfit was too much in sync with the female ghost, it almost looked like mourning clothes.

Aiyin almost thought that she was a short-lived dead ghost, and Su Shi was her "wife" who kept vigil for her.

"That's the name you kept shouting when you had the nightmare. Although Miss Misora ​​didn't tell us the details, she explained to us why you fainted.

Anon-chan, you are so brave."

Chapter 42: What if I’m not Penelope’s pilot?

"Anon-chan, you're so brave."

"Ah, brave? Me?"

Aine sat up and pointed at herself in disbelief, "If I were brave, I wouldn't have run away from the foggy city, and now I want to run away again...

If this continues, I will never be able to be Penelope's pilot. Not only am I not as physically strong as Xiaodeng and Lixi, but I am also not as hardworking as Soyo-san.

Xiao Deng's simulated driving performance was even more exaggerated. She knocked down 5 mobile suits in three minutes.

As for me, I have to use all my strength just to defeat one. As expected, I am not suitable for driving a mobile suit..."

There were hurried footsteps outside the ward, and the plan was implemented smoothly. Su Shi should have been happy, but why did she feel so uncomfortable in her chest?

"At least you saved your friend, didn't you?"

For some reason, Sushi's voice was a little sad. "Is it not okay if I'm not the pilot of Penelope (not maintaining the glittering appearance)? In my opinion, Anon-chan (Shoko) is already very amazing,

Even after going through something like that (murder/huge family tragedy), he still managed to be so strong."

Rather than regret, Nagasaki Suyo hated herself even more for not noticing the major changes that had occurred in Xiangzi's family.

Thinking about it carefully, before Xiangzi came to CRYCHIC and said he was quitting the band,

There were several times when her expressions and words were very strange. At that time, Xiangzi might have hoped that he could be like his mother and feel her pain. Su Shi thought so.

'But I didn't notice,'

I was so preoccupied with myself that I didn't notice that Saki-chan was broken down somewhere I couldn't see...

When I fell asleep in bed, she was still working.

When I was chatting with my classmates about the new products released by that store, Saki was probably still worrying about dinner.

This kind of thing, just take a look at Xiangzi's "home" and you will understand. Why didn't I kneel down to Wakaba Mu earlier, or put a utility knife to my neck?

I... what a fool...'

“Compared to someone like me…” “Aine, you’re already amazing!”

Sushi held Aine's hand tightly.

A warm liquid wet the back of Aiyin's hand. It was Sushi's sadness.

"So...so that's how it is?"

Aine's eyes gradually became moist.

Even the fear that parents cannot tell, the shame of running away from the foggy city, and the loss of unfulfilled ambitions,

All of this came to my mind,

Soyo-san knows everything...

Unable to bear it, Aine could no longer bear it, the emotions that were like a tide,

"Soyo-san...is this really all I need? Can I be forgiven for continuing to evade people in a cunning way?!"

Aiyin will be her true self,

Cunning self,

All exposed in front of the gentle Su Shi,

The flaxen-haired girl responded with a gentle embrace.

Leaning in Sushi's broad arms, Aine felt the warmth as if from the spring sun.

It's like returning to the cradle of childhood.

It was as if he had been bullied by a bad kid and threw himself into his mother's arms.

Tears kept pouring out of my eyes,

Maybe snot is also running out,

But it doesn't matter,

Because this warm embrace will embrace everything.

Gradually, Aiyin got tired of crying and fell asleep in a daze.

Su Shi gently put her on the bed and covered her with a quilt.

Just as she stood up, the pink-haired girl's mumbling in her sleep came through the moist air after the rain.

"Mother?"

Nagasaki Suyo's body froze, and her steps also stopped.

Here it is again…

That's it again!

She gave people expectations...that could never be met!

She quickened her pace, as if to avoid some monster, and left the ward and the station where the road had been hardened.

The mud quickly stained the hem of her white skirt. She was so confused that she didn't notice the footsteps getting closer and closer.

"Hey, where are you going?"

It wasn't until her hand was grabbed that she realized Li Xi was following her.

"Hey, Riki-chan?" Nagasaki Motoyo put on a mask of smile as she turned around. "I was just taking a stroll, why are you here?"

"What did you say to that pink-haired guy just now? Why was Xiao Deng so sad after he came back?"

Li Xi's purple eyes reflected Su Shi's fake smile.

"Huh?" Su Shi was surprised. "So Xiao Deng was here? Maybe she heard what Aine said and thought she wanted to give up driving MS because of herself.

Isn't that the child always like this, holding a handful of sand in his hand and thinking it is gold?

Perhaps for her, driving a mobile suit with Aine-chan is very important."

"The timing is just too coincidental, why was Xiao Deng right there when that pink-haired woman said she wanted to give up?

I clearly heard it, it was you who asked Xiao Deng to go to the infirmary!"

Under Riki's shocked gaze, Nagasaki Suyo easily pried her hands apart.

"Tomorrow is the day of the final assessment," she stared at Lixi expressionlessly, "They are not trying to train us properly, but to select the person who is most suitable to pilot Penelope."

"What are you talking about?!" Li Xi subconsciously took a step back.

The present world is a little scary.

"With the continuous emergence of MS, the concept of [New Humans] has gradually been accepted by those guys. They seem to think that Penelope should be piloted by New Humans.

But what is the new human?

Many people seem to believe that the new humans are awakening, suddenly gaining powers far beyond their normal capabilities."

"You mean, Xiao Deng is a new human?"

"No," Su Shi stepped forward, grabbed Li Xi's shoulders, squinted his eyes and smiled, "I am the new human. I awakened when I was killed during the driving simulation this morning. Li Xi-chan, you can try to break free from me."

"What nonsense are you talking about? How can it be so convenient!?"

As far as Li Xi knew, Su Shi's physical strength was definitely not very good, especially in terms of arm strength. Li Xi had never found an opponent among the same sex.

Therefore, she was full of confidence in herself.

As for Su Shi's ability to pry her hands apart just now, Li Xi attributed it to the fact that he didn't use too much force, "I'll break free right now and show you!"