Five hundred years?
Yae Sakura was a little stunned.
The years had flown by. While sealed in the black box, she had not been in a deep sleep, but had retained some awareness.
She had spent countless years in darkness, but a single ray of light had always sustained her.
That was the thought that once she got out, she would be able to see Kallen.
Although, deep in her heart, Yae Sakura had long had a premonition that she might never see Kallen again.
And now, she had her answer.
Five hundred years.
She had been sealed in the black box for five hundred years.
Kallen must have long since turned to a pile of yellow earth.
Who could possibly live for five hundred years?
For a moment, it was as if Yae Sakura's soul had left her body. She sat dazedly on the bed, a walking corpse.
To finally see the light of day again, only to be separated from her dear friend by death.
In this world where she had no one, was there any reason for her to continue living?
Her heart filled with the will to die.
Her face was a mask of grief. She covered it with her hands as an aura of decay enveloped her entire body.
This made Otto, who was sitting nearby, feel his eyelid twitch violently.
Holy shit, is she going to kill herself?
Otto almost leaped to his feet.
But the decaying aura around Yae Sakura gradually dissipated. She looked down at the bedsheets with sorrowful eyes, her lips trembling.
She wanted to see Kallen's grave.
Her eyes, beautiful as amethysts, turned to Otto, who had remained seated the whole time. She no longer held a defensive posture, perhaps because she no longer cared about her own life or death.
"Sir, may I ask who you are?"
Yae Sakura spoke, her voice still hoarse.
Otto secretly breathed a sigh of relief. If Yae Sakura had tried to commit suicide, he would have had no choice but to stop her.
If it really came down to it, for the sake of his Jizo Mitama, he would just have to put her back to sleep.
He could wake her after he had defeated the Honkai. By then, whatever Yae Sakura wanted to do would be none of his concern.
"A pleasure to meet you." Otto stood up, placed his left hand behind his back and his right hand over his chest, and gave Yae Sakura a slight bow. "I am Otto Apocalypse."
"I am the man who awakened you."
Otto said with a smile, not forgetting to sing his own praises.
Otto-a-what's-it?
The name sounded a bit familiar, as if she had heard it somewhere before.
Yae Sakura tilted her head. Otto's name was a bit long, and she couldn't quite remember it.
But the strange name reminded her of Kallen.
Biting her lower lip, Yae Sakura clenched her fists. She looked at Otto and bowed her head to him.
"Thank you, Sir."
It was this man who had awakened her.
"My name is Yae Sakura. I have no way to repay your kindness."
Yae Sakura kept her head bowed. She was a reasonable person. In a sense, the man before her was her savior. Without him, she had no idea how long it would have been before she saw the light of day again.
By then, she might not even have had the chance to sweep Kallen's grave.
As she spoke, Yae Sakura got off the bed. Her stockinged feet touched the floor, but having not stood on solid ground for so long, her body swayed and she pitched forward.
She was about to fall.
The thought had just crossed her mind when she felt herself landing in a warm embrace.
The moment she stumbled, Otto had stood up and moved in front of her, letting her fall into his arms.
"You've just woken up. It would be best for you to rest a while longer."
Otto said. This girl's clumsiness was making him nervous. What would he do if she just dropped dead one day?
Otto helped the limp Yae Sakura back to the bed. This wasn't the first time he had touched her body.
He was the one who had carried her here earlier.
Being touched by a strange man made Yae Sakura a little uncomfortable, but she wasn't familiar with this new body, and he was helping her. She couldn't very well say anything harsh.
She could only let Otto help her back onto the bed.
Sitting on the edge, Yae Sakura looked at the bed with its white sheets. Was this soft thing a place for sleeping?
The country girl, who had slept on the floor her whole life, was a little curious.
"This body of yours is not quite the same as your old one. You'll need to get used to it first."
Otto said. The current Yae Sakura was a pseudo-Herrscher. If she couldn't control her power, she could cause some serious damage.
Hearing his words, Yae Sakura also noticed that her body felt strange.
This was no ordinary body.
It felt as if it were brimming with power, but she was not used to it, which made her movements uncoordinated.
And there was a very strange sensation on her head.
"Thank you, Sir."
Yae Sakura said softly. She felt that the golden-haired man before her was a good person. He had been very polite to her, making her feel as pleasant as a spring breeze.
Are all foreigners like this?
If only Yae Village had been like this.
Her eyes downcast, Yae Sakura shook her head. What was the point of thinking so much?
She had already slaughtered everyone in Yae Village over five hundred years ago.
"Is there anything you'd like to eat? I'll have someone prepare it."
At that moment, Otto asked. Yae Sakura looked up and saw the golden-haired man holding a strange square object in his hand.
"I can take care of myself."
Yae Sakura didn't want to owe too many favors. Having lived alone since her father's death, she was a little resistant to forming connections with others.
"Rice balls it is, then." But Otto did as he pleased, ignoring her words as he used his communication terminal to order some food.
"..."
"Thank you, Sir."
Yae Sakura could only thank him again.
She felt that this man was a bit forceful.
The atmosphere in the room fell silent.
Neither of them spoke.
Otto could have found a common topic to discuss, but he didn't. Instead, he let Yae Sakura stew in the gradually growing awkwardness.
Yae Sakura felt a little uneasy. In her entire life, besides her father, she had never been in a room alone with a man.
She forced herself to stop thinking about it. Once she got used to her body, she would bid him farewell and go search for Kallen's grave.
But... how was she supposed to find it?
This was over five hundred years in the future.
And even five hundred years ago, she had never been outside of Yae Village.
She had always been like a caged bird.
Yae Sakura didn't think Kallen would be buried in Yae Village. After all, she had killed everyone there.
So, after Kallen sealed her dying self, did she return to her homeland?
Where was Kallen's homeland?
She seemed to remember Kallen saying something...
It was... Schicksal?
Yes, that was it. Kallen had said she came from Schicksal.
Yae Sakura looked at Otto. The man before her was a foreigner, just like Kallen. Perhaps he knew where Schicksal was.
It seemed she was about to owe him another favor.
"Sir, I would like to ask you something."
Yae Sakura was the first to break the silence. Otto looked at her with great interest.
"Do you know of a place called Schicksal?"
Otto, the Overseer of Schicksal, raised an eyebrow. She certainly knew who to ask.
A smile spread across Otto's face. For some reason, a chill ran down Yae Sakura's back.
"Of course I do."
"Because I, Otto Apocalypse, am the Overseer of Schicksal."
"In words you can understand, I am the Master of Schicksal."
The Master of Schicksal?
Yae Sakura grew excited. The man before her was the master of Schicksal! Since Kallen came from Schicksal, he must know where she was buried, right?
She could finally sweep Kallen's grave.
But before she could ask, Otto continued.
"And I... have lived for over five hundred years."
Otto looked at Yae Sakura. The latter froze.
"You and I are from the same era."
---o---