Honkai Impact 3: Deadwood

When the word "past" was mentioned, the girl's evasive gaze convinced the captain of his guess.

He turned around, picked up a piece of white paper on Fu Hua's desk, folded it skillfully with both hands, and then repeatedly folded the paper at different diagonals. After a while, he folded out a piece of paper. A small paper boat.

"Is this... a ship?"

Fu Hua looked at the exquisite boat that had been handed to him by the captain, with some confusion on his face.

"Well, whether it's the past or memories, they are like this little paper boat, carrying you on the boat."

"Carrying...me?"

"Yes, no matter what terrible winds and waves you have experienced on this ship or how calm the water is, it will carry you forward to the future, provided you are willing to row the oars."

"This is not that simple!"

Fu Hua stood up excitedly, biting her lips, and subconsciously tightened the corners of her pajamas with both hands.

Such a violent reaction made the captain feel a little unexpected, but it made the expression on his face become more determined.

"Red Kite."

He stood up and turned his gaze to the girl in front of him. Fu Hua immediately noticed his gaffe. She apologized repeatedly, but still refused to return her gaze to the captain's face.

"..."

Perhaps the girl has not noticed how helpless and confused the expression on her face is at this moment.

The captain stepped forward, opened his hands, and gently embraced the girl in front of him.

The sudden hug and the overly warm arms made the girl feel a little at a loss. She wanted to break away, but she never exerted any strength on her arms.

"Why? Why would I..."

The girl's face rested lightly on the captain's chest. She questioned deep in her heart, but she couldn't get an answer no matter what.

She could break away easily, but she couldn't do it now. She didn't know what she was afraid of or what she was running away from.

but…

“So warm…”

At a volume that even he could barely hear, Fu Hua murmured about the familiar and warm embrace, and the heartbeat of... his old friend that was beating in his ears.

"In the past, when Danzhu taught me how to make clay sculptures, she once said to me: 'If someone important to you feels sad, then hug that person. Sometimes, compared to the warmth of words, A hug can help the other person feel your body temperature better."

"Danzhu?"

For a girl, that is a familiar name...

No, it should be said that it was very familiar, but she couldn't remember it. There were only some fragmentary fragments in her mind.

She seemed to be able to imagine the tone in which a person named Danzhu would say these words, but she could not remember the expression on the face of the person who had said these words. and demeanor.

"branch…"

Finally, Fu Hua closed her eyes and chose to understand the meaning of this sentence in a more direct way.

But before Fu Hua could continue to feel the warmth, the atmosphere was interrupted by a sudden knock on the door.

Boom, boom, boom!

"Squad leader, didn't you and the captain have a quarrel? I heard your voice just now."

"Qi, Kiana-san!?"

"Monitor, can I open the door and come in?"

Kiana's voice came from outside the door. Hearing Kiana say that she wanted to come in, Fu Hua broke away from the captain's arms. It should be said that the captain had already let go of her before she broke away. .

Kiana carefully opened the door and stuck her head out.

I saw the captain sitting at the desk, holding the novel that he lent to the squad leader to read, while Fu Hua was standing a little further away. She seemed to have nowhere to place her gaze, and could only follow Qia. Na looked at each other.

Kiana didn't notice that there was still a faint blush on Fu Hua's face.

"Hey, does it look a little suspicious?"

"Ahem, what's wrong, Kiana-san?"

"Ah, it's okay. It's just that I just heard you shout, monitor, that it's not that simple... your voice was quite loud. You're not arguing with the captain, are you?"

"Huh? How could that be? I was just discussing with the captain...well, discussing the novel that Kiana-san lent me."

"Oh ho?"

Hearing what Fu Hua said, Kiana instantly became interested. She looked at the captain holding the novel in his hand and immediately shared her thoughts.

"Oh, Captain, do you like this book too?"

"You quite like it, right? But I'm more curious about the fact that Kiana can actually read."

"Of course that's because the protagonist 'Z' here looks very similar to you, the captain. The sense of déjà vu is really strong!"

"Really?"

"Yes, yes." Kiana put her hands on her hips and nodded proudly.

"Think about it, this mysterious boy from the East has extraordinary insight and skill. He can easily defeat more than a dozen thugs with his bare hands. No one in this book can fight him. The last big boss is the evil dragon. He was also killed instantly with one move."

"...These are just stereotypes of Chinese people in the West at that time. Martial arts were already popular in ancient China. At that time, except for businessmen, those who chose to leave China to travel to foreign countries had some skills, and some even made great achievements. In terms of reputation, it was quite common during that time for stories with Chinese characters as protagonists.”

"But, 'Z' has a very similar personality and way of speaking to you, Captain, and 'Z' also wears a beautiful necklace around his neck."

"You're looking at it very seriously."

"That's right, I am very meticulous in reading."

Kiana said proudly, completely unaware of the person standing behind her.

The red-haired woman opened her hands and slapped Kiana's face from behind, and then began to rub it back and forth vigorously.

“It would be great if you were so meticulous in your studies!!”

"Hime, Himeko!? Ouch!!"

Kiana's face was rubbed back and forth, and soon she couldn't resist and began to beg for mercy. Jizi gave up when she saw that it was almost done.

"So, what are you talking about?"

"Ugh... Himeko Himeko, do you think the protagonist 'Z' in "Dragon Chronicles" looks very similar to the captain?"

"Oh? You're talking about that book, um... Put it this way, it does feel a bit like it."

"Right?"

"Ha." A sudden idea flashed in Jizi's mind. She leaned into Kiana's ear and smiled evilly: "Kiana, actually 'Z' is the captain himself. You see, 'Z' is the abbreviation of the captain's name. , Captain, he has actually lived for hundreds of years!"

"Huh?? No way, is it true? Isn't that an old monster after hundreds of years??"

Kiana opened her mouth wide with a look of disbelief. Looking at her silly expression, Himeko couldn't help laughing.

"Pfft hahaha! Of course I said it casually. Theresa said she wanted you to come and chat together. Don't just stand there stupidly. Come over quickly."

"Jiko, you lied to me again!"

"Pfft, who made you stupid?"

Joyful laughter replaced the original delicate atmosphere. Listening to Ji Zi's casual joke, the captain looked at Fu Hua awkwardly. Unexpectedly, Fu Hua was also looking at him with a bad smile. .