"E-excuse me?" Faith's eyes widened while her pupils contracted. She had expected something else, perhaps something less specific.
In fact, she was ready to even sell herself if it meant living.
But that thought didn't immediately come to mind as the person she was seeking help from had a feminine voice. If she were to say, it sounded just a tiny bit deeper than her very own voice.
But undoubtedly, it was a woman.
Hearing the word 'kill' were not in her range of expectation.
"..."
But the voice stayed silent, waiting for her answer.
"U-um, could you please explain in a way that's easier for me to understand?"
"How else would you like me to explain it? How about you repeat what you heard?"
"..."
So her ears did not betray her...
That's good.
But the voice did not stop.
"I said, repeat what you heard."
"...Ki-"
Crash!
Suddenly, more rubbles fell above her.
It was very unbearable. Extreme heat and pressure which made her want to die instead.
But she wants to live.
Faith doesn't want to die.
All those storybooks she had once read about noble ladies having fun at balls, dancing with their prince, meeting their soulmates, living their best lives.
She wants them all.
She wanted to personally experience them.
She needed to live in order to do so.
But could she... kill to achieve them?
Suddenly, she eyes captured something in front of her. It was a pair of legs.
Surprised, her eyes faced up.
It was met with cold, seemingly empty stare which held no emotions.
Black hair, black iris.
Unblemished skin as if she had never seen the sunlight. The girl was resting her head on her palm as she kept on watching Faith.
It was like being watched in a cage.
Does she even have a choice?
"...Kill my parents. I won't do that."
"...Hm, I expected that. You are a coward, after all."
She can't deny that.
"In that case, you can just burn to death here, then." The girl stood, as if losing interest and walked away from her.
Panicking, Faith subconsciously called out.
"Wait! Um! Can you please stay with me!?"
But it wasn't a cry for help.
At the very least, if she were to die here, she doesn't want to die alone. She wanted someone to company her at her last moment.
Isolation is her greatest fear right now.
The girl turned around, as if expecting the callout.
"Hm, sure."
She strode back with practiced ease.
Then, as if the world wasn't burning, she sat right in front of the smaller girl.
"Here, since I asked you a ton of questions earlier, I'll allow you to ask me your own questions. It's only fair, right?"
"Yes! In that case... Um, miss, what's your favorite food?"
"Instant noodle, the spicy version."
"Instant noodle? What's that?"
"It's a noodle that had been fried, packaged, then placed on the shelves inside convenience store that opened 24/7."
"Oh! Is it delicious?"
"Yeah, it is so delicious in fact, that I would believe that once you eat it once, you'd make it your entire meal for the next 2 years."
"Does that mean this instant noodle is healthy?"
"Hah, nope. It's like eating oily meat 3 times a day. There's practically no healthy diet with just eating instant noodles every day."
"Then, how is your skin so pretty?"
"That? I don't know, really. Even I am quite surprise at myself sometimes."
"Hehe. Miss, you're weird!"
"Is that so? How come? I'm not the one talking to my false savior who gave false hope with unfounded enthusiasm, am I?"
"Hehe. But you're still talking with me, no? Thank you."
"..."
Katsuri didn't even realized that a small smile had been pasted on her lips. It seemed that even Faith didn't notice.
"Um, can you please tell me your name, miss?"
Playing with a strand of hair nervously, it didn't really fit the atmosphere to act like a shy person while being trapped under rubbles, but it can't be helped.
Faith hesitantly asked for her conversation partner's name.
Knowing one's names is the same as knowing 50% of someone.
If you can't get the name of someone, you don't have even half of their trust.
"...It's Katsuri. Remember it well since you might take inspiration later."
"...Yes! Thank you very much, Miss Katsuri!" Faith smiled happily, even while slowly being crushed to death.
And yet, neither of them acted like she was.
They're both insane.
It had been a while now, Faith's durability stamina can't last that much longer. Due to that, her eyes was slowly closing in on themselves.
Her eyelids became heavier and heavier, darkness slowly consuming her sight.
Yet, she was smiling.
In a sudden notice, they closed shut.
Faith was now unconscious, not dead.
"..."
Katsuri waited for a bit.
She then smoothly stood up and lifted the smaller wood off the small child.
Then, the bigger ones.
After a couple of lifting, the child was now free.
Katsuri placed two finger on the child's cheek, checking on something.
'...It's the same. It seems that you also don't have any good memories of them. But why wouldn't you kill them?'
She lifted Faith, carrying her on her back like a little sister.
Slowly, she walked out the door frame. Since she had crashed it earlier, it was a free walk outside.
It seemed that the fire had stopped at some point during her stay inside.
'Still, I don't like that name. I wonder if she also felt the same?'
The moonlight covered them, the fireflies surrounds her as if she was a special existence. But Katsuri knew none of these things are real.
It seemed to her that this place are a fragments of the memories of the past, which had also been integrated to also take place in this world.
Otherwise, things wouldn't make any sense.
She had known that there's some kind of method for past memories to manifest inside Solaris 3.
It was So... Soso? What the hell was it called!? (Sonoro Sphere)
Damn Kuro Games with these confusing terms.
'Oh well, it's fine. Perhaps with this, her future wouldn't be so bleak.'
Katsuri gently pat the girl's that was resting on her back.
Had she changed something?
Hopefully she did.
Even if she didn't, it's fine. As long as this girl could live happily, it's perfect.
"I am doing this for the future of Me and Myself."
Even if she is Katsuri, she is still Faith Havensith at her core.