Honkai Impact 3rd : This is My Revenge-Chapter 51 - 050 : Ordinary Person

The youth chuckled, the sound light, almost amused.

"Our funding for the sanatorium will arrive shortly," he assured her, as if discussing nothing more consequential than the weather. "The children won't even realize their 'mother' was briefly absent."

A pause. Then, with deliberate casualness—

"And we... won't disturb you here again."

Not that they needed to.

This Chapter had reached its conclusion.

The lead actress would soon depart for the next stage.

With that, he raised a hand, the air before him warping as a portal to the Theater of Dominance shimmered into existence. He took a step toward it—

"Tell me."

Aponia's voice halted him.

"Oh savior... oh destroyer." Her words were slow, deliberate. "You who embody contradiction—when will your vengeance end?"

The youth stilled.

For a long moment, the only sound was the distant drip of water against stone.

Then—

"You misunderstand, Ms. Aponia."

He turned his head just enough to meet her gaze, his lips quirking in a half-smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"My vengeance concluded long ago."

His voice was soft, almost wistful.

"It remains buried with the old era's complete annihilation."

A beat.

"As for now..."

He stepped backward into the portal, the darkness swallowing him whole as the rift sealed shut behind him.

His final words lingered in the air like an afterthought.

"Now, the reborn me simply plays the villain—forcing this world to satisfy my curiosity and thirst for knowledge."

A pause.

"Ms. Aponia..."

"If faced with a choice where protecting someone inevitably harms others..."

"What would you do?"

He didn't wait for an answer.

The portal closed with a whisper, leaving Aponia alone in the dim silence.

Finally, she exhaled, a slow, weary sound.

Her eyes lifted toward the ceiling, as if seeking guidance from an absent god.

"Indeed... what should one do?"

A faint, humorless smile touched her lips.

"Perhaps if I were a 'villain' too..."

"I wouldn't be troubled by such dilemmas."

---

Meanwhile...

The alley beside the crumbling church was a stark contrast to the solemnity of the basement—alive with the sounds of distant chatter, the scent of dust and dried fish thick in the air.

"Yummy~ Soooo good!"*

A grimy girl crouched on the ground, her cheeks stuffed like a chipmunk's as she devoured the dried fish in her hands. There was something inexplicably fated about the taste—as if she had been meant to eat this all along.

Between enthusiastic bites, she shot a thumbs-up toward the black-haired youth squatting beside her.

He had provided this feast.

After his earlier demeanor—cold, commanding, enough to scare off even her stray cat companion, Can—she had expected something far worse than free food.

"You're actually eating it?"

"Gulp"

Pardofelis froze mid-chew.

Her wide, golden eyes flicked up at him, suddenly uncertain.

Wait... was this a trick?

Her inner miser warred with survival instinct.

But the scent was too tempting.

Defiantly, she swallowed the mouthful in one go, then stared at him blankly, playing dumb.

"Haha, just messing with you."

The youth laughed, ruffling her hair before producing another bag of fish. "Here's more..."

"All yours if you want."

"Ah... oh, heh..."

Pardofelis forced a laugh, her shoulders relaxing. "Thanks, boss~"

Whew...

That had been close.

This boss had a mean streak—bad for her heart in the long run, she decided.

But free food with no strings attached?

Worth it.

"Free stuff..."

"Hehehe"

Her carefree grin returned, her earlier tension melting away.

Despite his initial aura—that of an apex predator, something that had sent every instinct in her body screaming to run—she had sensed no real malice.

Just... unexpected kindness.

So she had reciprocated.

And after hearing his explanations—about Aponia being fine, about this being some kind of permitted "acting gig" which were clearly excuses, but whatever—she had decided to trust him.

He had assured her safety.

And more importantly—

Free. Food.

Gradually, she relaxed, her earlier wariness fading as she resumed chewing.

Meanwhile...

Ling Ke had spent the last few nights wandering the neon-lit streets of Nagazora's night markets, sampling street food and observing the ebb and flow of human life.

Now, he had crossed continents to this chaotic district in the Middle East—the slums of Twilight, where survival was a daily struggle.

As his true self, he no longer bothered with menial tasks like "stage-setting."

He was the director, the playwright, and the audience.

The preparations in the basement? Handled by Domination Puppet.

At most, he might "borrow" some fitting background music.

The source of this c𝓸ntent is frёeweɓηovel.coɱ.

His sudden appearance here stemmed from...

Simple amusement.

Or, more accurately—fascination.

Pardofelis.

Future Flame-Chaser, 13th Seat, Pardofelis of Reverie.

In the carefully arranged scenario he had crafted—a mirrored version of past events—she had made a different choice than Raiden Mei.

Faced with a stranger, she still didn't trust.

But at least she responded.

And that had intrigued him.

Would she only react this way to specific people?

Or... even to his current self?

So he had come.

Testing the waters with kindness.

How ironic.

Now transcendent, no longer weak, having once ascended to godhood—

Yet this simple experiment left him trembling.

The kindness he offered was trivial—just street snacks.

The conclusion?

"People truly are different."

Ling Ke sighed inwardly.

He had received a response.

Watching the grimy girl beside him, his mood—already improved by Eden's musical performance in Nagazora—brightened further.

Such was life.

One could crumble under the weight of accumulated despairs.

Or find light in scattered hopes.

Now reborn, Ling Ke had stepped into the sunlight.

Just as Mei and Bronya had before him.

Yet...

"Night suits me better."

"Quiet. Undisturbed. Easier to move unseen."

Having satisfied this minor curiosity, Ling Ke stood, shielding his eyes from the glare of the midday sun.

"Tch... still not used to this."

Sunlight felt too harsh.

No longer necessary.

Now then...

"Goodbye, little Pardo."

He glanced down at the still-squatting girl, her golden eyes blinking up at him. Work calls.

As he turned to leave—

"Oh, one more thing."

He raised a finger, his voice dropping into something quieter, almost wistful.

"Next time something like this happens... run far away."

His words carried the weight of hard-earned experience.

"You're just an ordinary person. You owe nobody anything."

"Don't throw yourself into the fire."

In this moment, he seemed to glimpse her future.

A broken cat-paw badge lying in lunar dust.

A marker of where a simple soul—one who only wished to eat her fill each day—had once existed.

Briefly, he wavered.

"Just an ordinary person... why risk your life like this? Really..."

Ling Ke muttered to himself.

It sounded like self-mockery, yet carried the weight of a sigh.

After a beat, he reached out, ruffling Pardofelis' hair one last time.

He had to admit—he'd grown fond of the feeling.

Somewhat...

Enjoyable.