59. Kitty, Sinner, and Accomplice.
[Life in the sanatorium has been peaceful, with no unexpected incidents.]
[Outside, you rely on your far superior strength to deter those with ill intentions toward the sanatorium. Every so often, you select a few "fortunate ones" to enter the church's confession room and listen to Miss Aponia's "holy words."]
[Aponia never told you about her ability, and she exercises extreme restraint in using it. She only stirs the will to live in those who are despairing and suicidal, and only imposes "commandments" upon the utterly irredeemable.]
[Although Aponia, who hasn't yet undergone the MANTIS surgery, doesn't possess that outrageous level of power now, every villain who has spoken with her has turned over a new leaf and started afresh. Children who were despairing due to illness have also rediscovered hope.]
[You don't see this as a bad thing. Even though those "reformed" villains might struggle to survive in this little Gotham-like Sunset Alley, it's still better than having more scoundrels in the world.]
[Soon, the sanatorium became a true forbidden zone in Sunset Alley. Without you needing to intervene, other factions would deal with any fools bold enough to provoke trouble there.]
[Gradually, Aponia grew accustomed to your help. Although she still sees you as a child, she has come to trust and rely on you in certain tasks.]
[Occasionally, you'd notice a "little fairy" appearing in the sanatorium. She would always pilfer small items, leave candy for the children, and sometimes secretly play with them.]
[You didn't pay much mind to this little cat's actions. After all, in the muddy pit that is Sunset Alley, someone who insists on only stealing could almost be considered a good person or a saint.]
[However... the peaceful days didn't last long.]
[Starting one day, the number of Honkai-infected patients in Sunset Alley began to increase sharply. Many local children were also infected. Aponia continued to take in children indiscriminately, but you knew she was finding it increasingly difficult to cope.]
[And the fifth Herrscher was about to descend.]
"Ow, ow, ow, stop pinching, my ear hurts! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm really sorry! Please, you're so magnanimous, just let me off this time, okay? I shouldn't have taken apart the gate here! And your warehouse hasn't been touched in ages. I was just taking some old stuff. How should I put it... promoting resource redistribution!"
In front of the sanatorium gate, a cute, brown-haired girl dressed in light clothing wore a pained expression as a boy a head shorter than her stood on tiptoe, fiercely pinching her little ear.
"Just call it stealing, don't call it 'restocking,' my dear merchant lady, Pardofelis. Before, when you didn't take anything valuable, I turned a blind eye. But dismantling the gate is going too far!"
Though a bit shorter than the cute girl before him, Gao Qi's current strength was far beyond what a petty thief could handle.
Pardofelis: currently a rookie, a future Flame-Chaser—a rookie Flame-Chaser. Her combat ability is practically negligible. She's the phantom thief of Sunset Alley, the little merchant of the Elysian Realm.
Amidst the company of overpowered Flame-Chasers, Pardofelis is essentially just an ordinary, timid person—a pitiful kitty swept along by the tides of the era.
Right now, having not accidentally ended up on the MANTIS surgery table, she hasn't yet grown a pair of cat ears and a cute tail. She's still quite young, just an ordinary girl struggling to survive in Sunset Alley.
"And whether to forgive you or not isn't my call. Come with me nicely to apologize to Sister Aponia, and then listen to her teachings!"
Squinting his eyes, Gao Qi looked amiably at the kitty before him. Sure enough, upon hearing this, Pardofelis began trembling all over. Without hesitation, she immediately dropped to her knees, pleading with Gao Qi with a woeful expression.
"No, not that, please! I, I have a big boss behind me, you know! I'm not scared of you—I heard that no matter how naughty a kid is, after being lectured by that nun, they instantly become well-behaved. T-this is like what those weird comics call hypnosis or... or brainwashing, right? I'm not going! Anything but that!"
Upon hearing this, Pardofelis started struggling frantically, her heterochromatic eyes—left blue, right green—filled with panic. She had long heard this place was a den of horrors for kids, and now it seemed true!
"Ouch—mmph!"
Then, Gao Qi reached out and gave her forehead a sharp flick with his knuckles, followed by a pinch on her cheek.
"Cut it out with those weird ideas. Where did you even hear such things? We're a proper sanatorium, not some military-style boarding school. Many kids here are patients; letting them out would only harm them. Stop making baseless assumptions here—you stole and you think you're in the right? Your punishment is a cheek squeeze."
After kneading the poor kitty's cheeks for a while, Gao Qi let go, sighed, pulled out a thick coat from beside him, and stuffed it into her arms.
"Alright, it's been cold lately. With that little tank top and hot pants, you'd freeze to death at night. Put this on quickly. Sister Aponia sewed it for you. Remember to thank her."
Clutching the thick clothing in her arms, Felis was stunned for a moment, looking at Gao Qi with disbelief.
"Huh—huh? Could it be... you're actually good people? So generous!"
However, the next second, she saw a bright smile spread across the little boy's face as he pointed to the dismantled iron gate and the old warehouse goods she had taken.
"As payment, hurry up and move all this stuff back and reinstall the gate. Otherwise, it's off to the confession room with you—If you fix it, sunny skies; if you don't, well... hehe~"
Hearing Gao Qi's threatening tone, Felis's little face immediately fell into despair.
And so, Gao Qi even called over a group of children. While telling them stories about the "little fairy," he watched Felis single-handedly reinstall the iron gate.
"I take back what I said! You little brat, you're definitely a devil! I'll be back!"
Finally, Gao Qi watched as Felis fled after uttering her fierce parting words, his smile bright. The children finally got to see the sanatorium's "little fairy" and left satisfied.
Gao Qi merely sighed softly, turned around, and headed back inside the sanatorium.
He knew it would be a long time before he saw this little kitty again. He might not even live until then.
And now, he had another issue to face.
Quickening his pace, Gao Qi walked into the depths of the sanatorium. Before the statue inside the church, he saw Aponia, hands clasped together, praying and confessing to the icon.
"Sister Aponia, is something on your mind?"
Gao Qi had long known that Aponia was keeping something to herself, but he hadn't brought it up immediately. Instead, he waited for her to speak up on her own. After all, after several months of spending time together, Gao Qi understood that Aponia was a naive, kind, and pure-hearted person.
At the same time, however, she possessed an almost frighteningly stubborn disposition and an overprotective nature. What she considered "being good to others" meant giving everything she had with all her heart and soul.
She didn't expect anything in return, but she also wouldn't consider whether others might refuse her help—instead, she poured out her goodwill with unwavering dedication.
She led by example, hoping to help every person she encountered and steer them away from the final, desperate fate that awaited them.
Undoubtedly, she was a true saint—not in any hypocritical sense, but genuinely and commendably so. Yet, even so, aside from innocent children, few people were likely to agree with her ideals.
So, Gao Qi had been waiting, patiently accompanying this stubborn nun, hoping she would confide her troubles to him. In truth, Aponia wasn't entirely resolute—she surely had doubts in her heart as well.
"No, I don't... Hah."
Seeing the boy beside her, Aponia managed a faint smile but then let out a soft sigh. She did have many worries. More and more children suffering from Honkai sickness were being admitted to the sanatorium, increasing not only the pressure on everyone but also the danger.
Rumors were spreading outside that patients of Honkai sickness might eventually explode, causing larger-scale infections, or even turn into terrifying zombies.
An increasing number of caregivers at the nursing home had begun suggesting that she stop accepting children with Honkai sickness, and some had even handed in their resignations. But Aponia didn't want to give up on them.
After all... her power had allowed her to see the children's fates—the intricate, luminous threads of destiny entangling them, and their final ends.
Aponia wanted to change their destinies but had never succeeded. She thought that, at the very least, she could let them live relatively happy days before their predestined deaths arrived.
"It's nothing, Zero. Just some small matters. You don't need to worry about them."
Aponia simply shook her head gently. She didn't intend to involve this young boy in such heavy topics. Zero was a good child—not only did he help Aponia with many tasks and got along well with the other children, but he was also very affectionate toward her.
Unlike those children who resisted being treated like kids and would rebelliously run away when Aponia tried to pat their heads, Zero loved hugging Aponia, nuzzling his little head against her chest and letting her feel his warm body temperature. This brought Aponia great satisfaction.
Of course, Zero also had his unique traits—for instance, he was disobedient.
"No, Sister Aponia. If something's on your mind, you should tell me properly. You're always encouraging others to confide their worries and regrets to you, but no one ever gets to hear about your troubles. Be honest with me, or you won't get any proper sleep tonight."
As he spoke, Gao Qi wore a mischievous grin, stretching out both hands and wiggling his fingers in the air before playfully tickling... Aponia's waist.
He wasn't some little pervert. Aponia only showed him care and affection, and he couldn't take advantage of her. Being able to hold her while sleeping at night and enjoy the warmth of her embrace was already happiness enough for him.
"Hehe... you silly child, stop that. Don't tease grown-ups like this, haha."
Although her personality was somewhat reserved and she wasn't good at expressing emotions, Aponia was genuinely ticklish. Caught off guard by Gao Qi's sneak attack, even the usually calm and composed Aponia couldn't help but giggle softly.
This was the most unique thing about "Zero." He was the only one who couldn't be persuaded and refused to listen to Aponia.
Her "talent" had no effect on him. She couldn't parse the threads of fate that entangled him with her, nor could she "persuade" him to behave obediently.
"Hah, hah—alright, stop fooling around. Be good, I... maybe there are indeed some things I could talk about. Stay still and listen to me, okay?"
Soon, Aponia's face flushed red, her breath coming in soft gasps as she made a pleading request. Hearing her words, the boy in front of her immediately nodded obediently.
Aponia then revealed a satisfied smile.
Faced with a "mischievous child" who remained unaffected by her talent and was utterly unruly, being able to make him obey with nothing but pure words gave Aponia an oddly satisfying feeling.
"I... Lin, what I'm about to say next, you might not believe, but I hope you'll listen carefully."
Having Gao Qi sit down beside her, Aponia took a deep breath.
"Maybe... I am committing an unforgivable sin."
Aponia's body trembled slightly. She was about to reveal her greatest secret—one that, whenever she had shared it in the past, had only driven people away, frightened them, and left her without anyone to believe her.
In the next moment, a small hand gently rested on the back of her own. Aponia looked up and saw Gao Qi's gentle, smiling face.
Unlike his usual playful grin, this little boy now radiated a sense of reliability that made others feel secure.
"A sin, huh... Well then, Sister Aponia, from now on, I am your accomplice."
And so, the stubborn nun Aponia gained a little "accomplice"—one she would never forget.
Note: I'm new to translating so please be kind and tell me any mistakes you all find, I will try to release a chapter a day but don't expect much
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Raw: 崩坏模拟器,你找的人是我么?