斬魔巫女--後日談E

後日談：藕斷絲連

Epilogue: Lingering Connections

那些與神櫻巫女交會過的靈魂，其生命軌跡從此滲入了細微的神性。相遇如雪泥鴻爪，轉瞬無痕。然而雪融之後，被滋潤的土地自會萌發新綠——那些意料之外的改變，此刻才悄然開始。

For those souls who have crossed paths with the Shin-ou Miko, their life trajectories have since been imbued with a trace of divinity. An encounter is like footprints in the snow—fleeting and gone without a trace. Yet, after the snow melts, the moistened earth naturally sprouts new green shoots—those unexpected changes are only now quietly beginning.

---

松島法子：軀幹朋友間的悄悄話

Matsushima Noriko: Whispers Between Torso Friends

法子逐漸明瞭，祭典之夜的奇遇並非終點，而是某種更深刻連結的序章。

變化始於細微之處。她依然在晨光中擠上電車，在方格牢籠裡敲打鍵盤，扮演著名為「普通」的社會角色。可當深夜躺臥，或是午後小憩的朦朧時刻，總會感知到某種內在的騷動——那不是聲音，而是源自軀幹核心的漣漪，溫熱輕顫，彷彿骨骼在低吟，肌膚在哼唱。

她忽然憶起那夜巫女含笑的話語：「妳的身體，和神櫻成了『軀幹之友』。」原以為只是詩意的安慰，如今卻在血肉間獲得印證。她的軀幹彷彿甦醒了另一重意識，一個更貼近本真、名為「身體的法子」的存在，正越過表層思維，與遠方的神櫻開展著綿長的密談。

這個「她」熱切地訴說著所有悸動：初次繫上洋裝腰帶時蝴蝶結的雀躍，對鏡描畫眼線時顫抖的指尖，行經櫥窗倒影時悄然挺直的背脊，還有因陌生高跟鞋而扭傷腳踝時細微的委屈。

法子成了自己身體的旁聽者，在困惑與好奇間，日復一日聆聽這場內在的對話。

Noriko gradually realized that the strange encounter on the night of the festival was not an end, but the prologue to a deeper connection.

The changes began with subtleties. She still squeezed onto the train in the morning light, typed away at her keyboard in her cubicle, and played the social role named "ordinary." But when she lay down late at night, or in the hazy moments of an afternoon nap, she would always perceive an internal stir—not a sound, but ripples originating from the core of her torso, warm and trembling, as if her bones were humming, her skin singing.

She suddenly recalled the shrine maiden's smiling words that night: "Your body and Shin-ou have become 'torso friends'." She had thought it was just poetic comfort, but now it was being verified within her flesh and blood. Her torso seemed to have awakened another layer of consciousness, an existence closer to her true self, named "Body Noriko," which was bypassing her surface thoughts and engaging in long, secret conversations with the distant Shin-ou.

This "she" eagerly recounted every throb: the flutter of tying the ribbon on a dress for the first time, the trembling fingertips when drawing eyeliner in the mirror, the spine quietly straightening when passing a reflection in a shop window, and the subtle grievance of a twisted ankle from unfamiliar high heels.

Noriko became an eavesdropper on herself, listening day after day to this internal dialogue with a mix of confusion and curiosity.

某個黃昏，她避開歸家的人潮，獨自走向河岸。夕陽將水色染作暖橙，微風攜來涼意，撫平白日皺褶。當她閉目沉浸在這片寧靜中，軀幹又開始活躍地與神櫻分享眼前美景——波光如何碎成萬千金鱗，雲霞怎樣浸染緋紫。

就在這片靜好之中，一道身影背倚漫天霞光，自緋色天幕翩然降臨。衣袂翻飛間流瀉著靈光，正是她朝思暮想的身影。

眼前的御神櫻與祭典時判若兩人。無袖襦袢與截短緋袴勾勒出精悍線條，寬大袖套在風中鼓動如羽，純白足袋緊裹至腿根，樸素草鞋蘊含著蓄勢待發的力量。整個人既莊嚴神聖，又充滿戰鬥的靈動。

One dusk, avoiding the crowds returning home, she walked alone to the riverbank. The setting sun dyed the water a warm orange, and the breeze brought a coolness that smoothed the wrinkles of the day. As she closed her eyes and immersed herself in this tranquility, her torso began actively sharing the beauty before her with Shin-ou—how the shimmering light broke into thousands of golden scales, how the rosy clouds were soaked in crimson and purple.

In this quiet beauty, a figure descended gracefully from the crimson sky, backdropped by the glowing sunset. Spiritual light flowed from her fluttering robes; it was the figure Noriko had been longing for day and night.

The Mikami Sakura before her was different from the one at the festival. A sleeveless juban and shortened hakama outlined her agile lines; wide sleeves billowed in the wind like wings; pure white tabi wrapped tightly up to her thighs; and simple straw sandals contained a power poised to strike. Her whole being was both solemn and sacred, yet filled with the vitality of battle.

法子愣在原地，大腦一片空白。然而她的軀幹已率先認出故友，湧起一陣歡欣的共鳴。這種意識與身體反應剝離的錯亂感，反倒讓她莫名舒心。

「原來是妳啊。」御神櫻的目光越過法子的臉龐，直接落在她微微發熱的軀幹上，語氣帶著親暱的埋怨：「神櫻最近總愛自顧自閒聊。方才除魔時突然聊得起勁，害我節奏亂了一拍呢。」她輕撫自己胸口，俏皮地吐了吐舌尖。

法子只能發出幾聲乾笑，思緒仍陷在現實與超現實的夾縫裡。

巫女卻渾不在意這份尷尬，自在地在她身側坐下，宛若相識多年的故友。月色下，她們的對話自然而然地流淌。御神櫻——她終於得知了她的名字——述說著祓魔旅途中的驚心動魄，那些穿梭於生死邊界的故事讓法子聽得入了神。

輪到法子時，她靦腆地提起近來的改變：稍微留長了點的頭髮，那些關於裙裝與妝容的笨拙嘗試，還有體內不曾停歇的密語。「我的身體……這樣叨擾神櫻，實在過意不去。」

「何必在意？」御神櫻笑聲清朗，「是神櫻先選擇了妳的軀體作為摯友啊。」她伸手輕撫法子肩頭，指尖流淌著溫暖的共鳴：「該說謝謝的是我，謝謝妳願意成為神櫻的知音。」

Noriko froze in place, her mind blank. However, her torso recognized its old friend first, surging with a resonance of joy. This sense of dislocation between her consciousness and her body's reaction actually made her inexplicably comfortable.

"So it is you." Mikami Sakura's gaze passed over Noriko's face and landed directly on her slightly warm torso, her tone carrying an intimate complaint: "Shin-ou has loved to chat on its own lately. Just now, while exorcising demons, it started chatting enthusiastically, throwing my rhythm off by a beat." She stroked her own chest and stuck out the tip of her tongue playfully.

Noriko could only manage a few dry laughs, her thoughts still trapped in the rift between reality and the surreal.

The shrine maiden, however, didn't mind the awkwardness at all. She sat down freely beside her, like an old friend of many years. Under the moonlight, their conversation flowed naturally. Mikami Sakura—she finally learned her name—recounted the thrills of her exorcism journey, stories of weaving between life and death that kept Noriko entranced.

When it was Noriko's turn, she shyly mentioned her recent changes: her hair grown slightly longer, her clumsy attempts at skirts and makeup, and the ceaseless whispers within her body. "My body... bothering Shin-ou like this, I feel really bad about it."

"Why mind?" Sakura laughed clearly. "It was Shin-ou who first chose your body as a close friend." She reached out and gently stroked Noriko's shoulder, warmth resonating from her fingertips. "I should be the one saying thank you. Thank you for being willing to be Shin-ou's confidant."

那股暖意滲入肌理，法子羞赧垂首，卻在心底捕捉到一縷荒謬的妒意——她竟在嫉妒自己的身體，能與神明擁有如此坦誠的相交。

月色漸深，御神櫻起身整理衣袂：「該走了。」

望著月光為她鍍上銀邊的身影，一股熱流突然衝破法子的克制：「這樣的妳……真的好完美。」話一出口她就慌了，「等等，我不是在企求什麼，只是……情不自禁……」

已微微浮空的御神櫻頓住動作，垂眸審視自己完整的「神櫻巫女」形態。「完美麼？」她輕聲復述，眼底掠過隱痛，「確實，此時的我是完美的。但過度的完美……」她抬眼時目光通透如琉璃，「只會將人變作提線木偶。」

忽然她眼中閃過狡黠的光，像發現新遊戲的貓：「完整的我讓妳覺得完美，那這樣呢？」

「喀」的輕響中，她竟親手卸下右腿，拎在手中輕晃。那截肢體還在微微顫動，宛若擁有獨立生命。

That warmth seeped into her skin. Noriko lowered her head shyly, but caught a thread of absurd jealousy in her heart—she was actually jealous of her own body for having such a candid communion with a god.

As the moonlight deepened, Mikami Sakura stood up and adjusted her robes: "I must go."

Looking at her figure edged in silver by the moonlight, a heat suddenly broke through Noriko's restraint: "You like this... are really so perfect." As soon as the words left her mouth, she panicked. "Wait, I'm not asking for anything, just... I couldn't help myself..."

Mikami Sakura, already floating slightly, paused. She lowered her eyes to examine her complete "Shin-ou Miko" form. "Perfect?" she repeated softly, a hidden pain flashing in her eyes. "Indeed, right now I am perfect. But excessive perfection..." She raised her eyes, her gaze clear as glass, "only turns a person into a marionette."

Suddenly, a sly light flashed in her eyes, like a cat discovering a new game: "The complete me makes you feel I am perfect. Then how about this?"

With a soft click, she actually detached her right leg with her own hands and dangled it lightly. The limb was still twitching slightly, as if it had a life of its own.

「別這樣！」法子渾身輕顫，「有什麼……有什麼碎掉了……」

她不明白，明明見過更驚悚的斷首，為何此刻斷腿的衝擊如此錐心刺骨？

御神櫻卻笑得愈發明媚。她當然知曉——完整的神櫻巫女本就是「完美」概念的具象化。而親手拆解這份完整，便是最溫柔的叛逆。她偏不要當完美無瑕的神像，除非在不得不完美的場合。

她變本加厲地將斷腿湊近，甚至塞進法子懷裡。看著對方面紅耳赤地抱著那截溫熱肢體，頭顱靈活地繞著她飛舞嬉鬧。

「法子，」御神櫻突然停下，困惑地歪頭，「妳的表情……怎麼帶著享受？」

"Don't!" Noriko trembled all over. "Something... something is breaking..."

She didn't understand. She had seen the far more gruesome sight of a severed head, so why was the shock of a severed leg piercing her heart so deeply now?

Sakura, however, smiled even more brightly. She knew, of course—the complete Shin-ou Miko was the embodiment of the concept of "perfection." And dismantling this wholeness with her own hands was the gentlest rebellion. She refused to be a flawless idol, unless in situations where she absolutely had to be perfect.

She intensified her teasing, bringing the severed leg closer, even stuffing it into Noriko's arms. Watching the other woman hold the warm limb with a flushed face, her head flew nimbly around her, playing.

"Noriko," Sakura suddenly stopped, tilting her head in confusion. "Your expression... why does it look like you're enjoying it?"

「哪、哪有！」法子慌亂否認，卻將懷中的腿抱得更緊，「是太震驚了！這腿實在美得太藝術……」

歸途的夜風吹不散胸口的熾熱。法子發現祭典夜築起的那座完美神像，正在月光中悄然轉型。曾經令她仰望到頸項酸痛的崇高形象，被那條淘氣晃動的腿與那張惡作劇得逞的笑臉徹底解構。那份如鯁在喉的渴求，化作脣角壓不住的笑意。

曾經，法子對那個完美的「她」充滿了渴求，並深深影響著她的內心。她既不敢直視那份完美，不認為自己有資格「觸及」，又感受著軀幹和神櫻那極為自然的聯繫，總是有種如鯁在喉的壓迫。

然而今夜，曾經令她仰望到頸項酸痛的崇高形象，被那條淘氣晃動的腿與那張惡作劇得逞的臉龐徹底解構，化作脣角壓不住的笑意。

​法子心裡突然冒出一個念頭——她要親手縫製整套「神櫻巫女」戰裝，將那份曾讓她自卑的完美，一針一線地編織成屬於自己的鎧甲，親身體驗。

「下次見面時，」她對著星子輕語，眼中閃動著狡黠的光，「一定要嚇她一跳。」

她已開始想像，那位不按牌理出牌的神明友人，會露出怎樣有趣的表情。

"N-no I'm not!" Noriko denied in a panic, but hugged the leg in her arms tighter. "I'm just too shocked! This leg is just too artistically beautiful..."

The night wind on the way home couldn't disperse the heat in her chest. Noriko found that the perfect idol built on the night of the festival was quietly transforming in the moonlight. The lofty image that had once made her neck sore from looking up was thoroughly deconstructed by that mischievously dangling leg and that triumphant grinning face. That choking desire melted into a smile that couldn't be suppressed at the corners of her lips.

Once, Noriko had been filled with longing for that perfect "her," a longing that deeply affected her heart. She dared not look directly at that perfection, feeling unqualified to "touch" it, yet feeling the extremely natural connection between her torso and Shin-ou, there was always a stifling pressure like a fishbone in her throat.

But tonight, the lofty image that had once made her neck sore from looking up was thoroughly deconstructed by that mischievously dangling leg and that triumphant, grinning face, transforming into a smile that couldn't be suppressed at the corners of her lips.

A thought suddenly popped into Noriko's mind—she wanted to hand-sew a complete set of "Shin-ou Miko" battle gear. She wanted to weave that perfection, which had once made her feel inferior, stitch by stitch into her own armor, and experience it herself.

"Next time we meet," she whispered to the stars, a sly light dancing in her eyes, "I'm definitely going to give her a fright."

She had already begun to imagine what kind of interesting expression her unconventional divine friend would make.

---

杉山義介：頭顱與身軀的搖滾協奏曲

Sugiyama Yoshisuke: Rock Concerto of Head and Body

杉山義介的生活，在表象上達成了圓滿的平衡。

他學會了推拒多餘的應酬，將晚餐時光淬煉成每日最珍貴的儀式。妻子眉宇間的陰霾淡去，女兒美奈實那頭霓虹色短髮與叮噹作響的金屬飾品，也不再是衝著他而來的沉默抗議。他甚至能勉強分辨「硬核龐克」與「後搖滾」的界線——儘管在他耳中，它們多數時候皆是過於喧囂的轟鳴。

然而，在這片和睦之下，風暴正在他意識深處醞釀。

那是股根植於頭顱內部，揮之不去的「錯位感」。

自那個夜晚，他的頭顱為淨化邪瘴而被短暫託付於神櫻頸項，領略過那浩瀚如星海的神格後，某些東西便永遠地偏移了。

並非知識的灌輸，而是視角的永久切換——他曾以「神」之眼，窺見塵世不過是流轉的能量與意念，一切疆界皆是虛妄。

如今，神格化早已解除，他的頭顱被歸還給這具凡俗的軀殼。但「曾經滄海難為水」，體驗過那般至高維度後，便再也無法真正「復位」。他的頭顱不再安分，對這具肉體生物層級的驅動力感到疏離，甚至對杉山這個人的喜怒哀樂都漠不關心，杉山的一切都索然無味，「除卻巫山不是雲」了。

他的頭顱與自我、與身軀日益背離，像一個寄居在名為「杉山義介」的客棧裡的異鄉人，既無法回歸遙遠的故土，也難以融入當地的生活。每當他想要前進時，頭顱卻總像是在往後看，眺望著那個曾經觸及過的高維度存在。有時候，他甚至會有種錯覺，彷彿自己的頭顱隨時都會離體而去，去追尋那份曾經的廣闊與自由。

「我，還能是我嗎？」這個無聲的詰問，成了他揮之不去的困擾。

Sugiyama Yoshisuke's life had achieved a perfect balance on the surface.

He had learned to decline superfluous social engagements, refining dinner time into the most precious daily ritual. The gloom on his wife's brow faded, and his daughter Minami's neon hair and clinking metal accessories were no longer a silent protest directed at him. He could even barely distinguish the line between "hardcore punk" and "post-rock"—though to his ears, they were mostly just excessive noise.

However, beneath this harmony, a storm was brewing deep in his consciousness.

It was a lingering sense of "dislocation" rooted within his head.

Since that night when his head had been briefly entrusted to Shin-ou's neck for purification, having glimpsed a godhood vast as a sea of stars, something had shifted forever.

It wasn't an infusion of knowledge, but a permanent switch in perspective—he had seen with the eyes of a "god" that the mortal world was merely flowing energy and thought, that all boundaries were illusions.

Now, the deification had long been lifted, and his head returned to this mundane shell. But "once one has seen the vast ocean, no other water will do." After experiencing such a supreme dimension, he could never truly "reset." His head was no longer content; it felt alienated from the biological drives of this flesh, indifferent even to the joys and sorrows of the person named Sugiyama. Everything about Sugiyama was dull and tasteless; "except for Wushan, nothing is a cloud."

His head grew increasingly estranged from his self and his body, like a stranger lodging in an inn named "Sugiyama Yoshisuke," unable to return to a distant homeland and unable to integrate into local life. Whenever he wanted to move forward, his head always seemed to be looking back, gazing at that high-dimensional existence it had once touched. Sometimes, he even had the illusion that his head would detach and fly away at any moment, in pursuit of that former vastness and freedom.

"Can I... still be me?" This silent interrogation became a trouble he couldn't shake off.

就在杉山深陷自我組成的迷宮時，某個週末黃昏，美奈實捏著一張手繪傳單，躊躇地站到他面前。

「那個……老爸，」她指尖無意識地刮著皮夾克上的鉚釘，視線游移，「下週末我們團在『Cave』有場子……你要不要來？」

杉山愣住了。這是他數月來笨拙嘗試換來的珍貴果實——女兒首次向他敞開那個他曾視為禁區的世界。屬於「父親」的純粹喜悅如暖流漫溢，短暫淹沒了頭顱中盤踞的疏離感。

「當然去！」他接過那張浸染著青春氣息的傳單，笑容燦爛得彷彿回到年輕歲月，「爸爸絕對第一個到場！」美奈實望著他，脣角終於漾開毫無防備的笑意。

演出當晚，杉山特意換上休閒夾克，懷揣相機早早潛入名為「洞穴」的地下空間。空氣中飽和著汗水、酒精與躁動的荷爾蒙，昏暗燈光下人群如潮水湧動。

Just as Sugiyama was sinking deep into the labyrinth of his own composition, one weekend dusk, Minami stood hesitantly before him, clutching a hand-drawn flyer.

"Um... Dad," her fingers unconsciously scratched at the studs on her leather jacket, her gaze shifting. "My band has a gig at 'Cave' next weekend... do you want to come?"

Sugiyama froze. This was the precious fruit of his clumsy attempts over the past months—his daughter opening up to him for the first time about the world he had once considered off-limits. The pure joy of a "father" overflowed like a warm current, briefly submerging the alienation entrenched in his head.

"Of course I'll go!" He took the flyer, soaked in the aura of youth, his smile as bright as if he had returned to his younger days. "Dad will definitely be the first one there!" Minami looked at him, and a defenseless smile finally rippled at the corners of her lips.

On the night of the performance, Sugiyama specially changed into a casual jacket and slipped early into the underground space named "Cave," clutching his camera. The air was saturated with sweat, alcohol, and restless hormones. Under the dim lights, the crowd surged like a tide.

當美奈實的樂團登台時，他化身最狂熱的粉絲，拼命按下快門，在聲浪中揮臂呐喊。舞台上那個掌控貝斯、腳踏效果器的龐克樂手，早已不是需要他保護的小女孩。虹色髮絲飛揚間迸發的生命力，竟與記憶中那雙在妖魔群中起舞的腿足隱隱重疊——同樣的不屈，同樣的熾烈。

就在這恍惚的瞬間，一道靜電般的戰慄竄過脊髓。

不是聲光刺激，而是存在本身的共鳴。

是「她」！

她與神櫻的氣息正潛伏在喧囂中，那股曾治癒他卻也玷染他的神性波動，此刻在電吉他轟鳴裡暗自脈動。

彷彿為了印證他的直覺，下一組樂團登台。當鼓手就位的剎那，燈光驟亮——

杉山的呼吸凝滯了。

那雙曾在他胸腔內細心修復臟器的手，此刻正緊握鼓棒敲出暴烈的節奏；那雙曾將妖魔頭顱如漿果般踏碎的腿，正瘋狂踩踏著大鼓踏板；那張曾浮現在神性光暈中的容顏，此刻汗珠淋漓，在節拍間綻放出狂歡的專注。

而承載這一切的軀幹——莊嚴的神櫻本體——僅著印有骷髏圖案的緊身T恤，所有神光盡數收斂，隨節奏輕晃的姿態，竟像沉醉於這純粹的人間喧囂。

When Minami's band took the stage, he transformed into the most fanatical fan, snapping photos desperately, waving his arms and shouting in the wall of sound. The punk rocker on stage, mastering the bass and stomping on effects pedals, was no longer the little girl who needed his protection. The vitality bursting forth from her flying rainbow hair faintly overlapped with the memory of those legs dancing amidst the demon horde—the same unyielding spirit, the same blazing intensity.

In this trance-like moment, a static-like shiver ran through his spine.

Not from the stimulation of sound and light, but a resonance of existence itself.

It was "Her"!

The aura of her and Shin-ou was lurking within the noise. That wave of divinity, which had once healed him but also tainted him, was pulsing secretly amidst the roar of electric guitars.

As if to confirm his intuition, the next band took the stage. The moment the drummer took her position, the lights flared—

Sugiyama's breath hitched.

Those hands, which had once meticulously repaired his organs inside his chest, were now gripping drumsticks and pounding out a violent rhythm; those legs, which had once crushed demon heads like berries, were frantically stomping on the bass drum pedal; that face, which had once floated in a divine halo, was now dripping with sweat, blooming with a fervent focus between the beats.

And the torso carrying it all—the solemn Shin-ou itself—wore only a tight T-shirt with a skull pattern. All divine light was retracted, and the way it swayed lightly with the rhythm seemed as if it were intoxicated by this pure human clamor.

杉山的頭顱開始轟鳴。舞台上的她化作巨大磁石，牽引著那顆曾與神櫻交融、如今無所適從的頭顱。脫離軀殼回歸「整體」的渴望從未如此洶湧，他必須用盡全力才能壓制頸項之上幾欲飛升的衝動。

就在意識即將潰散的臨界點，周遭喧囂驟然褪去。

「真巧呢，義介。」

Sugiyama's head began to hum. She on stage transformed into a massive magnet, pulling at the head that had once merged with Shin-ou and was now at a loss. The desire to detach from the shell and return to the "whole" had never been so surging; he had to use all his strength to suppress the impulse of his head wanting to ascend from his neck.

Just at the critical point where his consciousness was about to collapse, the surrounding noise suddenly faded.

"What a coincidence, Yoshisuke."

含笑的意念直接沁入腦海。他發現自己已被拉進獨特的靈識空間，舞台的轟鳴化作遙遠背景。御神櫻立在眼前，龐克鼓手的裝束未變，眼底閃動著念舊的星芒。

杉山正要開口，異變驟生——他那顆在現實中苦苦壓制的頭顱，在意識空間裡徹底掙脫枷鎖。它化作脫軌的流星，本能地奔向神櫻，如同迷途的幼獸尋覓歸巢。

御神櫻眼中訝色一閃而過，隨即化作澄澈的了然與歉疚。她伸手輕輕接住那顆奔來的頭顱，像接住一顆墜落的星辰，另一手則牽起被遺落的身軀，帶著這對分離的存在，在靈光中漫步。

「是我的疏忽，義介。」她的意念如春風拂過，「沒想到神格化會刻下如此深的印記。」

A smiling thought seeped directly into his mind. He found himself pulled into a unique spiritual space, the roar of the stage turning into a distant background. Mikami Sakura stood before him, her punk drummer outfit unchanged, a nostalgic starlight flickering in her eyes.

Sugiyama was about to speak when a sudden change occurred—his head, which he had been struggling to suppress in reality, completely broke free from its shackles in this consciousness space. It turned into a derailed meteor, instinctively rushing towards Shin-ou, like a lost cub seeking its nest.

Surprise flashed in Mikami Sakura's eyes, quickly turning into clear understanding and apology. She reached out and gently caught the onrushing head, like catching a falling star, while her other hand took the hand of the left-behind body, walking in the spiritual light with this pair of separated existences.

"It was my oversight, Yoshisuke." Her thought brushed over him like a spring breeze. "I didn't expect the deification to leave such a deep mark."

當頭顱因貼近神性而漸趨平靜，身軀因被引導而重獲安寧，她做出了更驚人的舉動——她的頭顱輕盈離體，頸間伸出數道銀色靈絲，溫柔探入杉山身軀的斷頸處。

現在，她正以神識全面浸潤「杉山義介」的存在。伏案多年的肩頸痠痛化作責任的勳章，職場積累的疲憊閃耀著擔當的光芒。對妻子深藏的情意是陳年美酒，對女兒笨拙的關愛則如未琢的璞玉——這些曾被頭顱鄙夷的「凡俗」，在她神性感知中，全數昇華為生命的華彩。

片刻後，她滿足地輕嘆，將懷中的頭顱舉起與自己額首相貼。

剎那間，暖流奔湧。加班深夜時惦記的蛋糕甜香，婚禮上緊握妻子的掌心溫度，女兒發燒時徹夜不眠的焦灼——所有平凡時刻都被賦予神聖的意義，如璀璨星河注入他的意識。

「你看，」她的意念泛起溫柔漣漪，「這份人生豐美得令人沉醉啊。」

頭顱中那股攀向高處的衝動，如朝露遇陽般悄然蒸發。當神明都如此珍重你的生命，自我否定便成了最深的褻瀆。

此時，那雙龐克腿足輕巧脫離神櫻軀幹，褲管的金屬拉鍊自動拉開，踩破過魔軀的粗跟涼鞋此刻踏出輕快節拍。御神櫻的頭顱也指引著杉山的身軀，在無聲的搖滾中翩然起舞。

As his head calmed from the proximity to divinity, and his body found peace under her guidance, she did something even more astonishing—her own head floated lightly off her body, and several silver spiritual threads extended from her neck, gently probing into the severed neck of Sugiyama's body.

Now, she was fully saturating the existence of "Sugiyama Yoshisuke" with her divine consciousness. The shoulder and neck pain from years of desk work became medals of responsibility; the fatigue accumulated in the workplace shone with the light of duty. The deep-seated affection for his wife was aged wine, and the clumsy care for his daughter was unpolished jade—these "mundane" things once despised by his head were all sublimated into the brilliance of life in her divine perception.

A moment later, she sighed with satisfaction, lifting the head in her arms to touch foreheads with her own.

Instantly, a warm current rushed through him. The sweet smell of the cake he thought of while working late, the warmth of his palm tightly holding his wife's at their wedding, the sleepless anxiety when his daughter had a fever—all ordinary moments were imbued with sacred meaning, pouring into his consciousness like a brilliant galaxy.

"You see," her thought rippled with gentleness, "this life is intoxicatingly rich and beautiful."

The impulse in his head to climb higher evaporated quietly like morning dew in the sun. When even a god cherishes your life so much, self-negation becomes the deepest blasphemy.

At this time, those punk legs lightly detached from Shin-ou's torso, the metal zippers on the pant legs opening automatically, and the chunky sandals that had trampled demon bodies now tapped out a light rhythm. Mikami Sakura's head also guided Sugiyama's body, dancing gracefully in the silent rock and roll.

頭顱、身軀、身份，在這場寂靜協奏中重新譜寫和聲。分裂的苦楚如晨霧消散，完整的寧靜重歸心間。

當意識重返現實，震耳音浪再度包圍。舞台上的御神櫻仍在揮汗擊鼓，卻在某個節拍間隙望向他，睫毛輕眨如蝴蝶振翅。

杉山撫上心口，那裡再無空洞，只有被神明親吻過的溫熱。他望著塵世中盡情燃燒的神明，唇角揚起釋然的弧度。

他不再渴求超凡脫俗，也不再輕慢煙火人間。

因這具凡胎，已被神明親證；這趟人生，終得靈魂共舞。

Head, body, identity—all rewrote their harmony in this silent concerto. The pain of division dissipated like morning mist, and the peace of wholeness returned to his heart.

When his consciousness returned to reality, the deafening wall of sound surrounded him again. Mikami Sakura on stage was still drumming with sweat flying, but in the gap between beats, she looked at him, her eyelashes fluttering like butterfly wings.

Sugiyama touched his chest. There was no longer a void there, only the warmth of having been kissed by a god. He looked at the god burning passionately in the mortal world, and a smile of relief rose on his lips.

He no longer craved the otherworldly, nor did he slight the smoke and fire of the human world.

For this mortal vessel has been witnessed by a god; this life has finally achieved a dance of the soul.

---

藤原栞：神明之軀與千年少女的遊戲日

III. The God's Body and the Millennial Maiden's Playdate

午後的日光篩過櫻樹枝椏，在緣側灑下流動的光斑。御神櫻正半闔眼簾，讓意識沉入神櫻的脈動中梳理靈流。忽然，一道清亮歡快的呼喚伴著熟悉靈波穿透寧靜——

「櫻姊姊！」

她還未及睜眼，水色小袖的身影已攜著清風撲來。

「鏘——」

The afternoon sun sifted through the branches of the cherry trees, casting shifting spots of light on the veranda. Mikami Sakura's eyes were half-closed, her consciousness sunken into the pulse of Shin-ou to organize the spiritual flow. Suddenly, a clear and cheerful call, accompanied by a familiar spiritual wave, pierced the tranquility—

"Sister Sakura!"

Before she could open her eyes, a figure in water-colored small sleeves (kosode) had already pounced on her with the fresh breeze.

Clang—

靈體與神軀碰撞出玉磬般的清鳴，餘韻在空氣中微微震顫。

「栞回來找妳玩了！」平安時代裝束的少女靈體輕巧旋身，繞著巫女飄了一圈，臉上綻開毫無陰霾的笑，「好久不見呀！」

御神櫻被撞得晃了晃，無奈嘆氣：「都說了不是姊姊……罷了，您這位平安京的古魂愛怎麼叫都行。」語氣裡藏著幾分縱容。

「明明就是姊姊～」栞用寬袖掩嘴，眼睫彎成新月，「不管怎麼看，妳都比栞年長嘛。」那得意的小模樣，像剛偷嚐了蜜釀。

巫女決定跳過這永無結論的爭執：「這些時日玩得可盡興？這對妳而言的『現代』。」

「盡興極了！」栞的眸子瞬間被點亮，她飄到御神櫻面前，手勢翩躚如蝶，「栞繞了整個島一大圈呢！姊姊說的現代啊，簡直不可思議——」她指向虛空，彷彿能望見遠方都會，「會發光的高塔直插雲霄，鐵製的車廂在地上奔流成河，還有連成一長串的箱子載著人們移動……最神奇是鐵鳥！它們竟能在空中久久不墜！」

那屬於千年古魂的驚嘆與詩意，讓御神櫻脣角不自覺微揚。

「啊，還有還有！」栞忽然神祕地湊近，眼底閃著淘氣的光，「栞發現了好多可愛衣裳喔，妳瞧——」

她輕巧旋身。靈光流轉間，古雅小袖化作藏青色水手服，百褶裙擺揚起弧線，紅色書包躍上肩頭，小黃帽俏皮斜戴。她挺直背脊，滿臉自豪：「看！栞也是現代的女孩子了！」

Spirit body and divine body collided with a clear chime like jade bells, the resonance vibrating slightly in the air.

"Shiori is back to play with you!" The spirit of the maiden in Heian-era attire spun lightly, floating a circle around the shrine maiden, a cloudless smile blooming on her face. "Long time no see!"

Sakura swayed from the impact and sighed helplessly: "I told you I'm not your sister... Oh well, you ancient soul of Heian-kyo can call me whatever you want." Her tone hid a few degrees of indulgence.

"But you are a sister~" Shiori covered her mouth with her wide sleeve, her eyes curved into crescents. "No matter how you look at it, you're older than Shiori." That smug little look was like she had just stolen a taste of honey.

The shrine maiden decided to skip this inconclusive argument: "Have you enjoyed yourself these days? In this 'modern era' for you."

"Totally enjoyed it!" Shiori's eyes instantly lit up. She floated in front of Mikami Sakura, her hands fluttering like butterflies. "Shiori went around the whole island in a big circle! The modern era Sister spoke of is simply incredible—" She pointed into the void, as if she could see the distant metropolis. "Glowing towers piercing the clouds, iron carriages flowing like rivers on the ground, and long strings of boxes carrying people moving... The most magical are the iron birds! They can actually stay in the air for so long without falling!"

The wonder and poetry belonging to a millennial ancient soul made the corners of Sakura's lips unconsciously turn up.

"Ah, and there's more!" Shiori suddenly leaned in mysteriously, a mischievous light in her eyes. "Shiori found lots of cute clothes, look—"

She spun lightly. Amidst flowing spiritual light, the elegant kosode transformed into a navy blue sailor uniform. The pleated skirt flared in an arc, a red randoseru (backpack) leaped onto her shoulders, and a little yellow hat sat playfully askew. She straightened her back, her face full of pride: "Look! Shiori is a modern girl now too!"

御神櫻望著眼前從千年怨靈化身小學生的藤原栞，一時失語。

……這根本是標準小學生制服吧？要不要再舉面「橫斷中」旗子？看著曾經撼動京都的大惡靈顯出這般模樣，某種荒誕的歡快在她胸腔竄動。她努力抿住脣角，維持面容平靜。

然而曾經作為頂級怨靈的栞何等敏銳。她鼓起雙頰，雙手叉腰飄到巫女鼻尖前：「姊姊！妳那眼神是什麼意思？在笑栞對不對？」

淨化邪靈的巫女，反被淨化後的「前惡靈」討要說法——這恐怕是世間最奇妙的風景之一。

她們相處的時光總浸潤在這般無拘的嬉鬧中。某日，栞忽然拽住御神櫻的袖角，眼裡閃著求知的光：「姊姊，妳第一次見面時說的『魔術』，到底是什麼呀？再變給栞看嘛！」

​御神櫻被她纏得沒轍，只得換上一襲綴滿亮片的黑色魔術師服，在高跟鞋清脆的叩響中開始表演。

Mikami Sakura looked at Fujiwara no Shiori, who had transformed from a millennial vengeful spirit into an elementary school student, and was momentarily speechless.

...This is basically a standard elementary school uniform, right? Should she also hold a "crossing" flag? Seeing the great evil spirit that once shook Kyoto appear in this form, a kind of absurd joy scurried in her chest. She tried hard to purse her lips and maintain a calm face.

But how keen was Shiori, once a top-tier vengeful spirit. She puffed out her cheeks, put her hands on her hips, and floated right up to the shrine maiden's nose: "Sister! What does that look mean? You're laughing at Shiori, aren't you?"

The shrine maiden who purified evil spirits was now being demanded an explanation by the purified "former evil spirit"—this was probably one of the most marvelous scenes in the world.

Their time together was always soaked in such unrestrained playfulness. One day, Shiori suddenly tugged at the corner of Sakura's sleeve, her eyes shining with curiosity: "Sister, what was that 'magic' you talked about when we first met? Show Shiori again!"

Sakura, worn down by her pestering, had to change into a black magician's outfit covered in sequins and began performing amidst the crisp clicks of high heels. 

只見她的頭顱、雙臂與雙腿優雅地與軀幹分離，各自懸浮半空，構成一副超現實的拼圖。

「看好了，這可是我獨創的『美女分割術』！」漂浮的頭顱得意揚揚地眨眼。

栞卻歪著頭，眼底漾著純粹的困惑：「可是櫻姊姊……這不是騙人嗎？」

「騙人？！」頭顱瞬間瞪圓眼睛，「我貨真價實地分開了耶！難道妳是質疑『美女』這部分？」連漂浮的雙手都叉起腰表示抗議。

「栞不是這個意思啦。」少女靈體連忙搖手，「姊姊剛才說魔術是『用技巧讓假的看起來像真的』，那真正的魔術本來就是假的呀。可是姊姊真的把身體分開了……」她認真地皺起小臉，「所以姊姊演的，反而是『假的魔術』呢。」

「真的……是假的？假的……才是真的？」御神櫻的頭顱呆住了，邏輯的漩渦在腦中瘋狂打轉。兩隻手飛回來抱住頭顱，發出混亂的哀鳴：「啊啊煩死了！完全搞不懂了啦！」

「噗哈哈哈——！」看著巫女難得吃癟的模樣，栞抱著肚子在空中笑成了滾動的團子。

Her head, arms, and legs gracefully separated from her torso, each floating in mid-air, forming a surreal puzzle.

"Watch closely, this is my original 'Beauty Segmentation Art'!" The floating head blinked triumphantly.

But Shiori tilted her head, pure confusion rippling in her eyes: "But Sister Sakura... isn't this lying?"

"Lying?!" The head's eyes instantly widened. "I genuinely separated! Are you questioning the 'beauty' part?" Even her floating hands went to her hips in protest.

"Shiori doesn't mean that." The maiden spirit waved her hands hurriedly. "Sister just said magic is 'using tricks to make the fake look real,' so real magic is supposed to be fake. But Sister really separated her body..." She scrunched up her small face seriously. "So what Sister is performing is actually 'fake magic'."

"Real... is fake? Fake... is real?" Mikami Sakura's head was stunned, a vortex of logic spinning madly in her brain. Her two hands flew back to hold her head, emitting a confused wail: "Aahh, so annoying! I don't get it at all!"

"Pffthahaha—!" Seeing the rare sight of the shrine maiden stumped, Shiori held her belly and laughed into a rolling ball in the air.

笑鬧間，少女忽然靈機一動，一把抱住那雙還套著表演用高跟鞋的腿：「腿姊姊借我玩！」說著便興沖沖地要帶它們飛走。

御神櫻還未回神，便感知到雙腿傳來順從甚至雀躍的波動——那雙征戰無數的肢體，竟毫無抵抗地跟著栞飄遠了。

本體與頭顱留在原地，一時無語。

……這倆還是我的腿嗎？她默默吐槽著，目光卻不由自主飄向靜立緣側的神櫻軀幹。是因為神櫻曾溫柔接納過栞那顆傷痕累累的心嗎？以致於連祂化現的肢體，都對這少女存著一份寵溺的縱容。

說來奇妙，栞與她身體各部位的親密，早已超越了常理。無論是作為力量核心的神櫻軀幹、征戰四方的雙腿，抑或結印施術的雙臂，都對這少女流露著存在層面的親和。有時御神櫻甚至覺得，栞能繞過她這個「主意識」，直接與她存在的每個部分悄悄對話。

Amidst the laughter, the maiden suddenly had a bright idea and hugged the pair of legs still wearing the performance high heels: "Sister Legs, let me play with you!" Saying so, she excitedly prepared to fly away with them.

Before Sakura could recover, she sensed waves of compliance and even excitement from her legs—those limbs that had fought countless battles actually followed Shiori away without any resistance.

The main body and head were left behind, momentarily speechless.

...Are those two still my legs? She silently retorted, but her gaze involuntarily drifted to the Shin-ou torso standing quietly on the veranda. Was it because Shin-ou had once gently accepted Shiori's scarred heart? So much so that even the limbs manifested from It held a doting indulgence for this girl.

It was strange to say, but the intimacy between Shiori and the various parts of her body had long transcended common sense. Whether it was the Shin-ou torso as the core of power, the legs that conquered all directions, or the arms that formed seals and cast spells, they all exuded an existential affinity for this girl. Sometimes Sakura even felt that Shiori could bypass her "main consciousness" and quietly converse directly with every part of her existence.

「哎，連武器都自己現形了。」她望著不遠處的嬉鬧輕嘆。

只見左腿凌空劃出銀色太刀的虛影，將栞拋來的枯枝削作紛飛木屑；右腿甩出骨鞭殘像，把落葉擊碎成綠霧飄散。

「好厲害！再來再來！」栞拍手歡笑，眼裡盛滿星光。

玩瘋的少女又飄回來，這次張臂擁住那具流轉聖輝的神櫻軀幹，將臉頰貼上溫潤如玉的肌膚輕蹭：「神櫻大人好軟、好香呀……」

而被如此「冒犯」的神櫻，非但沒有展露神威，周身光暈反而愈發柔和溫暖，彷彿沉醉於這份親暱。

——其實，也沒什麼不好。

"Sigh, even the weapons manifested themselves." She sighed lightly, watching the frolicking not far away.

She saw the left leg trace a phantom silver tachi in the air, shaving a dry branch thrown by Shiori into flying wood chips; the right leg lashed out an afterimage of a bone whip, shattering falling leaves into drifting green mist.

"Amazing! Again, again!" Shiori clapped and laughed, her eyes full of starlight.

The girl, having played to her heart's content, floated back. This time, she opened her arms and embraced the Shin-ou torso flowing with holy radiance, rubbing her cheek against the jade-like skin: "Lord Shin-ou is so soft, so fragrant..."

And Shin-ou, being so "offended," not only did not display divine wrath, but the aura around It became even softer and warmer, as if intoxicated by this intimacy.

—Actually, there's nothing wrong with this.

御神櫻靜靜看著，心底漫開一片寧靜的暖意。歷經徹底淨化的栞，縱然承載著數百年記憶，靈魂卻已回歸至澄澈的初始。過往的悲歡、深沉的思緒，都不再是枷鎖，反而襯得那顆赤子之心愈發珍貴。自己的組成部分能如此喜愛著栞，也被栞如此喜愛著，豈不是最美好的事嗎？

「哎呀。」她輕輕嘆息。

視線那端，栞正伸手輕撫太刀與骨鞭的虛影，彷彿在撓著小動物的下巴。而那兩股曾撕裂無數邪祟的鋒銳之力，此刻竟收斂所有戾氣，發出滿足的細微嗡鳴。

連她那雙慣於結印的手，也不再執著符咒，反而拾起七彩的魔術環與絲巾，歡快地加入遊戲。

「真拿妳沒辦法……」御神櫻搖頭輕笑。

然而那揚起的唇角早已背叛一切心緒。這份滿溢的喜悅，究竟是神櫻之「心」直接傳遞的悸動，還是她的「腦」依循情境判斷理應產生的情感？

她不再深究了。

無所謂了。

「等等我——！」頭顱歡快地喊著，朝那片光與笑語飛奔而去，「我也要一起玩！」

陽光正好，櫻吹如雪。

神明之軀與千年少女的遊戲日，

還很長，很長。

​Sakura watched quietly, a peaceful warmth spreading in her heart. Shiori, thoroughly purified, though carrying hundreds of years of memories, had a soul returned to its clear beginning. Past joys and sorrows, deep thoughts, were no longer shackles, but instead made that child-like heart even more precious. Wasn't it the most beautiful thing that her own components could love Shiori so much, and be so loved by Shiori?

​"Oh my." She sighed softly.

​On the other side of her vision, Shiori was reaching out to stroke the phantom images of the tachi and bone whip, as if scratching the chin of a small animal. And those two sharp forces that had torn apart countless evils now retracted all their hostility, emitting satisfied, tiny hums.

​Even her hands, accustomed to forming seals, no longer held talismans, but instead picked up colorful magic rings and silk scarves, cheerfully joining the game.

​"I really can't do anything with you..." Sakura shook her head and chuckled.

​But the upturned corners of her lips had already betrayed all her feelings. Was this overflowing joy a throb directly transmitted by the "heart" of Shin-ou, or an emotion her "brain" judged she should produce according to the situation?

​She didn't delve into it anymore.

​It didn't matter.

​"Wait for me—!" The head shouted cheerfully, rushing towards that patch of light and laughter. "I want to play too!"

​The sunlight was just right, the cherry blossoms blowing like snow.

The playdate of the god's body and the millennial maiden,

Will go on for a long, long time.

獵魔聖女--後日談E

後日談：異端與邪教

Epilogue: Heresy and Cult

麗娜、紫英和綾瀨分享給結衣的人生片段，值得深入一談。以下分別是她們三人的故事。

The life fragments shared with Yui by Lina, Shiei, and Ayase are worth a deeper discussion. Their three stories are presented below."

---

一、草原上的十字蓮花：風與歸途的間奏曲

I. The Cross-Lotus on the Grasslands: An Interlude of Wind and Homecoming

內蒙古的風裹挾著千年草籽的記憶撲面而來，捲起漫天草浪，瞬間吞沒了「黃前れいな單元」的視野。這風乾燥而廣闊，帶著陽光曝曬後乾草的醇香與泥土深處的礦物氣息，與東京那混雜著海水鹹腥和金屬銹蝕的風截然不同。

馬背上，被稱作「黃麗娜」的少女輕挽韁繩。她有著結衣清麗的臉龐，頸項下卻是麗娜充滿生命力的身軀。此刻麗娜原本的頭顱正靜置在黃前本家的隱密房間，接受精密的靈力解構——那源於先祖的咒願，既是守護信仰的鎧甲，也成了禁錮靈魂的牢籠。

這具奇妙的身軀裡，流淌著一段跨越千年的漂泊史。她的先祖從波斯出發，沿著絲綢之路將景教的火種帶到中土。這個善於融合的家族在漢地紮根，取了漢姓，習了漢俗，唯獨將對唯一神的信仰，小心翼翼地包裹在文化交融的外衣之下。北宋的戰火將他們再度推向北方，在蒙古草原的邊緣找到了新的棲息之地。他們接納了蒙古人的生活方式，卻始終保留著漢姓與對故土的記憶，在多重文化的交匯處築起自己的精神家園。

這段漫長的遷徙，在血脈中沉澱為複雜的印記。先祖們在異端審判與宗教迫害的陰影下東遷，深知信仰在異質文化中既可能被稀釋，也可能在碰撞中昇華。他們將守護信仰的執念化作血脈中的咒力，不是為了排斥異教，而是為了警惕那些打著同一旗號卻面目猙獰的「異端」。他們堅持不承認「天主之母」、拒用聖像、質疑「死後滌罪說」，這些特立獨行的教義詮釋曾讓他們在基督教世界屢遭排斥，反而在佛教、道教等異教文化中找到了難得的寬容。

時光流轉，當黃前家族的探索隊在草原邊緣找到麗娜時，她所傳承的景教早已與長生天的信仰、佛道的智慧交織成獨特的靈性圖景。唯有對全知全能神的虔誠，依然在混雜的儀式與模糊的教義下熾熱跳動。正是這份對信仰本質的執著，讓她對黃前家族包容萬千異端的理念產生了共鳴。然而，當她滿懷期待地接入靈識之海，血脈中沉睡的咒願卻激烈反抗——在它古老的認知裡，切支丹信仰依然是必須警惕的「異端」。

The wind of Inner Mongolia rushed forward, wrapped in the memories of millennia-old grass seeds, rolling up a boundless wave of green that instantly swallowed the vision of the "Omae Reina Unit." This wind was dry and vast, carrying the mellow scent of sun-baked hay and the mineral tang from deep within the earth—a stark contrast to the Tokyo wind, which was mixed with the salty stench of seawater and the rust of metal.

On horseback, the girl known as "Huang Lina" lightly held the reins. She had the clear, beautiful face of Yui, but beneath her neck was the vibrant, life-filled body of Reina. At this moment, Reina's original head lay quietly in a secret room of the Omae main house, undergoing a precise spiritual deconstruction—a curse originating from her ancestors that was both armor protecting her faith and a cage imprisoning her soul.

Within this marvelous body flowed a history of wandering that spanned a thousand years. Her ancestors had set out from Persia, carrying the spark of Nestorianism along the Silk Road to the Middle Kingdom. This family, adept at integration, took root in the Han lands, adopting Han surnames and customs, yet carefully wrapped their faith in the One God within a cloak of cultural fusion. The wars of the Northern Song pushed them north once more, finding a new habitat on the edge of the Mongolian grasslands. They adopted the Mongol way of life but retained their Han surnames and memories of their homeland, building their spiritual home at the intersection of multiple cultures.

This long migration settled into their bloodline as a complex imprint. Her ancestors, moving east under the shadow of the Inquisition and religious persecution, knew well that faith in a heterogeneous culture could either be diluted or sublimated through collision. They turned their obsession with protecting their faith into a curse within their blood, not to reject paganism, but to guard against those "heretics" who marched under the same banner but wore hideous faces. Their insistence on not recognizing the "Mother of God," rejecting icons, and questioning the doctrine of Purgatory led to their repeated rejection in the Christian world, yet they found rare tolerance within pagan cultures like Buddhism and Taoism.

此刻，馳騁在草原上的「黃麗娜」，正經歷著一場前所未有的體驗。結衣的頭顱透過靈識之海，輕柔地讀取著麗娜頭顱上傳的記憶與情感，卻刻意壓制著屬於「神無月結衣」的自我認知。這不是佔領，而是一場精心安排的假期——結衣希望自己的頭顱能被麗娜純粹的心靈好好「使用」，如同將精密的樂器交給真正的音樂家。在這片遼闊天地間，她只想做一個單純的黃麗娜，一個追逐風、尋找傳承、叩問信仰的草原少女。

結衣的頭顱被麗娜的身體承載著，在馬背上輕輕晃動，正沉浸在一場陌生的感官洗禮中。她感受到脊椎隨著馬匹的步伐自然起伏，大腿內側緊貼馬鞍的觸感如此精準熟稔，彷彿這具身體早已將騎乘的技藝刻入骨髓。這不是靠意識驅動的動作，而是肌肉深處甦醒的記憶在引領她與風共舞。

然而，當她試圖用理性解讀這份新奇，將「應當興奮」的訊號傳遞給心臟時，胸腔回饋的卻是一股溫暖的眷戀——這裡畢竟是麗娜魂牽夢縈的故鄉。

頂著結衣面容的少女不覺莞爾。她下意識想要撫胸感受那份悸動，指尖卻不由自主地輕觸自己的臉頰。這個矛盾的動作讓她恍然意識到：此刻被這片草原接納的，是寄居在麗娜身體裡的結衣；而這顆頭顱中萌生的親近感，與其說是她在接納麗娜，不如說是麗娜的心正在溫柔地包容著她。

「歡迎啊，夥伴。」

這句話在意識的邊緣輕輕迴盪，分不清是頭顱對身體的致意，還是身體對頭顱的問候。

As time passed, when the Omae family's exploration team found Reina on the edge of the grasslands, the Nestorianism she inherited had long since interwoven with the faith of Tengri and the wisdom of Buddhism and Taoism to form a unique spiritual landscape. Only the piety towards the omniscient and omnipotent God still burned hotly beneath the mixed rituals and blurred doctrines. It was this persistence in the essence of faith that resonated with the Omae family's philosophy of embracing all heresies. However, when she connected to the sea of consciousness with expectation, the dormant curse in her blood resisted fiercely—in its ancient cognition, the Kirishitan faith was still a "heresy" to be guarded against.

At this moment, "Huang Lina," galloping across the grasslands, was experiencing something unprecedented. Through the sea of consciousness, Yui's head gently read the memories and emotions uploaded by Reina's head, while deliberately suppressing the self-cognition belonging to "Kannazuki Yui." This was not an occupation, but a carefully arranged vacation—Yui hoped her head could be "used" well by Reina's pure heart, like handing a precise instrument to a true musician. In this vast world, she only wanted to be a simple Huang Lina, a grassland girl chasing the wind, seeking heritage, and questioning faith.

Carried by Reina's body, Yui's head swayed gently on horseback, immersed in a baptism of unfamiliar sensations. She felt the spine rise and fall naturally with the horse's pace, the touch of inner thighs gripping the saddle so precise and familiar, as if this body had long carved the art of riding into its marrow. This was not movement driven by consciousness, but memories awakening deep within the muscles, leading her to dance with the wind.

However, when she tried to interpret this novelty with reason and transmit the signal "should be excited" to the heart, the chest fed back a warm nostalgia—this was, after all, the hometown Reina dreamed of.

The girl wearing Yui's face smiled unconsciously. She subconsciously wanted to touch her chest to feel that throb, but her fingertips involuntarily brushed her own cheek. This contradictory action made her suddenly realize: what was being accepted by this grassland at this moment was Yui residing in Reina's body; and the intimacy sprouting in this head was not so much her accepting Reina, as Reina's heart gently embracing her.

"Welcome, partner."

This sentence echoed softly at the edge of consciousness, indistinguishable whether it was the head greeting the body, or the body greeting the head.

這具身軀散發著驚人的熱度，那是長年奔馳在曠野中、在馬頭琴聲裡淬煉出的生命溫度。結衣那顆總是承載著萬千悲願而冰冷沉重的頭顱，此刻被這股來自胸腔的暖流溫柔托起。她不再是那個發號施令的最高節點，而成了一個被身體悉心引領的旅人。

當白色蒙古包的輪廓出現在地平線上時，麗娜的身體搶在意識之前作出了反應。眼眶毫無預兆地濕潤，那是源自生命本能的孺慕之情。氈帳外，滿臉風霜的爺爺正低頭整理馬具。老人抬起頭，渾濁的雙眼在看清來者時驟然點亮。

結衣的理性瞬間拉響警報，設想著各種可能的尷尬。但麗娜的雙腿已經躍下馬背，踉蹌著撲進老人懷中：「額布格！」這聲呼喚奇妙地融合了結衣沉靜的聲線與麗娜特有的高昂語調。

老人的手掌停在少女髮頂。身為景教守護者與薩滿後裔，他或許感知到了孫女靈魂中流淌的異質靈識，但那雙撫摸過無數牛羊的粗糙大手，只是堅定地揉了揉這顆「陌生」的頭顱，確認著血肉的真實溫度。

「回來就好。」他低語，聲音像被風磨礪過的岩石，「草原的風總會把迷路的孩子帶回家，不管她變成了什麼模樣。」

夜幕降臨後，老人從紅漆木箱深處取出一頂精心縫製的火狐皮帽。帽緣繡著景教十字與薩滿雲紋交織的古老圖樣，象徵著這個家族獨特的精神傳承。「給妳的。」他將帽子戴在少女頭上。柔軟的皮毛瞬間包裹住結衣蒼白的額際，巧妙掩去了那份與草原格格不入的精緻，只留下屬於蒙古少女的堅毅輪廓。

「戴著它，長生天會認得妳，風雪也凍不壞妳的聰明腦袋。」

This body radiated an astonishing heat, the temperature of life tempered by years of galloping in the wilderness and the sound of the horse-head fiddle. Yui's head, always heavy and cold from carrying thousands of sorrowful wishes, was now gently supported by this warm current from the chest. She was no longer the highest node issuing orders, but a traveler carefully guided by the body.

When the outline of the white yurt appeared on the horizon, Reina's body reacted before her consciousness. Her eyes moistened without warning, an affection born of life instinct. Outside the felt tent, a grandfather with a weathered face was looking down, organizing horse tack. The old man looked up, his clouded eyes lighting up suddenly upon seeing the arrival.

Yui's reason instantly sounded an alarm, imagining various possible embarrassments. But Reina's legs had already leaped off the horse, stumbling into the old man's arms: "Ebug!" This call wonderfully merged Yui's quiet voice with Reina's characteristic high-pitched tone.

The old man's palm rested on the girl's head. As a Nestorian guardian and descendant of shamans, he might have sensed the heterogeneous spirit flowing in his granddaughter's soul, but those rough large hands that had stroked countless cattle and sheep only firmly rubbed this "strange" head, confirming the true warmth of flesh and blood.

"It is good you are back." He whispered, his voice like rock polished by the wind. "The wind of the grassland will always bring lost children home, no matter what they become."

After nightfall, the old man took out a meticulously sewn fire fox fur hat from deep within a red lacquered wooden chest. The brim was embroidered with ancient patterns of intertwined Nestorian crosses and shamanic cloud motifs, symbolizing the family's unique spiritual heritage. "For you." He placed the hat on the girl's head. The soft fur instantly wrapped around Yui's pale forehead, cleverly hiding the refinement that was out of place on the grassland, leaving only the resolute outline belonging to a Mongolian girl.

"Wear it, Tengri will recognize you, and the wind and snow won't freeze your smart head."

「麗娜」的指尖輕撫狐毛的絨密質感，這一刻，所有關於結衣的自我認知與黃前家族的繁雜事務都悄然靜默。她凝視著老人眼中毫無保留的慈愛——這份愛不在意容貌的改變，只認得氈帳內這個熟悉的靈魂。她伸出雙臂緊緊擁抱爺爺，這既是麗娜身體的本能反應，也是結衣意識對「無條件接納」最珍重的回應。

第三日破曉，麗娜的身軀引領著這顆「聰明頭顱」，走向十里外一座古老的石堆。斑駁的石碑靜立在晨光中，上面鐫刻著元代的景教遺跡：十字架安然佇立在盛放的蓮花之上，周遭環繞著薩滿信仰的流雲與飛鳥。

結衣的意識瞬間喚醒知識庫存：「景教，基督教聶斯托利派，公元635年傳入長安，被羅馬教廷判為異端……」

但麗娜的手指已先於思考輕撫過石紋，感受那些被歲月磨平的刻痕。這裡的十字沒有刑具的沉重，沒有原罪的壓抑，而是與佛教蓮花、草原信仰共生共榮的神聖符號。

「妳看，」麗娜的心在胸腔中輕輕震顫，將這份悸動傳遞給結衣的意識，最終化作低語：「神不一定是嚴厲的父親，也可以化作溫柔的風。」

結衣閉上雙眼，試著調動「神無月」傳承的正統教會聖光。過往這些光芒總是如利劍般鋒利，此刻卻在麗娜身體的溫養下，與石碑上的「十字蓮花」產生共鳴，柔化成午後灑落草場的金色陽光。她參與了族人的祈禱儀式——蒼涼的古調交織著對長生天的祝禱，殘破的石碑在風中見證著一切。結衣的頭顱仍在解析著教義的差異，麗娜的心臟卻已在吟唱中觸摸到信仰的本質。

「原來……信仰也可以這樣自由地呼吸。」結衣在意識深處喃喃自語。她費盡心力構建的「再路由協議」，在這片天地間竟顯得如此多餘——彷彿這種包容與共生，本就是天地間最自然的真理。

"Lina's" fingertips gently stroked the dense texture of the fox fur. In this moment, all self-cognition regarding Yui and the complicated affairs of the Omae family fell silent. She gazed at the unreserved kindness in the old man's eyes—this love did not care about the change in appearance, only recognizing the familiar soul within the felt tent. She extended her arms and hugged her grandfather tightly. This was both the instinctive reaction of Reina's body and Yui's consciousness's most cherished response to "unconditional acceptance."

At dawn on the third day, Reina's body led this "smart head" to an ancient stone pile ten miles away. A mottled stone tablet stood quietly in the morning light, engraved with Yuan Dynasty Nestorian relics: a cross stood peacefully on a blooming lotus, surrounded by flowing clouds and flying birds of shamanic belief.

Yui's consciousness instantly awakened her knowledge reserve: "Nestorianism, the Nestorian sect of Christianity, introduced to Chang'an in 635 AD, condemned as heresy by the Roman Curia..."

But Reina's fingers had already brushed over the stone texture before thinking, feeling the marks smoothed by time. The cross here lacked the heaviness of a torture instrument and the suppression of original sin; instead, it was a sacred symbol living in symbiosis with the Buddhist lotus and grassland beliefs.

"Look," Reina's heart trembled gently in her chest, transmitting this throb to Yui's consciousness, finally turning into a whisper: "God isn't necessarily a strict father; He can also become a gentle wind."

Yui closed her eyes, trying to mobilize the orthodox Church holy light inherited by "Kannazuki." In the past, this light was always sharp as a sword, but now, nourished by Reina's body, it resonated with the "Cross Lotus" on the stone tablet, softening into the golden sunlight spilling onto the pasture in the afternoon. She participated in the clan's prayer ceremony—desolate ancient tunes intertwined with prayers to Tengri, the broken stone tablet witnessing everything in the wind. Yui's head was still analyzing doctrinal differences, but Reina's heart had already touched the essence of faith in the chanting.

"So... faith can breathe freely like this." Yui murmured deep in her consciousness. The "rerouting protocol" she had painstakingly constructed seemed so superfluous in this world—as if this tolerance and symbiosis were the most natural truth between heaven and earth.

頭顱的假期在奶茶氤氳的香氣與馬頭琴悠遠的低鳴中悄然流逝。最後一夜，她們一起躺在柔軟的草坡上，仰望這片未被光害侵染的純淨夜空。乳白色的星河自天際垂落，氈帳頂端的開口恰好框住一池碎鑽般的星輝。

頭顱與身軀在這片星空下靜默交流，回味著這段獨特的共生時光。麗娜的身體裡住著風的靈魂，而結衣的眼睛卻為這無形的風描繪出了形狀。她們都想向彼此道謝，卻發現這份感激早已在共享的生命體驗中融為一體，再也分不清該從何說起。

這些日子裡，結衣頭顱卓越的分析力如同最精密的儀器，將祖父口傳的那些晦澀景教經文一一記錄，甚至從殘缺的片段中還原出失傳已久的古祈禱詞；而麗娜充滿活力的身軀，則帶著這顆習慣沉思的頭顱體驗了肺部燃燒般的縱情奔馳，用掌心感受新生羊羔溫順的顫動。當結衣的意識陳述著冰冷的星象知識時，驅使手指伸向星空的力量，卻是麗娜心中對宇宙最原始的敬畏與憧憬。

就在這時，一道冰藍色的靈識訊號如流星般劃破夜空——是黃前綾瀨的召喚：「麗娜的頭部淨化已完成。結衣大人，該回來了。」

這道訊息瞬間凝結了草原的暖意。麗娜的心臟劇烈收縮，傳來被生生撕裂般的痛楚——這對「拼裝」的組合，早已愛上了彼此共生的完美節奏。

「要結束了呢。」這個自稱麗娜的意識輕聲低語，語氣中帶著前所未有的溫柔，「什麼結衣大人，我明明是麗娜啊。回去定要好好說說綾瀨……啊，不對，這不是麗娜會有的想法呢。」她的唇角泛起苦澀的弧度。

她緩緩起身，做出一個令人驚異的舉動——輕輕取下結衣的頭顱，透過那雙熟悉的眼眸，凝視著屬於自己的身體。即使這個暫時的個體即將解散，曾經緊密相連的心與腦，早已在靈魂深處刻下了永不磨滅的印記。

The head's vacation quietly passed amidst the fragrant steam of milk tea and the distant low hum of the horse-head fiddle. On the last night, they lay together on a soft grassy slope, looking up at the pure night sky untainted by light pollution. A milky way hung down from the horizon, the opening at the top of the felt tent framing a pool of diamond-like starlight.

Under this starry sky, head and body communicated silently, savoring this unique time of symbiosis. Reina's body housed a soul of wind, while Yui's eyes drew a shape for this invisible wind. They both wanted to thank each other, but found that this gratitude had long merged into one in the shared life experience, and they could no longer distinguish where to start.

In these days, the excellent analytical power of Yui's head was like the most precise instrument, recording the obscure Nestorian scriptures orally transmitted by the grandfather one by one, even restoring long-lost ancient prayers from fragmented segments; while Reina's vibrant body took this head accustomed to contemplation to experience the unrestrained galloping that made lungs burn, and feel the gentle trembling of newborn lambs with her palms. When Yui's consciousness stated cold astronomical knowledge, the power driving her fingers to reach for the starry sky was the most primitive awe and longing for the universe in Reina's heart.

Just then, an ice-blue spiritual signal cut through the night sky like a meteor—it was Omae Ayase's summons: "Reina's head purification is complete. Lady Yui, it is time to return."

This message instantly froze the warmth of the grassland. Reina's heart contracted violently, sending a pain like being torn apart alive—this "assembled" combination had long fallen in love with each other's perfect symbiotic rhythm.

"It's ending." The consciousness calling itself Reina whispered softly, with unprecedented gentleness in her tone, "What Lady Yui, I am clearly Reina. I must have a good talk with Ayase when I get back... Ah, no, this isn't a thought Reina would have." A bitter curve appeared on her lips.

She slowly stood up and did something astonishing—she gently removed Yui's head and, through those familiar eyes, gazed at the body belonging to herself. Even though this temporary individual was about to dissolve, the heart and brain that were once closely connected had long carved an indelible mark deep in the soul.

風拂過草原，草浪沙沙作響，如泣如訴。她將那頂繡著景教十字與薩滿雲紋的狐皮帽從結衣頭上取下，緊緊擁入懷中。

「再見了，草原。」她在心底默念。

「謝謝妳，『黃麗娜』。」結衣的意識以理性強行向麗娜的心索取感謝的動機，卻在念頭傳遞的瞬間，被心中湧起的暖流反饋回來。這份感動最終化作溫熱的淚水，從結衣的眼角靜靜滑落。

馬蹄踏碎晨露，向東奔行。在肉身與靈識即將重組的命運關頭，這具軀體依然與借來的頭顱緊密相連；來自不同生命的頸項如握手般交纏，彷彿正在擁抱另一個自己。風掠過髮絲，輕拂衣角，行囊中的狐皮帽隨著馬背的起伏微微顫動——它將成為神聖魔女胸腔裡永恆跳動的草原心臟，成為所有被邊界放逐的靈魂，在生命的裂隙中種出的第一朵、也是最美的一朵蓮花。

The wind brushed over the grassland, the waves of grass rustling like weeping. She took the fox fur hat embroidered with the Nestorian cross and shamanic cloud motifs from Yui's head and hugged it tightly to her chest.

"Goodbye, grassland." She silently recited in her heart.

"Thank you, 'Huang Lina'." Yui's consciousness used reason to forcibly demand a motive for gratitude from Reina's heart, but the moment the thought was transmitted, it was fed back by the warm current welling up in her heart. This emotion finally turned into warm tears, sliding silently from the corner of Yui's eyes.

Horse hooves shattered the morning dew, galloping eastward. At the fateful moment when flesh and spirit were about to reorganize, this body was still closely connected to the borrowed head; necks from different lives intertwined like a handshake, as if embracing another self. The wind swept through hair, lightly brushing the hem of clothes, the fox fur hat in the bag trembling slightly with the rise and fall of the horse's back—it would become the eternally beating grassland heart in the chest of the Holy Witch, becoming the first and most beautiful lotus grown in the cracks of life by all souls exiled by the border.

---

二、劍鬼的初次悸動：心跳一百二的東京散策

II. The Sword Demon's First Heartbeat: A Tokyo Stroll with a Heart Rate of 120

黃前紫英重現於世的第一個清晨，是被一陣細碎的撲翅聲驚醒的。

不是敵襲，也非靈力失調，而是一隻飛過窗櫺的麻雀。若是百年前的紫英，即使在刀光劍影的戰場，她的心也該如明鏡止水，精準判斷這生命的軌跡該斬該留，不泛一絲漣漪。

但此刻，當那團灰羽掠過視線，胸腔裡那顆借來的心臟竟猛地收縮——「好可愛！」

這股名為「憐愛」的情感電流未經大腦審核便竄向四肢。紫英那雙斬殺過無數幕府武士的手，竟笨拙地懸在半空，試圖虛抓那團飛逝的絨毛。

「……荒謬。」她凝視自己微微顫抖的指尖。

紫英盤腿打坐，自觀內在。她的頭腦依舊是那塊淬煉百年的寒鐵，存放著長崎海邊烈日下的屍臭、僧兵袈裟破裂的聲響，以及天草四郎那足以燎原的悲願。她的四肢依舊蘊含著千錘百煉的戰鬥本能，每一寸肌肉纖維都記得如何發力，如何閃避，如何一擊斃命。

然而，在這片原本只有「目標」與「執行」的死寂疆域裡，如今卻多出了一片洶湧的內海——一具柔軟堅韌的軀幹，以及一顆喋喋不休的「心」。

這顆最高節點的「心」，實在太吵了。

The first morning Omae Shiei reappeared in the world, she was awakened by a flurry of fluttering wings.

It wasn't an enemy attack, nor a spiritual imbalance, but a sparrow flying past the window lattice. If it were the Shiei of a hundred years ago, even on a battlefield of flashing swords and shadows, her heart should be as still as a bright mirror, precisely judging whether this life's trajectory should be cut or spared, without a single ripple.

But at this moment, when that ball of gray feathers swept past her vision, the heart borrowed within her chest contracted violently—"So cute!"

This current of emotion named "affection" rushed to her limbs without passing through the brain's review. Shiei's hands, which had slain countless shogunate samurai, hung clumsily in mid-air, trying to grasp that fleeting fluff in vain.

"...Absurd." She stared at her slightly trembling fingertips.

Shiei sat cross-legged in meditation, observing her interior. Her mind was still that piece of cold iron tempered for a hundred years, storing the stench of corpses under the scorching sun by the seaside of Nagasaki, the sound of tearing warrior monk kasayas, and Amakusa Shirō's sorrowful wish capable of starting a prairie fire. Her limbs still contained battle instincts tempered a thousand times; every inch of muscle fiber remembered how to exert force, how to dodge, how to kill with one blow.

However, in this dead silent territory that originally only had "target" and "execution," there was now a turbulent inner sea—a soft and resilient torso, and a chattering "heart."

This "heart" of the highest node was simply too noisy.

​相較於紫英那顆早已在鍛打中剔除雜質的舊心，結衣的心像是一個塞滿了亂七八糟絲線的線團：信仰、懷疑、絕望、對母親的愛、對未來的恐懼……甚至還有對甜點那難以啟齒的渴望。即使剝離了具體的記憶與資訊，這顆心裡承載的情感，依然多得驚人。

「後輩啊，妳平日裡便是在這般轟鳴中踏步前行的嗎？」紫英苦笑，按住那鬱結卻強勁的搏動。

​這也難怪。雖同為黃前家的造物，她們的起點截然不同。

​紫英想起了家族名諱的由來——那是在烈焰中誕生的詛咒。在島原那場血戰中，天草四郎的悲願與憾恨，沾染了未在戰場的遺族與信徒，催生出黃前家族——「黃」字與「草」字形相近，上移的一橫象徵天草四郎被梟首的仇恨，而移入「日」字中的一豎，則是教眾被剖腹的悲愴。他們誓將陣列在殉難的天草四郎面前，有恨必復，其願必成，故以「黃前」為名。

紫英的血脈，在家族的刻意操作下，承繼自天草四郎的遠親、傳教士的直系，以及劍術名家的傳人。她是為了守護這份悲願而生的「劍」。她不需要雜念，只需將心技體化為最銳利的鋒芒。即使在最後一戰中，幕府兵的長槍刺穿她的心臟，也未曾激起一絲波瀾。

Compared to Shiei's old heart, which had long eliminated impurities in the forging, Yui's heart was like a ball of yarn stuffed with messy threads: faith, doubt, despair, love for her mother, fear of the future... and even an unspeakable craving for sweets. Even stripped of specific memories and information, the emotions carried in this heart were still surprisingly abundant.

"Junior, do you walk forward amidst such roaring on ordinary days?" Shiei smiled bitterly, pressing down on that knotted yet powerful beat.

It was no wonder. Though both creations of the Oumae family, their starting points were vastly different.

Shiei recalled the origin of the family name—a curse born in flames. In that bloody battle of Shimabara, Amakusa Shirō's sorrowful wish and regret tainted the survivors and believers not on the battlefield, giving birth to the Omae family—the character "黄" (Ou, "Yellow") is similar in shape to "草" (Kusa, "Grass"), the horizontal stroke moved up symbolizing the hatred of Amakusa Shirō being beheaded, and the vertical stroke moved into the "日" (Sun) character symbolizing the tragedy of the congregation being disemboweled. They swore to array themselves before the martyred Amakusa Shirō, avenging hatred and fulfilling wishes, hence the name "Oumae" (Before Yellow/Amakusa).

Shiei's bloodline, under the family's deliberate manipulation, was inherited from Amakusa Shirō's distant relatives, direct descendants of missionaries, and heirs of sword masters. She was a "sword" born to protect this sorrowful wish. She needed no distracting thoughts, only to turn heart, technique, and body into the sharpest edge. Even in the final battle, when the shogunate soldiers' spears pierced her heart, it did not stir a single ripple.

​但結衣不同。這顆心經歷了太多。曲折、傷痛與背叛，沒有其他心比結衣的心體會過更多複雜的糾葛，以至於紫英腦海中任何微小的意念，都有能對應的情緒，都會在心中激起巨大的迴響。

「不習慣啊，不習慣，」紫英喃喃自語，「這喧囂簡直連死人都能吵活。」

但這既是最高節點寄放在「黃前紫英單元」的心，身為家族一員，她就有責任珍視與敬重。

「老身是黃前紫英，但這顆心讓我也不再是那個黃前紫英了。」她對自己宣告，「就讓我的頭顱、我的手足，跟隨著這顆心，照顧好『她』，看看能走出什麼路吧！」

除此之外，她還得好好教導這顆心，什麼是「黃前之劍」的覺悟……「啊喂！別這樣就動搖啊！」她對胸腔裡那顆敏感的心低吼，「擔心什麼？還有這副軟弱的軀幹，你不覺得自己該被好好操練嗎？不覺得？竟然不覺得？」

紫英深深嘆息，連該擺出什麼表情都不知道了。

「罷了，」她最終妥協，「不論家族或世道，都大不相同了。或許黃前已不再需要劍，老身還是得先學好怎麼在這個時代過活。」

But Yui was different. This heart had experienced too much. Twists, pain, and betrayal—no other heart had experienced more complex entanglements than Yui's, so much so that any tiny thought in Shiei's mind had a corresponding emotion that would trigger a huge resonance in the heart.

"Not used to it, not used to it," Shiei muttered to herself, "This noise could wake the dead."

But since this was the heart the highest node entrusted to the "Omae Shiei Unit," as a member of the family, she had the responsibility to cherish and respect it.

"This old body is Omae Shiei, but this heart makes me no longer that Omae Shiei," she declared to herself. "Let my head, my hands and feet, follow this heart, take good care of 'her,' and see what path we can walk!"

Besides, she had to teach this heart well what the resolve of the "Omae Sword" was... "Hey! Don't waver just like that!" She roared at the sensitive heart in her chest. "Worried about what? And this weak torso, don't you think you should be properly drilled? You don't? You actually don't?"

Shiei sighed deeply, not even knowing what expression to make.

"Fine," she finally compromised. "Whether the family or the world, everything is vastly different. Perhaps Omae no longer needs a sword. This old body still has to learn how to live in this era first."

透過靈識之海，她更新了古老的認知。當龐大的資訊流進腦海，整個人宛如接受天啟般顫動。在取得真正屬於自己的軀幹前，她唯一的任務是：跟著結衣的軀幹過生活。

「好好好，是是是！老身懂啦！」她對著那顆雀躍的心說，「妳這丫頭，送了心過來，其實是想找理由偷放假吧？順便試著當一回黃前紫英，讓老身替妳過過癮？」

​那顆心似乎被戳穿了心事，不好意思地跳快了兩拍。

「呵，準了。」紫英會心一笑，「既然老身現在是這具身體的主人，就讓這把老骨頭，來學學怎麼用這顆心，當個『少女』。」

​為了踐行誓言，紫英換上了現代裝束，踏入了名為原宿的戰場。

Through the sea of consciousness, she updated her ancient cognition. When the massive flow of information entered her mind, her whole being trembled as if receiving a revelation. Before obtaining a torso truly belonging to herself, her only mission was: to live with Yui's torso.

"Alright, alright, yes, yes! This old body understands!" She said to that jumping heart. "You girl, sending your heart over, actually wanted to find an excuse to take a secret vacation, right? And incidentally try being Omae Shiei for once, letting this old body satisfy you?"

That heart seemed to have its secret exposed and beat faster by two beats in embarrassment.

"Heh, granted." Shiei smiled knowingly. "Since this old body is now the master of this body, let these old bones learn how to use this heart to be a 'girl'."

To fulfill her vow, Shiei changed into modern attire and stepped onto the battlefield named Harajuku.

竹下通人潮如織，紫英的大腦本能地切換至索敵模式，評估每一個路人的威脅等級。但軀幹卻在歡呼，櫥窗裡的蕾絲裙喚起了悸動，空氣中的糖霜味催生了唾液。

「呃，好吧，要吃對不對？」在可麗餅店前，紫英用戰陣點兵的莊重，對店員說，「草莓鮮奶油……特盛。」

​當店員遞來粉紅甜點的剎那，紫英右手驟動。

那是千錘百鍊的「居合」。

0.1秒的殘影，凌厲的風壓掀飛了店員的瀏海，而那支脆弱的甜筒已穩穩停在紫英手中，奶油紋絲未亂。

第一口咬下，大腦冷靜分析：「這滋味……對強體健魄，鍛心煉魂，一點好處也沒有。」然而心臟在吶喊：「活著真好！幸福是能咀嚼的！」

暖流從胃部炸開，填滿了百年的裂隙。紫英僵立在夕陽下，看著自己這雙殺人的手，正像捧著稀世珍寶般捧著一團鮮奶油，生怕捏碎了這份脆弱的歡愉。

接著她走過花店，被紛呈的香氣與色彩吸引，下意識走了進去。順著「心」的指引，她挑揀了一束花——審美來自紫英腦海裡的認知，但愉悅乃結衣之心的贈與。結帳後，她拿起花束，卻在準備踏出店門時，無意識地雙手握住花莖，右腳滑步，擺出了標準的持劍架勢。

玻璃門上映出了她的倒影——一個穿著可愛服飾的少女，卻滿臉殺氣地將花束當作兵器，彷彿那份美麗過於鋒利。

Takeshita Street was weaving with crowds. Shiei's brain instinctively switched to enemy search mode, assessing the threat level of every passerby. But the torso was cheering; lace skirts in shop windows evoked throbs, and the smell of icing sugar in the air stimulated saliva.

"Ugh, fine, you want to eat, right?" In front of the crepe shop, Shiei used the solemnity of reviewing troops to say to the clerk, "Strawberry whipped cream... extra large."

The moment the clerk handed over the pink dessert, Shiei's right hand moved suddenly.

That was the "Iai" tempered a thousand times.

A 0.1-second afterimage, the sharp wind pressure lifting the clerk's bangs, while that fragile cone had stopped steadily in Shiei's hand, the cream unruffled.

First bite, the brain calmly analyzed: "This taste... is of no benefit to strengthening the body or tempering the heart and soul." However, the heart was screaming: "It's good to be alive! Happiness is chewable!"

Warmth exploded from the stomach, filling the cracks of a hundred years. Shiei stood stiffly under the setting sun, looking at her killing hands holding a lump of whipped cream like a rare treasure, afraid of crushing this fragile joy.

Then she walked past a flower shop, attracted by the diverse scents and colors, and walked in subconsciously. Following the guidance of the "heart," she picked a bouquet—the aesthetic came from the cognition in Shiei's mind, but the joy was a gift from Yui's heart. After paying, she picked up the bouquet, but as she prepared to step out of the door, she unconsciously held the flower stems with both hands, sliding her right foot, assuming a standard sword-holding stance.

The glass door reflected her image—a girl wearing cute clothes, but holding a bouquet as a weapon with a murderous look, as if that beauty was too sharp.

「……」紫英尷尬地收起架勢，僵硬地扯出一個笑容。看來要當好一個普通少女，比斬殺幕府大將還要困難。

某個傍晚，雷雨將紫英困在屋簷下。雨滴敲打瓦片，喚醒百年前的記憶：暴雨混著泥濘，火槍轟鳴，同伴倒地的悶響，以及力竭前最後的祈禱。

對舊日的紫英而言，這些只能成為支撐劍鋒的冰冷經歷。但此刻，雨水滲透衣襟，寒意刺入軀幹，結衣的心臟突然劇烈絞痛。

這顆心不懂與幕府的征戰，卻懂得「痛苦」。它將施術石台的冰冷、被教會利用的孤獨、被程式阻擋的母愛，化成一串串波形不同的跳動，全數注入紫英的古老回憶。黑白膠卷瞬間上色：她重新感受起同伴臨終的顫抖，觸摸到他們赴死時灼熱的悲願。甚至當她回憶起隕落的戰友，準備以凜然的「覺悟」接受這份記憶時，那顆心泛起的濃稠「悲傷」裡，竟帶著一絲對殺戮本身的「厭惡」，讓她喉頭發緊。

眼淚無預警滑落。「這就是……創傷嗎？」紫英凝視指尖的晶瑩，「結衣……妳竟背負著如此熾熱的傷，奮鬥至今？」

她的舊心是鐵石，碎裂亦不流血；結衣的心是血肉，每次跳動都伴隨癒合與撕裂。紫英挺直腰桿，以劍豪的傲氣，包裹這顫抖的心臟：「別怕。既然我在，便由我替妳承受這份脆弱。妳只管跳動，其餘交給我的劍。」

"..." Shiei awkwardly put away her stance and stiffly pulled out a smile. It seemed being a normal girl was harder than slaying a shogunate general.

One evening, a thunderstorm trapped Shiei under the eaves. Raindrops beating on tiles awakened memories from a hundred years ago: heavy rain mixed with mud, the roar of muskets, the muffled sound of companions falling, and the last prayer before exhaustion.

For the Shiei of old, these could only be cold experiences supporting the sword edge. But at this moment, rainwater permeated the clothes, chill piercing the torso, and Yui's heart suddenly convulsed in pain.

This heart didn't understand the wars with the shogunate, but it understood "pain." It turned the coldness of the operation stone table, the loneliness of being used by the Church, the motherly love blocked by programs, into throbs of different waveforms, injecting them all into Shiei's ancient memories. Black and white film was instantly colored: she re-experienced the trembling of companions at their end, touching the scorching sorrowful wishes when they went to their deaths. Even when she recalled fallen comrades, preparing to accept this memory with awe-inspiring "resolve," the thick "sadness" rising in that heart actually carried a trace of "disgust" for slaughter itself, tightening her throat.

Tears fell without warning. "Is this... trauma?" Shiei stared at the crystal on her fingertip. "Yui... have you been carrying such a scorching wound, fighting until now?"

Her old heart was iron and stone, shattering without bleeding; Yui's heart was flesh and blood, every beat accompanied by healing and tearing. Shiei straightened her back, wrapping this trembling heart with the pride of a sword master: "Don't be afraid. Since I am here, let me bear this fragility for you. You just beat, leave the rest to my sword."

「假期」最後一日，紫英步入無人竹林。她折下青竹代劍，起勢時大腦沉入「無念無想」，四肢肌肉繃如弓弦。

但揮劍剎那，她放開了壓制，允許少女的心緒湧入劍路。可麗餅的甜膩、雨夜的淚水、櫥窗的閃耀，都化成了一剎那的洪流。

「喝！」竹枝劃破空氣，發出嘆息般的低鳴。劍氣橫掃，竹葉如雪紛落，卻未傷竹幹分毫。

若說昔日之劍為「斬斷」，那今日之劍則是「包容」。這是不完美的劍法，卻是她此生最美的一劍。

「原來如此，」紫英拋下竹枝，按著劇烈搏動的胸口，「所謂『少女』，非關柔弱，而是敢於用血肉之心感知萬物，擁抱受傷的勇氣。」

On the last day of the "vacation," Shiei stepped into an unmanned bamboo forest. She broke a green bamboo as a sword. When assuming the stance, her brain sank into "no thought, no mind," limb muscles taut as bowstrings.

But the moment she swung the sword, she released the suppression, allowing the girl's mood to flood into the sword path. The sweetness of the crepe, the tears of the rainy night, the sparkle of the shop window, all turned into a momentary torrent.

"Hah!" The bamboo branch cut through the air, emitting a low hum like a sigh. Sword energy swept across, bamboo leaves falling like snow, yet not harming the bamboo trunks in the slightest.

If the sword of the past was for "severing," then the sword of today was for "embracing." This was imperfect swordsmanship, yet the most beautiful sword of her life.

"So that's it," Shiei dropped the bamboo branch, pressing her violently beating chest. "The so-called 'girl' isn't about weakness, but the courage to perceive all things with a heart of flesh and blood, and to embrace injury."

歸還軀幹的時刻到了。紫英沒有不捨。她整衣肅立，感受這具軀體最後的溫熱。

家族已告知，為她準備的新軀體，來自遭逢不幸的平凡少女，相較「最高節點」的聖魔之軀，太過脆弱，太過易感。

但那又如何？

紫英閉眼微笑，嘴角勾起一抹未曾有的弧度。古老的劍靈不再畏懼溫柔——她的腦海中，已烙印著能證明她「活著」的，那些看似微不足道的「雜訊」。

「回去吧，結衣。」她對虛空低語，指尖輕觸心口。

月光穿透竹林，在她肩頭灑落星斑。即將離去的軀幹輕微顫抖，彷彿那顆借來的心在無聲告別。

這並非結束。這是孤獨劍鬼第一次學會，用血肉的溫度去愛這荒謬人間。

The time to return the torso had arrived. Shiei had no reluctance. She straightened her clothes and stood solemnly, feeling the last warmth of this body.

The family had informed her that the new body prepared for her came from an unfortunate ordinary girl, far too fragile and sensitive compared to the "highest node's" saint-demon body.

But so what?

Shiei closed her eyes and smiled, the corner of her mouth curving up in an arc never seen before. The ancient sword spirit no longer feared gentleness—her mind was already branded with those seemingly insignificant "noises" that proved she was "alive."

"Go back, Yui." She whispered to the void, fingertips lightly touching her heart.

Moonlight pierced through the bamboo forest, scattering star spots on her shoulders. The departing torso trembled slightly, as if that borrowed heart was saying a silent farewell.

This was not the end. This was the first time the lonely Sword Demon learned to love this absurd human world with the warmth of flesh and blood.

---

三、靈刃與星光：綾瀨的維修手記

 III. Spirit Blade and Starlight: Ayase's Repair Notes

當「黃前結衣單元」徹底解散，最後一件部件也送往歸處後，綾瀨背倚著冰冷的石壁，緩緩吐出一口壓抑許久的氣息。懸念終於落地，取而代之的卻是更加深邃的空洞，像被掏去了心臟般無所依憑。

她護送那雙沉默的腿步入隔絕的靜室，當指尖從門扉滑落的瞬間，淚水悄無聲息地滑落。

「結衣大人，真的哪裡都不在了……」即便明知只是暫別，但結衣的存在被如此中止，對綾瀨而言，整個世界都失去了旋轉的軸心。

家族中無人能及她對結衣的執著。那份感情早已超越了尊敬與憧憬，化作連她自己都無法完全理解的、近乎病態的愛戀。

她取出一件寬鬆的深藍色連衣裙和一雙白色薄底涼鞋——這不過是接受施術時穿著的便利服裝，樣式樸素得近乎蒼白。但正是這尋常的織物，曾包裹過那個正在消散的奇蹟。

「這是……那一刻的結衣大人。」她將衣物緊緊擁入懷中，彷彿這樣就能留住正在消逝的溫度。

When the "Omae Yui Unit" was completely disbanded and the last part sent to its rightful place, Ayase leaned back against the cold stone wall, slowly exhaling a breath held for a long time. The suspense had finally landed, replaced by a deeper emptiness, unsupported as if her heart had been gouged out.

She escorted those silent legs into the isolated quiet room. The moment her fingertips slid off the door, tears fell silently.

"Lady Yui, really isn't anywhere anymore..." Even knowing it was only a temporary parting, Yui's existence being suspended like this meant the entire world lost its axis of rotation for Ayase.

No one in the family could match her obsession with Yui. That feeling had long surpassed respect and admiration, turning into an almost pathological love that even she herself couldn't fully understand.

She took out a loose dark blue dress and a pair of white thin-soled sandals—this was merely convenient clothing worn during the operation, plain to the point of paleness. But it was this ordinary fabric that had once wrapped that fading miracle.

"This is... Lady Yui of that moment." She hugged the clothes tightly to her chest, as if this could retain the fading warmth.

走進空無一人的秘儀之間，回憶如潮水湧來。那場驚心動魄的維修歷歷在目：

幽冥的冷光下，她的指尖凝聚靈力，緩緩刺入結衣的脊椎。指尖傳來靈力接觸的輕微斥力，還有皮膚的彈性、韌帶的纖維感，最終抵達靈絡核心時那微妙的震顫。這一切都透過她的手指，深深鐫刻在靈魂深處。

「綾瀨，手很穩呢，靈力操作也很有技巧。」結衣趴在石台上，聲音虛弱卻帶著笑意。  

「請別說話，大人。」她壓低聲音，手上的動作放得更輕，「靈力迴路正在重組。」

表面上是為了專注施術，真實的原因卻是她的心跳早已失控，勉強維持的平靜隨時都會決堤。

當結衣的身體開始順從她編織的指令，惶恐與狂喜同時撕裂著她——卑微如她，竟在指使著這樣的光芒？

回憶的漩渦將她吞沒。綾瀨脫下自己的衣裳，將結衣的衣物穿上身。

Walking into the empty ritual chamber, memories surged like a tide. That thrilling repair was vivid in her mind:

Under the cold light of the netherworld, her fingertips condensed spiritual power, slowly piercing into Yui's spine. Her fingertips felt the slight repulsion of spiritual contact, the elasticity of skin, the fibrous feel of ligaments, and finally the subtle vibration upon reaching the core of the spiritual network. All this was deeply engraved in the depths of her soul through her fingers.

"Ayase, your hand is very steady, and your spiritual power manipulation is skillful too." Yui lay prone on the stone table, her voice weak but carrying a smile.

"Please do not speak, my Lady." She lowered her voice, lightening the movements of her hands even more. "The spiritual power circuits are reorganizing."

Superficially, it was to focus on the operation, but the real reason was that her heartbeat had long been out of control, and her barely maintained calm could burst at any moment.

When Yui's body began to obey the commands she wove, fear and ecstasy tore at her simultaneously—humble as she was, actually commanding such radiance?

The vortex of memory swallowed her. Ayase took off her own clothes and put on Yui's clothing.

「請原諒我的無禮，結衣大人。既然您暫時不在，就請允許我用這卑微的軀殼，偽裝出您還在的幻象。」

她躺上冰冷的石台，意識彷彿從身體抽離，從外部審視著這個可笑的儀式。她從靈識之海悄悄調取「黃前結衣單元」的部件標記，將它們一一標註在自己身上。

此刻，這具被結衣衣物包裹的身軀，成了神聖魔女的拙劣贗品。這顆心臟在模仿結衣的搏動；這雙腳在演繹被聖光灼燒的痛楚；這雙手在重現觸摸法術奧秘時的顫抖。

極致的僭越與褻瀆，讓綾瀨在劇烈的內在撕裂裡，品嚐到了扭曲的滿足。

在成為黃前綾瀨之前，她有著另一個名字：山上綾瀨。

"Please forgive my rudeness, Lady Yui. Since you are temporarily absent, please allow me to use this humble shell to feign the illusion that you are still here."

She lay on the cold stone table, consciousness seeming to detach from the body, examining this ridiculous ritual from the outside. She quietly retrieved the component markers of the "Omae Yui Unit" from the sea of consciousness and marked them on herself one by one.

At this moment, this body wrapped in Yui's clothes became a clumsy counterfeit of the Holy Witch. This heart was imitating Yui's beat; these feet were enacting the pain of being scorched by holy light; these hands were reproducing the trembling of touching magical mysteries.

The ultimate transgression and blasphemy allowed Ayase to taste a twisted satisfaction amidst the violent internal tearing.

Before becoming Omae Ayase, she had another name: Yamagami Ayase.

那時的家中，父親用書本為她搭建起整片星空。「我們綾瀨的眼睛，總是像星星一樣閃閃發光呢。」他總愛輕撫她的髮頂，語氣裡滿是期許，「將來一定會成為了不起的人。」

母親烤餅乾的香氣常駐客廳，年長六歲的哥哥像個忠誠的守護者，在灑滿陽光的庭院裡扶著腳踏車後座：「別怕！哥哥在這！」

直到那場席捲世界的瘟疫帶走了父親，也帶走了她尚未展開的未來。

母親的世界在瞬間崩塌。當「世界和平之翼」的白袍使者帶著溫柔話語降臨時，絕望的母親如溺水者緊抓浮木，渾然不覺那救命的繩索正深深勒進血肉。

家中的擺設漸漸被教會徽記取代，父親的藏書被鎖進閣樓，取而代之的是一本本聖人語錄。母親的話題三句不離「導師的啟示」。

家中陳設逐漸被教會徽記佔領，父親的藏書被鎖進閣樓深處，取而代之的是一本本聖人語錄。母親開口閉口都是「導師的啟示」；家，漸漸變成陌生的神殿。

正是在那時，綾瀨的「詛咒」悄然甦醒。

In the home of that time, her father built a whole starry sky for her with books. "Our Ayase's eyes always sparkle like stars." He loved to stroke the top of her head, his tone full of expectation. "You will definitely become an amazing person in the future."

The aroma of mother baking cookies resided in the living room, and her brother, six years older, was like a loyal guardian, holding the back seat of the bicycle in the sun-drenched courtyard: "Don't be afraid! Big brother is here!"

Until that plague sweeping the world took away her father, and also took away her yet-to-unfold future.

Mother's world collapsed in an instant. When the white-robed messengers of "Wings of World Peace" descended with gentle words, the desperate mother clung to the driftwood like a drowning person, unaware that the lifeline was digging deep into flesh and blood.

The furnishings in the house were gradually replaced by Church emblems, father's book collection locked in the attic, replaced by volumes of saintly quotations. Mother's conversation never strayed three sentences from "The Mentor's Revelations."

The home gradually turned into a strange temple.

It was then that Ayase's "curse" quietly awakened.

她與生俱來的敏銳成了雙刃劍，輕易刺穿「博愛」面具下的排他本質，看透「清貧」誓言背後的貪婪。當母親將父親畢生積蓄轉入教會帳戶時，綾瀨終於鼓起勇氣：「母親，聖經上明明說……」

「閉嘴！」那眼神比父親的棺木更刺骨，「妳已被世俗的邪惡蒙蔽了雙眼！」

哥哥成了她唯一的氧氣。他放棄了夢寐以求的大學，日夜打工，總在深夜歸來時，將粗糙手掌中溫熱的紙幣塞進她手心：「綾瀨，妳和我不一樣。一定要繼續讀書，離開這個家。」

這份溫暖，是她抓住現實的最後繩索——直到那個將一切焚毀的夜晚。

毀滅的導火線是一場爭吵。母親發現了哥哥藏起的學費——那是他耗盡心血為綾瀨鋪設的生路——竟欣喜若狂地全數「奉獻」給教會。

Her innate keenness became a double-edged sword, easily piercing the exclusive nature under the mask of "fraternity," seeing through the greed behind the vow of "poverty." When her mother transferred her father's life savings to the Church account, Ayase finally summoned the courage: "Mother, the Bible clearly says..."

"Shut up!" That look was more bone-chilling than her father's coffin. "Your eyes have been blinded by worldly evil!"

Her brother became her only oxygen. He gave up the university he dreamed of, working day and night, always stuffing warm bills from his rough palms into her hand when returning late at night: "Ayase, you are different from me. You must continue studying and leave this home."

This warmth was the last rope she held onto reality—until that night that burned everything down.

The fuse of destruction was a quarrel. Mother discovered the tuition fees brother had hidden—the path of survival he had exhausted his heart's blood to pave for Ayase—and ecstatically "dedicated" it all to the Church.

深夜，疲憊歸來的哥哥面對空無一物的錢箱，最後的理智終於崩斷。

瘋狂的質問只換來母親歇斯底里的詛咒：「我在為你們滌清不敬神的罪孽！你們都被惡魔引誘，要毀了這個家！」

筋疲力盡的哥哥最後看了綾瀨一眼，那眼神複雜得讓她終生難忘——絕望、歉疚，與某種可怕的決絕。

當夜，他帶著汽油衝進教堂，將華麗祭壇與「導師」的講台付之一炬。沖天火光中，他的身影宛如一個燃燒的十字架。

「我沒有這個兒子！」母親的哭喊將最後的羈絆也一併斬斷。

家，徹底碎了。

Late at night, the exhausted brother faced the empty money box, and his last rationality finally snapped.

Crazy questioning only brought mother's hysterical curses: "I am cleansing your sins of impiety! You are all seduced by demons, trying to destroy this home!"

The exhausted brother looked at Ayase one last time. That look was so complex she would never forget it—despair, guilt, and a terrible resolve.

That night, he rushed into the church with gasoline, torching the magnificent altar and the "Mentor's" podium. In the sky-high flames, his figure was like a burning cross.

"I have no such son!" Mother's crying shout severed the last bond as well.

The home was completely shattered.

綾瀨獨自站在河邊，看著流水無情地吞噬夕陽餘暉。冰冷的河水低語著誘惑：沉淪吧，沉淪就不必再追問「為何愛總以傷害示人」，不必再背負「是我的敏銳害了哥哥」的罪疚。

「河水，很冷吧。」

一個聲音輕輕切斷了死神的絮語。

綾瀨回首，看見了剛從戰場歸來的結衣。深藍長髮與夜色交融，胸前的十字架還沾染著妖魔的血污。她周身沒有聖潔的光環，唯有眼底積澱著比深淵更沉重的疲憊，與比鋼鐵更堅毅的光芒。

「但活著，才能找到答案。」結衣向她伸出手，提供一個「可以繼續尋找答案」的歸處。

那隻手並不潔淨，佈滿戰鬥的傷痕與血污，卻比任何一雙「純淨」的手都更溫暖、更真實。

Ayase stood alone by the river, watching the flowing water ruthlessly swallow the sunset's afterglow. The cold river water whispered temptation: sink, sink and you need not ask "why love always shows itself as hurt," need not bear the guilt of "it was my keenness that harmed brother."

"The river water is cold, isn't it?"

A voice gently cut off the Grim Reaper's chatter.

Ayase looked back and saw Yui just returning from the battlefield. Her dark blue long hair merged with the night, the cross on her chest still stained with demon blood. There was no holy halo around her, only a weariness heavier than the abyss accumulated in her eyes, and a light more resolute than steel.

"But living is the only way to find answers." Yui extended her hand to her, offering a place "to continue searching for answers."

That hand was not clean, covered with battle scars and bloodstains, but it was warmer and more real than any pair of "pure" hands.

思緒如潮水退去，回到這片寂靜的秘儀之間。綾瀨憶起第一次為結衣「維修」的場景——儘管是應結衣所求，當靈刃劃過那纖細頸項，切斷流轉的靈絡時，她聽見自己內心崩塌的聲音，碎如齏粉。完成所有精細調整後，面對靜置一旁的結衣頭顱，她顫抖地劃破指尖，讓自己的血珠滴入那具無頭身軀的頸部。

「我的靈識探入過她最深的傷痕，而今我的血在她體內流淌……」躺在石台上的綾瀨無聲低語。她在結衣神聖的存在裡，偷偷摻入了自己卑微的印記。

這份私心，配得到寬恕嗎？

說起寬恕——她永遠無法原諒那個奪走她家人的「神」，卻甘願為眼前這個不斷自毀又重生的「魔女」傾盡所有。即便上帝真的存在，她也只願對結衣獻上全部的敬愛。

多麼諷刺。當世人因信稱義，她卻是「信了不義」。「信」本是為了「仰」，可她交出了最珍貴的「信」，卻彆扭地對「仰」不屑一顧。

幸好，她遇見了結衣。那份無處安放的「仰」，終於有了歸宿。

Thoughts receded like a tide, returning to this silent ritual chamber. Ayase recalled the scene of "repairing" Yui for the first time—although it was at Yui's request, when the spirit blade cut across that slender neck, severing the flowing spiritual network, she heard the sound of her own heart collapsing, crumbling into powder. After completing all precise adjustments, facing Yui's head placed aside, she tremblingly cut her fingertip, letting her own blood drop into the neck of that headless body.

"My spiritual consciousness has probed into her deepest wounds, and now my blood flows within her..." Ayase, lying on the stone table, whispered silently. She secretly mixed her own humble mark into Yui's sacred existence.

Does this selfishness deserve forgiveness?

Speaking of forgiveness—she could never forgive the "God" who took her family, but was willing to give everything for this "Witch" before her who constantly self-destructed and was reborn. Even if God truly existed, she would only offer all her reverence and love to Yui.

How ironic. When the world is justified by faith, she "believed in unrighteousness." "Faith" was originally for "looking up to," but she handed over the most precious "faith," yet awkwardly disdained "looking up to."

Fortunately, she met Yui. That "looking up to" which had nowhere to rest finally found a home.

「我是個性格扭曲的異端，對聖潔過敏，卻在無盡的渾濁中開出花來。」綾瀨在心底對自己坦白。

她想起仍在獄中的哥哥。真自私啊——哥哥為她焚毀了未來，她卻拋棄了「山上」之名，成為「黃前」，甚至在自己的存在中都刻滿了結衣的印記。

「哥，對不起。」綾瀨闔上雙眼，淚水悄無聲息地滑落，浸濕了結衣裙裝的領口。「但請你安心。我雖然放棄了學業，卻找到了更豐饒的歸宿。眼裡的光或許不再純粹，可它仍在閃爍……大概吧？」

"I am a heretic with a twisted personality, allergic to holiness, yet blooming flowers in endless turbidity." Ayase confessed to herself in her heart.

She thought of her brother still in prison. How selfish—brother burned the future for her, yet she abandoned the name "Yamagami," became "Omae," and even carved Yui's marks all over her own existence.

"Brother, I'm sorry." Ayase closed her eyes, tears sliding silently, soaking the collar of Yui's dress. "But please be at ease. Although I gave up my studies, I found a richer destination. The light in my eyes may no longer be pure, but it is still flickering... probably?"

上次開庭時，哥哥在陳述中說，他不在意自己要服刑多久，更關心的是這個社會——能否不再有家庭因邪教而支離破碎？也許，他與重塑了黃前家族的結衣大人，本質上相似？他們都飽嘗苦難，背負著沉重的十字架，卻依然試圖在黑暗中鑿出一線光明。

恍惚間，哥哥決然離去的背影，與結衣獨自前行的姿態漸漸重合。他們都是背負著罪孽與希望，在絕境中開路的殉道者。

「晚安，結衣大人。」

綾瀨蜷縮在冰冷的石台上，將自己深深埋入那件寬大的深藍色連衣裙中。布料上依稀殘存的氣息，彷彿同時擁抱著兩個她生命中最重要的人。

「還有……最喜歡的哥哥。」

在幽暗的秘儀之間，她藉著這份虛妄的溫暖，終於尋得了片刻破碎的安寧。

During the last court session, her brother said in his statement that he didn't care how long he had to serve, but cared more about this society—could families no longer be torn apart by cults? Perhaps, he and Lady Yui who reshaped the Omae family were essentially similar? They both tasted suffering, bore heavy crosses, yet still tried to chisel a ray of light in the darkness.

In a trance, the figure of her brother leaving resolutely and Yui's posture walking alone gradually merged. They were both martyrs paving the way in desperate situations, burdened with sin and hope.

"Goodnight, Lady Yui."

Ayase curled up on the cold stone table, burying herself deep into that large dark blue dress. The faint residual scent on the fabric seemed to embrace the two most important people in her life simultaneously.

"And... my dearest brother."

In the dim ritual chamber, borrowing this illusory warmth, she finally found a moment of broken peace.

斬魔巫女--後日談D

後日談：雪泥鴻爪

Epilogue: Footprints in the Snow

自御神櫻決意攜著神櫻步入人間，與萬千面容的靈魂不期而遇，於塵世每一轉角，同每一顆真心共感交鳴之刻起，她便不再僅僅是那座被供奉於神社的「神櫻巫女」了。

她的故事，自此如櫻吹雪般散入街巷。以下是其中三則「相遇」的片段。它們無需沉重的緣起，也不必綿延的後續。恰如東坡居士所言：

人生到處知何似，應似飛鴻踏雪泥；泥上偶然留指爪，鴻飛那復計東西。

雪終將消融，爪印亦會模糊，然那交會的一瞬，已成為彼此生命裡無比真實的刻痕——短暫，卻優美地存在過。

From the moment Mikami Sakura decided to walk amongst humanity with Shin-ou, encountering souls of a thousand faces and resonating with every sincere heart at every turn of the mortal world, she was no longer merely the "Shrine Maiden of Shin-ou" enshrined within the temple walls.

Her story, from then on, scattered into the streets and alleys like a blizzard of falling cherry blossoms. Below are three fragments of such "encounters." They require no heavy origins, nor do they need lengthy continuations. Just as the poet Su Shi once wrote:

To what can human life be likened?

It should be like a flying goose treading upon snow and slush;

Accidentally leaving a claw print in the mud,

Before flying off, heedless of east or west.

The snow will eventually melt, and the claw prints will blur, but that moment of intersection has become an undeniably real etching in each other's lives—fleeting, yet beautifully existent.

---

其一 我是女生

我的名字是松島法子。在旁人眼中，我大概只是個再普通不過的上班族——每日擠在沙丁魚罐頭般的電車裡通勤，在辦公室的格子間敲打鍵盤，偶爾為同事遞上一杯熱茶。生活像一捲循環播放的錄音帶，重複著單調的節奏。然而，在這具被社會定義為「女性」的軀殼深處，蟄伏著連我自己都無法直視的靈魂：我長久以來，誤以為是「男性」的靈魂。

請別誤會，這並非出自對男性身份的嚮往。坦白說，就我平日觀察——那些在職場上好鬥爭勝、在酒桌上高談闊論、情感世界貧瘠得如同水泥地的生物——若真能選擇，我絕不願成為他們的一員。

只是，我沒得選擇——我喜歡女生。

我痴迷於女性周身流淌的柔軟氣息，那是一種混雜著嚮往與愛慕的牽引。我沉醉於她們千姿百態的美好：精緻的容顏，流動的曲線，一顰一笑間蘊藏的豐沛情感。女性如水，能注入任何容器，卻從不失卻內在的韌性；她們的衣著、神態乃至氣息，編織出一個絢麗多彩的世界。相比之下，男性世界在我看來，總是顯得過於單調、堅硬，輪廓分明得帶有潛在的威脅感。

既然我的心如此純粹地為女性悸動，那麼，我理應是個「男性」，對吧？我當然知曉「蕾絲邊」的存在，也曾試圖在那裡尋求歸屬，卻始終感到格格不入。

我的喜愛，並非源於同性別間的情慾共鳴。在逐次的探究中，我逐漸明瞭：我渴望邂逅的女性，大概還是會喜歡上男性的。

然而造化弄人，賦予我的，偏偏是一具女性的身體。

這份矛盾如同無形的枷鎖，日日緊勒，令我窒息。身為社會定義下的「女性」，我必須履行與之相配的表演：工作日，我將自己塞進剪裁合身的OL套裝。它們如同第二層皮膚，緊緊包裹、勾勒出我想隱藏的胸部、腰肢與臀部。這些線條本不該屬於我。

腳下的高跟鞋，更是荒誕的刑具，強迫我的小腿呈現出所謂「優美」的弧度。那「叩叩」的清脆聲響，每一步都像踩在我的尊嚴上，嘲諷著我內在的認同。

臉上的妝容，則是一筆一畫，將「女性」的標籤深深刻進我的五官。被精心描畫的眉眼與唇色，將我偽裝成一朵待價而沽的花。唯有那一頭利落的短髮，是我對這一切最後的沉默抵抗。

在我的感知裡，靈魂早已與這具肉身剝離。我像個冷漠的旁觀者，看著社會的期望如無數惡蛇，纏繞著這具身體，強行塑造出它所定義的女性特徵。我的內在無比蒼白，如同設定好程式的機器，驅動著名為「松島法子」的人偶，動作流暢，應對得體。我只是日復一日地上緊發條，完成那名為「人生」的任務。

I. I Am a Girl

My name is Matsushima Noriko. In the eyes of others, I am probably just the most ordinary of office workers—squeezed into sardine-can trains for the daily commute, typing away at a keyboard in an office cubicle, occasionally pouring tea for colleagues. Life is like a cassette tape on a loop, repeating a monotonous rhythm. However, deep within this shell that society defines as "female," lies a soul that even I cannot look at directly: a soul that I have long mistakenly believed to be "male."

Please do not misunderstand; this does not stem from a longing for a male identity. Frankly, based on my daily observations—those creatures who are combative in the workplace, who talk loudly at drinking parties, whose emotional worlds are as barren as concrete—if I truly had a choice, I would never wish to be one of them.

It is simply that I have no choice—I like girls.

I am obsessed with the soft atmosphere that flows around women, a pull that is a mixture of longing and adoration. I am intoxicated by their myriad forms of beauty: exquisite faces, flowing curves, the abundant emotions hidden in a frown or a smile. Women are like water, able to fill any container without ever losing their inner resilience; their clothing, their demeanor, and even their scent weave a brilliant and colorful world. In comparison, the male world, to me, always seems too monotonous, too hard, with sharp outlines that carry a potential sense of threat.

Since my heart throbs so purely for women, I ought to be "male," right? I am aware of the existence of "lesbians," and I have tried to find belonging there, yet I have always felt out of place.

My affection does not stem from a resonance of desire between the same sex. Through gradual introspection, I came to understand: the women I yearn to meet would probably still fall in love with men.

Yet fate plays tricks on people; what was bestowed upon me is, undeniably, a female body.

This contradiction is like an invisible shackle, tightening daily, suffocating me. As a socially defined "female," I must perform the role that matches it: on workdays, I stuff myself into tailored office lady suits. They are like a second skin, tightly wrapping and outlining the breasts, waist, and hips I wish to hide. These lines should not belong to me.

The high heels on my feet are absurd instruments of torture, forcing my calves into a so-called "graceful" curve. That crisp clack-clack sound; every step feels like stomping on my dignity, mocking my inner identity.

The makeup on my face is a stroke-by-stroke carving of the "female" label deep into my features. Carefully drawn brows, eyes, and lip color disguise me as a flower waiting to be sold. Only my short, sharp haircut is my final, silent resistance against it all.

In my perception, my soul has long been peeled away from this flesh. I am like an indifferent bystander, watching society's expectations coil around this body like countless snakes, forcibly shaping the female characteristics it defines. My interior is incomparably pale, like a programmed machine driving a doll named "Matsushima Noriko," moving fluidly, responding appropriately. I simply wind up the spring day after day to complete the mission called "life."

唯有假日，我才能稍稍喘息。甩開套裝和高跟鞋，洗去臉上的脂粉，換上修身的深色長褲、簡約的貼合襯衫，和擦擦得鋥亮的休閒皮鞋，我才感覺「我」回來了。然後，我會出門尋找「光」。別誤會，我不是要欺騙感情，就只是迫切需要靠近那些發光的個體，需要從她們身上汲取那份美好，來滋養我乾涸的靈魂，讓我能在這個世界裡苟延殘喘。

那個夏夜，涼風習習，我聽說附近的神社有祭典。我興致勃勃地前往，心裡盤算著今晚能遇到什麼樣的邂逅。

祭典果然不曾讓我失望。昏黃的燈籠光暈灑滿參道，將穿著浴衣的女孩們映照得愈發動人。她們或執團扇輕搖，姿態優雅；或品嘗蘋果糖，神情閒適；或與同伴嬉笑，眉眼靈動。為了配合浴衣，她們頭髮不是盤起，就是紮個清爽的馬尾，露出了纖細而白嫩的頸項，散發著女性特有的溫婉氣息。

到了會場，果然沒讓我失望。昏黃溫暖的燈籠光下，到處都是穿著浴衣的女孩。有的優雅地搖著團扇，有的閒適地吃著蘋果糖，有的可愛地與同伴嬉鬧。為了搭配浴衣，她們頭髮不是盤起，就是紮個清爽的馬尾，露出了纖細白嫩的頸項，散發著女性特有的溫婉氣息。

是呀，女生就是這麼棒。光是看著她們，就能讓人暫時忘記現實的折磨。

我雙手插在口袋裡，目光漫不經心地巡弋。然後，在熙攘人潮中，我看見了她。

她靜立如溫潤明珠，周身自然流瀉著清輝。紫黑色秀髮泛著綢緞光澤，襯出幾分古典韻致。淺紫底色的浴衣上散落細碎櫻紋，鵝黃腰帶在暮色中格外醒目。當她微微側首，精雕細琢的五官在燈下顯露，恍若神明詮釋美的傑作。但最攝人心魄的，是那舉手投足間渾然天成的從容，與飽滿內在透出的安穩氣度。

就是她了。我深吸一口氣上前，拿出反覆排練過的開場白：

「晚上好，妳的浴衣真好看，上面的花紋很特別呢。」

她回眸，眼中星輝流轉，唇角淺笑：「謝謝，是櫻花與流水紋。你也喜歡祭典的氛圍嗎？」

Only on holidays can I breathe a little. Throwing off the suit and heels, washing the powder from my face, and changing into slim dark trousers, a simple fitted shirt, and polished casual leather shoes—only then do I feel that "I" have returned. Then, I go out to find "light." Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to deceive anyone emotionally; I just urgently need to be near those glowing individuals, to draw that beauty from them to nourish my parched soul, so that I can linger on in this world.

That summer night, with a cool breeze blowing, I heard there was a festival at a nearby shrine. I went with great interest, wondering what kind of encounter I might have tonight.

The festival did not disappoint. The warm, dim glow of lanterns spilled over the approach, making the girls in yukata appear even more moving. Some waved round fans with elegance; some tasted candied apples with a relaxed air; some laughed and played with companions, their eyes lively. To match their yukata, their hair was either pinned up or tied in a fresh ponytail, revealing slender, fair necks, radiating a gentleness unique to women.

Yes, girls are just that wonderful. Just looking at them makes one temporarily forget the torture of reality.

I kept my hands in my pockets, my gaze wandering casually. Then, in the bustling crowd, I saw her.

She stood quietly like a warm, luminous pearl, a clear radiance naturally flowing around her. Her purple-black hair had the sheen of silk, bringing out a touch of classical charm. Her light purple yukata was scattered with fine cherry blossom patterns, and her goose-yellow sash was striking in the twilight. When she tilted her head slightly, her finely chiseled features were revealed under the light, like a masterpiece of beauty interpreted by a god. But what was most captivating was the natural composure in her every gesture, and the stable air that came from a full inner self.

She was the one. I took a deep breath and approached, using the opening line I had rehearsed repeatedly:

"Good evening. Your yukata is really beautiful; the pattern is quite unique."

She looked back, starlight flowing in her eyes, a faint smile on her lips: "Thank you. It's a pattern of cherry blossoms and flowing water. Do you like the atmosphere of the festival too?"

出乎意料地順利。她並沒有像一般獨身女性那樣對陌生搭訕者保持警戒，也沒有刻意為之的矜持。我們從祭典緣起，聊到最近看的書，再到城市角落裡不起眼的美食。

她的言談如清泉流淌，知識廣博卻不賣弄，親切間自有分寸。和她交談，彷彿漫步春日的庭園，每一步都有花開的驚喜，每一息都沁著舒心的芬芳。她完美契合了我對理想女性的全部想像。

我們沿著參道並肩徐行，任攤位燈火與人聲笑語在身畔流淌。忽然她腳步一滯。

「哎呀。」她輕聲低呼，原來是木屐的帶子鬆脫了。

「沒事吧？」我連忙扶住她的手臂，觸感溫潤柔軟。

「不好意思，木屐有點不聽話了。」她歉然一笑。

「那邊有個安靜的角落，我們去那裡處理一下吧。」我扶著她，走到神社後方一處僻靜的角落，遠離人群的喧囂。

我讓她坐下，自己單膝跪地，替她取下木屐，笨拙地嘗試繫緊那裂成兩段的帶子。

她沒有催促，只是靜靜地看著我的動作。

「妳很熟練呢，照顧人這方面。」她突然開口，聲音輕柔得像夜風。

「呃，還好啦，習慣了。」我指尖微顫，動作不由得慢了半分。

It went unexpectedly smoothly. She didn't maintain a guard against a stranger's approach like most single women, nor did she have any affectations of reserve. We talked about the origins of the festival, recent books we'd read, and the unassuming gourmet food in the corners of the city.

Her conversation flowed like a clear spring; she was knowledgeable but not showy, intimate yet with boundaries. Talking to her was like strolling through a spring garden; every step held the surprise of a blooming flower, every breath was infused with a soothing fragrance. She perfectly fit my entire imagination of an ideal woman.

We walked side by side along the path, letting the lights of the stalls and the laughter of the crowd flow around us. Suddenly, her steps faltered.

"Oh my," she exclaimed softly. The strap of her geta sandal had come loose.

"Are you alright?" I quickly supported her arm. It felt warm and soft.

"I'm sorry, my geta is being a bit disobedient," she smiled apologetically.

"There's a quiet corner over there. Let's go fix it." I supported her as we walked to a secluded spot behind the shrine, away from the noise of the crowd.

I had her sit down, and I knelt on one knee, taking off her geta and clumsily trying to retie the broken strap.

She didn't rush me, just quietly watched my movements.

"You're very skilled, aren't you? At taking care of people," she said suddenly, her voice as soft as the night breeze.

"Uh, I guess so. I'm used to it." My fingertips trembled slightly, and my movements slowed by half a beat.

就在我努力平復心情，埋首於那根頑固的木屐帶時，夜空炸開第一朵煙火。絢爛的光彩瞬間傾瀉而下，照亮她仰起的臉龐——那嘴角噙著的一抹笑意，純粹得比夜空所有的花火更令人心顫。在那一霎，我的心防被擊碎，如同琉璃般迸裂，蟄伏已久的情感終於決堤。

我再次低下頭，手指無意識地纏繞著那根帶子，彷彿它是救命稻草。那些深埋心底的祕密，就這麼伴隨煙火的鳴響流淌而出。我說起了日夜撕扯我的錯亂，對這具身體的厭棄，那個自以為是「男性」的靈魂，還有對女性世界既嚮往又無法融入的絕望。言語支離破碎，我像個自暴自棄的孩子，將最不堪的內心赤裸攤開。

不知說了多久，直到最後一個音節消散在夜色裡。她靜靜地聽著，沒有驚詫，沒有憐憫，那洞悉一切的目光卻異常溫暖，彷彿一雙無形的手，輕柔地穿透我所有偽裝，觸及了那在黑暗中蜷縮太久，正在瑟瑟發抖的核心。

在這片虛脫般的靜默中，奇異的氛圍，悄然漫溢。

難以言喻。一股蘊藏神性的溫柔氣息，從她浴衣之下的軀體，悠悠散發。那不是香氣，不是熱度，而是一種……「存在」的狀態，寧靜、包容，無比強大。

她似有所覺，垂首輕撫胸口，唇角漾起瞭然的微笑。

「是神櫻呢，」她的聲音輕柔得像夜風的低語，「祂也想和妳說說話。」

剎那間，我「看見」了光。非目之所及，而是靈魂直接感知的輝煌。那定是櫻色——溫暖輕柔，卻蘊含無窮生機。盛夏的夜空下，彷彿全世界的櫻花，都盛開在這一刻。

我不知道發生了什麼事，驚訝地張大嘴巴，手裡的木屐掉在地上。

她赧然淺笑，隨後做出了令我終生難忘的舉動。

只見她雙手托住自己臉頰，輕輕向上一舉——她的頭顱，就這麼與身體分開了，被她捧在自己的手掌心。

Just as I was trying to calm myself, burying my head in that stubborn strap, the first firework exploded in the night sky. Brilliant colors cascaded down instantly, illuminating her upturned face—the smile playing at the corners of her mouth was purer and more heart-trembling than all the fireworks in the sky. In that instant, the defenses of my heart were shattered, cracking like glazed glass, and the emotions that had been dormant for so long finally burst the dam.

I lowered my head again, my fingers unconsciously winding around the strap as if it were a lifeline. The secrets buried deep in my heart flowed out with the booming of the fireworks. I spoke of the confusion that tore at me day and night, the self-loathing for this body, the soul that thought it was "male," and the despair of yearning for the female world but being unable to integrate into it. My words were fragmented; I was like a child who had given up on herself, laying bare the most unbearable parts of my heart.

I don't know how long I spoke, until the last syllable dissipated into the night. She listened quietly, without surprise, without pity. Her gaze, which seemed to understand everything, was incredibly warm, like a pair of invisible hands gently penetrating all my disguises to touch the core that had curled up in the darkness for too long, shivering.

In this silence that felt like exhaustion, a strange atmosphere quietly overflowed.

It was indescribable. A gentle aura containing divinity drifted from her body beneath the yukata. It wasn't a scent, nor heat, but a state of... "existence." Serene, encompassing, and incredibly powerful.

She seemed to sense it, bowing her head to stroke her chest, a knowing smile rippling on her lips.

"It is Shin-ou," her voice was as soft as the whisper of the night wind. "It wants to talk to you too."

In an instant, I "saw" light. Not with my eyes, but a brilliance perceived directly by the soul. It must be sakura-colored—warm and gentle, yet containing infinite vitality. Under the midsummer night sky, it was as if all the cherry blossoms in the world were blooming at this moment.

I didn't know what was happening; I opened my mouth in surprise, and the geta in my hand fell to the ground.

She smiled shyly, then performed an action I would never forget for the rest of my life.

She cupped her own cheeks with both hands and gently lifted upward—her head separated from her body just like that, held in the palms of her own hands.

這畫面本應可怕得讓我尖叫逃跑，然而我完全沒有那種感覺。一切都顯得那麼自然、那麼神聖，彷彿本就如此。

被捧著的容顏依然含笑，明眸清澈如初；無頭的軀幹端坐如儀，流轉著櫻色光暈。

「神櫻知曉妳的痛楚，」她的聲音自掌心傳來，輕柔卻直抵靈魂深處，「但痛苦未必只能是痛苦；正如喜歡，也未必是你所以為的那種喜歡。」

我茫然望著這超現實的景象，腦海一片空白。

「身份，更從來不該是自我設限的牢籠。」她繼續說道，「如同我明明不是神，卻承載著神；我明明是人，卻又不完全是人。這份曖昧，何嘗不是一種自由？」

看著這不可思議的一幕，內心卻異常平靜。我明明不知道什麼是神櫻，此刻卻感到無比的熟悉與信賴。突然間，我篤定地明瞭了一件事：神櫻不是她，卻又是她。而這場相遇，將是我這輩子最值得珍惜的一瞬。

萬千無形的櫻花如泉湧般自神櫻流瀉，每一瓣都在以獨特的姿態舒展綻放。凝視著這番景象，我忽然意識到——世間女子不也正是如此？各有其態，各具其美，共同編織出這多彩人間。

名為「頓悟」的閃電擊中我，如同劃破夜空的流星，照亮了我混沌的內心。

我對女性的喜愛，原來可以如此純粹——就只是欣賞，只是戀慕，如同靜觀一朵花的綻放，品味一幅畫的意境。抱持這份情感，何必非要冠以「男性」的身份？何必執著於佔有？

那麼，即使深深為女性著迷，我也未必就是男性，對嗎？

困擾我半生的那道等式，在這一刻悄然崩解。

若我非屬男性，那這具與生俱來的軀殼，便不再是錯誤的囚籠。

我也是女生，對不對？

所以這個名為「松島法子」的存在，是否本來就該被納入我所鍾愛的那片「美好」？

漫天花雨輕柔飛舞，彷彿在為我的覺醒輕聲祝賀。她含笑將捧著的頭顱遞來，我顫抖著雙手，如承接聖物般小心翼翼捧住。近看那雙紫晶般的眼眸，其中倒映的星河，彷彿要將我引入無垠宇宙。

This scene should have been terrifying enough to make me scream and run, yet I felt nothing of the sort. Everything seemed so natural, so sacred, as if this was how it was meant to be.

The face being held still smiled, eyes as clear as before; the headless torso sat dignified and proper, flowing with a sakura-colored aura.

"Shin-ou knows your pain," her voice came from her palms, soft but reaching straight to the depths of my soul. "But pain does not necessarily have to be just pain; just as liking does not necessarily have to be the kind of liking you think it is."

I stared blankly at this surreal scene, my mind blank.

"Identity should never be a cage of self-limitation," she continued. "Just as I am clearly not a god, yet I carry a god; I am clearly human, yet not entirely human. Isn't this ambiguity also a kind of freedom?"

Looking at this incredible scene, my heart was incredibly calm. I clearly didn't know what Shin-ou was, yet at this moment, I felt an immense familiarity and trust. Suddenly, I understood one thing with certainty: Shin-ou was not her, yet was her. And this encounter would be the most cherishable moment of my life.

Thousands of invisible cherry blossoms flowed from Shin-ou like a spring, each petal unfolding and blooming in a unique posture. Gazing at this sight, I suddenly realized—aren't the women of the world just like this? Each with her own form, each with her own beauty, weaving together this colorful human world.

A lightning bolt named "epiphany" struck me, like a meteor cutting through the night sky, illuminating my chaotic heart.

My love for women could be so pure—just appreciation, just admiration, like quietly watching a flower bloom, savoring the mood of a painting. Holding this emotion, why must I crown it with a "male" identity? Why obsess over possession?

So, even if I am deeply fascinated by women, I am not necessarily male, am I?

The equation that had troubled me for half my life quietly disintegrated at this moment.

If I do not belong to the male gender, then this body I was born with is no longer a wrong cage.

I am a girl too, aren't I?

So, should this existence named "Matsushima Noriko" have rightfully been included in that "beauty" I so cherish from the start?

The sky full of flower rain danced gently, as if softly congratulating my awakening. Smiling, she held out her head to me. With trembling hands, I accepted it carefully, as if receiving a sacred relic. Looking closely into those amethyst-like eyes, the galaxy reflected within seemed about to draw me into the boundless universe.

此時，她那無首的身軀輕盈靠近，張開雙臂，將我溫柔環抱。

兩具同樣柔軟的軀體透過薄衫，緊緊相貼——我那被詛咒了二十餘年的身軀，此刻正領受著神櫻的溫熱。奇妙的是，我的身體彷彿認得這份觸碰，竟主動迎上前去，成為祂的「軀幹同伴」，以「女性」這共通的本質，共鳴著生命的美好。在肌膚相親的溫暖中，我恍惚聽見自己的身體正對神櫻細語——訴說這些年獨自承受的冷眼，那些被否定、被厭棄的日日夜夜。一股灼熱的歉意自心底湧現，幾乎要將我淹沒。

「是呀，她已是神櫻的摯友了。」依舊安臥在我掌中的容顏凝望著我們相擁的身軀，眼含欣慰，笑盈盈地說，「從今往後，可不許再欺負她。」

在那懷抱中，我融化了。經年累月的堅冰與冷硬，如春雪般消逝。該被詛咒的從來不是這具身體，而是我對自身女性特質的疏離、厭棄與恐懼。

我是女生。

我就是女生。

是那個……我應該要去喜歡、去擁抱的女生啊！

熱淚奪眶而出，不是悲傷，而是滌淨靈魂的釋然與感恩。感謝她，感謝神櫻，更在心底向這具身體、向那個被壓抑已久的「法子」，致上最深切的歉意。

神跡之夜終將落幕，我們在鳥居下相視而別，未留隻字片語——這場相遇本就是超越凡俗的贈禮。

重返日常，萬物如舊。但我知道，有些東西已徹底改變。

週末獨自踏入百貨公司，女裝專櫃的燈光溫柔灑落。「歡迎光臨！」店員的問候讓我下意識瑟縮。

「我……我想看看洋裝。」我聽見自己以乾澀的聲音回應。

就從找回自己本來的面貌開始吧！

目光掠過那些曾覺得與己無緣的洋裝，最終選定一襲淡黃素雅的款式。轉至鞋櫃，一雙粉櫻色的細跟涼鞋映入眼簾。

當雙足輕盈地沒入鞋履，精緻的線條彷彿要引我起舞。安坐鏡前，雙手輕壓裙襬，低頭卻見圓潤的趾尖從鞋頭微探，如俏皮的少女朝我眨眼。

At this moment, her headless body approached lightly, opened its arms, and gently embraced me.

Two equally soft bodies pressed tightly together through thin shirts—my body, cursed for over twenty years, was now receiving the warmth of Shin-ou. Miraculously, my body seemed to recognize this touch and actively moved forward to meet it, becoming a "companion of the torso" to It, resonating with the beauty of life through the shared essence of "female." In the warmth of skin touching skin, I vaguely heard my own body whispering to Shin-ou—telling of the cold stares endured alone over the years, the days and nights of being denied and loathed. A scorching apology welled up from the bottom of my heart, almost drowning me.

"Yes, she is already Shin-ou's best friend," the face still resting peacefully in my palms gazed at our embracing bodies, eyes full of relief, and said with a smile, "From now on, you aren't allowed to bully her anymore."

In that embrace, I melted. The years of ice and hardness vanished like spring snow. It was never this body that should have been cursed, but my alienation, loathing, and fear of my own feminine qualities.

I am a girl.

I am really a girl.

I am... that girl I should have liked and embraced!

Hot tears burst from my eyes, not of sadness, but of a relief and gratitude that cleansed the soul. Thank you to her, thank you to Shin-ou, and deep in my heart, I offered the deepest apology to this body, to the "Noriko" who had been suppressed for so long.

The night of miracles eventually came to a close. We parted under the torii gate with a look, leaving no words behind—this encounter was a gift beyond the mundane.

Returning to daily life, everything was as before. But I knew something had changed completely.

That weekend, I walked alone into a department store, the lights of the women's clothing section falling gently. "Welcome!" The clerk's greeting made me subconsciously shrink back.

"I... I want to look at dresses," I heard myself respond in a dry voice.

Let's start by reclaiming my true face!

My gaze swept over the dresses I had once felt were unrelated to me, finally settling on a simple, elegant pale yellow style. Moving to the shoe section, a pair of pink sakura-colored stiletto sandals caught my eye.

When my feet slipped lightly into the shoes, the exquisite lines seemed to invite me to dance. Sitting before the mirror, hands gently pressing the hem of the dress, I looked down to see my rounded toes peeking from the shoes, winking at me like a playful young girl.

啊啊……這誰？這衣服，這鞋……所妝點的，又是哪位窈窕淑女？難道是我？原來，我也能是我鍾愛的那種美好？

一股熱意自心中湧現，我慌忙用手捂住因而發燙的雙頰。

雖然開心，還是好害羞啊！

Ah... who is this? These clothes, these shoes... which fair lady do they adorn? Is it me? Could it be that I, too, can be the kind of beauty I cherish?

A heat surged from my heart, and I hurriedly covered my burning cheeks with my hands.

Even though I'm happy, I'm still so shy!

---

其二 斬魔龐克

「你好。敝姓杉山，在中島商社任職，職位是課長。若不嫌棄的話，這是我的名片……」

「鈴——！」

鬧鐘的尖嘯如鐵鉗般將我從夢境扯出。我喘息著，額角冒出冷汗。是夢嗎？可夢中那重複千遍的鞠躬、那刻入骨髓的公式笑容，竟比現實更顯真切，如同一場永無謝幕的排演。

匆匆踏上通勤之路，被壓縮在車廂裡，身體隨之搖晃，思緒卻飄向了近日最頭疼的家務事——所煩惱的是我的女兒，美奈實。

她曾經是多麼乖巧的孩子啊，身著規整校服，烏髮如瀑，滿牆獎狀見證著她的優秀。可自從她進了高中那個什麼……熱音社？一切都變了。髮絲染作霓虹，身上金屬飾品叮噹作響，緊身皮衣包裹著她抽長的軀體。每當我與妻子過問，總換來她不耐的揮手：「你們大人不懂！這叫龐克！是搖滾的精神！」

唉，我那昔日的模範女兒，究竟迷失在何方？電車到站的提示音響起，我只能將這聲嘆息連同自己，一併塞進那名為「公司」的盒子。

身為社畜，白日的工作從未隨著夕陽落幕——還得與同僚在居酒屋「培養情誼」，直至夜色深沉。當我終於拖著灌鉛的雙腿踏上末班電車，窗外星辰已寥落得讓人心悸。

步出車站，熟悉的街道在路燈下異常沉寂。空氣中的生機正被悄然抽離，連蟲鳴都銷聲匿跡。帶著七分醉意，我不禁自嘲：該不會⋯⋯遇上不乾淨的東西了？

豈料一語成讖。

刺骨陰風驟然捲地而起，殘存的酒意瞬間蒸發。我本能地閉目再睜——眼前的景象讓血液為之凍結。

熟悉的街道消失了！取而代之的，是扭曲、昏沉的異樣光景。腐敗的腥臭撲鼻而來，黑暗中浮現無數雙飽含惡意的血瞳。那些形狀詭異、瘴氣纏身的怪物，我曾在恐怖漫畫裡見過，但未曾想過它們現身於此——是妖魔？！

不待我反應，魔物已如潮水湧來。恐懼攫住心臟，我跌撞逃竄。但一介中年上班族的腳程，豈能快過這些異界惡鬼？利爪撕裂西裝，在身上劃開灼熱的痛楚。溫熱的液體不斷湧出，力氣隨之流失。我終究踉蹌倒地，絕望地注視著醜惡面容與垂涎巨口逼近。

完了……這就是終點了嗎？對不起啊，美奈實，爸爸還沒能讀懂妳的「搖滾」……

就在意識即將被黑暗吞噬之際，兩道雷霆般的身影，悍然殺入戰場！

「咻——鏘！」

新月般的銀亮刀光閃過，最近處的兩隻妖魔應聲斷裂！與此同時，佈滿尖刃的長鞭如毒蛇出洞，纏上側翼妖魔的脖頸——清脆的骨碎聲令人齒寒。

劫後餘生的我顫抖望去，待看清救星真容時，呼吸為之一滯——那竟然是……一雙腿？！

一雙線條優美卻蘊藏爆發力的腿，套著緊貼肌膚的亮黑色皮褲——更準確地說，那僅是殘破的褲管，邊緣撕裂如絮。足蹬前衛的粗跟涼鞋，金屬扣環閃爍冷光。這風格……讓我不由自主地想起了美奈實最近的裝扮。

大腿根部再無他物，唯有兵刃自靈光中延伸成形。左腿凝結一柄流轉銀輝的薄刃太刀，鋒芒逼人；右腿延展出佈滿猙獰骨刺的慘白長鞭，如活物般律動伸縮。

在蜂擁而至的魔潮中，那雙腿跳起了令人目眩神迷的戰舞。時而重踏地面，激起靈力震波；時而凌空迴旋，劃出銀色軌跡。太刀斬落如流星墜地，將妖魔連同瘴氣一分為二；長鞭揮灑似蛇群狂舞，刺耳的破空聲伴隨著骨骼碎裂的鳴響。每一個關節的屈伸都蘊含完美力道，足掌輕點間便完成攻防轉換，而揮舞的武器好似長了眼睛，總能攻向妖魔的所在，彷彿整片戰場都是它們的舞台。

II. Demon-Slaying Punk

"Hello. My name is Sugiyama, working at Nakajima Trading, position Section Chief. If you wouldn't mind, here is my business card..."

"Ring—!"

The alarm clock's screech tore me from my dream like iron pincers. I gasped for breath, cold sweat beading on my forehead. Was it a dream? But the thousands of repeated bows in the dream, the formulaic smile carved into my bones, seemed more real than reality, like a rehearsal that would never end.

I hurriedly embarked on my commute, compressed into the train carriage, my body swaying with it, but my thoughts drifted to the biggest headache at home lately—my worries about my daughter, Minami.

What a well-behaved child she used to be, dressed in a neat uniform, raven hair like a waterfall, a wall full of certificates testifying to her excellence. But ever since she entered high school and joined that... Light Music Club? Everything changed. Her hair was dyed neon, metal accessories clinked on her body, and tight leather clothes wrapped her lengthening frame. Whenever my wife and I asked, we were met with an impatient wave of her hand: "You adults don't get it! This is Punk! It's the spirit of Rock!"

Sigh, where has my model daughter gone? The notification sound for the train arriving at the station rang out, and I could only stuff this sigh, along with myself, into the box named "Company."

As a corporate wage slave, the day's work never ended with the setting sun—I still had to "cultivate relationships" with colleagues at the izakaya until deep into the night. When I finally dragged my lead-filled legs onto the last train, the stars outside the window were sparse enough to make my heart palpitate.

Stepping out of the station, the familiar street was unusually silent under the streetlights. The vitality in the air was being quietly drained away; even the insects had fallen silent. With a mind seven-tenths drunk, I couldn't help but mock myself: Did I... run into something unclean?

Unexpectedly, my words turned into a prophecy.

A bone-chilling wind suddenly whipped up from the ground, instantly evaporating my remaining drunkenness. I instinctively closed my eyes and opened them again—the scene before me froze my blood.

The familiar street was gone! Replaced by a twisted, dim, alien landscape. The stench of rot assailed my nose, and countless pairs of malicious, bloody eyes emerged from the darkness. Those bizarrely shaped monsters wrapped in miasma, I had seen them in horror manga, but never thought they would appear here—Demons?!

Before I could react, the monsters surged like a tide. Fear seized my heart, and I stumbled and fled. But how could the legs of a middle-aged salaryman outrun these otherworldly fiends? Sharp claws tore through my suit, carving burning pain across my body. Warm liquid gushed out continuously, and my strength drained away. I eventually stumbled and fell, staring in despair as the hideous faces and drooling maws approached.

It's over... is this the end? I'm sorry, Minami, Dad still hasn't been able to understand your "Rock"...

Just as my consciousness was about to be swallowed by darkness, two lightning-like figures boldly crashed into the battlefield!

"Whoosh—Clang!"

A crescent-like silver blade flashed, and the two nearest demons were instantly severed! Simultaneously, a long whip covered in sharp blades darted out like a poisonous snake, wrapping around the neck of a demon on the flank—the crisp sound of breaking bones was chilling.

Having survived the disaster, I looked over trembling, and when I saw the true face of my savior, my breath hitched—it was actually... a pair of legs?!

A pair of legs with beautiful lines yet hiding explosive power, clad in shiny black leather pants that clung to the skin—or more accurately, only tattered pant legs, the edges torn like cotton. The feet wore avant-garde chunky-heeled sandals, metal buckles gleaming coldly. This style... involuntarily reminded me of Minami's recent outfits.

There was nothing above the thighs, only weapons forming from spiritual light. The right leg condensed a thin tachi blade flowing with silver radiance, its edge threatening; the left leg extended a ghastly white whip covered in ferocious bone spurs, pulsating and extending like a living thing.

​Amidst the swarming tide of demons, those legs danced a dazzling war dance. Sometimes stomping heavily on the ground, kicking up shockwaves of spiritual power; sometimes spinning in mid-air, tracing silver trajectories. The tachi fell like a meteor, splitting demons and miasma in two; the long whip swayed like a wild dance of snakes, the piercing sound of breaking air accompanied by the crack of shattering bones. Every flexion and extension of the joints contained perfect force; offense and defense switched with a light tap of the sole, and the wielding weapons seemed to have eyes, always striking where the demons were, as if the entire battlefield was their stage.

更令人震撼的是，即便躲過兵刃的妖魔企圖近身，也討不到便宜。下一秒，不是被落下的鞋跟踩碎頭顱，就是被足尖的踢擊貫穿怪胸膛，或者被膝撞裂胸肋，甚至腳踝輕旋便能折斷襲來的利爪。

這雙腿將殺戮昇華為藝術——每一個部位都是武器，每個動作都暗藏殺機。它們時而如芭蕾舞者般輕盈躍動，時而像重金屬樂手般狂暴踐踏，舞出生命與死亡互相撞擊的一曲。墨綠血液與碎裂骨肉在空中飛濺，與那雙腿上新添的傷痕交織成詭譎的圖騰。皮質褲管逐漸殘破，光潔肌膚綻開血痕，但戰鬥的節奏反而愈發狂烈。在血腥與聖光交纏的空間裡，飄散的妖魔殘骸竟如櫻吹雪般，帶著殘酷而淒豔的美感。

就在視野逐漸模糊之際，我的意識突然感知到某種「話音」：「唉，今晚難得的搖滾現場演奏，不能去了。我練習了很久耶！」伴隨著濃厚的不滿與委屈的嘆息，「可惡的妖魔，真會挑時間。而且我剛買的龐克風皮褲，又撕爛了！想哭……」

什……什麼？搖滾？褲子？在生死搏殺間思考這些？我還未從錯愕中回神，便徹底沉入黑暗。

當意識再度凝聚時，溫暖的靈流正包裹著我。努力聚焦「視線」後，眼前的超現實，景象令思維一滯：那雙熟悉的腿，兀自佇立在櫻色光暈中，此外……還有一副無頭無肢的玉白軀幹？！莊嚴威光在肌理間流淌，也帶著一股令人敬畏的非人完美。

「媽呀！這、這是什麼？！」我內心的驚駭無以復加。

「你醒來啦？」含笑的嗓音在腦海響起，「嚇到了嗎？真是抱歉。」

Even more shocking was that even if a demon dodged the blades and tried to get close, they gained no advantage. In the next second, their skull would be crushed by a falling heel, their chest pierced by a toe kick, their ribs cracked by a knee strike, or their attacking claws snapped by a light twist of an ankle.

These legs sublimated slaughter into art—every part was a weapon, every movement hid killing intent. Sometimes they leaped lightly like a ballet dancer, sometimes they trampled violently like a heavy metal musician, dancing a song of life and death colliding. Dark green blood and shattered flesh flew through the air, weaving a grotesque totem with the fresh wounds on those legs. The leather pant legs became increasingly tattered, blood streaks blooming on the smooth skin, but the rhythm of the battle only grew more frantic. In the space where blood and holy light intertwined, the scattered remains of the demons fell like a blizzard of cherry blossoms, carrying a cruel yet poignant beauty.

Just as my vision blurred, my consciousness suddenly perceived a "voice": "Sigh, I can't go to the rare live rock performance tonight. I practiced for so long!" Followed by a sigh heavy with dissatisfaction and grievance, "Damn demons, they really know how to pick a time. And my newly bought punk-style leather pants are torn again! I want to cry..."

W... what? Rock? Pants? Thinking about these things during a life-and-death struggle? Before I could recover from my shock, I sank completely into darkness.

When my consciousness gathered again, a warm flow of spiritual energy was wrapping around me. After struggling to focus my "vision," the surreal scene before me stalled my thinking: those familiar legs stood alone in a sakura-colored aura, and besides them... there was a headless, limbless jade-white torso?! A majestic light flowed through the texture of its skin, carrying an awe-inspiring, non-human perfection.

"Mommy! W-what is this?!" The horror in my heart was unparalleled.

"You're awake?" A smiling voice rang in my mind. "Were you scared? I'm truly sorry."

未待我發問，那道聲音便細心解釋：「昨夜戰鬥讓這雙腿受了不少傷，也沾染邪瘴，目前進行清除污穢、化解詛咒和治療傷口。至於這軀體——」意念輕觸那具完美身軀，「是神櫻大人。祂因為支持戰鬥進行，以及治療雙腿和重傷的你，耗用了不少神威，所以在在補充靈力。」

「至於衣裳不整⋯⋯」語氣忽轉俏皮，「沾滿妖魔血污的衣物被嫌棄了，暫無替換呢。」隨即溫聲安撫：「不必拘謹，神櫻並不介意展現這份莊嚴的完美。」

毋需在意是嗎？……我的確沒辦法在意。我這連形體都不完整的狀態，產生不了什麼不當遐想。更何況神櫻身上散發出的聖潔光輝，以及對救命之恩的感激，早已壓倒了一切雜念……等等？那是……

當「目光」落在那雙腿上的古樸長劍，與懸浮於神櫻頸項的勾玉時，震驚壓倒了一切。那流轉的銘文、那傳承的形態⋯⋯莫非是傳說中鎮國三器中的「草薙劍」與「八尺瓊勾玉」？！

「哎呀，被你認出來了呢。」嗓音裡盪著俏皮的漣漪，彷彿早已知曉我心中的驚愕。「也是，正在為你療傷，靈場也與你相連，此刻我們可謂心意相通。」

心意相通……這份殊遇令我受寵若驚。未待我回應，為徹底淨化侵蝕我意識的邪瘴，她竟輕托起我分離的頭顱，安放在神櫻的玉白頸項之上！

霎時天地澄明。思緒如掙脫樊籠的飛鳥，在無垠晴空展翅。溫潤神性如春泉淌過每寸感知——這便是觸及神格的滋味麼？我這凡夫，何其有幸……

也正是在這朦朧光暈中，首次得見她的真容。浮現在側的臉龐皎若新月，深邃的眼眸中沉澱著悲憫，唇畔笑意卻蘊藏看透世事的智慧。這副容顏，與神櫻軀幹渾然天成，無比契合。

與此同時，那雙遊走空中的纖手正細心修復我的軀殼。當素白指尖探入我敞開的胸腔整理臟器時，她忽然頓住，竟掏出手機，查閱人體解剖圖！望著神靈之手在我體內依循現代醫學認真作業，混合著極度羞恥與無比感激的複雜情緒，油然而生。

待我身軀最後一道傷痕癒合，她也輕巧地重組自身，披上不知從何處取來的衣物，施術將我送回人間街巷。

「謝謝。救命之恩，沒齒難忘。」我深深鞠躬，言語在如此恩情前顯得蒼白。

「舉手之勞，不必客氣。義介，今後要更保重自己呀。」她含笑喚出我名字，親暱得如同故友。也是，在靈識交融後，她早已閱讀我半生軌跡。

Before I could ask, the voice carefully explained: "The battle last night caused a lot of injuries to these legs and contaminated them with evil miasma. Currently, we are clearing the filth, dissolving the curses, and healing the wounds. As for this body—" the thought gently touched the perfect torso, "It is Lord Shin-ou. Because It supported the battle and the healing of the legs and your severe injuries, It consumed a lot of divine majesty, so It is replenishing spiritual power."

"As for being undressed..." the tone suddenly turned playful, "The clothes stained with demon blood and filth were rejected, and there are no replacements for now." Then she comforted me gently: "No need to be reserved, Shin-ou does not mind displaying this solemn perfection."

No need to mind, is it? ...I really couldn't mind. In my state where even my form wasn't complete, I couldn't generate any improper thoughts. Moreover, the sacred radiance emanating from Shin-ou, and the gratitude for saving my life, had long overwhelmed all distracting thoughts... Wait? Is that...

When my "gaze" fell upon the ancient longsword on the legs and the magatama hovering at Shin-ou's neck, shock overwhelmed everything else. Those flowing inscriptions, that inherited form... Could they be the legendary Imperial Regalia, the "Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi" and the "Yasakani-no-Magatama"?!

"Oh my, you recognized them." Ripples of playfulness danced in the voice, as if she already knew the astonishment in my heart. "Well, since I am healing you and our spiritual fields are connected, we can be said to be of one mind right now."

Of one mind... this honor was overwhelming. Before I could respond, in order to thoroughly purify the evil miasma eroding my consciousness, she actually gently lifted my detached head and placed it on Shin-ou's jade-white neck!

Instantly, the world became clear. My thoughts were like birds breaking free from a cage, spreading their wings in the boundless clear sky. Warm divinity flowed like a spring through every inch of my perception—is this the taste of touching godhood? How fortunate am I, a mortal...

It was also in this hazy aura that I saw her true face for the first time. The face floating beside me was as bright as a new moon, deep compassion settling in her eyes, yet the smile on her lips held a wisdom that saw through the world. This face was a natural, perfect fit for Shin-ou's torso.

At the same time, those slender hands wandering in the air were carefully repairing my shell. When the pale fingertips reached into my open chest to organize my organs, she suddenly paused and actually took out a mobile phone to check human anatomy charts! Watching the hands of a god working seriously inside my body according to modern medicine, a complex emotion mixing extreme shame and immense gratitude arose spontaneously.

When the last wound on my body healed, she lightly reassembled herself, put on clothes retrieved from somewhere, and used a spell to send me back to the streets of the human world.

"Thank you. I will never forget your life-saving grace." I bowed deeply, words appearing pale before such kindness.

"It was nothing, no need to be polite. Yoshisuke, take better care of yourself from now on." She called my name with a smile, intimate as an old friend. Indeed, after the blending of spiritual consciousness, she had long read the trajectory of my half-life.

回家後，面對哭紅雙眼的妻女，我編造了蹩腳謊言——錯過末班車、醉倒路邊、遭野狗襲擊等等。看著妻子含淚責備，看著女兒嘴上嫌棄「爸爸真遜」，眼底卻藏不住關切，我突然感受到了親情的重量。當目光掠過美奈實身上的金屬飾鏈，那些曾令我蹙眉的龐克裝束，此刻竟與月下那雙踏碎妖魔的戰靴重疊交映——

原來那些看似離經叛道的倔強，亦是生命力的鏗鏘表白。這份鮮活，何嘗不是另一種可愛？

時光如流水沖淡記憶，那夜的驚心動魄，漸遠若夢。我改變了以往的生活模式，開始推卻不必要的應酬，在尋常晚餐裡品味幸福。

某個平凡的傍晚，我們一家三口圍坐在電視前，邊吃邊看。螢幕上，旅遊節目正在進行某個度假勝地的現場直播。

突然間，熟悉的面孔闖入了鏡頭。「咦？」我嘴裡的飯差點噴出。

是她！在電視螢幕中，她被主持人抽選到，正進行採訪。美麗的容顏沒有絲毫改變，但曾經環繞她的莊嚴神聖氣息已然褪去；此刻的她，親切得像個鄰家女孩。頭顱之下的神櫻，被一襲無肩帶的碎花洋裝襯得身姿輕盈，將神性光輝盡數收斂。而那雙征戰魔界的腿足，此刻也一改龐克風格，套上可愛的白色涼鞋，顯得溫婉又閒適。

「原來她也能這般……」未竟的感嘆凝在唇邊，螢幕裡的她忽然轉眸望來，穿透鏡頭對我眨眨眼，雙手在胸前，比出一個可愛的動作。

After returning home, facing my wife and daughter crying with red eyes, I made up a clumsy lie—missed the last train, passed out drunk on the roadside, attacked by wild dogs, and so on. Watching my wife scold me through tears, hearing my daughter say "Dad is so uncool" while unable to hide the concern in her eyes, I suddenly felt the weight of familial love. When my gaze swept over the metal chains on Minami, those punk outfits that used to make me frown, at this moment, overlapped and reflected with those combat boots that crushed demons under the moon—

It turns out that those seemingly rebellious stubbornnesses are also a clangorous declaration of vitality. Isn't this vividness also another kind of cuteness?

Time washed away memories like flowing water; the thrill of that night faded like a dream. I changed my past lifestyle, started declining unnecessary social engagements, and savored happiness in ordinary dinners.

One ordinary evening, our family of three sat around the TV, eating and watching. On the screen, a travel program was broadcasting live from a resort.

Suddenly, a familiar face burst into the shot. "Eh?" I almost sprayed the rice from my mouth.

It was her! On the TV screen, she had been selected by the host and was being interviewed. Her beautiful face hadn't changed at all, but the solemn, holy aura that once surrounded her had faded; right now, she was as approachable as the girl next door. Below her head, Shin-ou was set off by a strapless floral dress, making her figure look light and graceful, restraining all the divine radiance. And those legs that had battled in the demon realm had now changed from the punk style, wearing cute white sandals, looking gentle and relaxed.

"So she can also be like this..." The unfinished sigh froze on my lips as she in the screen suddenly turned her eyes to look, winked at me through the lens, and made a cute gesture with her hands in front of her chest.

沒有言語，我卻讀懂那份默契——是問候，亦是溫柔的託付。

這想法毫無緣由，我卻深信不疑。

望著螢幕上她漸遠的身影，我撫胸輕語：「保重。也請代我向神櫻大人問安。」

Without words, I understood that tacit understanding—it was a greeting, and also a gentle entrustment.

This thought had no basis, yet I believed it without a doubt.

Watching her receding figure on the screen, I touched my chest and whispered: "Take care. And please give my regards to Lord Shin-ou."

---

其三 孰姊孰妹

「嗚~噫嗷！啊！！吼！」

伴隨著撕裂時空的尖嘯，妾身自亙古的永夜中猛然驚醒。

多少春秋了？那該死的陰陽師，竟將妾身囚於這無光之境！歲月模糊了年輪，唯獨這焚心的怨毒在黑暗中愈發熾烈。

此仇必報！妾身要讓這世間瞧瞧，怨火灼身是何等痛楚；妾身流下的每一滴血淚，必令蒼生以千百倍償還！首先——

唔？此為何故？

眼前天幕驟然塌陷。星月盡殞，唯餘詭譎流光縱橫交錯。詭譎？由妾身這等存在道出此詞，何等諷刺。

然這片偽裝的夜空並未沉寂。數輪金環自虛空浮現，由虛化實，漸次成陣。妾心困惑，驟生警覺，四隻利爪破體而出，森然寒光劃破混沌，備戰任何不測之變。

倏忽間，光環中躍出數道身影——

嗟乎，此乃何物？

非神非魔，非器非靈。竟是兩截玉臂、一雙纖腿，與雲鬢半挽的女子首級！

「啊，真不好意思。匆忙趕來，讓你見笑了。」那首級竟口吐人言。不好意思？此語何意？

III. Who is the Elder Sister?

"Wu~Yiaow! Ah!! Roar!"

With a scream that tore through space-time, I was jolted awake from the eternal night of antiquity.

How many springs and autumns have passed? That damned Onmyoji actually imprisoned me in this lightless realm! Time has blurred the rings of years, leaving only this heart-burning grudge to grow more intense in the darkness.

This vengeance must be exacted! I will show this world the pain of being scorched by the fires of resentment; for every drop of tears of blood I have shed, the common people must pay back a thousandfold! First—

Hm? What is this?

The sky before my eyes suddenly collapsed. Stars and moon all perished, leaving only bizarre streams of light crisscrossing. Bizarre? How ironic for a being like me to use such a word.

But this fake night sky was not silent. Several golden rings emerged from the void, turning from virtual to real, gradually forming an array. My heart was confused and suddenly alert. Four sharp claws burst from my body, their grim cold light cutting through the chaos, ready for any unforeseen changes.

Suddenly, several figures leaped out of the rings of light—

Alas, what are these things?

Neither god nor demon, neither tool nor spirit. It was actually two jade arms, a pair of slender legs, and a woman's head with hair half-bound!

"Ah, I'm truly sorry. I came in a rush, I must look ridiculous to you." That head actually spoke human words. Sorry? What does that mean?

「其實我剛剛在進行魔術表演，來不及換上正式的巫女除靈套裝，就以這型態，『傳送』過來。」飛首自顧言語，乃至輕吐舌尖。

但見她艱難地將肢體自光環中逐一牽引而出。首級懸空，四肢分立，荒誕絕倫的景象竟令妾身一時怔愣，忘卻攻擊，直至她將此戰軀準備妥當。

「沒有御祓足袋，沒有破邪草履，連纏神袖衣和戰鬥用的符咒都付之闕如……」她喃喃自語，似在清點武具，「手腳都赤裸裸的，只剩當美女助手穿的高跟鞋，毫無任何保護……欸，戰力差得有點多呢……算了，沒關係，我們開始吧！嘿咻！」

荒謬！竟敢在妾身面前如此兒戲！

戰幕乍啟，攻勢如潮。妾身利爪破空而去，足以撕裂鋼鐵，卻次次落空——那四肢飄忽如煙，竟連一角都難以觸及！百年積怨所化咒毒瀰漫湧去，然觸及她櫻色光暈瞬間，竟如融雪消蝕！她這般妖異之態，竟懷神格？！

反觀彼之攻勢，凌厲得令妾身心驚。玉腿幻化鋒銳刀鞭，太刀過處怨念盡碎，骨鞭掃來瘴氣崩解。素手結印間，虛空自成牢籠，將妾身牢牢困鎖。如此威勢，竟自稱「戰力不足」？

不過彈指，妾身護體怨念土崩瓦解，森然利爪鋒芒盡失。櫻色神光如天網罩下，將數百年積怨碾作齏粉。

嗚呼！今日竟要再度隕落麼？下次醒轉，又該是何年何月……

此心……實有不甘……

……

…………

………………

？？？？？？？

"Actually, I was just doing a magic show, and I didn't have time to change into my formal shrine maiden exorcism suit, so I 'teleported' here in this form." The flying head spoke to itself, even sticking out the tip of its tongue lightly.

I watched as she struggled to pull her limbs out of the light rings one by one. The head suspended in the air, limbs standing separately; the absurd scene stunned me for a moment, forgetting to attack, until she had readied this battle body.

"No Purification Tabi, no Evil-Crushing Zori, even the Spirit-Binding Sleeves and combat talismans are missing..." She muttered to herself, seeming to count her armaments. "Hands and feet are all bare, only wearing the high heels from when I was a beautiful assistant, no protection at all... Eh, the combat power is a bit lacking... Oh well, it doesn't matter, let's start! Heave-ho!"

Absurd! To dare to be so trifling in front of me!

The curtain of battle opened, and the attacks came like a tide. My sharp claws tore through the air, enough to rip through steel, yet they missed every time—those four limbs drifted like smoke, impossible to even touch a corner of! The curse poison formed from a hundred years of accumulated grudge surged forth, but the moment it touched her sakura-colored halo, it melted like snow! This grotesque form of hers actually harbors godhood?!

In contrast, her attacks were sharp enough to startle me. Her jade legs transformed into sharp blade-whips; where the tachi passed, resentment shattered; where the bone whip swept, miasma disintegrated. Her pale hands formed seals, creating a cage from the void, locking me firmly within. With such power, she claims "insufficient combat power"?

In a mere snap of the fingers, my protective resentment crumbled, and the edge of my grim claws was lost. The sakura-colored divine light descended like a skynet, grinding hundreds of years of accumulated grudge into dust.

Alas! Am I to fall again today? When I wake next, what year and month will it be...

This heart... is truly unwilling...

......

............

..................

???????

這……究竟是怎麼回事？妾身竟再度甦醒？可這回，似乎沒過多少時日？

等等，妾身……妾身這「存在」本身，怎麼全然不同了？那些如影隨形的邪靈低語、糾纏不休的深沉咒念，竟都煙消雲散？周身一片清明，如歷月華滌淨。

「早呀，小栞，睡得好嗎？」

這聲音是……且慢，聲從何來？似是從……妾身頭頂傳來？小栞又是何人？

饒了妾身吧！今日令人驚愕之事，層出不窮！

「啊哈哈，別太在意細節嘛～為了幫妳『恢復原狀』，我可費了不少功夫呢。」頭頂那聲音再度響起，語氣輕快中帶著幾分得意，「我們好好聊聊吧。」

妾身強抑滿心紛亂，靜心感知。她開始對妾身說明——並非透過言語，並非透過言語，而是靈識與靈識的直接交融。也罷，既來之則安之，妾身如是告訴自己。

原來她是專司斬妖除魔、淨化邪穢之巫女，軀幹更已化作神體，無怪乎與積累數百年惡念的妾身，仍有雲泥之別。其手足可脫離軀體，自行征戰——此便解釋了先前那匪夷所思的景象。

她感應到妾身甦醒時散發的猛烈邪氣，匆忙趕來。但在深入探查後，發現妾身層層怨念之下，竟是個無辜受難的魂靈。故她無意消滅妾身，先前交手不過是為祛除依附在妾身身上的諸惡。此刻她正努力讓妾身恢復本來面貌。

「妳的名字是藤原栞喔，家住平安京，生活於康平年間——這可是我費盡心力查證，再用AI反覆推演才確定的，很不容易的呢~」她絮絮叨叨地說著，話裡透著幾分自得，「現在妳的淨化，已大致完成了。只是妳的存在型態長期被怨念扭曲，成了適合戰鬥的怪物形式。所以我讓我的頭顱暫時附著在妳的存在之上，理解妳的構築方式，引導神櫻的力量，助妳重歸本真面目。」

此外，妾身那顆承載了太多不幸與苦楚，早已殘破不堪的「心」，已被她取出，與她那稱為「神櫻」的軀幹相融。溫煦神輝，正照耀心傷的每個陰暗角落。

This... what exactly is going on? I have awakened again? But this time, it seems not much time has passed?

Wait, my... my "existence" itself, why is it completely different? Those whispers of evil spirits that followed me like shadows, those deep curse thoughts that entangled endlessly, have all vanished like smoke? My body is clear and bright, as if cleansed by moonlight.

"Morning, little Shiori. Sleep well?"

This voice is... wait, where is the voice coming from? It seems to be coming from... the top of my head? And who is little Shiori?

Spare me! Today, astonishing things happen one after another!

"Ahaha, don't worry too much about the details~ I went to a lot of trouble to help you 'restore to your original state'." The voice on top of my head sounded again, the tone brisk with a hint of pride. "Let's have a good chat."

I suppressed the chaos in my heart and calmed my mind to perceive. She began to explain to me—not through words, but through the direct blending of spiritual consciousness. Very well, since I am here, I should be at peace, I told myself.

It turns out she is a shrine maiden specializing in slaying demons and purifying filth, and her torso has become a divine body. No wonder there is a world of difference between her and me, who has accumulated hundreds of years of evil thoughts. Her hands and feet can detach from her body and fight on their own—this explains the inconceivable scene earlier.

She sensed the violent evil energy I emitted when I awakened and rushed over. But upon deeper investigation, she discovered that beneath my layers of resentment was an innocent, suffering soul. So she had no intention of destroying me; the earlier fight was merely to remove the evils attached to me. At this moment, she is working hard to restore me to my true face.

"Your name is Fujiwara no Shiori, living in Heian-kyo during the Kohei era—it wasn't easy to confirm this, I had to do exhaustive research and run AI simulations repeatedly, you know~" She chattered on, a hint of self-satisfaction in her words. "Now, your purification is mostly complete. It's just that your form of existence was twisted by resentment for so long that it became a monster form suitable for combat. So I let my head temporarily attach to your existence, to understand your construction and guide the power of Shin-ou to help you return to your true self."

Furthermore, my "heart," which carried too much misfortune and suffering and was long tattered, had been removed by her and merged with her torso called "Shin-ou." The warm divine radiance is shining on every dark corner of my heart's wounds.

原來如此，難怪妾身感覺每一個喜悲，皆不似源於己身。這顆心暫居他處的感覺，當真玄妙難言……

又過了好些時日，今日櫻姊姊言道，要把心還給人家啦！

之前她還待在我頭頂上呢。那時人家已經變回平安時代的小姑娘模樣，穿著水色小袖，頭上卻頂著姊姊的腦袋，想起來真是有趣極了！

這段時日，人家的心，在神櫻大人那裡被照顧得很好。姊姊說，有了小女孩心的神櫻變得活潑極了，整天蹦蹦跳跳的像隻小兔子。其實我也能感覺到那份快樂——原來活著，本身就是件這麼美好的事啊。

雖然偶爾還是會懷念起留在平安京的家人。那時代的權力鬥爭，是真的會奪人性命的呢……

不過那都是千百年前的往事了。父親大人、母親大人，還有兄姊他們，現在應該都在某處過著新的人生了吧？

神櫻踏著輕快的步子走來，櫻姊姊的頭顱飄在一旁溫柔注視——沒辦法呀，她的身體暫時還被人家的心佔著呢。

只見神櫻優雅地舉起手，從頸項之上，拿起一顆晶瑩剔透的心，輕輕放進我掌心。

我低頭看著這顆煥然一新的心，它跳動得那麼有力，洋溢著鮮活的情感。眼眶突然就熱了，好想好好謝謝櫻姊姊，謝謝神櫻大人。這顆心，簡直是她們重新賜予我的禮物。

「栞開心就好～不過這聲姊姊，我可擔待不起，」回到自己身體的櫻姊姊感應到我的想法，鼓著臉抗議，「論年紀，妳可是比我大了好幾百歲呢！」

我忍不住笑出聲來。心魂歸位，藤原栞終於完整了。

牽起櫻姊姊溫暖的手，我們在悠悠天地間漫步。雖然已經沒有遺憾，但人家還不想這麼快去輪迴喔！

I see, no wonder I feel that every joy and sorrow does not seem to originate from myself. The feeling of this heart residing elsewhere is truly mysterious and indescribable—

Many days have passed, and today Sister Sakura said she would return my heart to me!

She was staying on top of my head before. At that time, I had already turned back into the appearance of a little girl from the Heian period, wearing water-colored small sleeves (kosode), but with Sister's head on top of mine. Thinking back, it was extremely funny!

During this time, my heart was taken care of very well by Lord Shin-ou. Sister said that Shin-ou, having a little girl's heart, became extremely lively, hopping around all day like a little rabbit. Actually, I could also feel that happiness—it turns out that being alive is such a beautiful thing in itself.

Although occasionally I still miss my family left in Heian-kyo. The power struggles of that era truly took lives...

But that is all in the past, thousands of years ago. Father, Mother, and my older brothers and sisters should all be living new lives somewhere now, right?

Shin-ou walked over with light steps, Sister Sakura's head floating alongside, watching gently—it couldn't be helped, her body is temporarily occupied by my heart.

I saw Shin-ou gracefully raise a hand, take a crystal-clear heart from above the neck, and gently place it into my palm.

I looked down at this rejuvenated heart; it beat so strongly, overflowing with fresh emotions. My eyes suddenly felt hot. I wanted to thank Sister Sakura properly, thank Lord Shin-ou. This heart was simply a gift they had bestowed upon me anew.

"As long as Shiori is happy~ But I can't accept being called Sister," Sister Sakura, having returned to her own body, sensed my thoughts and puffed out her cheeks in protest. "In terms of age, you are hundreds of years older than me!"

I couldn't help but laugh out loud. Heart and soul returned to their place, Fujiwara no Shiori was finally complete.

Holding Sister Sakura's warm hand, we strolled between the leisurely heaven and earth. Although I have no regrets left, I don't want to go to reincarnation so soon!

活了這麼久，以前都被怨恨蒙住了眼睛。現在這個嶄新的世界，我要好好看個夠，細細感受每分每秒。

和櫻姊姊一起。

「都說了我不是姊姊！栞才是活了好幾百歲的老婆婆！」櫻姊姊漲紅了臉，氣鼓鼓的樣子真可愛。

呵呵，您聽，初秋不服氣的蟬鳴，亦是這般清亮悅耳呢。

having lived so long, my eyes were blinded by hatred before. Now, in this brand new world, I want to see enough of it, to feel every minute and every second in detail.

Together with Sister Sakura.

"I told you I'm not the older sister! Shiori is the hundreds-of-years-old granny!" Sister Sakura's face turned red, and her angry look was really cute.

Hehe, listen, the unconvinced chirping of cicadas in early autumn is just as clear and pleasing to the ear.