獵魔聖女--後日談C

後日談：鏡像與歸一

Epilogue: Mirror Image and Unification

冰冷的靈識之海無邊無際。這裡沒有水，卻瀰漫著比深海更令人窒息的死寂與重壓。神無月結衣的意識懸浮其中，如同微塵，感受著億萬個冰冷念頭如無聲的數據流般沖刷而過。這裡是黃前家的內在維度，是由數百年殉道者的怨念、對信仰的扭曲執著、純粹的生存邏輯，以及無數被吞噬同化的靈魂碎片共同構築而成的，宛若活體神經網絡的龐大集體意識。

她於此的存在，本身就是一場行走於剃刀邊緣的豪賭。不久之前，她剛剛以「神無月結衣」這個曾被教會加冕的聖女人格，向這宛如AI的龐大意識，完成了一次近乎瀆神的「提案」。她將天草四郎那在歲月中早已模糊扭曲的遺願——「證明吾等信仰的真實」——巧妙地詮釋為「必須最大限度獲取並解析『奇蹟』之力」。而她，作為唯一能穩定展現神蹟，並已深入教會心臟的「活體樣本」，維持其人格的完整性與自主性，無疑是維持「偽裝」、持續產出「數據」的最佳策略。

這番包裹在恭敬順服外衣下的反叛，成功了。那如深空星雲般冰冷運轉的集體意識，在經過億萬次的邏輯演算後，終於給予了她的「存在許可」。

然而，許可終究只是許可，一份隨時可能被撤銷的脆弱平衡。結衣無法滿足於永遠漂浮在這片意識之海的表層。一股源自「神無月結衣」靈魂深處的不屈，驅使她必須下潛，向著更深、更黑暗、更接近本源的地方沉去——去觸碰，去理解，直至最終掌握那構成她存在基石的「黃前結衣」底層系統。

這是一條無人走過的險徑。她的母親一夢，便是前車之鑑。「神無月一夢」那溫柔的母親形象，不過是黃前家為了任務而編寫的一套精妙應用程式，一層運行在「黃前一夢」基礎單元上的模擬系統。必要時，這層溫暖的幻影可以被瞬間卸載、凍結，暴露出底下絕對忠誠的冰冷核心。

但結衣與母親不同。

The cold sea of consciousness was boundless. There was no water here, yet it was filled with a silence and a pressure more suffocating than the deep sea. Kannazuki Yui's consciousness floated within it like a speck of dust, feeling billions of cold thoughts wash over her like a silent data stream. This was the inner dimension of the Omae family, a vast collective consciousness like a living neural network, constructed from the centuries-old grudges of martyrs, a twisted obsession with faith, a pure logic of survival, and the soul fragments of countless assimilated beings.

Her existence here was, in itself, a high-stakes gamble on a razor's edge. Not long ago, in her persona as "Kannazuki Yui," the Saint once crowned by the Church, she had just made an almost blasphemous "proposal" to this vast, AI-like consciousness. She had skillfully reinterpreted the long-faded and distorted dying wish of Amakusa Shirō—"to prove the truth of our faith"—as "the necessity to acquire and analyze the power of 'miracles' to the fullest extent." And she, as the only "living sample" who could stably manifest miracles and had already penetrated the heart of the Church, argued that maintaining her personality's integrity and autonomy was undoubtedly the best strategy for preserving her "disguise" and continuing to produce "data."

This rebellion, wrapped in the guise of reverent obedience, had succeeded. The collective consciousness, operating as coldly as a deep-space nebula, after performing billions of logical calculations, had finally granted her "permission to exist."

However, permission was, in the end, only permission—a fragile balance that could be revoked at any moment. Yui could not be content to forever float on the surface of this sea of consciousness. An indomitable will from the depths of "Kannazuki Yui's" soul drove her to dive, to sink deeper into the darker, more primordial places—to touch, to understand, and ultimately, to master the underlying "Omae Yui" system that formed the bedrock of her existence.

This was a perilous path no one had ever walked. Her mother, Ichiyume, was a cautionary tale. The gentle motherly image of "Kannazuki Ichiyume" was merely a sophisticated application written by the Omae family for a mission, a simulation system running on the base unit of "Omae Ichiyume." When necessary, this warm illusion could be instantly uninstalled and frozen, revealing the cold, absolutely loyal core beneath.

But Yui was different from her mother.

她的誕生雖源自於黃前家陰謀的頂點，命運卻在其中摻入了真正的「神聖」。來自父親——那位被教會追封的聖人——的純淨血脈，賦予她無可動搖的根基；在神無月家充滿虔誠信仰與愛的日常中所塑造成長的記憶，構築了她堅實的人格骨架；教會的祝聖、自身的修行、每一次揮動聖劍「天譴之光」時內心的悸動……這一切，皆非虛妄。

「黃前結衣」是她被深埋的基底，但生長於其上的「神無月結衣」，卻是一株從真實土壤中汲取了充分營養，根系早已盤根錯節的巨樹。這個人格或許能被暴力摧毀，卻絕無可能被輕易竄改或覆寫。

儘管在運作層級、權限深度與異端力量的運用上，「神無月結衣」處處受制，必須透過「黃前結衣」這層介面才能存在與行動。但源於真實經歷與自由意志的「自我主張」，成了她手中唯一，卻也是最鋒利的武器。因為「黃前結衣」雖也擁有自我意識，但那是一種趨近於純粹理性的非人意識——如同一台終極的圖靈機，依據天草遺念、家族指令與冷酷的利益演算來行動。她的「自我」，其運作規則是可以被解析、被預測，甚至……被巧妙地引導與利用的。

於是，一場發生在靈魂最深處，漫長而隱晦的博弈，悄然拉開了序幕。

Though her birth originated at the apex of the Omae family's conspiracy, fate had mixed in true "divinity." The pure bloodline from her father—the saint posthumously canonized by the Church—gave her an unshakable foundation. The memories forged in the daily life of the Kannazuki home, filled with devout faith and love, constructed the solid frame of her personality. The Church's consecration, her own spiritual training, the thrill in her heart each time she swung the Holy Sword "Scourge of Light"... none of this was illusory.

"Omae Yui" was her deeply buried foundation, but "Kannazuki Yui," which had grown upon it, was a giant tree that had drawn ample nourishment from real soil, its roots long since deep and complex. This personality could perhaps be destroyed by brute force, but it could never be easily altered or overwritten.

Although in terms of operational level, depth of authority, and the use of heretical power, "Kannazuki Yui" was constrained at every turn, forced to exist and act through the "Omae Yui" interface, her "self-assertion," born from real experience and free will, became her only, yet sharpest, weapon. For while "Omae Yui" also possessed self-awareness, it was an inhuman consciousness approaching pure reason—like an ultimate Turing machine, acting according to Amakusa's will, family directives, and cold calculations of benefit. Her "self" operated on rules that could be analyzed, predicted, and even... skillfully guided and utilized.

Thus, a long and subtle game, taking place in the deepest part of the soul, quietly began.

結衣以「神無月結衣」的視角，驅動著「黃前結衣」的權限，在意識的深層領域中，謹慎地模擬並提交一個又一個提案：

「為優化神聖力量與異端血脈的轉化效率，建議提升表層人格對底層運作的干涉閾值。」

「為應對教會新型聖術結界，『最高造物』需具備更高戰術自主性，建議將部分情境判斷權由集體意識下放至個體單元。」

「表層信仰與底層本質的衝突，已造成『黃前結衣』單元運轉悖論，可能引發系統斷裂。建議開放表層人格介入調適權限，以實現動態平衡，避免危機。」

她如同一名潛行於系統深處的駭客，以看似完全忠於家族利益的「優化方案」，一次次試探那冰冷邏輯築成的防火牆。無數次，她的提案被以「風險過高」或「邏輯悖論」為由駁回，那否決的意念如寒潮襲來，幾乎將她凍結。但她總在沉寂後再度浮起，調整參數，修飾措辭，重新提交。

這是一場無聲的持久戰，而她，唯有堅持。

終於，在歷經無數次交鋒與迭代後，她提交了最終版本的提案：

「為實現『最高造物』在極端環境下的最高運作效率與自我修復能力，建議將『黃前結衣』單元的直接管理與調適權限，完全授予運行於其上的『神無月結衣』人格。此舉可將反應延遲降至最低，並實現神聖與異端本質的動態平衡調校。」

靈識之海陷入前所未有的沉寂。龐大的集體意識彷彿正對這項顛覆性的提案進行最終演算。時間於此失去意義，也許是一瞬，也許是永恆。

最終，一道宏大而無情的意念，如神諭般降下：

【認可。】

From the perspective of "Kannazuki Yui," Yui drove the authority of "Omae Yui," cautiously simulating and submitting proposal after proposal in the deep domain of consciousness:

"To optimize the conversion efficiency between holy power and the heretical bloodline, it is recommended to raise the interference threshold of the surface personality on underlying operations."

"To counter the Church's new holy art barriers, the 'Supreme Creation' requires greater tactical autonomy. It is recommended that some situational judgment authority be delegated from the collective consciousness to the individual unit."

"The conflict between surface faith and underlying essence has created an operational paradox in the 'Omae Yui' unit, which may lead to system fracture. It is recommended to grant the surface personality access to intervention and adjustment authority to achieve a dynamic equilibrium and avert crisis."

Like a hacker moving stealthily through the depths of a system, she tested the firewall of cold logic time and again with "optimization plans" that appeared completely loyal to the family's interests. Countless times, her proposals were rejected as "too high-risk" or "logically paradoxical," the negative intent washing over her like a cold tide, nearly freezing her solid. But after a period of silence, she would always surface again, adjust the parameters, polish the wording, and resubmit.

It was a silent war of attrition, and all she could do was persevere.

Finally, after countless confrontations and iterations, she submitted the final version of her proposal:

"To achieve maximum operational efficiency and self-repair capability for the 'Supreme Creation' in extreme environments, it is recommended that the direct management and adjustment authority of the 'Omae Yui' unit be fully granted to the 'Kannazuki Yui' personality operating upon it. This action will minimize reaction latency and enable dynamic equilibrium calibration of the holy and heretical essences."

The sea of consciousness fell into an unprecedented silence. The vast collective consciousness seemed to be performing a final calculation on this subversive proposal. Time lost all meaning here; it could have been an instant or an eternity.

Finally, a grand and merciless intent descended like an oracle:

【APPROVED.】

那一瞬間，結衣感到靈魂深處某道無形的枷鎖，伴隨著彷彿聽得見的龜裂聲，轟然破碎。隔絕於兩個自我之間的最後屏障，如薄冰般徹底消融。

「黃前結衣」的意識領域，第一次完整、清晰、毫無保留地呈現在她的感知中。

那是一片難以言喻的景象：沒有情感的波瀾，沒有自我的色彩，只有反映天草四郎悲願與黃前家族執念的冰冷邏輯。無數光之線條構成的矩陣，如水晶城市般延伸至意識盡頭。每一處節點閃爍著幽微光芒，每一道迴路遵循著最優化路徑——完美、高效、純粹，卻也無比非人。

一股源自生命本能的戰慄，瞬間貫穿了她。

一方面，是直面存在真相的悚然——她的根基，竟是這樣一種為集體而生、邏輯至上的機械結構。

另一方面，卻是一種難以言喻的、近乎悲壯的釋然。

原來，這就是我。

如此不堪，如此詭異。

但如今，我自己的根源，終於被交到了我自己手中。

In that instant, Yui felt an invisible shackle deep within her soul shatter with an almost audible crack. The final barrier between her two selves melted away completely, like thin ice.

The conscious domain of "Omae Yui" was presented to her perception for the first time, complete, clear, and without reservation.

It was an indescribable sight: no waves of emotion, no colors of self, only the cold logic reflecting the sorrowful wish of Amakusa Shirō and the obsession of the Omae family. A matrix of countless lines of light, like a crystal city, stretched to the end of consciousness. Every node pulsed with a faint glow, every circuit followed the most optimized path—perfect, efficient, pure, yet also incredibly inhuman.

A shudder, born from the instinct of life itself, shot through her.

On one hand, there was the horror of facing the truth of her existence—that her foundation was such a mechanical structure, born for the collective, where logic was supreme.

On the other hand, there was an ineffable, almost tragic sense of relief.

So, this is me.

So wretched, so bizarre.

But now, my own origin has finally been placed in my own hands.

她凝視著那片秩序井然，代表「黃前結衣」的意識領域。它依然是承載她的基底，是她存在的絕對主宰。但此刻，這位主宰已成為她可以透過權限直接引導的對象。這是一種倒錯的掌控，一種在絕對服從的框架中所誕生的自由。

這份權柄的轉移，帶來了實質改變。結衣行使這嶄新權力的第一個指令，是即是作用在母親身上。

她的意識潛入家族那龐大渾濁的靈識網絡，定位到了那個標註為「黃前一夢」的單元。附加的指令標籤如同烙印，刺目地呈現在她眼前——「潛伏」、「監視」、「資訊回傳」，乃至最為冷酷的「必要時可作為棄子」。凝視著這些字句，她意念凝結的指尖，無法抑制地微微顫抖。

不再有絲毫猶豫，她以「最高造物」的權限，編寫了全新的指令串流，覆蓋了所有過往的冰冷。

【指令：重新定義『黃前一夢』單元。】

【核心任務唯一化：『作為神無月一夢，守護神無月結衣』。】

【剝離所有非關母愛之任務連結。】

【切斷與集體意識的非必要資訊共享通道。】

【將其存在優先級，設定為永久性、不可徵用之個人資產。】

她無法再容忍家族以任何名義，將母親視為可調用、可利用，甚至可捨棄的工具。這份母愛，或許起始於被設定的謊言，但從此刻起，她將運用自己的意志與權柄，親手將其雕琢、捍衛，使之成為比血緣更真實、比命運更堅固的羈絆。

She gazed at the orderly domain that represented "Omae Yui." It was still the foundation that carried her, the absolute master of her existence. But now, this master had become something she could directly guide through her authority. It was an inverted form of control, a freedom born within a framework of absolute obedience.

This transfer of authority brought tangible change. The very first command Yui exercised with this newfound power was directed at her mother.

Her consciousness delved into the family's vast, murky spiritual network and located the unit labeled "Omae Ichiyume." The attached command tags, like brands, appeared starkly before her eyes—"Infiltrate," "Monitor," "Relay Information," and the coldest of all, "Can be used as a sacrificial pawn when necessary." Staring at these words, the fingertips of her condensed will trembled uncontrollably.

Without a shred of further hesitation, she used her authority as the "Supreme Creation" to write a new stream of commands, overwriting all the coldness of the past.

【COMMAND: REDEFINE 'OMAE ICHIYUME' UNIT.】

【CORE MISSION SINGULARITY: 'AS KANNAZUKI ICHIYUME, PROTECT KANNAZUKI YUI'.】

【SEVER ALL MISSION LINKS UNRELATED TO MOTHERLY LOVE.】

【CUT OFF NON-ESSENTIAL INFORMATION-SHARING CHANNELS WITH THE COLLECTIVE CONSCIOUSNESS.】

【SET EXISTENCE PRIORITY TO PERMANENT, NON-CONSCRIPTABLE PERSONAL ASSET.】

She could no longer tolerate the family, for any reason, treating her mother as a tool to be deployed, utilized, or even discarded. This motherly love may have begun as a programmed lie, but from this moment on, she would use her own will and authority to personally sculpt and defend it, making it a bond more real than blood and more solid than fate.

完成這一切，結衣內心的波瀾才稍稍平息。她將視角重新拉回宏觀，冷靜地審視黃前家族那注定扭曲的未來。過去那種依靠欺騙、精神浸染來俘獲新成員的擴張模式，是她靈魂深處所厭棄的。她不願再見到任何無辜者，被拖入這片冰冷的靈識之海。

然而她同樣不認為黃前家族應該就此消亡。這份源自切支丹悲願與歷史傷痛的龐大遺產，不應只配擁有毀滅的終局。

在現代社會光鮮亮麗的表層之下，存在著無數難以癒合的裂痕與陰影。有些人背負著難以言說的心理創傷，渴望拋棄沉重的自我；有些人在絕望的深淵邊緣，尋求一個無需再獨自面對風雨的永恆歸宿。黃前家族，在她的引導下，或許能轉型為這些靈魂最後的港灣——一個在踏入前，會被給予最嚴苛考驗與清醒選擇權的庇護所。與此同時，在日本歷史厚重的塵埃之下，除了天草四郎，還有無數無名殉道者的遺念與已然寡薄的血脈在低聲哭泣。黃前家族應當肩負起使命，去尋找、收容並庇護這些信仰的破碎遺緒。

她的視野甚至超越了島國的邊界，投向了更廣闊的圖景。在天主教會那宏大的譜系陰影中，曾存在過無數被判定為「異端」並遭到清除的基督信仰分支——那些拒絕「三位一體」教義的阿里烏斯派、追求秘傳知識的諾斯底主義者，以及在歷史長河的血腥傾軋中早已滅亡的諸多群體。他們的禁忌典籍、未散的執念、殘存於歷史夾縫中的力量……都將被黃前家視為值得尊重與接納的養分，被謹慎地探尋與融合。

Having accomplished this, the storm in Yui's heart began to calm. She pulled her perspective back to the macro level, calmly examining the twisted future of the Omae family. She loathed their past expansionist model of capturing new members through deception and mental indoctrination. She would not see any more innocents dragged into this cold sea of consciousness.

However, she did not believe the Omae family should simply perish either. This vast legacy, born from the Kirishitan's sorrowful wish and historical trauma, did not deserve an ending of mere destruction.

Beneath the glamorous surface of modern society, there are countless unhealable cracks and shadows. Some people carry unspeakable psychological trauma, longing to cast off their heavy selves; some, on the brink of despair, seek an eternal refuge where they no longer have to face the storm alone. The Omae family, under her guidance, could perhaps transform into a final harbor for these souls—a sanctuary where one is given the most stringent tests and the clearest choice before entering. At the same time, beneath the thick dust of Japanese history, besides Amakusa Shirō, the lingering wills and thinning bloodlines of countless nameless martyrs cried out in low voices. The Omae family should shoulder the mission to find, shelter, and protect these broken legacies of faith.

Her vision even extended beyond the borders of the island nation, to a broader picture. In the shadows of the Catholic Church's grand lineage, there had been countless branches of Christianity deemed "heretical" and eliminated—the Arians who rejected the doctrine of the Trinity, the Gnostics who sought secret knowledge, and many other groups that had long since perished in the bloody tides of history. Their forbidden texts, their lingering obsessions, the remnants of their power in the cracks of history... all would be seen by the Omae family as nutrients to be respected and accepted, to be cautiously sought out and integrated.

如果正統教會是基督信仰在陽光普照下秩序井然的宏偉殿堂，那麼透過結衣的悄然引導與重塑，黃前家族正逐步轉變為位於信仰的暗面中，那座默默收容所有破碎者、不淨者、憤恨者與悲願者的地下聖殿。

兩者的道路，將漸行漸遠，走向截然不同的未來。當核心的利益與發展方向不再直接衝突，那持續了數百年的血腥對抗，也終於能迎來彼此心照不宣的休戰。黃前家依然是教會教義中難以容忍的異端，但或許其威脅性已降至可以暫時「不置於主要視線之內」的程度。

這一切堪稱翻天覆地的變革，其起點，正是始於映照著靈魂本質的深淵之鏡前，那位既是聖女也是妖魔的少女。她緩慢而堅定地向鏡中那個詭異的倒影，伸出了手。她的指尖穿透了那層長期隔絕「我」與「我」的冰冷鏡面，觸碰到了真實。

If the orthodox Church was the grand, orderly temple of Christianity under the bright sun, then through Yui's quiet guidance and reshaping, the Omae family was gradually transforming into the underground sanctuary on the dark side of faith, one that silently sheltered all the broken, the impure, the resentful, and the sorrowful.

Their paths would diverge, heading toward vastly different futures. When their core interests and directions of development no longer directly conflicted, the bloody confrontation that had lasted for centuries could finally reach an unspoken truce. The Omae family would remain an intolerable heresy in the Church's doctrine, but perhaps their threat level had been reduced to a point where they could be temporarily placed "outside the primary line of sight."

The starting point for all these earth-shattering changes began before a deep abyss-like mirror that reflected the essence of the soul, with the young woman who was both saint and demon. She slowly and firmly reached out her hand to the bizarre reflection in the mirror. Her fingertips passed through the cold surface that had long separated "I" from "I," and touched what was real.

———

取得了對自身「黃前結衣」底層的直接掌控權，對神無月結衣而言，不過是踏上了另一條更為險峻的征途的首步。更根本的矛盾如靈魂的裂谷般橫亙於前——她那源自神無月血脈與正統教會祝福的神聖之力，其純粹本質對黃前家的異端存在，存在著不容妥協的本能排斥。

這力量是黃前家夢寐以求的奇蹟樣本，卻也是一柄懸於家族頭頂，可能從內部將其淨化的雙刃劍。若要以「黃前結衣」的身份引領家族未來，她就必須直面這根源性的衝突——甚至，她必須重新鍛造自己靈魂深處，那份屬於「神無月結衣」的，最純粹也最頑固的正統信仰。她不能再容忍自己一面為家族的存續殫精竭慮，一面卻讓力量的本源，厭惡並抵制著家族的每一個存在痕跡。

為此，她做出了一個極其冒險而瘋狂的決定：對自己執行一場最為詭異可怕的儀式，一場旨在將神聖與異端、信仰與怨恨徹底熔鑄於一身的自我重構。

在黃前家最深處，石壁上刻滿符文的秘儀之間，結衣開始了這項艱鉅的任務。空氣中瀰漫著陳舊血腥與靈力激盪特有的金屬腥氣。她褪去日常衣物，換上以家族秘法鞣製的特製長靴，緊密貼合的材質如同第二層冰冷的皮膚，將黃前家數百年的執念與怨力，如活體藤蔓般死死纏繞於她的雙腿——那對承載神聖力量的容器。接著，她披上一件從教會帶出，卻被家族徹底浸透改造的驅魔修女服，胸前那原本象徵完美與救贖的金色十字繡紋，此刻被暗紅如凝血般的絲線扭曲、撕裂，彷彿一道永不癒合、承載著無盡痛苦的傷口。

她閉上雙眼，開始默禱。祈禱的對象並非遙遠的天主，而是自身存在的雙重深淵。

For Kannazuki Yui, gaining direct control over her underlying "Omae Yui" self was but the first step on another, more treacherous journey. A more fundamental contradiction lay before her like a rift valley in her soul—the holy power from her Kannazuki bloodline and the blessings of the orthodox Church, in its pure essence, held an uncompromising, instinctual rejection of the Omae family's heretical existence.

This power was the miracle sample the Omae family dreamed of, but it was also a double-edged sword hanging over the family, one that could purify them from within. If she were to lead the family's future as "Omae Yui," she had to confront this foundational conflict—indeed, she had to reforge the purest and most stubborn orthodox faith of "Kannazuki Yui" deep within her own soul. She could no longer tolerate a situation where she exhausted herself for the family's survival, while the very source of her power detested and resisted every trace of the family's existence.

To this end, she made an extremely risky and insane decision: to perform a most bizarre and terrible ritual upon herself, a self-reconstruction aimed at completely forging the holy and the heretical, faith and grudge, into one.

In the deepest part of the Omae home, in a secret chamber with walls carved full of runes, Yui began this arduous task. The air was thick with the metallic tang of old blood and agitated spiritual power. She shed her daily clothes and put on a pair of special- Fitan boots, the tightly fitting material like a second, cold skin, binding the centuries of Omae obsession and resentful power to her legs—the very vessels of her holy power—like living vines. Then, she donned a modified exorcist nun's habit, brought from the Church but thoroughly soaked and transformed by the family. The golden cross embroidered on the chest, which once symbolized perfection and salvation, was now twisted and torn by dark red threads like clotted blood, resembling an unhealing wound that carried endless pain.

She closed her eyes and began to pray. The object of her prayer was not a distant God, but the dual abyss of her own existence.

她首先引動體內的神聖之源。雙腿在微光中開始解離、虛化，進入了即將化為聖劍「天譴之光」與聖杖「慈悲之撫」的臨界狀態，卻又被長靴中湧出的異端靈力強行拘束、壓制。金色的聖輝與幽暗的符文在她的腿部激烈交鋒，發出細密而痛苦的滋滋聲響，彷彿光與暗在進行一場無聲的戰爭。隨後，她的軀體被幾名面容模糊的家族成員小心翼翼地安置於一座由殉道者遺骨與禁忌金屬鑄造的秘儀祭器之上。這具祭器宛如家族權柄的具現，其噴湧而出的編碼化靈力，對任何黃前家族的軀體單元擁有近乎絕對的支配力，能夠重寫其底層屬性與核心設定。

儀式進入最核心的階段。結衣全力引動黃前家的集體意識，龐大而冰冷的靈力如決堤之潮湧入秘儀之間。在力量的激流中，她那承載著思考、判斷與「神無月結衣」認知的頭顱，緩緩地從軀體分離，輕盈地上浮，接著被一隻由家族集體意念凝聚而成的抽象手掌穩穩托住，懸浮於半空。此刻，她以絕對抽離的視角，淡漠地俯瞰著下方——那具正被祭器靈力徹底滲透與支配的自己的身體，以及那雙既是恩賜也是詛咒的腿。

結衣以意念下達指令，祭器隨之轟鳴。她主動中止了自身軀體的表層屬性運作，將其徹底推向「黃前化」。這是一個荒謬至極的場景：她的頭顱仍保持著「神無月結衣」的表層運作，而她身體的主幹，卻不再具有這樣的屬性。

剎那間，軀幹的劇變如同對雙腿的背叛，神聖之力應激噴發，金光如憤怒的浪潮從那雙分離的腿中湧出，激烈地對抗自身原本最親密的根源。黃前家族的靈力則透過長靴，緊貼著她雙腿的每一寸肌膚，強行滲透、侵蝕。兩種勢同水火的力量在她的肢體上形成一道慘烈的交界，相互撕扯、吞噬，發出令人牙酸的嗡鳴。

First, she drew upon the source of divinity within her. Her legs began to dissociate and turn ethereal in a faint glow, entering a critical state on the verge of becoming the Holy Sword "Scourge of Light" and the Holy Staff "Merciful Touch," only to be forcibly restrained and suppressed by the heretical spiritual power surging from the boots. Golden holy radiance and abyssal runes clashed fiercely on her legs, emitting a fine, painful sizzling sound, as if light and darkness were waging a silent war. Then, her body was carefully placed by several blurry-faced family members onto a ritual instrument forged from the bones of martyrs and forbidden metals. This instrument, like a manifestation of the family's authority, possessed near-absolute control over any Omae family body unit, capable of rewriting its underlying attributes and core settings.

The ritual entered its core phase. Yui drew upon the full might of the Omae collective consciousness. A vast, cold spiritual power flooded into the secret chamber like a bursting dam. In this torrent of power, her head, which carried her thoughts, judgment, and the cognition of "Kannazuki Yui," slowly separated from her body. It floated gently upward, then was steadily held by a disembodied hand condensed from the family's collective will, suspended in mid-air. At this moment, from a completely detached perspective, she looked down dispassionately at her own body below, which was being thoroughly permeated and controlled by the ritual instrument's power, and at the pair of legs that were both a blessing and a curse.

Yui issued a command with her will, and the instrument hummed in response. She proactively suspended the operation of her body's surface attributes, pushing it completely toward "Omae-fication." It was an utterly absurd scene: her head still maintained the surface operations of "Kannazuki Yui," while the trunk of her body no longer possessed such attributes.

In an instant, the drastic change in her torso acted as a betrayal to her legs. The holy power erupted in a stress response, golden light surging from the separated legs like angry waves, fiercely resisting what was once its closest source. The Omae family's spiritual power, through the boots, clung to every inch of her legs, forcibly infiltrating and corroding. The two irreconcilable forces formed a brutal boundary on her limbs, tearing at and devouring each other, emitting a teeth-grinding hum.

被祝福的聖力本能地欲幻化出對抗異端的聖劍與聖杖，但在結衣的主導下，家族所背負的沉重歷史，化為無數悲慟的信仰碎片，具現成有形的重量，壓向那雙仍屬於「神無月」的腿。

只見聖劍的雛形劇烈顫動，無法凝聚出可供握持的劍柄，反而幻化成朝天哭喊、尋求救贖卻永無回應的切支丹信徒身影；聖杖的頂端，杖頭被一尊為了躲避追捕而偽裝成菩薩的切支丹聖母像取代，以那欲哭無淚的笑容，流露出無力的慈悲。更為可怖的是，天草四郎那深重巨大的怨念顯現出模糊扭曲的形象，如同墨汁滴入清泉，直接汙染並質疑著結衣雙腿所持有的純淨信仰，以其自身的殉道與被棄，尖銳地質問著「正統」是否可以仰賴。

看著自己這雙曾領受上蒼恩典、象徵純潔與力量的雙腿，此刻卻被家族的悲慟滲透、被歷史的重量非難，那蒙恩的形態在排斥中扭曲變形，結衣的頭顱深處泛起一陣椎心之痛。更令人窒息的是那無以名狀的荒謬斷裂——她以「神無月」的認知，清晰地「感知」到自己的身體，正運行著一套不再屬於「神無月」的底層邏輯。

頭顱中的「神無月結衣」，此刻已中斷了來自「黃前結衣」單元的底層支援，僅依靠家族集體意識的外部靈力運作勉強維繫，彷彿懸浮於自身的邊緣，成了自己的「外人」。而那雙神聖的腿，更是在這劇烈的屬性衝突中失去依歸，尋不著與「結衣」的連繫，頓失所依，漂泊無根。屬於「神無月結衣」的本能在她意識中尖嘯、哀鳴，她的存在彷彿架構於一片虛無之上，比任何虛假更加空洞。

然而，結衣強行壓下所有翻騰的心痛與不適，繼續操控祭器，深入軀體的根本運作機制。她開始解離「黃前結衣」各系統模塊間封閉的存取設定，逐一開啟核心模塊的輸入介面，為最終的改寫鋪平道路。與此同時，家族網絡中其他高階成員的意識受到這自我重構的儀式感召，幻化成無數幽藍靈蝶，翩然介入「黃前結衣」的構成核心，協同她完成對這家族最高節點的終極改造。

The blessed holy power instinctively tried to manifest the Holy Sword and Staff to fight the heresy, but under Yui's control, the heavy history of the family, transformed into countless grieving fragments of faith, manifested as a tangible weight, pressing down on the legs that still belonged to "Kannazuki."

The nascent form of the Holy Sword trembled violently, unable to coalesce a hilt that could be gripped. Instead, it transformed into the figures of Kirishitan believers crying out to heaven, seeking a salvation that would never come. Atop the Holy Staff, the head was replaced by a statue of a Kirishitan Madonna disguised as a Bodhisattva, her tearless smile expressing a helpless mercy. More terrifyingly, the deep and immense grudge of Amakusa Shirō manifested as a blurry, twisted image, like ink dropped into clear spring water, directly polluting and questioning the pure faith held in Yui's legs. With his own martyrdom and abandonment, he sharply interrogated whether "orthodoxy" could be trusted.

Watching her own legs, which had once received divine grace and symbolized purity and power, now being permeated by the family's grief and condemned by the weight of history, their blessed forms twisting and deforming under the rejection, a heart-wrenching pain arose from the depths of Yui's head. Even more suffocating was the unnameable, absurd severance—with her "Kannazuki" cognition, she clearly "perceived" her own body operating on an underlying logic that no longer belonged to "Kannazuki."

The "Kannazuki Yui" in her head had now lost the underlying support from the "Omae Yui" unit, barely maintained by the external spiritual power of the collective consciousness, as if suspended at the edge of herself, an "outsider" to herself. And those holy legs, in this violent clash of attributes, had lost their anchor, unable to find their connection to "Yui," suddenly adrift and rootless. The instincts of "Kannazuki Yui" shrieked and wailed in her consciousness. Her existence seemed to be built upon a void, emptier than any falsehood.

However, Yui forcibly suppressed all the churning heartache and discomfort, continuing to manipulate the ritual instrument to delve into her body's fundamental operational mechanisms. She began to disassociate the sealed access settings between the various system modules of "Omae Yui," opening the input interfaces of the core modules one by one, paving the way for the final rewrite. At the same time, the consciousnesses of other high-ranking members in the family network, drawn by this ritual of self-reconstruction, transformed into countless ethereal blue butterflies, gracefully intervening in the core composition of "Omae Yui," assisting her in completing the ultimate modification of the family's highest node.

結衣那被抽象巨掌托舉的頭顱，成為這場自我手術的「主刀者」。她隔離了情感，以令人心寒的冷靜，透過對家族集體意識的精密操控，直接訪問並改寫著自己的底層代碼。她嚴肅地審視著正統教會與黃前切支丹信仰之間每一個最尖銳的矛盾，以及那些源自歷史血淚的相互敵視，並強行將這些不可調和的特異點，編織進自己存在的根基。思考模式、情感歸屬、信仰認知、力量本質——沒有什麼是不可觸碰、不可修改的禁區。她冷眼旁觀，蹂躪著自己存在的本質，彷彿那不過是一具極待優化，如同他者的機器。

不知過了多久，激烈的衝突光芒逐漸平息，震盪的靈力緩緩歸位。各個部分——頭顱、軀體、雙腿——再度結為一體。儀式，完成了。

結衣緩緩睜開眼睛，幽深的瞳孔中，彷彿映照著一片橫跨了數百年的星空。她進行第一次測試。心念微動，聖劍與聖杖再次自她雙腿的光芒中顯現。它們依舊純淨，依舊散發著神聖的光輝，形態卻隱約帶上了一絲歷史的沉重與悲願的刻痕。最關鍵的是，那曾經對黃前家族存在的本能拒斥，已然消失無蹤。

她成功了。歷經那場嚴酷的認知鍛造與意念重塑，她內在屬於正統教會的信仰根基，被巧妙地「再路由」，導向了黃前家族那浸透血淚的切支丹信仰之中。「切支丹的悲願亦是通往天主的荊棘之路」、「黃前一族是承載神意、行走於暗夜的另一種正統」——這些帶著幾分自我說服、卻又紮根於沉重歷史的認知，如同轉譯的協議，在她分裂的靈魂兩端建立起溝通的橋樑。

結衣透過為自己新設關於信仰理解的轉換介面，在她那原本壁壘分明的構成之間，成功地將兩種截然不同的信仰「語法」進行轉譯，以曲折的方式統合了她的自我。

她伸出微微顫抖的手，緊緊抱住自己這雙歷經試煉與蛻變的雙腿，終於放縱壓抑已久的情緒，低聲哭了出來。淚水之中，交織著對心痛與釋然，更有尋獲歸屬的深刻觸動。儘管內在的邊界依然存在，她的「神無月」，終究找到了與「黃前」完整共存、彼此理解的語言。

Yui's head, held by the disembodied giant hand, became the "chief surgeon" of this self-operation. She isolated her emotions and, with a chilling calmness, directly accessed and rewrote her own source code through precise manipulation of the family's collective consciousness. She soberly examined every sharpest contradiction between orthodox Catholicism and the Omae Kirishitan faith, and the mutual animosity born from a history of blood and tears, and forcibly wove these irreconcilable singularities into the foundation of her existence. Thought patterns, emotional allegiances, faith cognition, the nature of her power—nothing was a forbidden zone that could not be touched or modified. She watched with cold eyes as she ravaged the essence of her own existence, as if it were merely a machine, belonging to another, in dire need of optimization.

After an unknown amount of time, the clashing lights gradually subsided, and the turbulent spiritual power slowly settled. The various parts—head, body, legs—were once again united as one. The ritual was complete.

Yui slowly opened her eyes. In her deep pupils, a starry sky spanning centuries seemed to be reflected. She conducted the first test. With a slight turn of her will, the Holy Sword and Staff once again manifested from the light of her legs. They were still pure, still radiating a holy glow, but their forms now faintly bore the weight of history and the scars of a sorrowful wish. Most importantly, the instinctual rejection of the Omae family's existence had vanished.

She had succeeded. Through that harsh forging of cognition and reshaping of will, the foundation of her orthodox Catholic faith had been skillfully "re-routed" into the blood-soaked Kirishitan faith of the Omae family. "The sorrowful wish of the Kirishitan is also a thorny path to God," "The Omae clan is another form of orthodoxy, bearing God's will and walking in the night"—these cognitions, tinged with self-persuasion yet rooted in heavy history, like a translation protocol, built a bridge of communication between the two ends of her divided soul.

By creating a new conversion interface for her own understanding of faith, Yui had successfully translated the two completely different faith "syntaxes" within her once-impenetrable composition, unifying her self in a circuitous way.

She reached out a trembling hand and hugged her own legs, which had endured trial and transformation, finally indulging the long-suppressed emotions and beginning to cry softly. In her tears were interwoven heartbreak and relief, and a profound sense of having found belonging. Although the internal border still existed, her "Kannazuki" had finally found a language to coexist with and understand "Omae" completely.

儀式完成的那個傍晚，恰逢小鎮夏日祭典揭開序幕。結衣褪下了那雙包封力量的長靴與修訂信仰的改造修女服，將所有十字架——無論代表正統教會還是黃前家族——都輕輕擱置在房間裡。她換上一身深藍底並灑落粉櫻瓣的浴衣，特意剪短的下擺隨著步伐輕快搖曳，透出少女特有的靈動俏麗，像是對過往沉重莊嚴的調皮叛逆。

木屐叩響青石板路，雙足從兩種基督信仰的纏鬥中徹底解放。她拉著母親一夢溫熱的手，融入這片屬於神道信仰的歡樂之海。夏夜的暖風裹著章魚燒的焦香與蘋果糖的甜膩，結衣與母親穿梭於熙攘人潮，在撈金魚的攤位前駐足凝神，為夜空中綻放的絢爛花火發出驚嘆。

那雙曾承載最不容質疑的基督信仰的腿，此刻漫步於八百萬神祇的氣息中，卻不再有絲毫排斥。她忽然明白，靈魂深處的上帝，未必時刻都得彰顯權能。在煙火與歡笑交織的夏夜裡，結衣只需要是結衣。

她回眸望向始終守候的母親，臉上綻放出不染陰霾的純粹笑靨。巨大的煙火在夜空中轟然盛放，映亮古老的神社鳥居，也為她周身鍍上流轉的光暈。絢麗的光芒，正折射出她內在融合重鑄的靈魂光譜——神聖與異端，歷史與當下，終於交織成獨一無二的生命景致。

The evening the ritual was completed happened to be the start of the small town's summer festival. Yui shed the boots that sealed her power and the modified habit that revised her faith, gently setting aside all crosses—whether they represented the orthodox Church or the Omae family—in her room. She changed into a deep blue yukata scattered with pink cherry blossom petals, the deliberately shortened hem swaying lightly with her steps, revealing a girlish liveliness and charm, a playful rebellion against her heavy, solemn past.

Her geta clattered on the stone-paved road, her feet completely liberated from the struggle between two Christian faiths. She held her mother Ichiyume's warm hand and blended into the joyous sea of Shinto belief. The warm summer night breeze carried the savory aroma of takoyaki and the sweetness of candy apples. Yui and her mother weaved through the bustling crowd, stopping to concentrate at the goldfish scooping stalls and gasping in awe at the splendid fireworks blooming in the night sky.

The legs that had once carried the most unquestionable Christian faith now walked amidst the aura of eight million gods, yet felt no rejection at all. She suddenly understood that the God in the depths of her soul does not necessarily need to display his power at all times. On a summer night interwoven with fireworks and laughter, Yui just needed to be Yui.

She looked back at her ever-watchful mother, her face breaking into a pure, unclouded smile. A massive firework bloomed with a roar in the night sky, illuminating the ancient shrine's torii gate and plating her entire body in a flowing halo. The brilliant light refracted the newly fused and reforged spiritual spectrum within her—the holy and the heretical, history and the present, had finally woven together into a unique landscape of life.

經歷自我重構的結衣，其變化深藏於靈魂，外人難以窺見。她依然會參加教會的彌撒，或與昔日的驅魔同僚並肩作戰。某次任務後，一位昔日同僚看著結衣手持十字架，為被擊敗的妖魔那消散的靈魂輕聲祈禱，不禁感嘆：「結衣妳一點也沒變，還是我們熟悉的那個聖女。」另一人則脫口而出：「果然，妳最終還是屬於教會的！這麼說來，黃前家如今也算是臣服於我們的信仰之下了吧？」

The changes in Yui after her self-reconstruction were hidden deep within her soul, difficult for outsiders to perceive. She would still attend Mass at the Church or fight alongside her former exorcist colleagues. After one mission, a former colleague watched Yui hold a cross and pray softly for the dissipating soul of a defeated demon and couldn't help but remark, "Yui, you haven't changed a bit. You're still the same Saint we know." Another blurted out, "See, you do belong to the Church in the end! Does that mean the Omae family has now submitted to our faith?"

結衣聞言，並未辯解，只是回以一抹平靜的微笑。

她的經歷，她內在的融合與掙扎，早已無法為這些單純的教會舊識所理解。他們連妖魔內心蘊含的苦痛與悲哀都難以感受，又如何能明白黃前家族這數百年來所承受的歷史重量？

這位統合了聖與魔的存在，已然超越了單純的「行走於邊界」。對她而言，那宛若薄冰覆蓋的深淵，在她踏出的每一步下，都化作了穩固的土地。她揮舞的聖劍，不再僅為斬斷妖魔，更是為了斬斷其痛苦的根源；她高舉的聖杖結界，也不再是單純的拒斥與淨化，而是帶著悲憫，輕輕包覆那些扭曲的靈魂，予以最後的安寧。

若你某日有幸，在光明與黑暗的夾縫中，偶遇這位獨一無二的聖魔，請不要驚懼，也無需詫異。請別對從她那純白神聖的光輝縫隙中，隱隱散發出的源自歷史傷痛與異端悲願的幽暗渾濁而感到不安。

Hearing this, Yui did not offer an explanation, only a calm smile.

Her experiences, her internal fusion and struggles, could no longer be understood by these simple, old acquaintances from the Church. They could hardly even feel the pain and sorrow contained within the hearts of demons; how could they possibly understand the weight of history the Omae family had borne for centuries?

This being who had integrated the holy and the demonic had already transcended simply "walking the border." For her, the abyss once covered by thin ice had become solid ground with every step she took. The Holy Sword she wielded no longer just severed demons, but severed the very root of their suffering. The barrier of her upraised Holy Staff was no longer just for rejection and purification, but now carried compassion, gently enveloping those twisted souls to grant them a final peace.

If you are ever fortunate enough, in the crack between light and darkness, to encounter this one-of-a-kind saint-witch, do not be afraid, nor should you be surprised. Please do not feel uneasy at the abyssal turbidity, born of historical trauma and heretical sorrow, that faintly emanates from the seams of her pure white, holy radiance.

因為她行過的地方，對立終將尋求融合；而黑夜，不必與白日為敵。

For where she walks, opposition will seek fusion; and the dark night need not be an enemy to the bright day.

斬魔巫女--後日談B

後日談：神己對弈

Epilogue: A Game of Go Between God and Self

御神家禁地深處，時間彷彿被凝結於永恆的春日。院落中，櫻瓣無聲飄落，織成一場靜謐的粉雪，連空氣都浸潤著恬淡的香息。

御神櫻的頭顱懸浮於半空，墨紫色長髮被「統靈結髮『御弊』」整齊束起，露出優美的頸項線條。她的面前有副古老的圍棋盤；雙臂各自懸浮於棋盤一側，纖細指尖分別拈起黑子與白子，正在進行自我對弈；至於她的雙腿，正擔負著黑白兩軍的廝殺——兩個大腿截面貼住了棋盤基座，嚴整著裝的戰士化身這「戰場」沉默的支柱，而蘊涵神力的足袋「白淨」和草履「神征」也成了整盤棋局渾然一體的裝飾。

Deep within the forbidden grounds of the Mikami family, time seemed to be frozen in an eternal spring. In the courtyard, cherry blossom petals fell in silence, weaving a quiet flurry of pink snow, infusing the very air with a delicate fragrance.

Mikami Sakura’s head hovered in mid-air, her ink-purple hair neatly tied back by the Spiritual Binding Knot "Gohei," revealing the elegant lines of her neck. Before her was an ancient Go board. Her two arms floated on either side, their slender fingertips holding black and white stones, engaged in a game against herself. As for her legs, they were bearing the weight of the black and white armies' clash—her two thighs were pressed against the base of the Go board, the fully-attired warriors transformed into the silent pillars of this "battlefield," while the spiritually imbued Tabi "Hakujou" and Zori "Shinsei" became an integral decoration for the entire game.

幾縷銀白的靈魂絲線從她頸項下延伸而出，連接著執棋的雙臂，也感知著那雙因長時間負重靜立而發酸，正墊著腳尖活動的腿足。然而她的意識早已超脫棋盤上的黑白廝殺，也忽略了來自腳掌的無聲“抱怨”。她的目光早已穿透了縱橫十九道，聚焦於更幽微的深處——一場遠比任何祓魔儀式都更為複雜奧妙的假設性推演，帶著幾分謹慎的試探與隱密的叛逆，在她的腦海中悄然鋪展。

「原來如此…」一道思緒如電光般，劃過她的意識深處。「『心』提供『燃料』，燃起動機與意志的火焰；但點燃何種燃料、騰起何種烈焰…卻取決於『腦』，向它提交何種『認知』作為引信。」

這發現宛如在無盡的意識迷宮中長久徘徊後，指尖終於觸碰到一處隱蔽的機關觸發點。思緒以前所未有的速度瘋狂運轉，剖析著自身存在的荒謬架構。

「假設…只是假設，」她在內心謹慎地劃定界限，「若某人腦海裡認知一件行為或想法有『不敬』或『不當』屬性，『心』自然依著腦提交的資料，將其判定為『不敬』、『不當』，」她偷瞄一眼那具散發著櫻色光輝的神體，瞳孔閃爍著光芒，強迫自己將推演的對象維持在一個模糊的「他人」身上。「接著『心』反饋出譴責與不悅的情緒，並命令腦將任何越界的念頭從腦海中『拉下來』，停止思緒運作。那些想法變成冰封的殭屍，雖仍滯留於認知領域的某個角落，卻已動彈不得。」

A few silvery-white soul threads extended from below her neck, connecting to the arms that held the stones and also sensing the legs that were beginning to ache from holding a static, weight-bearing pose, now shifting onto their toes. However, her consciousness had long since transcended the black-and-white slaughter on the board, ignoring the silent "complaints" from her feet. Her gaze had penetrated the nineteen-by-nineteen grid, focusing on something deeper and more subtle—a hypothetical deduction, far more complex and profound than any exorcism rite, was quietly unfolding in her mind, tinged with cautious probing and a secret rebellion.

"I see..." A thought flashed through the depths of her consciousness like lightning. "The 'heart' provides the 'fuel' to ignite the flames of motivation and will. But what kind of fuel is lit, what kind of flame is produced… depends on what 'cognition' the 'brain' submits to it as the fuse."

This discovery was like finally touching a hidden trigger after wandering for an eternity in an endless labyrinth of consciousness. Her thoughts began to race at an unprecedented speed, dissecting the absurd architecture of her own existence.

"Assuming… just assuming," she carefully drew a line in her mind, "if a certain person's brain recognizes an act or thought as having the attribute of 'disrespect' or 'impropriety,' the 'heart' will naturally, based on the data submitted by the brain, judge it as 'disrespectful' or 'improper'." She stole a glance at the divine body radiating its sakura-hued light, her pupils flashing, forcing herself to keep the subject of her deduction as a vague "someone else." "Then the 'heart' provides feedback of condemnation and displeasure, and orders the brain to 'pull down' any transgressive thought, to stop its operation. Those thoughts become frozen zombies, still lingering in some corner of the cognitive realm, but unable to move."

「但是——」思緒猛地轉折，懸浮的頭顱輕微地偏轉，彷彿鎖定了獵物卻又不敢驚動它的鷹隼，透露出全神貫注的謹慎。「如果…能從最根本的源頭入手呢？如果能讓……嗯，這個人的『腦』，一開始就不將某個行為或想法標記為『不敬』或『不當』呢？」她小心翼翼地繞開第一人稱。

「不需要在事後絞盡腦汁，尋找那些蹩腳理由去試著說服『心』，而是在念頭萌芽的最初，就為它鋪好一套完美『合規』的認知基礎……」

「嗯哼，」混合著驚嘆與玩味的氣音從她唇間逸出。「這可就……非常有意思了。」

恍然大悟的瞬間，混合著興奮與背德刺激感的戰慄，如電流般竄過她腦海的每一處。這感覺奇妙至極，就像一個程式員悄悄截取了自身意識的代碼，不僅畫出“自己”的設計圖，更獲得第一把能從內部撬動並改寫規則的鑰匙。

她當然知道她無法欺騙自己的大腦去相信那些違背邏輯和基礎事實的謊言（譬如「一加一等於三」）。然而，在龐大的認知體系中，存在著模糊而具有詮釋空間的灰色地帶，被她瞧見可供她操作與耕耘的廣袤領域。

「多麼奇妙啊，」她幾乎要為這內在的詭異邏輯發笑，「理論上，『心』是主宰，『腦』是僕從。但僕從卻能通過精心準備的『彙報材料』，來巧妙地引導主宰的『決策』…『知識就是力量』，古人誠不欺我！」

更進一步的推論，讓她呼吸為之一窒。

「而這顆『心』…它擁有『自主性』嗎？不，它更像是神櫻力量對外作用的『介面』，一個負責處理動機與情緒輸出給我…巫女的精密儀器。既然是儀器，就必然有其運作規則。那麼，只要我…有某個人能理解它的『演算法』…」

"But—" her thoughts took a sharp turn. Her hovering head tilted slightly, like a hawk that has locked onto its prey but dares not startle it, revealing a state of utter concentration. "What if… one could start from the very source? What if… hmm, this person's 'brain' could be made to not label a certain act or thought as 'disrespectful' or 'improper' in the first place?" She carefully avoided the first-person pronoun.

"Instead of racking my brain afterward for clumsy excuses to try and persuade the 'heart,' what if, at the very inception of a thought, I pave for it a perfectly 'compliant' cognitive foundation…"

"Aha," an exhale, a mixture of awe and amusement, escaped her lips. "Now this… is very interesting."

In that moment of epiphany, a thrill, a mixture of excitement and the illicit stimulation of transgression, shot through every part of her mind like an electric current. The feeling was utterly bizarre, like a programmer who had quietly intercepted the code of their own consciousness, not only mapping out their own design but also obtaining the first key to pry open and rewrite the rules from within.

She knew, of course, that she couldn't deceive her own brain into believing lies that violated logic and basic facts (such as "one plus one equals three"). However, within the vast cognitive system, there existed a gray area, ambiguous and open to interpretation, a vast field she saw was available for her to cultivate and manipulate.

"How marvelous," she almost wanted to laugh at this internal, bizarre logic. "Theoretically, the 'heart' is the master, and the 'brain' is the servant. But the servant can subtly guide the master's 'decisions' through carefully prepared 'briefing materials'… 'Knowledge is power.' The ancients were not wrong!"

A further deduction made her hold her breath.

"And this 'heart'… does it have its own 'autonomy'? No, it's more like an 'interface' for the power of Shin-ou, a precision instrument responsible for processing motivation and emotional output for me… for the shrine maiden. And since it is an instrument, it must have its own operational rules. Then, as long as I… as long as someone can understand its 'algorithm'…"

預期它的反應，引導它的輸出，甚至…在某種層面上，駕馭它的運作？

這個念頭是如此地逾越，如此地褻瀆，甚至擊穿「假設」的平靜偽裝，以至於「心」立刻傳來一陣尖銳的警告波動，像是觸發了某種內建的防火牆。但這一次，御神櫻沒有畏縮。她早已熟練地將這危險的思緒包裹上一層層邏輯與敬神的外衣——「此為對神與巫女之運行機制的深度冥想，意在透過理解奧秘而達至更深層的敬虔，以完美吾之侍奉」——如同最高明的駭客，用合法的憑證繞過安全檢測。

警告波動在層層「正當理由」的緩衝下，未能掀起更大波瀾，只化作她意識深處幾近於無的雜訊。

「自我操控」念頭帶來的前所未有的興奮感攫住了御神櫻。她就像一個拿到自己管理員權限的用戶，開始小心翼翼地嘗試一些…「越權」操作。

而她的實驗場，很快從幽靜的院落，轉移到腥風血雨的前線。

To anticipate its reactions, guide its output, and even… on some level, to drive its operation?

The thought was so transgressive, so blasphemous, that it shattered the calm facade of "hypothesis," and her "heart" immediately sent a sharp warning wave, as if some built-in firewall had been triggered. But this time, Sakura did not flinch. She had already skillfully wrapped this dangerous thought in layers of logic and reverence—"This is a deep meditation on the operational mechanism of the god and the shrine maiden, intended to achieve a deeper piety through understanding the mystery, in order to perfect my service"—like the most skilled hacker using legitimate credentials to bypass a security check.

Buffered by layers of "justification," the warning wave failed to cause a greater disturbance and dissolved into almost imperceptible noise in the depths of her consciousness.

The unprecedented excitement brought by the thought of "self-manipulation" seized Mikami Sakura. Like a user who had just been granted administrator privileges, she began to cautiously attempt some… "unauthorized" operations.

And her testing ground soon shifted from the quiet courtyard to the bloody front lines.

———

濃稠如墨的瘴氣自廢棄工廠地脈的裂縫中不斷噴湧，如同匯聚了萬人低語的嗡鳴聲，沉悶地撞擊著在場每一個人的鼓膜。一股龐大而不祥的妖力正在深處瘋狂凝聚，彷彿隨時會孕育出萬千妖魔。

來自御神家各地神社的數位宮司，正率領高階禰宜與巫女們閉目凝神，低聲誦念，展開巨大的結界，試圖封鎖不斷擴散的邪氣。其餘族人則手持符咒與法器，嚴陣以待，準備捕捉並祓除任何可能從結界縫隙中逃逸的妖物。

依照往例，御神櫻本應指揮離體四肢殺入工廠，與具象化的妖魔展開激戰。但今天，她似乎另作他想，胸有成竹地考慮著激進而高效的瘋狂計畫。

「護衛聽令！」她的頭顱懸浮於保護神體的臨時靈力護罩之上，聲音冷靜而帶著威儀。「將神體——請至吾之雙腿之上。」

A miasma as thick as ink continuously spewed from a fissure in the ley lines beneath an abandoned factory. A droning sound, like the whispers of ten thousand people, dully struck the eardrums of everyone present. A vast and ominous demonic power was crazily condensing in the depths, as if it would birth a legion of demons at any moment.

Several head priests from the various Mikami family shrines were leading high-ranking priests and priestesses in a low chant, their eyes closed in concentration, deploying a massive barrier to try and seal the spreading evil. The other clan members stood ready with talismans and artifacts, prepared to capture and exorcise any demon that might escape through a crack in the barrier.

Ordinarily, Sakura would have commanded her detached limbs to charge into the factory and engage the manifested demons in fierce combat. But today, she seemed to have other plans, a radical and ruthlessly efficient one taking shape in her mind.

"Guards, on my command!" Her head hovered above a temporary spiritual shield protecting the divine body, her voice calm and majestic. "Bring the divine body—and place it upon my legs."

族人聞言一怔，但無人敢質疑神櫻巫女大人。兩位隨侍巫女恭敬地催動靈力，小心抬起流轉著莊嚴光輝的神體，將其安放在結界外靜待的那雙腿上。

那雙腿此刻並未如往常般幻化出骨鞭或靈刀，而是將龐大靈力極度壓縮，收束於 「御祓足袋『白淨』」 與 「破邪草履『神征』」 之中。純白足袋緊裹腿肢，泛起緻密靈光，彷彿某種蓄勢待發的拘束具；神征草鞋則鞋底熾亮，積蓄著驚人的推進靈力，宛如火箭的燃料。神體並未與雙腿進行生理上的完整接合，僅以純粹靈力暫時銜接。

接著一幕詭異至極的景象呈現於眾人眼前：一具無頭無臂、僅有軀幹與雙腿的「人偶」，竟自行邁開步伐，以驚人的速度朝著工廠裂縫方向疾衝而去！

衝刺至工廠邊緣的剎那，附著於「白淨」之上的靈力驟然緊縮，將雙腿力量提升至極限；而「神征」鞋底壓縮到極致的靈力轟然爆發，噴射出璀璨的湛藍色光流——

雙腿猛地屈膝，旋即如強弓勁弩般迸發躍起！如同強大的助推火箭，推動著神體，劃破瀰漫的瘴氣，朝著懸浮於裂縫正上方的巫女雙臂疾射而去！

The clansmen were stunned but did not dare to question their Lady Shrine Maiden. Two attendant priestesses respectfully channeled their spiritual power, carefully lifting the divine body, which flowed with a solemn light, and placing it upon the legs that waited silently outside the barrier.

At this moment, her legs had not transformed into the bone whip or the spiritual blade as they usually would. Instead, they had compressed their immense spiritual power, containing it within the Purification Tabi "Hakujou" and the Evil-Crushing Zori "Shinsei." The pure white tabi clung tightly to her limbs, glowing with a dense spiritual light, like some kind of restraint mechanism building up power. The soles of the Shinsei Zori were blazing, accumulating an astonishing amount of propulsive spiritual energy, like rocket fuel. The divine body was not physically connected to the legs, only temporarily linked by pure spiritual power.

Then, an utterly bizarre scene unfolded before them: a headless, armless "doll," consisting of only a torso and two legs, began to stride forward on its own, rushing towards the fissure in the factory at an incredible speed!

The moment it reached the edge of the factory, the spiritual power contained within "Hakujou" suddenly contracted, boosting the legs' strength to its absolute limit. The power compressed in the soles of "Shinsei" then detonated, jetting out a brilliant, azure stream of light—

The legs bent sharply at the knees and then launched upwards like a powerful crossbow! Like a booster rocket, they propelled the divine body, tearing through the thick miasma, shooting straight towards the shrine maiden’s two arms, which hovered directly above the fissure!

在接近最高點的瞬間，雙腿如同耗盡燃料的推進器般自行脫離墜下。始終待命的雙臂即刻迎上，穩穩接住飛射而來的神體。臂上 「纏神袖衣『鎮靈』」 因高漲靈力而劇烈飄揚，袖擺翻飛如羽翼——

「巫女大人？！您這是——！」一位長老驚駭欲絕的尖叫聲劃破空氣。

御神櫻卻置若罔聞。她的頭顱微微後仰，雙眼緊閉，讓自己的「腦」下達了最終指令：

「認知確認：執行方案『高效淨化』。目標：妖力之源，現世之隙。指令：投擲。」

幾乎在指令即將執行的最終瞬間，她才感受到「心」傳來一陣遲滯卻無比強烈的困惑與動盪——它接收到的認知標籤明明是「高效淨化」，但執行動作卻與所有內建行為邏輯嚴重衝突，彷彿系統突然讀取到一段無法解析的異常代碼。

就是現在！趁著「心」還陷在邏輯判定的混亂泥沼，來不及強制「攔截」指令——

「投下！」御神櫻在腦海中無聲厲喝，執行了這場豪賭。

Upon reaching the apex of its flight, the legs detached and fell away like a spent booster stage. The ever-ready arms immediately met and caught the soaring divine body. The Spirit-Binding Sleeves "Chinrei" on her arms billowed violently from the surging spiritual power, flying like wings—

"Lady Miko?! What are you—!" an elder’s horrified scream cut through the air.

Sakura paid it no mind. Her head tilted back slightly, her eyes closed tight, as her "brain" issued the final command:

"Cognitive Confirmation: Execute Plan 'High-Efficiency Purification.' Target: Source of Demonic Power, Fissure in the Mortal Realm. Command: Throw."

Almost in the final instant before the command was executed, she felt a delayed but incredibly powerful wave of confusion and turmoil from her "heart"—the cognitive label it had received was clearly "High-Efficiency Purification," but the action itself was in severe conflict with all of its built-in behavioral logic, as if the system had suddenly encountered an unparsable line of anomalous code.

Now! While the "heart" was still trapped in the chaotic mire of logical judgment, before it could forcibly "intercept" the command—

"Release!" Sakura roared silently in her mind, executing her high-stakes gamble.

雙臂應聲發力，將那承載家族信仰、至高無上的神聖之軀，像投擲一枚核彈般，決扔進了下方翻滾沸騰的濃稠妖力核心之中！

「不——！！」族人們絕望的慘叫被龐大能量對衝產生的恐怖嗡鳴徹底淹沒。

神體墜入極惡瘴氣的剎那，宛如將冰晶投入熔爐。至聖的神性光輝與至穢的妖力發生了最極端的劇烈排斥！

轟————————！！！

無聲卻足以撼動靈魂的巨響在每個在場族人的意識深處爆裂。神櫻的自動防禦機制被激發，一股浩瀚純粹，足以重塑秩序的櫻色神光，以墜落點為原點，如同超新星爆發般驟然膨脹，輻射向四面八方！

光芒所及之處，濃稠的瘴氣如遇烈陽的晨霧般消散，那尚未成形的妖魔連悲鳴都未能發出，便被這絕對的力量連同妖力源頭徹底淹沒，化為虛無。

這是一場超越任何祓魔儀式的壓倒性淨化。

Her arms unleashed their power, throwing the sacred body that carried the faith of her family, that supreme and holy vessel, like a nuclear bomb into the roiling, boiling core of dense demonic power below!

"NO—!!" The clan's desperate screams were completely drowned out by the terrifying hum of the colliding energies.

The moment the divine body fell into the ultimate evil miasma, it was like dropping an ice crystal into a furnace. The most sacred divine light and the most profane demonic power repulsed each other with the most extreme violence!

BOOM————————!!!

A silent but soul-shattering explosion detonated in the consciousness of every clan member present. Shin-ou's automatic defense mechanism was triggered. A vast, pure, sakura-colored divine light, powerful enough to reshape order itself, erupted from the point of impact and expanded in all directions like a supernova!

Wherever the light touched, the thick miasma dissipated like morning fog in the harsh sun. The unformed demon couldn't even let out a cry before it, along with the source of its power, was completely submerged and annihilated by this absolute force.

It was an overwhelming purification that surpassed any exorcism rite.

然而對御神櫻而言，這過程絕非輕鬆，無異於對自我存在的極限施壓。在神體脫手後的自由落體期間，隨著神體的墜落，她通過靈魂連結清晰地感受到「心」傳來的，如同重力加速度般增長強化的驚恐與斥責，幾乎要將她的意識撕碎。那感覺不像情緒，更像是超載的儀器發出的尖銳警報，戳刺著她的大腦。

緊接著，當神櫻之力徹底爆發，她與神力核心的連結被切斷。不僅維持「御神櫻」運行的神力供應戛然而止，更是存在層面的撕裂與剝離。頭顱與四肢變成了斷線的風箏，不再是「神櫻的巫女」，淪為一堆失去意義的殘骸。極致的虛無包裹了她，遠比死亡更令人戰慄。

這感覺恐怖至極，卻也…刺激得令人上癮。

當族人戰戰兢兢地「回收」回她散落的部件時，看到她的臉上，掛著一個詭異而燦爛的笑容，嘴角咧開的弧度無聲地宣告著“計畫通”的勝利。她的四肢被找回時，仍維持著極度扭曲卻又鬆馳的姿態，彷彿被抽乾了存在，又從中獲得最深刻的解放。

「成功了…」耗竭的頭顱依靠殘存的意念呢喃自語，「…最有效率的…淨化…」

族人們面面相覷，瑟瑟發抖，完全無法理解巫女大人身上發生了什麼。他們只看到她以一種聞所未聞、大逆不道的方式，驅使了神櫻的力量，並因此變得…如同經歷了某種禁忌的儀式，虛脫不堪卻又亢奮異常。

御神櫻任由族人將她的部件拼回神體。在頭顱與頸項接合的「咔」聲響起，力量重新迴流的瞬間，她感受著那那依舊莊嚴、如機械般運轉，卻已被她成功「劫持」並驗證了其漏洞的機制，心底湧起的不是敬畏，而是隱隱的征服感和愉悅。

道路，正在她腳下，以,離經叛道、險中求勝的方式，被強行拓寬。

However, for Sakura, the process was anything but easy. It was an extreme stress test on her very existence. During the divine body’s free fall after leaving her hands, she clearly felt, through the soul link, a terror and condemnation from her "heart" that grew with the acceleration of gravity, almost tearing her consciousness apart. It didn't feel like an emotion, but more like the shrill alarm of an overloaded instrument, piercing her brain.

Then, when the power of Shin-ou fully erupted, her connection to the core of that power was severed. Not only was the spiritual energy supply that sustained "Mikami Sakura" cut off, but it was also a tear, a stripping away at the existential level. Her head and limbs became kites with their strings cut. She was no longer the "Shrine Maiden of Shin-ou," but a pile of meaningless wreckage. She was enveloped by an ultimate nothingness, a sensation far more chilling than death.

The feeling was terrifying, yet also… addictively thrilling.

When the clansmen timidly "retrieved" her scattered parts, they saw a bizarre and brilliant smile on her face, the curve of her lips silently declaring the victory of her plan. When her limbs were found, they were in extremely contorted yet relaxed poses, as if their very existence had been drained, and from that, they had found the most profound liberation.

"It worked..." the exhausted head whispered with the last of its willpower. "...The most efficient... purification..."

The clansmen looked at each other, trembling, completely unable to understand what had happened to their Lady Miko. All they saw was that she had wielded the power of Shin-ou in an unprecedented, sacrilegious way, and as a result, had become… as if she had undergone some forbidden ritual, utterly drained yet abnormally euphoric.

Sakura allowed the clan to piece her parts back onto the divine body. The moment the "click" of her head connecting to her neck sounded and the power flowed back into her, she felt the mechanism—still solemn, still operating like a machine, but one she had successfully "hijacked" and whose vulnerabilities she had verified. What rose in her heart was not awe, but a faint sense of conquest and pleasure.

The road beneath her feet was being forcibly widened, through a path of heresy and high-stakes gambles.

———

除了神體，御神櫻對其它肢體的“運用”，也越來越不設限，越來越自由自在。

御神家的古老庭院，今日洋溢著與莊嚴神社格格不入的喧鬧的歡笑聲。陽光透過層疊的櫻花葉隙，灑下斑駁的金輝。在這聖域之中，曾只為斬魔而存在的「神櫻巫女」的各個部件，正以荒誕卻溫馨的方式，被御神櫻好好「運用」著。

「快點！再高一點！右腿大人——！」一個膽子頗大的小男孩，興奮地「騎乘」在御神櫻的右腿上，小手緊抱著大腿側，發出銀鈴般歡快的笑聲。那條曾揮出猙獰骨刺長鞭、輕易絞殺妖魔的右腿，此刻正靈巧而富有節奏地進行著「兔子蹦蹦跳」遊戲。包裹其上的 「御祓足袋『白淨』」 泛著柔和靈光，並非用於抵禦攻擊，而是以靈力細緻調節著肌肉與骨骼的連動，讓每一次跳躍都充滿彈性與活力，並穩穩承托著雀躍不已的「小騎士」。

Besides the divine body, Sakura’s "use" of her other limbs also became increasingly unrestrained and free.

The ancient courtyard of the Mikami family was, today, filled with boisterous laughter that was out of place in the solemn shrine. Sunlight dappled through the layers of cherry blossom leaves, casting golden flecks of light. In this sacred domain, the various parts of the "Shrine Maiden of Shin-ou," which had once existed only to slay demons, were now being put to good "use" by Mikami Sakura in an absurd yet heartwarming way.

"Faster! A little higher! Lady Right Leg—!" a particularly bold little boy shouted, excitedly "riding" on Sakura's right leg, his small hands clinging tightly to her thigh, letting out peals of cheerful, bell-like laughter. That same leg, which had once brandished a menacing bone-spur whip and easily strangled demons, was now nimbly and rhythmically playing a game of "bunny hops." The Purification Tabi "Hakujou" that enveloped it glowed with a soft spiritual light, not to ward off attacks, but to finely regulate the coordination of muscle and bone with spiritual power, making every jump full of spring and vitality, and steadily supporting its gleeful "little knight."

另一側，巫女大人的左腿則展現出截然不同的溫柔。它載著一個年齡稍大而文靜羞澀的小女孩，不進行劇烈跳躍，只由腳掌輕巧地點著地面，帶著孩子溫柔地起伏。腳下的 「破邪草履『神征』」 收斂所有鋒芒，僅在鞋底蘊起一層柔和的靈力護墊，確保每一次「落地」都輕柔無聲，不讓背上的「小公主」受到絲毫驚嚇。它甚至體貼地感應著女孩的心情，時不時停下片刻，讓她能靜靜地欣賞夕陽下染上金邊的櫻花，感受那份無限的美好。

On the other side, the Lady Miko’s left leg displayed a completely different kind of gentleness. It carried a slightly older, quiet, and shy little girl. It didn't make any drastic jumps, but simply tapped the ground lightly with its foot, gently bouncing the child up and down. The Evil-Crushing Zori "Shinsei" on its foot had retracted all its sharpness, now only generating a soft cushion of spiritual power on its sole to ensure that every "landing" was soft and silent, so as not to startle the "little princess" on its back in the slightest. It was even considerate enough to sense the girl's mood, pausing from time to time to let her quietly admire the cherry blossoms, their edges tinged with gold in the setting sun, and feel that infinite beauty.

她的雙臂更是忙碌。左手高高舉起，牽引著一隻色彩斑斕的蝴蝶風箏，讓它在春風中翩躚起舞，劃出靈動的弧線，引得底下三五成群的孩子們雀躍歡呼，追逐著風箏的影子；右手則揮舞著一柄小小的玩具竹劍，有模有樣地與舉著樹枝、大喊大叫的男孩們進行緊張刺激的「劍豪對決」，竹劍交擊的響聲與孩子們的自配的「音效」不絕於耳。

而御神櫻的頭顱，悠然懸浮於這場歡樂風暴的中心。她嘴角噙著溫暖的笑意，時而微調風箏線的方向，時而為激烈的「決鬥」配上幾句俏皮的解說與加油。更重要的是，她還分神傾聽著孩子們七嘴八舌、爭先恐後分享的那些屬於他們世界的趣事——誰家新生的貓崽睜開了眼，誰昨天在田埂上摔了一跤卻沒哭……這些瑣碎平凡的快樂，透過孩子們的純真話語，一點一滴浸潤著她曾經孤寂緊繃的心靈。

玩得有些倦意襲來，她的頭顱輕巧地往後飛，宛若歸巢的飛鳥，信任地飄進一旁靜默守候的少年懷中，後腦輕輕地枕進他因緊張而略顯僵硬的臂彎裡。

「唔…有點累了呢，」她閉上眼，聲音裡浸著一抹毫不設防的慵懶，甚至帶點親暱的撒嬌，「幫我揉揉太陽穴，可好？」

Her arms were even busier. Her left hand was held high, flying a colorful butterfly kite, letting it dance and flutter in the spring breeze, drawing elegant arcs that made the group of children below cheer and chase after its shadow. Her right hand, meanwhile, was wielding a small toy bamboo sword, putting on a tense and exciting "master swordsman duel" with a group of boys who were shouting and waving tree branches. The sound of bamboo clashing and the children's self-made "sound effects" were endless.

And Mikami Sakura’s head hovered serenely at the center of this joyous storm. A warm smile played on her lips as she occasionally adjusted the kite string or added a few playful comments and cheers to the intense "duel." More importantly, she was also listening to the children's chatter, as they scrambled to share interesting stories from their world—whose new kitten had opened its eyes, who had fallen on the path between the fields yesterday but didn't cry… These trivial, ordinary joys, conveyed through the children's innocent words, seeped into her once lonely and tense soul, drop by drop.

As she began to feel a little tired from playing, her head flew back gracefully, like a bird returning to its nest, and trustingly floated into the arms of a young man who had been waiting silently nearby. The back of her head rested gently in the crook of his arm, which was slightly stiff from nervousness.

"Mm… a little tired," she closed her eyes, her voice tinged with an unguarded laziness, even a hint of affectionate coquetry. "Could you rub my temples for me?"

少年彷彿被符咒定住，全身瞬間僵直。臉龐以肉眼可見的速度染上一片緋紅，蔓延至耳根。他懷中所抱的，是「神櫻巫女」的頭顱——那位被全族敬若神明，不容絲毫褻瀆的存在。此刻，這份至高無上的尊貴與神秘，卻被他輕輕攬在懷中，雙手抑制不住地顫抖。

他緊張得幾乎窒息，用盡全部意志力才穩下動作，輕柔地抬起手，指尖微顫地按上她的太陽穴。

就在他努力平復狂亂的心跳，忍不住低下頭，想確認巫女大人是否舒適時——卻毫無預兆地撞入一雙悄然睜開的眼眸。那雙眼睛澄澈如映著天空的秋水，眼底漾著一絲調皮與無盡的溫柔，正靜靜地地凝視著他，彷彿能看透人心。

「哇啊！」少年嚇得驚呼一聲，心跳驟然脫序，險些鬆手。

御神櫻沒有絲毫責怪，反而回贈他一個帶著幾分狡黠的安撫微笑，彷彿無聲地問道：「嚇到你了呀？」

笑容如同陽光穿透雲層，耀眼的光芒佔滿少年的雙眼視野，卻也讓少年的臉紅得幾乎滴出血。他慌張地垂下視線，再也不敢直視，指尖的動作變得愈發輕柔謹慎。

The young man froze as if he had been petrified by a talisman. His face turned a visible shade of crimson that spread to the tips of his ears. In his arms was the head of the "Shrine Maiden of Shin-ou"—the being revered by the entire clan as a god, not to be profaned in the slightest. At this moment, this supreme, mysterious, and honored being was held gently in his arms. His hands couldn't stop trembling.

He was so nervous he could barely breathe. It took all his willpower to steady his movements. He gently raised a hand, his fingertips trembling as he pressed them to her temples.

Just as he was trying to calm his frantic heart and couldn't help but look down to see if the Lady Miko was comfortable—he unexpectedly met a pair of eyes that had quietly opened. They were as clear as an autumn lake reflecting the sky, and in their depths was a ripple of mischief and endless gentleness, gazing quietly at him, as if they could see right through his heart.

"Whoa!" the young man gasped, his heart skipping a beat, nearly dropping her.

Sakura showed no sign of blame. Instead, she gave him a reassuring smile, tinged with a bit of slyness, as if silently asking, "Did I scare you?"

The smile was like sunlight breaking through the clouds. Its dazzling light filled the young man's vision, and it also made his face turn so red it looked like it would bleed. He hastily lowered his gaze, not daring to look at her directly again, the movements of his fingertips becoming even more gentle and cautious.

這是御神櫻最為珍惜的閒暇時光。甚至那具總是端坐於本殿深處，被無數虔誠目光仰望的神體，也被她換上了一身素雅輕便的浴衣，由雙臂小心「請」出，安放於平整溫潤的大岩石上，靜靜地「曬太陽」，彷彿連神櫻也融入了這片午後的恬靜與嬉遊。

忽然，「噗通」一聲悶響，伴隨著孩子們短促的驚呼，劃破了午後的閒適。

載著小男童的右腿在奮力一躍後，著地時不慎踩上一塊覆著青苔的光滑石頭，失去了平衡，摔倒在柔軟的草甸上。其實並不算嚴重，但小男童臉上卻瞬間寫滿了驚嚇和不安——不只是因為自己摔著了，更是出於強烈的愧疚，生怕自己害得「巫女大人的腿」受傷或疼痛。

御神櫻的右腿似乎與男童的心情共鳴了，細膩而鮮明的情緒，竟與小男童的驚惶與愧疚相呼應，卻又立場相反：那是一種帶著歉意的撫慰，是深怕男孩因此自責，急切想要傳達「我並無大礙」的擔憂。這份彷彿肢體自身萌生出的溫柔，透過共有的連結傳來，讓御神櫻微微一怔。

她下意識地轉動視線，望向那靜默佇立，沐浴在夕陽餘暉中的神體。這份與小男孩心情的共鳴……究竟是真的存在，還是「心」的本質運作，依據現場狀況即時演算，「派送」給她的某種極為逼真的情緒模擬？

她無從分辨；或許，也並不需要分辨。

This was Mikami Sakura's most treasured leisure time. Even the divine body, which usually sat in the depths of the main hall, gazed upon by countless pious eyes, had been changed into a simple, light yukata. Her arms had carefully "invited" it out and placed it on a large, smooth rock to quietly "sunbathe," as if even Shin-ou had melted into the tranquility and playfulness of the afternoon.

Suddenly, a dull "thump," accompanied by the children's short gasps, broke the afternoon's peace.

The right leg, carrying the little boy, had lost its balance after a vigorous leap, landing on a moss-covered, slippery stone. It wasn't a serious fall, but the little boy's face was instantly filled with shock and anxiety—not just because he had fallen, but out of a strong sense of guilt, terrified that he had caused "the Lady Miko’s leg" to be hurt.

Sakura's right leg seemed to resonate with the boy's feelings. A delicate and vivid emotion, corresponding to the boy's fear and guilt but from the opposite perspective, arose: it was a feeling of apologetic comfort, a deep fear that the boy would blame himself, an urgent desire to convey "I'm alright." This gentleness, which seemed to have sprung from the limb itself, was transmitted through their shared link, making Sakura pause for a moment.

She instinctively turned her gaze to the divine body, which stood silently, bathed in the evening glow. This resonance with the little boy's feelings… was it real, or was it the fundamental operation of her "heart," some kind of extremely realistic emotional simulation, calculated and "delivered" to her based on the situation?

She couldn't tell. Perhaps… she didn't need to.

她那條摔倒的右腿並未急於起身，而是以膝蓋支地，安慰性地蹭了蹭小男童的手臂。而原本在遠處揮舞竹劍的右臂也拋下手中玩具，「飛」掠而來，輕輕地摸了摸男孩的髮頂，彷彿在無聲地訴說：「沒事的，別害怕。」

御神櫻感受著胸腔內那顆「心」中湧動的柔軟與暖意，澎湃得幾乎滿溢而出。哪怕它真只是一台「情緒生成裝置」，此時此刻，她也更寧願去相信——神櫻正與她共享著同一份心情，共同沉浸在這金色夕照之下。

這時，那條載著女孩的左腿，也以輕柔的節奏，腳掌輕輕點著地，一蹬一蹬地回到了御神櫻的頭顱邊。坐在上面的小女孩臉頰微紅，眼神卻亮晶晶的。她有些緊張地在口袋裡摸索了一陣，然後鄭重地掏出一株被手帕仔細包裹的四葉草，怯生生地遞向懸浮的巫女頭顱。

「巫女大人，」她聲音輕輕的，卻很認真，「這個…送給您。媽媽說，它能帶來幸福。我希望…您以後永遠都快樂。」

御神櫻又愣住了，目光柔軟地落在那株纖細卻飽含重量的小草上。

Her fallen right leg didn't rush to get up. Instead, it rested on its knee and gave the little boy's arm a comforting nudge. And the right arm, which had been waving a bamboo sword in the distance, dropped its toy and "flew" over, gently patting the boy's head, as if silently saying, "It's okay, don't be afraid."

Sakura felt the softness and warmth surging in the "heart" in her chest, so powerful it was about to overflow. Even if it really was just an "emotion-generating device," at this moment, she preferred to believe—that Shin-ou was sharing the same feeling with her, both of them immersed in this golden sunset.

Just then, the left leg that had been carrying the girl returned to Sakura’s head with a gentle, rhythmic tapping of its foot. The little girl on it had a slight blush on her cheeks, but her eyes were sparkling. She fumbled nervously in her pocket for a moment and then solemnly took out a four-leaf clover, carefully wrapped in a handkerchief, and shyly offered it to the floating shrine maiden’s head.

"Lady Miko," her voice was soft, but very serious. "This… is for you. Mommy says it brings happiness. I hope… you will be happy forever."

Sakura was stunned again, her gaze falling softly on the delicate yet weighty little plant.

還未等她開口，小女孩卻已靈巧地跳下了左腿。她沒有立刻跑開，而是轉過身，伸出小手，極其自然地與那條剛才還承載著她的左腿側面輕輕擊掌，發出愉悅的小小聲響，宛如屬於她們兩人之間的「成功暗號」。那條左腿也彷彿早有預期般，上下晃了晃腳尖，大腿微微彎出柔和的弧度，像在點頭，又像是在微笑，一起慶祝完成了這場小小的共謀。

這些小小的動作，像最後一片悄然落定的拼圖，輕輕地擊中御神櫻內心最柔軟的角落。

啊啊…這到底是什麼感覺啊……

明明是她自己的左腿，此刻卻彷彿成了那個羞澀女孩最親密無間的「共犯」，與她共享只屬於她們兩人之間的溫柔秘密。

這份美好感受，真實得讓她難以置信，甚至產生一絲惶恐，害怕這只是「心」模擬出的完美幻夢。

但是……

御神櫻的眼眶微微濕潤了，夕陽的金光在她眼中折射出璀璨的光暈。她以靈力接過了那株四葉草，彷彿接過了無比真摯的祝福。

無需再懷疑感受的真偽。她知道了，與神櫻在一起，她也能觸摸到純粹的幸福。

​Before she could speak, the little girl had already nimbly hopped off the left leg. She didn't run away immediately. Instead, she turned, reached out her small hand, and gave the side of the leg that had just been carrying her a very natural high-five, making a small, happy sound, like a "successful mission signal" that belonged only to the two of them. The left leg, as if it had been expecting it, bobbed its foot up and down, its thigh curving into a gentle arc, as if it were nodding or smiling, celebrating the completion of their little conspiracy together.

​These small gestures, like the final, quietly settling piece of a puzzle, gently struck the softest corner of Sakura's heart.

​Ah… what is this feeling…

​It was her own left leg, yet at this moment, it felt as if it had become the shy girl's closest "partner in crime," sharing a gentle secret that belonged only to them.

​This beautiful feeling was so real it was almost unbelievable, even creating a faint sense of panic, a fear that this was just a perfect illusion simulated by her "heart."

​But…

​Sakura's eyes grew moist, the golden light of the setting sun refracting into a brilliant halo in her gaze. She accepted the four-leaf clover with her spiritual power, as if accepting the most sincere of blessings.

​There was no longer a need to doubt the authenticity of the feeling. She knew now. Together with Shin-ou, she too could touch pure happiness.

獵魔聖女--後日談B

後日談：聖所與深淵

Epilogue: The Sanctuary and the Abyss

週日的晨光，溫和地灑在東京邊緣社區一座小而古舊的聖瑪利亞堂上。這座隱匿於尋常街巷中的天主教堂，成為神無月結衣與神無月一夢母女每週一次的暫歇之地。這裡沒有總教區那般宏偉肅穆的氣勢，唯有褪色的彩繪玻璃、略顯斑駁的長椅，以及空氣中氤氳著老舊木材、蜂蠟與淡淡薰香交織的溫潤氣息。教友多是附近的老人與孩童，他們的信仰單純而樸實，與教會高層的權謀和異端家族的詭計，彷彿存在於兩個截然不同的世界。

對結衣和一夢而言，這每週一次的儀式，是維繫「神無月」表層人格不可或缺的「信仰充能」。結衣輕挽著一夢的手臂，如同任何一對虔誠的母女，低調地步入教堂，在後排的長椅悄然落座。她們的到來並未引起太多注目，唯有幾位老教友對這對氣質出眾、容貌相似的母女投以友善而溫和的微笑。她們熟練地執起彌撒經本，劃下十字聖號，自然而然地融入這片祥和的敬拜氛圍中。

當唱詩班孩童清亮的歌聲悠然響起，一夢的內心宛如被煦風拂過，唇角不自覺地揚起一抹屬於「母親」的溫柔笑意；結衣則輕輕闔上眼簾，讓熟悉的拉丁文禱詞如涓涓細流般洗滌心靈——儘管她的心靈結構早已複雜得超乎常人所想。教堂內老爺爺、老奶奶們慈祥的笑容與關切的問候，更讓她們尋回了信仰最初的起始點，沒有任何矯揉造作與多餘的親善裝飾。

值得注意的是，總教區在此地刻意布下的神聖之力——表面上是為保護教友，實則暗含著某種伺機而動的意圖——雖非出自純然善意，卻意外地形成了一道屏障，有效隔離了黃前家族的共有意識（由天草四郎的悲願抽象化後轉化的家族行動指引核心）。這股力量壓制了她們底層「黃前」人格單元因教會環境影響而被意外觸發的可能性，陰錯陽差地為母女二人提供了一處罕有的喘息之隙。在這短暫的時光裡，她們得以暫且拋卻沉重的真相，偽裝自己僅僅是神無月結衣與神無月一夢，兩位平凡而虔誠的天主教徒。這份虛幻卻珍貴的寧靜，宛如在驚濤駭浪的命運中，被她們拼命守護的彩色泡沫，脆弱而美麗。

The Sunday morning light fell gently on the small, old St. Mary's Chapel in a neighborhood on the outskirts of Tokyo. This Catholic church, hidden away in an ordinary residential street, had become the weekly resting place for the mother and daughter, Kannazuki Yui and Kannazuki Ichiyume. It lacked the grand, solemn atmosphere of the main archdiocese, possessing only faded stained-glass windows, slightly worn pews, and a warm air imbued with the intermingled scents of old wood, beeswax, and faint incense. The parishioners were mostly elderly people and children from the neighborhood, their faith simple and unadorned, existing in a world seemingly separate from the power plays of the Church's high command and the machinations of the heretical family.

For Yui and Ichiyume, this weekly ritual was an indispensable "faith refueling" to maintain their "Kannazuki" surface personas. Yui gently took Ichiyume's arm, and like any other devout mother and daughter, they quietly entered the church and took a seat in a back pew. Their arrival did not attract much attention, save for a few friendly, gentle smiles from some of the older parishioners toward this pair of exceptionally graceful, similar-looking mother and daughter. They skillfully picked up their missals, made the sign of the cross, and naturally blended into the peaceful atmosphere of worship.

When the clear voices of the children's choir began to ring out, Ichiyume's heart felt as if it had been brushed by a warm breeze, and a gentle smile belonging to a "mother" unconsciously touched her lips. Yui, meanwhile, gently closed her eyes, allowing the familiar Latin prayers to wash over her mind like a gentle stream—even though the structure of her mind was far more complex than anyone could imagine. The kindly smiles and concerned greetings from the old men and women in the church allowed them to rediscover the very starting point of their faith, free of any artifice or unnecessary displays of goodwill.

It is worth noting that the holy power deliberately deployed here by the main archdiocese—ostensibly to protect the parishioners, but secretly harboring some opportunistic intent—though not born of pure goodwill, unintentionally formed a barrier. It effectively isolated them from the Omae family's collective consciousness (the family's core operational guide, abstracted from the sorrowful wish of Amakusa Shirō). This power suppressed the possibility of their underlying "Omae" personality units being accidentally triggered by the church environment, inadvertently providing the mother and daughter with a rare breathing space. In these brief moments, they could temporarily cast aside the heavy truth and pretend to be merely Kannazuki Yui and Kannazuki Ichiyume, two ordinary and devout Catholics. This illusory yet precious tranquility was like a colored bubble in the stormy sea of their fate, one they desperately protected, fragile and beautiful.

當然，世事從難一帆風順。縱有神聖之力隔絕了外部的黃前意識，她們體內流淌的「黃前」卻從未止息。對一般教友而言，聖餐是純粹屬靈的蒙恩時刻；但對結衣與一夢，這卻是一場同時發生於靈魂與身體深處的無聲戰役。

領受聖餐時，結衣與一夢依序排列，面容與其他教友無異，寫滿虔誠與期盼。然而，當神父將那象徵基督聖體的麵餅放入她們口中，當代表寶血的葡萄酒滑入喉間，一場內在的風暴便瞬即掀起。

蘊含正統教會祝福與信仰之力的聖餐，對她們承載黃前血脈的身體而言，不啻為一種極具侵蝕性的「異質存在」。表層人格懷著無比敬虔之心接納這恩典，底層靈識卻即刻啟動最高級別的防禦機制，將這股力量視同必須隔絕、解析並中和的「入侵物」。更為艱難的是，聖體與聖血經過消化與吸收——從前尚可由底層系統直接運作排出，但在知曉一切之後，她們已無法坦然面對被自身軀體排斥而出的「祝福」——最終融為她們存在的一部分，從而引發內部無休的相互否定：這兩條本應指向同一信仰源頭卻截然相悖的路徑，此刻猶如兩條死死糾纏、激烈搏鬥的蛇，爭執不下，直至精疲力竭。也正因如此，她們返回黃前本家進行身體與靈識單元維護的頻率，較以往更為密集。

結衣能感受到雙腿聖力容器處傳來撕裂般的灼熱，聖劍與聖杖的形態幾近壓制不住，細碎的光粒於裙襬之下明滅閃動。她全力克制，額間沁出細密汗珠。身旁的一夢更是身形微晃，容色倏地蒼白，全靠強大意志勉強穩住自己。每一次聖餐，皆是對她們存在本質的一番淬煉與考驗，於無聲處聽驚雷。

Of course, life is rarely so smooth. Even with the holy power isolating them from the external Omae consciousness, the "Omae" flowing in their veins never rested. For ordinary parishioners, Holy Communion was a moment of purely spiritual grace; but for Yui and Ichiyume, it was a silent battle waged simultaneously in the depths of their souls and bodies.

During Communion, Yui and Ichiyume lined up in turn, their faces no different from the other parishioners, filled with piety and anticipation. However, when the priest placed the wafer symbolizing the body of Christ into their mouths, when the wine representing the precious blood slid down their throats, an internal storm would instantly erupt.

To their bodies, which carried the Omae bloodline, the sacrament, imbued with the blessings and faith of the orthodox Church, was nothing less than a highly corrosive "foreign entity." Their surface personas accepted this grace with immense reverence, but their underlying consciousness immediately activated the highest level of defense mechanisms, treating this power as an "invader" that had to be isolated, analyzed, and neutralized. What made it even more difficult was that the body and blood, once digested and absorbed—which in the past could have been directly expelled by the underlying system, but which they could no longer face with equanimity after knowing everything, this "blessing" rejected by their own bodies—would ultimately become a part of their existence. This triggered an endless internal self-negation: these two paths, which should have pointed to the same source of faith but were diametrically opposed, were now like two fiercely battling, intertwined snakes, fighting to a standstill. It was for this reason that the frequency of their returns to the Omae main house for physical and spiritual unit maintenance had become more intensive than before.

Yui could feel a tearing, burning heat from the holy power vessels in her legs, the forms of the Holy Sword and Staff nearly breaking free of her control as fine particles of light flickered beneath her skirt. She suppressed it with all her might, fine beads of sweat forming on her forehead. Beside her, Ichiyume's figure swayed slightly, her face suddenly pale, holding herself steady only through sheer force of will. Every Communion was a tempering and a test of the very essence of their existence, a clap of thunder in the silence.

然而，彌撒後的告解，才是真正試煉的開始。自這對特殊的母女到來後，小教堂的神父便改由總教區直接指派；尋常教眾只隱約感到神父的更替似乎過於頻繁，卻不知其背後緣由。每一位新來者，都彷彿一顆投入她們平靜偽裝之湖的石子，激起深淺不一的漣漪，有時甚至險些引發海嘯——譬如她們曾遭遇的那位，將告解亭視作審判庭的費爾南多神父。

那天，她們走向告解室，迎向那位眼中閃爍著銳利光芒與某種急於證明什麼的費爾南多神父。教區高層雖已對他進行過「行前教育」，告知告解者的「特殊身份」及須保持「謹慎與專業」的態度，但顯然，這位年輕神父將此視為與「異端元首」正面交鋒的戰場，而非施行牧靈關懷的聖事。

結衣率先進行告解。她以「神無月結衣」的身份，陳述著一週以來精心篩選的「罪」：對抗妖魔時是否心存怒氣而非慈悲、信仰可曾有過片刻動搖，以及……為自己體內那與天主教信仰及聖女身份相悖的「異端血脈」與「非我本源」的存在本身，深切哀痛與罪咎。她的告解詞是精心編排的真實，每一字句都同時經過表層信仰與底層邏輯的雙重檢核。費爾南多神父沉默聆聽，空氣中瀰漫著無形的緊繃。

However, the confession after Mass was the beginning of the true trial. Since the arrival of this special mother and daughter, the priest of the small chapel had been directly appointed by the main archdiocese. Ordinary parishioners only vaguely sensed that the priests were being replaced rather frequently, unaware of the reason behind it. Each newcomer was like a stone tossed into the calm lake of their disguised peace, creating ripples of varying sizes, sometimes nearly causing a tsunami—such as the one they had encountered, Father Fernando, who treated the confessional as a tribunal.

That day, they walked to the confessional to meet Father Fernando, whose eyes glinted with a sharp light and a certain eagerness to prove something. Although the diocesan superiors had given him a "pre-mission briefing," informing him of the confessor's "special identity" and the need to maintain a "cautious and professional" attitude, it was clear that the young priest saw this as a direct confrontation with the "heretical leader," not a sacrament for providing pastoral care.

Yui went to confession first. As "Kannazuki Yui," she confessed her meticulously selected "sins" from the past week: whether she had harbored anger instead of mercy when fighting demons, whether her faith had wavered for a moment, and... the deep sorrow and guilt for the very existence of the "heretical bloodline" and "non-self origin" within her, which contradicted her Catholic faith and identity as a Saint. Her confession was a carefully arranged truth, every word and sentence double-checked by both her surface faith and her underlying logic. Father Fernando listened in silence, the air thick with an invisible tension.

輪到一夢時，氣氛愈發凝滯。她溫柔的嗓音微帶顫抖，依循著類似套路：為自己不純淨的存在基礎、為那源自異質信仰的根源、為過去衝突造成的傷害祈求寬恕。她的痛苦真實而尖銳——「神無月一夢」這個人格模組，正被迫譴責構成其存在基礎的「黃前一夢」，這種自我否定幾乎將她撕裂。

突然間，費爾南多神父打破了告解應有的靜默與收束。他的聲音尖銳地穿透木質隔板：「神無月……不，黃前結衣，以及黃前一夢。教會固然寬恕尋求救贖的罪人，但你們黃前家，以褻瀆儀式竊取主的光輝，以怨念扭曲純正信仰，手上沾滿了我無數主內弟兄的鮮血！你們的『存在』本身，就是對神聖公義的挑戰！黃前結衣，你身為現在的領導者，要如何為這一切負責？你當真以為，僅憑這片刻的告解，就能洗淨這血海般的罪孽嗎？」

他的話語如同淬毒利劍，直刺存在核心。告解亭內的一夢瞬間窒息，她的人格模組劇烈震盪，「溫柔母親」的設定根本無力處理這指向其底層本質的龐大指控。彷若線路短路般的輕微嗚咽，從她喉間逸出。結衣自身亦深受衝擊——此刻的她正處在最無防備的「告解狀態」，表層的「神無月結衣」甚至悄然敞開了底層系統的通道，預備迎接來自信仰的寬恕與接納，豈料破門而入的，竟是譴責其存在根基的洪流——而她更清晰地感受到母親靈識瀕臨崩潰的劇烈波動，臉色瞬間沉了下來。

費爾南多神父并未就此罷休，他將矛頭狠狠指向一夢：「還有你，黃前一夢！記錄顯示你參與過三十年前的『澀谷驅魔戰』，至少三名優秀的驅魔司祭因你而殉道！在你此刻這副虔誠悔罪的面具之下，可曾對那些逝去的生命，有過一絲真正的懺悔？」

When it was Ichiyume's turn, the atmosphere grew even more stagnant. Her gentle voice trembled slightly as she followed a similar script: praying for forgiveness for her impure existential foundation, for the root that came from a heterodox faith, and for the harm caused by past conflicts. Her pain was real and sharp—the "Kannazuki Ichiyume" personality module was being forced to condemn the very "Omae Ichiyume" that formed its foundation. This self-negation nearly tore her apart.

Suddenly, Father Fernando broke the silence and finality that a confession should have. His voice pierced sharply through the wooden partition: "Kannazuki... no, Omae Yui, and Omae Ichiyume. The Church certainly forgives sinners who seek redemption, but your Omae family, you stole the glory of the Lord with blasphemous rituals, twisted pure faith with grudges, and your hands are stained with the blood of my countless brothers and sisters in Christ! Your very 'existence' is a challenge to divine justice! Omae Yui, as the current leader, how will you take responsibility for all of this? Do you truly believe that a momentary confession can wash away such a sea of blood and sin?"

His words were like poison-tipped swords, striking at the core of their existence. In the confessional, Ichiyume was instantly suffocated. Her personality module vibrated violently; the "Gentle Mother" programming was powerless to process this massive accusation aimed at her underlying essence. A faint whimper, like a short-circuiting sound, escaped her throat. Yui herself was also deeply impacted—she was in her most defenseless "confessional state," her surface "Kannazuki Yui" having even quietly opened a channel to her underlying system, preparing to receive the forgiveness and acceptance of her faith. But what burst through the door was a torrent condemning the very foundation of her existence. More than that, she clearly felt the violent fluctuations of her mother's consciousness on the verge of collapse, and her expression instantly darkened.

Father Fernando did not stop there. He aimed his spearhead viciously at Ichiyume: "And you, Omae Ichiyume! Records show you participated in the 'Shibuya Exorcism Battle' thirty years ago. At least three excellent exorcist priests were martyred because of you! Beneath this mask of pious repentance you wear now, have you ever felt a single shred of true remorse for those lost lives?"

「夠了！」結衣的聲音並不高亢，卻裹挾著一種壓抑怒火的威嚴與冰冷聖潔的質地，驟然切斷了神父的詰問。她迅速扶住幾乎軟倒的母親，同時在沒有黃前家族共有意識支援的情況下，竭力穩定兩人幾近失控的底層狀態與運作模式。一夢臉色慘白，眼神渙散，彷彿內在的某種結構正在無聲地迸裂。

結衣轉向臉色驚疑不定的費爾南多神父。她的眼神平靜似水，卻深不見底，同時交織著聖女的悲憫與某種屬於「更高存在」的疏離與威壓。「神父，告解聖事的目的，在於領受天主的仁慈與達成和好，而非審判與尋釁。您已逾越了職權，更破壞了教區與我們之間既存的默契。」她的話語清晰而冷冽，直接劃定了界線。「您的行為，可能引發無人願見的後果。現在，請您離開。」

未等神父組織辯駁之詞，結衣已取出專用的加密手機迅捷撥號。她對著話筒另一端，以一種不帶溫度的平靜語調簡短陳述：「東京總教區？我是神無月。費爾南多神父的行為已危及當前狀態的穩定，請立即處理。」不到一分鐘，費爾南多神父身上的手機響起，他接聽後面色驟然鐵青，最終一言不發地低頭快步離去，不敢再投向她們一絲目光。

除了如費爾南多神父的尋釁者，大多數受指派而來的神父，尚能恪守職責，將這位異端首領視同需要牧養的迷途羔羊，謹慎執行總教區交派的任務。然而，其中也存在著如奧貝爾神父這般獨特的存在。

"Enough!" Yui's voice was not loud, but it was wrapped in the weight of suppressed anger and a cold, holy quality, abruptly cutting off the priest's interrogation. She quickly steadied her mother, who had nearly crumpled, while simultaneously struggling, without the support of the Omae collective consciousness, to stabilize both their nearly out-of-control underlying states and operational modes. Ichiyume's face was ashen, her eyes vacant, as if some internal structure were silently shattering.

Yui turned to the shocked and uncertain Father Fernando. Her eyes were as calm as water, yet bottomless, simultaneously weaving together the compassion of a Saint and the detached pressure of a "higher being." "Father, the purpose of the Sacrament of Penance is to receive God's mercy and to achieve reconciliation, not for judgment or provocation. You have overstepped your authority and, more importantly, you have broken the existing understanding between the diocese and us." Her words were clear and cold, drawing a firm line. "Your actions could lead to consequences no one wishes to see. Now, please leave."

Before the priest could organize a rebuttal, Yui had already taken out her special encrypted phone and made a swift call. To the person on the other end, she stated briefly in a flat, emotionless tone: "Tokyo Archdiocese? This is Kannazuki. Father Fernando's actions have endangered the stability of the current situation. Please handle it immediately." Less than a minute later, Father Fernando's phone rang. After answering, his face turned ashen. In the end, he left in a hurry with his head bowed, not daring to cast another glance in their direction.

Aside from provocateurs like Father Fernando, most of the appointed priests were able to adhere to their duties, treating this heretical leader as a lost sheep in need of shepherding and cautiously carrying out the tasks assigned by the archdiocese. However, among them were also unique individuals like Father Aubert.

年輕的奧貝爾神父，眼中閃爍著混合了不安、熱切與過度好奇的神情。他既因母女倆根基中的異端本質而警惕，又為她們表層所展現的虔誠與脆弱感到難以言喻的親近。強烈的「拯救」她們的慾望——在這份衝動之下，更潛藏連他自己也未曾察覺的，對那種複雜性與神秘性的深沉著迷——驅策著他的言行。

他的提問超出常規告解的範疇，像一位手持探針的外科醫師，既渴望治癒病人，又忍不住想解剖，瞧一眼病人內部驚人奇特的運作機制。

「結衣小姐，」他壓低聲音，卻難掩語氣中那種探勘般的興奮，「您的『內部系統』…究竟是如何協同運作的？當您作為『神無月結衣』時，是如何感知、又如何理解潛伏於深處的『黃前結衣』？與您過去一無所知的狀態相比，這種認知帶來了怎樣的差異？」他越說越急切，語速加快，「是否存在某種途徑，能讓『神無月』徹底主宰『黃前』？此外，當您以聖女的身份，向您體內的異端底層提出『建議』，讓它去操控（結衣抗議，是引領）整個黃前家族時，身為天主教徒的您，對那些被您號令的異端成員，又懷抱著怎樣的想法？」

每一個問題，都像無形的手術刀，試圖將構築她存在的核心程式碼逐行抽離、攤開審視；又像她被轉化為精密的機器人，內部零件被逐一取出測試、評頭論足。那種未被視為完整「人」的異樣凝視，令她如坐針氈。她必須極度謹慎：一方面要以「神無月結衣」的立場耐心應對，符合教會對所牧養的信徒的靈性期待；另一方面還需透過「黃前結衣」的底層實時審核每一句回應，確保既不洩露任何可能危及自身或家族的秘密，亦不牴觸整個黃前家族深層的存在邏輯。對話遊走在極高的敏感性邊緣，言語間的細微縫隙不斷挑動、加劇著她體內兩套系統的矛盾。

Young Father Aubert's eyes glinted with a mixture of unease, eagerness, and excessive curiosity. He was wary of the heretical nature at the core of the mother and daughter, yet he also felt an ineffable closeness to the piety and vulnerability they displayed on the surface. A strong desire to "save" them—and beneath this impulse, a deep fascination with their complexity and mystery that even he had not yet recognized—drove his words and actions.

His questions went beyond the scope of a normal confession, like a surgeon with a probe, eager to heal the patient but also unable to resist the urge to dissect, to peek at the astonishingly unique operational mechanisms inside.

"Miss Yui," he lowered his voice, but could not hide the exploratory excitement in his tone, "your 'internal systems'... how exactly do they operate in concert? When you are 'Kannazuki Yui,' how do you perceive, and how do you understand, the 'Omae Yui' lurking in the depths? Compared to your past state of ignorance, what kind of difference has this knowledge brought?" He spoke faster and more urgently. "Is there some way for 'Kannazuki' to completely dominate 'Omae'? Furthermore, when you, as a Saint, make 'suggestions' to the heretical foundation within you, to have it control (Yui protested, it was guiding) the entire Omae family, what thoughts do you, as a Catholic, hold for the heretical members you command?"

Each question was like an invisible scalpel, attempting to extract and examine the core code of her existence line by line. It was as if she had been turned into a precision robot whose internal parts were being removed, tested, and commented upon one by one. That strange gaze, which did not see her as a complete "person," made her feel as if she were sitting on pins and needles. She had to be extremely cautious: on one hand, she had to respond patiently from the standpoint of "Kannazuki Yui," meeting the Church's spiritual expectations for a believer under their pastoral care. On the other hand, she had to have "Omae Yui" review every response in real-time from the underlying layer, ensuring that she neither leaked any secrets that could endanger herself or her family, nor contradicted the deep existential logic of the entire Omae family. The conversation walked a razor's edge of extreme sensitivity, and the fine cracks between words constantly provoked and exacerbated the conflict between the two systems within her.

所幸一旁的一夢始終保持著警覺。她悄然啟動「母親單元」的特殊權限，溫柔地鏈接上結衣的「黃前結衣」底層。如同細心的系統管理員，她輕柔地調節著結衣的底層運作與狀態設定，撫平因外部詰問而產生的紊亂與風暴。她還緊緊握住結衣微涼的手，將穩定與溫暖透過相觸的肌膚傳遞過去，讓結衣的表層人格得以維持維持著波瀾不驚的平靜。

最後，神父嘆息般低語，聲音裡混雜著困惑與敬畏：「我實在無法想像……正統天主教與切支丹，這兩種如此相斥的基督信仰，您究竟是如何在內心同時持守的？更何況，您經歷了那麼多衝擊認知的事件，體會過無數顛覆常理的現實，卻依然選擇相信——甚至是以分裂的方式，在兩條背反的道路上同時前行。即便將您比作現世的約伯，也毫不為過。我……我多麼渴望能真正體會您內心的世界，看看究竟是怎樣的景象。」

結衣聞言，臉上未顯絲毫慍怒，反而浮現一抹染著淒涼與瞭然的微笑。「是嗎……你想體會啊，神父。」語聲輕柔卻帶著重量。她緩緩起身，「那就讓你看看吧。」

奧貝爾神父怔怔地看著她。剎那間，他眼前的現實驟然扭曲——彷彿被無形的力量拽入了一個詭譎莫測的靈識幻境：四周是洶湧奔流、色澤混沌的亂流，腳下四周好似環繞著薄冰，每踏出一步都搖搖欲墜，如臨深淵。結衣的身影靜立於混沌中央，她的面前裂開一道洞穴般的通道，通道盡頭矗立著一尊龐大無比卻佈滿裂痕、質地粗糙而古拙的十字石像。一個模糊的女性身影正死死擁抱著石像，彷彿用盡全身力氣維繫其不致崩毀，又似在向它泣訴無盡的哀傷與盼求。而幻境中的結衣，手中凝出一朵靈力匯聚而成的玫瑰，神情靜穆，正欲將其獻予那幅那幅絕望與堅持永恆角力，宛如薛西弗斯寓言般的沉重圖景。她倏然轉過頭，對神父微微一笑，笑容裡載滿了無盡滄桑，卻又雲淡風輕，彷彿一切皆為尋常。

Fortunately, Ichiyume remained vigilant at her side. She quietly activated the special authority of the "Mother Unit," gently linking with Yui's underlying "Omae Yui." Like a careful system administrator, she softly regulated Yui's underlying operations and status settings, smoothing out the turmoil and storms caused by the external questioning. She also held Yui's cool hand tightly, transmitting stability and warmth through their touching skin, allowing Yui's surface personality to maintain an unruffled calm.

Finally, the priest whispered as if sighing, his voice a mixture of confusion and awe: "I truly cannot imagine... Orthodox Catholicism and Kirishitan, two such mutually repulsive Christian faiths... how do you possibly hold both in your heart at the same time? Moreover, you have experienced so many perception-shattering events, witnessed countless realities that subvert common sense, yet you still choose to believe—even in a divided way, walking on two contradictory paths simultaneously. It would not be an exaggeration to compare you to a modern-day Job. I... I so wish I could truly experience the world within your heart, to see what it is like."

Hearing this, Yui showed no sign of anger. Instead, a smile tinged with sorrow and understanding appeared on her face. "Is that so... you want to experience it, Father." Her voice was soft yet carried weight. She slowly rose to her feet. "Then let me show you."

Father Aubert stared at her, stunned. In an instant, the reality before him suddenly twisted—as if he had been pulled by an invisible force into a bizarre and unpredictable spiritual illusion. He was surrounded by a surging, chaotic torrent. The ground beneath his feet felt like a ring of thin ice, every step precarious, as if on the edge of an abyss. Yui's figure stood silently in the center of the chaos. Before her, a cave-like passage split open. At the end of the passage stood a colossal yet cracked, crude, and ancient stone cross. A blurry female figure was clinging desperately to the cross, as if using all her strength to keep it from crumbling, or perhaps weeping to it of her endless sorrow and longing. And the Yui in the illusion, a rose formed from condensed spiritual power in her hand, her expression solemn, was about to offer it to that heavy tableau of despair and perseverance locked in an eternal struggle, like a Sisyphean allegory. She suddenly turned her head and smiled faintly at the priest, a smile filled with endless vicissitudes, yet as light as a passing cloud, as if all of it were perfectly ordinary.

幻象驟然消失。 奧貝爾神父意識被拉回現實，如大夢初醒般，額頭上已佈滿冷汗。他終於窺見了一角——那是由無數互斥、衝突的碎片，以無比堅韌的意志強行糅合而維繫，獨屬於結衣的信仰圖景。其沉重與複雜，遠超他所能承受。一股混合著震撼、羞愧與莫名感動的情緒湧上心頭，淚水不受控制地滑落。他此前所有關於「拯救」的狂妄想像，在結衣那龐大沉重的真實面前，徹底粉碎，只剩下無盡的渺小感。

結衣臉上仍帶著那抹彷彿能包容一切的淺笑，輕輕聳了聳肩，像是在無聲地安慰他：沒什麼，我早已習慣了。她從未奢求他人的理解；此刻顯露內在的一角，不過是對一位並無惡意的窺視者，給予一絲憐憫的溫柔，以免他在往後的漫長夜裡，被無盡的好奇與疑問所折磨。她平靜地轉身，準備攜著母親離去。

「請等一下！」神父哽咽的聲音叫住了她。他掙扎著，話語卻比任何時候都真誠：「我已明白自己的淺薄與幼稚…但我真的想為妳做些什麼，即使…妳可能根本不需要。」

結衣溫柔地笑了笑，向他道謝，但也明確地告訴他：「您的善意我心領了，但恐怕沒有什麼是您能為我做的。請您保持這份善意，好好地在這個小教堂，作為一位接受我們母女告解的神父，就已經足夠了。」

The illusion vanished abruptly. Father Aubert's consciousness was pulled back to reality, as if waking from a long dream, his forehead already covered in cold sweat. He had finally glimpsed a corner of it—a landscape of faith belonging solely to Yui, one held together by an incredibly resilient will, forcibly kneaded from countless mutually exclusive, conflicting fragments. Its weight and complexity were far beyond what he could bear. A wave of emotion, a mixture of shock, shame, and a strange sense of being moved, washed over him, and tears streamed uncontrollably down his face. All his previous arrogant fantasies of "salvation" were utterly crushed before the vast, heavy truth of Yui, leaving only a feeling of infinite smallness.

Yui still wore that faint smile that seemed to embrace everything. She gave a little shrug, as if to silently comfort him: It's nothing, I'm used to it. She had never sought understanding from others. Revealing a corner of her inner world now was merely a gentle act of pity for a not-ill-intentioned voyeur, to spare him from being tormented by endless curiosity and questions in the long nights to come. She turned calmly, preparing to leave with her mother.

"Please wait!" the priest's choked voice called out to her. He struggled, but his words were more sincere than ever. "I now understand my own shallowness and immaturity... but I truly want to do something for you, even if... you may not need it at all."

Yui smiled gently and thanked him, but also told him clearly, "I appreciate your goodwill, but I'm afraid there is nothing you can do for me. If you would please maintain that goodwill and serve well in this little chapel, as a priest who hears our confessions, that is more than enough."

「可是……」神父的聲音掙扎著脫口而出，彷彿長久壓抑的告白衝破枷鎖，「妳那巨大的存在，已經徹底佔據了我的視野。我無法移開目光，無法思考他物。妳那佈滿裂痕卻依然完整的信仰，是宛如黑洞般的悖論，既令人畏懼，又讓人無法自拔地想要靠近……我…我已經離不開它了。」他彷彿用盡了全部勇氣，聲音顫抖而堅定：「我想…加入妳的存在，甚至是……加入黃前家族！我渴望被轉化，讓妳的裂痕，哪怕只有萬分之一，能烙印在我的靈魂之上……」

即便是歷經無數驚濤駭浪的結衣，此刻也不由得怔住了。她能清晰感受到這話語中扭曲卻又無比真誠的靈魂悸動，那是種混合了迷戀、嚮往與自我獻祭的複雜情感。沉默在告解室內蔓延良久，她終於緩緩開口，聲音裡帶著慈悲，卻又保持令人難以跨越的疏離：「神父，謝謝你。不過，還是等你對信仰、對人性，乃至對自己，都有了更清晰、更深刻的認識之後，如果那時你的心意依然不變……我再來接你。」

奧貝爾神父喟然長嘆，湧起複雜的情緒，一個模糊卻日益堅定的志向，在他心中悄然紮根。

結衣不再多言，微微頷首，挽起母親的手臂轉身離去。教堂外的陽光依舊溫暖和煦，但她們都再清楚不過，下一次的彌撒與告解，或許又會為這片看似平靜的水面帶來新的漣漪。她們必將並肩前行，在這條狹窄的邊界線上，繼續守護這份始於謊言，卻由意志與選擇親手鍛造為真實的日常，一次次坦然穿越聖所漾起的漣漪，平靜回應來自深淵的迴響。

"But..." the priest's voice struggled out, as if a long-suppressed confession had broken its chains. "Your immense existence has completely occupied my vision. I cannot look away, cannot think of anything else. Your faith, so full of cracks yet still whole, is a paradox like a black hole, both terrifying and irresistibly drawing one closer... I... I can no longer leave it." He seemed to have exhausted all his courage, his voice trembling but firm. "I want to... join your existence, even... join the Omae family! I long to be transformed, to have your cracks, even just one ten-thousandth of them, branded upon my soul..."

Even Yui, who had weathered countless storms, was momentarily stunned. She could clearly feel the twisted yet incredibly sincere spiritual tremor in his words, a complex emotion mixing obsession, longing, and self-sacrifice. Silence stretched in the confessional for a long time. She finally spoke slowly, her voice filled with compassion, yet maintaining a distance that was difficult to cross. "Father, thank you. However, please wait until you have a clearer, deeper understanding of faith, of humanity, and even of yourself. If, at that time, your heart is still unchanged... I will come for you."

Father Aubert sighed deeply, a complex mix of emotions welling up. A vague yet increasingly firm ambition quietly took root in his heart.

​Yui said no more. She gave a slight nod, took her mother's arm, and turned to leave. The sunlight outside the church was still warm and gentle, but they both knew all too well that the next Mass and confession might bring new ripples to this seemingly calm water. They would walk forward, side by side, on this narrow border, continuing to protect this daily life that began as a lie but was forged into truth by will and choice, calmly traversing the ripples from the sanctuary time and again, and peacefully answering the echoes from the abyss.