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.