Honkai Impact 3rd - The Interference

Chapter 110 - Mistake

The only reason people in this world continue to live is because they cling to hope—a fragile, elusive thing. And yet, it’s something precious.

There were times when she believed in them—not in the hope itself, but in the idea of it, the mere word. Because, honestly, for a seasoned soldier like her, hope had always been a difficult concept to grasp.

"Sometimes in life..."

Her voice broke the silence, soft yet steady, as she sat among the other survivors—people who had endured the worst this shattered world had to offer.

They had lost hope, much like she once had.

Yet here she was, trying to instill some semblance of it in them, not because she believed in hope, but because her experience had taught her that moving forward was all that mattered.

"You just have to keep going," she murmured.

Her tired eyes—heavy with the weight of everything she had endured over the past six months—betrayed the sleepless nights, the guilt, and the constant grief that never quite left. The others noticed. It was hard not to.

They listened in silence, not a single gaze drifting from her. She had become a beacon in this wasteland, not because of hope, but because she had survived.

"It's hard..." a man’s voice broke through, thick with pain. "It’s not as easy as you make it sound... Mizunoki."

Mizunoki turned slightly, her eyes settling on him. He looked just as broken, someone who had lost more than anyone should bear.

She sighed softly, glancing at the others, their faces etched with similar pain.

"I know," she replied quietly. "I know it's not."

Mizunoki put on a soft, almost bittersweet smile as she looked at the weary faces around her.

"I was taken from my home, forced to become a soldier. I lost my little sister... then found the love of my life, but he died saving me."

Her voice was soft, but steady, as if the weight of those memories had worn smooth over time, yet still carried the same ache. Her eyes never wavered—she couldn’t afford to look away, not now, not ever.

"A few years passed, and soon, I’ll be an old woman," she continued, leaning back slightly in her chair, her eyes scanning the group. "I had a friend who dreamed of getting married, like I did... but she’s gone too."

There was a pause, the silence thick between them, the unspoken grief shared by all.

"I even have a boy I think of as my own son... but now, he’s out there, with the whole world against him."

A deep sigh escaped her, carrying the weight of a lifetime of loss.

"There's been so much... too much, really," she said quietly, her gaze falling for just a moment before lifting again, strong but tired. "But even when it feels like the world is pressing down on you, you’ve still got to move on."

Her voice lingered in the air, and though her words were simple, they felt like a lifeline to those around her—an acknowledgment of their pain, but also a quiet reminder that survival, in itself, was a form of strength.

Mizunoki’s eyes swept over the faces around her, not saying much, but offering each of them a look—a silent reassurance that everything would be okay. Even if she wasn’t sure it would be. Even if she herself wasn’t okay.

"Shinobu..."

A voice broke the moment. She turned, her gaze landing on Tesla, the small scientist leaning casually against the doorway with her arms crossed.