"Unbelievable, truly unbelievable! Am I really that bad at naming things?"
Elias lay dejectedly among the flowerbeds of the forest.
He ruffled his white hair in frustration. Not even the clear blue sky could lift his gloomy mood.
"All I want is to come up with the cutest, most beautiful name in the world. Is that too much to ask? And yet after all these days, I still haven't thought of a single one~"
It had been two weeks since the idea of naming the pink-haired girl first came to him, but no matter what, Elias couldn't think of a name that satisfied him.
Even when he finally came up with something, he would shoot it down the very next second.
Not cute enough. Not worthy of her. Try again!
This kind of situation was very unusual for Elias.
Even when he was swindling Otto or Kevin, he never had to use this much brainpower.
It should have been a simple task—naming a girl—yet it troubled him more than any problem he had faced up until now.
Elias even felt that creating a solution for the coexistence of the Previous and Current Eras was easier than finding a name that would satisfy him for that girl.
And just as he was agonizing over it—
"Huff huff~ Found you at last, Elias!"
"Eh?"
A sweet voice called out beside him, and Elias sat up.
He saw that the pink-haired girl had somehow arrived at his side, carrying a basket covered with a cloth. The scent of food was wafting through the gaps.
"You disappeared again early this morning. Mama Celia told me to bring you lunch. You have to eat all of it, okay? I'll be watching you."
As she spoke, she laid a cloth on the ground and took out sandwiches, small cakes, and milk from the basket.
Then she swallowed nervously.
"There's no way I can finish all this myself. Help me out, okay?"
Elias smiled and replied, "Then let's consider it a thank-you gift for bringing me lunch. Here—this little cake and milk are for you. I don't like them."
He held the fragrant food up to the girl's mouth. She resisted for a few seconds… and then—
"Fine, you win, Elias. Just this once. nom nom nom~"
The pink-haired girl accepted the offering, happily devouring two-thirds of the lunch.
Elias chuckled. He already knew this girl was a genuine little glutton. Even after eating the orphanage lunch, she'd go to the town's bakery and beg for more with her cuteness.
After finishing lunch, Elias felt his mood lighten a bit, and he prepared to shift positions to continue pondering the "how to name the girl with the best-sounding name in the world" conundrum.
"Elias, are you troubled by something?"
The pink-haired girl, patting her now-round belly with satisfaction, looked at Elias curiously.
She had noticed over the past few days that the white-haired boy often stared off into space like this, as if burdened by some worry.
She couldn't ignore it any longer.
"If you're troubled, Elias, just tell me. I'll always be here for you."
"That really makes me happy, but unfortunately, this is something that only I can and must resolve."
Elias shook his head, politely declining.
He couldn't tell her that he was troubled over what name to give her. After all, surprises have to be kept secret until the right moment.
"Oh... alright."
The pink-haired girl instantly drooped like a wilted flower. Elias twitched at the corner of his eye, guilt rising in his heart.
Cute things bring beauty to the heart, and in this little town, this girl was the most adorable existence of all. Coupled with her sincere kindness, she bloomed like a radiant flower.
Every time Elias talked or played with her, he felt as if his spirit had been healed.
He couldn't help but marvel:
Elias: (I thought Kiana the Kitty was already the ultimate, unbelievably, ridiculously adorable girl... but this one's even cuter! I'm dying of cute overload!)
At the same time, the pink-haired girl was sneaking glances at Elias, her cheeks puffed in a cute expression of frustration.
(Uuu~ I really want to help him. If only I could solve Elias' troubles...)
She was a girl who shared her kindness and smile with everyone equally and selflessly.
But Elias was different.
Like certain animals imprinting on the first thing they see, this pink-haired girl had, from the moment she gained awareness and opened her eyes, engraved the image of the boy reaching out to her into the deepest part of her heart.
They had come into this world together. In a way, they were like twins. The girl loved playing with Elias, loved talking to Elias, and especially loved hearing him sing.
Most importantly—
Elias carried a special aura that made her instinctively feel incredibly close to him.
It was a feeling she never had with anyone else. As if she and Elias shared something at their very core.
If the world was a field of flowers to her, then Elias was the only flower of the same color—so of course she loved sticking close to him.
The girl truly wanted to help, to ease his worries.
But alas, Elias was the most intelligent and reliable child in the town. If even he was troubled, she had little confidence she could be of any help.
On her way back to the orphanage after delivering lunch—
"I need to find a way to cheer Elias up!" she resolved in her heart.
Just then, her sharp eyes caught a familiar figure quietly slipping through the orphanage's back door, carrying two gift boxes carefully wrapped with colorful ribbons.
"Mama Celia, what are you doing?"
"!!!"
The kind woman jumped in surprise, one of the gift boxes nearly flying from her hands. She barely managed to catch it.
"Ah, wait! You can't look yet—"
"Happy birth... day...?"
But it was too late. The girl had already seen the tiny letters written on the card attached to the gift box.
"Mama Celia, is this—?!"
"Ah~ I didn't think I'd get caught early."
The gentle woman sighed with a wry smile, patting the girl's head before picking the gift box back up.
"Tomorrow marks a full year since you and Elias arrived in this town. I thought we could treat that day as your shared birthday. It's a bit of a tradition here at the orphanage."
"Birthday? Then these two boxes are... birthday presents?!"
"That's right. They're your birthday gifts. Be sure to keep it a secret from Elias, alright?"
"Mm-hmm! Got it! I'll keep it secret for sure!"
The pink-haired girl pressed her hand over her mouth with utmost seriousness. But the very next second, her eyes lit up like two sparkling stars.
"A gift—a birthday gift... That's it! I've got it!"
With excitement, she bolted off.
"Eh? Where are you going?"
"Goodbye, Mama Celia! I'm off to find the perfect birthday present to make Elias smile again!"
"Ah, this child really..."
Watching the pink-haired girl vanish into the distance, Celia smiled with helpless fondness.
...
Meanwhile, elsewhere—
After spending the whole afternoon and still failing to come up with a name, Elias returned to the town, feeling defeated.
(Thought maybe I'd find inspiration in the forest where we first met, but of course it wasn't that easy. No! I can't give up—I have to come up with something!)
He cheered himself on internally—when suddenly, a voice called out to him.
"Well if it isn't little Elias."
"Hm? Hello, Grandma Sara."
The town wasn't large—everyone knew each other.
Elias greeted the elderly woman politely, then naturally and skillfully took the paper bag she was carrying. He may have been under ten years old, but his strength was more than sufficient.
After all, even if he couldn't wield all of his Authority, enhancing his body with Honkai energy was easy.
"Good boy, thank you so much."
"It's nothing, Grandma Sara. Are these books for the bookstore? Let me help you."
The elderly woman wasn't in great health. Elias would occasionally use the Herrscher of Rebirth's Authority to discreetly improve the health of townsfolk like her.
But it wouldn't do to go overboard.
"Yes, thank you~ My little bookstore might be small, but I still need to bring in new titles now and then."
"Can I take a look at them?"
"Of course, little Elias. You and that pink-haired girl are always welcome. Speaking of which—has she still not gotten a name yet?"
"Ah, it's... almost ready! Very soon now!"
"Oh?"
Hearing that, Sara raised her brows, then smiled kindly. She reached out with her rough but warm hand and gently patted Elias' head.
"So you want to name her yourself, do you? Hehe~ If you can't think of something, try looking through a few books."
"I... uh, alright..."
Elias flushed slightly, a bit embarrassed.
Though he had lived two lives and experienced many grand events, he was still less than a quarter of this old woman's age. She had seen right through his little secret.
After helping Sara organize the bookshelves, Elias randomly picked up one of the new titles to read.
"Elysium Everlasting?"
That was the book's title—and for some reason, the moment he saw it, his heart gave a sudden strong thump.
Though the script of the Previous Era differed from the Current Era, he had fully mastered it over the past year. Elias took a deep breath and began to read, discovering it was a fairy tale adapted from mythology.
"A flawless paradise... an eternal haven..."
(This is it!)
His eyes landed on the last word in the storybook—and in that instant, Elias jumped up from his chair.
He had finally found the perfect name for that girl!
"Hehe, looks like little Elias found something he likes. In that case, I'll give you this book as a gift."
"Grandma Sara, really?!"
"Of course, good child. Consider this an early birthday present from this old lady. Tomorrow marks one full year since you and that pink-haired girl arrived in town. I was wondering what to get you."
"Birthday... gift?" Elias froze.
As an orphan, he didn't know his own birthday. But if he considered the day he arrived in this era as his birthday, then yes—tomorrow was his birthday. And also hers.
Thinking that, Elias couldn't help but smile, eyes settling fondly on the fairy tale book in his hands.
This was the perfect gift!
"Thank you, Grandma Sara!"
"No need to thank me. Bring that girl by to visit more often."
"Okay! I will!"
Cradling the book excitedly, Elias ran off toward the orphanage.
But just then—
The pink-haired girl happened to walk over from the opposite direction. The moment she saw Elias, she hurriedly hid something inside her clothes.
"Hi~ Elias, what a coincidence."
(Oh no, I can't let him find out yet!)
"Yeah, a real coincidence."
(Not good, it's not time to give this to her yet.)
A white-haired fluff and a pink-haired fluff—both wore awkward smiles, nervously clutching whatever they had hidden in their arms, as they slowly made their way toward the orphanage.
Their behavior didn't escape Celia's eyes. The kind orphanage matron covered her mouth and let out an indulgent auntie laugh.
...
The next day—
The orphanage was stacked high with a mountain of gifts.
Every single person in town had brought presents for Elias and the girl, a testament to just how beloved the two of them were.
Seeing all the gifts and hearing everyone's blessings, even Elias was deeply moved—let alone the pink-haired girl.
Being wrapped in such pure goodwill felt unimaginably warm.
For the pink-haired girl, it was her first birthday ever. Being surrounded by so much love, she felt something bloom in her heart—something indescribable.
And then, Elias approached her.
"Happy birthday. This is my gift."
"Elias, you too?!"
The girl's eyes widened in surprise. Then she pulled out the gift she had hidden away long ago.
"Haha~ Looks like we had the same idea."
Elias smiled in genuine delight.
They exchanged gifts with bright, joyful smiles.
The girl gave Elias a stunning pink crystal flower. Its lifelike shape was as beautiful as a work of art, leaving Elias truly surprised.
"It's so pretty—where did you find this?"
"U-uh, I found it... on the mountain."
As she spoke, her eyes drifted away, and her fingers fidgeted together.
Elias felt like her cuteness was physically assaulting him. Internally, he was dying over and over from sheer adorableness.
"Thank you. I love it. Now open mine! I finally found the most beautiful name!"
"Eh? A name?"
"Yes. It's your name. It's in the book."
The girl felt her heart skip a beat. She immediately placed the book on the table and eagerly began flipping through it.
It was a myth-inspired story, not very long, and each page was decorated with colorful illustrations.
Elias cleared his throat and began reciting aloud.
"It's said that at the end of the world lies a paradise. The story's heroine sets out on a journey to find it, though everyone insists it doesn't exist."
"But the heroine doesn't give up. She travels tirelessly, seeking endlessly. After countless hardships and trials, she reaches the end of her journey—only to find nothing there. The paradise of legend does not exist."
"Yet she still doesn't give up. Instead, she stands at the edge of the world and declares—"
The girl excitedly took over his words.
Girl: "If paradise doesn't exist, then I'll create one myself!"
Elias: "So she embarked on an even longer and harder journey. Along the way, more and more people gathered around her. These like-minded souls journeyed together toward the dream's end. Until finally—"
Girl: "They cheered, embraced each other, and sang in celebration of their dream come true~!"
Elias: "Yes! They finally arrived at paradise. It was there, at the end of their journey. And everyone rejoiced, shouting her name..."
The storybook turned to the final page.
The girl's eyes widened as she saw the last word.
Her heart cried out—
(This is it. This is the one!)
"A flawless paradise. An eternal haven."
Elias silently conjured a princess crown and placed it on the girl's head, then spoke her name aloud:
"Your name is—Elysia!"
"!!!"
The girl's heart began to pound violently, as if her very soul were singing with joy and resonance.
"Yes! That's it! That's my name! My name is Elysia!!"
Elysia stretched her arms toward the sky outside the window, spinning and laughing as if she could embrace the entire world. She was ready to declare her name to everyone.
Elias clapped and cheered for her.
Perhaps it was at this very moment—
That this girl was truly born into the world.
But...
That storybook didn't only hold her name. Elias had also found a name he liked.
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