After leaving the coffee shop, Lin checked a few more places but still found nothing. As night was falling, he decided to return to the Third Branch.
While organizing the day's intelligence, Lin had just stepped into the lounge when he saw Elysia walking towards him from afar. "Did you find anything?"
"...No."
Trant had fallen into a strange state. Everyone knew something was wrong with Trant's current situation, but no one could pinpoint exactly what was wrong. The temperature drop alone hadn't reached a catastrophic level.
A stillness, the calm before a storm, permeated this central city of Mu. Yet, everyone took this moment of peace for granted as eternal.
Fire Moth had also used many methods to try and find patterns and omens of the Honkai's descent, but all were in vain. This was why the final decision regarding Lin's findings was left pending.
"Sniff, sniff..." As she got closer, Elysia suddenly sniffed and then stared at Lin meaningfully. "Oh my, Lin, why do I smell a girl's fragrance on you?"
"..."
Lin thought he only smelled the stink of evaporated rainwater on himself.
"I met someone." Lin had no intention of hiding it. In fact, there was nothing to hide. "A bit... a special person."
He wanted to say "troublesome," but on reflection, Anna hadn't actually caused him much trouble.
"Oh~ Special, you say." Elysia's eyes curved into crescent moons. "Are you thinking of going to see her now?"
"No."
"Aww, don't be like that. I want to meet this 'special' girl Lin is talking about. Is she cute?"
"..."
"Then she must be very cute. Anyway, work is done for the day. Alright, let's go!"
Lin narrowed his eyes, dodged Elysia's elbow, and walked inside, replying flatly, "Go by yourself."
"Then tell me who she is."
"I don't know."
"..." Elysia lamented dejectedly.
Lin walked towards his temporary quarters, closing the door behind him with a thud.
...
Lin took off his helmet and jacket and sat on the bed, looking at his hands, which were no longer tender. His calloused palms were like a mirror, reflecting his own image.
The Fifth Honkai Eruption would break out in a month, and the Fifth Herrscher would descend.
The smiles of the Third and Fourth Herrschers before their deaths still lingered in his mind. What did those ambiguous smiles mean?
The thought of confronting the Fifth Herald of the Honkai, chosen from humanity, made Lin clench his fists.
Humanity had won four times. Defeated those terrifying enemies four times.
But was it truly a win?
Lin couldn't shake the feeling of dissonance when celebrating victory for killing an enemy who was once a compatriot.
He stood before the wall covered with the names of the deceased, watching the names multiply daily. The words twisted into faces in his eyes. They weren't scary; they were all smiling.
Smiling and blessing Lin.
Like the smiles of the Herrschers before their demise.
Every time Lin took a step towards them, he felt something in his heart gradually disappear. The thought that he too would one day become one of them brought a sense of inexplicable relief.
"Thump."
His helmet fell to the floor. Lin instinctively reached out to pick it up.
"..."
His hand stopped mid-reach.
He looked at his right hand. After a moment, he used his left hand to grasp his sleeve and roll it up.
Ugly, pinkish-purple lines pulsed like blood vessels on his forearm.
...
[Lin, this is out of character for you.]
Lin, fully clad, stood in the cold wind. Below his feet was Anna's workplace, a restaurant, which he had found in the database.
"According to the books Elysia wrote, I'm a tsundere, so it's normal for me to act contrary to my words." Lin had his hands in his pockets, and the hot air he exhaled instantly disappeared from the mist on his visor.
[Lin, you are being very abnormal today.]
Abnormal? Perhaps.
Lin coming out so late to look for someone he had only met twice was indeed out of character. But he had an inexplicable urge to see what Anna, who had lied to him, was truly like.
[Are you empathizing with Anna? Because your experiences are similar.]
"No."
Lin had said many times that he wouldn't act based on such feelings.
If he had to find a reason, it was that Lin wanted to see how the people of Trant lived.
He had seen all kinds of people in Fire Moth, but it had been a long time since Lin had seen how people outside of Fire Moth lived.
The people in the restaurant gradually left. Lin's biological detector showed only one person left inside, so he leaped off the roof, landing steadily with a small splash.
He silently pushed open the door and entered the restaurant. The main lights were off. He casually found a corner seat and looked towards the kitchen, the only brightly lit area.
He could hear the sound of a mop dragging on the floor and a girl quietly humming a song.
Lin just quietly rested his hands on the table, waiting for the person inside to come out.
The night was quiet, but the girl was still diligently cleaning her workplace.
"Ugh... My forehead feels so hot. Should I take tomorrow off..."
After about half an hour, Lin saw the girl, sweating profusely in the extreme cold, walk out of the kitchen, rubbing her shoulders.
Then, the other party saw him.
"Eh... Eh! H-Helmet Uncle! Why are you here!" Naturally, she was startled by Lin's sudden appearance and froze in place.
Then, remembering something, she looked at Lin with a subtle expression and stammered, "W-well... well... this is my parents' restaurant... I just occasionally help out, okay?"
"..." Lin didn't speak. The pitch-black environment and her being all alone already explained the problem.
She then drooped her head in disappointment. "I'm sorry... Uncle, I lied to you."
"Why apologize?" Lin asked.
"Because I meant to encourage you, but I lied to you. Actually, I..."
"Mhm, I know. This is your parents' store, and you occasionally help out here for a bit of pocket money."
"Eh?"
Lin's calm words caught Anna off guard.
But soon, Lin's silent gaze jolted her awake, and then she understood Lin's intent. She immediately covered the back of her head and laughed heartily: "Hahaha, that's right, that's it! Achoo... W-whoa, it's so cold."
Lin looked at the sweat-drenched clothes on her. She had been relatively warm just now because of her intense work, but now that the cold wind was blowing, her clothes were sticking to her skin and taking away her heat, making her feel much colder than usual.
Coupled with the unnatural flush on her face, she was likely sick.
"Let's go, to your place." Lin stood up and made a shocking statement.