What exactly were his feelings toward Elysia now?
He thought he still liked her—but how much, he didn't know. And because he couldn't answer that question, he didn't dare face her directly.
All he knew was this: he still wanted to try. To try to save Elysia from that inevitable fate.
He knew what the next era would bring. He knew that Elysia's greatest wish and expectation lay in that future.
So… he wanted her to see that future with her own eyes—rather than having Kevin send Mei to the Land of the Dead to meet nothing more than a memory.
"Elysia…"
"Mm?"
"I think… even though I'm not sure whether I'm qualified to return your feelings yet, there's one thing I'm absolutely certain of."
"I… am still willing to fight for you."
"…Then I'll wait," Elysia replied gently. "I'll wait until you find your answer. And while you search for it, I'll search alongside you. We'll experience it together."
"…Thank you."
Ato, who had just opened the training room door, silently retreated upon seeing the scene. Leaning against the wall, he lit a cigarette after a long while.
"Ah… youth."
Mobius's laboratory.
Mobius watched Vil-V on the video feed, her fingers tapping lightly against the tabletop. Because Vil-V had destroyed a branch base of the Fire-Chasing Moth, she was classified as an extremely dangerous individual, which was why the investigation was conducted remotely.
Even so, Mobius knew very well that this level of restraint might still be insufficient to truly contain Vil-V. After all, her intentions had always been transparent—too transparent, in fact.
Vil-V's explanation was flawless. The Fire-Chasing Moth's recent actions were indeed easy to misinterpret, and even toward the end, there were always people who refused to trust the organization and instead joined the resistance.
However, one thing was certain: Vil-V's confinement would not end anytime soon. Neither Mobius nor Elysia possessed enough influence within the Fire-Chasing Moth to personally vouch for her.
Even if Vil-V displayed her extraordinary genius, the situation in the war against the Honkai was still unstable. The Council would not necessarily deem her intellect indispensable at this stage.
Based on this, Mobius judged that Vil-V would most likely be exiled to a deserted island again—just like before—and would not be released until at least after the Third Honkai Impact.
She conveyed this conclusion to Vil-V in a roundabout manner. On the screen, Vil-V merely smiled, casually pointing out loopholes and structural flaws in the Fire-Chasing Moth's base security systems, even proposing several concrete improvement plans on the spot.
Mobius: "..."
Setting aside the fact that Vil-V was a reincarnated individual, her ability to grasp the psychology of the upper echelon after rebirth was, frankly speaking, terrifying.
In the end, the Council reached a compromise: Vil-V would be allowed limited movement within Fire-Chasing Moth headquarters, but she would remain under constant surveillance.
Only then did Mobius realize that this outcome was precisely what Vil-V had been aiming for from the beginning. She had more than enough ways to maneuver the situation so that Lumine would be assigned as her "monitor."
Mobius raised a hand and rubbed her temple, then shook her head slowly.
"…Unbelievable."
One problem hadn't even been resolved yet, and now another had lined itself up neatly behind it. Vil-V, Sakura, Elysia—at this rate, Lumine didn't need further evaluations. He needed crowd control.
She let out a dry laugh.
"This isn't a medical issue anymore," she muttered. "It's a social disaster."
Mobius closed the file with a sharp tap.
If Lumine really did end up being assigned to Vil-V, then fine. She would treat it as any other high-risk experiment—observe, record, and intervene the moment things crossed a dangerous threshold.
"As for the rest…" she added, shaking her head again, "…someone really needs to teach that boy how to stop attracting trouble."
---
Sakura's room.
Sakura soaked herself in cold water, letting the chill seep into her skin. Even so, it did nothing to calm the heat rising to her face. She didn't understand why she had acted the way she did—no, that wasn't accurate. By the time she realized what she was doing, it was already too late, and her body had moved ahead of her reason.
She lowered her face into the water as well.
No. Just recalling what happened earlier made her cheeks burn even more.
After a while, she lifted her head, water dripping from her hair, and her gaze drifted toward the knife resting neatly at the edge of the tub. The familiar weight of its presence steadied her thoughts more effectively than the cold ever could.
In her previous life, hesitation had never been an option. Every decision had been simple: protect, eliminate, survive. Emotions were irrelevant, distractions to be cut away. Yet now, reborn into this era, those same emotions resurfaced without warning, throwing her off balance at the most inopportune moments.
Lumine.
The name surfaced in her mind unbidden.
He was weaker than before—physically, at least. His body hadn't caught up to the path his mind was already walking. And yet, that reckless determination remained unchanged, as if the weight of the world still rested squarely on his shoulders.
That was what unsettled her the most.
She clenched her fingers beneath the water. She didn't need him to notice her feelings. She didn't need him to choose her. Those things were secondary—irrelevant, even.
What mattered was that this time, she would not allow him to walk alone toward destruction.
If danger approached, she would stand in front of it. Strong determination was clearly visible on her face.
All I want is safety for Rin and Lumine.
Her eyes stared sharply.
This time she won't feel helpless like she did in the past.
If fate tried to drag him down the same path as before, she would cut it apart.
Sakura reached out and picked up the knife, her grip firm, familiar.
No matter what happens, her resolve will not change.
She will protect Lumine—
Even if he never realizes it.
---
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