So the Sky Is Out of Reach...

Elysia sat up straight, stretched slightly to loosen up, and spoke softly.

"But I really am curious, you know? After all, you two have always been together, even when carrying out missions. Everyone thinks they wouldn't be surprised if they suddenly received wedding invitations from you and Wang one day, just like Hen and Blanca."

Hen was a captain of an Anti-Honkai Squad and Elysia's colleague, while Blanca had once been the assistant to a doctor named Mobius in the Fire Moth Research Department. They were one of the few couples in Moth to Fire.

"My relationship with Wang is a little more complicated than you think. As for the kind of relationship you're imagining..."

Sakura thought for a moment before finally shaking her head.

"Not in the past, not now, and in the future... probably not either."

"Elysia, you knew Wang before, didn't you?"

Without giving Elysia time to press further, Sakura took the initiative and asked.

"He values you greatly because of something that happened in the past... right? So... can you tell me?"

"...He never told you?"

"If he doesn't want to say it, I won't ask. Besides, he often says his past is no longer important, and he acts like he doesn't care much about it. But I know he still treasures a few things from the past... and one of them is you, Elysia."

"I see... It's not something I can't talk about."

Elysia sighed and gently placed a hand over her chest, as though soothing the emotions welling up within her.

"After all... he was one of the few people I failed to help..."

Elysia spoke softly, recounting her time with Xi Wang to Sakura in a gentle voice.

Whether it was the wounds Xi Wang had left while dealing with that hateful Priest, or the process of helping Xi Wang alongside Father Enrique later on—even though they had ultimately failed.

She told her everything, one thing at a time.

"I see..."

After hearing it, Sakura fell silent for a while, then smiled with a trace of relief.

She could understand why Xi Wang had abandoned his original name. Even if he had merely cast aside one character, the meaning behind it would have been entirely different.

Just like Xi Wang's name, which sounded like a somewhat silly homophonic pun. It really could make people laugh, and they might even advise someone to "pick a more normal name," but that was because most people felt that the name "Xi Wang," meaning hope, was simply too heavy. Most people could not bear the meaning it carried. But if the person himself was willing to accept that name, others would merely laugh it off. Even changing the name later would seem perfectly natural—to other people, at least.

But for the person who bore that name, changing it meant something different. In a sense, it meant abandoning hope, especially when he had initially been willing to accept and acknowledge that name.

It sounded ridiculous, but that was the truth. After experiencing hope several times, only to have it crushed beneath his feet afterward, Xi Wang had given up that name. After all, he had never possessed it himself—so how could he bear such a name?

And Sakura could understand why Xi Wang valued Elysia so much—she was his anchor, an anchor that kept him from collapsing outright in that despair.

At that time, he had needed to endlessly magnify Elysia's place in his heart—and Elysia truly had helped him greatly—so that he could endure all the pressure and incidents that came later, and persist until now.

Sakura understood. She could even empathize—because she had gone through something similar.

Sure enough, the two of them... were alike.

"Then... Elysia, as a return gift, I'll tell you something too."

A calm smile rested on Sakura's face as she spoke in the same gentle voice.

"Actually, the feelings between Wang and me were never pure—neither his nor mine."

"...Huh?"

"When I first met him, I was still in my hometown, the Far East. My parents had died early, my family was poor, and I had no special skills. I could only struggle to stay fed and clothed... Later, by a strange twist of fate, I was recruited by the local gang as an enforcer. I was doing work that could get me killed at any moment, earning barely enough to gnaw on plain rice. If Wang hadn't come along, I would probably still have been worrying about how to survive."

Sakura spoke softly, recalling her past with Xi Wang.

"Though others might think Wang dragged me into an even worse environment, what happened then truly did help me. Not to mention how much he helped me afterward—my family's life improved a great deal as well."

That was why, even after she guessed that everything she and Xi Wang had experienced afterward had been guided by someone in the shadows, and that she had been chosen to serve as a sheath for the blade, she still allowed the feelings in her heart to gradually change and spread.

"Though we were being led along by others afterward, neither of us cared much—because we had no choice."

Because they both clearly knew everything, because they both guessed what those people wanted and what they intended to do, they had no choice but to continue. That was why they were willing to pour their feelings into it.

His feelings for her had gradually evolved from the importance he placed on Elysia. He understood that clearly.

Her feelings for him had begun with the desire to keep Ling from danger and give her a peaceful life, before gradually changing into something else. She understood that very well.

"Because we understood each other a little too well, because we really did come to like each other..."

Because neither of their feelings was pure, he had rejected her back then, and she had not been too heartbroken.

Because they truly had developed feelings for one another, he had invited her in the end, and she had gladly accepted.

If things had continued to develop this way, they probably would have ended up together, allowing themselves to be drowned in that awkward affection, allowing themselves to like each other, even love each other.

But Elysia's reunion with him interrupted that process and brought them both back to reality, forcing them to face the possibility of being separated by Poison Chrysalis, or even abandoned.

They had no choice.

"That is why... we are not lovers, and we will not become lovers."

She lightly placed a hand over her chest, gently stroking the cherry blossom pendant hidden beneath her clothes.

"Not in the past, and not now."

She was clearly smiling, gently and calmly, even happily.

"And in the future... there probably won't be a chance either."

Yet she looked so sad.

Turns Out the Sky Could Not Be Touched...

Time always passed in a hurry. The conversation between Elysia and Sakura could only be considered a small interlude. Although Sakura had not told Elysia the story of what she had experienced with you by the end of that conversation—such as how their feelings had changed, or the moments when their hearts had stirred—because, just as Elysia herself had said, she wanted to keep those memories with you to herself... Still, after that, Sakura and Elysia became much closer.

But none of that mattered now, because Honkai... more precisely, the Third Honkai Outbreak, had descended. And the place where it appeared happened to be Sakura's hometown—the Far East.

You and Sakura led your respective squads to provide aid... Though at the site of a Great Collapse, calling it "aid" was misleading. There were hardly any people left to save.

Most people were either directly corrupted by Honkai Energy into monsters, or injured by humans who had already become monsters, only to turn into the same or similar monsters themselves. Very few survived.

Not to mention the difficult Honkai Beasts. Even "soldiers" like you had to handle those things with extreme caution.

Fortunately, the mission assigned to you and Sakura mainly involved "clearing Honkai," something you happened to excel at. Other squads handled the rescue operations and the even more dangerous mission of "killing the Third Herrscher."

This was not difficult for you, especially not for you and Sakura. On the battlefield, you cut down Honkai Creatures at an absurd speed. Your squad members could not keep up at all, and they even began to wonder whether they were burdens to the two of you. In the end, they simply went to help the rescue squads save people instead.

As for you and Sakura, you walked through those somewhat familiar streets, dealing with wandering Honkai Creatures while looking at everything familiar that had been destroyed... Of course, whenever you found survivors, you immediately reported their location to the rescue teams and let them take over. The two of you continued advancing, striving to clear out the nearby streets.

Although Sakura had left long ago because of you, taking Ling with her to the Mu Continent, she could not help feeling sorrow at the sight of her ruined hometown.

Countless people had died, the streets had become ruins, and the cherry blossoms that should have been blooming in full had been knocked down and trampled by wandering Honkai Beasts. Everything familiar and unfamiliar alike had been utterly destroyed.

At that moment, Sakura deeply realized exactly what you were facing, and she made up her mind that Ling must never encounter such danger.

Unlike Sakura, you did not feel much. Seeing Sakura, Elysia, and many other colleagues saddened by the scene, you showed a little sadness yourself, but that was all. It was rather perfunctory.

After all, this was not your hometown, nor was it your home—and besides, you had never had a place that could truly be called "home." You had seen too much death over the years, and you had grown accustomed to the thick stench of blood long ago.

To you, only Elysia and Sakura here were worth caring about. Everything else... did not matter.

The Third Honkai Outbreak lasted about three days. The battle to subjugate the Third Herrscher had already ended on the afternoon of the first day. Though casualties were severe, victory had been achieved in the end. The remaining two days were spent dealing with the aftermath, because the reach of this Great Collapse had been far too extensive. It had not only engulfed the entire Far East but also affected several coastal cities in East Asia, forcing you to devote even more effort to handling it.

This Great Collapse also made Moth to Fire's upper ranks realize that they had to begin recruiting more people and expanding the organization. According to their current estimates, such disasters would continue appearing one after another.

But once Moth to Fire grew stronger, who would lead it, and who would hold greater authority... that was another matter entirely.

Of course, none of that had much to do with you for the moment. Having just secured a major victory, frontline soldiers like you naturally deserved a celebration. And with new recruits joining, it was only natural to hold a large enough welcome party.

Well... those recruits still needed the necessary training before officially joining, but since they had happened to arrive just as you were holding a celebration, you might as well drag them in and let everyone get acquainted!

Among the new recruits, you spotted a somewhat familiar figure. It was the boy who had sat beside you at Eden's concert. He seemed to vaguely remember you as well, but he could not recall who you were—which was only natural, since quite some time had passed since that concert.

As for why he had come to Moth to Fire, it was honestly rather funny—he had followed his girlfriend here. When they heard that answer, several people present burst out laughing, and some even thought he was joking. Of course, once everyone learned who his girlfriend was, they expressed admiration instead.

After all, she was the super "genius" praised and favored by countless experts and doctors—Mei.

There was also a somewhat younger girl among the recruits. Her silver-gray ponytail stood out as well. Though her eyes carried confusion, they were still resolute. Even knowing this was a welcome party, she instinctively maintained a serious expression and straight posture. You could not help looking at her twice, thinking that she would probably become a good soldier in the future.

She was just too nervous. She seemed inexperienced with gatherings like this, doing her best to appear "proper," yet carrying an obvious stiffness... This kid probably did not have many friends.

Hmm... You had heard she was a survivor brought back by Himiko, captain of Squad Five? If it was Himiko, then that was not bad. With such an "enthusiastic" captain leading her, she would surely make plenty of friends in the future... probably?

Ah, this was where one had to mention an amusing incident from this celebration, which was also a welcome party—because of most people's habits, the celebration was once again held in the form of a "ball." And since it was a "ball," dancing was naturally part of it.

Then... many people saw you make an unusually conflicted and embarrassed expression after being invited by both Sakura and Elysia at the same time. It was an eye-opening sight, and everyone found it quite amusing.

Afterward, rumors even spread that you were two-timing... If you ever found out who was spreading nonsense, you would tie his tongue into a knot and shove it down his throat.

Yet the same old saying held true: happy times were always short. After celebrating for a day, everyone had to return to their posts and train thoroughly for the battles ahead, because what you faced was no ordinary disaster.

Training for the recruits was also pushed into overtime. Almost as soon as they met the standards, they were assigned to squads. It was clear that the situation was indeed urgent.

That white-haired boy also displayed astonishing talent. His monstrous physique made many instructors sigh, "Is this guy really just a student?" During the final assessment, he broke every record held by Elysia and achieved the legendary fastest promotion from recruit to full member, causing many people in Moth to Fire to remember his name—Kevin.

As for you and Sakura, not much changed. You still went back and forth between Poison Chrysalis missions, Moth to Fire missions, and walks around the base. The only exception was when Sakura took some time to visit Ling. Other than that, there were basically no changes.

Elysia, on the other hand, introduced you to quite a few people, including Dr. Mobius, who was surrounded by all kinds of rumors in Moth to Fire, as well as her assistant Klein. Along the way, you also met Hen and Blanca, who already had a child.

This rare couple in Moth to Fire... now husband and wife, were rather surprised when they came to the Mobius laboratory and found you with Elysia. After all, this was not the sort of place ordinary people liked to visit. But when they considered that Elysia had brought you here, it no longer seemed so strange.

Hen and Blanca warmly greeted you and introduced their daughter—Griseo. She was also a very adorable girl, lying in her mother's arms and curiously observing everything around her with gorgeous purple eyes.

You quite liked this child, or rather, you liked "children."

After all, they represented the future. They represented hope—even though you had abandoned that "name," it did not mean you hated it. On the contrary, you liked it immensely, which was why you were especially tolerant and gentle toward children... Perhaps that was something others had not noticed.

Unexpectedly, this child liked you as well. Despite meeting you for the first time, she proactively reached out to you and even allowed you to hold her. This surprised the others somewhat, while Elysia seemed to understand something and smiled very happily.

However... perhaps it was only your imagination, but as you spent more and more time with Griseo, Mobius seemed to develop a subtle "dissatisfaction" toward you. In the end, it even became somewhat... uh... "hostile"?

What was this? Jealousy?

Of course, you did not mind or care.

Perhaps because of Griseo, Hen and Blanca also became your friends. They took rather good care of you in daily life. You just did not know why Dr. Mobius's attitude toward you kept getting worse. Her sharp words were difficult for you to handle, though she had not truly targeted you—at least, not through her actions.

Life suddenly became somewhat peaceful and easy, which left you a little unaccustomed to it.

But... you did not dislike it either.

That night, Xi Wang casually opened the notebook he kept in his room, pulled out a pen, and habitually wrote down what had happened that day.

The 14th of ■■ month, 39 particles. Elysia wasn't around today. It seemed Moth to Fire had issued a mission for her to capture someone who had secretly slipped out of Moth to Fire... That person apparently had a particularly willful personality. I heard she had caused Moth to Fire a lot of trouble before and had even openly declared war on them. Supposedly, she once sent her challenge letter directly to the meeting room projector, scaring everyone there half to death.