I Told You This Isn't a Life Simulation Game! Part 28

"You weren't thinking something like, 'Would it have been better if I'd gone instead?' were you? Don't disgust me. How could that possibly be the case?"

Xi Wang kept that disdainful look on his face, but his tone remained calm.

"Leaving aside the fact that I don't have the kind of power you two do—the power to fight a Herrscher—even if I did, I wouldn't care about any consequences of fighting one. As long as the Herrscher died, that was enough. That was the mission handed down by the higher-ups, after all. I couldn't care less about anything else."

"Instead of dwelling on all those people who died and whom you failed to save, why don't you look at how many people you actually did save, then think about how to make sure fewer people die next time?"

"And who are you putting on that mournful face for? Trying to look pitiful? Don't act as if doing that will bring those dead people back to life. If it actually could, I'd be the first one to kill you."

"...Why?"

Xi Wang's earlier words had still been fairly normal, but that last sentence was so baffling that Kevin instinctively asked.

"Because it would mean every mission I carried out in the past had failed, and I'd have to pay so much compensation that I went bankrupt. Then I'd be forced to wander everywhere while evading multiple assassination attempts and wanted notices, only to get stabbed to death in some random corner or starve to death."

Xi Wang half-lidded his eyes, his tone gaining another layer of disdain... In any case, ever since Poison Chrysalis had officially been established within Moth to Fire, his and Sakura's former identities had become something of an open secret. Anyone who gave it a little thought could figure it out, so he spoke of it without any reservations.

Besides, there were only the three of them here.

"Pfft... Kevin, he just wants you to remember this sacrifice, so you can do better next time... Though what he said may have been a little harsh. Maybe he's just... tsundere?"

Elysia covered her mouth and laughed twice before taking over the conversation. As for that final remark... Xi Wang did not deny it after hearing it. He merely rolled his eyes slightly, then fell silent and stood to the side eating candy.

He was not good at comforting people anyway. He would leave it to Elysia.

"It isn't just Xi Wang. I feel the same way, Kevin. I hope you remember it—remember this sacrifice, remember that moment of hesitation and weakness, and keep it firmly in your heart. That... is who you are, Kevin."

"A sacrifice is a sacrifice. Yes, we all know that. But... those who have already passed, those who were forced to make sacrifices—they are your responsibility, mine, ours, and the responsibility of countless others. It is something that everyone connected to it should bear, not something to heap entirely onto one person, nor something that should be borne by one person alone."

"So, I hope you remember this day, remember that moment, and keep it forever in your heart, mine, and his... It will remind us what it is that we fight for."

"Speaking of which, Kevin."

Elysia took light steps and moved a little closer to Kevin. Her long pink hair seemed to glow beneath the moonlight as she deftly changed the subject.

"If one day, you could unhesitatingly sacrifice the few for the many, or choose to sacrifice the many for the few... Hmm~ I can't really imagine it~"

Elysia tilted her head.

"After all, that version of you would still be a little too unfamiliar to me, wouldn't it~?"

"...Elysia."

Kevin seemed to have recovered considerably. His voice gradually calmed, no longer carrying the confusion and remorse from before.

"If you had to make a choice... would you choose the few... or the many?"

"...Me?"

Elysia smiled, circled slightly around Kevin, and walked ahead, leaving him with only her back.

"Kevin, you know that there are differences even among the few. In everyone's heart, there must be certain few... Forget the many—some things may even matter more than everything else."

"So..."

Elysia lowered her voice and slowly walked forward. Then she suddenly pounced, reaching out for her target—only to grab empty air.

"My answer may be the same... as the answer you're about to give me."

Elysia pressed forward step by step, reaching out again and again, but her target nimbly evaded every attempt.

Click—

Without hesitation, Xi Wang closed the lid of the candy box and swiftly tucked it back into the inner pocket of his clothes.

"Xi Wang, you're so mean!"

"Hmm?"

Xi Wang raised an eyebrow, ignoring Elysia as she deliberately puffed out her cheeks and acted cute... He had said he would never let her get any, so he would not let her get any.

Today's little game result—Xi Wang wins! He was about to reach a hundred-game winning streak~

"Then... what's your answer, Xi Wang?"

"Hmm?"

"You've been secretly listening beside us for so long. You should answer us too, shouldn't you?"

"...Whichever side the people I care about are on, that's the side I'll choose."

There was nothing to hesitate over, and nothing that needed to be spoken in riddles. That was Xi Wang's answer.

"Hehe~"

Elysia smiled happily.

"Then what if someone made you choose between me and Sakura? You have to pick one~"

Why was it this kind of question... Xi Wang's face darkened.

"I'd beat up the person who asked that question first."

"Hehe~ Then what if I'm the one asking?"

"..."

Xi Wang's features instantly scrunched together. His conflicted, embarrassed expression was amusing enough that even Kevin, standing nearby, could not help the corners of his lips rising.

In the end, after some internal struggle, Xi Wang still reached out and flicked Elysia on the forehead. That way, he hadn't exactly gone back on what he had just said... You tell me, did he hit her or not?!

"Hehe~"

Though the flick had neither hurt nor itched, Elysia laughed again. She even caught Xi Wang's hand before he could pull it back, gently placed it against her forehead, and used his finger to lightly tap between her brows twice.

"Then... if one day, all it took was pulling the trigger at me like this, or swinging a blade... if that alone could save the majority of people..."

"Kevin, Xi Wang, you..."

"I would never do that."

Not giving her a chance to finish, Xi Wang spoke immediately.

"I would never point a blade at you, Elysia."

He caught her hand in return, gripping it tightly, forcefully, as though afraid she might suddenly disappear.

"Never."

"...Mm."

She smiled again, happier than ever.

Elysia: Actually, I really like him~

"Good evening, Sakura."

"Good evening. And... good work on the mission."

At the edge of the bustling Dance Party, Xi Wang and Sakura exchanged greetings. Then Xi Wang shifted his gaze to the green-haired beauty beside Sakura and asked, "I didn't expect Dr. Mobius to attend the Dance Party. That's rare."

"I came here for you. Is that a problem?"

Mobius narrowed her eyes, stepped forward, and spoke in a voice dripping with temptation.

"White Rat~ Would you like to visit my laboratory?"

"So you can trick me onto an operating table?"

"You already know what I'm after, so it wouldn't count as tricking you. Besides... if you're willing to cooperate, I'm willing to pay a certain price too~"

She leaned closer again, her tongue moving slightly as she drew others' eyes. There was a peculiar allure in her words, like a snake coaxing its prey.

"...Dr. Mobius, I think you know perfectly well that I won't accept."

Xi Wang's tone turned cold.

"And I hate your wording and your tone."

"Yes~ yes~ But what does that have to do with me?"

Mobius tilted her head.

"Even though Elysia and Sakura have both told me that this sort of phrasing reminds you of unpleasant things, but... you should also know that this isn't something you should avoid. And that innate trait of yours is simply so fascinating."

Mobius reached out, intending to touch him, but Xi Wang dodged her hand.

"It's only you, Dr. Mobius."

"...How boring."

Mobius curled her lips, then smiled again with obvious interest.

"But one day, you'll be lying on my operating table~"

"Perhaps."

"Haaah~ All right, all right~ I don't particularly feel like ruining your celebration. That would be far too boring."

Mobius gave Sakura's back a slight push, waved her hand, and spoke casually.

"Go on, go find your little boyfriend~"

"Dr. Mobius..."

"All right, don't use that spiel you give everyone else on me... Or do you think anyone would still try to assassinate me while several of Moth to Fire's strongest people are here? Those Guys can barely avoid me fast enough."

There was a hint of mockery in Mobius's voice. Then, as if demonstrating, she beckoned over someone who had been idly wandering about in boredom and told him to fetch her a drink. After a moment of stunned silence, the person hurried shakily to a nearby table, grabbed a drink that looked rather pretty, and handed it to Mobius. Once she gave him permission, he immediately ran to the other side of the Dance Party and found a corner as far away from her as possible.

"See~ That's how they are. They hold an intense fear toward things or people they don't understand. They don't even want to come into contact with them."

Mobius spoke with a smile, yet her eyes remained fixed on the person who had hurried away, like a snake staring at its prey.

But she soon withdrew her gaze, casually swirling the drink in her hand as she seemed to remark offhandedly, "Come to think of it, if you really intended to stay by my side the whole time, why did you specifically change into formalwear? My dear bodyguard?"

"..."

Sakura awkwardly looked away.

At that moment, Sakura wore a purple evening gown. Black satin ribbons and a string of white pearls were tied beneath her chest, perfectly accentuating the girl's graceful figure. Her deep-purple skirt swayed freely, while the fishtail-like train gently fluttered behind her. Dark thigh-high stockings, complemented by the pale violet lining beneath her skirt, made her legs appear long and slender, while the bare, fair skin exposed at her thighs drew countless glances.

Her long pink hair had been pinned up behind her head, with the remaining strands secured by cherry blossom-shaped ornaments. The hair at her forehead was fastened with a small crown ornament. A gorgeous gemstone hung from a thin metal chain before her chest, refracting beautiful light beneath the Dance Party's lamps—just like she did at that very moment.