I Told You This Isn't a Life Simulation Game! Section 38

"We're done for..."

The two little ones collapsed completely, unable to get back up.

Meanwhile, Xi Wang returned to the dormitory he had not been back to for quite some time. But when he pushed open the door and saw the figure inside, he frowned slightly in displeasure.

"...How did you get in?"

"Oh? So you really got out today~ Mm-hmm... Judging by how you look, the surgery was a success, and your recovery has been quite good too."

The man sized Xi Wang up, then nodded in satisfaction.

"Answer my question."

Xi Wang lowered his gaze slightly, his tone turning somewhat colder.

"Alright, alright~ Don't get angry, don't get angry~ I handle logistics, after all. Even after being transferred here, that hasn't changed. After all, this is about all I'm capable of handling..."

The man raised both hands in a gesture of surrender.

"And as your semi-dedicated logistics officer, is it really that strange for me to have a key to your room?"

"Relax~ It was only this once. You were staying with that doctor for so long that everyone was worried sick, and a whole pile of missions has built up because of it."

"Look, this is the key I got. I'm giving it to you."

As he spoke, he tossed a small terminal toward Xi Wang. It contained the "key" to Xi Wang's room, along with a few other things.

"...Don't let it happen again."

Xi Wang understood why he had come... Poison Chrysalis could no longer wait to test his combat abilities after his "rebirth."

"Don't worry, just this once."

The man smiled and spoke in a deliberately casual tone.

"Oh, right. You stayed with that doctor for so long, so you probably haven't replenished your sugar in ages, have you? I brought you quite a bit—just enough to restock your supplies."

As he spoke, he pulled two boxes of white star-shaped candies from his pocket. He set one aside and directly held the other out to Xi Wang.

"Want to inspect them?"

"..."

Xi Wang silently watched him. Seeing that he was still standing there with a smile and showed no intention of leaving—

Xi Wang took the box of candy, opened it, and casually picked out one piece to inspect.

"..."

He still showed no intention of leaving.

So Xi Wang popped it into his mouth, casually bit the white star apart, and swallowed it.

The familiar sweetness spread through his mouth.

"...Thank you."

Xi Wang added that in the end.

"As long as you're satisfied~ For someone in logistics like me, that's the greatest affirmation."

Only then did he seem satisfied. With a smile on his face, he stepped forward, squeezed past Xi Wang and out the door, then slowly walked away.

"Relax~ You can still get a good rest today~"

As he walked, he waved behind him without turning around, his voice carrying a slight upward lilt.

"Sakura doesn't have anything to do today either. She's probably still keeping her adorable little sister company~"

"Ah, I'm just telling you, there's no other meaning behind it. You two are so close, after all, so I figured you'd care about where she is, right?"

"Anyway, I'll wish you both a pleasant day first~"

"As for everything else, I'll be waiting for your good news."

"..."

Xi Wang watched him leave, then lowered his gaze to the box of candy in his hand. In the end, he said nothing.

He simply put both boxes of candy away in silence.

There was nothing to complain about. It was just like before.

Eden's Unique Welcome Party

Your life as a Fusion Warrior was almost the same as before. Other than the missions becoming more dangerous, having to occasionally eliminate some "traitors," deal with people driven mad by panic, and take care of those trying to fish in troubled waters amid the chaos, nothing much had changed... Of course, it would have been even better if Dr. Mobius did not keep coming to bother you.

Some things did happen along the way. For example, you went to visit Sakura and Ling. This was the first time you had gone to see Ling since she arrived at Moth to Fire.

When she saw you, she was somewhat surprised. Then she unconsciously began complaining about you and Sakura, saying, "Were you two already working at Moth to Fire before? How could you not tell me?" The question left both you and Sakura somewhat embarrassed, since neither of you could exactly tell her what your real "work" was.

Fortunately, Ling was a well-behaved and sensible girl, and she did not press the matter too much. You thought that was for the best as well. Sakura had now gained the protection of Dr. Mei and Dr. Mobius, and Poison Chrysalis could no longer directly command her. If things continued like this, Poison Chrysalis would probably hand Sakura over to Dr. Mobius and the others entirely, as a symbol of their "alliance."

That way, Sakura and Ling could gradually move away from that terrible place... Even though both you and Sakura knew that escape would be difficult in the end, how could you not try? If only for Ling's sake, you had to try.

As for the various "side effects" that appeared in your bodies after you and Sakura became Fusion Warriors, Ling did not dwell on them much. She knew that you were heroes fighting for humanity, and also the sister she knew so well and "Brother Wang." That was enough for her.

She began to worry about whether the missions you carried out were dangerous and fret over your safety. She also asked whether she could join Moth to Fire as well—even if she could only do logistics or odd jobs. She wanted to help too.

What an adorable girl, wasn't she?

After discussing it with you, Sakura agreed to Ling's idea. After consulting with Dr. Mei, Ling was allowed to join Moth to Fire and help out with logistics.

Naturally, Ling's arrival was welcomed by quite a few people. The happiest of them all was Elysia. On the day Ling joined, Elysia even brought Eden over, startling Ling... The surprise was simply too overwhelming for her.

Fortunately, Eden herself was very approachable and had none of a star's airs. She readily answered all of Ling's questions, and before leaving, even gave Ling a record and an autographed photo, delighting her to no end.

During this time, Eden also came to see you, formally getting acquainted with you. With Elysia acting as the bridge between you, you and Eden became friends as well.

Come to think of it, Eden was also Elysia's friend, and had known her even before Elysia joined Moth to Fire. In that regard, she was somewhat similar to you.

But you did not care much about that. You even wanted to keep your distance from her. For you, having Elysia alone shining so brightly was enough; adding another would be somewhat blinding... Especially when Eden had exposed the feelings you had hidden away the very first time you met. Though you acted as if you did not care, you still felt somewhat resistant.

Besides, a Superstar like Eden, someone who might even become a Moth to Fire spokesperson in the future, should stay away from someone like you. Otherwise, once she learned of the messy "darkness" within Moth to Fire, she might become disappointed in the organization.

Just like those "traitors" you went to deal with.

And you could tell that Eden had yet to fully recover psychologically from the Seventh Great Honkai. If she came into contact with all that messy stuff again, her hopes for the future of this world would probably shatter completely.

After all, in order to resist the Honkai, Moth to Fire had no choice but to lower its bottom line again and again. As for what it would ultimately become, even they themselves did not know.

Besides, you did not want to expand your social circle any further, lest you someday have to regard your friends as "traitors" and purge them.

But Elysia did not seem to think so.

Perhaps because she saw that you and Eden got along rather well, or perhaps because Eden was "the Superstar Ling admired," Elysia enthusiastically pulled you into spending time with Eden. Whenever she had free time, she brought the two of you together to chat, or took you to listen to Eden perform during breaks.

You did not refuse, but you could not help feeling helpless... After all, whenever you went out shopping during your breaks, the number of bags you had to carry increased again. Sometimes, you even had to act as a clothes rack and try on clothes—though you had no idea why the three of them were especially enthusiastic about that. Sometimes Eden would initially be picking out clothes for Elysia and Sakura, only for all three of them to suddenly turn their attention toward you, leaving you utterly baffled.

To others, having three incredibly popular and beautiful girls all revolve around you seemed like a very fortunate thing. Some had even cast sour, jealous looks your way. But only you knew how exhausting it was to deal with them... Not physically, of course. After becoming a Fusion Warrior, there was no way you could not handle something this minor. It was mental exhaustion.

Sometimes, you even had to deal with Mobius's harassment. She was an even greater threat. Her interest in you had surged after the Fusion Warrior surgery, making you reluctant to remain at Moth to Fire's base. If not for Elysia, Griseo's family, and Sakura's work, you would not even have wanted to see her.

...Huh? Why did this feel no different from before? Was it just your imagination?

Oh, right. Though quite a lot had been said about Eden, she had not actually joined Moth to Fire yet. She was merely staying within Moth to Fire to receive psychological treatment. As for why she could move freely through Moth to Fire before joining... As the brightest star of the current era and one of Moth to Fire's largest sponsors, she had that much privilege.

When Eden had adjusted her mental state and officially joined Moth to Fire, she also received the most unforgettable "welcome party" of her life.

It was rather funny. Similar welcome parties and team-building events had generally been hosted by Elysia in the past. But by sheer coincidence, when Eden officially joined, Elysia was away on a mission, and the task fell to another captain of Moth to Fire—Kevin.

Kevin possessed achievements comparable to Elysia's and was exceptionally powerful, so he had the authority to do so. Moreover, when Kevin heard that Eden was joining Moth to Fire, he naturally took on the task.

You had nearly forgotten that Kevin was one of Eden's fans. Seeing that cold expression on his face all this time had almost made you forget that he used to be a sunny, cheerful young man.

It was just that Kevin had absolutely no experience with this sort of thing. In the end, he even took Eden and everyone else to eat noodles at the welcome party... Cold noodles, at that! (Kevin still could not control his side effects properly, so please forgive him.)

When you returned from an assignment that day and arrived at the scene, you nearly could not keep it together.

Especially when Eden looked at you with a face full of curiosity and asked, "Is this a Moth to Fire initiation tradition? Do you need to eat a bowl of cold noodles to join?" You had the urge to rub your forehead with a sigh, turn around, and leave.

When you privately found Kevin and asked why a perfectly good welcome party had ended up like this, his answer was, "I didn't know how to host a welcome party. I agreed on impulse, and then it just turned out like this." In the end, he even asked you for help, clearly knowing himself how awkward the scene before him was.

You really wanted to grab him by the collar and give his head a good shake, just to check whether it had filled with water... No, that was not right. If it was Kevin, the water inside had probably frozen into ice and could not get out.

In the end, though, you still agreed to help Kevin... After all, Eden was Elysia's friend and yours as well. You did not want her to be too disappointed.

As a star, Eden was also an artist, so you thought perhaps you could prepare something along those lines.

You first went to find Cosmo and Dottore, who were undergoing physical examinations in preparation for Fusion Warrior surgery. One enjoyed playing the harmonica, while the other loved giving gifts to friends. Perhaps they could help you... After learning about the situation, Dottore readily agreed, and Cosmo agreed as well after a brief hesitation.

Afterward, you found Ling. As Eden's fan, she naturally liked imitating Eden's singing. Upon learning about this, she excitedly wanted to perform before her idol.

Then you gritted your teeth and entered Mobius's laboratory with a somewhat stiff expression. After being forced to pay Mobius a certain "price," Blanca, smiling brightly, brought Griseo along to the welcome party.

After that, you sought out several colleagues you remembered as having musical or painting skills and asked them to help... The facts proved that your memory was as good as ever. You found nearly everyone you knew, and even those you did not know could be brought in through Elysia's reputation and Eden's fame.

...Unfortunately, Sakura also had a mission that required her to go out. Otherwise, you might have asked her to prepare some special food... Though you could manage that yourself. Having spent so long with Sakura, you could reproduce a little from memory.

Considering how many people would be attending the welcome party, you might have to inform the kitchen staff as well...

Very quickly, more and more people began arriving for the welcome party. The room Kevin had prepared gradually became crowded, and in the end, everyone had no choice but to move together to the place where Dance Parties had previously been held.

Cosmo played his still-unpracticed harmonica as accompaniment. Perhaps because he was too nervous, he went off-key several times, turning what should have been a relaxed melody into something rather comical. Ling performed onstage in imitation of her idol, and her adorable appearance drew repeated applause.

Dottore handed the selected gift to Eden, looking somewhat shy and embarrassed. Nearby, Griseo sat in Blanca's arms, sketching Eden and everyone present one picture after another, as though she wanted to preserve everything before her on her drawing paper.

Those who had initially been timid, worried that they would not perform well, gradually relaxed. They picked up the Musical Instruments they had not touched for a long time because of battle, and once more took up the brushes they had left untouched for so long due to work.

Although most of the performances were improvised, the painting skills seemed rusty, and even the gifts had been prepared at the last minute, as the atmosphere gradually grew warmer and emotions rose, no one cared about such things anymore. They expressed themselves freely and gave voice to what was in their hearts.

Eden was naturally happy in the face of all this. She could feel everyone's emotions through their music, and see their thoughts through the somewhat unpolished paintings... It was precisely because of that that she felt happy.

That yearning and hope for the future, that starlight-like glimmer of hope—she would remember it deep within her heart.

And in the end, the welcome party came to a close after your astonishing performance... Everyone was surprised that you possessed such a skill. Even Ling had not known about it.

Naturally, you did not actually know how to do it. It was just that Elysia had always dragged you along to listen to Eden's performances, and after observing up close, you could imitate a little of it.

You only observed, remembered, and then reproduced it. That was all. With your excellent memory, you could do that quite easily.

Many people sighed—It was as if Eden herself had been performing up there.