"There's still half an hour before the ball starts. Lin and Hua are going to Squad Seven, so before we all go our separate ways, let's take a photo to remember this."
Himiko hurried off to find someone to take their picture, dragging Hua out with her. That left only Lin and Soul behind.
"Um, Team Member Lin..." Soul still felt it was better to address Lin that way. In any case, he did not mind. "Would this make things difficult for you? It feels like we've been making decisions on our own."
"It won't."
"That's good." Soul let out a breath. A shy smile appeared on her girlish face as she walked behind Lin and placed her hands on the handles of his wheelchair. "I'll push you."
Lin had said that staying as he was was for the best. Perhaps his love for humanity as a whole had overwhelmed his love for any individual, leaving him unable to remain by one person's side forever.
But Soul thought this was enough. She watched Lin's back, and even if he would never turn around, that alone was enough to satisfy her.
Yes, this was enough...
"Soul, that dress suits you. You look beautiful."
A brief sentence drifted into the girl's ears, making her heart stop for a second.
It was obviously nothing more than the simplest compliment, and his tone was as cold and flat as usual...
Yet the heartbeat that had been calm moments ago now pounded uncontrollably.
"Raiden Mei, what are you looking for?"
The helmeted man, rarely seen in ordinary times, appeared before Raiden Mei. This time, he held several silver coins that looked familiar to Mei and casually placed them on the lounge counter before taking the initiative to ask her.
Mei was usually wary of Lin, but he generally did not make people guess at his meaning like Kevin did. He was one of the rare people who spoke plainly, and unlike Elysia, she could tell whether he was sincere. Asking him for information did not seem like a bad idea.
So Mei walked up to him and told him about the rumors surrounding the Dark Side of the Fire Moth.
After Mei finished, Lin, sitting on the sofa, lowered his head without saying anything. "..."
Mei waited for a while, but Lin still did not speak. She asked delicately, "Did you fall asleep?"
The statue raised his head and said calmly, "No. I was considering the pros and cons of revealing information about Mobius to you."
"Pros and cons? That Mobius is one of the MOTH Heroes too, isn't she? Are you afraid of her?"
"The pros and cons I mean concern you. Whether exposing you to Mobius too early will cause irreversible harmful effects on both you and the Imaginary Tree, and whether your search for a certain truth will do the same."
Lin lightly tapped the armor on his hand with his fingers, producing crisp metallic sounds. "An obsession with something may begin with good intentions, but the outcome it produces may not necessarily be satisfying."
"...I know that feeling well." Mei thought of a blond man because of those words, and her mood immediately soured.
"The pursuit of saving lives ultimately turning into a tragedy of corpses strewn everywhere was not uncommon in my era." Lin stood up, picked up the silver coins he had just set down, and handed them to Mei.
"These are..."
"When you pass Pardo's shop, leave these there. They're payment for helping me find something."
Lin then took out a tube of glowing green medicine and handed it to Mei. Under her puzzled gaze, he said in a muffled voice, "I've finished considering it. Mobius has been watching you ever since you entered the Imaginary Tree, yet she has not shown herself for a long time. That worries me more than giving you information."
"Rather than listening to me explain, it'll be easier if you go meet her yourself."
Fire Moth Completion Plan
"Hi, hi. Lin will keep the photo."
A slender hand pulled out the instant photo and placed it on Lin's lap. The pink-haired girl tilted her head slightly and smiled brightly.
Of all people, they had found someone troublesome to take the picture.
Himiko and the others had gone ahead to prepare for the ball. Apparently, they were also going to change Hua into another outfit. That left Lin and Elysia here, while Soul in particular had left in a great hurry.
Lin slipped the group photo of the four of them into his pocket, then looked Elysia up and down. She was wearing a maid outfit today, giving her a rather different charm. "What's with that outfit?"
Elysia smiled at his question, then spun gracefully on the spot to display her figure. Between the short skirt lifted by the sea breeze and her white stockings, the glimpse of bare skin was especially alluring.
"Ta-da! Maid Elysia makes her dazzling entrance! To make today's ball more gorgeous, Miss Elysia went to great lengths to dress up." Elysia made a V-sign, blinked, and smiled. "Well? Doesn't a cute maid carrying an instant camera around to take pictures of everyone feel especially fitting?"
"...What inevitable connection is there between a ball and you dressing up as a maid?"
No matter how he looked at it, Elysia's playful nature was simply acting up.
"Of course there is."
Elysia smiled mysteriously, walked behind Lin, and grasped the handles of his wheelchair. She bent down, pressed her face beside his, and blew a fragrant breath of hot air against him. "You're the star of today's ball, so I'm your personal maid~"
The girl's fair skin was flushed with a lovely rosy tint. From only half a palm's distance away, Lin could see his reflection in her crystalline pink eyes.
"Why am I the star?" Lin asked calmly.
"Mm, Lin, you're asking even though you already know." Elysia had no way to deal with this moving statue. She straightened and spread her hands. "You were the greatest contributor in the Third Honkai War. You defeated both the Judgment-class Honkai Beast and the Herrscher. Quite a few young warriors who just joined hold your name in great admiration. You're a hero among heroes."
Lin's gaze shifted. "The Judgment-class Honkai Beast was ultimately defeated by Himiko and Soul. The Herrscher was killed by Mei based on her calculations and decisions. I merely served as bait, and before I went to Changkong City, it had always been you all..."
Elysia curled her lips, covered her ears, and shouted, "Not listening, not listening, turtle chanting scriptures!"
"..." Lin swallowed the words that had reached his lips.
As always, he had no way of dealing with Elysia's unreasonable behavior.
With ordinary people, Lin could explain the facts. With stubborn people, he could reason with them. But once Elysia started throwing a tantrum, the only thing Lin could do was trade comedic banter with her.
Elysia pushed Lin's wheelchair back with a smile. "Anyway, today you have to properly participate in the ball and get along with everyone else, understand?"
"No..."
"You're not allowed to say no."
"No..."
"You're not allowed to say you're not allowed."
Elysia reached out and covered Lin's mouth, leaving him unable to say a single word.
The soft sensation against his lips made Lin wisely shut up. If he dared keep talking, her hand would probably go into his mouth and pinch his tongue next.
Lin helplessly closed his eyes and reclined in his wheelchair, letting the smiling Elysia push him toward the ballroom. He no longer had the slightest desire to resist.
Fine. It was only for today.
But reality was not as simple as Lin had imagined.
Or rather, it was far too complicated.
"Tap."
A pointed party hat was placed on Lin's head.
"Clap clap clap clap clap..."
Delta clapped and smiled. "Congratulations."
Himiko clapped and smiled. "Congratulations."
Bianca clapped and smiled. "Congratulations."
People Lin did not know surrounded him, clapping vigorously and producing a uniform rhythm.
Elysia also clapped her white-gloved hands and congratulated him with a gentle smile. "Congratulations."
"..." Lin sat in his wheelchair with an expression as impassive as ever, but the miserable look in his eyes fully exposed how he felt right now.
"What are you doing?" His blade-like gaze swept across the crowd, instantly making half the people who were clapping stop.
His gaze was undeniably lethal. Everyone he looked at felt a chill down their backs, as if Medusa's demonic eyes had fixed upon them.
"Oh, Lin, don't be so harsh. Everyone's just celebrating you becoming the captain of Squad Seven, aren't they?"
"I came to attend a ball, not a funeral." If Lin's legs had been functional, he would have wanted to bolt through the door immediately.
He should never have believed Elysia's nonsense.
"Shh, Lin. Your good friends and teammates are watching too~ Even if not for me, just for them, could you please calm down?"
"..."
Elysia pressed her lips to Lin's ear, her moist breath brushing against it and making it itch.
Hearing her words, Lin shifted his gaze and spotted Kevin and Mei standing side by side among the crowd in formal wear. Kevin was even looking at him with some concern, which immediately calmed Lin down from his desire to flee.
"All right, Lin says he's very grateful to everyone. He's just too shy to thank you out loud, so I'll... ahem, his maid will speak for him."
Elysia's smile was full of magic. The frozen atmosphere began flowing again before it.
The Fire Moth had many sources of income. Some involved manipulating global stocks, some came from the treasuries of small and medium-sized nations, and some came from occasionally "leaking" one or two advanced technologies... It would not be an exaggeration to say that the Fire Moth possessed the economy of the entire world.
Thus, holding an extravagantly luxurious ball to reward its warriors was no more than casually carving a few pieces from its vault.
Red carpets covered the entire venue, accented with gilded lines that formed walkways. Delicacies from every country and region were arranged in silver dishes on tables beside those walkways, filling the air with enticing aromas.
Waiters and maids moved orderly through the crowd carrying trays, politely asking whether anyone wanted a glass of wine. Those who agreed would receive a clear glass of champagne, while those who declined would be informed that they could freely take some from the champagne tower at the center of the hall.
Perfectly crafted decorations hung along the surrounding walls. The soft glow from crystal chandeliers illuminated the spacious dance floor, while a top orchestra played a soothing prelude to open the ball.
"I organized most of it myself. Isn't it as perfect as I am?" Elysia pushed Lin onto a side path through the venue, allowing him to take in the details of the grand ball.
No matter how much Lin denied it, Elysia's taste was beyond question. Even he could not find fault with this ballroom, where luxury and elegance had been balanced perfectly.
It was like a carefully crafted work of art, a beautiful Crystal Flower.
"Is there anything you want to eat? Or drink? I'm your personal maid today, so you can order me around as you please~"
"..."
That hazy tone and expression, along with those suggestive words whose purpose he could not understand at all.
Lin stared at her fixedly, afraid she might cause more trouble. "No."
"Eh? You're such a killjoy... Hmm? Could it be you want to do something to me? I never knew Lin had such a rich inner world. But sadly, even a maid can't fulfill every request~" Elysia tapped her jelly-like lips, then laughed sweetly as she rubbed Lin's face.
"You're thinking too much."
"Which part am I thinking too much about?"
"Every part."
Lin's Student Friend
"Lin, just now, that was..."
Sure enough, not long after Lin and Elysia began wandering around, Kevin came looking for them. Since he had always stayed by Mei's side, he actually knew nothing about Elysia or this ball.
He gave the flower-smiling Elysia an extremely strange look, then looked at the quiet Lin.
How should he put it? It felt subtle, like he had just started dating a girl and was wondering where to find happiness for his friend, only for that friend with no romantic prospects to suddenly tell him he was already married.
"Hello, I'm Elysia. I know you, Kevin~" Since Elysia was pushing Lin's wheelchair, she could not free up a hand, but her eyes sparkled as she spoke to Kevin.
"You know me?"
"In just one month, you showed astonishing combat talent during the cleanup after the Third Honkai War. You're already somewhat famous. A lot of people know you, including the fact that you stay by your adorable girlfriend's side at all times~"
"Ah, well... not at all times..." Kevin scratched his head awkwardly, completely missing the point of Elysia's words.
"Is that what they call friends being alike? Your performance after joining the Fire Moth has been similar to Lin's. Ah, time really flies. I never expected Lin's title as a genius youth to change hands so quickly." Elysia sympathetically patted Lin's head, only for him to slap her hand away.
"Lin, she is..." Kevin looked even stranger. He cautiously signaled to Lin with his eyes.
Elysia had just introduced herself, so what Kevin was asking about was clearly the relationship between the two of them.
If Kevin had joined the Fire Moth even a little earlier, he probably would not have asked such a question.
"..." Lin glanced at Elysia, who was looking at him expectantly. His lips twitched before he sighed. "A friend."
Elysia nodded in satisfaction.
Kevin could not help asking again, "Uh, just a friend?"
"You're being far too obvious." Lin's face darkened again. He pressed a hand to his forehead and said, "Just friends. Don't overthink it."
He thought again of the discussions on the internal network about his relationship with Elysia. He could not understand why the Fire Moth's intranet had a dedicated gossip section. From a cat going missing from a laboratory to compilations of the Fire Moth leadership's first loves, it had everything. New posts appeared every day, and its popularity never faded. People really had too much free time.
"All right." Seeing that Lin seemed unwilling to discuss it further, Kevin did not press the matter and instead congratulated him. "Although a lot of people already congratulated you earlier, congratulations, Lin, on becoming the captain of Squad Seven."
"...This isn't something worth celebrating with such a grand spectacle. It's just an appointment."
Before you continue