So, Here We Are / Remember

Lin pushed through the crowd, walked to the figure's back, and sat down in the chair next to her, tapping her fingers on the wooden table reflecting the light.

To be honest, seeing this person at the ball should be as surprising as some people thought he would come.

Her long pink hair cascaded down her back, and she hummed a tune with her eyes closed, probably from her wireless earphones. In front of her was a plate of food she had finished eating. She put on her hood and created a personal space, isolating herself from the world.

After all, if she weren't wearing a hat, an elegant gentleman would probably invite her to dance.

She was very sensitive to her surroundings. After Lin sat down, her brow twitched, as if she sensed someone approaching. So she stopped humming and quietly waited for the person beside her to leave.

But after waiting for a long time, the person next to her did not move, so she walked away from herself. But when she opened her eyes and glanced at the person indifferently, she was stunned.

"Forest?"

Sakura took off her headphones and looked at the helmeted man in front of her in surprise, seemingly not expecting him to be there.

"You..." Sakura couldn't speak, a complex mix of emotions flashing in her eyes, "You... are you alright now?"

"...Um."

"That's good. I thought... no, it's nothing."

Sakura hesitated, then smiled gently, shedding her usual coldness.

"It's alright. Do you want something to eat? I just got some..." Sakura turned her head and saw that there was only an empty plate left in front of her. She coughed and her cheeks flushed slightly. "I... I'll go get some more..."

"No need," Lin stopped her, saying calmly, "I just came to see you."

"Ah?"

Chapter 116 So That's Why We're Here

Sakura took a sip of her drink, glancing out of the corner of her eye at Lin, who was sitting at the table tapping his fingers rhythmically. She wanted to ask Lin what he meant by what he had just said, but it seemed that asking would make it seem like she was overthinking things.

She's probably just overthinking it, right? There's no reason for Lin to come looking for her.

But...

Lin took a cocktail prepared by the bartender and placed it beside him, seemingly not planning to leave.

"Lin, you came here... to have a drink?" Sakura asked tentatively.

"No," Lin said in a low voice, his viewpoint pointed towards the stage. "I just came to see you."

"..."

Sakura was at a loss for words as she recalled the scene that had occurred in the Spiral Workshop before the Seventh Honkai Eruption.

Her fingers unconsciously touched her lips.

"Ah... I see." Sakura quickly interrupted her wild thoughts. She was a little annoyed by her assumptions about Lin, because they were obviously not appropriate for him. He, who puts humanity first, would never think or act that way.

Anyway, it was just an accident. Lin didn't care, so she shouldn't care either.

"Cherry."

"Exist!"

"..."

Lin stared at the startled Ying for a long time without saying a word. She reacted like a startled rabbit, which seemed quite different from her usual self.

"Have... something happened to you recently?"

"..."

Sakura's expression froze for a moment.

If there is one thing, it is something that is currently causing her lingering anxiety.

"Lin, why do you want to undergo the Hypervariable Surgery?"

Lin stopped tapping his fingers on the table and glanced at the stage where the performances were still taking place.

Is this the complexity she saw in her eyes just now?

"Humans had no other choice at the time." Lin didn't keep Ying waiting long. He gently touched the rim of the glass with his fingers. The cut ice cubes inside looked sharp and angular, but his fingers couldn't feel the coolness inside. "Me too."

No one forced him to undergo the Hypervariable Surgery. Even Mobius, who had promised to drag him onto the operating table, objected at that time. Kevin was the same. As long as he didn't participate, no one would force him to undergo the Hypervariable Surgery.

They were forced to lie on the operating table by themselves.

"Even if we don't perform the Hypervariable Surgery, someone else will," Lin said in a low voice.

He believed more than anyone else that, besides himself and Kevin, countless others would be willing to give their lives for humanity.

Therefore, he couldn't let those people take that risk, nor did he want Kevin to take the risk of being the "first".

"In any case, more and more people will become Flame-Chaser. It's just a choice, based on one's own thoughts, not the opinions of others."

Lin noticed some commotion on the stage, so he stood up and pushed his wine glass toward the dazed Ying.

"Huh?" Sakura looked at him, puzzled.

"It's better to have a little wine at the ball so as not to seem out of place."

Does this mean... he noticed her just now because she was the only one around drinking a beverage, making her stand out?

"Also, let's set the date for our visit to your house next month. I'll be bringing someone with me."

Go to her house?

Before she could react, Sakura watched Lin Yue walk further and further away, and then she stared blankly down at her wine glass.

The ice blocks, which were originally sharp and angular, seemed to have softened at the edges.

Guess who I am~

As Lin was walking forward, his vision window was suddenly covered, plunging the inside of his helmet into complete darkness.

The pink-haired girl waited for Lin to speak with a mischievous grin, but before Lin could utter the first word, she saw a window suddenly open on the back of Lin's helmet, illuminating it with a bright blue light.

"... Lin, what is this?"

Lin stared blankly at Elysia on the screen. "A new feature added by Vill-V."

"Hmm... I was planning to give you a surprise." Elysia pouted and put her hand down, while Lin turned off the secondary monitor and turned to face her.

"As far as I can see, you were already at headquarters, so even if I had guessed it, I wouldn't be too surprised."

"Can't you just pretend to be really surprised?"

"..."

Seeing that Lin remained silent, Elysia chuckled and tilted her head slightly, her long, neatly tied hair cascading down from behind her exquisitely sculpted face, as she looked Lin up and down. "I saw it just now~"

"...What?"

"You danced with Doctor Mobius."

"... Many people saw it."

"And there you and Sakura were chatting and drinking there."

Is there a problem with this?

Upon hearing this, Elysia's eyes crinkled into crescent moons with laughter. "Hmph, what about me?"

Lin Mo kicked his hand silently, acting as if it were none of his business.

"What? If I had this attitude, I'd be sad too, Lin." Elysia's teary eyes were obviously faked, and Lin could only sigh.

What do you want?

"Don't be reluctant, Lin. Why do you look so helpless when it comes to me?"

Lin pondered for a moment, then spread his hands and replied, "Because we... have the best relationship."

"Hmm?" Elysia was like a witch who could change her appearance in an instant. One second she was feeling wronged and on the verge of tears, and the next she was smiling with great satisfaction. A bright smile bloomed on her pretty face.

"Being close to someone means we can let things slide a little, oh~" Elysia's smile seemed to contain countless meanings. "But what if I were to say now, Lin, how you treat your good friend has hurt my feelings? What would you do?"

"..."

This question left Lin speechless for a moment.

Elysia looked exceptionally happy, showing no signs of being sad at all.

"What... do you want?" Lin asked uncertainly this time.

"Let me think... Did Doctor Mobius ever say anything like you weren't allowed to dance with other people?" Elysia said casually. "Given her personality when she's with you, she probably would have said something, right?"

"Um."

"That's really difficult." Elysia pondered for a moment, then casually grabbed Lin's hand. "Let's forget it. We're good friends, we don't need any of that to prove anything, right?"

"..."

"You should at least say something correct."

"Right."

"Hey-hey."

Elysia, holding Lin's hand, smiled and strode forward toward the stage.

Lin felt as if he had returned to the ball after the Third Honkai War.

There weren't so many people back then, and it wasn't so noisy; it felt like a completely different world from now.

But the girl who held his hand and danced on the dance floor back then hadn't changed at all, as if she were telling him that Elysia had always been here.

I can almost still feel the soft touch of your fingers from that time.

Chapter 117 Remembering

Eden sat in front of the dressing table, looking at herself in the mirror from the world outside.

As I've mentioned before, she rarely wears makeup, not only because of her natural beauty, but also because she wants people to focus more on her voice and melody when she sings, rather than her appearance.

But today she wore light makeup and dressed more glamorously than usual. If her past style was that of a low-key artist, today she was a star who would steal the spotlight.

To match the atmosphere at headquarters today? Or is it because her agent, who was still alive, said that she would look better if she put more effort into her appearance?

No one asked her, and only she knew the answer.

The backstage area was deserted, with only her and the faint sounds of noise drifting in.

Yes, people are having a great time today, leaving all their sorrows behind and forgetting the threat of human extinction, the Honkai, and the pressure of survival.

Allowing forgetting to exist is the privilege of these warriors who have witnessed countless tragedies along the way.

But...

"Don't move."

Elysia's soft snort made Lin, who was about to pull his hand out of her palm, pause.

Perhaps knowing Lin's temperament, Elysia held him tightly, her fingers intertwined, giving Lin no chance to let go.

Lin could only helplessly let her hold his hand.

"Are you feeling better today?"

"..."

Actually, there's another reason why Lin sometimes doesn't want to see Elysia.

She was too clever, not in the academic sense of Mobius and May, but in a way that seemed to perceive everything. Behind that smiling mask were eyes that could see right through everything.

Even if the person themselves is confused, Elysia can see it with ease.

If it were anyone else, Lin might have thought they were asking if he was feeling better, but with Elysia, he couldn't possibly brush it off with a perfunctory answer.

"You look much better now. I thought you'd gone back to being that cold and aloof Lin, but seeing you getting along so well with Doctor Mobius today..." Elysia smiled and looked down. "Should I say I'm very happy?"

"..."

"I'm so sorry about what happened to Little Seven. But I haven't known how to tell you these past few days."

"... Why are you apologizing?"