Never Say Never / GAME OVER

A soft sob echoed in her mind, the indistinct voice overlapping with Elysia's, and Lin's memories gradually became clearer.

"Svatogor 51..."

Suddenly, Lin uttered a place name.

After uttering the word, he stared intently at Elysia's expression, her eyes, her fingers, her breathing, observing any possible subtle changes.

"Svatogor 51? What does that mean?"

Elysia stared blankly at Lin, her expression exactly like someone who had never even heard of that small place, seemingly unaware of what Lin meant by that seemingly nonsensical remark.

Lin took in her subtle expressions and movements. He had spoken so abruptly that she shouldn't have been prepared, so her reaction was the most genuine one.

"...No, it's nothing. A friend of mine was born in Svatogor 51. I just thought of her when I saw you." Lin closed his eyes, then gently exhaled, calmly opened his eyes, and answered.

"Then she must be a girl as beautiful as me, right?"

"Yes, she's almost thirty and still calls herself a young girl."

"A girl's age is a taboo subject." Elysia thought Lin was being sarcastic about his friend, which wasn't entirely wrong in a way, but she didn't realize that she was casually smiling as she asked, "Are you and her very good friends?"

"Um."

Lin's unwavering affirmation surprised Elysia. She noticed a slight relaxation on Lin's taut, icy face when he mentioned his friend, and a faint smile appeared after his initial surprise.

"Best friend?"

"Whether it's for me or her, friends aren't divided into best and worst."

"Then I must meet her. We will definitely become good friends."

There will be an opportunity.

Before they knew it, they had been talking until late at night. When Lin Cong got to know Elysia from another perspective, she remained the same. In different worlds, she seemed to have never changed.

He recalled a long, long time ago, back to the ball he attended for the first time after the Third Honkai War 3rd, when a playful pink-haired girl in a maid outfit held up a finger to him, closed one eye, and spoke tenderly to him alone:

"I will always be here."

Chapter Eight: Never Say Never

"Lin... Lin... I'm so hungry..."

Early in the morning, a disheveled pink female zombie stumbled out of her bedroom-like coffin, slowly walked into the kitchen, and let out a hoarse roar at the man who was wearing an apron and quietly making breakfast.

A cool breeze blew in from the open window, ruffling the man's distinctive silver hair. Light shone on his clean fingers, and he quietly turned around after hearing the noise behind him.

Seeing Elysia looking like she'd just been dug out of the ground, with one hand shamelessly reaching under her thin pajamas to scratch her armpit, Lin sighed quietly.

All that talk about being reserved is fake. Two months ago, she was still pretending to get up early every morning to tidy herself up, but now she's completely lost her sense of shame.

Lin felt a pang of nostalgia for his world's Elysia, where at least Elysia maintained a basic image in front of others.

Elysia sniffed the air, her sleepy eyes widening instantly. "It smells so good! What's for breakfast today?"

"Mashed potatoes with rice."

"... Eating mashed potatoes with rice first thing in the morning?"

Lin picked up his phone expressionlessly and played a recording.

"Lin! I want mashed potatoes with rice for breakfast tomorrow!"

"... Eating it in the morning is bad for your stomach."

"Please~ I really want to eat it~ Please~ my dear Linlin~"

"..."

After he finished, Lin calmly watched Elysia pretend not to hear the whistling.

What is a leisurely life?

Every morning after breakfast, I go out to buy groceries, snacks, and other necessities. After haggling with an irresistible gaze, I return home, rest for an hour, and then start making lunch.

After lunch, I searched for information about Honkai, then played games with Elysia all afternoon, beating her to a pulp, before starting to make dinner.

After dinner, the schedule is different every day. Sometimes I go out alone to look for clues about the Honkai. Sometimes I play games with Elysia or watch movies together when she's not streaming. Sometimes I just sit at the door and stare blankly.

Overall, it was similar to life between the eighth and Ninth Honkai War, but also different. No matter how leisurely Lin's life was back then, the events of Svatogor 51 and the lunar debris always weighed on his mind. Beneath the surface of his peaceful life, there was an undercurrent of desire, like a moth drawn to a flame, like one dull steel needle after another, piercing his throat little by little.

It won't kill you, but it will cause pain accompanied by suffocation, quietly taking over your entire heart.

But now... um... are they living a retirement life?

Lin Yi inadvertently sped up his actions, unleashing a ten-hit combo that killed the fully healed Elysia.

Elysia had just brought Lin to near-death and was about to win, turned around and looked at Lin seriously.

"Don't you have anything to say?"

Lin thought for a moment, then nodded and said with certainty, "I'm amazing."

"I'm not asking you to praise yourself."

"But I think I should praise myself. Although beating you is nothing to brag about, it's as simple and natural as flushing the toilet after you've finished using it."

Like Lin, Elysia also felt that this guy was completely different from when they first met. As they spent more time together, his unconscious cunning and sharp tongue began to emerge. Moreover, his impeccably handsome face and innocent temperament made these things, which were completely opposite to his image, even more... prominent.

Elysia pouted defiantly and waved the controller. "Again!"

"Aren't you going to stream tonight?"

Lin's words reminded Elysia that it was time for her daily live stream, and she should turn on her camera and say good evening to her viewers.

But when she saw Lin calmly put away the controller and walk out, she didn't know what to say.

"How about... we do a live stream together?"

What are you saying?

Lin raised an eyebrow and read on without any emotion, "Your persona is that of a young, beautiful, game-loving girl. At least half of the people who watch your live stream every day are there to see you, not to see you play games. Games are just an extra to make your live stream more attractive, but the main advantage of your live stream is yourself."

"So you know, if your audience found out that there was a man in your rented apartment who played video games with you, what kind of reaction would they have?"

Elysia touched her lips, staring at Lin's face. "But, it's the truth, isn't it?"

"The truth doesn't always have to be shown to others..."

Lin was stunned. (9)

What's the difference between his actions and those of a moth drawn to a flame?

He wants others to see what he wants them to see, and uses this method to exploit others.

Even if this is just a live stream, a job that requires gimmicks, information asymmetry, and a carefully crafted persona to survive.

"Forest?"

"... It's nothing, you can continue your live stream, I'm going out for a walk."

Lin pushed open the door and left.

Lin Neng saw many things in Yan Luo. He originally thought that he and Yan Luo were completely different people, but he was wrong.

Yan Luo is a person with strong self-loathing and self-destructive tendencies. The things she has done and the wishes she has subconsciously made are all true reflections of her inner self.

After learning about Yan Luo's past, Lin felt as if she were seeing a shattered mirror.

The tiny shards of glass reflected a distorted image, but when the shards were pieced together, what one could see was himself.

Lin hated the process of getting to know himself. He shouldn't have any feelings of disgust towards anyone, but as he said before, the one he would hate was himself.

"Rustle..."

He walked along the forest path, his mind wandering to some trivial things.

If the Honkai of this world hasn't occurred before the end of his life, will he spend the rest of his life here?

... However, whether he can leave or not seems to have nothing to do with whether the Honkai will occur. Now only Yan Luo can send him back to his original world, but judging from her attitude, she would probably be happy to see him suffer because of this.

So, that's it, and I'll never think about the past again?

Isn't this the kind of life that so many people hope they and Lin can have?

"Please check your package."

A cold voice came from ahead. Lin looked up and saw Yan Luo standing not far away, wearing her cloak, with... beside her.

An arcade machine?

"This is what fell into the Quantum Sea with you; it wasn't damaged much."

After leaving those words, Yan Luo left. Lin didn't understand her motives, but she didn't seem to care about Lin either.

Lin turned his gaze to the familiar arcade machine.

Chapter Nine: GAME OVER

When Lin brought the arcade machine back, Elysia had just finished her live stream. She turned around and saw Lin carrying a machine that was almost wider than the door as he walked in. He calmly picked up the repair tools he had bought and started tinkering with it.

"You bought an arcade game at a secondhand market?"

"..."

Lin did not answer her. His mechanical knowledge was certainly not as good as Vill-V's, but repairing such a simple arcade machine was not a problem for him.

After working for about half an hour, Lin replaced all the damaged parts with new ones and reconnected the broken parts. Incredibly, the data inside was intact, making it the best-preserved part of the arcade machine.

Why would Yan Luo specifically give him this? Even if it was indeed something that fell into the Quantum Sea with Lin, it doesn't have any practical significance, and she doesn't seem to be doing this out of boredom.

... This action made Lin feel a little strange. After he fixed the arcade machine, he plugged it in and watched the screen light up with Elysia.

"Wow, this is the game. Wasn't it supposed to be a piece of garbage? A game that's purely for the sake of torment?"

Elysia was, after all, a game streamer, and she recognized the infamous game at a glance.

"..."

"Lin? Are you still angry?" When Elysia saw that Lin didn't speak, she mischievously peeked over his shoulder to see his expression.

"No." Lin found it hard to describe his feelings. He was never used to or liked to describe his inner feelings. Most of the time, he just felt that something complicated was piling up in his heart. "I just don't really want to talk."

"Isn't that just being angry?" Elysia waved her hand in front of Lin and said with a grin, "Don't be angry, don't be angry. If you really have to be angry, just say a few harsh words to me. Don't keep it to yourself."

"..."

Lin remained silent. He watched the game interface appear and subconsciously reached for the leaderboard, but hesitated just as his finger was about to touch it.

Why am I... filled with anxiety?

What does he not want to see?

Lin pressed his hand down and then pressed the button, the changing fluorescent light from the screen shining on his face.

Just like a predetermined prophecy, the outcome was known long before it began. Lin already knew who would be first place before he even saw the name of the winner.

"This Delta's score is way too high! Zero's score in second place is already outrageous enough, but hers is so much higher than that!" Elysia leaned over to look and exclaimed when she saw the outrageous number.

"Could something have gone wrong?"

"It won't go wrong."

Lin stared at the screen, seemingly unsure of who he was answering.

"Lin, have you been through a lot in the past?"

Elysia sat down next to Lin with a cup of coffee. He was leaning against the windowsill, his favorite spot, where he could see the moonlight outside. Coffee was also his favorite drink.

This person often reveals a look of longing for someone in their eyes, but it is quickly shattered by the coldness they themselves generate.

It's like forcing yourself not to look back.

Lin took the coffee and took a small sip.

In fact, he couldn't taste anything. The effects of the medication injected by Vill-V had completely worn off. He often drank coffee just to mask his unusual need for sleep.

Elysia asked gossipily, "Could it be that you have a romantic history that is hard for ordinary people to imagine?"

"...No." Lin pretended to blow on the hot coffee to avoid burning it, lowered his eyelids, and changed his words, "Maybe, but...it's not appropriate."

"A very complicated relationship?"