You Can Go to Jail, But You Can't Be Locked Up

Kiana: "Herrscher of the Void."

Bronya: "Herrscher of Reason."

Cosmo: "...Hello."

Perhaps because several Herrschers had greeted him all at once, Cosmo was more shocked than ever before. He actually spoke for once.

Waking up to see Pardo and the others was one thing, but why were there one, two, three Herrschers here too?

Had he fallen into a Herrscher nest?!

The quiz began.

Griseo, the only true little girl in the Elysian Realm, regarded Cosmo as her best companion. Why did she always go barefoot?

[A: Because the Elysian Realm is very warm, and it feels comfortable to go barefoot.]

[B: Griseo hates wearing shoes.]

[C: Because Cosmo likes it that way.]

[D: When Griseo paints, wearing shoes affects her inspiration.]

Theresa: "What kind of weird question is this?"

As soon as the new question appeared, everyone was baffled again. They could not help but wonder why the system's questions were always so strange.

Fortunately, this question concerned Cosmo. Everyone immediately turned their eyes toward the Flame-Chasers, hoping they could provide an answer.

Raiden Mei: "Cosmo... Never mind. Pardo, you should know the answer to this question, right?"

Pardofelis: "Mei, you've got the wrong idea. Griseo has always gone barefoot. I may be a curious cat, but why would I pay attention to something like that?"

Eden: "I don't know either."

Theresa: "No way, even you don't know? Fu Hua, do you know?"

Fu Hua: "I'm sorry, Principal, but I do not know the answer. I never paid attention to Griseo not wearing shoes. Even if I had investigated it before, I would certainly have deleted it as unnecessary information."

Fu Hua was utterly baffled. What normal person would remember something like that?

She had Fifty Thousand Years' worth of memories in her mind. Back then, she had needed to use Fenghuang Down to clear them out from time to time.

Not to mention that information like this would definitely have been deleted first whenever she needed to clear her memories. Even if it had somehow remained, it would have been tucked away in some forgotten corner where she could never find it.

Pardofelis: "Hehe, just because we don't know doesn't mean Amo doesn't. He has the best relationship with Griseo, so we can ask him."

Cosmo: "...I don't know."

Though only four short words left his mouth, Cosmo had already gone through an intense internal struggle.

If he had guessed correctly, Griseo went barefoot so she would not get paint everywhere or accidentally step on and dirty her canvases.

But why was not a single one of the four answers correct?

Elysia: "Oh my, at a crucial moment like this, it really takes the cutest beautiful girl to step in."

Raiden Mei: "Elysia, you know?"

Elysia: "Of course. I choose C. Cosmo likes the way Griseo looks barefoot."

Correct answer.

Congratulations to Elysia for obtaining one Life Coin.

Another coin landed in Elysia's hand, yet she was not happy about it. Instead, she desperately held back the laughter that was about to burst out, staring at Cosmo with a completely serious expression.

Himeko Murata: "Wait, the third answer was correct? If I remember correctly, Pardo said Griseo is still a child!"

Theresa: "Cosmo, I never thought you were this kind of Flame-Chaser!"

Kiana: "Open up! Fire Moth inspection for gambling, drugs, and vice!"

Raiden Mei: "Cosmo, Griseo is still just a child!"

Cosmo: "I think... I probably haven't done anything like that."

Pardofelis: "Amo, I really want to believe you, but give it up. So far, every answer the system has given has been backed by evidence."

After Elysia announced the answer, everyone began a joint condemnation of Cosmo.

Well, well, Cosmo. Who would have thought that beneath those honest looks, beneath that rare sunny-boy exterior, he harbored such filthy thoughts?

Elysia: "What a regrettable answer. Words are useless now. Let us witness the truth through the footage."

Kiana: "Good. Once the evidence is ironclad, let's see how Cosmo tries to deny it."

The moment Elysia finished speaking, the screen began to unfold, revealing Griseo's figure.

On the screen, Raiden Mei found Griseo in the Previous Era Elysian Realm. She was painting, while Cosmo silently kept watch beside her.

"Griseo, painting again?... Ah, Cosmo is here too. Did I interrupt you?"

After finding Griseo, Mei took quite a while to notice Cosmo standing beside her without saying a word, acting like he was invisible.

"It's fine. I'm just looking for some new inspiration." Griseo spoke while holding her paintbrush.

From her movements, it was obvious that she seemed to be stuck for inspiration.

After thinking for a moment, Mei asked, "Come to think of it, there's something I've always been curious about. Griseo, why do you go barefoot? Aren't you cold?"

Raiden Mei kept staring at Griseo's feet. They were as fair and flawless as jade, like precious works of art bestowed upon humanity by God.

"Um..."

Asked that question by Mei, Griseo seemed somewhat confused. After thinking for a while, she said, "Because Cosmo said he liked it better this way."

"Cosmo, you..."

Raiden Mei's eyes widened in disbelief. She looked blankly at Cosmo and even took an unconscious step back.

The atmosphere became unbelievably awkward.

Raiden Mei: "Cosmo, now that we have both testimony and physical evidence, what else do you have to say?"

Theresa: "Cosmo, in our era, you'd be breaking the law, you know?!"

Pardofelis: "Uh, actually, considering little Griseo's age, it would probably have been illegal under Previous Era regulations too. Three years minimum, death penalty maximum."

Bronya: "Then how should this case be sentenced?"

Kiana: "Sentence? Why would we need a sentence? Drag him out and shoot him! Auntie can dig the hole, and I'll bury the body. Full-service delivery."

Damn it.

The moment Kiana saw Griseo, she knew Griseo was a soft, delicate girl who needed to be protected as carefully as a fragile feather.

Though she did not know why such a young child had become a Flame-Chaser, that did not stop Kiana from wanting to protect her.

She wanted to protect that pure childlike innocence, along with those legs untouched by dust.

But she had never expected it. She had never expected Cosmo to harbor thoughts just as filthy as hers.

Pah, Cosmo, you filthy scum!

Let go of that underage Griseo and let me handle this!

Impossible to imprison, impossible to restrain

Cosmo: "I think there may have been some misunderstanding."

Seeing his reputation ruined and his image in everyone's eyes sink lower and lower, Cosmo felt it was necessary to explain himself.

But with the facts laid out before them, his explanation seemed so weak and powerless.

Theresa: "Misunderstanding? The testimony and evidence are all here. Cosmo, you should confess leniently and resist strictly. Otherwise, when the charges are increased later, no explanation will help you."

Himeko Murata: "Cosmo, we have a complete criminal code here, with everything covered. There will definitely be something in it that suits you."

Pardofelis: "Amo, we believe you. You only made the kind of mistake every adult makes."

Cosmo: "..."

The more he tried to explain, the darker the situation became. Cosmo simply stopped talking and quietly waited for the scene on the screen to continue.

On the screen, Griseo's astonishing statement had left the atmosphere in a strange silence.

"I don't think I ever said anything like that."

Faced with Mei's contemptuous gaze, Cosmo tried his best to explain everything clearly.

However, Griseo's next sentence made any further explanation unnecessary.

"You can't lie, Cosmo."

Holding her paintbrush, Griseo spoke with a serious expression.

Her eyes were crystal clear and devoid of even the slightest impurity. Mei did not need to think at all to know whom she should believe.

"You told me that if I ran around while wearing shoes, I would dirty the canvases. I'd also dirty the blankets when I slept, so I stopped wearing them. You said it was better this way, and I think it's comfortable too."

"..."

Raiden Mei fell silent for quite a while before finally understanding what had happened. The disgust on her face toward Cosmo began to fade.

"Next time, remember to explain all of that from the start."

Cosmo was silent for a long time before saying only that.

If Griseo had not explained in time, the lifelong reputation of the Ninth Flame-Chaser of Fire Moth would have been utterly destroyed here.

"Okay."

Griseo nodded, then returned to being absorbed in her painting. It was unclear whether she had truly taken Cosmo's words to heart.

Raiden Mei: "Ahem, so that was what you meant. Cosmo, we misunderstood you."

Bronya: "That really was a huge misunderstanding."

Kiana: "Yeah, but it's good that it was a misunderstanding. I thought you had the same filthy... I mean, the misunderstanding has been successfully cleared up. What a joyous occasion, a joyous occasion."

Tsk, Himeko hurriedly clamped her lips shut and changed her words. She had nearly let her true thoughts slip out.

Griseo was so cute. It was only natural for her to like her a little more, right?

Pardofelis: "Sorry, Amo. I shouldn't have doubted you. It was all a misunderstanding! I was just too worried about Griseo. You can understand that, right?"

Elysia: "Don't worry, Pardo. Cosmo isn't the petty sort. At most, he'll pay a little more attention when you're stocking up later. He won't really be angry."

Pardofelis: "Sister Elysia, saying that only makes me more scared!"

Cosmo: "...It's fine."

In any case, the matter had finally come to an end, and Cosmo could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Otherwise, right after joining the Chat Group, everyone would have suspected him of being attracted to children. Even with two mouths, he would not have been able to explain himself, much less when he had never been good at communicating with others.

Theresa: "I noticed something strange. Griseo should still be just a child, right? Why did she join Fire Moth?"

Kiana: "Yeah, she doesn't even look older than me. How did she become one of the Flame-Chasers? Could there be something extraordinary about her?"

Pardofelis: "If you ask that, I can tell you that little Griseo definitely has something remarkable about her. But if you ask what exactly makes her special, we can't really say for the moment."

Elysia: "I know. Little Griseo is a very pitiful child. Her undergoing the MANTIS surgery and becoming a Fusion Warrior was not a choice, but an inevitability."

Elysia: "She was caught up in the Honkai. For Griseo, the MANTIS surgery was a way to survive. The good news is that she succeeded. The bad news is that Griseo's parents died, and Cosmo and Apponia have been taking care of her ever since."

Himeko Murata: "It seems we really misunderstood her. Cosmo is a truly kind person who genuinely cares about Griseo."

Theresa: "We deeply apologize for suspecting you without investigating carefully first, Cosmo. Next time, we'll make sure to gather enough evidence before suspecting you."

Cosmo: "...It's fine."

Cosmo could only feel helpless about Theresa's mention of "next time." He had not expected them to already be thinking about a next time.

Impossible. He was an upright and honorable person. He would never leave behind evidence again and cause such an awkward misunderstanding.

Bronya: "Wait, the footage doesn't seem to be over yet?"

After Bronya pointed it out, everyone noticed that the screen, which had already stopped, was beginning to change again.

On the screen, Mei, Griseo, and Cosmo had gathered together once more. But the usual silence was gone, and even Cosmo had started speaking on his own initiative.

"Griseo, after you finish that, don't forget to brush your teeth."

"Mm, I will." Griseo nodded. The harmonious atmosphere between the two made Mei, standing nearby, somewhat curious.