Honkai Exposure, Iconic Scenes of the Elysian Realm at the Start

"You two seem to get along really well. I often see you together," Mei said.

In her eyes, this was the unspoken understanding between a guardian and their ward. Griseo was a child who needed to be cherished.

However, Griseo then said something incredible.

"Mm, Cosmo especially likes girls under ten."

Griseo said this seriously, her clear eyes showing no hint of deceit.

She was telling the truth!

Mei didn't doubt her for a second, as Griseo wasn't the type of girl to lie. She then turned her gaze to Cosmo, her eyes filled with scrutiny.

"Sorry, I misspoke."

Seeing the atmosphere growing increasingly awkward, Griseo quickly corrected herself to defend her companion.

"It's girls under twelve."

Kiana: "Open up, Cosmo! St. Freya is here to investigate gambling and drugs!"

Raiden Mei: "This is serious, Cosmo. You're truly unbearable. Your life is getting more and more criminal."

Everyone thought they had misunderstood Cosmo before, but now it turned out he was hiding such a secret.

Under twelve? That's way too criminal!

At that age, they were practically professional criminals, the new generation's kingpins of the prison system, specializing in corrupting pure innocence.

Unbearable!

Chapter 45: Who Stopped the Stigmata Project?

Cosmo: "...I think there might still be some misunderstanding."

Kiana: "Misunderstanding? Once is a misunderstanding, but twice? Arrest him! Drag him out and execute him like a dog!"

Himeko Murata: "Girls under twelve... that sounds like Theresa, doesn't it? That sounds a bit dangerous."

Theresa: "You, you're under twelve! This Director is clearly a mature adult! It should be someone like Bronya."

Bronya: "Apologies, Director. Bronya's development is just a bit slow, there's still room for growth. And her mental age is long past that. It should still be someone like you who fits the under-twelve profile."

Cosmo: "Pardo... aren't you two going to say anything to help me?"

Pardofelis: "Amo, we really want to help you, but the evidence is overwhelming right now. Cough, I mean, I definitely believe you."

Elysia: "Oh my, no wonder Cosmo always liked playing with the little kids before. So that's the reason behind it?"

Eden: "Elysia, don't add fuel to the fire."

If this continued, Cosmo would sooner or later be sent on a rocket to leave Earth overnight.

The more he explained now, the more suspicious it became. He could only hope that Griseo could explain things for him in the scene.

[In the scene, because Griseo revealed that Cosmo didn't just like girls under ten, but even those under twelve, the atmosphere fell into an unusual silence.

After some thought, Cosmo felt it was necessary to explain.

"Don't look at me like that. It's not just girls."

"?!?!"

Raiden Mei was utterly bewildered by his words.

Holy crap, this is even more criminal!

"Ahem, I mean, I just like playing with children," Cosmo explained again.

Raiden Mei waved her hand. "You... you'd better stop explaining. I understand what you mean. But if you keep talking, even I might start to misunderstand."

Fortunately, only Raiden Mei was here, not the leader of Fire Moth who was currently working as a security guard at the school.

Otherwise, Cosmo would have at least had to go in for a cup of tea.

"But I never would have guessed that someone with your personality would sneak around and interact with children."

"..." Cosmo was silent for a moment. "Griseo, I need to talk to this lady about something. Can you wait here by yourself for a bit?"

"Okay."

Griseo left the room, and Cosmo turned his gaze back to Mei, slowly saying, "Griseo's father was my senior, and my comrade. Before he sacrificed himself, his last request was for me to take good care of Griseo."

"I see. No wonder you indulge her so much."

Mei nodded. In any case, someone who likes children couldn't be a bad person.

"In the past, he told me that every child born represents that the world hasn't completely given up on humanity. I deeply agree with that."

Cosmo only needed to watch the children playing from afar, to see their purest smiles, to strengthen his belief in the future.

That was what the dawn light was all about.

"It's rare. You seem to be talking more," Mei remarked.

"It's my duty."

After nodding, Cosmo returned to his silent boy state, turned, and left the room to find Griseo.

Theresa: "So that's the kind of affection he has. It seems we misunderstood Cosmo again. But why didn't you explain more just now?"

Cosmo: "...It wasn't necessary."

Raiden Mei: "With a way of speaking like that, it's hard not to be misunderstood!"

Pardofelis: "Sister Mei, Amo is just like that. You'll get used to it."

Kiana: "Cosmo and Griseo should be together, right? They're inseparable. Since Cosmo is here now, where's Griseo?"

The Himeko, whose mind was currently full of colorful waste, could no longer contain her excitement and wanted to meet that loli... cough, the legendary Flame-Chaser.

Elysia: "You mean little Griseo? She went to carry out the Ark Project. Who knows how she's doing now."

Pardofelis: "Yeah, only little Griseo is carrying out the Ark Project. Without Amo accompanying her, she must be very lonely in the boundless starry sky."

Himeko Murata: "The Ark Project? What's that?"

Eden: "If civilization is destroyed, one Flame-Chaser will board the Ark alone and venture into the boundless starry sky to find a new home."

Bronya: "That sounds very dangerous."

Elysia: "Alright, let's not talk about the Ark Project. Cosmo was supposed to carry it out originally. But he still chose to stay behind, letting Griseo undertake the Ark Project. He's the one who worries about Griseo the most."

Cosmo: "...I trust Griseo."

Pardofelis: "Exactly! Even we dead people can come back, let alone Griseo. Amo, trust me, we'll definitely reunite someday."

The cat's mind was always more optimistic than anyone else's, and she wouldn't fall into sadness because of the current hardships.

The Q&A begins.

After Mei's death, the first Flame-Chaser, Kevin Kaslana, became obsessed and carried out the Stigmata Project regardless of the consequences. Who stopped him?

[A: Su.] [B: Fu Hua.] [C: Honkai God.] [D: Pardofelis.]

Elysia: "Kevin became obsessed after Mei's death? It seems the blow was quite significant for him."

Eden: "What Kevin carries on his shoulders—the regrets of the Previous Era, his obsession with defeating the Honkai—is far heavier than ours."

Himeko Murata: "But no matter what, the Stigmata Project is too inhumane. We won't agree with his ideas."

Kiana: "Absolutely not!"

Fu Hua: "That's precisely why I wanted to stop Kevin. Mei's death hit him hard, and considering the oath he made on the Scorched Earth, it's not hard to imagine Kevin was somewhat obsessed." Let alone Kevin, even she, Immortal Crimson Bird, who had been fighting the Honkai with the restraint of Divine Tone, had made mistakes.

Fifty Thousand Years of torment, and the bloody lessons of the Previous Era, all proved the price that had to be paid to fight the Honkai.

And when this price, which should have been borne by an entire era, was placed entirely on one person's shoulders, it would be an unbearable despair.

Bronya: "Classmate, are you saying you were the one who stopped Kevin?"

Fu Hua: "No. I remember I was still in contact with Kevin and the others many years ago, but one day he seemed to disappear. He was probably trapped in the Sea of Quantum around that time."

Theresa: "But Kevin is so strong. Who could defeat him and seal him in the Sea of Quantum?"

The given options were Honkai God, Fu Hua, Pardofelis, and the Flame-Chaser Su, whom Elysia and the others had introduced.

With the Director's intelligence, she was almost inclined to choose Honkai God.

Among the four options, three were allies. The one with the strongest motive for killing would be Honkai God.

If one thought from the Honkai's perspective, a major threat like Kevin would have to be eliminated immediately.

Chapter Forty-Six: The Stigmata Project

Bronya: "If analyzed from this angle, it really could be the Honkai's doing. Bronya thinks it's the most suspicious."

Fu Hua: "It could also be Su. He wouldn't let Kevin carry out the Stigmata Project, so they fought."

Elysia: "But the problem is, Su couldn't defeat Kevin. Don't forget, Kevin earned his position as the first Flame-Chaser through sheer strength. Even I'm no match for Kevin."

Fu Hua: "This..."

The other Flame-Chasers had witnessed firsthand how strong Kevin Kaslana was.

Up to this point, apart from Elysia, no one had truly been able to fight Kevin.

Let alone Su alone, even if you added Fu Hua and Pardofelis, they still wouldn't be a match for Kevin.

Pardofelis: "Wait, I understand the logic, but why is my name in here?"

Pardo looked carefully at the four options given and felt her head buzz.

The others were either Kevin's good friend Su, or someone who guarded Shenzhou for five thousand years, or another even more outrageous one—the Honkai Will, which only existed in theory.

Why was her name mixed in among these three powerhouses?

She was just a small fry, completely unable to participate in such a high-stakes game!

Elysia: "It's possible Pardo is very strong. The System thinks you're strong enough to defeat Kevin, but you were just messing with the rest of us twelve Flame-Chasers."

Pardofelis: "Sister Elysia, please stop making fun of me."

[One minute remaining until the quiz ends. Lucky viewers will be selected afterward.]

Raiden Mei: "Hey, hey, hey, does anyone know the answer? Hurry up and guess, let's get this disaster magnet out of here."

Bronya: "It seems that after the incident where the food couldn't be eaten last time, Sister Mei still has some psychological trauma from the System's punishment."

Fu Hua: "But even if you say that, we don't have enough clues to confirm who to choose."

Theresa: "How about this, follow my lead and choose Honkai God?"

Pardofelis: "I feel like that's a bit unreliable."

If it was Honkai's doing, and if Honkai God could really act, it would have at least caused a world-shattering battle and left Kevin with a missing arm or something.

But it seems not. Kevin's parts were all intact when he left the Sea of Quantum, and he also took down the new Herrscher of Reason along the way.

[Time's up. Congratulations to Pardofelis for being selected as a lucky viewer.]

Pardofelis: "Wait, why me? Why me?! Sister Elysia, save me! Sister Elysia, save me! Cosmo, Cosmo, help me out!"

Cosmo: "Meow~"

Elysia: "Pardo is truly a lucky cat to have this fall upon her."

Theresa: "Her luck isn't exactly great."

Pardofelis: "Hehe, well... everyone has those days where they trip just walking, spill water on their teeth. Anyway, Sister Elysia, you absolutely have to save me!"

It seems her luck has been running out lately. Pardo swore that if she managed to escape this ordeal, she would turn over a new leaf tomorrow, wash her hands of it, and then have Cosmo go get more stock the day after.

Elysia: "Sure. Pardo, try doing a somersault. If your tail is up, choose Su. If your tail is down, choose Honkai God."