"Elias! Don't go!!"
The next morning, Elysia suddenly sat up in bed, screaming. The pink-haired elf blinked in confusion as she looked around the room.
"Phew~ That scared me. It was just a dream."
Wiping the light sweat from her forehead, Elysia let out a sigh of relief.
She had just awoken from a strange dream.
In it, she and Elias had returned to their days of journeying together, walking hand in hand through a forest while chatting and laughing. But in the next second, a giant green snake several meters long appeared.
The snake bit Elias' arm and dragged him away from Elysia, leaving the pink elf sitting helplessly in place, reaching out in vain.
I couldn't do anything.
"Why would I dream something like that? Is it because I'm too tired? Or maybe because it's been too long since I last slept beside Elias, and my body started missing him on its own? Ugh~ I said something so embarrassing, even I can't handle it."
But when it came to nightmares, Elysia only needed a second to forget them completely.
She gave her cheeks a light slap and stretched.
"Mmm~~ A new day, new beauty. Let's give it our all today too, me!"
Elysia encouraged herself.
"Time to get up, time to get up. But before I get dressed, I should weigh myself."
Murmuring to herself, she stepped up onto the scale—even accounting for the weight of her pajamas. Beautiful girls were always meticulous about their weight.
She wanted to be accurate down to five decimal places, just to make rounding easier.
Holding her breath, she approached the scale in the corner of her bedroom like she was facing a Herrscher-class enemy, carefully tiptoeing onto it.
"55.0kg… ah, come on. I must still be dreaming. No way it's 0.2kg more than what Dr. Mobius measured yesterday. Impossible. Absolutely impossible. Delete the record!"
This pink piglet had never considered that her daily routine of milk tea, double servings at meals, and the occasional midnight snack might have something to do with it.
With practiced ease, she deleted the automatic data from the scale, wiping the history log too.
In Elysia's words, a girl's weight was a top-tier secret more important than missile launch codes. Not even the person she liked most had the right to know it.
Wait, no.
It was precisely the person she liked most who absolutely must not know!
"Mirror check before leaving~ Hair? Check. Outfit? Check. Smile? Check. Mhm, today will be another flawless and radiant day! Time to go see Elias~"
With hopeful anticipation, Elysia left her room and walked to the door right across the hall—the white-haired boy's room.
They had made a pact long ago: whoever woke up first would be the one to wake the other.
Today, for once, Elysia had gotten up earlier.
For the record, she only managed to beat Elias out of bed once or twice a month.
"It's been so long since I saw Elias' sleeping face. Before I wake him up, I should enjoy the view a little—and maybe update my sleeping-face photo album while I'm at it~"
After entering the passcode, the door silently slid open. Elysia tiptoed inside, careful not to make a sound so she wouldn't disturb the still-sleeping boy.
However—
"Huh? Where is he?"
The bedroom was empty.
The pillow and blanket showed no signs of use, which meant he hadn't returned to his room last night.
Elysia scratched her head in confusion.
"Well, I guess it happens sometimes. Too bad I didn't get to admire his sleeping face today. I'll definitely wake up earlier next time! But for now, breakfast first."
At the Fire Moth cafeteria hall…
"Hi~ Aisha, good morning! I heard your confession was a success—make sure you tell me all about it later, okay?"
"Good morning, Elysia. Thanks for your advice the other day."
"Wow~ Susannah, did you change your hairstyle today? It looks great on you! Let's chat fashion again sometime."
"Mm, you're looking super cute today too, Elysia."
"Hi~ Elysia."
"Hi~ Good morning to you too... (emmm, who was that again? Oh well, just greet first, ask later!)"
The pink-haired girl greeted everyone she passed with bright cheer. Though it was only her fourth day with Fire Moth, Elysia had already made friends with nearly everyone in the base.
There might still be a few people whose names she hadn't memorized yet, but without question, everyone knew her name.
"Aunt Anya, I'll have three meat buns, one veggie bun, a bowl of lean pork soup, two eggs, and a cup of soy milk... I should go easy on my diet lately, so just this much for breakfast~"
Elysia stepped up to the cafeteria counter and ordered a slightly more modest breakfast than usual.
"Hahaha, got it, little Elysia. Here you go."
"...You really do have quite the appetite, huh."
Just then, a red-haired woman passing by commented.
"Ah! Isn't this Captain Himeko? Good morning! You here for breakfast too? Come sit with me—breakfast's on me today."
"Fire Moth provides breakfast for free."
"Ehehe~"
Elysia gave a playful blink. Seeing her act like that, and recalling the rumors she had heard that morning, Himeko's expression grew subtly complicated.
Chomp chomp chomp!
"..."
Watching Elysia devour her meat buns with gusto and a blissful look on her face, Himeko finally couldn't help but speak.
"You really aren't even a little bit worried, huh? Still able to eat like that—your heart's way too calm."
"Hm? Did something happen?"
"Er… wait, you mean you really don't know? Oh right, it was Squad 3 on duty last night—they're stationed farther from you. Guess it makes sense you haven't heard yet."
Himeko nodded in realization, then looked at Elysia with a tinge of sympathy in her gaze.
"Captain, don't be so cryptic. Why are you looking at me like that? Is there something weird on my face? That's impossible—I checked the mirror before I left."
"It's not about your mirror check. It's… well, seems like you've been, uh… wearing a hat."
"Hat? What hat?"
"It's about Elias and Mobius. Word is they were doing this and that in Lab One last night. I don't know the details, but the rumor's already spreading fast… Elysia? Are you okay?"
Himeko turned away, unable to watch any further. But after finishing her sentence, she noticed the once-cheerful girl had gone completely silent. She turned her head—and froze in shock.
The meat bun in Elysia's hand had fallen to the ground.
Her ever-radiant, flower-like smile had gone stiff in an instant.
"Elias and... Dr. Mobius? In the lab... doing this and that? Ahaha, ahahaha, that's a joke, right Captain Himeko?"
"The whole Fire Moth internal forum is buzzing about it. See for yourself. I'm out of here..."
A soldier's instinct told Himeko that Elysia had entered a dangerous state. She gave one last warning before quickly making her escape.
And after a long silence—
"Mo! Bi! Us!"
Elysia said the name, word by word.
"This elf lady... is angry!!"
Waking up only to find her home stolen—now was definitely not the time for breakfast. Thinking back on Mobius' intense interest in Elias yesterday, and that dream from last night...
Elysia bolted straight out of the cafeteria.
She had a gut feeling—if she didn't hurry, the pink elf might soon turn into a green one!
...
"Hey, did you hear? Dr. Mobius and that new recruit who took down a Herrscher were apparently... last night..."
"Mhm, I heard. This gossip's huge! Huh? Why are you holding roses?"
"Hehe, I'm planning to confess to Miss Elysia later. Not gonna lie, I fell in love the moment I first laid eyes on her. When she said her first words to me—I was a goner. Now's my golden chance from the heavens!!"
A soldier beamed, clutching a bouquet of red roses, fully immersed in his romantic delusion.
The others exchanged glances and all shook their heads. Clearly, the guy was delusional.
"Uh, bro, maybe take a second to think this through. We don't know the whole story yet. Besides, do you really think someone like Miss Elysia would go for you?"
"Of course! Every time we meet, she greets me with a smile. I think—"
"Ah yes, one of the three great delusions of mankind: 'She likes me.' Brother, I say this with love—be rational. She's just out of your league."
"Exactly. Besides, Elysia greets everyone with a smile. Don't mistake kindness and politeness for romantic interest."
They patted him on the shoulder, trying to bring him back to his senses. But love makes people irrational. Clutching his flowers, the soldier shrugged them off and insisted:
"Tch! I'm special! And I have to try. What if—just maybe—it works? ...Hey! She's coming! I'm going in! If it works, lunch is on me!"
Seeing the flash of pink approaching from afar, the soldier grew excited. He adjusted the tie he'd chosen just for this moment and stepped forward to confess to the girl of his dreams.
"I bet a hundred—he fails."
"A thousand—he gets insta-rejected."
"Ten thousand—zero chance of success."
Watching their comrade charge off like a lamb to the slaughter, the three shook their heads and placed ruthless bets. One of them even voiced his dissatisfaction:
"Tsk~ Can't you guys have a little faith in our bro? Unlike you, I believe in him... so I'm betting my entire savings that he gets rejected. And if he succeeds? I'll eat poop upside down."
"...That's your idea of faith?"
"I believe he's full of crap—what, not allowed?"
"Deal!" x3
With that, the group leaned against the wall, ready to enjoy the juicy drama unfolding before them.
On the other side, the love-struck soldier watched his goddess draw closer and gulped hard.
His nerves got the better of him—he accidentally dropped into a kneeling position with both knees and blurted out:
"Miss Elysia, hello, I lo—"
"Elias, I'm coming!!"
Whoosh!
A pink blur flew past him like a gust of wind. The bouquet of roses he held scattered into petals, fluttering to the ground. Only a few bare green stems remained in his hands.
"..."
Still kneeling, the soldier's expression froze.
Like a statue struck by lightning.
Like a broken robot, he mechanically turned his head to look at her fading figure.
"H-How... how could this happen..."
This time, it was different.
She didn't even smile or say hello.
She hadn't even noticed him.
A second later, several hands gently patted his shoulder. Turning around, the soldier met the sympathetic gazes of his comrades.
"Hey~ Maybe you haven't noticed, but even though Elysia always greets everyone with a smile—when Elias is around, she doesn't see anyone else."
"Only Elias is truly special to her. Don't take it personally. From the looks of it, she didn't even notice you just now, so it won't be awkward next time you say hi."
"C'mon, let me treat you to lunch. Or how about a drink?"
"..."
The crushed soldier looked down at the fallen petals. Only now did he realize how out of his depth he really was.
...
Meanwhile, inside Mobius' lab—
Elias was slumped over a desk, struggling to stay awake. Last night, Mobius had been far more exhausting than he'd anticipated. With her endless list of bizarre requests, she had completely drained his Honkai energy.
Of course, it was all for research involving the Herrscher of the Void's abilities. Though spatial authority and Mobius' specialty—biology—had little overlap, a genius was still a genius.
Her unique insights had sparked a slew of ideas in Elias' mind. He already felt he could develop a few new moves.
"Haah~ It's already morning. I'm gonna nap for a bit. And please, keep your hands to yourself, Dr. Mobius."
"Sleep? At your age? How dare you! Here—drink some coffee and keep me company!"
Zzzzzz~~~
Elias gave her no chance and immediately collapsed into sleep.
Mobius looked at the peacefully sleeping white-haired boy, her excitement coming to a screeching halt.
She had dark circles under her eyes the size of planets. By all rights, she should've collapsed hours ago, but sheer obsession had kept her going.
"Little lab rat? Elias? Wake up..."
Mobius reached out and shook his shoulder. But he didn't budge—completely out cold.
Immediately, her eyes gleamed. She smirked.
"Really fast asleep? Heh~ To think you'd let your guard down in front of me like this. You don't actually believe that one little comment of yours was enough to keep me from doing anything, do you? You're far too naive, my dear little lab rat."
This was Mobius.
She would steal a Herrscher's corpse without blinking.
She dared to dream of becoming a Herrscher—surpassing Herrschers.
To her, taboos were meaningless. There was nothing she wouldn't dare do.
Staring at Elias' defenseless sleeping face, Mobius saw a beautifully irresistible cake right in front of her. Her instincts took over—she reached toward him—
But then...
"Tch, fine. I'll let you off this time."
Mobius' hands froze in mid-air, and a few seconds later, she let them drop.
She remembered how Elias had covered for her last night—helping her hide the Herrscher and protect her funding for next month. He'd indulged her whims the whole night.
Naturally, Mobius had no intention of passing up such a golden research opportunity.
But... looking at his sleeping face now—the one that a certain green elf could spend all day staring at—Mobius found that her research-driven heart had, somehow, calmed. Her usual impulse faded.
"This isn't me going soft. My brain's just too tired right now. If I kept going like this, I might miss something important."
She muttered, trying to justify herself to the empty room.
That snake mouth of hers was as stubborn as ever.
But actions spoke louder than words.
After hesitating for a moment, Mobius placed a cup of instant noodles beside Elias, then gently draped her white coat over his shoulders.
Then she returned to her workstation to organize the night's precious data. But—
"!!"
Her gaze drifted to a nearby glass container—the one from last time.
In an instant, her mind jumped back to the one thing she had failed to analyze: Elias' blood.
She remembered its vivid, alluring crimson hue.
It was one of Elias' so-called secrets.
Mobius swallowed hard.
Her gaze returned to the boy asleep beside her, and she felt utterly tempted.
"Just a bit. Just a tiny bit. You won't even wake up."
Unable to restrain herself, the snake reached for a syringe, creeping closer and closer—
BOOM—!
With the shattering bloom of a crystal flower, Mobius' lab doors were blown clean off their hinges.
At long last—
The green elf had arrived.
Elysia: "Mobius, get away from Elias—let me handle this!"