Unknowingly, several days had already passed. The once-empty garage was now packed to the brim, and the damaged hole on the second floor had long been properly sealed.
At this moment, Fu Lin was sprawled across the sofa in an extremely indecent posture, arms and legs spread out.
The luxurious outfit he had been wearing was already replaced with different clothes. His long gray hair was a mess, and his legs were tossed up on the coffee table without a shred of decorum.
One hand was grabbing a large handful of golden, crispy chips, stuffing them into his mouth with crunching sounds, while his gaze drifted lazily over the group discussing their battle plan not far away.
Once they finalized the deployment for tomorrow, Bronya closed her tactical tablet and said steadily, "That's it for today's exploration. Rest well, tomorrow we return to St. Fontaine."
Afterward, Carol curiously looked around the not-so-spacious garage. Seeing the stacks of gaming consoles, all sorts of snacks and drinks piled up in the corners, she couldn't help but exclaim, "The place you seniors picked is way too luxurious! Food, drinks, entertainment, everything's here. I thought you'd been suffering these past few days!"
Adam let out two dry laughs, subtly glancing at Fu Lin on the sofa as he explained, "Haha, this is all thanks to Fu Lin. His ability… really is quite useful. We're not missing anything here."
"Hmph. Lying around all day doing nothing, if he's not teasing squad member Adam, he's playing games with Lyle."
Bronya let out a faint snort, her tone carrying a hint of concealed displeasure at Fu Lin's constantly slacking attitude.
"Huh? He teases a senior? Oh my god, that's too…" scandalous!
Covering her mouth, Carol gasped, her gaze flicking between Adam and Fu Lin as a knowing smile crept onto her lips.
Adam covered his face, staring at Bronya in grievance, "Captain Bronya, could you not bring that up? Can't you spare me a little dignity in front of my team?"
Fu Lin lazily lifted his eyelids, though inwardly he was mumbling, Seriously… with Kiana☆ and Fu Shi not around, can't I enjoy myself a little? Besides, teasing Xiao Chunan is really fun!
Seeing Fu Lin remain silent, Bronya's hand tightened slightly into a fist as she asked bluntly, "You heard the discussion earlier. We're returning to St. Fontaine tomorrow. Are you planning to stay here?"
Fu Lin slowly sat up from the sofa, stretched, his joints cracking crisply. His tone carried a casual indifference, "Mmm~ of course. You'll be coming back anyway. Someone has to stay behind to guard the place, right? I'll reluctantly stay here and wait for your return."
Bronya said nothing more. She simply lifted her eyes to glance at him deeply, a trace of speechless helplessness flickering within.
After observing him these days, she no longer felt like arguing. To summarize him in one phrase, an idle salted fish.
Hearing this, Timido immediately paused her sorting and quietly persuaded, "F-Fu Lin-senpai, you should come with us… it's safer with more people."
Lyle also put down his sniper rifle and chimed in, "Yeah! Staying alone here will be so boring. It's way more lively with us, talking, laughing, hanging out! Besides, how can you be so sure we'll even come back?"
Fu Lin waved his hand and lay back onto the sofa again, grabbing a handful of peanuts and stuffing them into his mouth, acting completely unmoved, "No, no, you all go ahead. I've already seen the future, you will come back."
Kiana☆: …Fu Lin is getting lazier and lazier. I should just blast this floating island and drag him back myself.
Seeing his attitude, Bronya knew further persuasion was pointless. She could only warn coldly, "Since you insist on staying, then stay. Once the mission is complete, we'll return for you. Remember, don't even think about running away. The Bishop might be very interested in you."
"Yeah, yeah, Lady Bronya." Fu Lin didn't even open his eyes, responding casually, brimming with perfunctory attitude.
Bronya said no more and turned to the others, "It's getting late. Rest while you can. We depart at five sharp, no delays."
The others began their final preparations for departure.
Night deepened. The garage gradually quieted, leaving only the faint sound of breathing and the soft murmur of the night wind sweeping across the ruins outside, bringing an unusual sense of calm.
...
A faint pale glow touched the horizon.
Movement began in the garage. Bronya rose first, sweeping her sharp gaze across the room, only to find the sofa empty. Her brows knit slightly.
The next moment, she turned and saw Fu Lin leaning against the garage entrance, idly spinning a bright red apple between his fingers.
"Morning," Fu Lin said, lifting his chin. With a flick of his wrist, another apple materialized out of thin air and he tossed it accurately toward Bronya.
"..." Bronya raised her hand and caught it steadily. Feeling the coolness of the apple beneath her fingertips, she said nothing, only gave Fu Lin a deep look before turning to the awakened team,
"Move out."
Fu Lin stood at the doorway, watching until their figures disappeared completely before returning to the garage.
He walked over to the stack of gaming consoles and waved his hand. In an instant, the previously messy garage became neat and orderly. Snack crumbs and empty cans were swept up by a small whirlwind and blown outside.
After finishing, Fu Lin lay back onto the sofa. But instead of closing his eyes as usual, he stared up at the mottled ceiling.
A moment later, a faint blue light shimmered before him, forming a clear projection. The image showed Bronya and the others who had just left.
They arrived at a door, passed through several layers of complex extradimensional space, and reappeared in St. Fontaine's city area.
While the others discussed the spatial gate, Bronya quietly stepped aside and contacted Theresa, calmly reporting everything about Fu Lin and their investigation over the past few days.
On the other end, Theresa's exhausted voice came through. Besides reminding them to stay safe, she passed on a piece of news that caused Bronya's expression to shift slightly, Kiana☆ had returned.
Before the projection, Fu Lin tapped his fingers lightly and grabbed another bag of chips. As he watched, he whispered to himself, 'Whew, glad Kiana☆ is alright… That means Fu Shi, Sirin, Mei☆, and Elysia should also be in this world, safe and sound.'
Meanwhile, far away on the moon, a certain figure was full of irritation, Kiana☆ rubbed her white hair harshly, her brows tangled as she groaned into the empty air, "Why did they all come here too…? Ahhh!!! I want to go back to Earth and stay by Fu Lin's side!"
After yelling, her gaze shifted, and she muttered under her breath with a bit of guilty hope, "If I sneak back to Earth for just a little while… it shouldn't affect the planet, right…? Ugh, if only my power could be suppressed like in that other world!"
Sirin crossed her arms beside her, watching the deranged Kiana☆ with a cold expression as she mercilessly retorted, "Tch. Are you stupid? Just open a portal and drag your brother over here☆."
"…Right!"
Kiana☆ clapped her hands, her eyes lighting up instantly as she grinned triumphantly, "That way, they'll have come all this way for nothing, and they still can't ignore those enemies or leave Aunt Theresa's mess for free. Ahahaha, I'm a genius!"
Fu Shi, Mei☆, Elysia, Why are you like this!?
Sirin, "..."
Then Kiana☆ tilted her head, puzzled, "Wait, if I could just grab Fu Lin and bring him to the moon, why didn't I do that the moment I found him?"
Sirin spread her hands in a "who cares" gesture.
Kiana☆ stood up, stretched, and said impatiently, "Forget it, whatever. I'll think later, first I'm grabbing Fu Lin."
Back in St. Fontaine, after finishing the call with Theresa, Bronya's wrist terminal immediately popped up a new set of coordinates.