It was just past 12 o'clock on the Thames River.
Ryan was wearing a black suit, glasses, a light purple tie, and his hair was meticulously combed back. Paired with his already handsome and refined face, he looked like a university professor who had come for a visit and exchange.
He sat on a bench, folding the newspaper of the day, casually surveying his surroundings.
The newspaper was filled with concert news, along with some gossip on the side. The influence of Eden was clear; a concert had become more important than the reports on the Fire Moth disaster.
The river wasn't as crowded as it had been yesterday, and there were many more pedestrians. The large screens, which had been turned off due to the war, were now back on, showing ads and songs from Eden's past.
It was almost like magic, no wonder Eden and Elysia got along so well.
Ryan observed the crowds with their families. As a master's degree holder in psychology, he could roughly understand why.
Humans are not absolutely rational beings; the more danger they face, the more they seek to escape fear. In situations where they feel helpless, entertainment is a good way to adjust.
As the saying goes, even if you're going to die tomorrow, you still have to live today.
So the Fire Moth group spared no effort in maintaining entertainment activities, ensuring the internet remained functional, the financial system didn't collapse, and creating the illusion that everything was as before.
Most people were powerless in this war. Rather than letting them make things worse, it was better to let them go about their daily lives.
"No wonder the digital life project has its supporters," Ryan thought. "Most people feel that as long as they live comfortably, it doesn't matter what form they take."
He propped his foot up, thinking that wasn't such a bad thing. It reminded him of some character from Attack on Titan. Even if they weren't constantly fighting, the destruction hadn't wiped everyone out yet, and they were already going mad.
The Fire Moth group was doing a good job. Even if the world was falling into an abyss, there was still a moment of light, and those few hundred thousand civil servants weren't slacking off.
He yawned, handed the newspaper to an old man picking up trash, and gave a slight nod of thanks. He wasn't interested in conducting class-based surveys. He glanced at the clock.
It was 12:05. Those two are late. They wouldn't stand me up, would they?
Ryan was always punctual, and he tapped his foot impatiently, sniffed, then quickly turned his head.
He saw two figures in pink walking into the park, attracting the sideways glances of passers-by, Elysia walked ahead, wearing a daffodil hairpin and a light pink dress.
The white skirt reached her knees, revealing her calves wrapped in white stockings. The V-neck exposed her delicate collarbones, paired with a perfect, curving half-circle.
So beautiful.
That was Ryan only thought. A flurry of words to describe beauty instantly erupted in his mind, but they couldn't do justice to the girl in front of him.
Pure and passionate, as clear as autumn water, but her exaggerated figure also carried a mature charm. The dress reminded him of a bride's wedding gown, symbolizing purity. Ryan thought for a long time before coming to a conclusion.
This is considered pure lust, right? Isn't it a bit too flashy?
He didn't get to look for too long because the girl behind Elysia, Sakura, were also very eye-catching.
In a black dress with straps that also exposed delicate collarbones and perfect curves, she wore over-the-knee boots, making her figure seem even taller. Though at first glance it seemed a bit plain, the hand and leg cuffs added a unique sensuality.
Art. The cool tones suited Sakura's usually cold expression. This look, resembling Mrs. Yor's outfit, suited Sakura work and had a sense of dangerous attraction.
Beep beep beep.
Ryan furrowed his brows. The ringtone interrupted his admiration of the art. How annoying. He took out his phone again.
Möbius? That was quick. Ryan quickly looked around to make sure she wasn't hiding anywhere before answering.
"What do you need?"
"Can't I contact you if there's nothing? By the way, when are you coming back?" Möbius propped her legs on the table, her long fingers rubbing the fine stockings.
"You don't miss me, do you?"
"Heh, the toad's thinking crooked thoughts again. That Kevin's data is quite interesting, and the key to the gods is almost ready. You're wasting time staying in Britain. You might as well come back and do some work." Möbius smiled slightly, realizing she hadn't worded it well, and added, "Of course, whether you come back or not is up to you. I'm not pressuring you, but you should think it through."
Ryan didn't have time to think about whether Möbius was being stubborn. He asked curiously, "Why are you concerned about me today?"
"Who's concerned about you? It's just that some fat woman posted on social media, dressed to the nines, with the location tagged as Britain, so I was wondering if it's related to you." Möbius voice was cold, her tone unpleasant.
That Elysia...
Ryan looked up and realized why Elysia hadn't come over for so long. She was hugging Sakura neck, their chests pressed together, faces touching as they took selfies.
He hesitated for a moment before choosing to tell the truth: "There's an Eden concert today. Elysia invited me and Sakura to go with her."
Bang.
"What happened?"
"Nothing, just dropped my coffee cup," Möbius glanced at the broken cup, intending to make a sarcastic comment but was too angry to speak.
Ryan hadn't lied, and she was relieved, but why did his honesty make her angrier?
"Heh, you're having a good time in Britain, surrounded by two women. Are you trying to take advantage of this opportunity to win over Elysia?"
"Are you crazy? I'm just bored in the hospital. Elysia invited me, so I came. If you were in Britain, I'd invite you too."
"Really?" Möbius sat up straight, her dark expression turning surprised.
"Fake. Aren't you always not interested in entertainment and art? I couldn't be bothered to try and please you," Ryan scoffed, then, seeing that she didn't respond, added, "I'm hanging up now. I need to head to the venue."
Beep beep beep.
The phone went silent, and Möbius froze for a moment, then, a little frustrated, threw the phone down and hugged her knees.
"Who says I'm not interested..."
She looked resentfully at the side, where Klein was quietly laughing. Noticing her gaze, she immediately sat up straight and began typing without expression.
"Klein, do we have any medication for mental disturbances?"
"Yes, it's in the drawer to your left."
Möbius took out the bottle and popped two pills into her mouth, then slipped on her high heels. "I'm leaving the video meeting to you. I'm going to the lounge to appreciate some art. Don't come looking for me unless it's urgent."
She left straight away, and when Klein turned, She only saw the automatic door closing, causing him to lower his hand helplessly.
Doctor, the stuff on your computer is not art...
Meanwhile, Ryan tucked his phone back into his pocket, still puzzled by Möbius silence.
This woman really is stubborn, but I can't let my guard down. If I show her any softness, she'll take advantage of it.
Snapping out of his thoughts, Ryan instinctively leaned back as Elysia's face suddenly appeared in front of him, almost bumping into his nose.
She leaned forward, hands behind her back, grinning, "Let me guess, was it Möbius on the phone?"
"You really are behind this!" Elysia pulled out her phone and shook it. "So what if I posted something? Can't I share something happy on social media? Do you want me to block Möbius? She's just too pitiful."
Ryan sharp eyes immediately caught the comments on her post—Möbius, Kevin, and Hua. Last time in Hawaii, Elysia had added everyone's X contact.
Most of the comments were admiring, but of course, there were a few from Möbius urging her to hurry back.
"Alright, alright, you always find an excuse. No more posting for now," Ryan couldn't say much else, just watching as Elysia giggled and spun in a circle.
The skirt fluttered like butterfly wings, revealing her smooth back. It was such a perfect back that one might think it would be a shame not to put a cupping jar on it.
"Do you like it?"
"Ahem, the style is nice, but it's a bit too flashy." To avoid Elysia becoming too cocky, Ryan had to add a flaw.
"Good things should be shown off for everyone to admire! Come, look at Sakura." She pulled Sakura over like showing off a beloved toy. "How about it? Isn't Sakura also beautiful?"
Sakura, not as pretentious as Hua, wasn't particularly shy, though her expression was a bit awkward.
"Did she force you?"
"No, I'm just not used to it." The girl held her skirt and whispered, "It feels chilly and inconvenient to move around. And Elysia won't let me bring a knife."
This reason was quite practical.
Ryan couldn't help but smile. He thought, all beautiful girls have an absolute territory. He had taken down two arbiters, yet two girls in dresses hadn't had a wardrobe malfunction.
Hiss, maybe they did have a wardrobe malfunction, but the battle was so intense I didn't notice? Ryan fell into thought, only snapping back to reality after a long time, smiling, "It suits you, Sakura. Just relax a little more. We're just going to a concert. Nothing..."
Before he could finish, a small hand covered his mouth, and Ryan smelled the faint fragrance in his nose.
"No flags! Saying things like that never leads to anything good. I've been looking forward to this for so long. Absolutely, absolutely no accidents!" Elysia emphasized seriously. Seeing Ryan nod repeatedly, she finally let go.
Ryan leaned on his knee, panting heavily, then glanced at Sakura, whose expression was shocked. "See? This is what it looks like when you relax."
It seemed like he was saving face, but Sakura knew that this man would never let Elysia sneak up on him like this. His instincts would hurt people.
"Is that a good thing?"
"At least it's not a bad thing. Do you think there's danger? Who's going to jump out and assassinate us?" Ryan spread his hands. With the three strongest monsters of the Fire Moth group here, who would dare to jump out and seek death?
Sakura thought for a moment, then completely relaxed her muscles, holding Ryan outstretched hand. Elysia yelled "sly" and grabbed Ryan's other hand.
Just like that, the two beautiful girls sandwiched him between them, causing all the resentment and hostility from the surrounding men to erupt.
"Let's go, it's time to enter." Ryan thought to himself, these two misunderstood what he meant by spreading his hands, but he didn't let go. Instead, he gave a reserved smile and walked toward the venue under the eyes of the crowd.
Misunderstanding or resentment, whatever it was, I, Ryan—am qualified for it.