The ensuing conversation was efficient, concise, and cold, like a military negotiation.
First: No unprovoked attacks.
Neither party shall be the first to use force unless it is clearly determined that the other constitutes a "direct, immediate, and otherwise unstoppable" threat.
Second: Limited information sharing.
All intelligence concerning the safety of the base, external threats, and situations that might affect their "current shared predicament" must be synchronized at a basic level.
Third: Maintain superficial cooperation.
They must maintain a minimum level of interaction in front of others to avoid arousing additional suspicion or intervention.
The three rules were established quickly, without argument, as they were the inevitable conclusions derived from the same logic by both of them.
The rules were set, but the core conflict remained, a poisoned barb stuck between them.
Who was the "real" one?
The memories, bonds, responsibilities... even this "home" that had been so hard to develop... who should inherit them?
Share?
Absolutely not!
That was something Shu had earned with his own blood and tears, something Kiana and the others had fought for on the brink of death countless times. How could it be so easily shared with a suddenly appearing "mirror image"?
Just as the tense atmosphere began to solidify again, Little Chen's words inexplicably flashed through Shu's mind.
"Just think of it as... the 'me' of the past, along with everything before the Honkai, was left there, left in yesterday."
And... even earlier, on the rooftop in Sapphire City, Yun Mengxi's resolute choice to "graft" rather than indulge in "cycles."
"Perhaps..." Shu began slowly, his gaze not on the other, but on the empty coffee table.
"For now... neither of us will be 'Shu'."
[Shu] turned his head sharply to look at him, a flicker of astonishment in Stelle's golden eyes.
Shu continued to explain his proposal, his speech slow, each word seemingly squeezed out from between his teeth with great difficulty.
"Everything about 'Shu' is too heavy, and too... singular... I can't persuade myself to share it with you, much less accept it being 'inherited' by you...
"I believe... if you truly are 'another me,' then you, with the same memories and the same way of thinking, couldn't accept it either."
[Shu] let out a cold snort. It was clear his desire to refute was at its peak.
"But..." Shu sighed, finally looking up, letting his gaze fall on [Shu] peacefully for the first time.
"If it's after this... if it's starting from this 'present' moment, the things we both obtain together... I think... I might be able to accept sharing them with you."
[Shu]'s pupils contracted slightly. With a mind almost identical to Shu's, he immediately understood the meaning behind this proposal.
"You're saying, we should use a brand new identity, avoid all the people and things we once knew, and create something from scratch?
"And these things wouldn't belong to you or me, but to... the new identity we create together?"
This was tantamount to shelving the dispute. It was to temporarily seal the irreconcilable core conflict between them and instead try to re-establish a "joint ownership" relationship that could maintain a temporary balance on a new, blank canvas.
I will never give you a single bit of my past, but what we obtain together after we've met can be shared equally.
Shu nodded, indicating that this was what he meant.
"For example?" [Shu]'s voice was still cold, but a hint of inquiry could be heard.
"For example..." The main Shu's gaze swept over the empty room, then returned to the bustling living area from before.
"Open a shop."
"Hmm?"
"An ordinary shop, belonging to the 'twin sisters, Stelle'... from renting a shop, learning a craft, stocking goods, to running the business... all from scratch.
"And the contribution points earned through this shop, the recognition gained, the new relationships formed, would all belong to the 'twin Stelles,' not 'Shu.'
"At least this way, we can have a 'middle ground' where we can barely coexist before we find a real solution, or before one of us is completely eliminated.
"A place where we don't have to constantly struggle with 'who is the real one,' and 'who the past belongs to.'"
[Shu] was silent for a long time.
The silence in the room seemed to have weight, pressing down, making it hard to breathe.
His gaze lingered for a long time on the figure opposite him, identical to himself, yet proposing such an outlandish suggestion.
Then, [Shu] suddenly let out a light laugh.
"You just think this identity isn't so bad, and you can't bear to part with it, can you?"
Shu's expression changed abruptly.
"You dare say you don't?" Shu's face flushed visibly, and at the same time, [Shu], who had spoken the words, had an even earlier change. A blush had appeared on his face even as he spoke.
It had to be admitted, the two of them, having been detached from daily life for so long, had indeed been captivated by the liveliness of the living area earlier.
But neither would admit it.
Hmph, it must be the other guy's problem. To be captivated by something like this, what a useless imposter!
"We can try," [Shu] coughed lightly after calming the emotions in his heart, and then spoke.
Hmm, at least his brain is still sharp enough to recognize a good idea. As expected of my own mind.
Shu swore he was rarely a hypocrite; he had never even been a hypocrite to his enemies.
But at this moment, since both standards were applied to "himself," it didn't count as a double standard.
"So..." This was probably their first common topic in the truest sense of the word. Shu pondered for a moment, then slowly spoke, asking a crucial question.
"What kind of shop should we open?"
Shu: "..."
And so, two "Stelle"-esque versions of The Thinker sat three person-widths apart, propping up their chins as they sank into deep thought.
What kind of shop?
A good question.
After a period of intense self-deliberation, Shu was the first to speak.
"It needs to be low-cost, easy to start, and have stable demand... I think it should be a repair shop.
"The base is about to expand, and the population will surge. Basic services like tool, daily appliance, and simple electronic device maintenance will inevitably be scarce.
"We..." Shu paused, swallowing the words "I have a basic understanding of mechanical structures and energy circuits" and rephrased, "...can learn. The technical threshold is relatively manageable."
He did indeed have a basic understanding of energy circuits... alright, in reality, it was just a matter of giving things a simple whack, and if that didn't work, he'd just brute-force it with [Wish].
How much [Hope] could it possibly take to fix something?
Almost in the same second, Shu shot back.
"A repair shop has too much public contact with a complex range of people, making it easy to expose details. Plus, the environment is noisy, which contradicts our need for 'low-key rest.'
"It's better to choose something in food service, like a small coffee shop or a light meal bar. It would provide basic drinks and food, the contact is controllable, the environment is relatively contained, and it's easy to filter information.
"Raw materials can be procured uniformly from the base's logistics, reducing external variables."
"A coffee shop?" Shu's brow immediately tightened. "It takes a long time to get going and requires continuous operation and customer accumulation.
"We're not sure how long this 'Stelle' identity will last. The demand for repairs is immediate, making it easier to quickly build a reputation and cash flow."
"Cash flow is not the primary objective," Shu retorted sharply. "'Rest' and 'establishing a neutral, shared resource' are the core factors we need to consider.
"A coffee shop is less social by nature, making it easier to create a sense of boundaries, like 'we don't know each other well, we're just business partners.' Your repair shop would require frequent communication to diagnose problems. The depth of interaction is uncontrollable, increasing the risk of our identities being exposed."
"The risk can be mitigated through process standardization," Shu's speech quickened.
"We can set a clear scope of services and use standardized diagnostic procedures to reduce unnecessary conversation.
"And what about your food service? Doesn't that involve subjective opinions on taste, hygiene standards, and potentially more interpersonal disputes and variables?!"
"Repair involves technical judgment, which is more likely to arouse suspicion due to 'abnormal ability'! The margin for error in making a cup of coffee is much higher!"
"Hey! Then what about your repair shop—!"
"Your coffee shop is an even bigger pile of—!"
"You f—"
"Well, f—"
...
In the end, a fresh round of clashing metal echoed from the tenth underground level. The clanging sound of baseball bats colliding continued for a good while before stopping from sheer exhaustion.
And then, the cycle repeated...