Beneath the night sky, the Ferris wheel swayed gently as the two of them held each other close.
Resting against Silas's chest, Elysia spoke softly:
"You know… I'm still scared. After all, I'm not like Lilith. I don't have the kind of flawless teamwork you two share, nor the past you've walked together…"
"But you still chose to do this," Silas said.
"I had to. After all, 'love' isn't something you can convey with just words—especially not for someone like me, right?" Elysia smiled faintly.
"People say, 'Elysia loves everyone, so no one is special in her eyes.' And you—being the Seer, the leader of the Fallen Angels—know me better than anyone. Which also means… you feel more distant from me than anyone else. But I really do love you. I want to walk with you, to witness everything with you… to go all the way to the end with you. I won't give up—and I can't. So I have to act."
"I don't deserve it… no—since you've said that much, of course I believe you. I truly have received your feelings," Silas replied. "But right now… I can't give you my answer."
Honestly, he felt like he should say yes to Elysia. But he also knew he didn't have the resolve to do it.
And if he did say yes, the MOTH base would probably be reduced to rubble within minutes. After all, wouldn't that mean that any girl who confessed boldly would get an immediate "yes"? He didn't even want to imagine the chaos that would follow.
Seriously—what had he done in his past life to max out everyone's affection meters?
He clearly remembered spending most of his time either fighting Honkai… or on the way to fight Honkai…
Elysia chuckled softly, hugging him just a little tighter.
"No matter when or where, Elysia will always be here. So… before this Ferris wheel reaches the end of its ride, can you hold me for a little longer?"
"…Alright."
When they stepped off the Ferris wheel, Eden had already arranged dinner at a luxury hotel. Incidentally, Eden's manager was there too—she wanted to meet all these "friends" Eden spoke so fondly of.
She already knew Elysia, of course—an open, lively, beautiful girl with a unique perspective on art.
As for the others… well, she figured it was worth sizing them up.
That Kevin guy—sure, he had that cool, stoic face most of the time, but she couldn't shake the feeling he was a bit of a dope. His friend Su though… wow.
If the saying "like jade on the riverside, unmatched under heaven" had a living embodiment, it was him.
Kosma and Dystopia… well, kids these days sure learned about dating early. But despite Kosma's shy demeanor, he was polite and clearly a good kid.
The pink-haired girl named Sakura—she definitely had the aura of someone who'd killed before, with a faint trace of killing intent. Yet, seeing how she interacted with her sister, the manager couldn't deny she seemed like a good older sibling.
Then there was Pardofelis—clearly not formally educated, with a certain streetwise air that set her apart from the others. The most "ordinary" of the group, perhaps… yet the manager had the sense that if something serious happened, Pardo would step up without hesitation.
She didn't care much for status or background—only character. And so far, these people seemed pretty decent.
Elysia and Silas were the last to arrive—hardly surprising, since they'd taken that Ferris wheel ride.
The moment Silas walked in, he noticed someone sizing him up. He met the gaze—a woman with purple hair. If he remembered correctly, she was Eden's manager.
From what he'd heard, she was also Eden's friend… though she'd died in the Seventh Herrscher incident.
Not really his type of concern. Once he sensed she meant no harm, he turned to Eden.
"And this is?"
"My manager, Veronica," Eden replied, then glanced at Elysia. "You two are the latest arrivals—where did you run off to?"
"Oh, we visited the local aquarium, watched a movie you starred in, and took a ride on the Ferris wheel~" Elysia said with a smile.
Silas gave a helpless chuckle and added, "While we were at the aquarium, wherever Elysia went, the fish would follow her—completely ignoring the keeper."
"Hmph, that's because I'm a radiant, blooming beauty~" Elysia said proudly, hands on her hips.
Silas just smiled and turned to Kevin. "Kevin—what about you guys? Do anything this afternoon?"
Su immediately looked like he had a stomachache. His earlier premonition had been right—Kevin said they were going shopping for clothes, but somehow they ended up near Lilith's house.
At that time, Lilith had been playing the piano. The neighbors said she kept a fixed daily routine.
"A nightingale trapped in a cage," Kevin had commented then. Su had agreed with the latter half… but as for whether it was a nightingale or a demon, well—that was debatable.
"Bought some clothes," Kevin said casually. "Also asked around near Atagina's place."
Silas: "…"
Kevin… good thing Elysia has already calmed down. Once they return to MOTH HQ, she probably won't do anything to you—but as for Vill-V and Mobius, that's another story.
Elysia, on the other hand, looked rather intrigued. "Oh? Really? Then what exactly did you manage to find out?"
Anyway, no matter what Kevin dug up, Silas wouldn't be taking Lilith away. Once they got back, she'd be telling Mobius and Vill-V about this for sure!
Everyone was a bit surprised, never expecting that Elysia would actually be interested in news about Lilith.
Eden, meanwhile, glanced thoughtfully at Silas. Looks like something interesting had happened.
Veronica stayed silent the entire time, her gaze toward Silas unusually complex.
When the boy had looked at her earlier, there had been a hint of curiosity, but far more coldness—like he was just looking at some NPC he hadn't seen before.
But when he looked at Elysia, there was undeniable warmth in his eyes; when Kevin started gossiping, the helplessness in his gaze was just as genuine.
So basically… he really did see her as an outsider?
Veronica had always prided herself on her ability to read people, but meeting Silas made her doubt that talent. On him, extreme coldness and tenderness coexisted; reason mingled with madness; evil with justice.
Could a person like that even exist?
Still, there was one thing she was sure of: he was the kind of man who would sacrifice absolutely anything—even himself—for his goals, someone with unshakable will.
From what she could tell so far, he was one of the most dangerous people among Miss Eden's friends. The last person she'd judged so was Lilith herself—her gentle tone hiding utter disdain for everything, her flawless exterior masking a core of madness.
Unaware that Veronica had decided to play the invisible observer, Kevin began telling everyone the information he had gathered.
After listening, Silas could only think: living every day in a way she hated… no wonder Lilith eventually went off the deep end.
This was just her nature finally breaking free.
Silas then turned to Pardofelis. "Pardo, where did you all go this afternoon?"
Pardo slumped a little. "Sister Eden took me and Sister Sakura to see a few operas. I don't get that kind of stuff… even Rin got bored."
Silas chuckled and reached out to pat her head. "Well, Eden also has to keep her identity hidden. Sorry you had to put up with that."
Pardo instantly perked up and quickly added, "Then, Brother Silas, can you play some games with me tonight?"
Silas raised an eyebrow. "Games?"
Sakura explained, "Pardo suddenly wanted to buy some, and Rin was really interested too."
Silas smiled. "Then of course. After all, little Pardo and Ling have been bored all afternoon."
Games? That was his turf!
Granted, back then he'd been crushed countless times by Mastema—the ultimate gaming otaku—but Mastema's gaming talent was top-tier. She had bragged about her speedrun record in a certain game, and when he tried it, he had to admit it was insanely hard. Mastema had been smug for days, saying, 'Boss Silas might be amazing, but when it comes to games, I'll never lose!'
Then the very next day, Lilith broke Mastema's record.
Tch… I'll never understand the world of geniuses.
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15+ advanced chapters available on Pat/NoobyIdiotka
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I've started translating a new fanfiction, and the first chapter is out now on Pat! This one isn't the Honkai Impact 3rd story that won the poll—that translation will start later—but I'm sure you'll enjoy this new one too.
Title: The Pet I Raised Came from the Anime World
Synopsis:
As an overworked youth bound by the grind, Huang Musong lived a life of nine-to-nine, his spirit worn thin.One day, in a dim and narrow alley, he came across a pink-haired little creature—silly, adorable—and decided to bring her home.
The pink-haired creature tilted her head and said:"Human! My name is Doro~. Thank you for adopting me. You… also like eating sweet o-ranges, don't you?"
On that day, in the warmth of oranges and the glow of wine, an unexpected encounter began.