Kosma's eyes flickered as he glanced around the cabin at each person. A part of him wanted to sneak a look at their screens, to confirm whether they had secretly made another group without him. But the thought of peeking at someone else's phone felt wrong. What if he was mistaken?
So instead, Kosma lowered his head, pulled out his own phone, and sent Kevin a message:
Kosma: "Kevin, did you all create another group?"
Kevin lifted his head, met Kosma's gaze, and gave a small nod.
Kosma: "…"
He typed again:
Kosma: "Are you talking about something I'm not supposed to know?"
Kevin glanced at the chat currently buzzing with talk about Kosma and Dystopia. His earlier proposal about Lilith had been quietly ignored—or perhaps deliberately brushed aside. But it didn't matter; Silas had already made it clear he would bring Lilith back. Kevin saw no need to press further.
Kosma and Dystopia's issue was, after all, an important matter.
So Kevin simply replied:
Kevin: "Yes."
Kosma: "…"
(Something I can't know? Why not? Could it be Silas did something else? No… judging from Elysia's reaction earlier, it's more likely Silas said something that upset her. Hmm… or could it be about me and Dystopia? That's possible. Our situation has clearly caught everyone's attention. And from what Silas said before boarding, he seems to think I should resolve it myself…)
With that thought, Kosma sent another message:
Kosma: "Please allow me to handle this matter myself."
Kevin: "Understood."
Kosma: "Then let me join the group."
Kevin looked at him again, then typed into the group chat:
Kevin: "Kosma feels this is something he should resolve on his own. Should we let him join the group?"
Elysia: "Kosma's right~ That's just what Silas said too. But we're only talking about some fun little things between him and Dystopia. Wouldn't it be awkward if the person involved came in?"
Pardofelis: "If Kosma comes in, wouldn't that make it look like we're all ganging up on Sis Dystopia?"
Kevin thought about it and admitted they had a point. He replied privately to Kosma:
Kevin: "We're just talking about some of your old stories. Like that treasured little harmonica of yours. Are you sure you want to come in?"
Kosma: "…"
Kosma: "No need."
He had no desire to step into a group just to be publicly "executed."
Meanwhile, Dystopia had been lost in thought for a long while. At last, she sent Silas a message:
Dystopia: "Silas, Kosma doesn't actually hate me, right? If I prove my path to him through my actions, will he come back to me?"
She then raised her head toward Silas—only to see Elysia holding his phone and reading the message.
Dystopia: "…"
(Their relationship has already progressed this far?)
Elysia handed the phone screen toward Silas. He glanced at the message and reached for the device to reply, but Elysia quickly pulled her hand back.
Silas looked at her in puzzlement. Elysia once again held out the phone toward him.
For a moment, Silas blinked, then realized her intention. He typed directly onto the screen, while Elysia held the phone. To make it easier for him, she leaned in close, her shoulder brushing against his.
(So this was your plan all along, Elysia…)
Dystopia sat frozen, dumbstruck.
Kevin started to raise his phone, intending to tell Elysia not to stir up trouble, but Su pressed his hand down. A private message followed:
Su: "Elysia knows her limits. And Kevin, meddling too much in someone else's feelings can easily backfire."
Kevin found the reasoning sound, but if Elysia continued like this, he couldn't stay still. After all, as a die-hard Silas × Lilith supporter, he had to stand firm. Silas himself had yet to make anything clear, which only made Kevin more determined.
On Silas's other side, Pardofelis twitched at the corner of her eye. Elysia-sis, you really will stop at nothing! And Brother Silas, aren't you spoiling her a little too much? Ever since that vacation, their relationship has definitely gotten closer… But knowing Elysia's personality, if they really were together, wouldn't she be shouting it across all of Fire Moth with a megaphone?
So is it actually that Elysia has Silas completely wrapped around her finger?
Damn it, that's a trick I could never learn…!
Sakura, watching Elysia leaning against Silas, quietly sent her a private message:
Sakura: "Elysia, you're going too far."
Elysia glanced at her own phone just as Silas finished typing. She agreed that it was best to stop here. As much as she wanted to stay nestled against him, Kevin was already on the verge of interfering. Better not provoke trouble.
She straightened up again.
Then she teasingly messaged Sakura:
Elysia: "Sakura, aside from Dystopia, everyone here has fought side by side for so long. Let me lean a little longer—what's the harm? Or… don't tell me, you've also got feelings for Silas?"
Sakura blinked, then replied with calm composure:
Sakura: "Yes. But that's not why I messaged you. You know Dystopia has no memories of the previous life. In her interactions now, she's bound to say things that might make others misunderstand your relationship with Silas. That will only cause trouble—for the rest of us, and even for Silas himself."
She wasn't jealous. Absolutely not.
…Well, perhaps just a little.
Elysia squinted at Sakura's reply and quickly typed back:
Elysia: "But wasn't Lilith exactly like this in the previous life? Why is it not okay for me?"
Sakura: "In the previous life, not many people openly liked Silas, right?"
At least, as far as Sakura knew, within Fire Moth back then, the only girls who had clearly expressed— and were known by others—to have feelings for Silas were Lilith and Vil-V the Pure Evil. The rest were only rumors, like Sariel and Michaela.
As for herself, Sakura only realized her own feelings for Silas in this life. Even Mobius—she only learned in this life that Mobius harbored feelings for him as well.
Things were completely different now.
At the present base, wasn't everyone constantly speculating about who Silas might develop a relationship with?
Elysia thought about it, and yes, Sakura had a point. In the previous life, almost everyone in Fire Moth simply assumed Silas and Lilith were lovers, herself included.
Fine, maybe she'd stop teasing Sakura for now.
But Sakura's reply wasn't finished yet:
Sakura: "I admit it—I do like Silas. I want to stay by his side longer. But I've never thought about expecting anything in return from him. I only want him to live well this time, not carry everything alone like before."
Since she wasn't saying this in front of Silas, and knowing Elysia wouldn't go around telling others, Sakura felt it was safe to confide her true feelings here.
Elysia read the words, thought for a moment, and typed back:
Elysia: "We all think that way."
Sakura didn't reply again.
Her reasons for choosing not to get involved in Silas's relationships were many. The biggest one was her quiet sense of inferiority.
She believed her own feelings for Silas came mostly from the fact that he had taken her place in caring for Rin, helping her understand her sister. But as for personal memories worth treasuring between her and Silas—there weren't many.
Unlike Elysia, she had never been confessed to by him. Unlike Lilith, she had not spent countless days by his side. Unlike Vil-V or Mobius, she had not been constantly working with him. Unlike Pardofelis, she had not been specially cared for by him.
She didn't even know exactly where this love had sprouted from—only that she was sure it existed.
The deepest memory between them remained the Twelfth Herrscher incident, when he stood tall to protect Rin, while she, as Rin's elder sister, had failed to arrive in time.
That was why she felt herself less than the others—less important to Silas compared to Elysia and the rest. So… she chose to hide these feelings, to stand quietly behind him, watching over him from the shadows.
On Silas's other side, Pardofelis cast a thoughtful glance at him as he sat with eyes closed, resting.
She was different from Elysia. Of all of them, she had known Silas the latest. Counting carefully, she had only met him once in the aftermath of the Seventh Herrscher incident, during the Sundown Alley affair. It wasn't until after the Tenth Herrscher that she truly got to know him.
Compared to Elysia, that left her lacking in confidence.
She didn't know that Elysia had been confessed to by Silas, but she had heard from Sariel that Elysia held a special place in his heart. Which meant… things Elysia could do, Pardofelis might never be able to.
That was why she trained so hard—to stand by Silas in her own way.
When she learned that Lilith had memories of the past life—and had even kissed Silas—Pardofelis had already come to terms with it. Whatever choice Silas made in the end, she had resolved to stay with him regardless. She was only human, after all. She would take what she could get, and not ask for more than fate allowed.
As long as she had given her all, that would be enough.
"After all, my rivals are Sis Elysia and Sis Lilith, right?" Pardofelis thought with a helpless sigh. "Oh, and also Snake-sis and Vil-V-sis…"
It wasn't that the little cat wasn't trying.
It was that her rivals could hardly be measured by normal human standards.
Dystopia stared silently at the screen, her eyes fixed on Silas's brief reply:
Silas: "He never left."
With that quiet weight lingering between them, the group returned to Fire Moth Headquarters.
The moment Silas stepped off the transport, he saw Mobius waiting at the exit. She first glanced at Elysia, standing close by Silas's side, then turned her eyes back to him.
"Follow me," she said flatly. "As for Elysia… do whatever you like, just don't tag along."
Elysia tilted her head, about to retort, when Silas turned to her. "My phone's still with you, isn't it?"
Her cheeks puffed in protest. Silas really was too much—he wouldn't even give her the chance to tease Mobius? And since when had he learned to use her own weaknesses against her? Hmph! Not fair!
"Then I'll go check the training grounds instead~," Elysia said at last, suddenly remembering a certain honest, straightforward child. With her Silas being surrounded by wolves on all sides, only that straightforward one could ease her heart a little.
Silas started to remind her, "The mission report, don't for—"
But seeing her sulky look, he quickly corrected himself, "Don't forget to remind me to write it up and submit it."
That earned him a satisfied nod. Much better.
"Then… Sister Dystopia, shall we go train too?" Pardofelis asked, turning to her.
Dystopia cast a glance at Kosma, hesitated a moment, and then answered, "I'm planning to head to the Fifth Research Institute with Su."
"Oh… I see." Pardofelis nodded, then looked toward Sakura. "Then I'll go with Sister Sakura to the training grounds."
Sakura inclined her head. "Let's go."
Silas followed Mobius into her laboratory. She handed him a document stamped with the high council's approval.
"The old fossils have made their decision," she said. "All subjects showing moderate signs of Honkai erosion are to be sent to me. Tell me, Silas—I can't imagine you agreed to this just because Dystopia asked, can I?"
Silas remained silent for a moment, not answering directly. Instead, he reached for her hand and examined it carefully.
"It seems your own erosion symptoms have nearly vanished. These past days… you've worked hard."
The unexpected concern caught Mobius completely off guard. She coughed, forcing composure. "Hmph. As if you aren't just meddling again. Don't change the subject—was this Elysia's idea?"
Who else could sway him, if not Elysia?
"Yes… but not entirely." Silas glanced at the order again. "You could also say I was moved by something Dystopia said. Maybe, this time, there really might be a way."
Mobius flicked her hair back with the wrist adorned by her bracelet, a sly smile tugging at her lips. "The fastest method I can think of is Meta-Morph ICHOR. After all, no one expects these subjects to survive anyway. Isn't this the perfect chance to test them?"
Silas's gaze lingered on the hand she still hadn't withdrawn from his. After a long silence, he finally said, "No. Let's stick to standard treatment protocols."
Mobius gave him a strange look. "That answer—also from Elysia?"
"No," he shook his head. "That one's mine. Like I said before, I want to try."
"But I'm the one who has to carry it out," Mobius replied, meeting his eyes. "This isn't child's play. What then? Do you plan to give me nothing but your word as an order?"
Silas narrowed his eyes at her. So even Mobius had learned this tactic?
"…Then tell me, Mobius—what price must I pay?"
She spread her arms, her smile widening. "Simple. Give me a hug."
Silas froze. "…"
Of course. He should have known.
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