The next day, Silas walked out of his room, yawning. As soon as he stepped through the door, he saw Elysia waving and walking toward him with a smile.
"Good morning, Silas~"
"Morning, Elysia," Silas replied, still yawning. Last night had really been a mess with Vil-V—he barely slept at all. It had taken a lot of effort just to finally send her away, and when he closed his eyes, all he could see was everything that happened that night…
Who could fall asleep under those circumstances?
Elysia frowned slightly, sensing something was off. She leaned closer, sniffed him, and narrowed her eyes.
"Silas, why do you smell like Vil-V? Even if you took a bath, you can't hide it from me."
The scent was faint, mixed with the fragrance of body wash, but Elysia still recognized it. After all, her favorite thing was sticking close to other girls—she was far too familiar with that smell.
Silas: "…"
Well, after being hugged and rubbed against by eight different personalities for so long, it was no wonder. Even after a shower and a change of clothes, the scent still hadn't gone away.
For a second, he even thought—if he really dated Vil-V, wouldn't that mean… eight times in one night— Cough, cough! No, no, he didn't have such thoughts. Fighting against the Honkai was what mattered most!
Silas rubbed his temples, speaking with a headache. "She was listening in on my conversation with you before, and your recent actions obviously provoked her. Honestly, you should be glad she didn't just tase me unconscious last night."
Elysia: "…"
Wait, Vil-V even had a taser? Then… maybe she herself could also consider—
"Stop your dangerous thoughts right there." Silas squinted at Elysia. He didn't know why, but suddenly he felt like he was on the same wavelength with her—he could even guess what she was thinking.
"I was just imagining it," Elysia said innocently, puffing her cheeks. "How could a pink fairy like me ever do something like that? Besides, since Vil-V already went that far, why can't I at least think about it?"
She sounded dissatisfied, but soon laughed again. "Ah, I didn't expect you and I to think of the same thing. Could this be… a heart-to-heart connection?"
Silas was silent for a moment before replying, "…If that's how you want to put it, then sure."
Elysia covered her mouth, cheeks blushing slightly. "Wah, Silas, you actually admitted it?! Uu, now I feel shy…"
High offense, low defense… No, that wasn't it. As long as the person was someone she was interested in, when they responded honestly to her teasing, this was usually how Elysia reacted. (A certain future Herrscher of Thunder comes to mind.)
And as for a certain serpent with the most stubborn mouth in the Elysian Realm? Naturally, she could only be teased by Elysia from start to finish.
Silas sighed. "…So, you came here to invite me to breakfast, right?"
"Mmm… Should I take that as you inviting me instead?"
"Then I'll just go on my own."
"Eh?! Silas, how could you treat a girl like this? Especially such a beautiful maiden like me!"
Watching the flustered Elysia nearly lose her composure, Silas chuckled. "You know, suddenly I feel like treating you this way isn't so bad."
"I'll cry, you know!"
"I've got tissues on me."
"…Hmph! I'm not talking to you anymore!"
"Alright, enough joking." Silas raised his hands, signaling a truce. "Let's call it an invitation. Will you join me for breakfast?"
"Well, since you're showing such sincerity, I suppose I'll reluctantly accept." Elysia mimicked Mobius' tone as she answered.
And so, the two walked together toward the cafeteria, chatting and laughing as they went.
"So… what exactly did you and Vil-V do last night?"
"Before I answer that, you need to know—Vil-V has eight personalities."
"Mm… huh?"
"Yes, exactly what you're thinking. Equal treatment for each personality. Hm? Elysia, why are you looking at me like that?"
"Ahem. Listen carefully, Silas. I'm not the Elysia you know right now. I'm actually… Elysia's other personality—"
"That's completely unnecessary!"
"Hahaha, just kidding~ Though I really am a little jealous… But since it's Vil-V, I guess there's no helping it. Still, I'll have to keep a closer eye on you from now on. Silas, do you have a spare key to your room?"
"…Elysia, calm down."
"How about… you give me another kiss instead?"
"…I'll make a copy of my room key later."
While they were chatting, they arrived at the cafeteria.
"Good morning, Silas, Elysia," Sakura greeted them as she entered with Rin.
"Morning, Brother Silas, Sister Elysia!" Rin echoed, mimicking Sakura's tone.
Silas glanced around. "Strange, is Pardofelis sleeping in today?"
"Ah, I know the answer to that," Elysia said with a smile. "When Pardo left us yesterday, she mentioned she was really worried about Dystopia. She probably ended up whispering with her until very late last night."
"Speaking of Dystopia… I recall she was scheduled to visit Mobius' lab today, to follow up on the treatment for moderate erosion cases," Silas said after thinking for a moment. "I'll check in later."
"Good morning, Silas." The voice belonged to Kosma. Everyone turned, and saw him walking in together with Kevin. Wait—was that Kalpas behind them?
Feeling the stares, Kalpas crossed his arms, his tone as disdainful as ever. "We just happened to run into each other."
"Come to think of it, I heard that while we were away these past few days, Kalpas, you smashed quite a few of the base's training facilities," Elysia said.
Kalpas gave a sharp snort. "Those flimsy things couldn't withstand anything. I hadn't even started warming up before they broke."
Silas had always been curious why Kalpas refused to take off his mask. The only time he'd seen it happen was in the previous life—before they fought against the Finality together, after one last sparring match.
Aside from the eye color, Silas felt Kalpas looked strikingly similar to Kevin—though from their voices, it was clear they were two different people.
But that was personal privacy. Silas had always held to the principle that if someone didn't want to say, he wouldn't ask. So, he stayed quiet.
"Um, Silas…" Kosma finally spoke, as though he had made up his mind after much thought. "About Dystopia going to Mobius' side… Mobius, she—"
"I already spoke with Mobius. There won't be any problems," Silas replied. "The treatment will follow standard procedure."
"That's a relief. Sorry to trouble you." Kosma let out a breath of relief.
"By the way, where's Su?" Elysia asked Kevin. Without Su there to hold Kevin in check, she'd have to think of another way to keep him quiet.
Kevin answered, "For the time being, Su will be stationed at the Fifth Research Institute. He'll also be monitoring the mild infection cases."
"Hmph. Mobius… that woman crawled out of the sewers, and yet she'll actually follow 'standard procedure'?" Kalpas sneered, as venomous as ever.
"Kalpas, you need to be polite," Elysia reminded him. "Otherwise Silas will get upset too."
"Tch."
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