Lín had said it many times, but he didn't mind saying it again.
If people's trouble level was ranked from low to high on a scale of ten, Huá is the lowest level that is not dangerous. Seele was around level three, a bit troublesome. The habitually outspoken Kevin was a six. The drunken Himeko was an eight. The AI Prometheus, who consistently contradicted him, was a ten.
Then Elysia was on a level that all of them combined couldn't reach. If there was an award for the World's Most Troublesome Person, he would not hesitate to cast his vote for Elysia.
After serving the last dish, Lín counted the number of people. When he realized there were a few extra, he was silent for a moment, then began searching for that person.
Sure enough, the pink-haired girl was having a delightful conversation with Vil-V, who wasn't wearing her top hat. They seemed to be discussing how to install expression-displaying patterns on the visible window outside Lín's helmet to reflect his mood changes.
"Oh, Lín, you worked hard making all these dishes." She chuckled as she greeted Lín when she saw him.
"…"
Lín remembered telling Seele not to tell anyone about today's gathering except the Fifth Squad.
So where did this person get the news?
"I heard it from Prometheus, oh~"
"…"
More troublesome than Elysia was two troublesome people grouping together.
Lín took a closer look and found that besides the Fifth Squad and the Seventh Squad, there were other people present, mostly familiar faces, but also two people Lín had never seen before.
"Lín, I didn't expect you to have a get-together today, and even cook yourself."
Kevin was completely unaware that Elysia had tricked him. She had described it so vividly that he thought the sun had risen in the west, and Lín had a sudden idea to host a big party. So he couldn't wait to bring Méi and Kosma along.
Why Kosma? Because his squad members happened to have a day off today, and Kosma only wanted to train with Kevin, so Kevin brought him along as a matter of course.
"Kevin." Lín looked at his hearty smile. "Think more next time."
"Huh?"
Lín ignored Kevin, who didn't understand his hidden meaning, and shifted his gaze to Kosma. This young man's sharp demeanor was somewhat close to Kevin a year ago, and he had been staring at Lín since Lín came out.
This person was the one from that day…
Kosma hadn't forgotten the day of the Fourth Honkai Eruption, when the Titan descended like a god in the howling winds of the city, exterminating the Honkai beasts and effortlessly slicing the Emperor-class Honkai beast in half. Afterwards, when Kosma asked Kevin who the pilot was, Kevin proudly introduced his friend, Lín, to him.
At first glance, aside from the helmet, there was nothing particularly special about Lín, but when Lín's gaze fell upon him, he instantly stiffened, feeling a sharp knife pressed against the back of his neck.
Is this person's gaze so sharp even through the helmet?
"He's my squad member, Kosma. He assisted me during the Fourth Honkai Eruption." Kevin, who was used to Lín's gaze that looked like he was about to tear someone into pieces the moment he saw them, smiled and patted Kosma's shoulder, introducing him like his favorite student. "He's not mature yet, but he has great potential."
Lín gave a subtle nod after hearing Kevin's words and said to Kosma: "I am Lín, Captain of the Seventh Squad."
"Kosma, Private." Kosma responded just as concisely.
"Kosma, you should use honorifics when addressing a Captain."
At that moment, a blonde girl walked up from behind and sighed, apologizing to Lín: "I'm sorry, Captain Lín, Kosma has this kind of personality. Please forgive him."
"Forgive him for what? This kid was just as disrespectful to his elders before, always silent when asked a question." A perfectly timed complaint came from Himeko, who was already drinking in the back.
"Haha, is that so?" The girl couldn't help but laugh. "But I still have to apologize. Kosma doesn't actually mean any harm."
Lín truly didn't mind such things. His concept of hierarchy was weak. To him, the Captain was merely set up to improve the squad's operational efficiency. So, he shook his head and said: "It's fine."
"Oh, right, I almost forgot to introduce myself." The girl smiled gently. "I'm Dystopia, currently in the Fifth Squad. I've known Kosma for a long time. Captain Lín should have heard about me from Seele."
Lín nodded again.
"That's great, then please take care of me in the future."
The three of them returned to the lively crowd. Before they even started eating, Himeko was already drinking heavily, and she was dragging the socially awkward Huá to drink, too. Lín shook his head helplessly, seeing Immer desperately sweating as he tried to help Huá escape Himeko's grip.
"Um… Team member Lín, I'm sorry…"
Seele looked down at her toes in embarrassment.
"It's not your fault." Lín told the truth. This was purely Prometheus going against him again, but considering she had been following orders in combat recently, he didn't want to pursue it.
He glanced at the dishes on the table, turned, and walked toward the kitchen: "There are too many people. The food isn't enough. I'll make some more."
"Wait, I'll help you." Seele quickly followed.
With Seele helping, Lín's cooking efficiency increased considerably. After putting the chopped meat into the pot and covering it, he took a brief rest and looked at the crowd outside the kitchen door.
Vil-V and Elysia were arguing about what Prometheus should call others. Prometheus occasionally chimed in bluntly, stating her desire not to call anyone 'mother.'
The Fifth Squad, the Seventh Squad, and Kosma were all mixed up. It had completely become Himeko's personal show. The younger boys and girls simply couldn't restrain their senior who was nearly ten years older than them.
Kevin and Méi were calmly talking about something nearby, though it looked like Méi was doing most of the talking, and Kevin wasn't quite following.
This scene was as if Honkai had never happened. They were just gathered at Lín's home for a simple banquet to celebrate his recovery.
A beautiful normalcy, and a beautifully distant reality.
A hand waved. The girl's pure smile appeared before him: "Team member Lín is spacing out again. What are you thinking about?"
"…I'm thinking about a person."
"Who?"
"Delta."
"…"
If that man, with his eternal lack of energy and dark circles that almost covered half his face, were still alive, he should be here now, standing next to Vil-V, seriously discussing whether Prometheus should call Lín 'brother' or 'father.'
Lín felt as if he could see the man standing there now, looking up and flashing a lazy smile at him.
"Mr. Delta…" Seele's smile gradually disappeared. She quietly said with complicated thoughts, "Another person has left…"
People around them quietly passing away.
Death had once again stolen everything.
Seele lowered her head, her eyes dim.
But she quickly recovered.
Therefore, to prevent anyone else from leaving, she had to fight and peel death away from those around her.
Absolutely.