At the curtain call, on the rooftop of the concert hall.
Eden looked at Vill-V and slowly removed her veil. Then, with a gentle tug at her face, a fake skin mask as thin as a cicada's wing peeled off.
Next, she lightly swiped two fingers over her eyelids, and the pale green cosmetic contacts came out.
Watching Eden remove her disguise, a smile bloomed from beneath Vill-V's mask.
She reached up to take off her own mask, simultaneously bowing low in an exaggerated, comical, yet aesthetically pleasing salute.
"Long time no see, my dear audience. Were you satisfied with the gift I presented you?"
"Hehe, of course, I was satisfied, but..."
Eden leaned back, the moonlight casting a gentle, beautiful glow on her delicate profile, as if she were the incarnation of the moon goddess herself. At the same time, however, she was subtly applying pressure.
"Vill-V, for this precious gift you've given me, what price must I pay?"
The questioning tone in Eden's voice was unmistakable. She had already guessed that the Pardofelis who rode the plane with her could only be the masterpiece of the person standing before her now.
Considering Vill-V's sudden appearance here, the conclusion wasn't hard to reach. Only Vill-V could create a mechanical being capable of deceiving her senses.
But if Vill-V was on Pardo's side, why would she help her?
However, Vill-V didn't seem to mind Eden's suspicion. After all, they had known each other for so long; she was thoroughly familiar with Eden's personality.
Besides, Eden only had one personality. She couldn't hide anything.
"Alright, alright, my dear audience, don't be angry. What just happened can be considered a small test."
"A test? A test of what?"
Eden raised an eyebrow, tilting her head slightly. "A test to see if I would put an anesthetic in that cup of coffee?"
"Hmm, that's only one aspect of it."
The Magician Vill-V shrugged, feigning a troubled expression. "Actually, this was all the idea of that 'Expert' persona. After all, you know that Raiden Mei is a special existence."
Raiden Mei... that woman who looks so much like MEI.
Hearing this name, Eden appeared rather indifferent. Raiden Mei was Raiden Mei, and MEI was MEI.
They might share similar looks, but their personalities and roles were completely different.
MEI was a scientist, Mei is a warrior. MEI was absolute rationality, while Mei was a being of emotion.
"A future Herrscher, is it...? To be honest, for a moment just now, I also sensed the power of the Third Herrscher. It's... very weak, but it's on the verge of awakening."
Thinking of the plan Mobius had devised, Eden suppressed the thoughts in her heart. Changing her posture, she leaned against the railing and took a light sip of her coffee.
"So, the test you mentioned is related to her?"
"That's right. As expected of Eden, you guessed it in an instant."
Vill-V smiled. Under Eden's murderous glare, she picked up Fu Li's unfinished coffee, blew on it gently, and then, without any hesitation, pressed her lips to the still-damp rim of the cup.
"...Pervert."
"You're one to talk?"
Vill-V rolled her eyes, downed the coffee in one gulp, and then picked up a napkin to wipe her mouth.
"In any case, the plan is proceeding smoothly. Letting you have contact with Fu Li today was just to give you some comfort and prevent you from acting rashly."
"For the sake of our final goal, please, I must ask you to endure it a little longer. After all, you know that Mobius and I are stretched so thin just keeping an eye on that person that we can barely spare any extra energy."
Speaking of that person, Eden tilted her head in confusion and voiced her doubts directly.
"You mean, Aponia? I remember her being the one most skilled at endurance and waiting. Why are you so guarded against her?"
"Well, you have to understand, while Aponia is good at waiting, if that pathological desire for control she's suppressed for 50,000 years is unleashed, it could lead to extremely dangerous consequences."
Vill-V picked up her mask again, then conjured a top hat out of thin air as if by magic and placed it on her head. She waved a hand, signaling her impending departure.
"Anyway, you don't need to worry about Aponia. With Mobius and me here, keeping an eye on her won't be a problem."
"Is that so?"
Eden watched Vill-V walk away without any intention of stopping her.
She gently lifted her cup, her gaze deep and distant as she looked at the nearly empty coffee.
Vill-V, a contradictory and fragmented existence. Although Eden didn't doubt her feelings for Li, she didn't believe that everything Vill-V had done today was merely a test.
So? What is her real objective?
Even after all this time, Eden couldn't claim to understand every single one of Vill-V's personalities.
In her cognition, there was one, and only one, person in this world who could see through every Vill-V and enter their hearts—and that person was Fu Li.
"Vill-V... Vill-V..."
Eden whispered the name, slowly placing the cup back on its coaster, her fingers unconsciously tapping out a rhythm.
"What exactly... are you planning? Is your objective... Raiden Mei?"
---o---
After the concert, no matter how reluctant the audience was, they eventually had to leave the venue.
As for Fu Li and his group, their emotions were still immersed in the spectacle they had just witnessed. The first thing they did upon leaving was to continue discussing the performance.
"Wow, that singer called Elysian Realm is amazing! Hearing her live is a completely different experience."
"Yeah, that voice, the emotional impact was so powerful! It was incredible. I saw several girls who were on the verge of tears."
"Hmph, so did you cry?"
"Of course not."
Walking down the street, Kiana couldn't help but sigh with genuine emotion as she looked at the bustling crowd.
"Ahh, this is so nice. For a moment there, I even wanted to learn how to sing."
"Pfft, Kiana, calm down."
"Hey, I finally get a little interested in singing and you're already shooting me down, Mei. Hmph, look at Li, he's clearly supportive, right?"
As she spoke, Kiana playfully nudged Fu Li with her elbow. Knowing she was just joking, Fu Li went along with it.
"Right, right, you're absolutely right, Kiana. Having a dream is a good thing, but whether or not you can achieve it is another matter entirely."
"Oh?" Kiana raised an eyebrow and patted Fu Li's shoulder with a smile.
"So, Fu Li, what's your dream?"
"Hmm... I hope for this world to be safe and sound. I'd be happy just being an ordinary person."
"Eh, how boring."
Kiana burst out laughing and pointed a thumb at herself.
"My dream is to become the strongest S... cough cough, the strongest hero."
"The strongest hero..."
Thinking of the plot of A Post-Honkai Odyssey, Fu Li was suddenly at a loss for words.
Fortunately, before he could say anything, Klein and Pardofelis had already started their cars.
"Alright, it's getting late. As your teacher, I have to send you all home."
Pardofelis rolled down the car window and said to Fu Li, "You and Mei can ride back in Miss Klein's car. Kiana, I'll take you home."
"Oh, okay, thanks, Boss Pardo! Well then, Fu Li, Mei, see you tomorrow!"
"Mhm, you should get going. See you tomorrow."