"Could you possibly be any more of a scumbag?"
After Miss Ishtar departed with a rare, shy expression, Ling turned back to look at the man who was still tending to his flowers.
Her gaze was like that of the Ahoge King and the Knights of the Round Table looking at Merlin—a giant piece of non-burnable trash.
"I could," the man, who had actually toned down his behavior considerably since his days at the Clock Tower, likely due to being surrounded by cute girls, said as he reached up to scratch his cheek. "You might not believe this, but I'm far more sincere and reliable now than I was in the past."
"The old me was a giant piece of non-burnable trash, just like Merlin."
A giant piece of non-burnable trash?
Hearing his self-assessment, Ling's eyes widened.
"My Origin is 'Hunting'," the youth explained, using a word that was not particularly imposing, even a bit plain.
"Back when I lived in the Spirit Tomb, if I and someone else had our eyes on the same thing, I wouldn't hesitate to treat my rival as prey and hunt them down as well. I did that quite a lot."
In a light, understated tone, the youth recounted his childhood and teenage years after his rebirth. Then, he smiled, a nostalgic look on his face.
"Thinking back on it now, I really was just a giant piece of non-burnable trash back then."
"What's an 'Origin'?" Ling asked, not quite understanding the term. She felt she might have just found the key reason why this man's personality was so incredibly twisted.
"Origin, also known as 'Chaotic Impulse'."
"Conceptually, it's similar to a primal instinct, or even fatalism," the youth explained with a shrug.
"It refers to the fact that all things, including life, have a predetermined direction from the moment they begin, and they will inevitably develop along that path. In humans, this directionality manifests as a kind of primal impulse, but it can still be suppressed by one's acquired personality and intellect."
"With 'Hunting' as my Origin, it's very easy for me to develop the idea of 'capturing a target and making it my own'."
"A Chaotic Impulse… is that why you chase after girls everywhere?" Ling asked, her expression grave as she listened to his self-analysis.
To have one's direction decided from birth? That's true fatalism.
For some reason, she felt a pang of pity for Li Zihan. His every action was influenced by his own Chaotic Impulse.
"There's some truth to that. For a few special reasons, my Origin awakened the moment I gained consciousness, so my Chaotic Impulse is much stronger than that of a normal being."
"Just as I instinctively pursue power, when I learn that certain beautiful girls are pure, innocent, and worthy of being cherished, my instincts urge me to pursue them."
"Is that what 'Hunting' is?" Ling murmured. "You are a natural-born hunter in every situation."
"No, the biggest reason I'm a womanizer is that I just like beautiful girls."
The brutally honest words that came from Li Zihan's mouth caught Ling completely off guard.
"An Origin can be controlled with reason and intellect. If I wanted to, I could suppress my Chaotic Impulse."
Fuck! This guy wasn't suppressing his Chaotic Impulse at all!
After spending a good while lamenting the whims of fate, only to receive such a bastardly answer, the corner of Ling's mouth twitched.
This man behaved the way he did simply because he gave free rein to his desires and his Origin's impulse.
"Hey, don't you ever think about stopping?" Ling sighed, feeling that this man was probably a lost cause.
"Stopping? Of course, there will come a time when I have to stop."
The youth stretched lazily, a premonition flickering in his mind as he recalled the faces of the girls who had once looked at him with infatuation.
"But until the time comes when I absolutely have to stop, I should enjoy myself, shouldn't I?"
The youth, who had a rough idea of when he needed to rein it in, laughed, his voice light and carefree.
Then, he went back to arranging the flower pots on the table, preparing for his nightly conversation with Ereshkigal.
Watching him set up the table decorations, which were clearly not for Ishtar, Ling felt a wave of helplessness.
This guy really was a lost cause. He had just finished flirting with Ishtar, and he was already thinking about seducing another girl.
"Your scumbaggery is reaching the level of pure scum."
Ling, who couldn't be bothered with him anymore, sighed. Her body flickered, dissolving into a cloud of black and red mist before vanishing.
"On account of us being on decent terms, if you get hacked to death by one of your lovers one day, I'll try to collect your corpse."
After Ling disappeared, her voice lingered in the empty space.
"Well, thanks for that."
The youth, completely unfazed by Ling's curse wishing a yandere ending upon him, sounded cheerful as he began preparing other things.
Bronya likes HOMU dolls, so I should try sewing a handmade one for her. Kiana likes sightseeing, so I should tell her about the best places in the world to travel and plan our trip for after we return to the Honkai world. And Ishtar… since I've decided to pursue her, I should change my attitude. The leftovers should be replaced with proper platters of food, and I should give her some small jewelry.
And I should also get a little gift for the still-hesitant Gudako.
The youth, who knew he would be overwhelmed and give up on pursuing more girls if he didn't have time magic, lamented the convenience of the Emiya family's magecraft as he cheerfully modified the flow of time to complete his tasks.
Then, he quietly waited for midnight to arrive.
---o---
As Li Zihan waited, the door to the guest room opened silently.
A goddess in an almost overly simple dress took adorable little steps, admiring the flowers along the path as she walked towards the god who had previously commissioned her to propose to "Ereshkigal."
"Good evening, Zihan."
The underworld goddess, who shared Ishtar's face but had a much cuter tone of voice, sat down directly in front of him. She expertly picked up the floral tea on the table and poured a cup for him and herself.
"Do you want to know what my sister thinks of you?" the lovely girl asked with a sweet smile, sizing up the foreign god who had asked her to propose to herself.
"Teach me how to care for broad-leaved plants, and I'll tell you."
Then, she froze.
She realized that the youth was also sizing her up, his gaze filled with an interest far more intense than when they had previously discussed flowers, and…
Adoration?
Something feels off here, Miss Ereshkigal thought, sensing the strange atmosphere.
And then—
The youth's voice rang out, making her eyes go wide.
"To know the Underworld Queen's heart, all I have to do is ask you right here, isn't that right?"
The youth looked at the goddess appearing in Ishtar's form and smiled faintly.
"My dear Ereshkigal."