"Wooo..."
Elysia looked resentfully at the calm Lin, who was taking cotton swabs and iodine glycerin out of the medical kit. She clutched her mouth and let out a dissatisfied whimper.
Lin dipped a medical cotton swab into the iodine glycerin and squatted in front of her, giving a calm instruction: "Open up."
After staring at Lin for two or three seconds, she endured the pain and opened her small mouth. Lin gently pinched her chin and used the swab to apply the iodine glycerin to the tip of her tongue where it had been bitten.
"Don't eat irritating foods for the next four or five days. No snacks either. You must rinse your mouth after meals." Lin instructed Elysia after treating the wound, only to receive an even more resentful look.
"Ugh... it's all your fault... I can't eat anything delicious for the next few days."
"..."
This was indeed Lin fault. Because a previous kiss with someone had left too deep an impression on him—plus the fact that he itself felt nothing—he had subconsciously bitten down when Elysia tongue pushed against his teeth.
The result... Elysia tongue was bitten until it bled.
However, after being angry for a while, Elysia looked at Lin and laughed. Lin didn't know why she was laughing.
"Hmm... this proves you're very inexperienced." Elysia blinked her bright eyes and smiled charmingly. "Me too."
He really couldn't understand what there was to be happy about.
Elysia touched her lips and curled her mouth. "It felt different from what I saw on the internet."
"What was different?" Lin asked calmly.
"It felt like... all my strength was drained, and my head felt dizzy."
"...You were oxygen deprived."
"Let's try again."
Without another word, Elysia pinned him down on the sofa.
...
Lin had met no small number of women. There was Mobius, who was much older; there were Pardo and Hua, who were much younger. Naturally, there were those of a similar age, but Elysia probably needed her own separate category.
He had thought Vil-V was already... well... "intense" enough. He didn't expect that once Elysia had released some kind of restriction, she became even more... indescribable.
Regardless of what taste Elysia got out of the kiss, he certainly felt the lack of oxygen.
Fortunately, they had reconciled.
...Saying it that way felt a bit strange, but Elysia returned to her usual self. She didn't ask what Lin did last night, nor did she ask when Lin would leave, even though they both knew it was only a matter of time.
The lips of both were slightly red and swollen. She only went back to sleep when she was too tired to kiss any longer. Lin began to organize the clues he had found in the archaeological site.
The Honkai, Soul Steel, Herrschers... these all existed, almost identical to his original world.
He had long suspected that since the consciousness of the Honkai existed earlier than their civilization, the lunar remains were likely just a trigger. Touching it accelerated the appearance of the Honkai, but even if the Fire Moth hadn't stepped on the moon, the Honkai would have erupted at some specific point in time.
That specific point was likely tied to the progress of human civilization.
The evidence was the existence of the Herrscher of Reason.
The last Herrscher to destroy the Previous Era was the Herrscher of Reason. Her authority was to manifest things she understood. This ability was highly targeted against human technology. The fact that Herrschers never appeared in any form other than human suggested that the Honkai likely co-existed with human civilization.
But this raised another question.
If humanity and the Honkai were closely linked, was the appearance of the Honkai solely to destroy humanity?
There was a pattern he couldn't quite name but could vaguely feel. Just as Yama said, the word "Leaf" must symbolize something. The true face of the Honkai became mysterious.
How did it appear, and how should it end?
...
Elysia was woken by a faint fragrance. She wobbled out of her room, the pain in her tongue still making her hiss in the cool air. Reaching the living room, the scent filled her nose and woke her up instantly.
On the table was a large pot of mung bean porridge mixed with some lean meat. The refreshing look immediately whetted Elysia appetite. She pounced to the table and looked eagerly at Lin, who was coming out of the kitchen.
Lin untied his apron, laid out the bowls and chopsticks, and glanced calmly toward the kitchen: "Wash your hands."
Elysia dashed into the kitchen. Lin served a large bowl of porridge for her, then sat down, listening quietly to the sound of water and Elysia light humming.
Is this what Ato thought?
There would always be someone waiting for him to come home. Under the warm light, they would eat a simple, quiet dinner, the laughter healing the clamorous noise in his ears.
Like this, would one want to come home even from a battlefield?
Lin thought of Blanca and Griseo. He silently clenched his fist, but soon relaxed it.
Dinner passed quickly amidst the girl's laughter. Lin had originally intended to organize his thoughts after eating, but he was dragged into Elysia room and straight to the computer.
Watching Elysia enthusiastically adjust the camera and computer, he remained silent for a moment before asking: "What are you doing?"
"Letting you say hello to them."
"Them?"
"My audience."
"..." Lin briefly processed Elysia words. Confirming that she meant exactly what he thought, he blurted out: "Your lack of oxygen has caused brain cell death."
"...Lin, sometimes there's really no need to display your sense of humor."
Once the setup was complete, Elysia turned on the stream. She and Lin appeared together on the broadcast screen.
After two years, Elysia popularity was at the absolute top. As soon as she started, a sea of comments appeared. Many people specifically waited for her stream to see her the moment she went live.
[Eh? Why is there someone else?]
[Ellie, be careful, there's someone else in your room!]
[Wow, this person is also very good-looking.]
[Ellie older brother?]
[Is it an older sister?]
Due to the unique nature of Lin appearance, many people weren't sure of his relationship with Elysia. Some guessed brother, some guessed sister, some guessed an older generation like an uncle... but no one guessed they weren't related.
Elysia, throughout the whole thing, just watched with a giggle. After all, she had never said—or admitted—that she lived alone.
"First of all, let me introduce my roommate. He's been living with me for two years."
[Oh, so it's an 'onee-san' after all.]
The comments were uniform in thinking Lin was female.
Unfortunately, the person they placed their hopes in was about to shatter them personally.
"And also, he is male."
The chat went silent for a second, and then... it exploded.
Phones began ringing the next second. The supervisor in charge of Elysia called her like a madman, but Elysia merely turned her head and gave Lin a gentle smile.