Deep within a narrow alley, Elysia crouched down, gently smoothing Vya's hair.
"Aiya~"
She deliberately put on a stern face, her brows slightly furrowed, but the mirth in her eyes was impossible to hide. "Vya, what are you doing here? Didn't I tell you not to come looking for me…"
Even as she said this, her movements were exceptionally tender, and she very naturally gathered Vya into her arms.
Vya buried her face in Elysia's shoulder, her voice muffled. "But Vya really wanted to come see my sister…"
She could still smell the lovely fragrance on Elysia, and the pink light around her was just as gentle.
"Alright, alright. Did Mobius send you?"
Elysia didn't really have much else to say; the question was rather redundant, but she still wanted to confirm.
"Mhm. But Sister Mobius said I could come…"
Even though she had permission, thinking of Elysia's earlier words, Vya still felt a little embarrassed.
Though the joy of their reunion quickly washed away that guilt…
Seeing Vya like this, Elysia couldn't resist pinching her little cheek. "Alright then, I'll have to have a good talk with Mobius about this~"
She took the communicator from her tactical belt, preparing to call Mobius.
This was a private contact she had wheedled out of Mobius after much pestering.
The call connected almost instantly…
"Hello? Mobius?"
Elysia asked, her voice lilting with a smile.
"What is it? If you have something to say, say it quickly."
Mobius's voice came through, sounding impatient.
"Mobius~ How could you let Vya come here all by herself? What if she'd run into danger?"
"Hah… Don't joke around, Elysia."
A cold laugh came from the other end of the line.
"With Vya's capabilities, what kind of danger could she possibly run into? Sending her over might even lighten your load."
"Oh~♪" Elysia drew out the syllable. "If you put it that way, I should really thank you, shouldn't I, Mobius~"
Mobius paused. The line went silent for a few seconds.
She didn't dare accept Elysia's "thanks." That would inevitably lead to being pestered into trying on those outrageous little dresses again.
"Enough… There's actual business to discuss."
Mobius changed the topic abruptly.
…
"So, you want me to go find that girl named Mei, right?"
Elysia said, using her free hand to gently pat Vya's back.
"Mhm. Bring her back."
"The organization has already sent people. Go check it out. Oh, and Vya has met her before."
"Oh, really?"
"Right. That's all."
Mobius's voice cut off without even a goodbye… Well, perhaps she just didn't want to say it.
Elysia pouted slightly and reattached the communicator to her belt.
Aiya, she forgot to mention the little dresses. Oh well, it wasn't too late to settle that score after getting back.
She smiled and ruffled Vya's hair beside her.
"Vya, do you know that older sister named Mei?"
"Vya knows! Vya was just with them."
"Wow, our Vya is so amazing!"
Perfect. Mobius's task was practically already done without much effort. This was great.
Elysia's eyes sparkled. This certainly saved a lot of trouble.
She thought to herself, 'I wonder what expression Mobius would make if she knew Vya had already found Mei—though she'd definitely never praise her directly, that tsundere.'
"What a shame Mobius didn't hear that…"
Elysia feigned a sigh. "Otherwise, she'd surely praise Vya too~"
"Mhm, mhm!"
Vya nodded with a smile.
"Then let's set off now, to take Mei to MOTH…"
"Okay!"
Vya had memorized the route very clearly this time.
Elysia thought for a moment. "How about Vya goes ahead first? I need to go back and notify the other squad members. We have to bring them along too."
She crouched down to meet Vya's eyes. "Vya~ Can you do that?"
"No problem! Vya guarantees she'll complete the mission!"
Elysia smiled and took a miniature locator from her pocket, deftly attaching it to the inside of Vya's collar.
"With this, your sister will be able to find you~"
"Okay~"
And so, Vya headed back with the tracking device.
Even in the night, that streak of pink light was still faintly visible.
Watching the shadow of Vya's departure, Elysia smiled softly.
Once Vya was further away, Elysia turned to leave as well.
She had her reasons for sending Vya ahead—a little girl appearing at the edge of a battlefield was suspicious enough.
If other squad members witnessed more unusual behavior, like Vya eating Honkai beasts or displaying those extraordinary abilities, it would inevitably lead to unnecessary speculation.
On Vya's end, she returned very quickly.
"Hehe… so nice…"
By the moonlight from the window, Vya could make out the two tired faces.
Even in sleep, Kevin's brow was slightly furrowed, while Mei was curled up, like a child lacking a sense of security.
Just as before Vya left, the two were unconsciously leaning against each other, Mei's head resting on Kevin's shoulder.
Vya tiptoed to a corner, sat down, propped her chin in her hands, and waited quietly.
She glanced back occasionally. Her sister was getting closer.
Not long after.
Mei stirred awake. She hadn't slept well at first, but later felt much more at ease…
Even so, her internal clock urged her on.
The moment Mei opened her eyes, she saw Vya watching them…
And she and Kevin were somehow huddled together, no wonder she'd felt so secure…
Wait! Now wasn't the time to think about that.
"Ah…!"
Mei hurriedly sat up straight, her cheeks instantly flushing crimson.
After all, there was a child watching.
That exclamation woke Kevin instantly.
"! What's wrong? Is something happening?"
Kevin was instantly alert. He reflexively sprang up, his hand already reaching for the baseball bat beside him as he scanned their surroundings warily.
But all was quiet.
"Big brother, big sister, you're awake~"
Vya waved at them with a smile, as if she hadn't noticed the awkward scene at all.
"Vya, didn't you sleep?" Mei tried to keep her voice sounding normal.
"Vya isn't sleepy," Vya answered truthfully, her eyes fixed on them unblinkingly.
That scene just now had been quite startling—waking up to find a child smiling and waving at you in the dark.
"Oh, that's right! My sister said she'll be coming over soon~"
"?"
"?"
Mei and Kevin looked at each other, completely baffled by what she meant…
Some time later, Elysia finally arrived with two squad members.
There really wasn't any time to waste now, given the seriousness of the situation.
Abby and Abel, one male, one female, were members of Elysia's squad and naturally knew Vya. Seeing Vya here now, they were puzzled but didn't dare ask. (T/N: OC characters)
This was mostly because of the person behind her—Mei. Since she was the one Dr. Mobius had specifically requested, they were even less inclined to inquire.
…
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