"Ah…"
Hua's voice was soft. "Then we…"
Himeko looked at the lost girl before her and sighed. This reaction was within her expectations—she had seen it many times before.
Survivors who had lost everything in the catastrophe always had that same look of confusion in their eyes.
"You'll be sent to Australia."
Himeko then turned to Carol. "As for you… we've contacted your parents. They want to bring you to them."
"Huh, really?!"
Carol's eyes lit up for a moment, but then dimmed again.
She glanced worriedly at Hua, who was staring at the floor.
For her, this was good news, but…
"Mhm. So, from now on, don't think about Nagazora anymore. Think hard about how you want to live your future."
"Hua…"
Carol was reluctant. She didn't want to be separated from her good friend either.
"Then… can she come with me?"
Carol mustered her courage to ask.
"Of course, as long as your parents agree."
"So… Hua, come with me, okay?"
Carol eagerly grabbed Hua's hand. "I'm sure my parents will agree!"
She had never seen that look in Hua's eyes before.
"No… thank you."
Hua slowly stood up, her gaze meeting Himeko's.
In that moment when their eyes met, Himeko seemed to see a version of herself from many years ago.
"We… what else can I do?"
Hua's voice was quiet, yet exceptionally clear.
"You know, a lot of people have asked me that same question before. Maybe just a sliver of hope…"
She took a few steps closer, meeting Hua at eye level.
"Don't worry, little one. You'll have a whole lifetime to think about that question."
"But…"
Hua wanted to say more, but Himeko gently patted her shoulder. The look in her eyes now held a touch of approval.
"Alright, you two think it over slowly. I'll come back again tonight."
Carol watched Hua's stiffened back, her feelings a tangled mess. She knew this friend too well—Hua always habitually accepted what others arranged for her, rarely fighting for anything herself.
But this time, Hua had to make her own decision. Could this be considered growing up?
…
In the end, Hua chose to join MOTH. She said she had, for now, found something she needed to do, and that she could keep thinking things through slowly…
Carol ultimately decided to stay with Hua, though who knows how she managed to convince her parents to agree…
…
Oh, and there was also what happened at Mobius's lab that day.
Regarding Vya inexplicably appearing in other places, Mobius naturally knew about it, so she wanted to figure out why.
Without a doubt, it should be related to the Herrscher core, but why didn't it manifest normally?
That really was baffling.
And so far, only one type of ability had shown itself—the power of the Herrscher of the Void. What about the Herrscher of Reason?
"Sister Mobius, do I have to keep lying here?"
Vya asked from inside the instrument.
"It's fine, you can come down now."
Mobius frowned at the display screen. Still normal…
Vya immediately hopped out of the instrument and scampered over to Elysia.
"Strange," Mobius murmured to herself. "Vya should be able to use Herrscher power, but what's the trigger condition?"
She suddenly looked up, her snake-like eyes fixing on Elysia.
Stare—
Being stared at like that, Elysia blinked uncomfortably. "Oh my, Mobius~, why are you looking at me like that?"
"You're making me shy, you know♪~"
"…"
Mobius calmly shifted her gaze away, appearing composed on the surface while feeling a bit flustered inside.
"I think it's related to you."
She stated her speculation bluntly.
"Me?"
Elysia pointed at herself.
"Do I have something special about me?"
"I'm just your ordinary, everyday beautiful girl♪~"
Hearing that, Mobius helplessly pressed a hand to her forehead.
But… well, that was Mobius for you.
"According to what you said, Vya found you that very day. But have you considered how she got from here to Nagazora so quickly?"
"Huh, you're right. I thought you had someone send Vya over, Mobius?"
Elysia said, somewhat surprised.
"Then, when you directly confronted the Herrscher, Vya appeared again."
Mobius continued her analysis. "And after that… when the third Herrscher died, the power was triggered again for some reason."
Mobius spoke unhurriedly, and her reasoning wasn't far from the truth.
She was actually feeling a bit excited now. Even though she had been researching Herrscher cores, she still hadn't uncovered their true nature.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have had Vya consume the Herrscher core. If any changes occurred, it would greatly aid the research on the cores.
She craved to see change, to break through the current boundaries of understanding.
And now that Vya had shown she could use Herrscher power, what did that mean?
It meant Vya might even be able to fully control this ability. Even if she was a Honkai beast, she was likely controllable for now and possessed human emotions.
The next thing to verify was whether Vya's ability was limited to a single Herrscher's authority, or if it could encompass multiple.
If it was the latter…
Mobius knew that would be an excellent development.
This was how she operated. She was a madwoman, and few ever tried to understand Mobius.
Though Elysia was one of them, Elysia was like that with everyone.
…
"Vya, do you remember how you went to find Elysia?"
"Huh…"
Faced with Sister Mobius's question, the little girl bit her finger in thought—not a good habit, Elysia noted, deciding to correct Vya on it later.
Suddenly, Vya's eyes sparkled. "Vya thought about finding Sister, and then—whoosh!—I was there!"
"Is that so…?"
Mobius looked up thoughtfully, her eyes returning to Elysia.
"So, Vya triggered the ability unintentionally because she wanted to find me?"
Elysia had an epiphany. She slowly crouched down and patted Vya's head.
It seemed Elysia held quite a place in Vya's heart…
Mobius thought to herself.
Wait, why was this inexplicable envy surfacing again…
In the following experiments, Mobius requested that Elysia stay away from Vya for a few days to test if Vya's ability was truly connected to her. But this proposal was unanimously opposed by the two parties involved.
"Nooo~"
Vya clung tightly to Elysia's leg, her little face scrunched up.
"Mobius~, how can you be so cruel?" Elysia pretended to wipe away tears. "Trying to separate us sisters!"
Faced with such "protests," Mobius was powerless…
At the very least, she was no match for Elysia.
…
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