Dance and Deal

"Look… hey, look just outside thirteen empty tables to your right, yeah, that's the man sitting across from Boss Kevin, that's the First Herrscher! Boss Kevin himself said he's been saved by him at least three times… uh, but if you count it like that, I've also been saved by him quite a few times."

In the bar on the lower level of Fire Moth Five, Carol had one foot on the ground and one knee on her chair, elbows propped on the table as she whispered into the ear of a young blonde girl.

"The First Herrscher looks even younger than Boss Kevin. But he really is different from other Herrschers. If you didn't say anything, you really couldn't tell him apart from an ordinary person."

"What do you mean you can't tell the difference? Look at those melancholic eyes, that furrowed brow, those slender fingers holding the wine glass, that elegant demeanor… Ah! This is the legendary First Herrscher!"

"Ugh—Carol, you're such a pervert!"

"Ahem, cough cough cough!"

Carol quickly coughed a few times to ease the awkwardness. A hint of reminiscence flashed in her eyes, and then, without a word, she pulled up the blonde girl.

"Nope, nope, nope, can't do it, can't do it. Didn't expect it to be this cold even this far in. If I stay any longer, I'm gonna catch a cold… Let's go, let's go! I'll introduce you to the nosy Elysia, and Doctor Mobius, whose name alone is enough to stop little Griseo from crying loudly!"

"Doo doo, doo doo doo doo, doo doo doo doo, doo da da da da… Doo doo, doo doo doo doo, doo doo doo doo, doo da da da da…"

The lights suddenly dimmed, and a jarring burst of music erupted. Accompanied by the constantly flashing colored lights, Aldemir and Evangeline stepped into the dance floor side by side amidst the cheers and whooping of the crowd, launching into a dance that Mikael couldn't even name.

Their performance completely drowned out the two girls' self-proclaimed private conversation.

Compared to the ostentatious dancing and noise, Mikael still preferred to sit alone in a corner at times like these. He'd get a bite to eat, grab a drink, and the invisible barrier would completely isolate his lifeless self from the joyous world.

At times like this, usually only Elysia, carrying five or six plates of desserts, could break through this isolation, appearing in his narrow and unwelcoming world, bringing a bit of color and sound to this dull existence.

But today was different. He still bore a certain "diplomatic" significance.

That's right, this was the familiar "victory" dance, people were enthusiastically celebrating the end of the Fifth Honkai Eruption.

Like the previous few times, on this night, no one would remember the tens of thousands of ordinary people who died in Attica City, no one would remember that the Fifth Herrscher herself was just a pitiful young girl, no one would remember how much they had paid to achieve such a trivial victory.

No, perhaps it wasn't that everyone had forgotten, but rather they were choosing to selectively ignore it.

After all, the truth was so despairing, so despairing that humanity needed large amounts of alcohol, high-calorie food, and intimate interactions with the opposite sex to reverse their spiritual decline.

But there were also differences. For example—this was clearly Fire Moth's victory dance, yet it was mixed with several figures who shouldn't be here, but whom no one would drive away.

"Seriously, Kevin… why'd you call me to your little party?"

Warmth emanated from Mikael's palm. After the ice cubes in the brown soda slowly melted, he took a light sip. His brow, rarely unfurrowed, relaxed slightly as he subtly savored the feeling of small bubbles gently bursting in his mouth—Kevin Brand Refrigerator, very handy.

"What's with that? You're clearly enjoying yourself."

Kevin spread his hands. He had witnessed Mikael's relaxed expression the entire time, so naturally he wouldn't take his complaints seriously.

"Excuse me." Mikael pointed to the glass. "What I'm enjoying isn't this meaningless dance party. I just simply miss the kvass from that Fire Moth chef." [Kvass is a traditional Slavic and Baltic fermented cereal-based non-alcoholic beverage.]

"..."

"But why does Mei always have you talk to me alone?"

Mikael's tone sounded somewhat dissatisfied.

Kevin chuckled lightly, following his gaze. He could see a bright splash of pink weaving through the noisy crowd. She held Himeko, whose injuries weren't fully healed, with her left hand, and Mobius, who looked utterly unwilling, with her right.

Mobius, in turn, was holding Seele's hand, and behind them was a figure that Kevin only needed to glimpse from afar to feel the corners of his mouth curl up involuntarily.

"Hey, don't make it sound like I want to be with you. You think I don't want to be with Mei?"

He complained verbally, but his tone unknowingly shed its usual composure, reverting back to the boy he once was.

"Is Su doing well with you?"

"Not bad. He opened a small clinic in Dusk Street, treating people almost for free."

"That's good…"

The smile on Kevin's face was indeed one of relief, but his tone was inexplicably tinged with sadness and loneliness. "I really envy Su. He really did achieve his dream back then…"

"Mikael, can you answer me one more question—the Fifth Herrscher, she…"

"Kevin, the possibility you're hoping for never existed from the start."

Kevin's expression became incredibly complex in an instant. He hadn't expected Mikael's answer to be so straightforward, and yet, it also seemed to carry a hint of hidden meaning.

But with his current level of understanding, he couldn't grasp the true meaning behind Mikael's words. All he could do was record Mikael's words, expression, and tone, and then hand them over to Mei for speculation and analysis.

"Speaking of which, Mei deleted all my first-person battlefield footage from back then, and doesn't allow me to reveal to anyone the fact that the Herrscher showed human emotions…"

Although Kevin always unconditionally obeyed Mei's orders, it didn't eliminate his confusion and bewilderment. He could keep quiet in front of others, but in front of Mikael, he couldn't help but grumble a little.

"That's normal. If ordinary soldiers knew about this, it would be quite troublesome. After all, they aren't warriors who are used to 'killing' in the traditional sense. It wouldn't be easy for them to adjust their mindset. Instead of that, it's better not to tell them for now and see how the next Herrscher situation goes."

"Is that so…"

"Ahem, cough!"

Seeing that the dance party had reached its climax, Mikael coughed heavily twice, interrupting the previous topic.

"Well then, our chat time ends here. Let's talk about serious business."

Both Mikael and Kevin put on serious expressions.

But just a few seconds later, they exchanged knowing smiles.

It was the tacit understanding between Mikael and Mei. Without any communication, both sides were prepared to guide things towards the same outcome.

Everything was just as Mei had responded to [SEELE]: "I will bear all the responsibility."

Two rivers, starting from different paths, having gone through so many twists and turns, and taken so many detours, were on the verge of converging.

...

"Hey! Are you the only surviving boy?"

Hearing the unfamiliar voice, Kosma slowly raised his head.

[Hmm, unfamiliar voice, unfamiliar person.]

[Right, how could there be anyone familiar here?]

So he just glanced at Carol lightly, and then continued to lower his head, fiddling with a broken watch.

Saying it was a watch was actually an exaggeration. Only a broken watch face remained.

The silver metal frame was slightly twisted and still had black soot marks, traces of being scorched by high temperatures.

Kosma gently played with the watch hands. It wasn't a valuable watch to begin with. The watch crystal had long since shattered from repeated exposure to high and low temperatures, and the internal gears were similarly broken.

"Hey! What's wrong with you! I'm talking to you!"

This time, Kosma didn't even raise his head.

[Right, how could an unrelated person understand this kind of pain?]

He silently caressed the only object Anna had left behind.

[...]

"Daisy Dobile, let's go, this guy's no fun at all!"

Carol huffily turned to leave, but the blonde girl didn't follow as she expected.

She gave Carol an apologetic smile, and then gently crouched down in front of Kosma.

"I'm really sorry to bother you… Carol, she didn't mean to. After all, she also joined Fire Moth as a survivor. I heard… I just heard… maybe she saw the shadow of one of her friends in you?"

"..."

Kosma's breathing gradually quickened.

The girl's gentle tone was like silk brushing against his cheek, and finally, like flowing water, it flowed into his brain, even leaving a refreshing, sweet aftertaste.

This tone, this feeling, was not unfamiliar to the boy, which was why he was so agitated.

He finally raised his head, but was disappointed again.

Even though the surrounding lights were dim, making it hard to see specific features, he could still distinguish the difference between the girl in front of him and Anna.

They weren't the same person.

Hope shattered once again.

[No, I should have accepted this fact long ago.]

He was just still clinging to a sliver of fantasy. After all, Anna's body hadn't been found, only this broken watch face.

For those unwilling to believe in death, no body meant infinite possibilities.

But in fact, Kosma was very clear-headed, because the so-called sadness didn't seem as intense as expected—

[Anna is dead. Died in these people's hands.]

[But yet… but yet they uphold justice, they are protecting humanity…]

"Is this… something important left to you by someone?"

Daisy Dobile sat down next to Kosma, leaning against the wall.

"Mm…"

[I… I should have decided to keep quiet.]

[Damn it, should I continue talking or not?]

[She won't cling to me, will she?]

"Mm… yes. She… my birthday is coming soon, she said she'd prepare a birthday present for me, but in the end, she only left this."

"She?"

"Uh… yes, you can think of her as, an older sister."

[I… how did I end up saying so much to her?]

[No, next question, I definitely won't answer!]

"I see… Although I really want to say words like 'my condolences' [节哀 - jié'āi], but I also know that's just an excuse to placate children. So, on your birthday, how about I give you a gift? By the way, when is your birthday?"

"...I..."

Kosma, who had resolved not to speak, finally opened his mouth again.

Elysia, who had been quietly observing this dejected boy, couldn't help but smile slightly.

"Oops—looks like someone unknowingly did my job for me?"

"Wonderful! This way I can go back to sleep earlier! Staying up late is really bad for the skin!"

"However, this boy is about to be snatched away by Mei and the others, thinking about it makes me a bit sad…"

"But it's okay, anyway—it'll soon be a… Oops! I can't give spoilers!"