The Girl I Love Exists Somewhere in This World

The second collection room wasn't far in the game.

And now, in reality, the cabins stood side by side.

So it didn't take Lin Shuang long to find the Wind Glider she had been longing for.

"…I really want to steal it."

Even though it was just the simplest black wind glider.

Even though, before coming here, Lin Shuang had been dissatisfied with many aspects of that game.

But when her fingertips brushed against the exquisitely crafted Wind Glider, she couldn't help but be moved.

If the day ever came when she stepped into Teyvat, would she still have the chance to see those familiar faces?

Or was the Teyvat she remembered already a thing of the past?

She held the glider in her hands, staring at it for a long time.

A lingering breeze still clung to its frame, whispering of distant skies.

As if, by simply closing her eyes, she could see it all—the towering city-states, the birds soaring high, the dragons that weaved between the clouds, the nuns, the knights by the lake.

A wind full of fantasy and romance.

Lin Shuang exhaled softly and placed the Wind Glider back in its case.

Even though she had said she wanted to steal it, she didn't follow through.

For a fleeting moment, she felt she was being sentimental.

Nearby, Silver Wolf watched with an unreadable expression. She couldn't understand why Lin Shuang was so fixated on a mere glider, something that didn't even require technical skill.

If she wanted, Silver Wolf could modify this thing into a fully automated aerial drone in minutes.

But seeing Lin Shuang's expression, she chose to stay silent.

She simply followed along as Lin Shuang wandered through the collection room.

This time, Lin Shuang stopped before a weathered, broken sword.

"…?"

"Huh? This broken sword… doesn't it look a bit like the greatsword you use, Lin Shuang?"

Most of the blade was missing, leaving only fragments and a jagged tip. Yet the deep crimson hue and the intricate engravings were unmistakable—they were carved from the same mold as Lin Shuang's own weapon.

At the very least, they had to be part of the same lineage.

"...Maybe."

Lin Shuang didn't elaborate.

Because, in the end, she only looked like Kiana. She wasn't the real Kiana.

And because she had stopped not to examine the sword as an artifact, but out of nostalgia—for the time she had once spent in that world.

To introduce it as if she had witnessed its history firsthand… that was beyond her reach.

Still, she raised her hand and let her fingers trace the icy surface of the shattered blade.

The uneven metal, worn by time, told a silent story beneath her fingertips.

The battles, the sacrifices, the fleeting moments of glory.

These stories weren't fiction.

Somewhere, in some corner of time and space, those people were still fighting, still moving forward.

As her hand rested on the Wings of Wind, as her fingers brushed against the broken sword, that indescribable emotion stirred deep within her chest.

Lin Shuang closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and steadied her heart.

But she didn't allow herself to linger.

She exhaled, turned on her heel, and walked away without hesitation.

Silver Wolf, still trailing behind her, finally spoke up.

"I really don't get you. You came all this way… just to look?"

"Yeah," Lin Shuang replied with a soft smile, "just to look."

Silver Wolf rolled her eyes but didn't press further.

Instead, she asked, "Do you even know where we're going next?"

Lin Shuang recalled her original goal.

"I don't know. Asta didn't send me the location. Maybe the communicator's malfunctioning and we can't get a signal."

She shrugged. Honestly, she had no idea where Arlan was hiding. She only remembered that the elevator control system was nearby.

Which meant… it was probably somewhere in the containment section's control room.

"So how do you plan to find it? Don't expect me to hack the entire space station for you."

Lin Shuang smirked. "Let's check the monitoring room. According to Asta's map, it should be on this floor. We can look for Arlan there… and maybe the Herta Doll while we're at it."

As she spoke, she reached out and poked Silver Wolf's round, chibi-like face.

"Can't I change the way you see me?"

Silver Wolf smacked her hand away without hesitation.

"Not a chance. You're hopeless."

Laughing, they stepped into the circular passage of the containment section.

The walls curved along with the corridor, bridges extending to central elevators. Herta's collection rooms sprawled around them like a labyrinth of treasure troves.

Silver Wolf snatched Lin Shuang's phone and pulled up the map Asta had sent.

She skimmed the layout, then muttered, "...Is Herta some kind of hoarder? She's stuffed all kinds of weird crap in here. Some of it's actually dangerous."

"Why not just call it Herta's toy box?"

Before Silver Wolf could retort—

A sudden gust of wind howled through the passage!

A massive arrow, wreathed in razor-sharp gales, came hurtling down from above, aimed straight for Lin Shuang's head!

Her body reacted before her mind did. Instinct took over.

Muscle memory kicked in—she twisted midair, drawing her blade in a single motion. Flames erupted along its edge as she struck forward.

The arrow and the sword clashed, sending shockwaves through the corridor.

Fire and wind roared against each other, swirling into a chaotic storm—

Then, the arrow crumbled into ash, consumed by the inferno.

And from the shadows, a Trampler emerged, hooves stomping the air as it charged straight at her!

"Damn it—where are all these elite units coming from?!"

Lin Shuang barely managed to evade, dodging its crushing stomp.

She was about to retaliate with a single, decisive blow—

Then she hesitated.

In the split second before Silver Wolf's eyes, Lin Shuang raised her left hand and gently flicked her wrist.

Buzz—

A high-frequency vibration hummed through the air.

From every direction, thin, nearly invisible silk threads coiled around the Trampler's limbs, binding its hooves, its arms, even its throat and waist.

The threads shimmered—blue-green, like liquid fire, flickering in and out of existence.

"ROOOAAR—!!"

The beast howled, thrashing against its bindings.

But the more it struggled, the weaker it became.

Silver Wolf, who had been charging forward with her weapon ready, stopped in her tracks, eyes widening.

"Wait a second… That's Kafka's ability."

She suddenly recalled something.

"Oh. So that's why she gave you a ring." She smirked knowingly, crossing her arms. "She saw this coming."

Lin Shuang wasn't sure if Kafka had planned it from the start, or if it was just a whim.

But she didn't waste time thinking about it.

Instead, she yanked the silk threads, stepped forward—

And with a swift motion, she mounted the Trampler's back.

The beast bucked, but with the threads in hand, Lin Shuang controlled it with ease.

At that moment—

[Riding EX] activated.

Blue-green flames surged across the Trampler's body, seeping into its very being.

Lin Shuang's power surged, corrupting, assimilating—

And the monster bowed beneath her will.