"And you are?" Fu Lin feigned ignorance, his expression blank as he turned toward Otto.
"Otto Apocalypse, or the Overseer of Schicksal, as you might've heard," Otto said, tipping his hat and placing it against his chest.
"This isn't your original appearance, is it?" Otto remarked casually, stroking his chin with an air of intrigue.
'As expected of the Overseer of Schicksal' Fu Lin sighed as his disguise was seen through. He loosened the hair tied to his finger, reverting to his original appearance.
---------------------------
"Such an incredible ability, though your age is somewhat unexpected. Are you interested in joining Schicksal? Perhaps I can spare you and the people behind you." Otto gazed at the unbelievable scene with interest, extending an olive branch to Fu Lin.
Ignoring Otto's latter remarks entirely, Fu Lin, back to his original form, focused all his attention on Sirin.
Looking at the smiling Sirin before him, a wave of disappointment washed over him.
Why wasn't it as he imagined? Shouldn't she be crying tears of joy, hugging him tightly, and calling him "big brother" in excitement?
"Brother, don't you think you're terrible at acting?" Sirin whispered as she looked at Fu Lin, who now had a stark black-and-white art style.
"Huh? Was my acting really that bad?" Fu Lin reflected on his earlier behavior, thinking it wasn't all that off.
"...Brother, your habits already gave you away." Sirin felt utterly helpless facing her oblivious brother.
Although she hadn't noticed when she first encountered her disguised brother, after spending more time together, his habits and speech patterns had revealed his identity.
"Really?" Fu Lin thought back and realized it was true—he had unconsciously let himself go.
Thinking about it, he felt grateful it was discovered early. Otherwise, heading to St. Freya Academy later might have blown his cover. Not being found out earlier must have been sheer luck. He vowed to be more careful next time.
Watching the two siblings chat away, ignoring him completely, Otto interjected, "Ahem! You two haven't escaped danger yet..."
"Sorry, let's get back to the topic. Why do you want me to join Schicksal?" Fu Lin asked, unsure of Otto's intentions. Was it his body that interested him?
"I'm interested in your abilities," Otto said, leaning closer to face Fu Lin directly.
"Do you mean what you said earlier?" Fu Lin pushed Otto's face away, which was only a few centimeters away, worried he might lose his temper and slap him—only to end up hurting his own hand.
"Of course. All I need is just a little of your blood," Otto said, retreating a few steps when he saw the disdain on Fu Lin's face.
"Fine, I'll jo—"
"Help! Why are there Honkai beasts here?" Before Fu Lin could finish speaking, loud shouts erupted from the guards in the distance.
"Let's discuss this later. For now, you should... well, you're fast." Otto, seeing the situation, decided not to say much and urged Fu Lin to flee. However, when he turned around, Fu Lin was already gone.
Without Otto's prompting, Fu Lin had already grabbed everyone behind him and fled when he saw Honkai beasts suddenly appear among the crowd.
"Why did Honkai beasts suddenly appear?" Fu Lin asked, panic setting in as he heard distant screams. He turned to look at Sirin, who seemed completely normal.
"Brother, there seem to be more monsters over there..." Sirin tugged on Fu Lin's sleeve and pointed to the Honkai beasts approaching from the front.
When Fu Lin tried to change direction to avoid the beasts, he realized they were already surrounded.
"Are they... targeting me?" Fu Lin looked at the Honkai beasts encircling them, sensing that someone might be controlling them. But besides Sirin, who else had such abilities?
"Sirin, don't look back no matter what. Just keep running until you find a safe place." With a gentle look, Fu Lin gave Sirin his instructions, then pulled out the only tool he could rely on—a pocket watch that could stop time.
He softly carried Sirin and the others out of the encirclement, then returned to the same spot, waiting quietly for time to resume.
"Have you resigned yourself to fate?" Fu Lin sat lazily on the ground, hearing a faint, ethereal voice echo in his mind. He let out a helpless laugh—just as he thought, the Honkai Will had gone to great lengths to make Sirin a Herrscher.
"Should I call you a god, or the Honkai Will?"
"Come and go as you please, control others life and death at will... how arbitrary."
Fu Lin glanced at the restless Honkai beasts surrounding him. Receiving no response in his mind, he lay back on the ground, limbs outstretched, ready to embrace death.
In the last moment before his consciousness faded, he heard Sirin's desperate scream in the distance.
The Second Eruption had begun.
...
[Mission Complete: Evaluation - D]
[Reward: Random Teleportation Charm (x1)]
[Special Reward: Tranquil Gem]
[Comment: You accomplished nothing!]
Fu Lin stared at the system's evaluation, unsure how to react. He had worked so hard and hadn't made any mistakes, yet he still ended up being the key factor in Sirin's transformation into a Herrscher.
If not for his powers and Fu Shi's help in the main world, he would've died back during the incident in Nagazora City.
"Sigh~" Fu Lin lay on his bed, a single tear slipping from the corner of his eye. All his thoughts and feelings condensed into a single sigh.
"What's wrong?" Fu Shi asked, concerned. It was her first time seeing Fu Lin in such a state.
"This mission... I failed... Waaaah~ I failed!" Upon hearing Fu Shi's concern, Fu Lin could no longer hold back his suppressed emotions and threw himself into her arms, tears streaming down his face.
"What's there to cry about? Failure is the mother of success. Learn from this and try again. And don't you dare dirty my clothes!" Looking at the teary-eyed Fu Lin, Fu Shi's patience ran out. She gave him a solid punch on the head before adding a few words of comfort.
"Ow! That hurt!" Fu Lin clutched his head, sulking under his blanket while drawing circles on the bed. He occasionally glanced at Fu Shi, his eyes full of one part grievance, two parts misery, three parts pity, and four parts insincerity.
"Fu Lin, would you like to try some dango?" Yae Sakura, watching the comedic duo, held out a plate of leftover tri-colored dango to Fu Lin.
"Yes, please!" Fu Lin's eyes sparkled at the sight of the delicate sweets. There was no way he'd pass on a treat so beloved even by Inazuma's "Raiden Ei."
"Good food really can lift your spirits. The ancients didn't lie!" Fu Lin munched on the dango, holding one in each hand. His mood shift was as dramatic as a plunge into a bottomless chasm.
"Leave some for me!" Fu Shi sighed in relief at seeing Fu Lin back to his carefree self. However, noticing the rapidly dwindling dango, she scrambled to save some for herself.
"Fu Shi, what about my hot spring?" Fu Lin glanced at the clock on the wall, suddenly recalling that he hadn't finished his soak.
"Still thinking about that? It's been, uh... over two days and a half," Fu Shi remarked, pointing out his warped sense of time.
"That long? I'll be back after a quick stroll!" Fu Lin double-checked the time on his phone, dressed quickly, and dashed out the door.
"?"
"?"
Fu Shi and Yae Sakura exchanged puzzled looks as they watched Fu Lin, who had only just woken up, leave in such a hurry.
"The tailor should have the outfits ready by now," Fu Lin mused as he walked down the street, heading toward his destination.
"Honkai energy? Why is there Honkai here?" Passing by an alleyway, Fu Lin instinctively sensed a surge of Honkai energy. He glanced inside, but the darkness obscured everything.
"In this world, aside from Kevin, no one should be able to best me. Let's take a look..."
After a moment of thought, Fu Lin's gaze hardened, and he stepped cautiously into the pitch-black alley.