Mei glanced at Fu Lin suspiciously. Could it be that Fu Lin just wanted to ask me out alone but didn't know how to say it, so he used Elysia as an excuse?
Fu Lin knew that Elysia wouldn't be coming, but he didn't plan to tell Mei directly. Instead, he gently said,
"...Elysia didn't give me a specific time. Maybe we arrived a little early. Why don't we take a walk and enjoy the scenery?"
"Maybe Elysia will come in a little while."
Hearing Fu Lin's words, Mei's mind began to overanalyze and interpret things in her own way...
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"Elysia won't be coming, not even for a while. It's just the two of us here, and no one else will come to disturb us. Do you want to take a look around with me?"
"Let's spend this beautiful day together, Mei."
Thinking of this, Mei couldn't help but smile and mutter softly, "Fu Lin, really… If you want to go on a date with me, just say so. No need to use Elysia as an excuse."
Hearing Mei's indistinct voice behind him, Fu Lin turned back and asked, "Mei, what did you just say? I didn't catch that."
Mei walked towards the surrounding flower beds, gazing at the dazzling flowers, and said,
"The air here is so fresh, and I can even smell the sweet fragrance of the flowers. Compared to the outside world, this place is like the paradise people speak of, a Pure Land of Bliss."
"That's not wrong to say, but unfortunately, everything here is just data. Mei, what do you think of the memory constructs? How do you see them?"
Fu Lin crouched down, picked a vibrant flower, and handed it to Mei. Just as she was about to reach for it, the next second, it disintegrated into particles and vanished into the air.
Mei looked at her fingertips—it was so close, just a little more, and she would have caught it.
"Elysia asked me the same question. At the time, I didn't know how to answer either. She told me to let her know before I left…"
Fu Lin stood up and looked towards the fairy Ellie flying in from the distance. "Alright, Elysia is here too."
Following Fu Lin's gaze, Mei saw only the fairy Ellie in the sky. "Elysia is here? Where? I don't see her."
Fu Lin clapped his hands, walked towards the fairy Ellie, then turned back to Mei with a smile. "Isn't Fairy Ellie also an Elysia? I'm not wrong, am I?"
Upon seeing Fu Lin and Mei, Fairy Ellie waved her tiny hands. "Ah, adorable humans! Meeting you first thing in the morning—is this fate destined by the fairies?"
Mei smiled. "…Alright, that really is very Elysia-like. Even though I'm used to it, I still can't help but sigh."
"Oh? So you're not with the mature me?"
Fairy Ellie looked behind Mei, but didn't see Elysia. Surprised at first, she then became delighted and said excitedly,
"Could it be… you came just to see me? Fairy Ellie is so happy!"
Fu Lin poked the ring above Fairy Ellie's head and said bluntly, "No, you're overthinking it. We're waiting for Elysia."
"Fu Lin, did Elysia really say she'd meet you here? If so, it seems like she's late."
Mei looked at Fu Lin with skepticism. Seeing Fairy Ellie and hearing Fu Lin's joke, she had assumed Elysia was the one he had invited. But now, it seemed that wasn't the case.
Fairy Ellie raised her staff and smacked Fu Lin's finger, then moved to Mei's side and said,
"How rude! If it were me, I would have arrived early to cherish the last moments with the adorable humans."
"You detestable human, this fairy has tolerated you for long enough!"
Fu Lin sucked on his finger and looked at the smug Fairy Ellie. "Tsk, small in size, but big in temper."
"Last moments?" Mei was startled upon hearing this and looked at Fairy Ellie in confusion. When had she ever said she was going to leave the Elysium Everlasting?
Fairy Ellie sat on Mei's shoulder and said,
"That's right. Once you understand the whole truth, won't you leave here? Yesterday, when we were fixing the typewriter together, the mature me said so."
"She really can't bear to see you go."
Mei pressed her lips together and looked at Fu Lin in front of her. She didn't want to leave the Elysium Everlasting—unless Fu Lin could leave with her. Otherwise… she didn't want to leave just like that.
But according to Fu Lin himself, he only appeared when she stepped into the Elysium Everlasting. He was likely just like the memory constructs, unable to leave so easily.
But if Fu Lin could… No, she couldn't afford to gamble on that.
Fairy Ellie flew in front of Mei and waved her hands, looking full of grievance. "Human, what are you thinking about? Are you even listening to this fairy?"
Mei snapped back to reality and apologized, "Sorry, I was thinking about something else just now."
Fairy Ellie put her hands on her hips. "Fine, since you're an adorable human, I'll forgive you. Where was I?"
Fu Lin reminded her from the side, "You were talking about how Elysia prepared lots and lots of surprises for Mei on the island."
Fairy Ellie spread her arms wide in an exaggerated manner. "Yes, so many that every time you dream, you'll return to the Elysium Everlasting. That way, you might not want to leave at all."