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."
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Then she lowered her arms, hugged her staff, squinted her eyes into two horizontal lines, and her mouth turned into a upward smirk,
"I was laughing at him for being naive, but you've suffered so much here already—how could you possibly be reluctant to leave!... Uh, would you?"
Mei didn't know how to respond, so she could only change the subject and question the fairy Ellie in return,
"I... let's not talk about me for now. But you, why are you here? As the archive room administrator, is it really okay for you to abandon your post?"
Fairy Ellie glanced around with a guilty expression, poking her fingers together, "Well... um... there's a reason for it..."
"After you all left yesterday, no one came to the archive room anymore. I thought, since I had nothing to do, I might as well go out and enjoy the scenery."
"The afternoon sun was warm, the air smelled sweet with flowers, and I snuggled up next to a soft little cat. Before I knew it, I fell asleep."
Mei, "So fairies need sleep too."
Fu Lin, "You're so tiny—aren't you afraid a cat would just carry you off? You sure are bold."
Fairy Ellie puffed up her cheeks and glared at Fu Lin, then continued,
"Don't interrupt me!... So, when I opened my eyes again, the sky was already dark, and the little cat was gone. I rushed back, but... but..."
"The archive room door was locked!"
Mei, "…Locked? You didn't lock it yourself?"
Fairy Ellie crossed her arms, "There's nothing dangerous in the Eternal Paradise, so I never needed to be on guard."
Mei held her forehead, "I don't know about dangerous things, but there are definitely 'thieves.' The cat you napped with might have been an accomplice."
Fairy Ellie clutched her head, feeling frustrated, but still looked at Mei with confidence,
"Anyway, I tried every unlocking spell I knew, but I still couldn't open it... In the end, I had to spend the night in the garden."
Mei crossed her arms and asked with confusion,
"So, you still haven't been able to get into the archive room? Strange... Other than that typewriter, is there anything important inside?"
Fairy Ellie proudly straightened up, "Of course! There's also a cute, charming, flawless fairy administrator!"
Mei, "...."
Fu Lin, "....I really want to say something about that."
"Alright, nothing else then."
Fairy Ellie immediately deflated after hearing Fu Lin's words but quickly gasped and covered her mouth,
"Ah! Could it be that someone has set their sights on the one and only me? No way, Fairy Ellie won't allow such an 'atrocity' to exist!"
"Even if I have to use a spell to break down the door, I must stop this wrongdoing!"
"Hah... Don't you have a key?"
Fu Lin chuckled softly as he watched the puffed-up Fairy Ellie. The more he looked, the more he liked her—should he ask Elysia for one of his own?
"Key... Ah! Cute human, I have to go now!" Fairy Ellie was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized something, waved her hand, and quickly ran off.
…Some time later.
"Fu Lin, Elysia still hasn't come." Mei looked at Fu Lin meaningfully—Elysia was definitely not someone who would break a promise, so there was only one truth…
Fu Lin took Mei's hand and led her elsewhere, "Then let's go find her."
Mei pursed her lips slightly and nodded, "…Okay."
Fu Lin then took Mei to search every possible place where Elysia might be.
—"Fu Lin, she's not here either."
—"Not here either… Elysia isn't anywhere."
Mei held onto Fu Lin's arm and, seeing Kevin and the others ahead, asked, "That's Kevin up ahead… Su is there too, along with Mobius and Aponia… Fu Lin, should we go ask them?"
Fu Lin stopped in his tracks, looked at Mobius in the distance, then quickly darted behind cover, whispering to Mei, "…Uh, I'll wait here."
"Fu Lin, what are you doing?" Mei looked at him in confusion. Yesterday, he was so excited to take pictures with the Flamechasers, so why was he hiding today?
"It's a long story. I'll tell you when you get back."
Fu Lin lowered his voice while glancing cautiously at Mobius in the distance. He didn't even feel safe here and started looking around—then, spotting a bush, he dove in, leaving only his eyes peeking out at Mei.
"Alright, then wait here." Mei's lips twitched slightly before she walked up to the Flame Chasers. "Excuse me…"
Mobius glanced behind Mei, and upon not seeing Fu Lin, she lost interest,
"…Oh? Look who it is. Didn't the other little white mouse come with you?"
"Let me guess, he's probably hiding somewhere, afraid to face me, right?"
Mei's expression turned cold as she warily eyed Mobius, "Oh? Did something happen between you two?"
Mobius covered her mouth and chuckled, as if she had found something amusing,
"Haha… So he's really important to you. But I must say, I'm quite interested in his body too. How about you let me have him?"
Mei, "!!!"
Aponia interrupted, "Hello, Mei. Do you need something?"
Mei ignored Mobius and directly asked, "…Have any of you seen Elysia?"
As Mei talked with the Flame Chasers, Fu Lin also encountered an unexpected visitor.
"You are...!!!"