"First question, why are you always avoiding me?" Elysia, her face close to his, smiled, her eyes filled with inquisitive curiosity.
Lin Wei glanced at her through his sunglasses, then removed the glasses and placed them over her face, pushing her away. "If someone is overly enthusiastic, they're probably up to no good."
Don't get too close. We're not that intimate.
"That's not true! You're lying!" Elysia pushed the "new" sunglasses onto her head and leaned closer, their gazes no longer obscured.
Perhaps that was a little too oppressive, or perhaps she was a little too close for comfort.
She leaned back in her chair, striking a casual pose, her tone light and cheerful. "Well, I forgive your little lie~ You're just like Kevin, Kalpas, and Kosma, a shy boy who hides his true feelings, making girls fret and lose sleep… you're such a naughty boy!"
Lin Wei looked at her, his expression a mixture of exasperation and disbelief.
You're the one who's always acting like that!
Can't you be a bit more self-aware?
But such words were clearly missing from her vocabulary. "Alright then, for the sake of fairness, let's play a game, okay?" Elysia put a finger to her face, pretending to be in thought. "You ask me a question, and I'll answer. Then, I'll ask you a question, and you'll answer. That sounds fun, right?"
Playing house? Are you a child?
Lin Wei was getting a headache. How can someone be like this?
"Oh? Why aren't you saying anything? Do you have an even better idea?" Elysia reached out, stopping him from putting on yet another pair of sunglasses. "If you have something to say, say it! Don't make me sad and troubled like Kevin, okay?"
"..." Lin Wei nearly lost it. Not only was she preventing him from moving, but her spoiled, childish tone was also driving him nuts.
"Is this how you interact with everyone else?" he asked, sounding like a petulant child.
He wasn't jealous, he was just trying to break the awkward silence.
"More or less? After all, Elysia is always so enthusiastic~" She grinned, enjoying his discomfort. "But I'm not like this with everyone, especially with the boys. I always keep their sensitivities in mind. I wouldn't want to make anyone uncomfortable, you know?"
Really? Well, I'm uncomfortable!
Lin Wei could only sigh.
He couldn't beat her, nor could he scold her.
Truth was, she was too strong.
Although he knew she didn't mean him harm, he couldn't bring himself to be mean either.
He was good at being "ruthlessly honest," but it didn't work on her.
When he was with her, he was the one being "ruthlessly honest," with no way to escape.
She was being kind, so he couldn't be a jerk.
But even if he tried to be cold, it was no use.
She had honed her skills on Kevin. She was immune to his tricks.
"It's just, I feel like you're different from other boys. With Kevin and Kalpas, I can be a little more indirect, but with you… hee hee, I feel it's better to be straightforward!" She finished, her lips curving into a playful smile, her eyes glinting mischievously.
Here she goes again, Lin Wei thought, a bad feeling creeping into his heart.
"Alright, I answered your question, so now it's your turn! Boys should keep their word, you can't back out!"
Lin Wei: Σ( ° △ °|||)︴
Wait a minute!
...
Fine…
(ノへ￣,)
Damn it, she got me again…
"Okay, ask away…" Lin Wei sighed in resignation, deciding to give up.
Elysia, however, suddenly pushed the sunglasses on her head down her face and flipped onto the other chair, assuming a relaxed pose. "On second thought, I won't force you~ This question is precious, so I shouldn't use it so carelessly."
She tilted her head slightly, putting his sunglasses back on him. Her voice turned soft. "When you're not avoiding me, when you're not so close yet so distant, I'll ask you then. It's a promise, don't you dare lie. Or I'll be very disappointed."
She then fell silent, humming quietly, as if enjoying the sunlight.
That pause unsettled Lin Wei. He felt as though she had prepared another prank for him.
Please, give me a break.
He had never felt so helpless in a conversation before.
The more he thought about it, the more anxious he became. He decided to take the initiative.
He suddenly sat up and said, "Elysia—"
He stopped himself mid-sentence.
There was no one beside him. Only the empty chair, with a small speaker humming a tune.
It really had high-quality sound, not a trace of electronic distortion.
Lin Wei sighed, pressing the "stop" button.
Click. Silence.
He lay back down, ready for another nap.
Toss… turn…
(╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻
I can't sleep!
He got up and left, feeling annoyed.
It was about time for training. He could at least take out his frustration on Hua…
I swear I'll master that Inch Punch - Shattered Sky!
...
"You seem distracted, Lin Wei," Hua said as he approached. She blocked his kick with her hand and sent a fist straight towards his chest.
Lin Wei blocked the punch with his forearms, but the forceful impact still caused a tremor in his core, knocking the wind out of him.
He fell to one knee, struggling to catch his breath, each inhalation painful.
Hua stepped forward, offering a hand to help him up, her tone concerned, if flat. "Your mind isn't focused. You've regressed."
Lin Wei was silent as he adjusted his breathing. After a few moments, he took a deep breath, grasped her hand, and stood up. "Taking that punch… actually feels good," he said wryly.
Hua looked at him, saw his composure had returned, and nodded slightly. "If you're troubled, you can talk to Su. He's a psychic MANTIS soldier and a doctor. He might be able to help."
Hua's suggestion was made sincerely, so Lin Wei listened sincerely.
"Hua, it must feel good having friends you can rely on?"
Lin Wei said, out of nowhere.
"Having comrades is a good thing, but I'm afraid I don't understand what you mean," Hua replied, confused.
"Nothing, I'll go see Su later, thanks for the advice." Lin Wei gave her a grateful look and used a simple excuse to end the conversation.
A Hua with people to rely on would never be alone, even if it meant she would remain as a naive girl.
It was fine, he thought, allowing her to be a naive girl within this simulation: sincere, hardworking, somewhat hesitant, but also earnest.
Lin Wei smiled and waved goodbye, ready to leave.
"If you don't mind, I could also be your listener," Hua said, halting him, her words hesitant.
Hua, though stubborn, was perceptive. She knew Lin Wei held her in higher regard than he did the other Flame-Chasers.
Because they shared a similar connection that made them special in each other's eyes.
Lin Wei felt a warmth spread through his chest.
He hesitated, then sighed, turning to face Hua. "You've helped me so much in the real world and now here in the Elysian Realm. It's a bit embarrassing."
Hua was confused. She didn't understand his logic. "My purpose here is to assist the successors. You don't need to feel embarrassed."
"It's not embarrassment. It's just… sometimes I feel like I actually have a friend in this world. It makes me feel a little less alone," Lin Wei said.
He didn't think of it as a debt, more a connection.
"What about Miss Yae Sakura?" Hua asked. She remembered how passionately Yae Sakura had reacted during Kalpas's recent outburst.
"Yae Sakura?" Lin Wei thought for a moment, shaking his head with a wry smile. "We're more like two people using each other. A friendship… it's too much to hope for. After all, I obtained her power through… somewhat underhanded means."
Hua shook her head. That wasn't how she saw it.
She didn't interrupt, allowing him to continue.
Lin Wei then told Hua about how he had met her in the real world, about obtaining the stigma, and their brief encounter and parting.
He omitted certain details, like Schicksal and Otto.
When he was done, he spread his hands, smiling self-deprecatingly. "See? I'm a terrible person."
Hua shook her head, confused. "I see nothing wrong with that. Everyone needs to make an effort to survive. As far as I can tell, you haven't harmed anyone. Besides, in our era, we were more extreme, even ruthless. Some of the Flame-Chasers in this very Elysian Realm have also done worse."
Lin Wei looked at the earnestness on her face, and felt a surge of emotion. This version of Hua, while similar to his own, was far too innocent.
He felt a mixture of relief and regret.
She was still the soldier from fifty thousand years ago, bound by the Elysian Realm.
He was happy for her, yet sad for himself.
She would never understand the turmoil he had been through.
Perhaps, if it were Fu Hua from five thousand years later, he thought, a simple glance, without needing words, would be enough.
After a moment of hesitation, Hua asked, "Is that why you've been so irritable and anxious lately?"
"No, it's Elysia," Lin Wei said, and told her about their recent encounters. It was obvious that he had gone to her simply because he was annoyed with her for being so overbearing.
Then he had ended up getting a punch in the gut.
How did that even make sense?
He wondered if it was because he had been lonely for too long that he had felt the need to open up to her.
After all, "Fu Hua" was special.
She was the one who saved his life, the only one besides Yae Sakura to whom he had truly opened himself, the one who called him "a friend."
Fu Hua was his anchor, the thread connecting him to this world.
"Elysia? Since entering the Elysian Realm, she has rarely shown such strong interest in anyone other than the Flame-Chasers. I suspect it's because of RIN, but also… because you are, in her eyes, extraordinary."
Extraordinary? A transmigrator from another world?
How was that special?
After all, Su, with his Divine Key, could see other parallel worlds. His "foreknowledge" didn't make him unique in the eyes of the Flame-Chasers.
Even the concept of another "world" wasn't new to them.
"A detached perspective is often clearer," perhaps she, as a comrade, might offer him a fresh viewpoint.
Hua, after a moment of thought, gave him a rather surprising answer. "Perhaps, in Elysia's eyes, you are someone who can offer her understanding?"
"Just like in your eyes, you find solace in my 'form,' because it reminds you of the 'Hua' you know?"