The chapel at the far end of the clouds was bathed in holy radiance.
The nun turned around, gazing at her once-cherished friend, her eyes lowering slightly.
"You've come."
"I have indeed, oh~"
"You should not have come."
"And yet I came anyway."
Elysia winked playfully, stepping close until she stood right before Aponia. The two were so near that one more step would press them together. Even at this distance, they could feel each other's breath and warmth.
Elysia's star-bright eyes fixed on the nun. Suddenly she reached out and lifted Aponia's hem — because the nun's habit was a one-piece design, Elysia simply flipped the entire cross-embroidered skirt upward.
Aponia's smooth, fair belly was exposed to the air, assaulted by the icy winter chill.
The etched crimson patterns shimmered with an eerie, bewitching luster amid the sacred light.
"Eep!"
A chill struck her stomach. Though startled, Aponia remained motionless. She let her friend lift her skirt, merely watching her with a subtle expression.
"...Elysia."
"As I thought. You have one too, Aponia."
Elysia scrutinized Aponia's patterns with great care. The designs were unnervingly bewitching — their curves twisting even more extravagantly than Snake-Snake's waist. Simply gazing at them induced a hypnotic trance, as though they would draw one's very spirit inward, sinking into an endless, tender abyss...
Elysia slapped her own cheeks firmly, her legs instinctively pressing together.
The Fairy Miss pulled herself free, lowered the skirt, and retreated a few steps.
"Aponia, you possess Authority too, don't you? From that world."
"Mm."
Aponia nodded softly, folding her hands together before her skirt. Her arms hung down from her sides, and in this posture, her already magnificent curves were compressed in a breathtakingly provocative manner. The white cloth covering them seemed as though it might flutter up at any moment.
"Then why am I the only one without it?"
Elysia planted her hands on her hips, her cheeks puffing out in displeasure. She was the most beloved of the Thirteen Flame-Chasers — no, rather, the "most beloved girl" of all. So what was the meaning of this? This feeling of being the only one left out...
"Elysia, I already know your purpose in coming. Mobius is no longer within the Elysian Realm. And furthermore... I have already agreed to Little Feng's request. As for what you were going to ask of me now... I am sorry."
Before Elysia could even state her business, Aponia spoke first.
"Ehhh~~"
Elysia had been about to act coquettish, but seeing the look in Aponia's eyes, she swallowed it back down.
"Fine."
Elysia seemed to think of something. Resting her index finger against her chin, she struck the picture of an adorably innocent fairy maiden. "If Aponia keeps this up, you know... perhaps one day we'll meet in bed."
"Ugh!"
Aponia's body jolted violently.
Then she closed her eyes, clasped her fingers together tightly, and prayed.
"I stand upon karmic causality, and so I must bear the full weight of all sins that arise from it."
---o---
Ye Feng shut off the Live Feed and said to Mei, "Now that Snake-Snake has stepped in, the matter is already settled. Go back and wait for good news."
"Mmm..."
What worried Mei most, however, was precisely Mobius. Even the title World-Devouring Serpent was terrifying. Human experimentation. Utter disregard for ethics and morality. Mei had absolutely no idea what went on inside that woman's head. Even as a "teammate," Mei couldn't place a shred of trust in her.
"Snake-Snake may have a hard mouth, but she does have a 'bottom line.' At most, she'll tease Bronya a little — nothing bad will happen. Besides, am I not here keeping watch?"
"Mmm..." Mei's expression remained uncertain. "If Feng-kun says so... I understand."
Still, she couldn't help but wonder: what exactly did Mobius intend to do, dragging Bronya into that virtual world she had constructed?
The Central Dogma beneath St. Freya Academy served as the entryway linking reality and the virtual space. In Honkai Impact 3rd, Kiana had once undergone a "Full Dive" here, meeting her mother Cecilia — only to be interrupted by Fu Hua, who knocked her out with a single punch and brought her back to headquarters.
The moment Mobius arrived here, she seized full control of the Central Dogma. And the modifications she made to the virtual data were, of course, all for the purpose of "messing with" Bronya.
The trial had three stages.
The first stage: Bronya was an outsider, unable to fit into the warmth of a loving father-daughter household.
The second stage: Bronya and Ye Feng had become husband and wife — but the husband was always out carousing, even bringing women home. Elysia, for instance. Or Fairy Elysia. Or Little Elysia. After a night of wild abandon, Bronya could only silently clean the rooms.
The third stage: the husband got married — and the bride was not her. It was Bronya's dearest friend: Mei, or perhaps Kiana. And Bronya was the third party, wedged between them.
Ye Feng gave Mei a squeeze, and the girl's attention instantly shifted.
"Mei, there's no need to worry so much," Ye Feng said gently. "Don't judge Snake-Snake by her appearance — she's actually a good person, you know."
"...Mm."
Whatever the case, the matter of the Core of Reason had indeed been resolved. As for what Bronya might endure in the meantime — well, Mei couldn't interfere now anyway.
And as for Kiana, who had been sent flying... with a body that sturdy and resilient, she'd definitely be fine, right?
"Mei, let's continue talking about Raiden Ei."
"Mmm..."
Ye Feng had Mei hold the Musou Isshin, then produced a set of purple kimono. As he appraised Mei, he rubbed his chin and shook his head.
"No, that's not right."
"What's not right?"
"Mei's 'alternate world counterpart' should be closer to the elder sister, Raiden Makoto."
Raiden Ei wore her hair in a single long, thick braid — in the early days, she had even been jokingly called a "country girl." But Ye Feng adored the "country girl" image beyond words, because in FGO, he was extremely fond of Jeanne d'Arc. If he remembered correctly, she had been his first five-star.
Raiden Makoto, by contrast, wore her hair flowing down her shoulders. And... she could probably cook? Roughly speaking.
But Makoto's image was that of a true Yamato Nadeshiko, embodying the Far East's restrained, introspective, mournful beauty. And while Mei certainly possessed that same temperament, deep inside her heart burned a raging chuuni spirit no matter what.
"...As expected, there's still some difference."
"Feng-kun means 'the me from another world'?"
Mei accepted this premise with remarkable ease. "The me from another world" — it was certainly an intriguing concept.
"No." Ye Feng suddenly shook his head, his eyes gazing at Mei with deep affection. "As I thought... to me, Mei is Mei, and absolutely no one else."
A cosplayer just couldn't quite hit the mark. Perhaps later he'd see if he could find the real thing. After all, whether it was the world of Teyvat or the Star Rail universe — they all shared the same cosmology.
"Ehehe~~"
But words like "the one and only" — they worked wonders on a maiden's heart. Being gazed at like this by her beloved, hearing words that sounded like a love letter, Mei's cheeks flushed crimson in an instant.
---o---