Mei looked toward Kevin beside her: "Say something, Kevin."
Kevin said: "Aponia just touched her neck—very lightly."
Mei said: "…Kevin, you don't need to add that last part."
"In short, Kosma, you should understand Aponia's way of doing things by now. From what I can see, I was merely used by her as an unwitting vessel."
"…She said it like that—what do you think?" When asking this, Kosma was almost facing away from Kevin. But who he was truly addressing—it was still perfectly obvious.
Kevin said: "In any case, Aponia has never done anything to harm Griseo."
"…That's not necessarily true. Please leave." Kosma still wouldn't let them approach.
It was Griseo who spoke up: "It's okay, Kosma. Big Sister Mei really does have a gift to give me."
"Though… it's very strange…"
"Mommy Aponia… why would she give me… purple?"
Mei asked puzzled: "Purple?"
Though it was hard to notice, Kevin's eyes did widen slightly upon hearing the word "purple."
"Give it to me." With that, Griseo walked toward Mei, stood on tiptoe to reach up, but still couldn't touch Mei's neck.
Though unwilling, Mei still bent down, allowing Griseo to place her hand on the right side of her neck… A hazy light and shadow passed through her lowered hair.
"That's enough."
Griseo withdrew her hand.
Mei asked: "That's all? Did you two really transfer something? I didn't feel anything at all."
Griseo crossed her arms, imitating Kevin: "Because it has nothing to do with you."
After hearing that, both Mei and Kosma turned their gazes toward Kevin.
Kevin decisively said: "Let's leave here first. We've already wasted too much time."
Mei nodded: "I think so too."
Griseo asked: "Are you… hiding something from me and Kosma?"
Mei instinctively started to look toward Kevin but quickly stopped herself.
"Mm… we didn't mean to."
"Kevin has some private matters. He doesn't want too many people to know. Just ask Kosma—he knows. Boys inevitably have some little secrets of their own."
"…??" Kevin was somewhat stunned, but then said: "…Indeed."
—A flimsy excuse that could be poked through instantly.
Griseo wasn't fooled: "I want to go too."
Kosma was a little surprised: "Griseo?"
Griseo said: "I won't accept answers forced on me by anyone. I'll find it myself."
This time, Kevin and Kosma immediately looked toward Mei without hesitation.
Mei said helplessly: "…Alright, I know those are words I said myself."
"But this time, she's been influenced by me way too quickly."
"Griseo, before that we still have some other things to handle—after we're done, we'll come back here and take you along too, okay?"
"Really?" Griseo had just asked when she continued: "…"
"…"
"..."
"…Never mind."
Finally, it was Kevin and Mei's turn to direct their gazes toward Kosma.
Kosma said: "Never… fine. Then that's how it'll be."
Kevin and Mei left, continuing toward the archive room.
On the way, Mei sighed: "I have to say… Elysia's way of speaking doesn't seem to be all-powerful after all."
Earlier she had imitated Elysia's manner of speaking, hoping to make Griseo give up.
Kevin said: "Since you know that, stop imitating her."
Mei asked: "In reality—did she do the same thing before leaving, leaving all kinds of influences of varying depths on the world?"
Kevin didn't answer: "…Talking emptily here about things far beyond your imagination is meaningless, Herrscher of Thunder."
"Fine."
Behind the two, Griseo and Kosma quietly followed.
Mei said: "I really didn't expect you to come in person."
Kevin said: "Things are different now. In the past, it was always Elysia who handled matters like this."
Mei asked: "And you? Just sitting on some chair the whole time, waiting for things to change?"
Kevin replied: "The more powerful a person is, the less they can act rashly—that was also her stance."
She changed the question: "I've learned the truth about the Flame-Chaser system. Is that one of the influences you mentioned?"
Kevin answered: "Not only that. Besides humans… the world itself was also marked by her."
"The world?" Mei was somewhat puzzled.
But Kevin continued: "Forget that saying."
"Don't misunderstand—I mean language itself has already become too pale in the face of that matter."
Mei pressed: "So… that matter…"
Before she could finish asking, she already guessed that Kevin's inevitable reply would be that it had nothing to do with her now.
So she changed the question: "So… is there an even deeper reason for not letting others know about this?"
Kevin said: "You're asking this question because you still don't know what Elysia means to them."
"And reality has already proven it…"
Mei subtly glanced behind at the stone wall beside them: "You noticed too, right, Kevin?"
"Mm!" Kevin nodded.
Both of them had detected Griseo eavesdropping from behind.
So.
They directly accelerated, flashing away in a few leaps and leaving the garden.
"Looks like we lost them."
Mei looked back—there was no presence at all.
"Not yet."
As soon as Kevin spoke, a monster chased after them—it was one Griseo had drawn.
"Let's split up, Herrscher of Thunder. You should know whose power this is."
Mei asked: "Did Griseo always like to get to the bottom of things in the past?"
Kevin said: "Not before she came into contact with you."
"…"
Mei decisively changed the subject: "Fine then… what are you planning to do?"
Kevin answered: "You go on ahead to that place. I'll go back and convince Griseo."
"You sure?"
Mei said bluntly: "If it were me, I absolutely wouldn't let you get there first. Otherwise, I wouldn't have let you come with me to see Griseo either."
"You don't need to worry about me more than I do."
With those words, Kevin vanished directly.
Mei had already been very concerned about Elysia's disappearance and didn't want to waste any more time now. After eliminating the monster Griseo had drawn, she headed straight to the archive room entrance.
"This is the place."
Almost at the same moment, Kevin, cold as solid ice, also arrived here.
Mei stared at him suspiciously: "You're sure you convinced Griseo? I only just got here myself."
Kevin replied: "I temporarily froze all the paths."
Mei: "…Fine."
The two successively looked toward the archive room's large door. There seemed to be nothing unusual.
They pushed open the archive room door.
"…?!"
What met their eyes was white paper scattered all over the floor.
Mei said in shock and suspicion: "So many… what happened here?"
She picked up a sheet of white paper and looked at the content:
Elysia died! Elysia died
Elysia died! Elysia died!
Elysia died! Elysia died!
Elysia died! Elysia died!
Elysia died! Elysia died!
Elysia died! Elysia died!
Then she picked up a second sheet, a third…
Every single one had the same content. The only difference was perhaps how many lines there were.
At that moment.
Viewers across the country felt their hearts stop.
An indescribable terror rose spontaneously, then gradually turned into rage.
"Fuck your mother, dog director, you really have no heart! Even my Elysia gets stabbed!"
"I can't take it anymore, I can't take it! I'm gonna kill the dog director, my Elysia ah!"
"Is this fucking plot something a human could come up with? Just how much do you hate Elysia?"
"It's straight-up nightmare fuel, you damned director, you… you… go to hell!"
"It really made my heart stop. I was seriously watching, hoping the papers would have different words."
"Fuck, fuck, fuck! Today no matter what, I'm killing the dog director."
"Waaahhhh, I'm going crazy! Completely insane!"
"Fuck, watching this really scared me to death. The dog director truly isn't human."
"How could I forget? How could I forget this plot was written by that dog director? He really doesn't act like a person at all."
"Died… heh… died… my most beloved Elysia… I can't accept this!"
"…"
The audience was completely furious.
At Fire Moth Interstellar Entertainment Company.
In the lounge.
All the actors also felt their hearts stop, their bodies turn cold, then glared furiously at Hessian.
No!
More accurately, some had already started moving against him.
Unbearable.
Their most beloved Elysia had actually been written to death by this dog director in such a terrifying way.
Who could endure that!!
All kinds of curses rang out; impulsive people had already rushed in front of Hessian and started attacking.
Hessian had SAKURA block while he himself dodged around the lounge.
Eden asked: "Ellie, aren't you going to stop them? Or maybe divorce him wouldn't be bad."
Elysia said: "No need~ Actually, I'm really happy. To think everyone cares about me this much—it's truly wonderful."
"Actually… I was also worried. I was the one who brought everyone to the company. Have I taken good care of everyone? Would everyone start to hate me because there are more and more people?"
"Now I know—everyone doesn't hate me. Everyone likes me."
"Thank you to my husband. He's the one who let me know this."
While she was deeply moved.
Mobius spoke up: "But right now your husband is about to get beaten up by the mob."
Elysia said: "Can't be helped. Everyone must be really angry. Just let them vent a little. I'll comfort him properly tonight—he won't mind."
"…"
Mobius was speechless.
She chose to ignore the rowdy group.
She hugged a bucket of popcorn, sat down, and continued watching the TV.
Eden, Aponia, Elysia, and Kevin did the same.
And on the TV.
Kevin also handed a sheet of white paper to Mei.
Mei asked: "Is there anything different?"
Kevin said: "The content on it."
Mei looked at the content and said: "This is… SAKURA's little sister's…"
"I've seen this record before too. Since you're acting like this… then it really happened?"
Kevin nodded: "Mm."
Mei asked: "Although it wasn't intentional, ultimately it was Aponia's Discipline that twisted the mindsets of those guards, ultimately leading to SAKURA's sister being killed?"
Kevin said: "As you thought."
Mei asked again: "Have you looked at the other archives? The content seems to be all the same…"
"…" What answered her was Kevin's silence.
Mei continued asking: "So… that typewriter really only records objective facts?"
Right after saying it, she reacted: "That typewriter…"
Kevin said directly: "It's already too late."
The two looked toward the typewriter.
It had already been completely destroyed.
Mei remembered—the fairy administrator had said that last night the archive room door was locked. Perhaps…
"What do you think? Who would do something like this?"
Seeing Kevin remain silent, Mei continued: "Then let me rephrase… Why would that archive about SAKURA appear in this situation…"
Kevin remained silent.
Mei pressed further: "Then what about Elysia? You're not going to say… these archives can serve as ironclad proof that she's already dead, are you?"
Kevin said: "…I'll confirm again."
Mei asked: "How are you planning to do that? No matter what… I don't believe she would just die so suspiciously."
"…"
Kevin only repeated: "I said I'll confirm again."
"…"
Mei's tone also turned bad: "…I knew it."
"Then there's no need for us to continue together."
"Kevin, as a leader, you really… disappoint me."
Long after they left, footsteps sounded at the door again—it was Kosma arriving.
"Griseo, are you here?"
From under the long table, a girl slowly crawled out.
She asked: "You caught up…"
Kosma asked: "Griseo, did you know from the beginning that they were coming here?"
Griseo shook her head: "No… just… following the colors…"
Kosma asked: "What happened? Are you okay?"
"Mm." Griseo nodded: "It's some… adult topics, Kosma… are you… an adult too?"
Griseo said: "Because… I can never understand them."
"But now… it seems I'm also going to participate in some… adult topics…"
With her words, in this dim room, the purple light that Mei had passed to her flickered faintly on her body.
The TV perspective returned to Mei's side.
After parting with Kevin, she went straight to find Su.
"Visitor?"
Mei looked at Su and said: "You've been showing surprised expressions more and more often lately, Su."
Su said: "After all, for a moment it's hard to multitask."
"You've already been to the place where the archives are stored?"
Mei nodded: "Mm, but the typewriter… it had already been destroyed before we arrived."
"And the person who did it left no clues at all."
Su said: "As expected. An anomaly appeared there too. Where's Kevin?"
Mei said: "He said some inexplicable things and looks like he's going to do some inexplicable things—just like before."
"What did you mean by 'as expected' just now?"
Su said: "In my observation, everything that happened in the archive room last night appeared in a state of stagnation or absence—impossible to probe… as if space had been frozen at that time."
Freezing space—that was a description she was very familiar with.
So she asked: "Besides Kevin, who else could do that?"
Su said: "Too many. Mobius, Aponia, even… me."
Mei said: "Indeed a bit too many."
"Oh?"
In Su's hand, the suspended new leaf suddenly rippled with a faint wave. After entering his field of vision, it vanished in an instant.
"[Elysia died]. And SAKURA's…"
"…It seems this is what you saw."
Mei said: "The place was littered with the same archives everywhere. Has something similar ever happened before?"
Su shook his head: "Never. And the typewriter you saw… has never recorded anything beyond objective facts."
A wave of sorrow rose in Mei's heart: "In other words, Elysia really…"
"…"
Unable to continue, she changed the subject: "Leaving aside whether the chain of evidence is solid. Su, do you believe something like this could really happen?"
"That Elysia—"
Su said: "So-called facts—are precisely those things we are unwilling to accept yet powerless to refute, aren't they?"
"Visitor, every person's ability has its own limits—no exceptions, whether Elysia or me."
"Perhaps you should seek help of other kinds."