Honkai Impact 3rd: The Girl Who Chases the Flame

"If I could turn back time, I really wish I had..."

She paused.

"I can trust her until the very end, just like..."

Just like Alicia believed in us.

……

"Ms. Melutina is probably very angry."

Vilvi didn't know what she was doing, but she remained motionless.

"What are you doing... I..."

"When people are confused, they often do things that seem irrational, but these are actually reasonable behaviors."

A pair of hands were placed on the top of Wilvie's head, and her hair was roughly ruffled.

"Eek...wait, Ms. Meltina?!"

When Vervi saw the woman's face behind her, she was startled.

"Honestly, young people these days."

Professor Melutina took a pack of cigarettes from her pocket, pulled one out, and found it was a thin cigarette, seemingly for women.

"Do you hate yourself that much? If you give in to depravity now, your future will be bleak."

"Teacher, you...still smoke?"

Wilvi was somewhat stunned.

Occasionally.

Professor Melutina tapped the cigarette in her hand and put it in her mouth.

"Teacher, aren't you angry?"

"Vilvie said, shrug her head."

"A little bit, but I probably know you better than you think."

Professor Melutina lit her cigarette with a match and said slowly,

"This world isn't fair. Abilities can be influenced by birth, and luck is sometimes more important than skill. More importantly..."

People's talents are not the same.

"..."

"Mébius was a genius, a genius among geniuses. Mé was also a genius; both of them were exceptional talents, one in a hundred years."

Professor Melutina exhaled a swirl of smoke and reached out to tap Wilvi on the head.

"Most teachers will tell you, 'Don't compare yourself to them, you're excellent too...' But that's just empty talk. If you could do that, what would you need a teacher to say?"

Many people in this world do this because they believe that a life of drifting along is more comfortable. However, this doesn't mean it's correct. Reasons and theories vary from person to person, and since you're not that kind of student, I won't tell you that.

"So……"

Velvi pursed her lips, revealing the stubbornness typical of girls her age.

"Tell me what to do!"

"How could I possibly have that answer? I'm no match for Möbius. Nobody in the world has that answer, because they're all no match for Möbius."

Professor Melutina reached out and put her arm around Velvi.

"So, you're the only one who can find the answer, aren't you? Since you can't let go no matter what, why not abandon your inferiority complex and surpass her?"

"If I could do that, I wouldn't be working so hard..."

Vilvi turned her face away.

"So, do you want to prove it?"

"prove?"

"Of course."

Professor Melutina smiled.

"Prove that you can surpass Mebius."

Chapter Fourteen: Möbius

"You want to beat me?"

Möbius stared at the boiling coffee in the beaker, arms crossed.

"What exactly happened? Such youthful words don't sound like something Vivi would use."

"Who knows, but..."

Mei hesitated, as if she wanted to say something but then stopped.

“Velvie, she… Mebius, what do you think…”

"What's wrong? This indecisiveness is unlike you."

Möbius lay on the lab table, propping his face up with his hand.

"You think Vilvie isn't qualified to be my opponent? She's out of touch with reality and acting recklessly?"

"It's not that bad..."

Mei didn't know what to say for a moment.

“I don’t want this to happen, Mebius.”

"I thought so too, you are Mei, aren't you?"

Möbius, hands in his pockets, leaned against the wall.

"But the Vivi I see is different from the one you see. I understand your reluctance to lose our friendship."

For better or worse, people like us who had never had friends before were able to make friends at this school. You must cherish that feeling.

“Actually, this period of time was very important to me.”

Mei placed her hands on the table.

“Alice, Velvet… they are important friends of mine. So I don’t want this relationship to break down because of this.”

"So I understand how you feel. But there's something more important than any of your reasons."

Möbius looked at her and said,

"So, Vilvie isn't happy at all, is she?"

"..."

"Your friendship isn't the kind of superficial thing that satisfies you, is it?"

Möbius squinted.

"Friends... are not a false relationship of mutual flattery. It's just that you've turned something real into something fake in order to maintain this relationship."

……

If it were a peaceful world, Möbius wouldn't have become so morbid and obsessive.

If it were a peaceful world, Mei could also freely maintain her friendships.

A world where we don't have to sacrifice others, a world where we don't have to lose what we cherish.

Such a world might just be the original concept of the moth that chases the flame.

"To fight for all that is good in the world?"

Melutina leaned against the door, quietly listening to Möbius and Mei's conversation. She had overheard their conversations countless times in the past...

They might confront each other head-on, argue their case logically, or even... become hysterical.

However, Mebius also said that a long time ago, she and Mebius had a period where they were like ordinary friends.

They would sit in the shop drinking coffee and talking about their favorite shops.

Until that day came, Dr. Möbius descended into madness, and Dr. Möbius walked through hell.

"Thank you for your hard work, Dr. Mei."

"Recalling that hard-working person who kept striving until the very end, and closed his eyes in his chair before passing away," Melutina said softly.

Even if she hadn't lived in that era, such a future would still exist.

"What are you doing, Professor Melutina?"

As Mei stepped outside, she saw Melutina leaning against the door, wearing a gentle smile she had never seen before. Mei trembled slightly.

"Are you alright? Should we go to the hospital to get checked out...?"

"Don't worry, I'm in good spirits."

Melutina ruffled Mei's hair with a mischievous grin.

"Speaking of which, isn't Mei dating Kevin right now?"

"Huh?! Why are you suddenly bringing this up..."

Mei's face flushed red instantly.

"No... He always plays with Su, Hen, and Aquila."

"That's just like him. But, Mei, if this keeps up, he's going to fail. Qianjie has tutoring from Aponia from the neighboring seminary, and if Kevin keeps going like this, he might have to repeat a year?"

"What?! That won't do! ...Ahem, I mean, as the class monitor, I can't let any students in the class repeat a grade."

Mei was so frightened that her voice rose several octaves.

"I will definitely get it approved, please rest assured."

……

"What? It's you."