Honkai Impact 3rd: The Girl Who Chases the Flame

But what the world sees is ultimately an illusion.

As everyone knows...

Neither of these two beauties is this man's true love.

“…Mei suddenly had something to do.”

Kevin successfully summarized his current situation in one sentence.

"Forehead……"

"Thank you for your hard work. Have you ordered any food?"

"Looking at the menu, Velvi asked."

"They ordered for me and Mei."

Kevin nodded.

"Okay, waitress, please add this, this, and this..."

Wilvi nodded and pointed to several dishes on the menu to the waiter next to her.

"Okay, ma'am."

"Is this really okay, senior...?"

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

"Don't worry, I'm also a bit troubled by the waste of food."

Kevin shook his head, surprisingly having no objections whatsoever.

"After all, even I would feel awkward eating alone in a restaurant like this."

“I think you’re facing a different kind of awkward situation right now…”

"Don't worry about it. I'm short on funds lately. Kevin, it would be a great help if you were willing to pay the bill."

"Vellvier said with great interest."

"It's alright."

Kevin nodded. In terms of both his demeanor as a man and his responsibility as a captain, Kevin was indeed first-rate.

"By the way, you guys came out today because... it's the weekend?"

Kevin was also somewhat surprised to run into these two here. Generally speaking, the probability of running into Alicia was much higher.

"Going out for a stroll, to see a movie... What, are you surprised?"

Vervi shrugged.

"It's...quite unexpected. But it's a good thing."

Kevin thought for a moment and said,

"I suppose we rarely get to properly rest on our days off anymore."

"From a generally rational perspective, being stood up by your girlfriend doesn't count as a proper rest."

Melutina complained.

"..."

"Where's Su? Mei isn't here, shouldn't you go find him?"

Seeing Kevin's silence, Velvi changed the subject.

"During this period, Su was often busier than Mei."

Kevin explained,

"There are too many things he wants to save."

"That's not surprising, but Kevin, speaking of this... regarding Alicia's proposal, I heard that the final result from the higher-ups was [Five Heroes]?"

Melutina, however, remembered something else.

"Is this necessary? They're about to die and they're still weighing things up. I think all those good-for-nothings can do is weigh things up."

“…You’ve gone a bit too far, Melutina. However, it’s undeniable that many of us have various problems, but at the same time, I feel that everyone has made indelible contributions. I don’t understand or accept this rejection either.”

Kevin paused for a moment before speaking.

"For the higher-ups, being willing to form the so-called 'Five Heroes' is already a concession. But for us, who have shared life and death, it will only be a hidden danger that causes division... So, those guys never understood what a warrior or a hero was from the beginning. They just weighed the pros and cons with their own shallow thinking."

Vilvi stirred her coffee with a spoon.

Which ones are recognized?

"Melutina asked."

“Me, Alicia, Velvi, Su and Hua.”

Kevin replied.

"Unexpected, yet reasonable."

Vilvi neither confirmed nor denied.

"I just……"

Kevin, however, was clearly not very happy.

"This proposal is unacceptable. Although it may be reasonable, I do not consider it justifiable. It is a proposal that is... utterly contemptuous of us."

"Oh...? I never thought I'd hear that from Kevin."

Melutina was somewhat surprised.

"But I think you don't need to worry, since Alicia won't agree anyway."

"Either all thirteen are included, or none of them are. That's what she said."

Kevin nodded, confirming this statement.

"Kevin, shouldn't you be the one saying that?"

Melutina rolled her eyes.

"……really."

“What exquisite dishes! You really went all out this time… even though the main character, Mei, isn’t here.”

As the dishes were served one after another, Wilvi could feel Kevin's sincerity, but it was clear that the person receiving this sincerity would not appreciate it.

"It's my fault. Mei must be under a lot of pressure right now."

"I don't think your behavior is wrong at any time."

Melutina picked up the knife, tested its sharpness with her hand, and then looked at the steak in front of her.

It was as if what was in front of her was not a cooked steak, but a cow waiting to be slaughtered.

"Click".

Melutina made her cut, and the plate and steak broke together with a snap.

"..."

"..."

Both Vivi and Kevin remained silent.

"At least……"

Wilvi scratched her cheek.

"The table didn't break?"

"So you've never had steak before?"

Kevin reluctantly froze the plate first, then took the knife and began cutting.

"I have very low requirements for food, and I am very particular about it."

Melutina obediently handed over the knife and fork.

"When we eat out, it's mostly fast food."

"After all, Mebius really likes instant noodles... Didn't Klein take you guys to eat something else?"

Vilvi gave me an "I understand" look.

"Senior Klein prefers dishes that are stir-fried or steamed."

Melutina explained,

"Because of the lab's funding issues, she basically cooked for us and brought the food to the lab herself. Senior Sister Cangxuan would also cook occasionally, but she and Senior Sister Klein seemed to have the same teacher... they were both taught by Senior Sister Blanca."

"...Your Möbius Laboratory really does seem to have a consistent lineage."

"Vilvie said helplessly,"

Is this what they mean by "birds of a feather flock together"?

“I think the people who can choose Dr. Mebius’s lab are not ordinary people.”

Melutina said.

"That's true. Even Danzhu has the special talent of chatting for more than four hours each time."

Vervi expressed her approval.

"...No, you're being too pitiful with Senior Sister Danzhu."

The way Melutina is called is actually quite particular.

She calls her seniors at university, like Vervière, "senior sister," while in the Möbius lab, following the Möbius lineage, everyone is called "senior sister."

"Danzhu? She really is..."

Kevin, of course, also knew the mascot of the Möbius Lab.

"They're very talkative."

You can talk to him for four hours without killing the conversation...