Chat Group: Starting by Swapping Bodies with Elysia?

Never did she expect that a phrase used to fool Su would end up backfiring on her.

Facing Su's approach, Miss {Kiana}s' face turned somewhat green—which only made the former more certain that his best friend's cousin definitely had some minor health issues.

Out of goodwill and concern for her, he put on a rare, forceful attitude as he slowly approached.

Faced with this approach, though Kiana was filled with chagrin—her body very honestly leaned back.

—Don't come any closer!

The distance between the two of them grew smaller—to the point that she could clearly smell the scent on Su. As a doctor, Kiana knew that her best friend was very particular about cleanliness. That faint, orchid-like fragrance should have been an ordinary, everyday occurrence for her.

But for some reason, smelling that scent now, feeling the other person's body temperature, Miss {Kiana} who had always firmly believed she was a man—and had done so successfully—felt her heart thumping wildly.

Looking at the other person's face, which was undoubtedly handsome and would be enough to attract most women if it appeared on a magazine cover, the white-haired girl's cheeks became flushed like blood, her brain clearly overloaded—her blue eyes a chaotic mess, like a ball of yarn.

And when Su saw her like this, his heart skipped a beat. He had only wanted to fulfill his duty as a doctor and give Kevin's cousin a check-up, but now he felt his own heart start to race.

His face also turned slightly red—

*Kevin's cousin is really cute!*

However, before Su could make a move, Miss {Kiana} who had been forced into a corner, made her move.

"Aah—!!!"

Completely unprepared, the only thing that was clear was the pink fist coming straight at his face, followed by waves of pain.

That's right, Miss {Kiana} had chosen to become a 'deserter.'

After screaming, she knocked Su down with a punch—and then frantically scrambled away.

A moment later, Su, still dazed from the impact, climbed up from the floor, rubbing his sore face.

"Looks like I was being a bit too proactive and presumptuous."

Not paying much attention to the physical attack, Su only reflected on his own mistakes and sighed.

That was right. Although Kevin had asked him to take care of her, to her, he was just a stranger she had just met a few times.

Kevin's cousin would naturally be very cautious, and even take extreme action.

Thinking of this, he felt a bit of self-reproach—doctors often came into contact with various kinds of patients, and Su was quite talented in that area, so how could he have made such a reckless move?

Rubbing his forehead, Su examined himself, then cast a lingering glance at Kevin's room—since the owner had left, there was no point in him staying any longer. He should just personally apologize to her after she returned.

After all, he still had many things to do.

*Click~*

The door slowly closed, falling into silence. The next moment, Su turned around and, with a hint of distaste and annoyance, cleaned up the tissues on the floor and tidied up the messy room until it was completely spotless.

With his arms crossed, he nodded with great satisfaction:

"This way, Kiana should also be very happy when she returns, right?"

"…Achoo!"

The white-haired girl, having fled the scene, was walking along the street, unable to resist sneezing, and she subconsciously hugged her shoulders.

The weather in Europe was gradually transitioning into winter, and because Kevin had left in a hurry, he wasn't wearing very thick clothing.

When that chilly wind blew, it was more than a little 'refreshing.'

Under such circumstances, sneezing didn't seem very strange.

"It's all that guy Su's fault!"

Subconsciously puffing up her cheeks, the girl was somewhat annoyed.

She didn't usually feel anything, but why was he so annoying at a time like this?!

*Ding ding ding~*

Somewhat irritated, {Kiana} found a slightly warmer place to sit and glanced at her phone, it was a message from Su—

She wasn't really in the mood to chat with this pervert who was lusting after her body, but thinking that she had nothing else to do, she just glanced at it.

**Su**: Kevin, I think I've found out where MEI went.

"…"

The girl paused for a moment, somewhat stunned—*Oh, MEI… wait, MEI?!*

Kevin's eyes widened, and she quickly typed with both hands.

**Kevin**: Where, where?! Good bro!!!

Although she could outwardly act as though 'MEI's departure didn't affect her that much,' and even held the hope that 'MEI would be happy,' after all, she was her goddess, her first love, and so, Miss {Kiana} still couldn't help but think about MEI.

—Just like she said before, if they couldn't be lovers, they could at least be friends!

In his own office at the hospital—before the recent commotion at the Fifth Science Division settled down and all the paperwork was completed, Su could continue working at his previous post.

And during that time, after learning the basics about the personnel structure of the Fifth Research Division and some of their projects, out of curiosity—he browsed the Fire Moth headquarters intranet.

And as it turned out, he wouldn't have known the extent of the situation if he hadn't looked.

With a flick of the mouse, what was pinned to the top of the Fire Moth intranet's homepage was —"*Beautiful Girl Photo Collection*." When he saw a familiar face that Kevin had shown him before, Su directly spat out the drink he was drinking.

*Holy crap, isn't that MEI, Kevin's first love who mysteriously disappeared after he tried to confess?!*

And so, the honorable Su immediately revealed the information to his good brother.

**Su**: picture.png

Although SPACY had warned him when he joined Fire Moth to not reveal any information about the organization, which led to Su signing a confidentiality agreement that stated that if anything went wrong, he would be held responsible, what kind of relationship did he have with Kevin?

It was the kind of relationship that was so deep that even biological brothers might not have.

Su believed that Kevin would definitely not screw him over.

Of course, even so, Su was still very disciplined—he didn't plan to reveal too much about Fire Moth.

After all, after looking through the information about Fire Moth, he knew this place was far too dangerous.

It was one thing for himself to join because of a pursuit, but for his best friend—Su knew that Kevin wasn't like himself, he didn't have any grand or clear goals, well… he had just recently developed one—to be together with MEI.

No matter what—even if she didn't like him, just being with her would be enough.

He remembered when he had teased Kevin back then: what would you do if something happened to her?

He hadn't expected that after thinking for a moment, his best friend would reply: being buried together would be good too.

Too dangerous... it was really too dangerous.

Recalling that conversation, Su shook his head.

He didn't want his best friend to actually walk down that path—Besides, if, in the end, they couldn't even be buried together, wouldn't that be too tragic?

If someone needed a burial companion, wasn't he still here?

Thinking this, no matter how much Kevin pleaded afterward, Su didn't continue revealing anything—after all, that was information related to Fire Moth.

His refusal to cooperate made Miss {Kiana} quite anxious.

*You bastard, you're just showing off a photo—not even revealing anything, letting your bro stew in his anxiety, huh?*

*Alright, just you wait!*

**Kevin**: Good bro~ tell me, I'll introduce my cousin to you!

When typing these words, the white-haired girl gritted her teeth, her entire body trembling.

She was going all out for MEI's whereabouts this time, even abandoning her male pride and employing a 'honey trap' tactic, using her body as bait.

The moment she sent the message, Miss {Kiana} felt as if she had lost something.

But—

*It doesn't matter! As long as I can find out MEI's whereabouts and learn more about her, this is a necessary sacrifice!*

Seeing this message, Su's eyes widened slightly—*whoa, what an enticing offer.*

*I never thought you were such a despicable person, using something like this to tempt me. I really misjudged you, Kevin!*

Recalling Miss {Kiana}s' out-of-the-shower image, Su's heart pounded, and he was somewhat tempted.

However, the next moment, he resolutely typed—

**Su**: Sorry, I really can't say.

Although Kevin's cousin was really tempting, the moment he thought of Kevin potentially joining Fire Moth if he found out about the information, Su, who valued Kevin as his best friend for life, could never watch him foolishly jump into a fire pit.

*I'm sorry, {Kiana}, it's all for Kevin!*

With a pang in his heart, Su, sitting at his desk, felt a rare moment of pain.

Love is precious, but friendship is more valuable!!!

Miss '{Kiana} who had no idea how much her best friend valued their bond, looked at Su's message, and although somewhat annoyed, ultimately sighed helplessly.

She knew Su's personality. If he said he really couldn't say, then it definitely had its reasons or some hidden difficulty.

To be able to tell her and even give her a photo, he was already an extremely reliable bro.

Not wanting to make things difficult for Su—Kevin rubbed her cheeks. Although she knew the reason, the fact that her first time trying out a honey trap had ended in such a miserable defeat had created a sense of frustration.

She glumly looked at the photo on her phone, staring at MEI—and suddenly noticed another person in the picture.

The girl's gaze landed on the pink-haired girl who was smiling and giving a peace sign while leaning on the shoulder of a green-haired woman. She seemed familiar—and the next moment, memories related to her flooded into her mind.

…*Isn't that the girl that Su and I accidentally bumped into at the concert that day?!*

She remembered seeing the other girl appear beside MEI when she was studying in Nagazora City afterward.

And during the Nagazora City evacuations, she had even heard the other girl's voice on the radio.

At this moment—the girl's eyes widened.

Could it be that—

*It was her who took MEI away?!*

She didn't feel much annoyance, after all, she was a cute girl and wouldn't do anything weird to MEI—all that was on Kevin's mind was joy.

*She finally knows MEI's location!*

If it was that pink-haired girl who took MEI, then she definitely knew where MEI was. And if she found MEI, maybe there was still a chance… Casting a glance at her distinctly female curves, Miss {Kiana}s' smile faded slightly.

In her current form, she probably didn't have any 'chances'!

Fortunately, her obsession with MEI wasn't solely limited to romance.

So what if she was a girl?! Couldn't girls be friends?! And if MEI's preferences were a bit different from the norm, wouldn't it be a happy coincidence that she had more of a chance?

Miss {Kiana} feeling incredibly motivated, thought of all this and started getting excited.

As long as she found that pink-haired girl, she could find MEI. She remembered the other girl working as a broadcaster in Nagazora City…

Wait a minute, wasn't Nagazora City destroyed?

—Because of the Third Honkai Eruption, people who had lived in Nagazora City were relocated to other surrounding cities in the Far East. Although a broadcaster was a relatively unique profession, trying to find a small-time broadcaster among so many cities was practically impossible for the lone-wolf Kevin. It was even possible that the other girl had changed jobs after relocating.

How was she supposed to find her?

While the white-haired girl was struggling with this question—a passing blue refrigerator caught her attention.

—After that incident, the tourist from Shenzhou, 'Ms. Chen,' was fined once again for a traffic violation after just a day.

According to some enthusiastic citizens from Shenzhou, Ms. Chen seemed to have developed a white-hair phobia after returning to Shenzhou.

The symptoms were: she always glanced left and right when driving, afraid that a white-haired person would suddenly jump out and fine her.

"Did I just see that same scene yesterday?"

Seeing the scene of a white-haired girl having an argument with a 'refrigerator' being pulled along, Elysia, who just happened to be passing by, scratched her cheek, her expression somewhat strange.

She remembered seeing a similar scene on the way when she was taking SPACY's car yesterday. If the white-haired one today wasn't a girl, but a boy instead, the pink-haired lady would have almost thought that she was stuck in some kind of time loop.

"But that girl's really cute." As she critiqued {Kiana}, Elysia thought—*she really looks like Kiana… could she be Kiana's twin sister?*

Out of curiosity, the pink-haired lady was also relatively free today.

Her main purpose for coming to the Fifth Research Division was to draw attention. On the first day, her demand to see the 'Herrscher of Reason's' core had definitely caught the attention of the European faction. And for the rest of the time, she was supposedly representing headquarters for an inspection and dealing with Honkai matters at the Fifth Base in Europe.

—Although she appeared idle all day long, like a slacker on the streets, Elysia was the 'managerial level' person in charge of the 'performance' aspect of the Fire Moth warriors.

But unfortunately, there didn't seem to be any problems in Europe—the pink-haired lady thought it was too rigid and planned to suggest to MEI to make the troops more 'stylish.'

"I wonder what that bad Jiang Qiao is doing now."

…

The sea, shrouded in the twilight, rippled and swayed, lapping against the shore, soaking the fine sand on the beach.

Not a designated scenic area, only two girls were sitting shoulder-to-shoulder on the beach, enjoying the scenery that belonged solely to them—a peculiar sensation.

It was indeed so for Jiang Qiao.

When he was using [Elysia], although he had visited many scenic spots on his busy schedule, including the scenery beneath the sea, for him, this tranquil beach scene was perhaps a first.

Bare feet left obvious tracks in the sand, washed over by the waves, scattering, and gradually blurring. The cool sea spray on his body was incredibly refreshing, and the pot hung over a fire by the shore was gurgling away.

For the Herrscher of Truth, there were much more convenient and efficient methods, but he still chose this backward and primitive approach. If he had to say, it was probably because what they were seeking wasn't enjoyment at that moment, but an atmosphere?

The 'Underworld Heiress' directed her minions to attack the shrimp and crab soldiers of the sea.

Lobsters, crabs, seaweed, and… mussels.

She personally cleaned out the mud and entrails—then poured them into the pot, which turned into a delicious seafood soup with the addition of seasonings from the Imaginary Space.

Taking a sip of the warm seafood soup, the salty fragrance touched the heart, warming his internal organs.

Feeling each other's body temperature, he could feel the body's 'joy' and also the happiness of the person beside her.

For [Bronya]—Jiang Qiao, it was a very beautiful memory.

A moment of satisfaction.

The two girls simply spent time with each other, feeding each other the seafood soup—when the atmosphere reached its peak, Ms. Blue Wendy became a bit 'excited' and was planning to become more daring when the happy, seaside interlude came to an end with the arrival of the Selene.

Feeling her good mood had been disturbed, Ms. Blue Wendy became somewhat 'resentful'—but thinking that there were more opportunities to come, she didn't mind it much.

"I see."

Hearing about Schrödinger's situation from 'Bronya'—that she still had some research to complete in the Sea of Quanta, so she wouldn't be returning for the time being—Einstein understood and sighed, not surprised at all.

She, along with her teacher Planck, and their colleague Schrödinger, were researchers in the field of quantum mechanics, and Schrödinger was the most dedicated of them all. Being able to personally enter the Sea of Quanta would greatly progress her research.

Since she didn't want to return for the time being, Einstein didn't plan to force her.

She brought up a topic—

"Currently, Otto is frantically searching for our whereabouts."

—Not to mention the Herrscher of the Void, which was extremely important for their plans.

Anti-Entropy originally had—the Herrscher of Reason, who seemed stronger and more difficult to deal with than before. Added to that, the Herrscher of Thunder's vessel, the missing Herrscher of Wind, and the 'Herrscher of Ice,' which had been reported by Rita—was snatched by Anti-Entropy beforehand.

Currently, far above the Mediterranean Sea at Schicksal headquarters, Otto was looking at the pieces symbolizing the Herrschers and the situation, which had been completely reversed. His face no longer held its usual calmness, only 'gloom.'

This Schicksal Archbishop, who had lived for 500 years, had always been calm and collected, and the only times he had revealed this expression were when he had killed Saintess Kallen 500 years ago and when he was severely hurt by the First Herrscher.

But one thing that was certain was that when Otto Apocalypse showed this expression, his mentality was already near collapse—his malice and madness could no longer be hidden behind his polished exterior and calmness.

"Anti-Entropy…"

Muttering the name, no matter how much Otto tried to imagine it, he couldn't have thought that one moment of carelessness many years ago could have caused the situation to become so dire today.

"Haha, it seems that you really are at your wit's end."

A mocking voice rang in his mind—the first Divine Key left behind by the Previous Era, Key of Revelation, the Void Archives.

Its voice was full of mockery.

After all, although it and the man at this moment were indeed a holder and a container relationship—because of the grudge they had formed 500 years ago, the relationship between the two had become 'more foe than friend.'

It had always been imprisoned deep within Otto's consciousness, unable to move.

It naturally didn't feel any goodwill towards this man.

Of course—

Being able to watch this man who had always been so confident that he bordered on arrogance—believing that he could control everything—fall into such a state, for the Void Archives, it was a rare sight that could only be seen once every hundred years.

"…"

Otto didn't pay attention to it. He was just covering his face, his green eyes full of gloom.

Anti-Entropy had completely escaped his control, and with the Void Archives, he who had always been so attentive to what happened in the world also knew that the 'snake' that had been lurking in the shadows was not far from awakening.

At this point in time—the things he wanted to obtain were completely stagnant.

How could this man not feel anxious and frustrated?

—Without the First Divine Key, he wouldn't be able to verify and establish his plan.

—Without the Herrscher of the Void, the plan wouldn't even have a prerequisite to start.

The latter wasn't too bad.

Although Otto was very wary of Anti-Entropy's strength, he had the confidence that he could use them as a shield—after all, the righteous were always the ones being held back by moral restrictions.

And he, was an out-and-out villain.

Moreover, his need for the Second Herrscher wasn't to 'hold her in his hands.'

What Otto needed was only a 'Herrscher of the Void' who had human willpower and could be used to achieve his goals.

Although Kiana's small matter made him feel uneasy—the previous theft of the Fourth Divine Key had made Otto suspect that the Second Herrscher was likely already 'mature.'

If that were the case, no matter how much of a headache she was, Otto was confident that he could pull her into his game next.

But the former—

Thinking of the 'Cosmic Juggernaut' which he had been searching for but had yet to find, Otto felt his heart in turmoil.

However, he wasn't without clues.

At the very least, Otto could vaguely guess that—the Cosmic Juggernaut should be in the hands of that snake lurking in the shadows.

Furthermore, through his previous plans, the snake seemed to have always been very interested in the Herrscher cores…

If that was the case—

Thinking about Dr. Maki, who had recently been making some small moves while believing that she was deceiving everyone, Otto's gaze slowly settled on the British Isles on the virtual map.