Honkai: Fire Moth Herrschers

Under Good Luck Bridge in Dusk Street, where a vast expanse of ruins once lay, a villa now stood proudly, a sign proclaiming it the "Golden Courtyard."

Okay, there wasn't actually any gold. From the outside, the villa didn't even look as fancy as that Bin fellow's place. But the pristine white walls alone made it clash starkly with its surroundings.

It wasn't that petty thieves hadn't tried their luck. Conspicuous surveillance cameras were everywhere, along with remote-controlled machine guns that automatically locked onto anyone who snuck too close. As the intruder moved, the gun barrels would swivel, following their every twitch.

No one dared to bet on whether or not those guns were loaded.

Some tried to infiltrate through blind spots, scaling walls or digging tunnels…

The tunnel diggers quickly discovered that beneath the white paint, the walls were made of some unknown, high-hardness alloy, extending deep underground. Rumor had it that someone dug five meters down and still got blocked.

Tunneling: pass.

As for those who scaled the walls from the cameras' blind spots, they'd usually land with a shriek and be tossed out shortly after. Clearly, the designer had anticipated these exploits, setting traps or perhaps something far more terrifying.

So, after a while, everyone accepted that the "Golden Courtyard" existed apart from Dusk Street, untouchable. No one dared to mess with it again.

As for why no one ever saw anyone entering or leaving through the front door…

No one cared.

Everyone had their own lives to live. Who would bother with such trivial matters as how other people came and went?

"So, Vill-V, this is why you made the Second Divine Key a door?"

This was the first time Mikael had seen the completed Second Divine Key… and he was currently experiencing an existential crisis.

Figuring he'd let the "genius" do her thing, he'd only given Vill-V a general direction and outlined the functional requirements. As for the appearance, he hadn't thought he'd mind.

In fact, he'd even prepared himself for Vill-V to present him with a train, but it turned out…

"Ah! I wanted to make it a train, but you guys didn't give me enough funding, so I had to settle for this… chilly design!"

Mikael's mouth twitched. He was speechless.

Meanwhile, Ellie and Pardofelis were touching the door, practically drooling over it.

"I think it's fine, Mikael! It's just like the Anywhere Door from that story you told me. Just input the coordinates, and you can go wherever you want."

"Yeah, I'm very satisfied with that aspect."

"Then you…"

"Pardofelis, stop picking at it. The gold is embedded in the Honkai steel. You can't pry it out."

Mikael confiscated Pardofelis's tool—an engraving knife—and tossed it to its owner, Kalpas.

Kalpas: "??? When did you take that?"

Pardofelis: "Ah! This… uh… I found it outside the bathroom this morning!"

Kalpas tilted his head, silent. But Pardofelis understood what he meant: You think I'd believe that?

"Then… then, Boss Mikael, my tummy hurts! I'll be right back!"

But before she could bolt, Mikael grabbed her by the collar and plopped her back down.

A while later, Hua, fresh from her morning training and a shower, walked in, her hair still damp.

The room's floor-to-ceiling curtains were drawn tight. Only a single, classical chandelier above the long table cast a dim light, contrasting sharply with the bright sunshine outside.

Hua squinted, adjusting to the dimness. But she immediately noticed… well, the ostentatious golden door in the otherwise bare meeting room, with its black lacquered table, chandelier, a few chairs, and black cloth covering the unpainted walls, was incredibly conspicuous.

Her mouth twitched.

Ellie, noticing Mikael leaning on his left hand, idly spinning a pen in his right, stealthily snatched a lollipop from his pocket, peeled off the wrapper, and popped it in her mouth.

Hua took a seat towards the back, glancing at the cover page of the document placed on the table. Curiosity piqued, she resisted the urge to peek inside.

Pardofelis sat on the table, swinging her legs.

The masked Kalpas let out an occasional impatient grunt. Although he had his engraving knife back, his materials were still in his room, so he couldn't carve like usual.

"Ugh… where's Mobius…"

Since no one else was talking, Pardofelis's voice echoed in the room.

"Ahem!"

Mikael cleared his throat. Just as everyone expected him to say something, like starting the meeting early or sending someone to fetch Mobius…

"Actually… did you all forget about Sakura?"

"…" x N

Suddenly, a pink head popped in the doorway.

Pardofelis immediately waved. "Rin!"

"Heehee!"

Rin hopped twice, then turned and, with some effort, carried a large plate of icy watermelon to the table.

"Sorry I'm late."

Sakura appeared silently, adjusting a stray strand of hair with her right hand, her left perpetually resting on the hilt of her katana.

Kalpas couldn't help but glance at her. The way this girl had appeared… if Rin hadn't shown up first, giving him a heads-up… if she had been an enemy, she would have drawn her blade just now…

Interesting, very interesting…

"Just finished training… Sigh, Pardofelis, slow down…"

In the middle of winter, in a heated room, gnawing on hard, icy watermelon… Pardofelis felt like her teeth were going to fall out.

But she kept at it. After all, there wasn't any fruit to eat during winter in the past!

Let alone watermelon!

Crack!

She paused, put down the watermelon, reached into her mouth, and then, holding a bloody tooth, jumped up and down.

"Heeheehee! Rin, look! I lost another tooth!"

Mikael facepalmed, feeling like his organization was spiraling out of control.

Ellie… Aside from combat, generally unreliable.

Vill-V… Well, if she wasn't pestering you to perform magic tricks, she could be somewhat reliable.

Kalpas… Hmm…

Pardofelis, Hua, Rin, and even Sakura… The Kiddie Brigade.

Mobius… where was she?!

…

Mikael stood up, bumping into his chair in his haste.

That woman, don't tell me she blew herself up in another experiment!

He'd just stepped halfway into a spatial rift when the half-closed meeting room door was pushed open weakly.

Mobius shuffled in, her hair a mess, looking utterly lifeless. It took her two full minutes to collapse into a chair.

Her eyes were bloodshot, making it look like she had pinkeye. Her face was pale, her cheekbones prominent, and her green shirt and white coat hung loosely on her frame.

Mikael looked her up and down…

Hmm…

The aftereffects of Sheshar weren't as serious as they sounded. It had only taken Mobius two months to surpass Hua's… assets. She'd bought these clothes when she'd regained her previous… form.

"Mobius, you died again? How'd you kick the bucket this time?"

Not everyone, no, actually, aside from Mikael, Ellie, and Sakura, no one else knew Mobius's ability. They all stared at her… especially Kalpas, who seemed to be radiating excitement from behind his mask.

The weakened Mobius slammed her hand on the table, her bloodshot eyes sweeping over Pardofelis. A chilling chuckle escaped her lips, making Pardofelis shiver and hide behind Ellie.

"I just want to know, who! Who stole the alarm clock from my lab! Two days and one night! Do you know how I spent those two days and one night?!"

"…" Mobius didn't bring her phone into the lab. Once she went in, it was usually for a whole day, relying entirely on a small alarm clock to tell day from night… So, she'd just gone two days and one night without sleep or food, utterly exhausted…

Clang!

Something fell to the floor and rolled, making a series of crisp sounds.

Thud!

"Pardofelis, why are you on your knees?"

"N-n-nothing! I just like kneeling!"