Honkai: Fire Moth Herrschers

 - Volume V : year of Flame Chasers (part 1) -

"Aaaaaah! Mr. Mask, stop him!"

Inside the sanatorium, the children were playing a childish game of Eagle and Chicks. As the tallest one with the longest reach, "Mr. Mask" (Kalpas, of course) was the designated "Mother hen."

"Pffthahaha!"

Seele sat on the sanatorium roof. Even from a distance, even through the cold mask, she could sense Kalpas's frustrated yet suppressed irritation.

He didn't even bother running. He just spread his arms listlessly, trying to half-heartedly block the "Eagle's" advances.

But Mikael, the "Eagle," was far more enthusiastic. He swiftly snatched up all the "chicks" in no time.

"I win again, Kalpas!"

"Tch!" The mask covering his face twitched.

"Whoa! Mr. Mask threw the game!"

"Mr. Mask, did Mikael-big-bro bribe you? We've been losing all afternoon!"

"Yeah! Mr. Mask, get it together!"

Infuriated by Kalpas's lackluster performance, the children surrounded him, unknowingly cornering him against the wall.

"Hey! You little brats, believe it or not, I'll…"

"Don't—believe—it—" the children chanted in unison.

Kalpas's entire face twitched. He glared at Mikael, as if blaming him for dragging him into this troublesome and childish game.

But Mikael just smiled and clapped his hands, drawing the children's attention.

The July weather was scorching. Although it didn't affect Mikael, the children, after playing all afternoon, were drenched in sweat. Their matching T-shirts, bought by Mikael, clung to them damply. But this didn't dampen their enthusiasm.

"It's been a long time… No, from the very beginning, these kids have never been this energetic… Thank you, Elysia."

Aponia reached for a stemmed glass on the table, but seeing the purple-red liquid within, she reached for the one filled with a clear liquid instead.

"Mmm…" Elysia stared intently at the glass in Aponia's hand, watching the gilded rim draw closer to her lips…

But Aponia wasn't fooled. Elysia glanced up, meeting Aponia's pitying gaze.

Aponia gently set the glass down. "Elysia, tricking a nun into drinking is not a virtuous act." She picked up the glass of red liquid and downed it in one gulp.

"It's just grape juice."

"Waaaaah… So mean! You saw through me so easily! I even specifically asked Su for a reagent to mask the smell of alcohol!"

Eden, holding a sparkling gem, smiled as she watched Aponia gently scold Elysia. "This really is the best investment I've ever made…"

She suddenly sighed, turning to look out the window.

"Ahem! Well, we should think differently! Since Mr. Mask is so unenthusiastic, let him be the Eagle, then you guys can win easily, right?"

Mikael wagged his index finger, offering his shameless solution. The children blinked, and he vanished.

Only a teasing remark echoed in his wake. "Well, you guys play with Master Kalpas! I'm outta here!"

"Hah—Mikael-big-bro ran away again!"

"He's definitely off to find Seele-big-sis or Elysia-big-sis again, hmph!"

"I don't care, Kalpas-sensei, you can't leave!"

"Kalpas-sensei" officially replaced "Mr. Mask" as Kalpas's latest nickname.

… … …

Half the sun had set, and the evening breeze picked up, bringing a chill that Seele could feel.

Suddenly, a shadow enveloped her, blocking the wind.

"Mikael-onii-chan!" Seele gently took his hand.

"Tired of playing? Have some apple slices I cut!"

"Ah—ah, thanks, Seele."

Seele wasn't usually so proactive, but she was an exception for him.

Her hands cupped her cheeks as she watched Mikael munch on the apple slices with his slightly dirty hands. A wide smile spread across her face.

"Ugh…" Mikael glanced at her and poked her forehead. "Why are you always giggling?"

A dark mark appeared on her fair forehead, but Seele didn't care, still staring at Mikael's profile with a goofy grin.

Crunch, crunch… Mikael gnawed the apple down to the core, then tossed it towards a nearby window.

The core hit a pink head with pinpoint accuracy.

"Mikael!"

A crystal arrow whizzed past the roof like a meteor, even dislodging a tile.

Mikael and Seele, stifling their laughter, scrambled to the other side of the roof.

"Hahaha, is it really okay to bully Elysia-big-sis like that?"

"It's fine, she's easygoing."

"Oh, really? *Mikael!*" a familiar voice called from behind.

"Elysia-big-sis, I'm sorry!"

"Elysia-onee-chan, Seele says she's sorry!"

"…"

Night had fallen. Mikael helped Seele wash the children's dishes. Aponia was telling them bedtime stories. Mikael and Seele said goodnight from the doorway, not wanting to interrupt.

They walked through the empty courtyard, the scent of children's sweat still lingering in the air, past the iron gate Kalpas had once kicked down.

With a teeth-grinding screech, the gate slowly closed.

Inside the small guardhouse beside the gate, Kalpas, by candlelight, carved rough, simple lines into a piece of wood. He seemed to dislike the artificial glare of incandescent or fluorescent lights, preferring the fragile, dim glow of candles.

"Mr. Kalpas is a complicated person, isn't he?"

"Huh?"

Seele took Mikael's hand, and they walked like true siblings down the dimly lit streets of Dusk Street.

"Mr. Kalpas has a bad temper, but he never gets angry at the children. He even willingly works as a gatekeeper here. And, besides those strange wood carvings, there are several plushies on his desk, gifts from the children."

"Mm-hmm, Seele's very observant!"

"Mikael-onii-chan, Seele isn't a child anymore!"

"Mm-hmm."

"Mikael-onii-chan, if you 'mm-hmm' one more time, Seele will be angry!"

"Mm-hmm." Seele pouted, about to get angry, but suddenly felt a warmth on her head.

"Time flies, huh? It's been a year and a half already."

"Ah… it has been that long…"

Seele, feeling the warmth on her head and in his hand, suddenly smiled. "Mikael-big-bro's hand is still so warm, just like big-sis's."

"…"

Some of the mental damage caused by Pardo seemed irreversible. Even after a year and a half, Seele still firmly believed in her sister's existence.

Whether it was Mikael, Su, or anyone else, no one dared to tell her the truth.

No one knew if the girl's already fragile psyche could handle it.

So, they let her be.

"After all… her reliance on me is just because of that non-existent sister, right?"

"Seele?"

"Hmm?"

"Want to go on vacation? Somewhere far away to clear your head?"

"Va… vacation? I heard Hua-big-sis say that Mikael-big-bro once took her on a 'vacation' that turned out to be overtime work…"

"Th-th-th-that was ages ago!" Mikael, his embarrassing past exposed, stumbled back.

But he quickly flicked Seele's forehead, interrupting her giggling. "Don't worry, this time I'll pick a good place. Just you, me, and Elysia. No one else to bother us… Come to think of it, I haven't really relaxed in a long time. So, where does Seele want to go?"

"Really let Seele choose?"

"Of course."

Seele sucked on her finger, her gaze drifting. "Seele… Seele wants to go to the beach… Seele and big-sis once promised to see the ocean together…"

"Is… is that so…" Mikael forced a smile, immediately pulling out his phone and typing in a question: [Global Summer Beach Vacation Recommendations?]

Beep beep!

Within minutes, he got a response.

[Thanks for the invitation! Just landed in Attica. This place really lives up to its reputation as a world-renowned summer vacation destination. Here's a link to some local street view footage: magnet:?xt=urn:btih:72FE2A4237C0331…]

"Attica…" Mikael narrowed his eyes.

"Seele, come look! How about this place?"