After Elysia finished sharing some of her personal thoughts about Vill-V, she noticed Vill-V didn't respond.
She didn't mind, simply turned her attention back to the screen and continued advancing the plot.
In the game.
Mei was experiencing firsthand Vill-V's [Anti-Kevin Arsenal] full of "whimsical ideas."
And her mental scales began to tip—thinking it was outright fantasy that Kevin could be taken down by Vill-V.
But after learning about Vill-V's [Anti-Kevin Arsenal: Model 666], she overturned her previous judgment.
Because...
"Model 666. Official designation: [Elysian Realm Data Indiscriminate Irreversible Surprise Clean-Up Tool]."
"In short, it's a command that can delete the entire Elysian Realm with a single keystroke."
[My goodness, is this 'rm -rf'? Delete the database and run, huh?]
["Big Surprise" indeed.]
[Vill-V really is obsessed with making surprises, but ever since Mei entered the Realm, she hasn't succeeded once.]
[Now that you mention it, I kind of want to see Vill-V successfully surprise someone just once.]
...
Player discussions didn't stop Elysia from pushing the plot forward.
After explaining the function of Model 666, Vill-V quickly expressed regret that the activation condition for this invention no longer existed.
In other words... it was unusable.
Then she effortlessly moved on to another topic—whether the Flame-Chasers had motives to leave the Realm.
From Mobius to Aponia, from Elysia to Pardofelis... it seemed like every Flame-Chaser had a motive.
Just as some players were beginning to agree and nod along thinking, "Yeah, that makes sense…"
Vill-V's tone suddenly shifted.
"So you see—it's obviously impossible for the culprit to be any one of us."
Player: ?
Wasn't that conclusion the exact opposite of everything she just said?
Then Mei, acting as the player's voice, spoke: "This conclusion... seems completely contradictory to what you said earlier."
To which Vill-V responded...
"I still believe in my companions. And for that, I must first suspect them—then clear each one of them one by one until I find the truth."
Suspicion is the highest form of trust.
It's a trope seen in many classic detective dramas.
"That's my belief, Miss Mei."
Mei stared at her, still filled with doubt. "You don't sound like a magician right now."
[True, magicians always say "dear audience," right? Never "Miss."]
[Actually… trying to identify which persona Vill-V is by how she talks seems pointless. What if one of her personas is just mimicking another's tone?]
[Makes sense... you all have a point.]
...
Players were getting more and more confused by the story.
But in-game, Vill-V remained composed despite Mei's questioning.
She explained that when she wasn't performing on stage, she actually worked as a known [Detective].
She had intended to begin an investigation even before Mei arrived.
Now that Mei was here—why not work together?
Mei thought about Vill-V's offer for a while.
Vill-V... she still couldn't trust this Flame-Chaser.
But some of the things Vill-V said... did linger in her mind.
So, why not test Vill-V's methods first?
In the end, she decided to go along with Vill-V.
Before setting off, Vill-V said she needed to make some preparations and told Mei she could explore the amusement park in the meantime—guiding her to a long-unseen Elf Elysia.
The game then transitioned to free exploration mode.
Some observant players noticed that this segment's chapter title was "The One Now Gone."
"The One Now Gone"? As in someone who has already left? What does that mean?
They honestly didn't quite get it at first.
Frowning, players followed the light marker and controlled Mei to find Elf Elysia.
The moment the interaction triggered:
"Ugh... ah! No, that's not right... um..."
"You're... the Elf Admin? Why are you here?"
Elf Elysia looked toward Mei at the sound of her voice: "Ah, it's a cute human! Did you come here just to see me? I'm so happy!"
"Hmph, who knows whose fault it is the archive room got like that. I had no choice but to come to the amusement park to relax."
Mei: "..."
Seeing her not reply, Elf Elysia asked again, "Hm? What's wrong? You look so down. That's not like you! Cheer up, or I'll start to worry."
Players began smiling at Elf Elysia's cheerful tone.
But...
Then she said something that instantly froze their faces.
"How strange. Isn't the mature me with you? Leaving you alone like this is really not okay, you know?"
Mature me!?
The smile that had just crept onto players' faces vanished in an instant.
Players: ...
Players: ???
So... "The One Now Gone" referred to... Elysia?
Was this... a stealthy stab to the heart?
Writer! Do you even have a heart!?
[Suddenly this hurts.]
[Writer, have mercy, or I'll blast you with triple 510s enhanced with reload and elevation buffs!]
[Elysia isn't dead!] N times
[You sound just like Otto right now.]
[Overseer, please take us into the Imaginary Tree again!!]
...
Mei, too, felt a deep sorrow rise in her heart.
She hesitated for quite a while before vaguely replying: "Elysia... is gone."
"...Go—gone?"
Elf Elysia was first stunned, then lit up as if enlightened: "Oh~~ you mean she's hiding, right? It's hide-and-seek! My favorite!"
Watching this bright and lively Elf Elysia, just like the Elysia they knew, the viewers' mood grew heavier and heavier.
Especially after Elf Elysia guided Mei through the amusement park and stopped at the rollercoaster.
"Look, look! This is the rollercoaster that loops around the whole park!"
"You can see the whole place in 360 degrees—it's my number one recommendation!"
"Hehe, isn't it exciting? Once we find the mature me, let's ride it together, okay?"
Players: ...
This part of the story gave them serious emotional whiplash.
"The One Now Gone, never to return."
The chapter title was fitting, immersion was deep—but next time, please don't do this again.
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