On this side, Van was caught in a dilemma, wanting to speak but stopping himself, when Elysia beat him to it.
"Ah~ why is everyone being so serious? This is our very first reunion in this world, shouldn't we be a bit happier~"
Her light, breezy tone swept through the room like a spring breeze, instantly dissolving the frozen atmosphere and allowing Van to quietly let out a breath of relief.
However, in the very next second,
Van's expression stiffened.
Elysia suddenly leaned closer and, in a 'whisper' loud enough for everyone to hear, asked, "Oh, right. More than that, what I'm really curious about is… Ely, when you were at the hot spring with Mobius yesterday, did you promise her something special?"
As she spoke, she glanced meaningfully at Mobius, then swept her gaze over Kiana and the others, who were already reacting with rapidly shifting expressions.
"I even saw you two walking out of the couple's hot spring together with my own eyes~"
Mobius casually flicked her hair, her voice calm as ever.
"Elysia, I haven't seen you in a long time, but when did you develop a hobby for spying on other people's private lives?"
Those words dropped like stones into a still lake, sending countless ripples through the room.
Sirin's eyes flew wide open as she suddenly grabbed Van's wrist.
"Wait! Couple's hot spring?! With Mobius?! Van! When did that happen!"
'What kind of joke is this?!'
'Hugs, sharing the same bed, those were supposed to be mine first!'
'And now reality is telling me that venomous snake of a woman beat me to it?!'
'Damn it! Why is this happening?!'
Thinking of this, Sirin lifted her head and looked at Van, her eyes filled with determination.
'No.'
'I can't keep falling behind like this. I must find a way to catch up!'
Watching the atmosphere grow tense again, Van closed his eyes in despair.
He knew it.
Even if this world was restarted ten thousand times, Elysia would always be Elysia.
———
"So you're saying, Ely, that your original plan was to just live quietly in this world as an ordinary person… until Ai-chan exposed our past to everyone, and things turned out like this?"
Elysia tilted her head in confusion.
"But why would she do that?"
Van paused, thinking for a moment before saying in a low voice, "I'm not entirely sure, but I suspect… it might have something to do with me having restarted the world before…"
"You mean…"
"She probably hopes I'll continue being the savior and rescue other worlds that are still suffering."
The moment those words left his mouth, the entire banquet hall fell silent.
Every gaze turned to Van, filled with worry.
They were afraid that he would once again walk the path of the savior, sacrificing himself to save the world.
Noticing their worried faces, Van quickly added, "Of course, I turned her down… Right now, I don't have the strength or the energy to save other worlds."
At that, everyone visibly relaxed, only to grow pained again when they thought about the price hidden between his words.
Sirin was the first to break, puffing up in anger as she shot to her feet.
"Brother Van is right! That Ai-chan is way too much. Why should you have to take that risk again?"
"I understand the importance of saving the world and all that, but to me, Brother Van is the most important person!"
Looking at the worked-up Sirin, Van's expression turned a little strange. 'Wasn't this line… oddly familiar?'
Before he could say anything, Kevin's deep voice sounded from behind him, "Indeed… to place the burden of saving the world on one person's shoulders again would be far too cruel."
His gaze turned distant, as if he was staring into a faraway memory of that hopeless world.
"That feeling… of being forced to keep moving forward, even when you can't see a shred of hope… No one should have to experience that a second time."
Kevin's words instantly pulled everyone back to that desperate, collapsing world of the past,
A world ravaged by Honkai.
A world where the previous civilization paid too much, far too much, just to resist it.
Even after giving everything they had, they still couldn't surpass the End.
In the end, all they could do was place their hopes and the last spark of humanity onto the next civilization.
Seeing the mood sink again, Van exaggeratedly threw up his hands.
"Kevin's right. And besides, haven't I fought enough battles for one lifetime? Can't I enjoy myself a little? Savior? Forget it. Not happening!"
His teasing broke the tension, and the heavy atmosphere finally lightened again.
Elysia giggled, seamlessly taking the lead.
"Of course. From a certain point of view, we were only able to recover our memories thanks to that Ai-chan lady. So, as for her trying to steal Ely away, I suppose I'll let it slide this time. As long as she doesn't set her sights on him again, I'll be the bigger person~"
Mobius let out a quiet, sharp hum, a glint of cold light flashing in her eyes.
She was already calculating how to "investigate" this so-called Ai-chan thoroughly.
'Trying to take Van away from me again?'
'Over my dead body.'
Meanwhile, with everyone's expressions slowly returning to normal, Van seized the moment to speak.
"Anyway… I've explained everything, and answered your questions. So… can you guys let me go now?"
As he said that, he glanced to either side of him.
On one side stood Kevin. On the other, Kalpas. Both of them like stone statues, holding down his shoulders, one radiating the heat of summer, the other the chill of winter.
Van sighed inwardly.
'What did I ever do to deserve experiencing fire and ice at the same time?'
Hearing his words, Kevin loosened his grip apologetically.
Kalpas, however, gave a cold snort and rumbled, "Next time you try to shoulder everything alone, I won't let you off so easily!"
At that moment, Van knew this particular disaster had finally passed.
As the saying goes, what doesn't kill you will bring blessings.
By the law of karma, his luck had to be turning around now.
Maybe he should buy a lottery ticket later…
'Wait.'
'Hold on.'
'Why does it feel like I've said that exact line three times already?'
And just when Van thought he'd finally be able to get a good night's sleep, the tiger-striped brat bared her fangs at last.
"Since all the misunderstandings are cleared up, we should eat now!"
She picked up her bowl with an air of nonchalance and added casually, "Oh, right, old man. No wonder you got back late last night. So you even squeezed in time for a soak with Doctor Mobius, huh?"
The moment those words left Ivana's mouth, the atmosphere, just barely lightened, froze solid again.
'Good job, you little brat. Poking right where it hurts, huh?!'
Van could feel the sharp gazes stabbing into him from every direction.
And there sat Ivana, holding her bowl, her face full of a half-smile, eyes gleaming with the thrill of a successful prank.
"..."
Van took a deep breath, silently pulled out his phone, and swiftly placed an order for several feather dusters, making sure to tick the 'urgent delivery' option.
'Tonight, either I or that little brat… only one of us will live!'
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