The scythe is a weapon more aesthetic than practical. For most of history, it has resided in human hands to harvest wheat; the source of humanity's obsession with using it to harvest heads remains unknown, but its mechanics and inner-curved blade are objectively ill-suited for combat.
However, if one were to call the scythe a weapon for showing off, then Rita was undoubtedly of the most flamboyant variety.
"Cling!"
In a precarious maneuver, Lin tilted his head back to dodge the tip of the blade. He swept his spear upward with a backhand, aiming for Rita hand on the shaft.
Rita let go of the weapon without hesitation, her supple waist arching backward as she propped herself on the ground. She kicked the long handle of the scythe, catching it between her legs, and pivoted the strike from a vertical cleave into a horizontal sweep toward Lin waist.
She moved with an elegance so refined it looked like a dance.
Her evening gown flared like rose petals; the girl's lush hair danced in the air, her enchanting face flushed slightly from the exertion.
"Hah—"
Lin slammed his spear downward, intercepting the scythe's handle at his side, yet the curved blade still managed to leave a shallow nick on his waist.
Lin felt the vibration in his hand and threw a punch toward Rita face. She tilted her head, letting only a stray lock of hair brush against Lin palm.
Spinning the scythe as she retreated, Rita smiled properly. "Shall we continue?"
Lin took a deep breath, his eyes steady. "Go."
...
That night, Lin sat before a powerful flashlight serving as a makeshift lamp, his upper body bare. Rita stood behind him with a thread between her teeth, stitching his wounds.
As she looked at the scars covering Lin body, her eyes flickered with an unidentifiable emotion. However, Lin back was toward her, so he did not see.
"You seemed to be holding back, sir." The girl's shadow stretched into the corners of the room. She carefully treated Lin injuries, her tone casual.
"...This isn't training for you, so there was no need."
"I suppose so."
"And..."
"And?"
Lin looked up slightly and spoke in a low, level voice. "Someone once told me it's better to be gentle with girls."
"..."
Suddenly, Rita went silent. Lin turned back with a hint of confusion, only to be pressed back into place by a pair of hands as delicate as carved jade.
"Mr. Lin... it would have made me happier if those 'someone told me' words weren't there." Threading the needle, she began the final stitch. Rita bangs fell forward, obscuring her remaining eye.
"I'll keep that in mind for next time."
"And which girl are you planning to say that to next time?"
"..."
"Apologies, I seem to have spoken out of turn." Rita nipped the thread, packed away her kit, and gave a slight smile to the turning Lin. "You remind me of someone I used to know. I couldn't help but say something inappropriate. Please forgive me."
Those words... he felt he had heard them somewhere before.
She turned and left the treehouse quickly, leaving Lin sitting on the bed. The moonlight illuminated half of his face as he looked up, bathing in the flawless glow.
Moonlight is actually the reflection of sunlight; the moon itself does not shine. When people praise the moonlight, they are actually praising the sun's light. Its ability to be noticed and seen is entirely thanks to the sun. It is like the sun's...
Shadow.
...
"Pardo? Pardo!"
"Waaah!"
The heterochromatic girl jumped, nearly flinging her fork across the room.
Her companion was also startled by the reaction, then clutched her hat and looked at the trembling Pardofelis with amusement. "You really are a scaredy-cat."
"Geez, Vill-V, don't scare me like that." Pardo finally came back to reality, letting out a long sigh of relief. "Cat fur can go bald from shock, you know."
"You're not actually a cat."
"If I were a real cat, I could just spend all day basking in the sun."
Pardo smoothed down the fur on the cat ears atop her head, which had stood straight up in fright.
Once finished, she looked at the tail behind her.
She had undergone the MANTIS surgery.
After returning from Mu, Pardo felt the world had become a stranger.
Before, she would spend her days sleeping, eating, losing weight under Lin pressure, or finding a place to slack off during training. Occasionally, there were missions to fight Zombies or Houkai Beasts, but it didn't feel real because her teammates, Lin, and Elysia solved everything easily. She just had to be a cheerleader and pretend she was working.
Back then, she thought the Houkai would eventually end, just like the great disasters, wars, and plagues in human history—like a seasonal flu that passes without one noticing.
Until she returned to headquarters and heard of Lin death.
And Ato, Erwin, Einstein...
Including one-sixth of the world's population.
Overnight, so many people she knew—and didn't know—were gone.
There was no warning. It felt like a pencil drawing where someone took an eraser and casually wiped it away—
So effortless, without even a chance for a final goodbye.
Saving the world had nothing to do with ordinary people like her, and she never aspired to it. Yet, she still chose the MANTIS surgery.
The reason was a letter.
After Lin name was carved into the cemetery, Pardo went to visit him. She found it hard to describe the feeling in her heart when she saw that unremarkable, unexceptional name among so many others.
No one expected anything of her. Neither did she.
But... she meant but... would it have been better if she had been standing by Lin side when he died?
Even if she couldn't change anything...
"Pardofelis?"
"Are you looking for me?"
"This is for you."
While she stood dazed in the cemetery, a person with a cold expression walked in and handed her a letter.
It was a suicide note. Lin had written only one, left for this troublesome "younger sister."
Everyone in MOTH was prepared for death. Lin knew he could die at any moment, but he had never written a will before. He had nothing to settle and no one to leave things to.
But after Pardo joined MOTH, he seriously considered what she would do if he died.
She didn't know how to fight and had no outstanding talents besides petty theft; she was very likely to die on the battlefield.
"To Pardo,
If you are reading this, it means I am dead. Given your situation, I don't believe you are suited to stay in MOTH. I suggest you apply to leave; MOTH will grant your request.
But if you decide to stay, I suggest you undergo the MANTIS surgery. Your probability of survival will be higher. Afterward, stay in Elysia squad.
—Lin."
There were no trivialities or sentimental words. Pardo could almost imagine Lin cold expression as he wrote it.
But this was his rare bit of selfishness.
Pardo scratched her head while looking at the letter, thinking simple thoughts.
How should she put it... she had a habit of collecting treasures she deemed precious and putting them in a box, then hiding that box in what she felt was the safest place.
Others might not care, but those were her favorite treasures.
When Lin had someone deliver this letter to her, he must have had the same thought.
The next day, someone found the girl asleep in the cemetery, leaning against a gravestone. The letter she held tightly was damp with tears.