"Mission over? Then stay in Canghai City for a few days."
"Where would I get so many missions for you? Do you think the Moth of the Flame-Chasers is just our Fifth Squad?"
"Stop giving me so much nonsense. If you dare to return to headquarters early, I'll submit your disability application and make you a mascot at headquarters for the next few months."
"Take care of Seele; she's a promising newcomer. Just don't teach her your workaholic spirit. People who push themselves as hard as you do will shorten their lives."
Lin frowned throughout the entire conversation with Himeko. He could hear yelling and drinking on the other end of the line. It was likely a drinking party with her veteran comrades, discussing topics only seasoned veterans would chat about.
Perhaps that's just how people are: relaxing completely during moments of joy so they can forget past sorrows and face the inevitable coming disaster.
Looked at that way, he was the anomaly.
Having nothing more to say, Lin hung up the noisy communication and turned to the bewildered, inner-layer-dyed girl: "We might have to stay for a few days. Let's find a place to stay first."
"O-okay."
As they walked, Seele couldn't help but try to look at Lin's expression, but all she could see was the tightly sealed mask and sunglasses. His airtight attire made him look cold as an iceberg from every angle.
He had stared at the photograph for a long time while the cleanup crew removed the two bodies and dealt with the room, before waving his hand and tossing the photo away.
Lin appeared cruel and heartless, decisive in action, never hesitating to pull the trigger. Yet, he stayed with that child until he absolutely had to shoot him and end his life.
What kind of emotions was he carrying when he said those words?
"What are you thinking about?"
Seele's distraction was easily spotted by Lin, who constantly observed his surroundings. He asked the question while looking for a hotel.
Seele jumped in surprise, but Lin's gaze had already left her face, which made her hesitate. In the end, she couldn't bring herself to ask the doubt in her heart.
So, she switched to a lighter topic, a gossip frequently discussed on the Moth of the Flame-Chasers internal network: "I was wondering why Miss Elysia always comes to find Soldier Lin. Are you two close?"
This was merely small talk. If their relationship wasn't good, why would people see them together every day?
Unexpectedly, Lin pondered the question and gave an unpredictable answer: "I don't know."
"Huh?"
"If I hated someone, I would deliberately distance myself, defame them, and reject them. What I've shown is absolutely an open declaration of, 'I dislike you.'" Lin folded his arms, genuinely puzzled by his relationship with Elysia. "But she takes that as my... is it called saying one thing but meaning another?"
Lin struggled to find the right word. A flash of inspiration hit Seele, and a word popped out: "Tsundere?"
"..."
Lin gave Seele an exceptionally strange look, yet in a way, the word seemed correct?
"In short, after she subjectively defined my actions as saying one thing but meaning another—"
"Tsundere."
"Saying one..."
"Tsundere."
"..."
Seele gave a knowing smile. She hadn't expected this iceberg to have a weak spot. Perhaps because he had always relied on his zero-degree icy aura to suppress people, he was verbally inept at arguments. When the situation was reversed and he was backed into a corner, he didn't know how to respond.
Such a cute reaction. No wonder that book said teasing the Helmet Man was an amusing pastime.
Lin was silent for a long while, his tone carrying a hint of resentment: "In short, after she subjectively defined my actions as tsundere, nothing I do can stop her from approaching me. Now, I don't even know if my relationship with her is good or bad."
The fact that Lin was willing to discuss such topics with her helped dissipate some of Seele's previous sorrow. She asked teasingly, "Hmm... Soldier Lin, have you ever considered that Miss Elysia likes you?"
"..."
"..."
"Hmm?"
The moment she said that, a long silence followed. It wasn't until they had walked past another major intersection that Seele turned to look at the hooded man, perplexed.
"What's wrong?"
Was he shocked by a possibility he had never considered?
Lin's mouth twitched as he said, "Would you like someone for no reason?"
Seele shook her head: "I don't think so..."
"Exactly. No one likes a completely unrelated person for no reason, unless that person likes everyone." Lin stated flatly. He looked up, watching the timer on the traffic light. Wearing sunglasses, all he could see was the numbers changing.
"I am not special. No one would fall for me instantly, nor would I attract all sorts of people like a magnet. Besides, we are in the Moth of the Flame-Chasers."
"I go on missions often, my social skills are terrible, and I never attend base social events. The nice way to put it is independent, the crude way is freak."
"I don't know what others in the Moth of the Flame-Chasers think, but for me, maintaining this state is the best thing to do."
Dating?
Lin strained his imagination, finally digging the word out of his meager mental lexicon. When he tried to relate it to himself, he couldn't imagine such a thing happening to him at all.
He even found the thought slightly repulsive.
While humanity is rushing headlong toward an unknown disaster, he'd be flirting with some woman, talking from the table to the bed, shouting that he must bear the burden of human sacrifice, only to turn around and hook up with a woman.
Lin could only feel a deep sense of revulsion.
If Lin had only been fighting for one person from the start, he might not have felt the need to bear any burden. But now, Lin would no longer allow himself to do anything superfluous.
"If sacrifice is merely a cost of words, humanity will sooner or later turn the sacrifice of the few into the sacrifice of the many, turning meaning into a number."
'I've saved many people, I am a hero. It is only right that I hold power and enjoy pleasure, so no one should use the sacrifices of others to criticize me.' If this kind of thinking were to prevail in the Moth of the Flame-Chasers, then humanity's hope of defeating the Honkai would be a pipe dream.
He believed in the beauty and greatness of love, but for him, just an ordinary person with slightly better physical fitness, to win, he absolutely had to discard unnecessary sentimentality.
And Lin had to win, always win. Any single failure would invite Death to his doorstep.
Lin was destined not to be a guiding light for the majority, but humanity needed someone like him.
These words were yet another shock for Seele. She understood why Lin worked nonstop, and she understood why he had shown a coexistence of sentiment and rationality earlier. This realization made her feel somewhat... cruel.
"Soldier Lin, have you never considered yourself?" she murmured.
"I have considered myself. Every day, I consider if I have enough bullets."
"Hua, wanna go to the arcade?"
"Let's not. It'll close soon, and if we don't hurry back..."
"Ugh, you're good in every way, except for being so stubborn! Let's just not go back today. We'll stay out!"
"But..."
"No buts! Hehehe, come on, let's go to the arcade!"
Hua couldn't resist the white-haired girl. She was dragged to the nearest arcade. The sky was already dark, but city life was just beginning, at its liveliest peak. The arcade was full of young people relaxing. Hua also saw many classmates from their school. The white-haired girl greeted everyone, and Hua could only follow along, shyly nodding.
"So, which game should we play first..."
While the white-haired girl was choosing a game, Hua was thinking about how to convince her to go back. Suddenly, her peripheral vision caught a familiar yet strange figure.
A hooded man and an inner-layer-dyed girl walked into the arcade.
"It seems like a holiday today. The hotels are all full. Let's just walk around outside for a while."
"...Why did we have to come here?"
"Please, Soldier Lin~"
Seele was pleased with Lin's silence.
If a person were always so serious, they would eventually break down. They needed to relax appropriately.
Since he never considered himself, someone else should do it for him.
This idea coincided perfectly with Himeko's, but they both understood they couldn't tell Lin the truth.
"Okay, so what should we start with?"
"..."
Seele enthusiastically sat down at an arcade machine and was about to turn back to call Lin, when another person sat down next to her at the adjacent machine.
Seele and the white-haired girl exchanged surprised looks.