"Wh-what do you mean? Elysia is Lynelle's mom?!"
After freezing up for several seconds, Mei turned her head with a stiff, creaking motion to look at Klein beside her, who was still trying to pull her away.
"Is there a problem with that?" Klein tilted her head in confusion.
"Elysia and Lynelle look so alike, and given Elysia's uniqueness, the probability of a parallel counterpart appearing in the current era is extremely low... Doesn't that just mean the two must be related by blood?"
"But..." Mei glanced dazedly toward where Elysia and Snake were happily going at each other.
"They don't really look like a couple..."
"That's just how Dr. Mobius is."
"Most people find her temperamental after getting to know her, but really, that's just her being tsundere—she often claims to hate Elysia, which, in other words, means Elysia is the one she likes the most."
"B-but... Elysia told me..." Mei's eyes seemed to spin in little circles.
"She said she really likes Lynelle too, and that Lynelle can be quite cute in certain... uh, special situations... Is that something a mother and daughter can do?"
"Oh, that's perfectly normal." Klein wore an expression of sudden understanding.
"On a timescale measured in millennia, differences in lifespan and status can't hinder the birth of love. Besides, Lynelle and Elysia—and even Lynelle and Dr. Mobius—can't really be considered mother and daughter in the conventional, worldly sense."
"This actually involves some secrets of the Elysian Realm. In short, because of certain similarities between Lynelle and Elysia, theoretically, she's also the most likely to attract Elysia."
"It's related to one of their identities... Anyway, you'll understand eventually."
"I... I don't think I really get it..."
"Then you can wait until your trials reach a certain level and let Elysia tell you herself... But for now, it's best to leave here before they finish their little scuffle. Don't worry, it won't take long."
With that, Klein pulled Mei through a portal.
And as it turned out, Klein really did understand Mobius and Elysia's relationship well.
In less than ten minutes, Elysia appeared at Klein's workshop with an awkward chuckle, then led a thoroughly bewildered Mei back to the Elysian Realm's reception hall.
"Mei, my dear Mei~"
"I didn't mean to keep it from you, you know. Besides, it's not like Mobius is mad at you. As for her fighting me... well, that's just her usual way of expressing affection~"
"..."
Mei wore a completely burnt-out expression, slumping limply over the table in the reception hall.
"I was just thinking... no wonder Lynelle made that face when I mentioned your situation... Ugh, this is so embarrassing..."
"Because the idea Mei came up with was really interesting~"
Elysia smiled brightly at Mei. "If I ever get the chance, I'd love to try sharing a body with Lynelle, too..."
"And I'm sure Mei won't be angry with me, right~?"
"You and Lynelle really are alike..." Mei shook her head helplessly.
"Both so fond of teasing people... So, you really can't tell me that secret?"
"Not yet~" Elysia shook her head.
"That secret needs Mei to uncover it step by step herself for it to have its intended effect. Until then... let curiosity be Mei's greatest source of motivation~"
"Of course, if Mei has any other worries, you can tell me. I'll do my best to help Mei resolve them~"
"Well, not really..." Mei's expression turned strange—a complex mix of shyness, resignation, and a faint, vague hint of anticipation and frustration.
"It's just... after going out this time, I'll probably end up being teased by Lynelle again."
"Oh? So that's how it is..."
Suddenly, as if she'd discovered something amusing, Elysia's gaze at Mei became deeply meaningful.
Mei, who indeed had "something on her mind," squirmed uncomfortably.
"Mhm~ I never thought Mei also had feelings for Lynelle... But that's fine, such thoughts are cute too."
"However, if Mei wants to outdo Lynelle in this area, you might need a little help~"
With that, Elysia leaned close to Mei's ear and whispered a few sentences. Mei's cheeks rapidly grew warmer and warmer as Elysia spoke.
"Th-this... isn't this a bit too... And how do you even know about these things, Elysia...?"
"Hehe..."
Elysia blinked. "Remember, don't tell Lynelle I was the one who leaked it~"
--+--
The next day, Lynelle was once again lying on the bed with a look of "post-clarity exhaustion."
This time, however, the culprits weren't Kiana and Sirin—it was Mei.
If given a choice, Lynelle would absolutely not have teased Mei about mistaking Elysia for her second personality.
Kids, acting like a smug brat really gets you... Well, okay, nothing actually happened.
It was just that during the usual mana replenishment session, Lynelle discovered that her tried-and-true horn-stroking tactic was completely interrupted by Mei's preemptive strike—how on earth did Mei learn about those extra-sensitive weak spots on Lynelle's body?
Not even Kiana, who was in constant "negative distance" contact with her, knew them all that thoroughly!
In short, the poor Miss Lynelle had intended to tease Mei a bit during the mana transfer, but accidentally ended up getting hit with multiple "Weakness Breaks" by Mei, followed by a devastating "Super Break" strike—even now, Lynelle's toughness bar was only barely recovering.
Besides the incident with Mei, today was originally supposed to be a pretty busy day.
On one hand, Miss Ana—who had volunteered to support the reconstruction of Nagazora City under the pretext of learning to control her powers, and even tried using permanent ice as a building material—had been working on the construction site for several days.
Lynelle planned to check on her progress and see if her Herrscher authority was truly as effective in civil engineering as she claimed.
If it really worked... well, it still wouldn't be that useful.
Having the Herrscher of Ice mix concrete was still a bit of a waste.
Lynelle planned to send Ana to Oceania once her condition stabilized a bit more, so Wendy could help guide this junior who had just obtained her Core and was in a similar situation.
On the other hand... Lixue had finally finished her snuggle session with Fu Hua and was scheduled to arrive in Nagazora City with her this afternoon.
Then... they would prepare to set out and investigate what exactly was going on with the other "Fu Hua" at Taixuan Mountain.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.