"Seventh Squad is completely wiped out. The personnel configuration of the Moth of the Flame squads has vacancies. Combat personnel from headquarters will undergo a re-assignment of duties."
"Serial number MSA-079, Lin. Given that your combat merits and abilities far exceed the standard of an ordinary Private, you are specially promoted to Captain, after review, and assigned as the leader of the Seventh Squad."
His military rank skipped at least three levels, a status not even granted to martyrs, and he was directly promoted to squad captain. This set a precedent for the Moth of the Flame, as the position of combat squad leader was mostly held by field officers (Major and above), and a Captain had never led one before.
Lin, sitting in the wheelchair, looked significantly better than his haggard appearance half a month ago. He had his back to the notifying officer. In this rather somber environment, the faint glow from the text on the wall shone on the bandages covering his face.
Perhaps his reclusive nature was already well-known, as the notifying officer was not surprised by Lin's silence. He took out a solemn box and presented it to Lin's side—this was the most important purpose of his visit.
"This is your new Moth of the Flame emblem. Please accept it."
"..." Lin glanced at the emblem in the box. Its style was quite different from the one he received when he first joined the squad. The craftsmanship and details were superior, serving as Captain-level certification.
It's just an identification and a box for storing things. Why make it so ornate?
Lin didn't vocalize the thought. He just gave a simple "Mhm," accepted the emblem, and casually tucked it into his pocket.
"The handover procedures for the Seventh Squad will be communicated later via..."
"I know."
Lin raised his hand, stopping the officer from continuing, turned his head, and made a shushing gesture.
"...Very well. Then I won't disturb your remembrance. There is a Party at headquarters today to celebrate the completion of the Third Honkai Eruption follow-up work. I believe everyone would very much like to see Mr. Lin attend."
"I won't be going."
"..."
Lin didn't even bother to elaborate further. He crossed his hands on his lap and ignored the officer.
A flash of distaste and disdain crossed the officer's face, but he quickly concealed it. He bowed to Lin and left the area.
Quiet returned to the area.
Lin looked up, reading every name on the wall, engraving them into his heart, and finally stopping at the few newly added names.
This was the Moth of the Flame's "cemetery."
When Moth of the Flame personnel died in the line of duty, if their bodies were recovered, they would be sent home for burial. Their names, however, would be left here for their comrades to look upon.
Lin silently gazed at the unfamiliar names of the Seventh Squad, as if looking up at the stars in the night sky.
...
The post-disaster work, which lasted over a month, was finally completed. This tug-of-war with the Honkai eventually ended with humanity's victory. And, as has been humanity's tradition since ancient times, the victory was celebrated with wine and dancing.
"Cap- Captain, isn't what I'm wearing a little too revealing? Is it really okay..."
"Haha, my adorable Seele, be confident in yourself. If you look this cute, of course, you should show yourself off more. Don't be like Lin, covering his face all day."
The red-haired woman in the evening gown draped her arm over the girl's shoulder from behind, examining her in the mirror, very satisfied with the girl's pure white dress with blue accents.
As expected of her taste, it suited Seele perfectly.
"Calling me cute or whatever..." Seele peripheral vision briefly glanced at Himeko's substantial "assets," and she sighed in frustration, "But Captain, you're so mature and sexy. I feel like I can't even compare."
Himeko's figure was curvaceous, and the dress she wore was a low-cut, high-slit design that emphasized her body. Standing next to Seele, it truly made the younger girl look like an underdeveloped child.
Was it still too early for her to attend this kind of Party? If only Squad Member Lin were here, at least seeing his iceberg-like back would keep her from panicking.
Himeko tidied Seele hair, turning to the silent gray-haired girl standing nearby. "What about Hua? Since Lin won't be here, why don't you come with us?"
"I..." Hua shook her head anxiously, looking down at her toes. "I'll pass. I don't think the Captain would like me attending this kind of party."
"Oh, come on, what do you take Lin for? He's not that possessive. And you were just informed you're his squad member today, right? Heh heh, are you already being so considerate of his feelings?"
"N- No, I'm just, just that..." Hua was slow with words. Facing Himeko's teasing gaze, the overly innocent student girl didn't know how to respond.
For nearly a month, Hua had mainly been undergoing new recruit training at headquarters, spending the rest of her time with the members of Fifth Squad.
As she understood it, after such a rigorous battle, the Moth of the Flame was rushing to hold a Party. The previously somber atmosphere was completely gone. Even the topics of conversation among staff passing in the hallway had shifted from work to gossip.
Lin must dislike this kind of thing, after all, he was a somber person.
"Oh~ I understand what you mean. You're thinking that Lin hates post-war celebrations?"
Himeko chuckled and rubbed Hua's head.
Why is this child's mind so simple?
"Lin doesn't actually hate this kind of thing. He understands people's need to wash away their sadness, and he hopes others can move past the shadow of losing friends and comrades."
Himeko spoke sincerely. She was the oldest here and the most experienced, seeing things clearly. These two new recruits, who had just entered the battlefield, and who both felt a kind of reverent respect for Lin, mostly focused on his actions rather than his person, which would inevitably lead to a skewed perception of him.
"But he himself doesn't want to forget the sorrow," Himeko smiled helplessly. "Should I call him mature, or childish?"
Simply because he didn't want the dead to be forgotten, he immersed himself in negative emotions.
Lin's life was not a blank slate, but he forced himself to be one, allowing the deaths and emotions of others to scribble all over it. Gradually, the part that belonged to Lin himself grew smaller and smaller.
One day, Lin would be crushed by the grief accumulated within him, and the cause of that day would likely be the departure of someone close to him.
"Then let's go find Squad Member Lin."
"Huh?"
Seele delicate face hardened with a determined expression. She clenched her small fists, looking at the surprised Himeko.
As a new recruit with less than two months of service, she and Himeko had successfully hunted down the resurrected Shashah. In just one month, she had learned things from Lin that she had never known before.
Though their time together was brief, Seele had developed a complex feeling for this perpetually cold person that bordered on admiration.
Even if it was just wishful thinking on her part, she wanted the gentleness Lin had shown that day, which she had never seen before, to persist—not just as a soldier fighting the Honkai, but as the ordinary person named Lin.
"You've grown up, Seele." Himeko stretched, smiling playfully, "Alright, since you two are so worried, let's go find him. Also, Seele, he's the Captain of the Seventh Squad starting today. Don't call him Squad Member Lin anymore."
"T- Then what should I call him?"
"How about something direct, just Lin?"
"Th- That's... a little too... intimate..."
"Hehe."
Under Himeko's almost explicit gaze, Seele face quickly flushed. The slight determination she had managed to muster instantly vanished.