Sakura took a sip of her drink. She peeked with a bit of suspicion at Lin, who sat at the table rhythmically tapping his fingers. She really wanted to ask what he meant by that sentence, but asking felt like she was overthinking things.
It must be overthinking, right? There's no reason for Lin to come looking for her...
However... Lin took a cocktail from a bartender and set it down, seemingly having no intention of leaving.
"Lin, did you come... to drink?" Sakura asked tentatively.
"No." Lin visor pointed toward the stage. He said muffledly, "I just came to see you."
"..."
Sakura didn't know how to keep the conversation going. Her mind recalled the scene at the Spiral Workshop before the Seventh Honkai Eruption. Her fingers instinctively touched her lips.
"Ah... I see." Sakura hurried to interrupt her wild thoughts. She was annoyed with her conjectures about Lin; they were clearly inappropriate for him. For someone who put humanity first, he couldn't possibly think or act that way. Anyway, that was just an accident; Lin didn't care, and she shouldn't either.
"Sakura."
"Yes!"
"..."
Lin stared at the startled Sakura for a long time without speaking. She had reacted like a spooked rabbit, which was different from her usual self.
"Has... anything happened to you lately?"
"..." Sakura expression stiffened. If there was anything, there was indeed one thing that was a persistent source of internal conflict for her now.
"Lin, why did you want to undergo the Project Soldier surgery?"
Lin finger tapping the table stopped. He looked at the stage, which still seemed early for the performance. Was the complexity in her eyes earlier about this?
"Humanity had no other choice at the time," Lin didn't keep her waiting. His finger gently touched the rim of the glass. The cut ice inside looked sharp and defined, but his finger couldn't feel the chill. "The same goes for me."
No one forced him to do the surgery. Even Mobius, who had once promised to drag him to the operating table, had voiced her opposition then. Kevin was the same. As long as he didn't participate, no one would have forced him. What forced them onto the operating table was themselves.
"Even if we didn't undergo the surgery, others would have," Lin said in a low voice. He believed more than anyone that besides him and Kevin, there were countless others willing to give their lives for humanity. So he couldn't let those people bear the risk, nor did he want Kevin to bear the "first" risk alone.
"Regardless, more and more people will become Fusion Warriors. This is just a choice, stemming from one's own thoughts, not the opinions of others."
Lin saw some movement near the stage, so he stood up and pushed the glass toward the dazed Sakura.
"Hmm?" Sakura looked at him, puzzled.
"It's better to have a bit of alcohol at a ball so you don't seem out of place."
Does that mean... he noticed her just now because she was the only one around drinking juice, making her stand out?
"Also, about going to your house—let's set it for next month. I'll be bringing someone."
Going to her house?
Before she could react, she saw Lin walking further away. She stared blankly at the glass. The ice cubes that originally had sharp lines seemed to have melted at the edges, becoming much softer.
"Guess who I am~"
Lin, who was walking forward, suddenly had his visor covered by someone's hands. The interior of the helmet fell into pitch blackness.
The pink-haired girl waited with a mischievous grin for Lin to speak. But before Lin could say a single word, a window suddenly opened at the back of his helmet, glowing with azure light.
"...Lin, what is this?"
Lin looked at Elysia through the screen expressionlessly: "A new feature added by Vil-V."
"Ugh... I wanted to give you a surprise." Elysia pouted and dropped her hands, and Lin turned off the sub-monitor to face her.
"In my view, you were already at Headquarters. Even if I had to guess, I wouldn't be very surprised."
"Then couldn't you at least pretend to be surprised!"
"..."
Seeing Lin go silent, Elysia chuckled, her head slightly tilted. Her tied-up long hair hung behind her exquisitely carved face as she sized Lin up: "I saw it just now~"
"...What?"
"You dancing with Dr. Mobius."
"...Many people saw that."
"And you chatting and drinking with Sakura there."
"Is there a problem with that?"
Hearing this, Elysia eyes laughed like crescent moons: "Hehe, what about me?"
Lin tucked his hands away silently, acting as if it were none of his business.
"What gives~ giving me this attitude when it's my turn. I'll get sad too, Lin." Elysia teary-eyed look was clearly a fake act, and Lin only let out a sigh.
"What do you want?"
"Don't be so reluctant, Lin. Why do you look so helpless whenever it's me?"
Lin thought for a moment, then spread his hands. "Because we... have the best relationship."
"Oh?" Elysia was like a multifaceted witch—one second showing grievance as if tears were about to spill, the next second grinning with satisfaction. A brilliant smile bloomed on her face.
"The relationship is good, so I can be set aside for a bit, huh~" Elysia smile seemed to contain countless meanings. "What if I said right now, 'Lin, you treating a good friend like this has hurt my heart,' what then?"
"..." This sentence left Lin unsure of how to answer for a moment. Elysia looked exceptionally happy, not at all like someone whose heart was hurt.
"What do you... want?" This time, Lin asked with some uncertainty.
"Let me think... Did Dr. Mobius say anything about you not being allowed to dance with others?" Elysia said seemingly casually. "With how she is with you, she probably would, right?"
"Yes."
"Then that's quite a problem." Elysia pondered deeply for a moment, then finally grabbed Lin hand with a carefree air. "Forget it. We are good friends; we don't need those things to prove anything, right?"
"..."
"You should at least say 'right'."
"Right."
"Hehe."
Elysia pulled Lin hand and strode forward with a smile toward the performance stage.
At this moment, Lin felt as if he had returned to that ball after the Third Honkai Eruption. There weren't this many people then, nor was it this noisy; it was as if they were two different worlds. But the girl holding his hand and dancing in the ballroom back then hadn't changed a bit, as if telling him that Elysia had always been here.
The soft touch of her fingers then... he felt as if he could still sense it.