Mobius was silent for a moment, then dropped what she was holding and rushed out as well. She had told Elysia clearly—this was not something she should rush into alone.
Mobius, who hadn't exercised in a long time, finally caught up with Elysia, panting. Seeing her standing stiffly at the entrance of the training room, Mobius approached with some confusion—and then saw the scene inside.
She froze instantly.
Inside the training room, Lumine had Sakura cornered against the wall, one hand pressed beside her. Sakura's face was flushed, her head lowered, looking fragile and helpless.
What on earth happened?!
For several seconds, neither Mobius nor Elysia moved.
The air inside the training room felt strangely stagnant, as if even sound had been suppressed. Sakura remained pressed against the wall, her hands clenched at her sides, shoulders stiff. Lumine stood close—too close—his posture rigid, as if he himself had only just realized how far he had stepped forward.
This was not the scene Elysia had expected.
Nor was it the one Mobius had anticipated.
Elysia's breath caught for just a moment. Her expression did not change drastically, but Mobius—who had worked with her for years—noticed the subtle tightening of her fingers.
Mobius, on the other hand, felt her temples throb.
She had just concluded that Lumine was a dormant Herrscher whose awakening condition involved the completion of the entire Herrscher sequence—and the first thing she witnessed afterward was him cornering another woman in a training room.
Absurd.
Dangerous.
And irritatingly on brand.
Can this boy not provoke women?
It's more believable that he died by a woman than Honkai in this timeline.
"Lumine."
Mobius spoke first. Her voice cut through the silence like a scalpel.
Lumine froze.
He turned his head slightly, only now registering the presence at the door. The moment his eyes met Mobius's sharp gaze—and then Elysia's—the situation finally clicked.
He stepped back immediately.
Sakura exhaled, a breath she hadn't realized she was holding, and instinctively adjusted her posture, standing upright again. Her face was still red, and she deliberately avoided looking in Lumine's direction.
"This isn't what it looks like," Lumine said reflexively.
Mobius stared at him.
"That sentence," she replied with helplessness, "has never once preceded a convincing explanation."
Elysia, meanwhile, looked between the two of them. Her gaze lingered on Sakura for a moment longer than necessary. Sakura sensed it and lowered her head slightly, as if feeling guilty despite not knowing exactly why.
"What were you doing?" Elysia asked, her tone gentle—but far too calm.
Lumine hesitated.
If it were anyone else, he could have brushed it off. But standing here were Mobius, who had just uncovered a terrifying truth about his existence, and Elysia—the person whose fate was most deeply entangled with his own.
"I was asking her something," Lumine said at last. "Something important."
Mobius crossed her arms. "And cornering her was required for that?"
"…No."
That single-word admission made Sakura's ears burn even more.
Elysia closed her eyes briefly, then sighed. Not in anger—but in quiet exhaustion.
"Lumine," she said, opening them again, "you really are terrible at handling situations involving people."
"That's not new information," Mobius added.
Silence followed.
...
Rewinding to when Lumine left the laboratory and arrived at the training room—
Sakura was already there, waiting to begin today's training.
But more important than training, Lumine had a question he absolutely needed answered. On one hand, he had a hypothesis that required confirmation; on the other… if that hypothesis was correct, then he would also need to pay attention to Vil-V's mental state.
He originally planned to ask Elysia, but she had been called away by Mobius for a physical examination. Waiting was an option—but on the way to the training room, he ran into Vil-V, whose gaze suddenly became terrifying.
It wasn't predatory.
It felt more like he was about to be locked inside a dark room.
Better not delay.
Sakura was an honest person. Asking her wouldn't change anything.
So the first thing Lumine said was:
"Sakura, answer me seriously. You and Mobius are reborn as well, aren't you?"
Sakura's hand froze on the hilt of her blade. But unlike Hua, Sakura was too honest by nature—yet she still tried to conceal it. As an assassin, she had received extensive training. She could lie without blinking.
"What rebirth?" she replied calmly. "I haven't known Doctor Mobius for very long, Lumine. What… are you talking about?"
She had managed to deceive the heroes in the Land of the Dead for tens of thousands of years.
That alone proved how perfect her disguise was.
Almost.
"Really?" Lumine didn't believe her.
He knew Sakura was exceptionally good at hiding the truth. If she didn't want to say it, forcing her verbally would be pointless.
Then he remembered something Lilith once said:
Eyes don't lie. If they do, it's because you're not close enough.
"Then look into my eyes," Lumine said quietly. "Do you really know nothing?"
Sakura met his gaze.
She had been trained to stare directly into others' eyes while delivering false information. She returned his stare without hesitation.
Lumine narrowed his eyes.
…Still not close enough.
He stepped forward.
Sakura instinctively stepped back—until her back hit the wall. The distance between them shrank rapidly.
For some reason, Sakura suddenly couldn't bring herself to meet Lumine's gaze anymore. Her cheeks burned for no clear reason, and she lowered her head unconsciously.
And then—
The training room door opened.
...
"That's how everything happened," Lumine said, his voice steady as he finished recounting the events. His gaze moved between Elysia and Mobius, neither evasive nor defensive. "So I'm done explaining. Now—do either of you have something you want to explain to me?"
He adjusted his posture slightly, straightening his back as if doing so would anchor his thoughts. His expression remained calm, almost indifferent, yet beneath that calm was a sharp attentiveness. He was waiting. Listening. Measuring their reactions.
He didn't feel guilty. At least, he told himself he didn't. Guilt was for people who crossed lines knowingly—and he hadn't done that. He had asked a question. He had sought an answer his gaze focused on Mobius and Elysia.
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