"Lihua, you..."
"Hm? What is it, Otto?"
"...No, it's nothing important." After a moment's hesitation, Otto Apocalypse acted as if nothing had happened, smiling as he brushed a feather from the tip of Lihua's hair.
"These birds constantly flying around are a nuisance. Looks like I need to find a way to disperse them quickly. I'll go take care of this little problem and be right back."
"I don't think you need to be in such a hurry..."
Lihua helplessly twirled a strand of hair around her finger. "You just barely finished your previous work. Isn't resting more important right now than dealing with these birds? If you're really worried about it, I can handle it too—after all, I'm the president of the Schicksal charity Association. Before you came to Blue Earth, I handled similar matters. Don't underestimate me, okay?"
As she spoke, Lihua gently made a fist and waved it twice. "Besides, I'm quite strong now. I might even handle this more decisively than you."
Lihua's combat power was far beyond what it used to be; she had successfully evolved from a Kricketune into a Kricketune Hero.
While she might still be far from the top-tier fighters, teaching Kiana Kaslana and Bronya Zaychik a lesson was now a piece of cake for her.
Facing Lihua's concern, Otto said quite frankly, "My apologies, Lihua. Please indulge my desire to show off my abilities in front of the person I love."
Seeing Lihua awkwardly avert her gaze, Otto sighed inwardly with a helpless smile. Every time this topic came up, Lihua would always change the subject, unwilling to discuss it further... If Lihua were simply like her juniors, with a sexual orientation different from the norm, that wouldn't be a problem.
After all, Otto's current body was made of Soulium anyway. He wouldn't mind modifying himself. For Lihua, mere gender was completely insignificant.
Never mind changing his gender; if Lihua liked it, he could even create hundreds of bodies with different appearances and figures.
But unfortunately, Lihua had the same attitude towards Kallen Kaslana, showing no change just because Kallen was female. So the issue clearly wasn't related to gender... Previously, this problem had often been a headache for Otto, but now it served as a convenient excuse for him to hide his own intentions.
Of course, Otto wouldn't doubt Lihua—so what if she knew information from another world? Otto didn't care; he couldn't even be bothered to ask.
He was certain that the Lihua before him now was the same Lihua he knew. Therefore, no matter what she was like or what secrets she held, Otto wouldn't mind.
Even if Lihua fell in love with someone else, even if her personality drastically changed from a saint to a demon lord, even if she wasn't so noble and gentle but selfish and cold... Even if he were told right now that Lihua was a spy sent from Blue Star to Earth with the goal of destroying and annexing it, Otto could immediately defect to Blue Star's side!
As long as Lihua was still Lihua, Otto was willing to give his all to help her.
There was only one thing Otto couldn't accept... He would absolutely not allow anyone else to use Lihua, to harm her to achieve some nefarious plot!
The Lihua of the past had mentioned information that should only exist on Blue Star, and after her death, she arrived here on Blue Star. Even the story of her life has been recorded as a manga and circulated here... Was there someone pulling the strings behind all this? Was someone using Lihua as a pawn in their plan?
This, and only this, Otto had to investigate thoroughly.
Just in case, it was better not to let Lihua know about this yet.
"Just dealt with all those demons, and now the sky is full of birds... Ugh, forget it, let's just dump it all on Otto—"
"Kallen, Eleanor, come with me. This animal uprising is likely caused by some visitor from another world. We need to talk to them."
Kallen Kaslana and Eleanor, having just returned from a mission, had barely stepped into the villa when they saw Otto walking out with his dreadful overtime demand. Their faces instantly darkened. "Isn't this your job?! We just got—"
"This is also to put Lihua at ease. Stop complaining, you two."
Watching Otto walk straight out the door, veins popped on Eleanor's forehead. Her fists clenched tightly, looking like she might teleport behind Otto the next second and smash his Soulium head in.
"...If it's for Lihua, then I guess there's no choice."
Kallen gave Otto's departing back a deep look, seeming to ponder something. Ultimately, she chose to reluctantly wave goodbye to Lihua on the balcony, then pulled Eleanor along and turned to leave the villa again.
As she watched the three figures disappear from view, Lihua's smile gradually faded. She turned, leaned against the railing, and looked up at the flock of birds in the sky. The words she wanted to say ultimately turned into a silent sigh.
"What are you thinking about?"
"Suddenly appearing silently behind someone and speaking can give them a heart attack, Kevin..."
Hearing the slight resentment in Lihua's voice, Kevin Kaslana's expression didn't change. "Oh."
Perhaps she was right, but Kevin hadn't actually intended to strike up a conversation initially. He was merely standing far away, as always, watching the figure that resembled the one in his memories.
Li and Lihua were probably different people; it was just that the latter housed the lingering embers of the former's soul... Kevin had thought he had already made that distinction clear in his mind.
But just a moment ago, when everyone else had left and Lihua stood alone, leaning on the railing and sighing... the fleeting melancholy and helplessness in her expression were just too similar, making it impossible for him not to think of that person. So much so that when he came back to his senses, he was already standing behind Lihua.
But unfortunately, Lihua was ultimately not her.
"I was just thinking about when the chaos in this world will end, allowing everyone to live peaceful lives..." Lihua gazed at the distant city.
"If things continue like this, the worries of everyone on Blue Star will never cease, and the pressure on Otto, Kallen, and Eleanor will keep mounting. If only there was a way to end it all someday—of course, suggestions like putting all of humanity into a dream world are out of the question..."
"There's no need to worry about that. The Honkai energy concentrated on the moon has dispersed, and the Honkai energy on Blue Star has also stopped increasing... This world will no longer give birth to the Herrscher of the Finality."
It was hard to say whether Kevin felt happy or sad. The plan he had been executing had lost its foundation, but the successors he had placed his hopes in hadn't shown the strength to surpass both himself and the Herrscher of the Finality.
"Isn't that good, though?" Lihua remarked. "You're free now, unbound by any duty."