Chapter 147: [Believe] Him, At Least for Now

"…Is that too much?"

Looking at the somewhat lost figure of Elysia when she left, Nozomi tilted his head and muttered to himself in some confusion.

"But... that's true. After all, she is Elysia."

She [loves] humans, so she definitely has more preferences towards humans, but she also [likes] himself, especially himself at this moment, who she naturally [likes] more.

Therefore, asking her to choose between the two... is somewhat difficult for her.

In the end, she will most likely use all her strength to exchange for the possibility of choosing both. Even if she needs to sacrifice herself in the end, she will resolutely choose it.

'After all, that's how she is~ um~'

Nozomi shook his head happily.

"But this time, you shouldn't need to do that, Elysia..."

He whispered to himself, stretched his body a little, and then Nozomi walked out with a smile on his face.

"Let's go find Mobius and Dr. Mei. It just so happens that they have done the most preparations... With their support, many things will be much easier~"

Pushing open the door, and greeting everyone along the way, Nozomi walked towards Mobius' laboratory.

...

"Are you here to see me? Little white mouse~ I'm so happy~"

Mobius narrowed his eyes and spoke in a seductive tone.

"I would be happier if you came to tell me that you found some information that would allow me to study your clothes~"

"Well... although I really want to agree to your request, I'm sorry, I can't do it for now."

Nozomi smoothed his hair and said with a hint of apology.

"And to be honest, that costume is actually pretty dangerous."

"…It's the symbol of the Herrscher, right?"

Mei at the side asked.

"That's it."

Nozomi did not deny it, but just smiled and nodded.

"…Ha~ Little white mouse, sometimes it's okay to lie a little. There's no need to be so honest."

Mobius pinched her brows with a headache.

"Luckily there's no one else here... otherwise your words could ruin all our efforts."

"Are you referring to Dan zhu? Actually, she just likes to share what she knows..."

"Okay, okay, I know you like girls with their body types. Oh... eh? Little white mouse, do you think I can trick more people into coming to my lab if I look like that?"

"…Dr. Mobius, please put away that thought."

This time it's Mei's turn to have a headache... Really, where is Klein? Klein, come to the rescue! Take care of Mobius!

"Ha... maybe it really works?"

Nozomi smiled and did not deny it... If that was really the case, the image of Mobius in his eyes would probably overlap with the one in his "memory".

"So... tell me, little white mouse, what do you want to talk to us about this time?"

Mobius stroked her lips with her fingertips, and her pupils, which were no different from those of a snake, stared at Nozomi.

"Also... although I helped you get away with it before, I'm still very curious about the abnormality in your body~"

"I'm here to ask for your help."

Nozomi said very straightforwardly.

"I need your help to deal with the next few Herrschers, and... me."

"…Little white mouse, I really don't like your current tone and attitude."

Mobius narrowed her eyes again, but this time there was a hint of danger.

"It would make all our efforts seem...boring."

"But it is a fact, Dr. Mobius, an unavoidable fact."

Nozomi shook his head and said so.

"I will eventually become a Herrscher, and an extremely dangerous one... Even if it is only a suspicion now, this result is inevitable."

"Why do you think so?"

"That's it, Dr. Mei."

As Nozomi's voice fell, his eyes flashed, and the imperceptible water vapor in the air quickly condensed and turned into sharp spikes, pointing at the two people present, staying at a distance less than the thickness of a fingernail away from them.

At the same time, he also expressed clear hostility and... resentment towards the two of them, especially Mei.

"You see, Dr. Mei, I can now show hostility to you without any signs or psychological barriers, and I don't even mind... just taking action."

Nozomi spoke bit by bit, his words filled with disgust and rejection of the two people... These were not words he would say at all.

"...I don't want to hurt you, and I don't want the [ending] to be as tragic as [before], so I need help."

Nozomi's tone gradually returned to calm, and finally became as soft and light as usual. The spikes pointing at the two people also slowly dissipated and turned into invisible water vapor again.

"...[Before]?"

Mei keenly caught a word.

"Are you trying to say that these things have already happened?"

"That's about right."

"Can you tell me about it?"

"...I will become the Herrscher who destroys the world, and then I will kill you all. It's that simple."

"…You seem to have omitted a lot of things."

"That's not important."

"…Perhaps, we need more evidence. To be precise, how can you prove what you said?"

"Although I really want to share this [memory] with you, after all, it's really too much for me to suffer alone."

Nozomi said this rather helplessly, and with a slight movement of his fingertips, several small blood-red [fish] quietly appeared, swimming around his fingertips... and these suddenly appearing [fish] naturally attracted the attention of the other two, especially Mobius, whose pupils flashed with an excited light called "desire to research".

"But... it's a pity."

Nozomi sighed, stretched out his hand, and lightly touched Mei's brow with his fingertips. The bright red [fishes] also swam along, trying to touch Mei... However, after gently touching Mei's skin a few times, the [fishes] quietly dispersed and no longer touched her, as if they were rejecting her.

"You are not children of the ocean, so the seawater will naturally not be willing to provide you with information... There is nothing I can do about this."

"Child of the Ocean? How interesting... Little white mouse, are you interested in studying a topic with me?"

"That's fine, but... Dr. Mobius, this experiment can't be what I think it is..."

"It's what you think!"

Mobius suddenly became excited.

"Inheritance and cloning are topics that have long been explored and studied in biology. How could I let go of such an interesting research subject?!"

"Okay, I will cooperate with you in the research later..."

"Great~ I really like you more and more, little white mouse~ Ah, of course, in exchange, if you need help, you can always tell me~"

Mobius licked her lips with her tongue. The slender and small tip of her tongue was like a snake, carrying a unique temptation.

"...Dr. Mobius, I hope you can be more serious. We are now talking to a [Suspected Herrscher]. Isn't it a bit too rash to agree to his request so casually?"

Mei pinched her brows in pain... Although she knew that Mobius favored Nozomi to some extent, at this time she actually ignored the abnormality of Nozomi and directly agreed to help Nozomi without even asking Nozomi what kind of help he wanted... This was a bit too much.

"What does it matter? Mei, aren't you going to agree to it? After all, you know very well that the little white mouse won't make any excessive requests, right~"

"...sigh."

Mei took off her glasses and covered her eyes in distress... After hesitating for a while, she sighed, looked at Nozomi, and asked.

"I need to know what you plan to do, and the possible impact, who it will target, and what impact it will have on you. Also... you said that all this has happened, so I want to know what happened afterward for reference, especially the Herrscher who may appear later."

"Okay~"

Nozomi nodded in understanding and did not refuse.

To be honest, this was a little beyond Mei's expectations... After all, she and Mobius had previously speculated that after the [Eighth Herrscher Incident], Nozomi had lost the ability to refuse, but after Nozomi became a [Suspected Herrscher], this effect actually still existed... right?

Or was it that Nozomi was just innocent and didn't want to refuse? Or was it that Nozomi before was just...

Mei quickly stopped thinking, otherwise her words about asking Nozomi to die would be so chilling... Even if she said it at the time for the purpose of testing, what if Nozomi at that time was not unable to refuse, but just did not want to refuse... No, she couldn't think about it anymore.

Mei gathered her thoughts and focused her attention on Nozomi.

"I want to hold a [concert], so... I need you to help me in any way you can."

"…Little white mouse, is this the idea you heard from Elysia?"

"No, I just thought that it's a shame that I haven't held a formal concert in such a long time... Besides, my strength is my songs, so naturally I have to use this method that can spread the most~"

Nozomi shook his head and spoke in a happy tone.

"And my target is naturally the one who may become the Herrscher in the future... The impact will be good, too. I promise. Ah, of course, I can't tell you the specific candidate yet, otherwise it might cause some... um, unnecessary misunderstandings."

"...You don't seem to trust us? Nozomi."

Mei frowned when she didn't get a detailed answer... She noticed the evasion in Nozomi's words.

"Do you trust me, Dr. Mei?"

Nozomi asked back.

"…Logically, I am willing to believe you. After all, you have done so much for us, and your contribution to humanity's fight against the Honkai is extremely crucial."

"But... realistically, I can't trust you."

Mei's words were filled with a hint of helplessness... She was now talking to a [Suspected Herrscher], so she had to remain alert and skeptical so as not to fall into possible traps.

After all, it's all about…

"Well, I know, it's all for humanity."

Nozomi nodded and whispered what Dr. Mei was thinking.

"..."

"I know, Dr. Mei, everything is for humanity... Because of this, no matter how much you believe in me... you won't [believe] me, at least not completely."

"That's why I won't completely trust you either."

Nozomi smiled calmly as if he didn't care at all.

"Especially when I'm dealing with someone who... had broken their [promise] to me, it's even more impossible for me to fully trust them."

"..."

Mei was stunned for a moment, then fell into silence and thought.

"...Ha, Dr. Mei, you are always so rational, which makes me admire you to some extent, so...I assure you that the impact this time will definitely be good, and it must be what you want to see and what you expect."

Nozomi smiled with a sigh... and then moved on to mention another thing.

"Oh, and... Dr. Mei, you proposed a plan called 'Sanctuary' before, right? Um... can I get involved for a bit?"

"...Of course. After all, the core of it is your song, so it's understandable that you're involved. As for the Fire Moths...I'll take care of them, and try not to let them interfere with you. However, you should also try not to let them find out that you're involved, otherwise...this plan will probably be abandoned, and you should know the reason."

"Thank you for your trust."

Nozomi thanked him solemnly... As for the reason why this plan might be abandoned, it is not difficult to guess. It is nothing more than that he, the [Suspected Herrscher], is involved in it, so some people may worry that there are hidden dangers, such as he left a "back door" or something.

Therefore, he had to try his best to keep the top executives of "Fire Moth" from knowing that he was involved in this plan.

"..."

Mei remained silent... She had originally planned to give up this plan. After all, as a [retreat] plan, there cannot be any problems. Once there are hidden dangers, it is no longer called a [retreat]... But since Nozomi took the initiative to bring it up, then used this plan to conduct a simple test to test whether Nozomi is trustworthy at this time.

This is necessary, after all... it's all for humanity.

'...Haha... this really is a very high-sounding excuse.' Mei herself is feeling a little... bored with it.

"After that, I may need... um... Griseo's help."

"…Little white mouse, what are you looking at me for? You want little Griseo to help, why don't you go find Blanca and Hen?"

"Your opinion is important, too, Dr. Mobius."

"Hmph... I have no objection, but... I hope to observe and study it~"

Mobius snorted with a hint of joy, then narrowed her eyes and spoke meaningfully.

"Okay~"

Nozomi just nodded and did not refuse.

"As for this plan... the name 'sanctuary' is too bad, let's change it to something better~"

"…What name do you want to change it to?"

Mei raised her eyebrows. She always felt that Nozomi's real purpose was to change it's name... Why did she always have a vision of Elysia?

"Of course it's Utopia!"

"...I thought you would name it 'Garden of Eden.'"

"I did think about it, but then I decided that this name should be reserved for Eden."

"Hiss... I always feel like you did it on purpose."

"Don't feel anything, I did it on purpose, hehe~"

"…Don't be like Elysia! You're giving me a headache!"

Mobius said in a somewhat annoyed tone.

"I won't do that anymore~ Um... Also, actually the name 'Eden' has been reserved, so... I can only change it~"

Nozomi shook his head and spoke happily.

"Okay~ Now, let's get back to the original question... I want to hold a [concert], and I might need your help, so... are you willing?"

"…You haven't told me what effect this [concert] will have on you."

Mei was silent for a while before saying this... As for other issues, Mei did not mention them, as if she no longer cared about them.

It seemed that she was inclined to help Nozomi.

Obviously, she... was still willing to believe Nozomi. Before he showed more obvious signs of becoming a Herrscher, she was still willing to believe Nozomi.

"Thank you for your trust~ As for me... well, I guess it will just make you more resolute in your ideas."

After getting the response, Nozomi smiled, responded to Mei with an ambiguous answer, then turned around and prepared to leave.

"Don't worry, by then... everything will be answered."

"..." x2

"...Really? He is imitating Aponia and answering us with strange and mysterious words...Is it fun to be a riddler?"

Mobius supported her face with one hand helplessly, twirled her hair around her fingertips, and then looked at Mei.

"So? Mei, you want to help?"

"…No, Dr. Mebius, I have discovered a serious problem."

"Hmm?"

"Nozomi...it seems like he didn't tell us what specific help he needs."

Think about it carefully, Nozomi wants to hold a [concert]...why shouldn't he come to them? You know, although they have a wide network of contacts, they are all scientific researchers; how can they help? Instead of looking for them, it's better to go directly to Elysia for help.

Besides, Nozomi and Eden should have their own agencies, right? They should have the corresponding connections, right? No matter how I think about it, he shouldn't come to them, right?!

"…Tsk."

Mobius smacked her lips in annoyance... Obviously, they all realized that Nozomi came to them, expressed this intention to them, and even specifically asked for a promise of "help" from them... Nozomi must have some other plans.

"Forget it... Let's wait for him to contact us. He should have his own plans."

Mei sighed helplessly.

"At least... at least at this time, I can still trust him a little bit."

...

......

"Hello...Nozomi."

"Hello, Sister."

"..."

"Are you surprised I would use that title?"

"Indeed… that's the case."

"Do you like it?"

"If you like it this way, then so be it."

"Okay~ Miss Sister~"

"..."

"Well...it has to be different after all, right~"

"?"

"Ah...it seems you don't know..."

"If you are referring to something that has already happened, then... indeed, I don't know. But I know that you must have gone through a difficult journey to get here, to this moment."

"Is that so? Um... so you can see things in the [future]? Using those... [threads] in your sight?"

"..."

"Can I ask what my [Silk Thread] looks like?"

"…I'm sorry, I…can't answer you."

"Is that so... Well~ Don't sound so disappointed~ Well, let's change the question a little bit."

Nozomi looked directly into Aponia's eyes and asked softly.

"Did I...save them this time?"

Aponia hesitated for a moment but finally nodded slightly.

"Did Eden survive this time?"

Aponia nodded.

"Did I change anything this time?"

She nodded.

"Is that so... That's good."

Nozomi nodded with satisfaction.

"Nozomi..."

"Sh..."

Nozomi placed his fingertips on his lips.

"I don't need to be dissuaded or comforted, and I don't need to know what my ending will be this time."

"I just want to know that she survived, they survived, I did it... that's all."

"This time, at least this time, I don't need your comfort."

"I know I am on the right path, and I will continue to walk on it firmly, so..."

"Sister, you will keep watching me until the end, right?"

Nozomi blinked and asked with a smile.

"...Um."

Aponia looked at Nozomi at this moment, her hands unconsciously clenched the cross pendant on her chest, and a smile appeared on the corner of her mouth.

"I will watch over you until the end."

I will be with you forever.

(TL: Aponia lowkey yandere)