Does an action need meaning, or does it need to be assigned meaning?
Everyone moves according to some predetermined track, acting out of ideals or interests, doing things that fit their identity. Just like characters in a game who answer questions based on their settings, humans are arguably just more complex NPCs.
Therefore, after hearing Chiaki's words, Lin level of incomprehension regarding this girl reached its peak.
Was she teasing him? No. She didn't show a hint of charm; she didn't even seem interested in looking at him.
Was she indulging a malicious whim? That didn't seem right either; her smile was as cold as a stone by a river.
What was she doing? What did she want?
"...Alright, just kidding." The cold sneer Chiaki had maintained for a while vanished. She shrugged as if nothing had happened. "I want some gum... ah, I'm out."
The tense atmosphere evaporated instantly. It was as if the previous scene hadn't happened; those absurd words dissolved into the air.
But Lin continued to stare at her—staring at the girl who, in his memories of the "last time," stood smiling amidst a sea of corpses.
...There was still one problem unsolved, wasn't there?
Why was she there back then? Even if his consciousness had been blurred, Lin remembered her expression.
A smile, as if witnessing a magnificent performance.
"If I had agreed just now, what would you have done?"
"..."
Lin cold tone made Chiaki pause. She glanced at Lin, who stood as still as a statue, and then continued tapping her fingers on the table...
"..."
"..."
"Do you know what happens to a person if they are trapped in an unchanging environment?"
Chiaki shifted the topic without warning. She tilted her chin up, a smile forming.
"If today is yesterday, tomorrow is today, and the day after never comes... forever repeating the same day. Even if the breakfast is different every day, even if the conversations are different, it's just a different form of 'the same'..."
"What happens to a person who has spent over a decade in this endless day as the only variable?"
What would they become?
Lin and Chiaki locked eyes as if in a duel. He saw the intense interest in her eyes, and...
Would they become a lunatic?
Or something even more indescribable...
...
"Since I already said I was joking, even if you had agreed, I certainly wouldn't have done anything."
Chiaki tucked away her bizarre expression once more, clapping her hands with a smile. "Are you expecting me to be like those girls who flirt with you? You'll have to try harder than that; you're not exactly my type, after all."
She didn't continue the previous topic.
Was this a signal that she didn't plan to give up on their cooperation?
"You look like you've calmed down. Let's get back to how we find evidence against MEI and Kevin, and then the methods to drive them apart."
...
September 13th.
Searching like a headless fly is one thing; implementing a plan after identifying a target is another. Lin was a soldier with extremely high execution capabilities. He had completed numerous missions, achieving every objective perfectly. Once a target was set, he moved faster than anyone.
However, he didn't go to see either Kevin or MEI. Instead, he went to...
Elysia room.
Knock, knock, knock.
This was the first time Lin had actively visited Elysia room, excluding the "last time." He waited coldly for the door to open. Before that, he reviewed the contents of his discussion with Chiaki.
Now, he was a villain decorated in lies.
Creak—
The door opened.
The girl's face appeared in the gap. She still wore her usual smile, but now, there was something heart-wrenching mixed in.
"...Can I come in?" Lin asked, standing quietly at the door.
Elysia said nothing; she simply stepped back and opened the door fully.
An icy wind rushed in from the doorway.
After the door closed, darkness enveloped the room. Lin reached out and flicked on the lights. Elysia stood not far away.
They didn't seem to need to sit down and talk. Lin knew Elysia well, just as she knew him. He knew Elysia didn't need him to comfort her.
"Humans killing humans..." Elysia smile held a hint of helplessness. "It's truly incredible. No matter how many times it happens, it makes one realize how fragile life is."
Was it really the fragility of life?
Lin could see the heartache buried beneath Elysia restless smile.
"The killer who took Vil-V's life... that's why I'm here," Lin stated his purpose.
Then he waited for Elysia to look up in surprise.
"At the ball, did you notice anything unusual?"
This wasn't like last time, where he focused on Erwin's death. This time, Lin directly asked Elysia about details from the ball.
"Unusual..." Elysia frowned slightly upon hearing this, pondering. "What level of unusual are we talking about?"
"...For example, people appearing who shouldn't have, or things happening that shouldn't have."
"Kevin... after you left, he came to ask me about where you and that hacker girl, Chiaki, went."
Lin and... Chiaki?!
If it were just Lin, there would be no reason to care. Why, at that time, would Kevin uncharacteristically ask about Chiaki's whereabouts?
Did Chiaki and Kevin have any connection?
A familiar word appeared in his mind.
Framing?
Just as Lin had thought before, Chiaki was the most likely and most suitable candidate to be the culprit for the database theft. If it were him, choosing someone to frame, it would definitely be Chiaki.
This realization felt like a cold draft, climbing from his tailbone all the way to the back of his head.
"Lin?"
Elysia call snapped Lin back to reality. He nodded, took a long breath, and said, "I understand."
...
Asking about the whereabouts of an unrelated person...
When a person begins to act abnormally, suspicion will swallow them like a mountain crashing into the sea.
Lin soon visited the quarters of Erwin, Pardo, and Mobius. After questioning them one by one, he returned to his own room.
Aside from Pardo, who still didn't know exactly who Lin was, the other two were fairly cooperative. Lin managed to gather some useful information.
Kevin actually had three anomalies last night.
First, he attended the ball. Based on what Erwin and Mobius knew, Kevin hadn't planned to go initially.
Second, he inquired about the whereabouts of Chiaki, Lin, Mobius, and Vil-V. After Chiaki and Lin left the scene, Vil-V left shortly after.
Third, he made no other moves during the entire ball. He spent the whole time just observing something.