Mobius huffed in displeasure: "What's wrong? Don't you have anyone at home who likes eating instant noodles?"
MEI replied: "There is, but he promised me that as long as there are other options, he wouldn't actively choose convenience food."
As soon as these words came out, at Fire Moth Interstellar Entertainment Company.
MEI, who had been invited back for another performance, subconsciously glanced toward Kevin.
"Hehe, that's my one and only hobby—I'm definitely not quitting it."
Kevin scratched his head and said with an awkward laugh.
Hearing this, MEI could only sigh helplessly. After all, she wasn't the MEI from the plot.
Since Kevin had said so, she naturally had to indulge him.
At least compared to a certain dog director's bad habit of loving to stab people with plot knives, liking to slurp noodles was actually something she could accept.
...
On TV.
Mobius pursed her lips: "…Tch, don't come flaunting that in front of me."
"Are you here for the fifteenth version of the plan?"
"I just uploaded it to the server—go check it yourself later."
MEI didn't dwell on that but looked at Mobius, hesitating for a moment before saying:
"Mobius, ever since you became like this… you seem to have gotten a lot more irritable?"
Mobius was silent for a second: "…Why are you suddenly bringing this up now?"
"For work, what matters is always getting things done, right?"
"Picking at appearances—what kind of achievement is that?"
Seeing Mobius like this, MEI turned to Vill-V and said:
"It looks like she might need one of your magic performances to unwind, Vill-V."
Vill-V readily agreed: "Sure, next time I do a show, I'll definitely invite her."
Mobius: "…"
"Forget it. Bickering like this just wastes time."
"Since you two are both here today for once, let's have a proper talk about this Stigmata Project that's already been iterated through fifteen versions."
"Honestly, MEI… whose side are you really on?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Mobius's pair of oppressive snake-like pupils locked straight onto MEI.
Vill-V said in surprise: "Huh? Isn't she standing right next to me?"
Mobius immediately glared at Vill-V: "Vill-V…"
Vill-V hurriedly said: "Whoa whoa, just kidding!"
"I know the question you're raising is very serious."
As she spoke, Vill-V gave a meaningful look and tossed a spinning top onto the table.
Watching the top spin continuously, Vill-V continued: "But precisely because of that, isn't it even more necessary for us to lighten the mood a bit?"
Even though she said so, no one took up Vill-V's thread. Only the top spun alone on the table in its own beauty.
It felt like a long time had passed, yet the top showed no sign of stopping.
Only when MEI reached out and gently pressed it still did Mobius realize that barely a few seconds had actually gone by.
MEI spoke at that moment: "Mobius, I have always stood only on the side of civilization."
Hearing this, Mobius merely sneered disdainfully: "Heh, that line you use to shut up those old fogeys, right?"
"Although I don't want to emphasize something stupid like 'I'm your senior,' since we've come to this topic…"
"Dr. MEI, you have an obligation to explain clearly: what exactly do you intend to achieve with this project?"
MEI said slowly: "…I see."
"In your view, I have an unusually fervent attachment to the Stigmata Project."
Mobius replied as if it were obvious: "Isn't that stating the obvious?"
"You've already forced me to revise the plan fifteen times—fifteen times!"
By the end, Mobius emphasized through gritted teeth, once again making viewers outside the TV burst into laughter.
"Hahaha, so tragic—Snake Snake's basically been squeezed into a black company slave!"
"As a corporate drone, I can say this isn't even the worst. The worst is when you revise it fifteen times and then they say they want the original version."
"Stop, I'm already broken—why do I have to get my heart stabbed even while watching a knife drama!"
"The Stigmata Project—just thinking about how it forced Snake Snake into this makes me want to laugh!"
"Fifteen versions, fifteen versions! MEI, you heartless woman, how dare you exploit my wife like this!"
"…"
The fan group was quite diverse, with all kinds of people.
Surprisingly, even though Elysia's popularity was overwhelmingly high, the other Flame-Chasers had plenty of fans too.
For example, Mobius.
And on TV.
MEI patiently said: "As the solution with the highest success rate, it deserves our serious treatment."
"The more entry points we leave for the future, the better."
Mobius chuckled: "Is that really the case?"
"That highly praised Project Stigma doesn't even have a single page of a concrete plan yet, you know?"
MEI explained: "You know that plan's own characteristics dictate a far more unique execution method."
Mobius remained noncommittal: "Perhaps, but the gap between the two is so vast—"
"How can it not make people suspect that, in your mind, all the other plans are just window dressing for the Stigmata Project?"
Vill-V suddenly interjected: "Hmm, there's one thing I don't understand."
"Even if the situation is as you describe, wasn't the Stigmata Project originally proposed by you yourself?"
Mobius said calmly: "Back then, I never imagined someone would treat it as the only hope."
MEI spoke: "For you personally, that does seem absurd."
"I can fully understand—after all, there are many ways to redefine humanity."
"But Dr. Mobius… humanity is merely the cornerstone upon which civilization is born."
"I believe you won't deny that, at its root, humanity is just a slightly intelligent survival machine."
"No fundamentally different from plants, animals, or microorganisms."
Mobius gave a soft laugh: "More precisely, our mortal flesh is merely a vessel constructed by genes for themselves."
"But so what?"
"Whether it's genes or reincarnation, every individual has the potential to rebel against their creator."
"Civilization? Compared to the miracles created by specific people, is that thing really that important?"
Vill-V interjected again: "But… speaking objectively."
"Failing to realize one's potential is actually humanity's normal state, isn't it?"
"If you measure all of humanity by your own exceptional case as the standard, that's a bit too arrogant, Dr. Mobius."
MEI seized the moment: "Dr. Mobius, as members of Fire Moth, you and I must ultimately be responsible to civilization as a whole."
"In that sense, compared to individual lives, the truths brought forth by life are the more essential existence."
Vill-V asked: "So in other words… no matter who takes on the role of Vill-V, Vill-V's talent is the most important thing in the world?"
"Ah, that's exactly right."
Mobius glanced at Vill-V: "That's just you. I have no intention of letting another Mobius replace me."
MEI was silent for a moment: "…That's not important."
"Think about the relationship between children and parents, Dr. Mobius."
"No matter whether the spiritual worlds of the next generation and the previous one overlap, human civilization can only continue through the next generation."
"—Whether their parents like it or not."
It is said that in a certain far-northern country, there stands a majestic mountain.
It stretches thousands of miles long and hundreds of miles high. Only once every thousand years does a little bird happen to fly there.
It lands on the peak and sharpens its beak against the rock.
And only after the mountain has been gradually worn flat by the birds over time…
Does the calendar named eternity finally turn a single thin page.
The heroes of fifty thousand years ago have long departed, and the wounds left by the Finality seem to have vanished without trace.
The top spun on the smooth tabletop, as if time had never passed.
Or perhaps it had already crossed infinite singularities in analytic continuation, like the factorial of a negative number, gradually returning from a direction completely opposite to the starting point.
Amid the bewildered gazes of the nationwide audience, the scene shifted again—this time to the former St. Freya.
A noticeably younger Himeko greeted: "Yo, Principal, did I interrupt your nap?"
Theresa said blankly: "Nap…?"
Himeko chuckled lightly: "Looks like you're still half-asleep."
"Actually, I just dozed off for a bit myself… Sigh, being a homeroom teacher is really exhausting."
Looking at the vivid Himeko before her, Theresa found it somewhat unbelievable: "Himeko… are we…"
Himeko looked puzzled: "Hm? What's wrong?"
Theresa shook her head: "No… I just… can't quite figure out what's going on."
"Just now—I think I was dreaming? It felt like I was giving orders on the Hyperion, flying deep in space…"
Himeko said with interest: "Hmm, that's a pretty interesting dream."
"My recent dreams have been a bit… how should I put it? Telling you might actually be kind of funny."
Theresa asked in confusion: "Eh? That bad?"
Himeko crossed her arms: "Hard to say?"
"After all, I dreamed that the class I'm in charge of has already graduated…"
"When they were leaving school, all of them hugged me stupidly, crying and laughing together."
At this point, quite a few viewers immediately teared up.
After all, in the real world, Himeko from Honkai Impact 3rd died as a teacher, delivering plenty of knives.
But it also turned countless people into Himeko fans, who mourned and lamented her passing.
Many even called her the best teacher ever portrayed in film and television.
Though there was considerable controversy, the number of people who agreed was overwhelmingly large.
Hessian looked at the lively group chat, suddenly got an idea, and posted a message.
"If Himeko really woke up from this, she'd probably feel like the sky collapsed—the whole class turned into Herrschers!"
"Damn, discharged—this is genius!"
"I'm a farmer, this is truly premium content, chicken-belly talent!"
"Not just the Big Three becoming Herrschers—the class monitor is the real heavyweight. If she can't become a Herrscher, then let the Herrschers become her!"
"I'm dying— is this the gold content of Honkai Impact 3rd fans? Everyone's so talented!"
"…"
The already lively group chat instantly became even more chaotic.
Coincidentally, Himeko also glanced at her phone and saw the group messages pop up with 99+ in one second. Out of curiosity, she tapped in.
Seeing the content, her face immediately darkened.
No way—in the plot she got her lunchbox delivered so early, and now she was being teased like this?
Show some respect for a deceased teacher, okay!
But thinking about it carefully, even she couldn't help but chuckle.
It really was a hell-level dark joke.
However, on TV.
Theresa scratched her head: "This… now that I think about it, it seems pretty normal?"
"Every time a class graduates, it's more or less like that."
Himeko said with emotion: "But this is my first time being a homeroom teacher, my first time taking students all the way to graduation."
"When I think about it that way, the pressure's actually pretty huge."
Theresa was silent for a moment: "…Yeah, after all, each and every one of them is kind of a problem child."
"Seriously, it's been tough on you."
Himeko said slowly: "If you put it that way, Principal—next time we get the chance, you'll have to drink a few more rounds with me."
Theresa teased: "That depends on whether you can get used to bitter melon wine or not?"
Himeko couldn't help but show a wry smile: "Alright, as expected of our Principal."
"Wait—speaking of which, that whole barrel of red wine you confiscated from me back then—you still haven't returned it, right? So stingy!"
Theresa was stunned for a second: "Hm? Oh… that barrel."
"Oak barrel original, right?"
"Don't worry, I'm not going to sneak drinks from it."
"I just couldn't possibly watch someone treat it like a water dispenser."
"Leaving the whole dorm smelling of alcohol all day—you know what I mean?"
Himeko: "Uh…"
Unable to respond, Himeko could only change the subject: "Forget it, Principal, let's get to business."
"Here's this year's fun sports festival plan—I'll leave it here."
The young Himeko placed a thick stack of A4 papers in front of Theresa.
The top, which had been freely spinning on the desk, hit the stack of paper and traced a textbook-perfect curve before flying off and landing on the floor.
Looking at the now-stopped top on the ground, Theresa instinctively bent down to pick it up.
But when she stood back up, the space in front of her was already empty.
"!!"
Theresa's pupils contracted as she instinctively said: "What… just happened?"
As if responding to her confusion, a voice all too familiar—one that triggered viewers' stress response—sounded.
"You just broke through a layer of your own subconscious."
The next moment, the man who should have already died, who had obtained the ending he desired.
Otto Apocalypse appeared once again on the TV screen, sending countless viewers across the nation into a frenzy.
"Bishop! Bishop Otto! Take us charging up the Tree one more time! I want to create a Honkai Impact 3rd with Elysia in it!!"
"Holy crap, sitting up in shock while on death's door—didn't Otto die?"
"People up ahead, did you even watch properly? This is obviously not the living Otto—just like the earlier Himeko wasn't the living Himeko."
"Damn, why do I have to take a knife even while looking at the chat group!"
"As expected, I still want to charge the Tree with Otto one more time—create a Honkai Impact 3rd without knives!"
"…"
Seeing the excited fan group, Hessian at the company was somewhat surprised.
He hadn't expected that even after Elysia and the Elysian Realm arc ended, Otto would still have such high popularity.
Or rather, after the Elysian Realm arc concluded, Otto's character popularity didn't drop—it rose.
Simply because 99% of the audience wanted to do the same as Otto—for the sake of their beloved.
For the sake of the flawless Pink Fairy Miss, charge the Imaginary Tree one more time!