Seeing that Vill-V answered his questions fluently yet still clung stubbornly to her fantasy, Su asked,
"Your description of the future world is quite detailed. Then let me ask you this—why have our archaeological studies never discovered any trace of the previous civilization? If, as you say, civilization developed to a technological level comparable to ours before being destroyed, there should at least be numerous relics left behind. At the very least, geological strata don't lie."
Vill-V countered,
"Have you ever heard of ruins on the Moon?"
Su shook his head.
Vill-V nodded.
"Exactly. Because all information regarding the previous civilization—along with the apocalypse itself—has been sealed by governments."
"Then why tell me?" Su pressed. "By all logic, such information would be top secret. Why risk exposing yourself to tell a perfectly ordinary high school student like me? What use would that serve?"
To Su's surprise, Vill-V's answer was crisp.
"I need your help. So I told you this to get close to you—to control you. Just like now. I didn't even have to do anything. You came to me on your own."
She reached up above her head—and somehow plucked out an apple, placing it in Su's hand.
"This is fate."
Su could tell she had originally intended to pull it from among the leaves overhead. Unfortunately, she was too short. So it ended up looking as though the apple simply appeared out of thin air.
Producing playing cards from nowhere was something Su understood.
But producing an apple—that was considerably more difficult.
"I... don't believe in fate."
Su frowned. Feeling the weight of the apple in his hand, he considered throwing it away. Yet his thrifty habits stopped him. It would be both rude and wasteful.
"See? The shackles of fate compel you to accept it, regardless of what you truly think."
"If you could throw the apple away, I wouldn't seek you out. Because that would mean you can decide your own fate."
Having said that, Vill-V abruptly snatched the apple back from Su.
"Since you can't throw it away yourself, then I'll take it from you. I'll remove its hold over you—and decide your fate instead."
Su was still only a high school student, not yet the future Flame-Chaser bearing the Signet of [Bodhi]. Naturally, he found it difficult to decipher the riddling tone Vill-V used.
"So plainly speaking—what exactly do you intend to do to this so-called predetermined fate? Please don't explain it with philosophical abstractions. That has no meaning to me, and I won't understand it."
Fate was too nebulous. Discussing concepts beyond human comprehension would ultimately lead to nihilism.
And Su did not believe Vill-V capable of changing fate. As humans, they could never interfere with the decisions of a god.
Riddle-speaking Vill-V waved her hand dismissively.
"Revealing secrets is taboo for a magician. Proper buildup increases the audience's anticipation~"
With that, she dusted off her skirt lightly, preparing to return to the clubroom. Aside from urgently wanting to confirm certain matters in Sapphire City through her VR interface, she was also worried that Akane inside the clubroom would start spreading rumors again if she saw her and Su together.
Recently, quite a few exaggerated rumors about her and Su had originated from Akane and circulated widely—so wildly that Vill-V didn't even want to mention the details. As a result, she had begun receiving hostility from some of Su's admirers.
Though she did not care much, she couldn't help but wonder how Mei and Kevin might view her relationship with Su once they joined MOTH in the future.
"Next time Akane asks me for a divination, I'm definitely writing her a card that says 'Great Misfortune from Rumors.'"
Just as the saying went—speak of the devil.
Just as she was about to leave, Su pulled a neatly folded ticket from the side pocket of his shoulder bag.
"Wait. Eden's concert. Would you like to go?"
So this is the kind of person you are, Su? Trying to ask me out? I see how it is. I treat you as a tool, and you treat me as a wife. I've misjudged you...
Seeing Vill-V freeze with an expression of visible disdain, Su smiled faintly.
"Your thoughts are written all over your face."
He continued,
"I wanted to introduce you to Kevin and Mei. Based on what you said earlier, you haven't met them yet, right?"
Su had once assumed Vill-V was a reinforcement invited by Kevin, meant to turn his two-digit friend count into three digits.
But after various subtle exchanges with both Kevin and Vill-V, he had confirmed that the two had truly never met before.
"Maybe it's just my imagination," Su said frankly, "but you seem very eager to meet them. I feel like you and Kevin would get along."
Vill-V and Kevin getting along. That's a fine joke. Recommend reporting it to Expert.
(Pure Evil: Let's talk, Kevin. I need you to die immediately.)
"I think Mei might be interested as well."
Yes. Interested from a research perspective.
"And whenever I see you, you don't seem like the same person. It's almost as if two sisters are taking turns meeting me."
Even without becoming a psychic-type MANTIS, Su's perception far exceeded that of ordinary people. He could almost see through Vill-V's shifting masks.
Part of it was because every time Magician Vill-V met Su, she never fully maintained Conductor's composure. At some point during the conversation, she would grow excited, slipping into performance mode and completely forgetting Conductor's cautions.
Yet it was precisely that passionate, theatrical personality that captured Su's attention. Had Expert handled the matter instead, Su likely would have forgotten Vill-V entirely.
Su did not voice his true purpose.
Chuunibyou often arose from prolonged isolation and immersion in one's own fantasies. The best cure was to meet more peers and reconnect with reality.
Su had met Vill-V so many times to ensure she posed no harm. Only then did he feel comfortable introducing her to Kevin and Mei.
It was Su's form of goodwill.
Vill-V indeed wished to meet Mei and Kevin. She also longed to hear Eden's concert in person.
But Mei and Kevin were far too crucial in the original storyline. Even if she met them, the information she could reveal would be extremely limited, or else she would severely disrupt the carefully arranged plans.
As she had just told Su, everything she did was part of a layout against fate. At present, her primary objective was still testing the Honkai. Therefore, before Mei and Kevin joined MOTH, it would be best to minimize contact.
What if they decided not to join MOTH at all, and instead hid away in some remote corner to live out a countryside romance? Such a drastic deviation would cause her to lose control of the storyline entirely—and with it, her most important reference point of fate.
"Given how scarce Eden's concert tickets are, they'd have to be bought at least a month in advance. You should go yourself, Su."
Vill-V was about to decline Su's invitation when suddenly—
Beep—
An electronic warning sounded from her waist.
"Honkai energy detected nearby. One hundred Honkai Watts."