Honkai: Fire Moth Herrschers-Chapter 244: Plucking the Moon for You

Splash—Splash—

In a world where sea met sky, the wind blew from one expanse of azure to another.

Waves surged, one after another, white foam weaving vast nets across the ocean surface, their spray resembling winter snow dust.

Even on the cruise ship, displacing over a thousand tons, the rise and fall were distinctly felt.

And according to Eden, these past few days had been rare, calm, beautiful weather.

"Calm beautiful weather... Retch!"

Su elegantly set down his fishing rod, stood up, gripped the deck railing, and dry-heaved towards the turquoise sea.

Michael, also holding a fishing rod to his left, smirked, taunting mercilessly: "Tsk tsk tsk, Su, you scared my fish away!"

Su, pale-faced, silently lay back down on his chair without a word.

Kevin, to his right, wasn't idle either, pulling his gaze from the motionless fishing line. "Don't be so harsh, Michael. At least Su's better than Kalpas, right? Never thought such a powerful-looking man would get seasick enough to be bedridden for three days, hahaha— Oof!"

Michael's eyebrows relaxed. He shook his head with a long sigh—not a single capable fighter among them!

Though, it was worth celebrating... ah no, being thankful for.

This kind of world-spinning, bile-spewing misery was something he had experienced to exhaustion many years ago while exploring the Second Herrscher's powers.

Now, just a little sea breeze and waves couldn't faze him—Michael forced down several swallows, suppressing the discomfort in his stomach.

Alright, he had to admit, the rocking and dizziness from the sea were far less severe than phasing through space, but alas, it was relentless, lingering endlessly!

The dizziness from phasing, however intense, was fleeting. During the Seventh Honkai Eruption, enduring overload exceeding twenty times gravity's acceleration to get the Herrscher out of the base via elevator... Michael had withstood even that...

But...

But... But they had been drifting at sea for three days!

Michael rubbed his stomach. Good thing he hadn't eaten much. If he'd eaten even slightly too much, his fate wouldn't be much better than the two men beside him...

But the strange thing was...

While the few male creatures were physically and mentally exhausted by seasickness, looking over at the other side of the deck, the sea breeze carried the noisy chatter of the girls, making one's head feel even heavier.

Was it the creator's bias, or did girls possess some magical resistance? The bouncing Elysia, Eden and Aponia sipping wine up high, Pardofelis shrieking while fishing, Hua still practicing punches on deck, Mobius standing not far off with Klein, half disdainful, half wistful... In short... all the girls on this ship seemed... unaffected...

By seasickness!

Conversely, among the male comrades, the only ones still standing... no, lying on the deck, were Michael, Su, and Kevin.

Kalpas, perennial champion of Fire Moth's "Mystery Ranking," had been sick for three days. Kosma, however, was completely immune to seasickness, thus naturally assigned the task of caring for Kalpas.

This wasn't a vacation... This was clearly torture!

"Oooh oooh! Got a bite, got a bite! Ely-nee! Ah Hua! Don't just stand there, come help me! Ahhh! I'm gonna fall in! This is a big one!"

The fishing rod bent nearly ninety degrees under immense pressure. Fortunately, the special material Michael used in its construction held firm for the moment.

With help from Elysia and Hua, Pardofelis stumbled backward. As a white wave broke on the sea surface, a marlin, almost as large as a person, leaped out. Its dorsal fin was like a blade, a huge spear protruding from its snout; the entire fish descended like a javelin.

Among the girls present, even Pardofelis, considered non-combatant by other MANTISes, could theoretically handle this marlin easily. But whether out of genuine fear or just pretending...

A woman who could tear apart Judgement-class Honkai Beasts, a woman who could tear apart Emperor-class Honkai Beasts, and another woman who could tear apart this very marlin, all shrieked and scattered. Only the poor marlin was left to crash onto the cruise ship deck, twitching several times before rolling half a turn and fainting.

Michael's breathing grew heavy. He turned his head, finding Kevin and Su also staring intently at the marlin.

The three men's gazes met mid-air, then simultaneously shifted to their own catches—

Three empty fish buckets...

The water inside looked somewhat murky. Even the seawater originally prepared for caught fish had evaporated considerably, leaving precipitated impurities.

"Grumble—Gurgle..."

All three clutched their stomachs simultaneously. After a long moment, Su hesitantly spoke: "Michael, maybe we should just concede?"

Kevin covered his forehead, looking like he wanted to hide. "Although I don't want to admit defeat, Michael... this is already the fifty-third fish Pardofelis has caught, and we're still at zero... Absolutely no chance of winning..."

Su quickly chimed in: "According to the bet you and Elysia made, during the competition, we can only cook the fish caught, no other food, until one side concedes... While MANTISes don't rely heavily on eating, it's been almost two days, uh, my stomach really isn't used to it. Everything inside was vomited out due to seasickness earlier..."

Before he finished, he instinctively covered his nose. Even so, the aroma of grilled fish seeped through his fingers, drifting into his nostrils.

Prolonged fasting and the body's weakness after seasickness made even the usually calm and elegant Su want to lick the fingers the aroma had brushed against.

"Adding insult to injury..." Michael tossed aside his fishing rod, half-reclining on the lounge chair, muttering his complaint.

"But who's grilling the fish? It smells so good. Sakura and Vill-V aren't here; none of the others should know how to cook 'normal food,' right? Is it Eden or... Michael! Kalpas and Kosma defected!" Kevin, despite his weakened state, leaped straight up from the lounge chair, stomping his feet. The movement was so violent that the single button on his shirt popped off.

There was anger in his action, certainly, but more annoyance.

He secretly shot Su a look. Though the latter's eyes were closed, as a psychic-sensitive MANTIS, he should be able to see it.

His meaning was—

"Should we defect too?"

"Er..." Su pondered briefly. A true man shouldn't bow down for five baskets of fish, but on the brink of starvation, it was another matter.

Besides, while doing so felt a bit like betraying a friend, the side they'd defect to... weren't they friends too?

The muscles in Michael's cheeks twitched. He didn't even need to secretly use the Eighth Herrscher's powers; he could guess what these two were thinking...

After all, there are no true friends between men, only bros who mess with each other.

If you don't betray, can you even call yourself a bro?

But this wasn't the time for deep thoughts. The situation was critical. If this continued, he'd become a lone commander!

"Kevin, Su, hold your positions."

"What?"

A double-layered Imaginary barrier enveloped the small space around the three. Due to special light reflection, the world inside the barrier appeared frozen from the outside. Of course, considering the three were fishing, remaining motionless was plausible.

Despite this, Michael glanced around guiltily, then quickly opened a spatial rift, retrieved two compressed biscuits, and tossed them into Kevin's and Su's hands.

"..."

"...Michael, you..."

"If you can't win, you cheat... Ah, bah! What cheating! This is called 'all's fair in war'! Eat quickly!"

The air held not only the smoky aroma of grilled fish but also the mixed scent of chili and cumin powder. Kevin and Su stared blankly at the compressed biscuits in their hands, momentarily speechless.

"Michael... What exactly was the bet you made with Elysia? Is it worth all this?" Kevin peeled the thin film off the compressed biscuit but couldn't bring himself to take a bite.

"Stop wasting time! I specially adjusted the flavor to meat floss. Are you eating or not!"

"..."

"Eat! Why aren't you eating!"

"...I want grilled fish."

The spatial barrier quietly dissipated. Kevin's and Su's cheeks bulged slightly. Afraid of being caught, they didn't dare chew vigorously, only letting saliva soften the biscuits, then grinding them slowly with their cheeks and molars...

Michael rubbed his hands together, flicking the biscuit crumbs into a spatial rift, destroying... eliminating the evidence.

He didn't forget to remind them: "Wipe the biscuit crumbs off your mouths, it's too obvious."

"Ish dish nod whad you shuffed in here (Isn't this what you stuffed in here)?"

Hearing this, Michael couldn't help but grin smugly.

Nobody force-feeds better than me!

After doing all this, he didn't forget to glance towards the other end of the deck, only to see Elysia approaching, carrying a plate of grilled fish in each hand.

The crosswind caught her plain white skirt, lifting the hem—it was still the one Michael had bought for her long ago, but he currently had no mind to appreciate the view.

"Swallow quickly! She's coming over!" Michael whispered through barely moving lips, using ventriloquism.

"Can't swallow..." Kevin and Su were almost in tears. A compressed biscuit wasn't large, but it was long enough. After being forcefully stuffed in by Michael, it was wedged horizontally against the insides of their cheeks. Swallowing was impossible...

Seeing this, Elysia laughed triumphantly: "Alright! I saw you eating! Michael, what do the rules say? [Anyone caught sneaking food is automatically out]!"

Michael glanced at the two who, having given up, were now openly chewing the biscuits, and retorted with forced calmness: "Oh? But they were the ones sneaking food. Nothing to do with me." ("Rain I no melon"—a meme phrase meaning "none of my business")

"Mmph! Woo woo woo woo!" Kevin, hearing this, pointed at Michael, furious yet finding it hilarious.

He finally understood why Michael had only given them biscuits and hadn't eaten any himself...

He even thought of this!

Elysia laughed again, her smile somewhat meaningful—

"Oh dear, Michael, if someone secretly uses the Fourth Herrscher's powers to manipulate ocean currents, does that count as cheating?"

Michael took a deep breath, put down his fishing rod, stood up, and raised both hands above his head.

"Alright, alright, I concede. Okay?"

Elysia was thoroughly amused by his expression—outwardly indifferent, yet clearly extremely resentful inside.

Kevin glanced at Su. The two quietly left the scene, not forgetting to grab the grilled fish from Elysia's hands on their way out—With this to eat, who would choose dog food (public display of affection)?

Elysia circled Michael halfway, then lazily flopped onto the lounge chair he had previously occupied.

"Well! Michael! It was agreed, this time, the loser has to grant the winner any one request—anything at all!"

"Ah—" This drawn-out sound wasn't surprise, but acknowledgment.

Although still resentful inside, although wanting to say: "Pardofelis caught all the fish, what does it have to do with you!"

But that was within the allowed rules. The blame lay with Michael for finding two teammates... who were as bad at fishing as himself...

"Go ahead, what do you want me to do? Although theoretically anything goes, don't say silly things like asking me to pluck the moon for you."

This 𝓬ontent is taken from fгeewebnovёl.co𝙢.

Having lost, Michael wouldn't renege. Though usually, whenever this happened, Elysia's requests were always... embarrassing...

Sunlight was obscured by clouds. The sea surface naturally lost its sparkle. Instead, sea and sky gradually distinguished themselves in Michael's eyes. The seawater under the dim light was no longer turquoise, but revealed a heavy blackness.

Like ink, sometimes gathering, sometimes falling.

Michael stared at the sea surface for a full ten minutes without hearing Elysia's answer.

"What's wrong?" He turned his head in surprise. For some reason, he didn't look at Elysia's expression, instead letting his gaze fall on her calves, sometimes revealed, sometimes hidden by the wind-whipped skirt hem.

"Michael..."

"Hm?"

"Remember the first time we played a similar game, probably that time in Sapporo? What was the request I made in the end?"

A tingling sensation started in Michael's chest and spread throughout his body. He spoke in a low voice: "You asked me to pluck the moon for you."

Saying this, Michael himself smiled.

He hadn't deliberately memorized it, but these fragments of their past together had never left his mind. For instance, when he said that just now, he hadn't intentionally recalled it; the words seemed to appear naturally in his throat, uttered smoothly.

Since the sky darkened, the sea wind had also grown rough, whipping Elysia's skirt hem noisily, almost flipping it inside out.

"You're going to flash everyone!" Michael sighed softly, grabbed Elysia's skirt, pulled it to one side of the lounge chair, then sat down lightly himself, holding it down.

Throughout this, Elysia neither moved nor spoke, as if knowing he would do so.

Only after all this settled did she still not state her request, and Michael didn't rush her.

Even though the weather looked like an approaching storm, even though Kevin shouted from nearby for them to quickly take shelter indoors from the rain, the two remained motionless, as if detached from the surrounding world.

The others saw this and didn't insist. After all, a sea storm was trivial to these two, easily manageable. They didn't even need to worry about them catching a cold.

Rain strands quickly wove into a curtain. Mist gradually rose from the sea surface. Soon, everything around was obscured in grey.

Now, they truly seemed isolated from the world.

Michael was long past the crazy age of wanting to pull his beloved into the rain together. The Imaginary barrier appeared before the rain, the first layer enclosing the small space around him and Elysia, the second enveloping the entire cruise ship, preventing the thousand-ton "little thing" from capsizing in the waves. Even the rocking sensation lessened considerably. They probably wouldn't get seasick anymore, right?

In the hazy rain, in a world of just two, Elysia finally spoke.

"Michael, remember, someone once said: Freedom doesn't mean doing whatever you want, but not doing whatever you don't want. But that's not what I want to say... How should I put it? You feel it too, right? Compared to what 'I want,' no, more accurately, almost no one can truly define 'what I want.' Conversely, people can always easily define 'what I don't want.'"

Michael couldn't help but think of the dreamscape constructed by the Eighth Herrscher.

For Kevin, he once thought he wanted to be a hero, the kind who completely expelled Honkai from the world. But only upon entering the dream did he truly know his craving—

Just a peaceful life. From the passion-filled school days to the mundane adult life, all he wanted was the ordinary life of a normal person, a life untouched by any supernatural phenomena.

Perhaps obscure, perhaps too ordinary, so much so that Michael, as a third party hearing his dream description, first reacted with—Impossible?

Is that all you want?

The only unsurprising element was Mei.

But rather than Mei's presence in the dream being what he [wanted], it was more what he was [unwilling to give up under any circumstances].

And for Michael, the dream the Eighth Herrscher constructed for him was almost a replica of Kevin's—

The same ordinary life. Staying up late writing to earn manuscript fees to support the family, arguing with Elysia about when their daughter should wake up... like most fathers, sitting idly at the dining table after washing up, waiting for his wife to serve him a hot breakfast.

Michael felt at the time that this wasn't what he truly wanted. That's why he was so clearly aware it was just a dream, why he could make a swift decision—unlike Kevin's self-reconciliation and self-persuasion, he broke out of that dream in the most brutal, ruthless, cruel way possible.

But in the following two nights, he tossed and turned, his mind filled with that unfinished dream.

He even felt an impulse to use the Eighth Herrscher's powers to re-enter that dream and see the rest.

Perhaps that dream wasn't entirely contrary to his desires, but... completely everything he wanted. Yet precisely because it was too perfect, it made Michael acutely aware of its dream nature.

But these were just speculations. He didn't dare definitively say that was what he truly wanted.

What does a person truly want? This is a question worth pondering for a lifetime, as it determines how one lives, what attitude one adopts, what actions one takes.

But... what a person doesn't want, is something that can, to some extent, be answered immediately.

Because those are inevitably the things everyone fears losing while living.

What did Michael fear losing most?

Undoubtedly, just as Kevin didn't want to lose Mei, he...

His hand resting beside the lounge chair shifted, lifting slightly, yet still不敢 (not daring) to take her hand.

Perhaps in other matters he had become much firmer, much braver, but regarding that lingering historical issue...

He remembered Kevin's words—A person's personality is their destiny.

But personality isn't immutable. Through continuous growth, one wears away unwanted aspects, even nearly "completely" killing their past self. Yet, a fundamental color remains buried deep within, impossible to wash clean or erase.

And for Michael, passively accepting emotions was undoubtedly part of that fundamental color.

Moreover, he was the one at fault initially.

He had almost never proactively expressed his feelings. His relationship with Elysia before had seemed naturally progressing, but even in that smooth relationship, whenever small "blockages" occurred, it was always Elysia taking the initiative, either pushing or guiding their feelings further.

As for others, he knew even less how to handle them.

Take Mobius, for example. He had naturally noticed long ago that her "interest" in him was excessive, but kept deceiving himself—it was merely her interest in Herrschers themselves.

Unexpectedly, the only time he acted proactively was a king-bomb, blasting the previously somewhat clear lines into a tangled mess.

And after that proactive move, he became a coward again—perhaps he could face and rectify other mistakes, but this one...

He couldn't respond to Mobius's growing dependence, nor dared he respond to Elysia's seemingly nonchalant attitude... He knew very well that from a purely [responsible] perspective, he should make some sort of sacrifice. But this thought had lingered in his mind for two years, yet he never...

The outstretched hand suddenly felt warmth. This he hadn't expected... No, perhaps this was what he had hoped for—Elysia proactively took his hand hanging in mid-air.

Her voice was uncharacteristically calm, something that had only happened a few times before.

"Speaking of which, I can't really say what I truly want! At least not right now. But, Michael..."

"..."

"I know very well what I don't want—I don't want to continue this abnormal relationship with you, hovering between closeness and distance."

Michael suddenly grasped her hand back. Before he could tighten his grip, his fingers began to tremble violently.

His back was turned to her, and he didn't use the Eighth Herrscher's powers, but years of mutual understanding allowed him to guess—she was now raising her free right hand, gently covering his trembling one.

Sure enough, the next moment, his trembling fingers were enveloped in the warmth of her clasped hands.

Within that warmth, the trembling gradually subsided.

Only then did he belatedly feel the damp warmth of sweat in her palm.

"So, this time, my request is—Michael, can our relationship go back to how it was before? Before that incident happened."

How I wish it could—Michael thought.

But he...

"Michael, you've grown a lot. You should understand you can't remain stagnant because of past mistakes—Yet you can forcefully rectify other errors, why only this one? You choose to evade the mistake, not correcting it, not making amends, allowing the harm caused by that mistake to continuously prick the hearts of three people?"

"Ah!" Michael narrowed his eyes. Elysia had reminded him—he had been avoiding this issue, thinking inaction would prevent further harm to any of the three, yet ignoring the fact that letting the problem fester was itself allowing the problem to continue hurting everyone.

And besides.

If he continued to evade, how was he different from the self he used to despise? If he didn't overcome this hurdle, he would continue to evade similar problems in the future, eventually returning to the same old path.

But he didn't think doing as Elysia suggested was right.

"Even if I must rectify this mistake, I don't agree with this method—You were the biggest victim. This solution still involves you making concessions to forgive my mistake. You always end up losing out. And Mobius..."

"Oh? Then what is your solution?"

Michael took a deep breath. He already had his own idea about this. From a "responsibility" perspective, that method was clearly better, but... Anyway, the time for decision had come. Yet before he could speak, he received a heavy blow to the back of his head, followed by several punches to his back, the force diminishing with each blow—

"Idiot Michael! Don't you just hope I abandon you, so you can go be [responsible] for Mobius? But do you think that ending is perfect? I told you—I don't want to lose you, and I cannot accept losing you. I believe you feel the same, otherwise you wouldn't have had the thought but kept silent, right? But the method you're thinking of will only hurt both of us even more!"

"..." Michael thought Elysia's tone would be heavy, but unexpectedly, she tugged his ear, her voice becoming increasingly cheerful:

"Whatever the case, I've made my request. You can't go back on your word! Of course, if you really feel bad about it... Sigh, I didn't want to use this phrasing, but perhaps saying it this way will make you feel better—If you truly feel indebted, why not do something to make up for it! Hmm, let's use this: On a certain day in the future, unconditionally grant Elysia one request!"

"...Elysia, this is what you said to me after the Seventh Honkai Eruption ended."

"Oh dear! Back then I wasn't willing to use phrasing like [indebted], but who told you to think that way? Then I have no choice but to say it like this! Just tell me if you accept or not!"

Michael fell silent for an instant. He wanted to bring up the issue of Mobius, but understood—Elysia wouldn't turn a deaf ear to it. What she wanted now was simply a direct answer, not evasiveness.

"Yes. Even if you ask me to pluck the moon for you."

"Puhahaha!" Elysia collapsed laughing onto his shoulder, her laughter mingling with the sound of rain, echoing, making it impossible to distinguish laughter from rain.

She hugged Michael from behind, cupped his face with her hands from behind, then poked his cheeks with her index fingers, pulling them sideways, forcing a smile onto his face.

"As for poor Grandma Mobius... Ehe! If you think about it from another angle—consider Mobius as my lover too, no wait, she is my lover... Oh dear! Doesn't that mean I get embraces from both sides! No, no, tonight I must go to Mobius's bedroom and favor her!"

Michael had been suppressing his excitement, trying to maintain his newly established cool persona, but Elysia's words completely shattered it—

First, his shoulders started shaking. The facial muscles pushed aside by Elysia began to bunch up towards his cheekbones. His laughter soon merged with the rain, laughing until tears streamed down his face.

Elysia's hands slid down to his shoulders. With a slight push, he obediently turned around and knelt before her on one knee.

They cupped each other's faces. The Imaginary barrier could block the sea wind, but not the chill. Yet both felt the other's cheeks turn from cold to warm, then rapidly scalding hot.

Finally, Michael proactively leaned in...

This kiss, like a wild goose soaring through the endless snows of Vostock, appeared somewhat abruptly, yet wasn't entirely impossible. Like the sunset after the vernal equinox, it seemed delayed for a long time, but it finally arrived.

Then, the torrential rain completely drenched the oblivious couple—Michael proved with facts that he was still at the age where sharing a rainstorm with his beloved was considered romantic.