Chapter 164: Chapter 164. Pink Miss Mobius
"Welfare? What kind of welfare?"
Kiana caught onto a very suspicious word.
"For example, Miss Elf's loooove…" Elysia dragged her voice on purpose.
"?"
A question mark popped up above Kiana's head.
Before this, she had occasionally thought that Hokuto and Elysia... got along a little too well.
Could it be…?
"...A loving hug." Elysia finally finished her sentence.
"Ah?"
Kiana was momentarily stunned, not quite reacting.
"Kiana, don't think of weird things now~" Elysia playfully reminded her.
"Hehe... ehehe, what weird things?" Kiana laughed awkwardly, then straightened up and explained in her buggy voice:
"I just thought you were messing with Boss, saying 'I like you' to scare him and secretly recording his panicked reaction to blackmail him later…"
She cleared her throat and mimicked Elysia's tone: "If 'Otto'-san doesn't change the script, I'll send this video to everyone at miHoYo. Mm... and also the whole Golden Courtyard."
She returned to her normal voice.
"That kind of thing."
Elysia: "..."
That was very on-brand for Elysia, yet she fell silent upon hearing it.
"Kiana, you made Elysia embarrassed," Mei tried to smooth things over from the side.
"Would Elysia even get embarrassed… I guess I was talking nonsense, sorry…" Kiana apologized.
Elysia snapped back to herself, a hint of laughter in her voice.
"Oh my, it's nothing. I was just surprised there was such a tactic. Kiana taught me a new trick."
"I'd really like to try it on him sometime."
"...Alright, it's decided. If I ever get desperate enough to force him to change the script, I'll try it out." She muttered quietly—only loud enough for herself to hear.
...
Amid cheerful banter.
Kiana continued exploring the Elysian Realm and was just getting into it.
But something strange was happening in the realm.
After Mei defeated a monster, the surrounding environment suddenly turned abnormal.
All the original colors were inverted.
"This has never happened in the realm before… did I enter another region, or…"
Mei was puzzled.
Then, an unfamiliar voice suddenly spoke, attempting to guide Mei back to the hall.
Though suspicious, Mei followed the voice's instructions and managed to return to reality smoothly.
Then, a small doll-like girl appeared on screen.
Tiny, inexplicably adorable.
For example, Elysia was already wiggling in place.
She kept repeating things like "Tiny Klein is so cute," "The real Klein is already cute, but tiny Klein is even cuter," "Ahh, Mobius and Klein both turned small—the writers really get me…"
She curled into a pink puffball on her seat, completely in her own world.
Kiana and Mei were speechless, but they didn't interrupt her, simply staying focused on the story.
After some exchanges with Mei, Klein left a strong impression on everyone.
Because Klein is a natural airhead and a workaholic—combine those traits, and you get surprisingly powerful chemistry.
Afterward, Mei began helping Klein repair the Elysian Realm's abnormalities.
After a few rounds of restoration…
Klein informed Mei that a guest had arrived from outside the Realm—Raven.
According to Raven, Gray Serpent believed Mei had "crossed the line" and thus sent Raven to forcibly bring her back to reality.
After a "mutually lenient" battle, Raven easily abandoned her mission from Gray Serpent.
In order to uncover the cause behind the Realm's abnormalities, Mei decided to take the risk and seek out Mobius.
Of course, before meeting Mobius, she spoke to others—like Hua.
After gathering enough information, Mei entered Mobius's lab.
But upon seeing Mei, Mobius eerily mimicked Elysia's way of speaking.
"You won't come near me, but you've been asking around about me… Hehe, big sis, don't you think that's like having a secret crush?"
[I've been holding this in for so long. Why does it feel like this Realm is full of yuri?!]
[Well, with Miss Elf starring, a bit of yuri content seems perfectly normal.]
[Spread the word: Mei has a crush on Mobius.]
[Spread the word: Mei confessed to Mobius.]
[Spread the word: Mei had a daughter, and the child belongs to Mobius.]
[??? Netizens really unite the most during moments like this.]
...
Audience commentary was flooding in.
In the story, Mei had already begun receiving the [Infinity] Signet—and took in the full set all at once.
How Mei felt, players didn't know. They only knew they were hyped.
A full set of [Infinity] Signet? How could you lose?
Even if standing before them was… the pink, twenty-five health bar Miss Pink Elf, they had no fear.
In this excited state, the player controlled Mei to step through the final gate.
Mobius reappeared before Mei and revealed her true goal.
She wanted to transfer the memories stored within the Realm into Mei's body, achieving her own rebirth. Everything Mei had done—including accepting the Signet—was all within her plan.
Just moments ago, Kiana had been thrilled about the complete [Infinity] set. But now, she froze.
She recalled Hua's prior warning about Mobius—
"Whatever she asks, you must refuse. Even if it seems like agreeing is the best option."
"This is kinda terrifying. That feeling when everything's within the other party's calculations," Kiana murmured.
She braced herself for the next battle.
Only to find—it was weirdly easy?
Because Mei with a full [Infinity] set was just that powerful.
Nothing to fear at all.
Kiana chopped down Mobius in her [Simulated Erosion] form with a few clean hits.
They thought the fight was over—but...
Mobius locked her HP and summoned two adorable Mobius dolls to assist her.
There were so many little details hinting that Mobius unexpectedly had a girlish heart.
"Oh my."
Elysia whispered to herself, "Did I overanalyze that? Or was this something 'Otto'-san wrote in on purpose?"
"But it really does highlight Mobius's unexpectedly girlish nature—one that's completely hidden unless you pay close attention."
From her observations:
Though Mobius wore the same outfit every day in reality, she would subtly adjust her hairstyle daily, and the accessories on her clothes would always be slightly different.
Isn't that… adorable?
Well, aside from Elysia, who always had a keen eye for cute girls, no one else paid attention.
Not even Kiana. She was still controlling Mei on screen, temporarily at a loss.
What do you do with a locked HP bar?
That's when Klein's voice suddenly rang out: "Stop, Doctor. This isn't you… it's not something the real [Mobius] would choose."
"Klein? Why are you…"
Even Mei was drawn in by that voice.
Klein spoke directly: "There's no time to explain. I'm not like you—I can't do much. But I can disrupt the Doctor's puppets. If that still doesn't stop her… then just try to get away."
With Klein's help, Mobius's response time clearly slowed.
Kiana seized the chance, activated Mei's ultimate, and drained Mobius's health bar.
Mobius cried out in pain, her massive form shrinking back to normal and collapsing to the ground, breathing heavily.
Klein had somehow arrived at the scene and walked up to Mobius.
"Klein, you should understand me… you knew I'd do this even fifty thousand years ago… you never opposed me before. Why now?"
Mobius was genuinely stunned—after all, Klein was one of the few gentle presences left in her life. She probably never expected Klein to betray her.
Of course, once the shock wore off, she quickly began devising a new plan to recover.
Mei stood by and didn't go for the final strike.
Or rather, in the Elysian Realm, facing Mobius—an Elite—
She felt there was no need.
She only sought answers. Let them resolve this themselves.
But… Mei witnessed an unexpected scene.
Klein displayed a message Mobius had left behind.
A long passage filled with words of "love" and healing.
Some players were quietly touched, while others frowned more and more.
"This kind of plot…" the Doctor frowned.
It was the classic "redemption" route, but pairing that with Mobius felt… off.
"Doctor doesn't like it?"
"It's not about like or dislike, but… to be blunt, a plot like this would ruin Mobius's character."
The Doctor shook her head slightly. "I'm a bit disappointed."
In the game, the former Mobius finished her speech.
Players assumed she would be moved by her past self's words.
They assumed it was the classic, cheesy "talk-no-jutsu" moment.
But—unexpectedly—the memory Mobius destroyed the hologram herself.
And claimed that Mobius's death in reality was intentional—her own design.
Did the memory version kill the original?
This scene—
Shocked some players, but others felt it was just right. It aligned perfectly with her character.
"The Doctor got her twist!"
"Mm." The Doctor's eyes glinted.
She thought more deeply. Maybe the original Mobius let the memory version think it succeeded? But maybe the memory version predicted that too?
Yes! This endless cycle of mind games—just right!
"Let me borrow your phone."
"O-okay."
The Doctor took the phone without hesitation and fired off a comment.
[When is Mobius joining the Hyperion? Can't wait!!]
"Doctor?" Her female assistant gave a strange look.
"I just realized... maybe my lab doesn't need so many assistants..."
"I saw nothing."
The story continued.
Mobius sneered, "Heh, so this sappy tragedy finally ends?"
"Klein, do you know why I even watched the whole thing?"
The only reason she watched that far was to secretly set a trap for Mei's consciousness, hoping to imprison her permanently within the Realm.
If successful, Mei's body in the real world would become an empty shell, and Mobius's plan would still succeed.
However, with Elysia's help, Mei narrowly escaped danger.
The scene shifted back to the Realm's hall.
Elysia was speaking to Mobius.
"No way, Mobius. A person who can intrigue both you and me—there's no way she'd fall for your trap that easily, right?"
Mobius, who had planned to leave, suddenly got interested.
"Elysia, know-it-all pride has its limits. Oh right, weren't you always wanting to see me in a pink outfit?"
"Well, I'm in a good mood today. If she actually manages to walk out of the Realm alive… I'll wear it for you. How's that?"
As soon as she said that—
Mei's voice chimed in: "Sure. Then go ahead and wear it."
Mobius: ???
[Hahaha, did she just set her own flag?]
[Add this to Honkai's list of iconic moments.]
[Lesson learned: never set a flag casually.]
[Honestly I want to see Mobius in a pink dress too, even if I know it'll never happen.]
...
"I'm with everyone—really want to see Mobius in a pink dress~~"
That said, even Elysia knew the chances of seeing that in official story were near zero.
Sigh~~ guess we'll have to rely on fan content.
"Hmm…"
That thought gave Elysia an idea, remembering miHoYo's tendency for sheer fanservice.
"Mei~~"
"What is it?"
"I want to ask you something."
"Something? What?"
Elysia didn't want to say it live. She opened her chat app.
Elysia: [Do you guys have any fan content projects recently?]
Mei: [Fan content? Not that I know of. You could ask Hokuto.]
Elysia: [Okay.]
She immediately messaged someone else.
Elysia: [You there?]
Hokuto: [I was just about to message you. I've got a short video. Once this Elysian Realm arc ends, show it to the viewers.]
Elysia: [A short video? Is it about the Realm?]
Hokuto: [No… you'll understand after watching.]
Hokuto: [Why were you looking for me?]
Elysia: [So mysterious… I wanted to ask if you've got any fan content projects coming up.]
Hokuto: [Nope, nothing good lately.]
Elysia: [I've got an idea!]
Hokuto: [Like what?]
Elysia: [Pink Miss Mobius]