I've already said this isn't a life simulator!

Xi Wang smiled and answered softly.

"And... Alicia brought you here today, it must be because of that matter, right?"

"Is that right~?"

"Then...that's perfect."

Xi Wang looked up and met Raiden Mei's gaze.

"Miss Mei, did you like the song you just heard?"

"Of course, your voices are very beautiful."

"In that case, please take a seat. Today is a rare day of the [appointment], so please enjoy it! Hmm... I can also offer you some blessings and assistance in the meantime."

"……Um?"

???~

Just as Raiden Mei was wondering what was going on, Nozomi's singing started again.

Golden light flowed through the air like a stream, and golden musical notes danced and leaped joyfully, coming to her side, landing on the back of her hand, and resting on her shoulder.

The melody surrounded her, along with his blessing instruments.

[After the event concludes, the "Changge" imprint will be activated.]

————【Event: Regarding "Utopia"】————

Raiden Mei: It is said that the other builder of "Utopia" is Nozomi... Is that right, Gretchen?

Greta: Yes, Mei-neechan.

Greta: In order to allow more people to survive, and to have a more stable "escape route", my brother Xiwang and I built the "ideal land".

Raiden Mei: I see, but I don't think I've seen him in the "Utopia" area.

Greta: Because Xiwang isn't suited to go there...

Raiden Mei: ...Not suitable?

Greta: Because Xiwang is no longer here.

Raiden Mei: He's gone? But he was right in front of me, just like you guys.

Greta: Because Xiwang is here, but... not over there, and not outside.

Raiden Mei: (What does that mean... go ask someone else.)

————【Event: Regarding Ranking】————

Raiden Mei: I asked other people, and it seems you guys have ranked each other? What was the basis for that?

Su: [Rank]? Ah... this, was that what Alicia said?

Sue: Actually, we don't really care about this, but since Alicia wants to do it, we'll just let her have it.

Raiden Mei: But when I asked other people, I found that their [rankings] were all consecutive.

Su: …………

Raiden Mei: So... what about Xiwang? He should also be considered part of the [Heroes], right? But when I asked him, he didn't know his [rank]... I don't think Alicia would deliberately leave him out.

Su: ...You went to ask Xi Wang...No wonder, since he really didn't know.

Raiden Mei: Hmm?

Su: As for the other [ranks], they are all consecutive, which is why you couldn't find Xi Wang's [rank]... That's normal, because his [rank] is ahead of everyone else.

Raiden Mei: But isn't Kevin the [first] one?

Su: No, it's Xi Wang, he is [number zero].

Raiden Mei: ...Why?

Su: Because he was the only [Yingjie] who sacrificed himself, and also the only [Yingjie] who contributed the most to us.

Su: It can be said that, apart from the very first few, all the fusion warriors after Xiwang, and even all the survivors... have received his kindness.

Raiden Mei: (All of them? That's way too much! And... what does it mean that the only one who sacrificed was [Hero]?)

————【Event: Regarding Sacrifice】————

Raiden Mei: I heard... that Xiwang has already sacrificed himself, is that right?

Möbius: Hmm? Little mouse, where did you hear that from?

Möbius: But in their eyes, that's probably the truth. He did sacrifice himself, and he did die.

Raiden Mei: But he is still in front of me now, moving around in front of me just like you.

Möbius: I didn't say anything wrong, you guinea pig! But I only said that, in their eyes, he was dead, that's all.

Möbius: But in the eyes of another group of people, he... has not left us.

Möbius: For example, me—but I'm also the most special one, after all, for me… the definition of life and death is probably different from others.

Raiden Mei: ...You still haven't answered my question.

Möbius: Oh dear, it's not good to delve too deeply into this, is it?

Möbius: However, I really like your spirit of inquiry, because... you're bound to uncover a lot of things~

Raiden Mei: …………

Möbius: Okay, I'm kidding you... If you want to know about him... um... have you ever heard of the term "thought body"?

Möbius: It doesn't matter if you don't understand. Just think of him as a memory for us, a real, tangible memory, a memory that allows us to see him again.

Raiden Mei: ("Thoughts"... Thoughts... So Dawn itself doesn't exist? That's why he can only move around in "Eden"? Hmm... I think I understand Gretchen's words a little better now)

Möbius: Oh, by the way, there's something Su might not have told you... Xiwang is actually a [Herrscher], just like you~

Raiden Mei: ...Hmm?

————【Event: Regarding the Traitor】————

Eden: What's wrong, Mei-san? You seem to have something on your mind.

Raiden Mei: ...I met Senju and heard something very intriguing from him.

Raiden Mei: He said that you... including himself, are all "traitors".

Eden: Traitor... I see...

Eden: In some ways, he wasn’t wrong.

Raiden Mei: Hmm?

Eden: Whether from our own perspective or from a more detached viewpoint... at that time, we were all... perhaps we could all be called "traitors".

Eden: Including Qianjie himself, including Mebius, Kevin, Sue, and Alicia and the others... even... me.

Eden: At that time, we all chose... humanity, not him.

Eden: Even if he did it voluntarily at the time, we still bear some responsibility.

Eden: Especially... me.

Eden: At that time... I was late, I... I was late again.

Raiden Mei: (Eden seems very sad, let's not ask any more questions for now)

————【Event: About Singing】————

Raiden Mei: Eden, before this, I once thought of a question... but I always felt it would be somewhat abrupt to bring it up with you.

Eden: Is that so? Don't worry about it, my friend. Please speak freely and ask your questions. It's nothing to be concerned about.

Raiden Mei: You once said that the Honkai made it impossible for you to continue standing on the stage, but that doesn't seem to mean that you can't continue singing... Even in the midst of war, art should have value and can even exert a unique power.

Raiden Mei: Just like Nozomi, I heard that his songs still resonate in your time until the very end, so you, who became one of the "Twin Stars" with him, should also... well.

Eden: You're right, Miss Mei. Even when all around us is devastation and death, even when we are burned and destroyed by flames, art can still survive, inspire the living, and bring hope.

Eden: But... Miss Mei, have you ever listened intently to the melody that was born back then?

Eden: At that time, disaster permeated our hearts. Even I was affected by the war. The tunes we created were less like art and more like a "tool," a tool to inspire people, or even to escape reality and indulge in fleeting illusions. And this... went against my true nature.

Raiden Mei: Your true self?

Eden: The purpose of art is only itself; it is insufficient and should not be used to fight against reality, because the hope born from it is inevitably as fleeting as a breeze, invisible, intangible, and impossible to grasp.

Eden: Compared to that, I would rather use my own hands to bring more real hope to everyone.

Raiden Mei: But Xi Wang him...?

Eden: And this is the only exception I want to tell you about... Xiwang is special, he is unique. His songs are given power, given form, allowing people to glimpse that faint light and touch that distant star.

Eden: ...Just as you said, he did bring hope to people through art, just as his name suggests.

Eden: At that time, he did far more than I did, and he shone far brighter than I did. He was like the only shining star in the dark night, like a gentle breeze under the scorching sun, like a drizzle falling in a raging fire, bringing upward motivation to people's hearts and soothing their anxious minds.

Eden: He truly became hope, hope for me, and for everyone.

Eden: But in the end, we destroyed our "hope" with our own hands.

Raiden Mei: ... (There seems to be some hidden story, but let's not delve into it for now.)

————【Event: About "Song"】————

Raiden Mei: Actually, there's something I want to ask... what exactly is this "song" that you guys keep talking about?

Möbius: Oh dear, little mouse, you're actually curious about this?

Raiden Mei: Judging from the current situation, the "song" you're talking about seems to be the power of Dawn, right? And this power has helped you a lot.

Möbius: That's right~

Möbius: Not only that, even now, his "song" is still there~

Möbius: Of course, I wasn't referring to this.

Raiden Mei: You mean... in reality? How is that possible?

Möbius: What's impossible? His "song" has been flowing across the planet's surface all along~ Otherwise... how do you think you managed to maintain your self-awareness after becoming a [Herrscher]? And how did you subsequently control the power of a [Herrscher]?

Raiden Mei: …………