[Venti]: "It's strange... so strange. It seems like Kevin doesn't like Mei Yi."
[Nahida]: "Indeed, it seems... Mei and Kiana's relationship is closer."
[Venti]: "Did we make a mistake?"
[Raiden Ei]: "..."
Raiden Ei was completely speechless.
All because of these two... especially the cryptic Barbatos and their nonsensical speculations.
She almost rushed out of the Plane of Euthymia to find Lin Hao.
Fine!
Fortunately, she was sensible enough.
Fortunately, the Almighty Shogun was reliable enough.
Otherwise, it would've been a huge joke!
If there weren't so many people in the chat, she would've scolded them outright.
Next chance I get, I'm giving these two a taste of Musou no Hitotachi!
Just as she thought that...
The scene shifted again.
As this disaster unfolded, Kevin gazed at the rift in the sky, his thoughts spiraling uncontrollably into memories of the past.
Back when he was still a student.
On a bench.
A soft voice echoed: "That night, I happened to walk to the window and looked up at the stars. Suddenly, I felt something strange—as if I wasn't the one gazing at the stars, but the stars were gazing down at me."
"Under the vast Milky Way, I felt so small. Humanity felt so small. Everything around me seemed insignificant in that moment."
"Right then, an idea struck me."
"I believe every star in the sky is our enemy."
The scene showed no figures, only the voice.
As her words faded, the memory unfolded—a familiar white-haired boy and a mysterious girl with long hair.
The boy was, of course, Kevin.
Kevin: "Every star is an enemy?"
He scratched his head, clearly puzzled.
Girl: "Yes. In the physics textbook, there's a photo of Earth taken by a space probe from 6.4 billion kilometers away."
Kevin (suddenly remembering): "Ah, right! At first glance, there was nothing. But after searching, I spotted a tiny blue dot."
Girl: "That's Earth. The planet we were born on, that has existed for 4.6 billion years, is just a speck of light in the universe."
"Thousands of years of human history, billions of lives, all our knowledge and culture—they mean nothing on the scale of the cosmos."
"I often wonder... how much significance 'a person' can have in such an immense universe."
Kevin: "Hahahahaha—!"
His sudden laughter startled the girl.
And left everyone in Teyvat utterly baffled.
-----
[Paimon]: "Huh?! Did I hear that right? That was Kevin laughing?!"
[Venti]: "Unbelievable! He can actually laugh?!"
[Nahida]: "Am I hallucinating from being locked up too long? Did Kevin just laugh?"
[Yae Miko]: "This is Kevin? Impossible! Since when does Kevin laugh?!"
[Lumine]: "He definitely laughed..."
[Kamisato Ayaka]: "This must be fake. I can't even picture the Almighty Shogun smiling, let alone Kevin."
[Paimon]: "Yeah! It's like... like Zhongli suddenly bursting into laughter!"
[Tartaglia]: "Great analogy. Please never use it again."
[Ganyu]: "I can't even look at this scene directly..."
[Hu Tao]: "Oh? Sounds fun! Zhongli, Keqing, let's hear you laugh!"
[Zhongli]: "..."
[Zhongli]: "Setting that aside, the girl next to him is far more intriguing. Who could make Kevin laugh so freely?"
[Cloud Retainer]: "Naturally, it would be someone closest to him. Just as it was in our time."
[Venti]: "The closest person? So, like Raiden Ei's past life, Mei?"
Seeing Venti's message, Raiden Ei scoffed and quickly typed:
"I told you, Kevin doesn't like Mei Yi, and Lin Hao doesn't like me—"
Just as she was about to send it...
The scene panned to the girl beside Kevin.
She looked exactly like Mei—no, she was Mei, from the Previous Era.
Raiden Ei immediately deleted her draft.
"Wait... so he really does like me?!"
The chat erupted.
[Venti]: "See?! I was right! Kevin does like her!"
[Nahida]: "It's true! No wonder Kevin got so talkative after seeing Mei Yi, then claimed he didn't like her!"
[Zhongli]: "He must've been reminded of his past with her."
[Venti]: "@Raiden Ei, it's confirmed! Lin Hao's here for you."
[Raiden Ei]: "...This isn't conclusive yet."
[Venti]: "Not conclusive? You two already kissed!"
[Raiden Ei]: "Venti, where are you? I'll treat you to a drink."
[Venti]: "I'll come when you marry Lin Hao—then we'll really drink!"
[Zhongli]: "You drunkard... if you get yourself killed one day, I'll collect your body."
[Tartaglia]: "Bold words. She's the Shogun's weakness. Aren't you afraid the Almighty Shogun will peek at the chat and punish you later?"
[Venti]: "...Uh, maybe... they weren't lovers?"
Realizing she'd gone too far, Venti shuddered, remembering Lin Hao's power.
She quickly looked back at the screen.
-----
There, Kevin was still smiling.
Kevin: "No, no, I just find it refreshing. Other girls I've dated would jump to zodiac signs or blood types when talking about stars."
"You're the first to discuss the universe and humanity like this. As expected of you."
Mei: "...?"
Kevin (hurriedly): "I mean—you're unique. Different. Please, go on. This topic is fascinating."
Mei: "I've said my piece. Now it's your turn to answer."
Kevin: "Oh, right. Well... let me think."
This Kevin was nothing like the cold figure they knew—just a bright, cheerful boy.
Kevin: "You're right. The universe is vast, Earth is tiny. Maybe nothing we care about matters to the stars."
Mei: "That's true."
Kevin (disappointed): "That's a heavy conclusion..."
Mei (softly): "But even so, we—you, I, everyone—still live meaningfully."
"We exist. We make choices. We seize every moment."
"Humans have no inherent meaning... but we create it."
Kevin stared at Mei's delicate face, lost in thought.