Fu Hua took two steps closer, curiously examining the flashy sunglasses.
"Relief?"
She repeated the word, a clear look of doubt appearing on her usually serene face. "That sounds... a bit strange. Could it be some kind of interference?"
After her experience in the Paradise, being 'captured' and forcibly indoctrinated with a new worldview, she maintained an instinctive vigilance towards anything of unknown origin.
Kevin was silent for a moment, his ice-blue eyes fixed on his slightly distorted reflection in the sunglasses.
He actually had similar doubts, but... "That 'Black Herta',"
he began slowly, his voice deep, "if she truly intended to take direct adverse action against us, with the methods she's shown, there would be no need for such a roundabout approach."
His tone paused, as if weighing his words.
It made logical sense.
But Fu Hua still felt something was off.
Just as she was pondering, Kevin seemed to make a decision.
He brought the sunglasses closer, his gaze focused on the deep lenses.
Perhaps it was just her imagination, but Fu Hua thought Kevin's ice-like profile seemed to soften for a fleeting moment?
As if drawn by the subtle glint on the lenses, a faint impulse of "no harm in trying" arose.
Then, under Fu Hua's gaze, Kevin put on the starry pentagram sunglasses.
Instantly, a subtle change occurred.
The combination of his cold combat uniform and these flamboyant beach sunglasses created a strong contrast.
But what stunned Fu Hua even more were Kevin's subsequent actions and words.
He turned to Fu Hua, adjusted the sunglasses so the edge of a pentagram rested just below his silver hair on his forehead, and then, in his usual flat tone, asked:
"How is it?"
"Isn't it cool~?"
Fu Hua: "...?"
She almost thought she had misheard.
Cool~?
The trailing '~' indicating leisure and even a hint of playfulness, coming from Kevin Kaslana — the strongest warrior, the first of the thirteen Flame-Chasers, bearing the name of Deliverance, always associated with heavy words like "stern" and "responsibility"?
She must have misheard.
Fu Hua composed herself, forcing herself to ignore that detail and focus on providing an evaluation.
She carefully observed Kevin with the sunglasses on.
Setting aside the strong sense of incongruity, the sunglasses really did seem to... soften the cold, unapproachable aura around him.
The lenses obscured some of the sharp light in his eyes, making him look less like a sharp warrior and more casually relaxed.
"There's a sense of..."
Fu Hua carefully chose her words, "...relaxation. Less oppressive than usual." She stated truthfully.
Kevin nodded slightly at her words.
He folded his arms, his stance slightly more casual than usual.
Then, as if remembering something, he turned his face, partially obscured by the sunglasses, towards Fu Hua and said:
"Do you know what fish and blue have in common?"
Fu Hua: "...?"
She was stunned.
Kevin didn't wait for her answer, calmly stating the solution in his unruffled tone:
"Because fish go 'blu-blu' (Cloth Cloth) when they blow bubbles. (A pun on 'blue blue')"
"..."
Silence.
The already low temperature in the corridor seemed to drop a few more degrees.
Fu Hua felt the corner of her mouth twitch uncontrollably.
(I can confirm it now.)
She thought silently to herself, (This is definitely the sunglasses' doing.)
The already somewhat cold atmosphere, due to his inherent temperament, was shattered by this joke, plummeting below freezing point.
Kevin seemed to notice the solidified atmosphere as well.
He was silent for two seconds, then asked, "Wasn't it funny?"
Fu Hua looked at his expressionless face, its upper half obscured by the sunglasses, and for a moment didn't know how to reply.
Say "it was funny"? That would go against her principle of honesty.
Say "it wasn't funny"? She was afraid of discouraging... uh, discouraging Kevin, who was influenced by the sunglasses?
She finally chose a compromise with a hint of concern: "Kevin, are you... alright? Is there something about these sunglasses..."
She deliberated, "...a special relaxing effect?"
Kevin also seemed to realize the abnormality of his recent words and actions.
He raised his hand and gently took off the sunglasses.
His ice-blue eyes were revealed once more.
"I'm fine."
He looked down at the sunglasses in his hand, his voice returning to its usual calm, though with a hint of helplessness. "It's just that after wearing them... some things felt less necessary to be tense about. My thoughts also seemed more relaxed."
He held the sunglasses in his hand, with no intention of putting them back on.
The atmosphere seemed to return to normal as the sunglasses were removed, yet a subtle awkward stiffness lingered from the recent embarrassment.
A few seconds later, Kevin suddenly spoke again, asking earnestly, "Was that joke... really not funny?"
Fu Hua: "..."
She felt the corner of her mouth begin to twitch again.
To avoid the topic, she tried to suggest in a calm tone, "Perhaps... Su would appreciate this kind of humor that requires a bit of thought?"
Kevin seemed to genuinely consider this possibility at her words, then nodded, "I see."
He put away the sunglasses. "I'll consider it."
Fu Hua secretly breathed a sigh of relief and quickly said goodbye: "Then I'll go back to my room to rest."
She needed some time to process.
"Mm." Kevin nodded.
Fu Hua walked along the simply styled corridor towards her room. As she passed the central hall, a wave of sound, completely out of sync with what she remembered, suddenly washed over her.
Dynamic, strong-rhythmed, energetic music boomed from the direction of the lounge bar area on one side of the hall.
Accompanying it were constantly shifting and flashing multicolored lights, illuminating the area like a lively dance floor.
Fu Hua paused, looking over in confusion.
In the center of that dazzling light and shadow, a pink figure was dancing freely to the music's beat.
The figure was agile, joyful, every movement filled with undisguised youthful vitality and infectious energy—it was Elysia.
But unlike her usual elegant yet playful dance style, Elysia's movements now were larger, faster, and her smile even more radiant and dazzling, as if she wanted to release all her passion in this moment, forming a visible "pink whirlwind of vitality."
And on the sofa at the edge of the dance floor, Eden was sitting there.
This Golden Diva, usually composed, elegant, and exceptionally tasteful, now held a glass of wine, a subtly helpless expression on her beautiful face.
She seemed to have tried to intervene, but clearly hadn't succeeded.
Fu Hua walked over, filled with curiosity.
"Eden, this is...?"
Seeing Fu Hua, Eden seemed to find someone she could confide in.
She sighed softly, pointing to Elysia, who was dancing ecstatically on the dance floor, her voice needing to be slightly raised to be heard over the music: "As you can see, Elysia... found a new toy."
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