He was already burning with impatience to find out exactly what kind of abilities that girl possessed — that she could leave Kaito looking so utterly helpless was remarkable enough on its own.
Ugh...
If only he'd said more to her just now...
No, wait...
She was the one who left first.
Just as Childe was feeling a twinge of regret over not having exchanged more words with Mobius, he caught himself: it was Mobius who had chosen to leave, not him who had declined to engage.
And then he remembered what she'd said as she departed — that they would be meeting again very soon.
Very soon, she'd said...
She'd even predicted that in advance...
Truly not someone to be underestimated.
Turning this over in his mind, Childe spoke up: "That does sound genuinely dangerous. What I'm curious about is — how strong is she, exactly?"
"Very strong. You might not be able to beat her, Childe."
Curious whether Childe would want to measure himself against Mobius when the time came, Kaito had deliberately left a little room for doubt in his phrasing.
"Oh? Hearing you put it that way, friend, I feel like I want to test myself against her even more — if the chance ever presents itself."
As he said it, Childe couldn't hold back a laugh.
He couldn't help it. Encountering a strong opponent always stirred his blood.
Of course, this strong opponent couldn't be terrifying in the way Miss Wendy was — that path led only to bottomless despair.
If anyone else defeated him, he could at least tell himself that given enough time he'd claw his way back. Miss Wendy was a different matter entirely. After being utterly crushed by her, he hadn't entertained that thought for even a second.
There was simply no helping it — the gap in power was too vast. A lifetime wouldn't be enough to close it. He couldn't even catch a glimpse of her back.
This guy really never changes...
Listening to Childe, Kaito couldn't help thinking exactly that.
But it worked out well enough. Having witnessed Mobius's strength firsthand would only make Childe more willing to cooperate.
"So, friend — could you describe what she looks like for me?" After a string of questions, Childe finally arrived at this one. "You never know, I might run into her one of these days. You know how it is with me — I'm always having to travel from place to place collecting debts."
He figured that asking this now wouldn't make it look like he'd already laid eyes on Mobius.
More importantly, he needed to confirm whether the person Kaito was describing was actually her. That detail was crucial.
Even if he was already ninety percent sure, he needed Kaito's final confirmation before he could act on it.
Getting the wrong person would be mortifying.
"She looks like a little girl."
Childe: !
The moment he heard that description, Childe became completely certain: the little girl he'd just encountered was none other than Kaito's friend.
Still, even with that confirmed, he had to put on a show of surprise.
"A little girl? That's..." — he trailed off, as if genuinely at a loss for words, before finally pressing on — "That really is unexpected. Someone described the way you described her, and she turns out to be a little girl."
"Not exactly — she just looks like one. Her actual age is in the tens of thousands."
"What?! T-tens of thousands?!" This time, Childe's shock was completely genuine. He had actually met someone who was tens of thousands of years old.
To put it in perspective — even the most ancient gods weren't described as tens of thousands of years old. And yet this girl called Mobius, the one he'd just crossed paths with, apparently was. The thought was nothing short of staggering.
"Indeed. So don't go underestimating her." Kaito gave a firm nod, watching Childe's astonished expression.
"No, of course not. Who would dare look down on someone who's lived that long?"
Nodding in turn, Childe finally recovered from his shock and said as much.
Coming back this time was absolutely the right call...
To think I'd stumble into something like this the moment I returned to Liyue...
The more he thought about it, the more convinced Childe became that his timing had been impeccable. Absolutely perfect.
"But why does she appear as a little girl? Is that not her true form?" Having marveled at his own timing for a moment, Childe returned to his questions. "Or is it some kind of disguise?"
If it weren't for not wanting Kaito and the others to suspect he'd already seen Mobius, he'd have even asked about her voice — because it wasn't just her appearance that belonged to a little girl. Her voice was exactly the same.
"That is her true form — just from when she was younger." Kaito knew this answer would only leave Childe more puzzled, but he had no intention of elaborating further.
Of course, if Childe asked, he'd continue. If not, he'd leave it there.
"'When she was younger'? What does that mean?" The strange phrasing immediately made Childe think of Dottore.
Though he had no idea whether Mobius was anything like that — he'd need Kaito to say more before he could draw any conclusions.
All he knew was that with every passing exchange, his interest in this Mobius was growing.
If only I'd talked to her longer when I had the chance...
Childe felt a genuine flash of regret.
But it couldn't be helped. What was done was done — all he could do was make up for it later.
And it wasn't so bad, really. When Mobius had left, she'd said they would see each other again — and soon.
So he'd stop overthinking it and simply wait.
"Well, this might be a bit counterintuitive, but... every time she dies and comes back to life, she gets smaller. In every sense of the word."
Kaito paused, seemingly at a slight loss for how to phrase it, then settled on that.
"Wait — every time she dies?"
For a brief moment, Childe wasn't sure he'd heard correctly.
Every time she dies — what on earth did that mean???
And comes back to life — what was that about???
He looked at Kaito, then glanced over at Zhongli sitting beside them, sipping his tea with the absolute tranquility of a man without a care in the world. Childe concluded that he had not, in fact, misheard anything.
It was just... could something like that actually exist in this world?
"That's right — every time she dies. You can think of her as a being who cannot truly die. It's simply that every time she revives, she gets a little smaller."
Watching Childe's expression — that wide-eyed mixture of shock and bewilderment — Kaito gave a firm nod.
He knew full well that right now, Childe was itching to drop everything and go find Mobius immediately.
But of course he wouldn't — not with Kaito and Zhongli still sitting right here.
At the very least, he'd have to linger a while longer, then find some excuse to leave.
Though knowing Childe, he'd probably wait until they all wrapped up naturally before heading out. He'd do it not only to avoid raising even a sliver of suspicion, but also to see whether there was any more information to be gleaned.
A being that cannot die?
"That's incredible," Childe couldn't help but exclaim.
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