Faking knowledge was never part of Durandal's philosophy.
So, faced with such an unreasonable request, she simply shook her head. "Kevyn, I think you've asked the wrong person."
She was fully aware of her own blunt, straightforward nature.
"No way, absolutely no way!"
Kevyn looked unconvinced, her expression tinged with disappointment.
"Durandal... though we aren't exactly close, I always thought you were someone worth getting to know better. But I never imagined you'd be so stingy. I guess I misjudged you..."
With that, Kevyn turned to leave.
Durandal stayed silent.
If she weren't planning to recruit her into the Flame-Chasers later, she would've let the misunderstanding slide and allowed her to walk away.
As the old saying goes, when you want nothing, you fear nothing.
But now, with clear ambitions of her own, Durandal naturally had her apprehensions.
So, even though she had no idea what had gotten into Kevyn today, she couldn't just let her leave like this.
"Kevyn..."
Durandal called out to stop her.
Kevyn spun around instantly, not a trace of disappointment left on her face—only the bright gleam of someone about to get exactly what they wanted.
Though it felt a bit inappropriate to think of her ancestral gender-swapped self this way, Durandal couldn't help but feel Kevyn right now strongly resembled a smiling Samoyed...
"If I may ask, what gave you the illusion that I'd know how to catch a girl's attention?"
Even though Durandal didn't want to lose the future strongest warrior over something so absurd, she still refused to pretend to be some sort of smooth-talking expert.
Honesty, above all, was what mattered most.
If she deceived Kevyn now, how could she keep up the act forever?
She wasn't some protagonist surrounded by people who'd wildly overthink everything...
Kevyn fell silent.
Indeed, she could see genuine, unfeigned confusion in Durandal's blue eyes—so similar to her own.
"That can't be right..."
Kevyn muttered, then leaned closer and lowered her voice.
"Then what about Elysia? She basically confessed to you during self-introductions yesterday! And just now, when I tried to pull you aside, she immediately stepped between us. That's exactly what I wanted to ask you about!"
"Elysia..."
Durandal's expression turned complex.
So that was why Kevyn had been so wary of Elysia earlier.
She never would've guessed that the biggest trouble caused by Elysia's little "prank" during introductions would be this misunderstanding from Kevyn...
"Her situation is... special."
Durandal wasn't sure how to explain it and could only say, "Look, besides Elysia, is there any other girl in class who seems attracted to me?"
Kevyn paused, then scratched her head. "Well, when you put it that way, it does make some sense..."
Her expression quickly shifted to one of despair. "Then... does that mean I'll never be able to catch Mei's attention?"
Hearing this, Durandal finally recalled—there was such a thing.
Kevin had fallen for Mei at first sight and tried all sorts of methods to pursue her, but Mei, focused entirely on her studies, ignored every one.
This back-and-forth between them lasted a long, long time, until Kevin gradually found his way into Mei's heart.
Then, just as they were heading toward a happy ending, the Third Honkai Eruption struck Nagazora... [It's all miHoYo's fault, grrr!]
It seemed that even though Kevin had become Kevyn, this part of the process remained unchanged.
"Actually..."
Durandal chose her words carefully.
"Kevyn, have you considered that not everyone is as... enthusiastic as you are?"
"What do you mean?"
Kevyn blinked, not understanding.
Durandal organized her thoughts and explained, "I don't know if you've heard an old saying from Shenzhou: 'Sincerity can make metal and stone crack.'"
"What I mean is, if you truly like Mei, then you shouldn't give up so easily. She's probably just a slow-to-warm-up type."
"So, maybe instead of making flashy declarations of love—which might make you seem frivolous to her—you should focus on making her get used to your presence first, before you truly try to enter her heart."
"Yes, yes, that's exactly what I wanted to ask!"
After hearing Durandal's advice, Kevyn was both delighted and wore a look that said, "And you claim you don't know how to attract girls?"
Finally, Kevyn patted Durandal's shoulder and declared, "From now on, I'm just calling you Durandal. Honestly, I get it—such precious experience isn't something you'd share easily."
"Don't worry, I won't let you down either. I owe you one. In the future, as long as it doesn't break any laws or morals, whatever you ask, I won't refuse!"
Durandal: ?
All she did was recount the original path Kevin and Mei took to get together.
How did it suddenly become sharing personal experience?
Still... the outcome wasn't bad.
She didn't even need to think twice about this—when the time was right, she'd definitely recruit Kevyn into the Flame-Chasers!
Seeing that class was about to start, Kevyn slung an arm around Durandal's shoulder, acting like they were the best of buddies, and walked with her toward the classroom.
"By the way, Kevyn—"
Noticing Kevyn's slightly displeased look, Durandal dropped the formal address.
"Kevyn, during your self-introduction yesterday, you said you really like Eden and were going to her concert?"
Hearing Durandal mention her idol, Kevyn's eyes lit up with even more warmth.
"Looks like we really are kindred spirits, a perfect match!"
"Yeah, two weeks from now, Eden's holding a small concert here in Nagazora. A whole day passed and no one mentioned it—I thought I was the only one in class who liked her."
"Her style isn't super popular among students, so I was planning to ask a good friend of mine who studies in Sapphire City to go with me. I never thought you'd be interested too, Durandal! Perfect, we can go together then!"
Good friend?
Did she mean Su?
Durandal thought for a moment, then nodded.
"Actually, you could invite your friend too. The more, the merrier. I'll bring Elysia along, and you could also try inviting Mei."
"Right! Yes! I should try inviting Mei. Eden's music is classic and grand—Mei's sure to like it. Tomorrow I'll bring Eden's album to class and let Mei listen. Then, when I invite her to the concert, the chances will be much higher!"
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