"Hi, long time no see."
Asta waved playfully at the group, smiling as she said, "Stelle, March, oh... and this is?"
Although she had already learned about Firefly's identity from March 7th in advance, Asta still pretended to look surprised as she asked.
"Oh, this is..."
Stelle was just about to introduce her when March 7th interrupted directly: "This is Miss Firefly, a good friend Stelle met in Penacony. She happens to be free today, so she came with us to pick you up."
Asta showed a meaningful smile, then took the initiative to extend her hand: "Nice to meet you, Miss Firefly. A friend of a friend is also a friend. Just call me Asta."
Firefly and Asta shook hands lightly: "Hello, Miss Asta."
—"Hello, Firefly sister."
At that moment, a slightly childish voice suddenly rang out. The little stellaron suddenly climbed onto the sofa, poking out a small head and waving cheerfully at Firefly with a grin.
Firefly: "Hello...?"
The moment she saw the little stellaron, Firefly's whole body seemed to be electrocuted, freezing on the spot. Her gaze stared at the little stellaron in disbelief, no longer maintaining her usual calm.
She could tell at a glance who this little one resembled.
Clearly, every part of her body was so cute, but... but this hair... how could it be? No, she must be overthinking it, she must be mistaken!
March 7th chuckled lightly, holding the little stellaron in her arms with ten parts—nine parts even—pride, and said with a beaming smile: "Long time no see. Did you miss sister?"
"Yes!"
"Did you miss your Stelle sister?"
"Yes!"
"..."
Firefly listened silently, her breathing rapid. She widened her eyes. Clearly, Stelle was right beside her, but for some reason, she already felt a thick barrier between the two of them.
Could this little one be theirs...?
No wonder March 7th had said before that there was already a "result" between them...
No wonder March 7th was always so confident that she was the outsider...
So... so she had arrived too late!
At this moment, Firefly regretted immensely. Why hadn't she made the first move when Stelle was still by her side? Why had she believed Elio's so-called "development plan"? Why hadn't she persisted a bit more yesterday!!
Damn it, curse it, HKS!
March 7th deserved to die because she had stolen her Stelle; Elio deserved to die because he had deceived her into sending Stelle away; even the trash can on the roadside deserved to die because its color scheme resembled Stelle too much...
At this moment, Firefly seemed to revert to her initial yandere state. She lowered her head without saying a word, her eyes gradually filling only with irrational madness...
March 7th tossed her hair, feeling an unprecedented refreshment. "Good child, ah~ Miss Firefly, later Stelle and I are going to take this child around some more. Do you still want to join?"
Stelle looked terrified, not daring to speak.
March 7th: "Why not join us? Anyway, one more 'friend' means one more bit of liveliness, right?"
She deliberately emphasized the tone on "friend."
March 7th: "Stelle likes making friends, and so do I. So, want to join?"
"..."
On the side, behind cover.
Blade and Kafka secretly poked their heads out to look at the meeting scene of the five. Kafka blinked her big eyes, her brain temporarily unable to process the content of their conversation, while Blade was looking at his phone, the conversation scene, and vigilantly scanning the surroundings all at once, his head turning so fast that afterimages appeared.
Blade was already working hard to find clues about the "second" death, but no matter how he looked, he couldn't see any signs that Firefly was in danger.
Blade: "Kafka, have you noticed anything unusual?"
"Huh?"
"...Never mind, I'll check again."
Blade's gaze swept over every corner of the reception area. "Could it be a remote bomb? That shouldn't be possible. Everyone sitting here is a top figure from major forces in the galaxy; no one would dare do something that angers the masses..."
"Or maybe someone set up a virtual energy sniper from thousands of meters away? That doesn't make sense either; the glass here is worth nine figures or more, it couldn't be that fragile..."
"Or perhaps someone is attacking her mentally? But Firefly shouldn't have offended anyone like a Memokeeper, right?"
"Food poisoning? That doesn't make sense..."
"..."
Just as Blade was still focused on troubleshooting, Kafka suddenly let out a gasp. She tugged at the former's sleeve and whispered: "Ah Blade, look, Firefly she... she seems a bit dead."
Blade: ?
What situation? Was the attacker's strength so terrifying that even he hadn't noticed at all?
Blade immediately wanted to draw his sword: "Where's the attacker? I'll go chop him."
Kafka shook her head: "No, there's no attacker, it's just... look at Firefly."
Blade looked in the direction of Kafka's finger and saw Firefly's delicate body suddenly sway, then slump weakly to the ground. An atmosphere lamp from who knows where shone on her, turning her into a patch of gray-white.
Ding dong—
At that moment, both their phones received a text from Elio: Calculating the time, the second death should be over by now. How is it? Is she still alive?
Blade: ? Elio, you got it wrong, right? She didn't die either.
Kafka: @Elio It's fine, she should still be alive. We'll find a way to save her.
Blade glanced sideways at Kafka: "I don't understand."
In his eyes, although Firefly's state was a bit off, she was still slumped there intact. No matter how you looked at it, she didn't seem dead.
Kafka sighed and shook her head helplessly: "Ah, Ah Blade, how can you be so clueless sometimes?"
...
An hour later.
Firefly, Kafka, and Blade sat in an empty bar, all three silent.
Firefly didn't speak because she couldn't speak anymore.
Kafka didn't speak because she didn't know what to say.
And Blade didn't speak simply because Kafka wouldn't let him speak.
"...Uh, Firefly, you don't need to think so pessimistically."
After a long silence, Kafka was the first to speak. In the past period, she had figured out why Firefly had become like this: that March 7th, who had always been at odds with Firefly, had somehow conjured up a "little star," and Firefly's heart was shattered.
Kafka felt a bit sad about this too, because when Stelle was still with the Stellaron Hunters, the two were good friends, practically an ironclad childhood sweetheart combo. In terms of relationship, it leaned more toward close siblings.
She didn't have any improper thoughts about her sibling, but knowing that her sibling no longer belonged to her still felt a bit lost.
"After all, that child's identity isn't clear yet. The reason it's a gray-pink combination might just be a coincidence?" Kafka comforted.
Firefly gave a hollow laugh: "Coincidence? Coincidence? Hehe, heh..."
She laughed dazedly, leaning her head against the glass, no longer looking at the two.
Seeing this, Blade was about to say something when Kafka timely raised a finger, signaling him to shut up, then softly comforted:
"Firefly, believe me. I just asked Silver Wolf to help verify. The last time they met, which was just over a month ago, there was no mention of this child. So, this child definitely didn't come about the way you imagine."
"I'd say you still have a chance now. Maybe that's an actor March 7th specifically hired to piss you off."
"Don't worry, we'll hire one for you later too, how about that?"
Blade: "I..."
("Kafka used Spider Web on Blade. Blade cannot speak for one turn").
Firefly gave a miserable smile: "Actor? Heh, fooling others is one thing, but fooling me? Hehe, heh..."
Kafka continued to advise: "Firefly, listen to me..."
Blade couldn't take it anymore. He ripped the spider web off his mouth and said: "Kafka, your method is too troublesome. I have a better way."
"Just kidnap Stelle directly, then XXX, then XXX again. Wouldn't that work?"
Kafka looked at Blade in shock. "Can you even say that? Is that legal?"
Blade: "Aren't we wanted criminals?"
—"...It's not impossible."
Suddenly, Firefly, who hadn't spoken for a long time, spoke up. Her usually gentle eyes now surged with a sickly gleam: "Mine... no one can take it away. Even if it's taken, I'll personally take it back!"