It was a petite girl with long, black twin-tails, dressed in a red and black floral-patterned kimono. Most striking were her cherry-blossom-colored eyes and the symmetrical pink teardrop moles beneath them.
The girl was squatting beside Zao Wu, hugging her knees, her small, bare feet neatly together. She held a goldfish lantern close to the boy's face to get a better look at him.
Zao Wu's face, like a quietly beautiful autumn leaf, slowly fell into the girl's clear, cherry-blossom-like eyes, causing ripples to spread.
A soft gasp of admiration could be heard from her.
"So beautiful..."
Zao Wu had just woken up and was in a daze. Being told that so suddenly, it was hard not to feel shy. He sat up from the ground, blushing, and averted his gaze while rubbing his forehead.
"Who... are you? And where is this place?" Zao Wu asked nervously.
"Eh? I was hoping you could tell me!"
The girl's mood instantly dropped, a touch of worry coloring her delicate face, and even her cherry-blossom eyes dimmed slightly. Anyone who saw her would feel an irresistible urge to protect her. Zao Wu was no exception.
She sniffled, her voice sounding fragile as she stated.
"I only know that my name is Huohua, and when I opened my eyes, I was in this pitch-dark place."
"You were the only one beside me, along with that very elegant and noble big sister in a military uniform."
As she spoke, Huohua's gaze shifted to a spot not far from Zao Wu. Following her gaze, Zao Wu indeed found Sister Bronya, still unconscious.
"Is-is she alright!?" the boy asked nervously.
Huohua shook her head, her black twin-tails swaying lightly with the movement.
"Huohua doesn't know..."
"But she's probably fine, just like you."
"I was the first to wake up, you were the second. I think that big sister should be waking up soon."
"But speaking of which, who are you guys?"
"Did you... lose your memories too, just like me!?"
Huohua was desperate to know the answer. So much so that she couldn't help but lean closer to Zao Wu. She supported herself on the ground with her hands, her soft knees kneeling without regard for getting dirty or scraped by the soil. Her upper body leaned forward, and her small but beautifully shaped breasts almost bumped into Zao Wu's cheek. She stopped just at the tip of his nose. From a certain angle, it almost looked as if Zao Wu's face was buried in them.
Gazing at the snowy white scenery before him, Zao Wu's pupils contracted, his cheeks turning redder by the second, and he suddenly found himself speechless.
Only then did Huohua realize she had been a bit too hasty. The girl blushed profusely, hurriedly pulling back and covering her chest, apologizing repeatedly.
"S-sorry!"
Although Zao Wu was often hugged by Sister March 7th and Sister Stelle, this was the first time he had been in such close contact with someone who seemed to be his own age and so unguarded, like Huohua.
A strange, unfamiliar feeling surfaced in his heart. If he had to describe it, it was a bit more than shyness, but it was hard to say where that extra bit came from.
He forced down the heat rising in his cheeks and comforted her.
"It's-it's okay."
"But... I haven't lost my memory. Sorry."
Hearing this, the light that had just gathered in Huohua's eyes scattered.
"I thought so..." she muttered to herself.
"But, it's better if I'm the only one who lost my memory."
Huohua's words touched Zao Wu's heart.
She's such a gentle girl.
Because she knew the sadness and sorrow of losing one's memory, she would rather bear it alone than wish for others to have a similar experience.
And Huohua was quite quick to adjust her mood. She gently patted her cheeks, then turned to Zao Wu with a bright smile.
"Then tell me about you!"
"Maybe I can find some clues to my own memory."
"Also! Tell me your name. I've already told you everything about myself, you know~"
Huohua put her hands behind her back, her cute and coquettish act completely natural.
So, while waiting for Sister Bronya to wake up, Zao Wu told Huohua most of what had happened since he arrived on this planet with the Astral Express.
"Damn it, which bastard did this! Kidnapping us all here!"
"And what's the deal with my memory!"
Huohua's angry expression was completely genuine. Her pouty face even made Zao Wu feel the urge to borrow Sister March 7th's camera and take a picture of her.
After some more conversation, while Bronya was unconscious, Zao Wu and Huohua became thoroughly acquainted. He finally felt comfortable enough to ask the question that had been bothering him.
"Um... aren't your feet cold, being bare all the time?"
Hearing this, Huohua instantly blushed to the tips of her ears.
"W-what can I do if they're cold..."
"Also, d-don't keep staring at my feet, Zao Wu..."
Huohua's voice was always soft, as if pleading, while faintly exuding a natural charm that perhaps even she herself was unaware of.
Zao Wu didn't say anything, but suddenly started fumbling with the spatial pouch on his belt. Fortunately, it hadn't been taken by the mysterious man who was likely the one they met in the snow. Even the God-Slaying Sword had been automatically stored in the pouch after he fainted and wasn't lost. This made one curious and suspicious about what that mysterious person's purpose was in abducting him, Bronya, and Huohua to this place that seemed to be in perpetual night.
However, for questions he couldn't answer for the time being, Zao Wu was accustomed to putting them aside and focusing on solving the problem at hand.
So, the next moment, Zao Wu summoned a pair of snow boots from his spatial pouch. They were a boy's style.
"These are my shoes. They've never been worn, so they might be a bit big."
"If Huohua doesn't mind, you can wear them for now."
Although Huohua had lost her memory, judging by her attire, she must have been a young lady from a noble family in the past. So she was very reserved, somewhat shy about accepting a gift from the boy. What's more, her feet were dirty now. How could she dirty Zao Wu's brand-new shoes? At this thought, the girl's cute toes couldn't help but curl up.
Just as Huohua was about to come up with a reason to politely decline, Zao Wu, as if sensitively perceiving her thoughts, suddenly took one of her delicate feet and held it in his palm without hesitation.
"Eek!"
Huohua let out a shy squeal. Her legs almost gave way, and she had to hold onto a nearby lamppost to keep from losing her composure.
My feet are this sensitive!?
Just a light touch from Zao Wu and...
"W-what are you doing!"
"I'm putting your shoes on for you," Zao Wu said with straightforward concern.
"Huohua's feet aren't dirty at all."
"They're white and small, like little steamed buns..."
"Stop it! I'll-I'll wear them!"
If Zao Wu kept talking like that, Huohua's shame meter would explode.
And so, Huohua put on the boy's snow boots. She curiously stomped and stepped on the ground. Soon, the soles of her feet were no longer cold, and she felt the first warmth she had experienced since coming to this world.
A warmth from Zao Wu.
"You really don't know me?"
"No."
"Then why are you so nice to me?"
"Does being nice to someone need a reason?"
"S-stupid! Of course it does!"
"What if I find out I'm a terrible villain, a bad woman, when I get my memories back!"
"I don't know." Zao Wu shook his head. He hadn't thought about that question.
Looking at Zao Wu's pure and innocent expression, Huohua's heart suddenly clenched. The girl placed a hand over her heart, feeling its accelerated beat, a sense of confusion and daze washing over her.
Why is this happening?
A long time ago, in the Palace of Frivolity, Hanabi once asked the God of Elation a question.
"Hey, o... boss."
"How did you trick the Trailblaze Star God, Akivili, into letting you on his Astral Express back then?"
"Logically, it's impossible for him not to have noticed your presence, right?"
"Or was that Astral Express explosion just a result of you two playing a game that got out of hand!?"
It was no wonder Hanabi had such a theory. After all, the Star God Akivili's reputation was mixed throughout the universe. Sometimes, he could act even more joyous than a follower of Elation. For example, crashing through the wall of that Amber Lord like some delinquent on a joyride. Even he himself had once called himself "the worst of the Nameless."
The God of Elation, Aha, just giggled and didn't directly answer Hanabi's question, only remarking with a hint of nostalgia.
"That was truly a joyous journey, interesting days."
"It makes you forget everything and just immerse yourself."
"Akivili, Akivili!"
"Come back quickly! I can't bear it alone, come back quickly! Life is wonderful because of you~"
Aha's sudden, cringey singing made Hanabi break out in a cold sweat. Her feet almost dug a four-bedroom apartment out of the floor from embarrassment.
Sometimes, believing in Aha alone was a helpless feeling...
But later, after Hanabi brought Zao Wu and Bronya from the Overworld to the Underworld of Belobog, she suddenly recalled this experience and had a sudden realization.
Aha had already given her the answer! The truth was hidden in his words!
He said, "It makes you forget everything and just immerse yourself!"
The answer was "forget everything"!
He had chosen to seal his Star God authority, to seal his own memories! He completely transformed into an ordinary Nameless passenger and thus snuck onto the Express!
Without his powers, even Akivili couldn't detect Aha, allowing him to lurk on the Astral Express for over a year! That's what led to the earth-shattering prank later on!
It had to be said, this was definitely something the God of Elation would do!
(The above is the author's speculation, I hope the official lore doesn't contradict it)
"What the heck!"
"Even I, Hanabi, can do that!"
Of course, it wasn't just because Hanabi suddenly figured this out. It was also because she realized her disguise plan was a massive failure! It was a terrible idea she had come up with on the spur of the moment, without considering Zao Wu's personality at all. If this continued, Hanabi was afraid she would go from looking for fun to becoming the fun herself!
Although for a follower of Elation, that wasn't necessarily a bad thing... but for Hanabi, who had received so much power from Aha, to end up like that was just too embarrassing.
So, the girl steeled her resolve and made the same choice Aha had made back then!
She would also seal her own memories and become an irreplaceable existence by Zao Wu's side!
And then... make him regret it for the rest of his life!
Who told him to be so naughty~ and not listen to his big sister!
Hee hee hee~ I'm such a genius!
"A Fool must enter the game himself to win by half a move."
"Haha, I reject my identity as Hanabi!"
"From now on, I am—Huohua!"
Pink flames of Elation suddenly ignited from the black-haired, twin-tailed girl's pupils, quickly engulfing her entire body. In the flames, Hanabi seemed to be reborn. The next moment, as the fox mask on her head disappeared, she completely lost consciousness and collapsed to her knees.
After a while, the girl woke up from the endless confusion and darkness. She remembered nothing except that her name was "Huohua."
Returning to a short while after Zao Wu and Huohua met, in a certain part of Belobog's Underworld, Bronya finally began to wake from her knockout-smoke-induced stupor.
When Zao Wu noticed her eyelids fluttering, he and Huohua immediately went to her side to watch over her, gently calling her name.
"Sister Bronya!"
It was unclear if she was responding to Zao Wu's call, or if even while unconscious, Bronya's subconscious was still concerned about the boy and wanted to protect him.
"Zao Wu... Zao Wu!" she called out his name as she suddenly woke from her slumber.
Huohua witnessed this process and, for some reason, suddenly pouted her cherry-like lips.
"You two are really close..." Even her tone was tinged with a bit of sourness.
After all, Zao Wu was the first person she had met since losing her memory, and... he was so nice to her. It was only natural for Huohua to care about him.
Zao Wu could only focus on the newly awakened Bronya for the time being, inevitably neglecting the girl beside him. Huohua sniffled, feeling a little wronged.
"Sister Bronya, are you okay!?"
"I... I'm fine. What about you, Zao Wu? Where is this?" It seemed that people who had just woken up always asked the same questions.
Zao Wu patiently told Bronya everything that had happened since he woke up, including how he had met Huohua.
"Lost her memory?" Bronya was clearly skeptical about this. It was no wonder she was cautious; after all, Huohua was a complete stranger to her. But at the same time, she was discerning. After thinking about it carefully, she decided to temporarily trust the girl before her, regardless of whether Huohua was lying or not.
"Alright, I believe you."
Because if Huohua was really related to the bad guy who had kidnapped them, she could have tied them up or done other bad things while they were unconscious, instead of pretending to be innocent like now and waiting obediently for them to wake up. What would be her motive? It couldn't just be for fun, could it?
"I am Bronya, former Captain of the Silvermane Guards. It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Huohua."
After tidying up her appearance, Bronya introduced herself to Huohua with a dignified posture and extended a friendly hand. The reason she said "former Captain of the Silvermane Guards" was because she had openly rebelled against her mother, the Supreme Guardian Cocolia.
Hearing this, Huohua just clutched Zao Wu's sleeve and hid behind the boy, as if she were somewhat resistant to interacting with Bronya. Bronya was puzzled, and Zao Wu tried to cover for her.
"Huohua is probably, a little shy..."
"Shy?"
"But I didn't see her being shy with you." Bronya pointed out Huohua's double standard.
Zao Wu scratched his head, now a little confused himself.
Not wanting to make things difficult for Zao Wu, Huohua finally replied in a low voice.
"I... am also very happy to meet you, Miss Bronya."
Yes, the girl's face was written all over with "happiness."
Bronya didn't mind this small interlude. What was truly important now was to find a way to leave this area, return to the Overworld, and get back to Zao Wu's companions. And she clearly recognized where they were. The girl looked around and, with a mix of guilt and nostalgia, uttered the name that had always been a major source of disagreement between her and her mother.
"...The Underworld."
"The Underworld?" Zao Wu asked curiously.
Bronya nodded.
"It seems you don't know much about our Belobog's history yet."
Afterward, the girl took some time to educate both Zao Wu and Huohua about the origins of Belobog's Overworld and Underworld, and... her mother Cocolia's decision back then to withdraw the Silvermane Guards from the Underworld to concentrate forces for a general offensive against the Fragmentum. It was this decision that led to the chaos in the Underworld after it was eroded by the Fragmentum. And to ensure the safety of the Overworld, Cocolia later simply issued a blockade order, prohibiting movement between the upper and lower levels.
"This is basically a crime!"
"A cover-up!"
"The people of the Underworld were just abandoned like that!?"
Unexpectedly, Huohua turned out to be a girl with a strong sense of justice. She immediately crossed her arms angrily and launched a strong condemnation of Cocolia's actions!
"That was also... a helpless measure."
Bronya was Cocolia's daughter, after all. She couldn't help but make a weak defense for her mother. Everything that had happened so far only proved that her mother was morally flawed (liking young boys), but it didn't prove that her mother's decision back then was wrong.
"You...!"
Huohua wanted to say more, but Zao Wu suddenly covered her mouth, and her eyes widened. The boy looked nervous and whispered.
"Shh, someone's coming!"
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