Aventurine left.
In the end, he still couldn't put his mind at ease.
After watching Aventurine leave, Acheron turned her attention back to Stelle.
The gray-haired girl still hadn't recovered from what had just happened. She was frowning deeply, staring at the chip in her hand.
After a long while, Acheron finally heard her mutter, "How did this thing end up flying into my hand?"
It turned out Aventurine's worries hadn't been baseless.
Acheron looked at Stelle for a few seconds before letting out a helpless sigh.
"Ah, sorry..." Hearing the sigh, Stelle looked up at Acheron. "It's just that I really can't figure out what happened. I wasn't trying to ignore you."
"But he didn't make things difficult for me. Still, thanks... you...?"
Stelle looked at Acheron in confusion.
That strange feeling she always had after waking from a nightmare appeared in her heart once again.
"...Have we met somewhere before?" Stelle asked.
After another moment of silence, Acheron said, "...Why haven't you left yet?"
"...Huh?"
Stelle looked at Acheron's expressionless but seemingly serious face.
"Did the Family mix up the rooms? Well, if there's a problem, we should solve it. Let's go ask at the front desk."
But Acheron shook her head and let out a soft laugh.
"I was joking. Don't be nervous. This really is your room. I was just passing by."
Stelle stood there, blinking blankly.
This familiar-looking woman was a pretty good actress.
She hadn't realized it was a joke at all.
"I was also looking for my own room. I heard some noise over here..." Acheron continued.
"So I came to see what was happening. Things didn't seem to turn out the way I expected..."
"But that man... I don't know what he said to you, but judging from the way he spoke, his expressions, and his actions, he clearly had bad intentions. I hope you won't believe everything he says."
"Anyway, I'm glad you're alright. I should head back to my own room now."
Listening to the woman in front of her, Stelle frowned even more deeply.
She was even more confused than when she'd been staring at the chip.
She kept feeling that something was strange, but she couldn't tell what exactly was wrong.
Because at least so far, everything she'd seen and heard seemed perfectly normal.
Of course, that didn't include what this woman was saying.
"But before I leave, may I ask you one more question?" Acheron asked.
"It may sound strange or even rude, but I'd like to know... have we met somewhere before?"
Stelle narrowed her eyes at her.
"That's what I asked you just now."
The little Stellaron spirit was beginning to wonder whether something was wrong with this woman's head.
Like amnesia.
Or multiple personality disorder.
Hearing Stelle's words, Acheron blinked blankly.
"I'm a little embarrassed to admit it, but because of certain things that happened in my past, I sometimes forget things I shouldn't forget... So confirming things like this has become normal for me. Please don't mind it."
After another brief silence, Acheron spoke again.
"Stelle. That's your name, right? It's nice to meet you."
"How do you know that?"
"You forgot. That gentleman said it before he left. My memory isn't very good, but it's not so bad that I'd forget something that happened only a few minutes ago."
"No, he didn't. I remember."
Stelle looked at Acheron suspiciously.
"...Is that so?"
Acheron's voice and eyes suddenly became somewhat downcast, as though she were frustrated that she'd forgotten or remembered something incorrectly again.
But she soon looked up once more.
"A Galaxy Ranger. Acheron... That's what people call me. You may call me that as well. We should meet again."
A look of realization instantly appeared on Stelle's face.
She felt as if she'd remembered something.
Yet she had no idea what she'd remembered.
It was only a feeling that lingered in her heart.
At the same time, she spoke almost without thinking.
"Oh, right. You're Acheron."
Acheron's face remained expressionless.
"Lastly, just a small piece of advice..."
"There are people whose will and convictions never waver, yet they have no intention of using them for the right path. I saw a familiar look on that gentleman's face."
"If someone carries a blade, they'll always use it to cut something. And before a gambler loses everything, they'll always make one final desperate bet."
"We all end up giving everything we have for the sake of certain beliefs. It's always been that way... That's all I can say."
"Before you make your choice, you should know these things. Goodbye."
Acheron left.
Stelle stayed alone in her room, completely confused.
In her mind, she gave this mature older sister the label of "one of those people who always speaks in riddles."
"Whatever. I've wasted enough time. It's about time I entered the dream. Everyone else is probably already there.", She muttered to herself.
But when she looked up, she found that Acheron, who had just left, had somehow come back.
She looked at Stelle without saying anything, seeming a little hesitant.
"Um..."
After struggling with herself for more than ten seconds, she finally spoke.
"Sorry... could you tell me how to get back to the lobby? All these hallways look exactly the same..."
This time, it was Stelle's turn to fall silent.
More than ten seconds later, she pointed out the way for Acheron.
After thanking her several times, Acheron finally left.
This mature older sister didn't seem nearly as reliable as she looked...
At last, everything became quiet again.
Stelle let out a breath, closed the door, walked over to the gramophone, and played a soothing piece of music.
Then she lay down in the dream pool.
She didn't close her eyes immediately.
Instead, she slowly looked around the room.
That strange feeling of familiarity surfaced again.
It felt as though she had seen this room before.
It even felt as though everything she had experienced so far had already happened once.
But Stelle quickly shook those messy thoughts from her mind.
As the gentle music played, her heart gradually calmed.
She found a comfortable position, stretched out her body into a star shape, and finally closed her eyes.
She was curious which dream she would enter.
The liquid in the dream pool seemed to carry a faint, wonderful fragrance.
She felt her consciousness gently swaying, like a leaf floating on soft waves.
A bubbling sound echoed at the edge of her awareness...
Magnificent scenes flashed through her mind.
A huge library bathed in sunlight.
Even the ceiling was made of bookshelves, and those shelves floated like scattered puzzle pieces.
Then there was water as vast as the sky.
Light shone ahead.
She was in the water, while countless enormous fish flew past before her eyes.
There was also a floating stage.
It was a magnificent opera house, surrounded by the neon lights of a bustling city.
Even the distant starry sky reflected within it...
Broken sobs reached her ears.
Then came crying.
It sounded like a child.
A young child.
Amid the crying, Stelle heard the child call out, "Mikhail..."
'It's a name...'
'Who was Mikhail...?'
Spinning dice swirled before her eyes.
A terrifying image appeared on a television screen.
Then, in the next moment, blue light spread across it, like a crystal palace.
She thought she saw half of a face.
And light blue strands of hair.
Then she heard a heartbroken cry filled with despair.
"Come back! Mikhail...!"
Next, Stelle heard the sound of rushing air.
She felt the wind.
Her hair and the hem of her coat were whipping wildly in it.
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