—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
Furina de Fontaine: "What?!"
Furina de Fontaine: "Miss Robin actually gave up the stage for the Charmony Festival?!"
Furina de Fontaine: "But… that must be incredibly important to her, right?"
Hu Tao: "Of course it's important!"
Hu Tao: "After all, Miss Robin has already poured her heart and soul just into the grueling rehearsals~."
Stelle: "A deal… giving up the Charmony Festival stage…"
Stelle: "Is there some necessary connection between the two?"
March 7th: "I don't get it."
March 7th: "Is this that guy just unwilling to see the Charmony Festival go smoothly, so he deliberately made this deal with Miss Robin?"
Navia Caspar: "What exactly is going to happen at this Charmony Festival?"
Robin: "Under normal circumstances, it's simply to welcome THEIR blessings. Nothing bad is supposed to happen."
Robin: "But… given the current situation, perhaps some unforeseen variables have arisen that I'm unaware of…"
Welt Yang: "In any case, perhaps it's because this Mr. Micah knows something."
Welt Yang: "That he would make such a request."
Black Swan: "However, for The Family, the Charmony Festival cannot afford any mishaps."
Black Swan: "Miss Robin's unauthorized action likely won't receive The Family's approval."
Sunday: "It matters not. No matter what decision she makes, I will support her."
Paimon: "Ooh… is this what it feels like to have a big brother looking out for you?"
Paimon: "That must be really nice!"
Robin: "Thank you, brother!"
Sunday: "Between siblings like us, there is no need for thanks."
Sunday: "As long as I am here, no one can force you to do anything you do not wish to do."
March 7th: "Ha, Mr. Sunday really is impeccable when it comes to being a big brother!"
Stelle: "Are you in need of another sister?"
Stelle: "If you don't mind, I could be your sister too."
Stelle: "As long as you let me use your reputation to play around Penacony, that's all I need."
Stelle: "Of course, if you aren't short on sisters, I can be your big sister too!"
Sunday: "…"
Robin: "…"
March 7th: "???"
Silver Wolf: "A tree without bark will surely die."
Silver Wolf: "Stelle without shame is invincible under the sky!"
Hotaru: "Pfttt—(Covering mouth and giggling.jpg)"
....
『 11 System Hours before the opening of the Charmony Festival. On the other side of Dreamflux Reef.
[ … ]
[ Brother, look! ]
[ There's a little bird here. ]
Inside a garden, a girl, carved from powder and jade, carefully held a weak little bird in her hands, calling out to her brother beside her.
[ It looks like a Charmony Dove. ]
[ But this isn't a habitat for Charmony Doves. Why is it here all alone? ]
[ Was it abandoned by its parents? ]
The girl's brother recognized the bird in his sister's hands, a look of confusion appearing on his face.
[ It looks like it has no strength at all… ]
[ Shall we find a cushion and make a nest for it? ]
The girl looked at the weak little Charmony Dove, speaking with sympathy.
[ It's too dangerous here. ]
[ Let's take it back with us first. We can put it on the wooden shelf by your window. ]
The brother looked at the surrounding environment, deciding it would be safer to take the little Charmony Dove back for now.
[ Okay! Its singing voice must be beautiful. ]
[ But, where will it live? ]
The girl nodded, then looked at her brother.
[ I'll ask the Head of the Family to build a cage for it. ]
The brother answered quickly.
[ A cage… then wouldn't it be unable to fly freely? ]
The girl was hesitant about her brother's suggestion.
[ Let me see… what has made the Lord's two most excellent interpreters so curious that they even forgot to taste their dessert? ]
[ Oh… poor little thing. The situation doesn't look optimistic. ]
[ Do you want to save it? ]
While the siblings were talking, a gentle voice suddenly rang out.
Immediately, a strange, kindly old man, appeared before them.
[ I do… but I don't think we should lock it up. ]
The girl answered crisply.
[ Why? ]
The old man asked in a gentle tone.
[ Although it's still small, hasn't even grown all its feathers, and can't sing… ]
[ It didn't break out of its shell just to live in a cage. ]
[ Birds… are born to belong to the sky. ]
Although the girl was young, she already had her own thoughts.
[ A very romantic notion. ]
[ And what about you, little professor? Do you agree with your sister's view? ]
The old man then asked the girl's brother.
[ I think my sister is right… ]
[ But if we leave it in the wild, it will die within a few days. ]
The brother seemed a bit lost.
[ Hehe, it seems our little professor is still a bit confused. ]
[ How about this, children? Let me tell you a story. ]
[ You should know that the Charmony Dove is a species of bird capable of flying across the atmosphere. ]
[ When flying at high altitudes, their feathers emit a magnificent glow due to the high temperatures from friction, just like streaks of shooting stars. ]
[ We see this beautiful scenery often and assume it is an innate ability… ]
[ Unfortunately, that meteor-like brilliance is the result of their struggle against nature for hundreds of Amber Eras. ]
[ The ancestors of the Charmony Dove were too weak to win the struggle for survival on the ground. ]
[ To avoid the fate of being hunted, they began to look up at the sky and leap with their wings… ]
[ And so, after thousands, tens of thousands of generations of attempts, one bird in the flock finally learned how to flap its wings correctly. ]
[ It successfully took flight, bidding farewell to the earth forever. ]
Seeing the boy's confusion, the old man slowly told a story about the Charmony Dove, for the siblings to hear.
[ So, actually, birds are not born knowing how to fly, but they achieved it through their own will, right? ]
From this story, the girl, interpreted her own perspective.
[ Hehe, that is indeed an idealistic interpretation. ]
[ So, Sunday, what do you think? ]
The old man still directed his question to Sunday.
[ I… ]
[ I think the reason people believe flying is a bird's nature… ]
[ Is because they have never seen a bird fall to its death. ]
Sunday pondered for a moment, and replied.
[ This line of thinking is also interesting. ]
[ Then you should have figured out how to treat this little bird now, right? ]
The old man looked kindly at Sunday.
[ I will… um, put it in a cage first, at least until it can survive on its own. ]
[ Because… ]
[ I… no matter what, I hope it can live. ]
Sunday gazed at the little Charmony Dove, his eyes gradually becoming firm.
[ Very good, children. It seems you each have your answers. ]
[ Your visions are incredibly beautiful. I sincerely hope they can be realized in their own ways. ]
The old man seemed very satisfied with the siblings' answers.
[ We will take good care of it. ]
[ Right, brother? ]
The girl, that is, Robin, looked happily at her brother.
[ Mn. ]
[ However, Mr. Gopher Wood, there is one more thing I haven't figured out… ]
Sunday looked at Gopher Wood, hesitating to speak.
[ Speak, child. ]
Gopher Wood's expression was peaceful.
[ If this little Charmony Dove never learns to fly in the end, what should be done? ]
[ I mean, if there really are some fledglings in this world who can never fly their entire lives… ]
[ Should we still let them return to the sky… ]
[ And watch helplessly as they fall to their deaths on the ground? ] 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
Sangonomiya Kokomi: "Is this scene a glimpse into Miss Robin and Mr. Sunday's childhood experiences?"
Sangonomiya Kokomi: "Feeling lost because of saving a little bird…"
Furina de Fontaine: "Birds aren't born knowing how to fly?"
Furina de Fontaine: "That statement is quite novel!"
Paimon: "Uh… I always thought birds were born to fly."
Paimon: "But I never really thought about why birds fly?"
Hu Tao: "But… in the very beginning, were birds really unable to fly?"
Lumine: "Regarding this question… I seem to recall someone telling a story about it…"
Venti: "Ehe, that would be me, of course!"
Zhongli: "So, you drunken bard, why do birds fly?"
Venti: "Because of the strong wind? Because they must fly?"
Venti: "Neither… actually, it is simply because of courage!"
Venti: "Because they possessed courage, the first birds were able to spread their wings and embrace the sky."
Zhongli: "Indeed… it is precisely because of courage."
Zhongli: "Courage granted them the possibility of flight."
Zhongli: "Otherwise, even with wings, the vastness of the sky would remain beyond their reach."
Black Swan: "Ha, that is also quite a romantic explanation."
Robin: "Birds possess courage, and thus learned to fly…"
Robin: "Mn, I very much agree with your perspective."
Robin: "Because I know it from deep experience."
Xiangling: "So, about that last question Mr. Sunday asked, how should one choose?"
Stelle: "Didn't we talk about this before?"
Stelle: "We should give others the right to choose!"
Stelle: "So… if this bird wants to return to the sky, even at the cost of falling to its death, we should help it fulfill that wish!"
March 7th: "That's easy to say."
March 7th: "But if it were you, could you really watch a little bird you saved with your own hands cruelly fall to its death?"
Stelle: "Well…"
Stelle: "Hehe, people are realistic, so, I couldn't do it."
Li Sushang: "Then isn't this matter unsolvable again?"
Li Sushang: "Not giving the bird the right to choose is wrong, but giving it leads to a high probability of sending it to its death…"
Li Sushang: "Heavens, it's a good thing I've never saved a bird!"
Hanabi: "If you ask me, drop the savior complex and respect the fate of others!"
Hanabi: "If you encounter such a bird, wouldn't it be better to just not save it from the start?"
Hanabi: "That way, there won't be any problems later~"
Hanabi: "Saves worry and effort~"
Asta: "Eh, that's a rather unsympathetic statement."
Dr. Veritas Ratio: "But it does solve the problem at its root."
Dr. Veritas Ratio: "Of course, I do not advocate for such a method."
Acheron: "So, what exactly should we do?"
Acheron: "What is the right thing to do?"
Welt Yang: "In essence, perhaps there is no true right or wrong in such matters, only differences in stance."
Welt Yang: "A bird may not care about its life for the sake of flight."
Welt Yang: "But the person saving it would not think the same way."
Dan Heng: "Therefore, to solve the problem, unless the person and the bird share the same stance."
Stelle: "Difficult. As the saying goes, those who walk different paths cannot plan together."
Stelle: "Stance is not something that can be changed so easily."
Stelle: "I can only say, if you really encounter such a thing, just do your best."
Stelle: "As for whether the ending is good or bad, that can only be left to fate."
Aventurine: "Fate… those two words really make one feel powerless…"
(In Chinese, "Fate" is written as 命运 (Ming Yun). and those word have deep connection to Aventurine 命(Ming) Life/Destiny and 运(Yun) Luck/Fortune but that's on another story.)
....
『 [ Talking in your sleep, birdie? Time to wake up. ]
Suddenly, Gallagher's voice rang out, and Sunday gradually regained consciousness from the memories of the past.
[ … ]
After Sunday woke up.
He was a bit confused about the situation before him.
[ What, can't stand steady? Need me to lend you a hand? ]
Gallagher quipped.
[ I'm not dead? ]
Sunday looked at his unscathed self, somewhat surprised.
[ Hmph, happy? ]
Gallagher scoffed lightly.
[ …Tell me where Robin is. ]
[ Now. ]
The first thing Sunday did upon waking, was to ask for Robin's whereabouts.
[ Heh, I knew she'd be your first reaction. ]
[ She's in this place. Don't worry, your sister is safe. Right now… she's probably still visiting the streets. ]
[ If I were you, at this critical juncture, I'd be more concerned about myself… ]
[ After all, standing in front of you is the bastard who just put a knife through your chest. ]
Gallagher spread his hands, making a joke.
[ If you really intended to kill me, there would be no need to give me a chance for small talk… ]
[ State your purpose, Watchmaker's dog. ]
Sunday didn't show Gallagher a pleasant face.
[ Hmph, you saw through that too? ]
[ No wonder you dared to go against the Dreammaster and the Four Great Lineages. It seems my choice was correct. ]
A strange expression appeared on Gallagher's face.
[ Choice? ]
Sunday raised an eyebrow, a bit puzzled.
[ You know what I want to do. ]
[ My fiction has already been seen through by you. I don't have much time left, no need for pretense… ]
[ I want to cooperate with you. ]
Gallagher laid his cards on the table.
[ What makes you think you can cooperate with me? ]
Sunday asked in return.
[ Based on the fact that the famous Robin has also chosen to stand on this side. ]
[ Plus the clues from a traitor, and the bright future of Penacony… ]
[ Can such a special mix satisfy your appetite? ]
Gallagher offered his terms.
[ I find it hard to believe that a man covered in lies from head to toe can speak a few words of truth. ]
Sunday did not believe Gallagher's rhetoric.
[ It's fine, you don't need to believe me. What you should believe… ]
[ Is the justice in the bottom of your heart. ]
Gallagher looked straight into Sunday's eyes, speaking such a meaningful sentence.
[ … ]
[ …Let me see Robin first. ]
After a moment of silence, Sunday demanded to see Robin again.
[ Alright. As you wish, here she comes… ]
Gallagher looked in a certain direction, seeing this, Sunday, subconsciously looked over as well.
But instead, he saw Hotaru's figure.
[ … ]
Seeing both of their gazes turn towards her, Hotaru was a bit confused.
[ What trick are you playing now? ]
Sunday began to question Gallagher.
[ Haha, just kidding. ]
[ I meant, this young lady will take us to see Robin, right? ]
Gallagher smiled, then looked at Hotaru.
[ Of course, and the Astral Express and me. ]
[ There are… too many people who need an explanation from you. ]
Hotaru crossed her arms, speaking with a serious expression.
[ Haha, that's just perfect. ]
[ This way please, noble Head of the Oak Family. ]
[ Now, all the actors… have arrived. ] 』
『 ....』