Seeing March completely lost in confusion, Long Night Moon couldn't help but feel a hint of amusement in her heart.
(When Madam Herta assigned her to approach March 7th, she had indeed rehearsed several potential reactions, but March's confusion, so pure it was almost transparent, was still more interesting than she had imagined.)
She did not let this emotion show on her face. Instead, she took a step forward and extended her hand again.
This time, her movement was gentler, and even more irresistible.
One hand gently took March 7th's slightly trembling hand, while the other hand gently lifted and cupped March's cheek.
Her fingertips were slightly cool, yet strangely, they did not feel cold.
"Be good,"
Long Night Moon's voice lowered, carrying an almost hypnotic magic. Her deep crimson eyes were like two whirlpools, tightly drawing in March 7th's slightly panicked, startled-fawn-like blue eyes. "Close your eyes... and feel it."
March 7th seemed truly mesmerized. Under the dual guidance of the gaze and the voice, her long eyelashes fluttered, and she obediently closed her eyes.
As her vision was stripped away, her other senses became exceptionally sharp.
She could feel the slight coolness of Long Night Moon's palm, and she could smell the faint fragrance on the other woman, unlike anyone on the Astral Express, like a night orchid of a secluded valley.
Then, an even more marvelous "feeling" emerged.
It was not a specific image or sound, but a... pulsation?
A resonance originating from a deeper level of life.
It was as if two strings, originally from the same source, were gently plucked after a long separation, emitting a harmonious, low hum at this moment.
This was a novel sensation March 7th had never experienced, seemingly touching the very foundation of her existence—warm yet unfamiliar, stirring in her heart an inexplicable bittersweetness and... reassurance?
"How is it?"
Long Night Moon's voice was like a whisper, sounding in the darkness behind her closed eyes. "Did you... feel it?"
"...Mhm."
March 7th responded almost silently; she had indeed felt it.
Although the feeling of shared origin was faint, it was undeniably real.
Just then, the hands cupping her cheek and holding hers gently released, like a breeze sweeping past.
Losing the guiding contact, March 7th stood frozen in place, eyes still closed, seemingly still savoring the brief but profound connection.
The vacant, silly expression on her face, paired with her slightly parted lips, made her look exceptionally innocent.
She subconsciously opened her eyes and saw Long Night Moon had already settled back onto the high stool beside the bar in a lazy posture, as if the close contact just moments ago had never happened.
The other woman's crimson eyes held a hint of satisfaction as she quietly watched her.
March 7th, meanwhile, stood frozen, vacant and silly, as if her soul was still drifting in the strange resonance experience and hadn't fully returned to her body.
Long Night Moon found her appearance extremely amusing, like a bewildered jellyfish that had just been pulled from the water and hadn't yet figured out the situation.
She beckoned again, signaling March 7th to come over.
This time, March 7th barely hesitated. Her feet seemed no longer under her control, and like a puppet pulled by invisible strings, she walked over mechanically, step by step, and then obediently sat down on the stool next to Long Night Moon.
It wasn't until her backside touched the cold surface of the stool that she suddenly jolted, as if her spirit had returned to its place, and she fully snapped back to reality.
She turned her head to look at Long Night Moon, who was close beside her. Her face, so similar yet so different from her own, still held an expression of disbelief. Her voice was faint, as if afraid of disturbing something, as she confirmed again:
"Are... are you really my older sister?"
Hearing this, Long Night Moon displayed a perfectly timed hint of helplessness, as if scolding her younger sister for having a poor memory.
"Yes, I am~"
She drew out her words, gazing at March 7th with a very "gentle" look, even carrying a hint of indulgence. "Didn't... didn't that just 'prove' it?"
March 7th recalled the strange feeling of resonance, her cheeks flushed slightly, and she mumbled in defense, "N-no... it's not that... it's just..."
She lowered her head, unconsciously twisting the corner of her pajamas, her heart filled with immense conflict.
That feeling of closeness couldn't be faked, but... "Then... who exactly am I?"
She finally asked the ultimate question that had been buried deep in her heart since the day she awoke, yet for which she could never find an answer.
She had been found in a block of ice, salvaged by the Astral Express, and after thawing, she had lost all her Remembrance. Even the name "March 7th" was merely borrowed from the date she was rescued.
How could someone whose past didn't even exist suddenly gain an older sister out of thin air?
Long Night Moon looked at March 7th's eyes, which were full of confusion and seeking, and smiled—a smile that carried an ineffable depth.
She did not directly answer the philosophical question, but instead spoke with a light yet certain tone:
"You are March 7th."
"..."
March 7th looked completely bewildered, her brain stalling again. "Wait... I am March 7th?"
She felt like she was speaking a tongue twister.
The smile on Long Night Moon's face deepened, as if she were playing an amusing game. "Aren't you March 7th?"
"I am March 7th... but, but my name... is it really this?"
March 7th felt her logic was about to collapse.
A name is the anchor of identity, so who exactly is "I"?
Long Night Moon naturally saw the core of March 7th's question, as well as the deep-seated anxiety.
She was originally ordered to make contact, not to reveal all the mysteries completely.
At this moment, she simply wanted to tease this adorable "younger sister."
So, she spoke with an unquestionable tone:
"Your name is March 7th."
"...What a coincidence? My name really is March 7th?"
March 7th widened her eyes, feeling that this coincidence was even more outrageous than an Aeon rolling dice.
Long Night Moon nodded emphatically, pointed to herself, and then pointed to March 7th, her tone cheerful: "See? My name is Long Night Moon, isn't it? March 7th, Long Night Moon... Look how well they match! They're both dates, they're perfect."
"Is... is that so?"
March 7th looked completely bewildered, feeling that the logic was somehow flawed, yet also somewhat reasonable?
(After all, the universe is vast, and anything is possible?)
"Yes, definitely correct."
Long Night Moon nodded firmly, her crimson eyes flashing with certainty, as if stating a universal truth.
After listening to Long Night Moon's explanation about the names—which sounded somewhat reasonable yet felt fundamentally wrong—March 7th's confusion didn't entirely dissipate. Instead, a deeper desire to seek out her "past" surged within her.
The person in front of her, who claimed to be her sister, seemed like a suddenly opened window leading to the world of her lost Remembrance. She couldn't wait to look through this window and see the scenery beyond.
"Then... then you,"
March 7th leaned forward slightly, her voice filled with cautious anticipation. "Do you know what I used to do? For example, was I a photographer? An adventurer? Or... was I also a warrior who loved practicing swordsmanship?"
She tried to hear words from the other woman that could sketch out her former self.
Long Night Moon's crimson eyes flickered slightly, and then she shook her head, her tone carrying a hint of detached helplessness. "I don't know. Regarding the specific details of the 'past,' I'm also drawing a blank."
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