Tingyun wasn't bothered by Ruan Mei's attitude.
Or rather...
She felt that perhaps this was simply the kind of person her benefactor was.
If she had to describe her more precisely...
Ruan Mei was like a gentle drizzle over Jiangnan.
Cool, but never cold.
Gentle, but never overwhelming.
Light, yet never fleeting.
Tingyun slowly raised her head again, her gaze falling upon her own body.
The aura of Destruction still lingered around it.
The past...
There was no going back to it anymore.
She quietly studied herself for a long moment before letting out a helpless sigh.
"What a bother..."
"Being alive is never easy."
Step by step, she walked toward her body.
As if everything that belonged to her...
Was gradually returning.
Fragments of memory slowly flowed back into her mind.
At the same time, Ruan Mei's words echoed softly in her ears.
"Life and Destruction are no longer choices for you."
"They now grow upon the same road."
"And only by walking that road..."
"Can you pass through the darkness..."
"And arrive before me."
As Ruan Mei's voice faded...
Tingyun's consciousness gradually dissolved.
The next moment—
She slowly opened her eyes.
The first thing she saw...
Was Ruan Mei's calm, elegant face.
"..."
"Awake?"
Ruan Mei smiled gently.
"It seems you've become a little clearer."
"Congratulations."
"You've won the first battle in a long tug-of-war."
"It's a good beginning."
Her tone remained as tranquil as ever.
Without excitement.
Without personal emotion.
That was simply who Ruan Mei was.
Although she had initially agreed to cooperate with Herta in creating the Simulated Universe to study the Aeons...
She genuinely enjoyed the days spent researching alongside Herta and Screwllum.
As a child, she had loved pastries.
Even now, that hobby hadn't changed.
The Cake Cats she left all over the space station were proof enough.
Yet at the same time...
She possessed the pride, rationality, stubbornness, and aloofness common to every genius.
"I..."
Tingyun looked at Ruan Mei in confusion.
"Did my consciousness leave my body again?"
"Under normal circumstances..."
"After suffering an attack from a Lord Ravager, surviving would've been impossible."
"But someone believed otherwise."
"And I happened to possess the means to fulfill his request."
"Get some rest."
"Your body has almost fully recovered."
"As for the balance between Life and Destruction..."
Ruan Mei paused briefly before continuing.
"You should've been unfortunate."
"You fell into the hands of a Lord Ravager."
"Both your body and your spirit suffered the erosion of Destruction."
"But..."
"You were also fortunate."
"She wished to make everything about you her own."
"And that process required time."
"Because of that..."
"You weren't reduced to ashes in an instant."
"There is only a single step separating resurrection from surviving death."
"But the difference between the two..."
"Is worlds apart."
"If you had truly died..."
"Even I would've been powerless."
After gently reassuring the girl...
Ruan Mei quietly turned and walked away.
Leaving Tingyun alone inside the medical capsule.
Silently experiencing her strange new body.
And...
The nine tails now swaying quietly behind her.
Tails that had never belonged to the old Tingyun.
Penacony — Outside The Reverie Hotel
The moment Silver Wolf and Kafka received the news...
Both of them froze.
Then—
They were utterly shocked.
Without wasting another second, the two immediately disembarked from their ship and rushed straight toward The Reverie Hotel.
Firefly was an illegal entrant.
She was also a wanted criminal.
If Sam appeared openly in Penacony...
Things would become extremely troublesome.
So the two Stellaron Hunters hurried into the hotel's main lobby.
"Don't worry."
"Just walk out."
"Go all the way to the hotel lobby."
"As long as I'm here..."
"The Family won't make things difficult for you."
"R-Really?"
"I can actually go outside..."
"Without wearing Sam?"
Firefly nervously gripped Sam's transformation device.
It resembled a Kamen Rider-style transformation belt.
Using specialized technology, Sam's armor had been converted into particles and stored inside the device.
Whenever needed...
It could instantly deploy the entire suit.
If not for removing the helmet...
Who would've believed that inside the terrifying Sam armor...
Was such a beautiful young girl?
Evan smiled reassuringly.
"Relax."
"It'll be fine."
"And besides..."
"Sam is still right there in your hand."
"If anything unexpected happens..."
"You can transform immediately."
As he spoke...
He gently gave Firefly a little push toward the doorway.
Feeling the light pressure against her back...
Firefly instinctively took a step forward.
She walked out of Evan's room.
"..."
Nothing happened.
The hallway was unusually quiet.
Because of the disturbances caused by the remnants of Order...
Nearly forty percent of the hotel's guests had already checked out.
Many of the surrounding rooms now stood empty.
Firefly slowly took a deep breath.
It had been...
So long...
Since she'd been able to experience the world so freely.
The sweet aroma of SoulGlad drifted through the air.
The same drink she could freely enjoy inside dreams...
Could still be smelled here in reality.
Her tiny nose twitched unconsciously.
Mixed together with it...
Were the scents of cocktails.
Wine.
Freshly brewed coffee.
And for the first time in countless years...
She heard every sound around her directly.
Without Sam's external sensors.
Without mechanical filters.
Her own ears.
Her own body.
Everything felt...
Incredibly light.
As though this body...
Had always belonged to her.
She couldn't even remember how many years it had been since she'd felt like this.
The last time she'd removed Sam's armor so freely...
The Glamoth Empire still existed.
Back then...
She still had comrades.
Friends.
A place to belong.
Now...
The Empire was gone.
Everyone she once knew had vanished.
At that moment—
She desperately wished they could see her.
To see her standing here.
Free from Entropy Loss Syndrome.
Free beneath the open sky.
But...
After all of this...
What should she do next?
She had joined the Stellaron Hunters to search for the meaning of her existence.
Now...
The reason she'd joined...
Had already been fulfilled.
Instead...
The future before her felt even more uncertain.
Entropy Loss Syndrome was gone.
But...
What came after that?
How should she live?
"...Hm?"
"Miss Samuel~"
"You really came out!"
Just as Firefly lowered her head, lost in thought...
A familiar voice called out.
She quickly looked up.
Not far away...
A graceful woman stood holding a wine glass, smiling warmly.
Beside her...
A silver-haired girl leaned casually against the wall, chewing gum with a teasing grin.
"Tsk."
"So the great genius really pulled it off."
Silver Wolf clicked her tongue.
Then narrowed her eyes at Evan.
"But while you blocked all my surveillance..."
"Where exactly did you take my Firefly?"
"How did the Entropy Loss Syndrome that's plagued her for years suddenly disappear?"
As she spoke...
Silver Wolf walked straight up to Evan.
Then seriously patted him on the shoulder.
Waiting for his explanation.
To read advanced Chapters, head over to p@treon:
patreon.com/nani_kaito