Chapter 358 - 197

Chapter 197: RED (4): Uta and Luffy's Ten-Year Reunion!The night sky, like soft velvet, gently enveloped the island of Elegia.A bright, full moon hung above the spire of the Crystal Resonance Tower, casting a clear radiance like a flowing, pearlescent silver ribbon that wound through the arched windows and rested gently on Uta's eyelids."Mmm..."Her thick eyelashes fluttered a few times."Aha—!"A yawn, thick with sleepiness yet full of vitality, broke the silence of the room.Uta sat up from the large bed covered in a pink velvet blanket, stretching her arms high toward the Moonlight, her slender waist arching back as she stretched every muscle like a cat just waking from a nap.Having slept the entire afternoon, the bone-deep exhaustion and paleness had been quietly wiped away by deep sleep.Her red and white hair was scattered messily over her shoulders, reflecting the Moonlight and adding a touch of lazy vitality.She rubbed her eyes and looked out the window at the deep, starry sky and the bright moon."Huh?" She blinked, a flicker of genuine confusion in her eyes."Is... is it not dawn yet?"Her brain was still a bit foggy, but her body's perception of time was sending out abnormal signals.She tilted her head, trying to recall... when she finished her performance and returned to her room, the afterglow of the sunset seemed to still be kissing the sea level.And now...She looked at the musical alarm clock on her bedside table; the delicate hands clearly pointed to the middle of the night."Did I sleep for that long again..."She whispered to herself, her fingertips unconsciously twirling a strand of hair.Over the past month, the tendency to be sleepy had become more and more pronounced after every full-effort performance.And now, long before the sun was high, her body felt as if it were imprisoned by a soft cloud bed, unwilling to wake up."Grrr~~~~"A clear and prolonged growl suddenly came from her flat stomach, sounding exceptionally loud in the quiet room."Eek!" Uta instinctively covered her stomach, two blushes instantly flying onto her fair cheeks, clearly visible in the Moonlight.She looked around the empty room with some embarrassment, as if afraid someone might have heard this "indecent" sound."I was too tired, I even forgot to eat dinner..." She muttered softly, blaming herself for her carelessness.Intense performances consumed not just spirit, but also a great deal of physical strength.Once the hunger was noticed, it surged in like a tide, urging her to act.She went barefoot, stepping on the cool, smooth wooden floor, and walked toward the door.The Moonlight stretched her shadow long."Where is Grandpa Gordon?" she thought as she walked.Usually at this time, the old man would either be in the study organizing sheet music or in the kitchen preparing some late-night snacks for her.But tonight, the hallway was exceptionally quiet, with only her light footsteps echoing.The moment she pushed open the door and stepped into the courtyard—An extremely enticing, warm, and complex aroma of food, as if it had physical form, actively wrapped around her and drilled into her nostrils.Uta's footsteps stopped at the end of the hallway.She had originally just followed the scent of food, thinking she would see Grandpa Gordon's busy back in the kitchen.However, the scene in the courtyard before her made her lose her breath instantly.In the center of the courtyard, crystal ground lights cast a warm yellow halo.A group of people she had never seen before were gathered there, the atmosphere so lively it almost spilled out of the night.A blond man in a white apron was skillfully flipping meat skewers by the grill, the leaping firelight casting flickering shadows on his serious profile.That enticing, haunting aroma was bursting from the sizzling grease.Beside him, a cold-looking man, a kind old man, a silver-haired woman, and Gordon were all clinking glasses, eating meat heartily, and drinking, having a great time!!But Uta's gaze, as if attracted by an invisible magnet, pierced through all the noise and light, locking firmly onto that one figure.The youth sitting on a wooden barrel in the center, wearing a tattered straw hat.He was wearing a bright red vest, his chest exposed, laughing so hard his eyes were closed.His left hand held high a wooden mug overflowing with foam, his right hand clutching a handful of shiny, greasy grilled meat skewers, wolfing down food, his cheeks bulging like a hamster.Grease dripped down his chin, but he was completely unaware, just shouting loudly and indistinctly:"Let me tell you guys! This meat Sanji made! It's definitely the best... in the whole world!!!"His voice was clear and loud, carrying a kind of joy that was completely free of gloom and highly infectious.That laughter, that posture, that happiness that seemed to melt away all troubles, rippled outward from him like invisible waves.The already lively courtyard gained a few more degrees of warmth because of his words, and even the Moonlight seemed to become warm.Uta's fingertips began to tremble.She covered her mouth tightly, but couldn't hold back the surging, scalding torrent.Bean-sized teardrops burst from her eyes without warning, rolling down her delicate cheeks, one after another, tracing crystalline paths in the Moonlight.Her vision blurred instantly, but that red figure became even clearer in her tears... so clear it stung her heart.How could she ever forget?That silly boy who always followed behind her when they were little, stumbling and calling out, "Uta, wait for me."That tagalong who she would crown with wreaths made of flower petals, who would only giggle foolishly even when she put lipstick on him.That youth who, on the seashore under the starry sky, sat side-by-side with her, making a promise in a childish yet incredibly serious voice to "change this world together and let everyone live with a smile."Even with more than a decade of time separating them, even though his silhouette had shed its childishness and become tall and sturdy.Even though his smile had gained the open-mindedness and unruliness tempered by storms.But that spirit that shone through his bones,That life force, like the sun—pure, scorching, capable of dispelling all gloom... had long been like the deepest brand, carved into the deepest part of her soul, never fading a bit because of time."Lu...ffy..."A silent name shattered between her lips and teeth.But she didn't dare to call it out.She even held her breath, as if just by making a sound, this overly beautiful picture before her would vanish without a trace with a "pop," like a fragile soap bubble.A huge fear gripped her heart.She was afraid.Afraid that this was just a hallucination caused by mental exhaustion after overusing her ability.Because only in her deepest, most unspeakable dreams did she dare to fantasize so extravagantly.Fantasize that he could cross mountains and seas to appear before her again, with that unchanging smile, lighting up the world that had been black and white for too long.The Moonlight flowed silently, the clamor in the courtyard seeming to be separated by a curtain of water, becoming hazy and distant.Uta stood frozen at the boundary between shadow and light, tears streaming down her face, like a stone statue afraid to disturb fate, gazing at that scorching, bright red flame in the center of the courtyard."Uta, you're awake!!"The voice was too natural, too familiar, as if ten years of mountains and seas had never stood between them.Luffy didn't know when he had arrived at her side, one hand carelessly resting on her weak shoulder, bearing the warmth of the barbecue smoke;The other hand still clutched a shiny, half-eaten giant meat bone.He grinned, his smile so bright it almost outshone the courtyard lights.But the next second, that smile froze.He saw the undried tear tracks on her face... in the Moonlight, those crystalline trails were still shimmering.Luffy was stunned.He almost instinctively raised his free hand, gently stroking her cheek with his thumb.The movement was a bit clumsy, yet exceptionally gentle, wiping away the wet, cool tears."What's wrong with you?!"His voice was full of genuine confusion and a hint of imperceptible anxiety.In his world, Uta should be smiling, like when they were little, leading him as they ran, full of vitality.Tears shouldn't be on her face.Uta slowly raised her head.Those eyes, washed by tears, were like amethysts soaked in water, looking wetly and intently into the depths of his eyes.As if trying to look through these eyes to confirm the brand in the depths of her soul."Luffy..." Her voice was like a stream thawing in early spring, still crisp but carrying an uncontrollable tremor, every syllable cautious, as if touching a fragile dream, "Is... is it really you?"This sentence made Luffy completely unsettled.With a "thud," that precious meat bone was tossed aside onto the ground.He turned to firmly grab her slender shoulders with both hands, bending down slightly to bring his line of sight level with hers.Under the shadow of his straw hat, his eyes were unprecedentedly serious, even carrying a bit of "something's very wrong" panic."Uta, is something really wrong with your head?"He leaned in closer, his brow furrowed, his tone urgent, "It's me! Luffy! Luffy! The man who's going to be the Pirate King!"This familiar, unadorned, quintessentially Luffy-style declaration was like a key, violently unlocking the floodgate of emotions that had been tightly closed in Uta's heart for too long."Ugh..."An irrepressible sob spilled from her throat.The next second, her petite body, like a tired bird returning to its nest, threw itself into his arms with all its weight and ten years of accumulated longing.Her arms wrapped tightly, almost stubbornly, around his waist, burying her face deep into his chest that smelled of sweat, smoke, and sunshine.The fragrance unique to Uta, a mixture of faint floral scent and the smell of music paper, instantly surrounded Luffy.He held warmth and softness in his arms.But Luffy, for once, froze.All his senses were concentrated on the rapidly expanding, warm wetness on his chest... those were her tears, scalding, continuous, soaking through his red vest, pressing against his skin."Uta...?!"It was the first time he had encountered such a situation.Uta's tears at this moment couldn't be reconciled with the girl in his memory who was always grinning and afraid of nothing.He hesitated for a moment, and those arms that could shatter steel and stretch for miles, somewhat helplessly, finally gently wrapped around her slightly trembling waist.The movement was clumsy yet gentle, carrying a comforting meaning, patting her back slowly, once, and then again.In the courtyard, time seemed to stand still for an instant."Clang."The skewer between Sanji's fingertips dropped onto the grill, letting out a sizzling cry of sorrow.The cigarette he was holding burned his lip, and only then did he "hiss" and snap back to reality.He looked at the two of them embracing, especially Luffy's (in his opinion) lucky and oblivious dumb look, and couldn't help but cover his forehead with one hand, sighing inwardly:'That idiot... his damn luck with women is really ridiculously good!'Yamato tilted her head, her horns gleaming in the Moonlight, blinking her big eyes, her face full of pure confusion that read, "What's happening? Are good friends always this emotional when they reunite after a long time?"Law held kikoku, his brows almost knitted into a knot, his eyes under his hat brim sharply scrutinizing the scene, subconsciously beginning to analyze various possibilities and potential risks.'The Captain, and this diva... tsk, troublesome emotional factors.'Rayleigh leaned against a pillar, drinking again, not sure when he had started, a knowing and kind smile on his lips.He looked at the two children, as if seeing another pair of young people from the old days who had met and come to know each other amidst the storms.And Gordon, standing in the shadows, finally relaxed his long-tense shoulders completely.He looked at Uta's trembling yet forceful back as she embraced, looked at Luffy's clumsy yet sincere response, his eyes welling up with gratified moisture, and he let out a long, silent sigh of relief.The Moonlight silently shrouded the courtyard, the aroma of food still lingering, but at this moment, all the clamor had become background noise.The youth and the girl tightly embracing in the center—one releasing ten years of loneliness and longing in loud sobs, the other giving a silent and solid reliance in his own unique way.The script of a reunion perhaps never needs flowery lines.Sometimes, tears and an embrace are the most authentic prologue.