"That, that's of course... uh, wait! That kind of thing is simply impossible, right?" Aru stuttered for a moment, but quickly found her train of thought again. "The point is the gathering of the Astral Express Crew! As long as we're together, there's no difficulty we can't overcome—it's just a Nautilus!"

"'Just a Nautilus,' huh... It seems you haven't noticed at all how suspicious things are inside Amphoreus."

Kayoko looked back at her bowl and silently took a sip of the noodle soup. "Fuli's sudden gaze alone is strange enough, let alone the 'Mother' and 'Heavenly Father' that Mimi and Oronis mentioned... This planet really has a mountain of problems."

—

【Back in her room, Stelle felt her upper and lower eyelids fighting a battle; a wave of weariness enveloped her... At this moment, no god of Amphoreus could move her from the lounge chair in front of her.】

【"Oh my... are you sleepy? I see your eyelids are almost closing." Although Mimi still repeated those monotonous syllables, the meaning of her words appeared completely in Stelle's mind.】

【"If you're sleepy, then sleep. Zzz, zzz... But, is there no night in this city? I can't really fall asleep..."】

【Wait... something seems wrong...】

【Stelle stared intensely at Mimi without even blinking.】

【"Eh—being stared at like that, I'll get shy too, you know?" Mimi twitched her ears and looked down at the pink fluff on her body. "Is the fur on my body knotted? Or my ears... my ears are fine, right? See, they even twitch."】

【"So you can actually speak in full sentences!"】

【Mimi seemed to realize it too; she was completely unaware of her own change. "...Ah, right! I can actually blurt out complete sentences now!"】

【"Hello, hello—hello, hello—the feeling of being able to speak fluently is wonderful! But... was my speaking style always this mature? My first-person pronoun is actually... 'this girl'?"】

【"How cringey!"】

【Mimi put her hands on her hips indignantly. "It's not like I wanted to be like this, you're not allowed to judge!"】

【"Can you tell me about yourself now?"】

【"Well, that being said... I still can't remember a single thing about myself. It's such a headache." Mimi spun a circle in the air. "But I have a feeling! As long as we keep collecting the memories scattered across Amphoreus, something very, very good will happen. How should I put it... anyway, I just feel that this world is very important to me!"】

【"Starting with one person and a dog..."】

【"I'm not a dog! And I'm not a pet! I'm... uh, what am I? Whatever, I'm definitely a very important character!"】

—

Honkai Impact 3rd.

"Hmm..."

Eden narrowed her eyes, carefully observing Mimi on the Celestial Screen.

"Ellie, honestly, I think Mimi's speaking style is quite similar to yours."

"Eh? Really? I think so too; maybe that's what all cute pink-themed girls have in common♪" Elysia smiled and winked. "But my counterpart has already appeared—that little girl standing in the wheat field. Although it's a bit of a pity, it's impossible for my counterpart to be both Mimi and a human, right?"

Mobius was silent for a moment before suddenly speaking up. "Elysia, why are you so certain that the girl in the wheat field is your counterpart? She's much thinner than you."

The smile on the corner of Elysia's mouth deepened. "Is that so? Perhaps that's just what my counterpart looked like as a child? After all, I also want to be a child who never grows up, with no worries and no responsibilities... Perhaps the 'me' on the Celestial Screen responded to my wish?"

"When she grows up, she might become like me. It's a pity she hasn't appeared yet; I'm really looking forward to the day I meet her♪"

"..."

Seeing that her attack was completely ineffective, Mobius simply stopped attacking. The feeling of punching cotton made her quite frustrated.

"Alright, Ellie. Since Mimi's speaking style is so similar to yours, I don't think it's just a coincidence." Eden guessed further. "I think this rabbit-like creature might be related to your counterpart—maybe they even met each other before. Mimi recorded 'your' way of speaking in that little book she carries, and over time, she learned it too."

"That's a very reasonable guess, Eden. But since Mimi is a creation of Fuli, she must have come from outside Amphoreus. She probably only came into the world of Amphoreus with Stelle when the train passed through that chaotic matter."

—

【Stelle closed her eyes, and in her dream, she suddenly heard a familiar voice.】

【"Open this book; I will wait for you in the past."】

【As if guided by fate, a totem similar to that of Amphoreus suddenly appeared in the sky. Stelle reached out to touch it, and a book suddenly appeared in her hand.】

【Stelle opened the first page of the book, and Mimi's figure actually leapt off the paper.】

【"Oh my, your expression is so serious!"】

【"How did you turn into a piece of paper?"】

【"Paper? No way, I'm still fluffy! Want to feel?" Mimi wandered around the title page. "What happened? I was just busy snoring, and when I opened my eyes, I was here. Since you're here too, could it be... that our hearts are in sync and we've met in a dream?"】

【Stelle: "That's right, exactly."】

【"So cute! Hearts in sync!!" Mimi seemed even more excited, her two fluffy hands pressed together. "People say dreams are the curtain lowered by Oronis; could this be a gift from him? After all, that Nautilus likes you very much, just like me."】

【"Be that as it may, is there a reward?"】

【"Of course! Not only is there a reward, but there's also lots of my encouragement! Good job! I have a feeling that the beautiful star from just now might be a treasure that brings stories. We'll meet many, many more on our future journey."】

【"So keep your eyes open and let's read together! We're going to collect many, many bedtime stories, and then—Stelle, you read them to me!"】

【While Stelle was in her strange dream, in another part of Okhema...】

【"You should take this opportunity to rest well, Lord Phainon... the Return Ceremony of the Spark is tomorrow," Castorice reminded him.】

【"Today, tomorrow, what's the difference? Anyway, under the protection of Kephale, Okhema is always at dawn. As long as the light is this intense, I can't sleep soundly. Rather than forcing my eyes shut, it's better to calm down and sort out my thoughts. That counts as a kind of rest."】

【"So, have you sorted them out?"】

【Phainon had a bitter look on his face. "...Not at all. It's still a tangled mess; I don't even know where to start."】

【Phainon spread his palm, and the Spark was quietly floating in his hand. "The Spark in my palm was burning hot at first, but now it has completely cooled down... I can barely feel its existence anymore."】

【"Miss Castorice, do you think... this means that I am quite compatible with Nicadori?"】