“Walk with her, Mimi... She will make the world's memory whole again... She will find... Mother...”

“Mother... who is that?” Stelle still didn't quite understand.

Mimi shook its head gently: “Mother? Who? Don't remember.”

“Is Mimi your name?”

“Mimi? Mine? Don't remember.” Mimi seemed to know nothing about itself either.

“Mimi... name, temporary.” Mimi spun a circle in mid-air, “Travel, like. With you, together? Memory... collect. Piece together, whole.”

“Nicadori's weakness... can you help us find it?”

“Dor... Nika? Nautilus?” Mimi confidently put its hands on its hips and nodded, “Need, memory. Help... I will.”

Stelle: “Then come with me.”

Oronis's voice called out in her mind: “Shadows in memory... are they... your companions?”

Stelle withdrew her gaze, only then noticing that several monsters had slipped into the Astral Express. The four Stellaron Hunters were facing them, and battle was imminent.

“I can't really explain it either...”

Mimi: “Bad people. Trouble. Help, need.”

——

Honkai Impact 3rd.

“So cute! It's the same color as my hair. Could it be some kind of pink elf too?”

“Pink, soft, and it can fly! Are its ears wings? So cute, I want one too...”

Elysia stared unblinkingly at Mimi floating by Stelle's shoulder. She had no resistance to such cute and soft little creatures.

“It must be the cutest creature in Amphoreus! No, wait... the second cutest. The first cutest should be my counterpart. But when will my counterpart appear?”

Eden sat beside her, watching as Elysia looked like she wanted to crawl right into the Celestial Screen. A smile couldn't help but tug at the corner of Eden's mouth.

“Elysia, do you want to raise a little pet?”

Unexpectedly, Elysia immediately shook her head upon hearing this.

“It's different, Eden.” Elysia's face held a rare touch of seriousness. “A pet is a pet; what I want is a companion. Mimi is also Stelle's companion, right?”

“Well, that might be a bit difficult. Your wish can only wait for your counterpart to appear in the Celestial Screen in the future and then become friends with Mimi and Stelle. Oh, right...”

Mid-sentence, Eden seemed to suddenly think of something, struck by a sudden inspiration. “Elysia, I'm a designer too, you know? How about I design some Mimi-styled hats or other clothing for you? Although I can't make Mimi appear in the Elysian Realm, it can accompany you in another way. What do you think?”

“A Mimi-styled hat...” Elysia imagined it for a moment and smiled slightly. “That's a very interesting idea. But you'll wear it with me when the time comes, right? Eden?”

——

“I'm glad to have you here, Stelle.” Kafka turned her face to look at her. “The path we travel is by no means smooth... it is accompanied by fire, scars, malice, and killing. But I promise you, as long as you stand side-by-side with the Stellaron Hunters, you will never have to taste the flavor of betrayal.”

“Stelle... come, take the stage with us. In the script, we are the most brilliant leads on the galactic stage. The lens will never shift away from you.”

“All the bloodshed and screams outside the frame are merely foils for the protagonist. We will dance together, swimming against the current, until the 【Finality】 of the universe.”

“Dance with us... Stelle.”

The Legion monsters in front of them were not difficult to deal with, and the Stellaron Hunters quickly eliminated them. But as the monsters dissipated, the Hunters also began to gradually disappear. Only Firefly and Kafka remained; it was time to say goodbye to the two of them.

“Ah... Stelle, it's you.”

Hearing the footsteps behind her, Firefly turned around, still wearing her most familiar smile: “The script was completed successfully again, right? Having you by our side is always reassuring.”

Firefly stood by the window, the star-river outside like water-soaked crepe, casting a layer of soft flowing light over her face. Looking at the familiar figure of the girl, Stelle's thoughts were like beads from a broken string, scattering in many colors into the cracks of memory—

The blue one rolled toward the rooftop of Penacony, the color of the dawn when they took their photo; the brown one rolled toward the roadside dessert shop, the Oak Cake the girl treated her to; and there were yellow ones, multicolored ones...

“What's wrong? That expression... I've never seen it before.”

Firefly's concerned voice pulled Stelle's thoughts back.

“I can't remember anything...”

Firefly lowered her head with some guilt: “Did something happen? I... I don't know if I should ask you this. I just... wanted to express some concern, concern for a companion.”

“It feels like we've traveled together...”

“Is that so... will this journey also come to an abrupt end?” Firefly looked up, a strong smile pulling at her face, “But... it's okay. Since you appeared here, it proves our paths will cross again. You are still alive, and I will live on. A parting that has yet to come will not be a permanent farewell.”

“We did reunite.”

Firefly tried to smile: “That's wonderful. I will try my best to forget this and seal it deep in my mind... When the day of parting comes, I will take your words as a promise to reunite.”

“When the day of our next encounter arrives, I think... I will pretend we've never met and get to know you all over again, letting everything start from the beginning. I will also do my best to speak my heart to you... because right now, I still can't do that.”

Firefly looked out the window, her hands behind her back. The galactic river shattered into thousands of silver foils in her eyes, sparkling brightly. Her posture was so relaxed, as if she wanted to hand over all her weight to this starlight.

“It's truly a day worth looking forward to. Two people—no longer accomplices, just two souls drifting in the galaxy—meeting ordinarily, getting to know each other ordinarily... That is the greatest luxury I can imagine.”

——

Kaguya-sama: Love Is War.

“How beautiful...”

Recalling Firefly and Stelle's previous experiences in Penacony, Shirogane Miyuki unknowingly felt his nose sting, and even the writing in his book became a bit blurry.

“You're actually that moved.” Kei Shirogane suddenly leaned her face in. “Big brother, you're not thinking about falling in love, are you? How gross.”

“Wh-what are you talking about... *cough cough*!” Shirogane Miyuki immediately pulled his emotions together and cleared his throat. “It's normal to feel like crying when you see something beautiful, right? Just thinking about how everything Firefly is saying now came true in Penacony makes me... I can't help but feel happy for them!”

“Is that so? I didn't expect you to have a sentimental side, big brother. I thought your heart was fluttering after seeing the interaction between Firefly and Stelle.” Kei placed a steaming cup of coffee on his desk. “But even if you want to date, it's fine. However, if you dare to make a move on Fujiwara-senpai, you're dead.”

“Alright, Kei, stop overthinking.” At the mention of dating, Kaguya's face constantly surfaced in his mind. Shirogane Miyuki turned his slightly flushed face away. “I'm the Student Council President right now; I don't have time for lovey-dovey stuff.”

——

“I should go, Firefly.”

Firefly turned to look at her, her expression becoming a bit more relieved: “Yes, this expression is the Stelle I know.”

“You're leaving, right? Because you have something important to do... You always understand what's most important. Go on, even if you forget everything, it's okay... I will etch the promise of our second encounter into my heart for you.”

Firefly slowly closed her eyes: “...I hope it's a beautiful night with shooting stars.”