Stellaron Hunter headquarters spaceship… inside the medical preparation room…
Silver Wolf's fingers flew rapidly across the screen keyboard, constantly correcting errors and deviation values displayed on the computer. Beside her, Kafka leaned back in her chair, holding a glass of red wine and gently swirling the liquid inside.
Let us shift our gaze back to the computer. On the other side, connected to the output lines of the computer, stood a massive 'medical pod.'
The 'medical pod' was forged from an unknown metal. Inside, it was filled with green liquid, and floating silently within it was a girl in deep slumber.
Ding ding ding!
Suddenly, the computer emitted a series of alert tones. At the sound, Silver Wolf raised an eyebrow slightly. Nearby, Kafka—who had been savoring her red wine—paused her movements and looked toward Silver Wolf with an inquiring gaze.
"Ha, it's nothing. The system just alerted me that Firefly's hormone levels spiked several times over in an instant, which triggered the alarm."
Silver Wolf shrugged, apparently unconcerned by the matter, and her fingers resumed tapping away at the keyboard, continuing her work.
"Oh? Hormones?" Kafka's interest was immediately piqued. A sudden increase in hormone secretion—could it mean that Firefly had already encountered Stelle in Penacony's dream world? Or perhaps she had met some new confidante?
"Little Wolfie, what do you think—A-Firefly ran into Stelle, or did she meet some new pretty girl in Penacony?"
Kafka asked Silver Wolf with great amusement. The latter, however, curled her lip in full disdain: "Boring."
Kafka: '…'
Tch! I really want to punch this little wolf pup.
Seeing that Silver Wolf clearly had no interest in continuing the topic, Kafka fell silent for a brief moment. Then she set down her wine glass, walked over to Firefly's medical pod, and placed her hand on the cold, reinforced medical glass.
Gazing at the girl inside the pod, Kafka murmured somewhat absentmindedly.
"Wolfie, do you think that Emanator of [Causality] can cure Firefly's condition? And if he really can… would he be willing to help?"
Hearing Kafka's words, Silver Wolf's fingers paused for a split second before resuming their normal rhythm.
"That person will definitely have a way. Based on what we know so far, the power of [Causality] can transcend outcomes—even resurrect the dead. He definitely has a way… that Nameless named Yun Fan."
...
"Has he already left? Yun Fan really is a gentle person…"
After parting with Yun Fan, Firefly actually hadn't gone far. Once she was out of the youth's line of sight, she circled back around and returned.
Looking toward Clockie Restaurant and seeing that the youth's figure was no longer at the entrance, Firefly felt a slight complexity stir in her heart.
When she had first planned to make contact with Yun Fan, she had approached him with the intention of using him.
Yet what made Firefly feel guilty was that even after she had exposed her stowaway identity, the youth didn't seem to mind at all. On the contrary, he had helped her drive off the Bloodhound Family members who were pursuing her.
And afterward, he had even treated her to an extravagant feast at Clockie Restaurant.
Why would he do all this for a complete stranger—for a girl he had only just met, who at best could be described as somewhat attractive? Firefly truly could not understand.
Complicated emotions swirled repeatedly in the girl's heart. Lost in thought, she unconsciously continued walking along the road until…
Bang!
"Ah!" "Ouch!"
A crisp collision sounded. At an inconspicuous corner, Firefly bumped straight into a gray-haired girl.
Because the two were similar in height, the point of impact was their foreheads.
Falling to the ground and clutching her slightly reddened forehead, Firefly's eyes grew faintly moist.
This was the body's instinctive stress response—just like how accidentally bumping your nose would make your eyes water involuntarily.
"Wu… Sorry, are you okay?"
The other girl who had collided with her was also a bit dazed. After rubbing her smooth forehead, she extended a hand toward Firefly.
"Th-thank you!"
Looking at the gray-haired girl before her, Firefly was momentarily stunned. Then, stammering slightly, she took the offered hand and used it to stand up from the ground.
Gulp!
The instant their palms met, the gray-haired girl felt an electric-like sensation spread from her palm throughout her entire body.
Staring at Firefly in front of her, the girl felt as though her heartbeat had suddenly skipped half a beat.
'Th-this electric feeling… could it be… she's my fated one?'
"Hello, my name is Stelle. I'm really sorry just now—I accidentally bumped into you."
To leave a good first impression on Firefly, Stelle spoke up first to apologize.
"No, no, it was my fault too. I was lost in thought just now, which is why I ended up colliding with you, Miss Stelle."
Firefly shook her head, indicating that it wasn't solely Stelle's responsibility—she herself was also at fault.
"My name is Firefly. Stelle—it's nice to meet you." Firefly rubbed her slightly moist eyes—due to the stress response—and gave a small smile as she introduced herself.
"Nice to meet you, Miss Firefly…"
Some time later, Firefly and Stelle were walking side by side down the street. Stelle's hands were full of snacks and drinks, and so were Firefly's.
Crunch! Crunch…!
Stelle's mouth was stuffed full, the constant crunching sounds coming from her chewing. Every now and then she took a sip of soda, looking thoroughly delighted with her food.
As for our Miss Firefly—although her hands were likewise full of food, the girl had absolutely no appetite at the moment.
She had really eaten far too much earlier with Yun Fan at Clockie Restaurant.
"Firefly, what's wrong? Is it not to your taste?" Seeing Firefly hesitating as if unsure where to even start, Stelle asked with concern.
"No, it's not that."
Hearing Stelle's words, Firefly shook her head.
"I just ate too much earlier today, so I don't have much appetite right now. It's not that I don't like it."
"Ate too much?" Stelle tilted her head, seeming to realize something. "Was it with a friend?"
"Mm."
"A guy or a girl?"
"Ah? A guy."
Stelle: '...…'
Upon hearing the word "guy," Stelle silently clenched her fist. Perhaps because she gripped it too hard, the glass soda bottle in her hand began to emit faint crack crack sounds, as if it were struggling under the pressure.
'A guy, heh… A guy, heh… Don't let me find out who you are. No matter what, Firefly is my fated one!'