For March 7th's bold action, Stelle's mind went blank in an instant. Suddenly, a surge of impulse welled up in her heart—she wanted to rush into the other's embrace and stay there for a lifetime.
Stelle could feel the emotion contained in that kiss just now, a kind of pure love.
Love, but not romantic love.
What a widely known word this is. What a controversial word. What a simple word. Yet, how many people in this world can truly understand this word? How many can attain such a thing?
Aside from parents and family, it's as if this thing has gone extinct, impossible to find no matter how far one searches, high or low.
Was it maternal love, friendly love, or romantic love? Stelle couldn't say for sure. She only knew that March 7th valued her more than she had ever imagined.
"March…" Stelle's voice trembled. On impulse, she grabbed the other's cold little hand, wanting to say something, but in the end, she said nothing.
Stelle could read March 7th's intentions in those eyes, and she knew March 7th could read hers as well.
…
Tonight in Belobog, everything was as usual, in every corner.
Gepard had prepared a lavish dinner table and was waiting at the door. After who-knows-how-long, two figures appeared at the end of the road, walking all the way to the doorstep.
"Welcome home, Serval."
Gepard greeted Serval cheerfully, completely ignoring the other guest who had come along.
"Mm, kept you waiting," Serval nodded. "Hey, Cocolia's here too. Got any fruit or anything at home?"
Gepard's eyes narrowed slightly, then he smiled. "Oh? Cocolia's coming too? Why didn't you say so earlier? Look, we don't have much at home to entertain guests with. How about… you head back for now, and we'll host you next time?"
Cocolia smiled politely, but her eyes were filled with a murderous glint. "No worries, Serval and I are so close—what's there to fuss about hosting?"
"You're right," Serval nodded. "Let's head inside then. Cocolia's staying over tonight."
"Whoa, it's already so late, Cocolia. Your kid at home probably hasn't eaten yet, right? How about I walk you back?"
"My kid? I don't have a kid!"
…
"Achoo!"
On the other side, in a restaurant, Bronya suddenly sneezed. She tightened her clothes around her and muttered, "Must be my mom talking about me again."
"Didn't your aunt already put you on the hotel's blacklist?" Seele asked.
"Who knows? Whatever, forget it. Open your mouth, I'll feed you one."
"Ah~"
…
Late at night, even though most people had already fallen into deep sleep, Clara's room was still brightly lit.
Svarog's eyes flashed with red light. "Reminder: Five minutes are up, boss. You should go to bed."
Clara was sprawled on her bed, fully engrossed in her game. "Five more minutes."
Five minutes later.
"Reminder: Five minutes are up, boss. You should go to bed."
"Five more minutes. I'll sleep after winning one round."
…
Dan Heng's room.
Dan Heng rarely slept on his stomach, as such a posture wasn't scientific and could negatively affect his health… unless, of course, it was that special time of the month.
Having his tail pressed down was really uncomfortable.
His body shrinking was equally uncomfortable.
The side effects of reincarnation were such a hassle.
Unable to sleep, Dan Heng got out of bed, turned on the light, sat at his desk, and began writing furiously…
…
Welt's room.
"Hello? What's up?" Welt answered a call, asking.
"Are you asleep?" a woman's voice, from far away, asked.
"Oh, not yet. What's wrong?"
"Why didn't you pick up my calls?"
"Why didn't I pick up? Hmm? You're the one who hasn't called these past two days, okay?" Welt frowned.
"Huh? You're saying that without checking your call log? Pighead!"
Welt exited the call screen and glanced at his call log. His heart skipped a beat. Two days ago, when he used a simulated black hole to slow down time, there were actually ninety-nine-plus missed calls!
"Wait… I get it. The call signals were interfered with by the gravitational field, causing a huge delay on my phone, so I'm only getting the missed call notifications now!" Welt explained to himself. But what greeted him was another round of unsparing scolding:
"Black holes again, black holes, black holes! How many times have I told you to rest your body after the Finality? And you're messing around again…"
After a long while, the woman's voice softened. "You're not hurt, are you?"
"Hurt? Me? Do those two words even go together?"
"…Good, then."
…
A few days later.
"The Realm Anchor can be placed here."
Dan Heng glanced at the documents in his hand. "I've already applied to Mr. Gepard for the locations of the two Realm Anchors in the Upper and Lower Districts. He's approved these two plots as a thank-you for connecting Belobog to the Silver Rail and sharing phone technology."
"From now on, as long as there's a Realm Anchor, we can return to Belobog anytime."
Welt nodded, lightly tapping his cane on the ground as the Realm Anchor was set in place.
"Let's go. It's time to head back to the train."
"Wait." Stelle suddenly stretched out her hand. Under everyone's gaze, she took a selfie, posted it to her social circle, and captioned it: Friends, we're leaving.
—Gepard liked this.
Gepard: Everyone, I still have work to do. Safe travels, no need to see you off.
—Seele liked this.
—Bronya liked this.
Bronya: Great, Seele, let's go.
Stelle: ???
—Clara liked this.
Clara: Stelle, add me as a friend. I'll borrow your support slot.
—Svarog liked this.
Svarog: Goodbye, Stelle. I'll miss you.
…
After scrolling through, Stelle felt that Svarog's comment was the most normal. The others… why did it feel like they didn't care at all?
And what was up with Bronya's comment?
"Everyone knows we can come back anytime, so their reactions aren't surprising," Dan Heng said, stroking his chin calmly. "But we'd better not keep Himeko waiting too long. We agreed to be back on the train in two system hours."
"Himeko said if we're late, she'll prepare lunch for us."
!
At those words, Welt and March 7th's expressions changed slightly. Each grabbed one of Stelle's hands and forcibly dragged her away. "Hurry, hurry, this isn't a joke!"