Leon might ponder some questions.
But he would never feel anxious, because if it was him, he could do it.
Hearing this, March 7th quickly trotted back, putting the ice-blue jacket on as well. With two jackets layered on her body, she looked much bulkier.
Her single-minded action, paired with the clear expression on her cute face that said she thought she'd done the right thing, made the girl seem exceptionally naive.
"What I mean is, it's time to give mine back to me."
Leon clarified helplessly.
Sigh. Normally, his attitude toward people with low stats wouldn't be this patient. But asking him to talk about levels with someone like March 7th, who probably couldn't even distinguish between big and small...
It made him feel a tiny bit guilty.
March 7th blinked. She obediently took off the jacket, then stepped forward and put both garments on him, one after the other.
Leon was speechless for a moment.
"Thanks... thanks."
After she finished dressing him, Leon, at a loss with her, managed to thank her.
Leon took off her jacket and, as if returning a favor, put it on her.
He wasn't actually someone who enjoyed a peaceful life.
Leon's gaze fell upon March 7th.
But to repay his debt to Fuli, his journey as a wandering hero vanquishing evil would have to wait a few days.
Azure Star, Commercial District.
"What are they?"
Leon asked, pointing at the passing pedestrians.
"People," March 7th answered truthfully.
"What are you?" Leon asked again.
"A person."
Leon nodded in approval. Very good. She had clearly evolved from her initial non-human state into a human.
"What are they doing?"
March 7th saw many men and women with their fingers intertwined and, remembering Leon's teaching to ask him if she had questions, couldn't help but ask.
"Holding hands."
Leon glanced over and answered truthfully.
He welcomed any question. Curiosity was a good thing; it would help her integrate into this world better.
"It's usually done to show a good relationship, or when you're afraid someone will get lost."
"Only men and women, or sisters, hold hands."
"The way guys show they're close is usually by putting an arm around a shoulder. Holding hands would just be gross for both of them."
The moment Leon finished speaking, he felt a sudden coolness envelop his right hand. Looking back, five slender, fair fingers rested in his palm, holding it lightly. Shifting his gaze up, he saw March 7th's face, still wearing that expression of hazy understanding about everything.
"I can find you even if you get lost, so you don't have to worry."
Leon's attitude was nonchalant; he returned her grip without any reservations.
"March 7th, are you afraid of not having any memories?"
After holding hands, they switched from walking one after the other to side-by-side. Leon posed a question to her.
Having no memories meant everything was a blank slate. Everything was unfamiliar. You wouldn't know where you came from, nor where you should go.
It truly corresponded to the three great questions of life, and not in a joking way.
Who am I? Where am I? What am I supposed to do?
You couldn't find any answers on your own. Just thinking about such a situation was enough to make one feel suffocated.
Honestly, this kind of starting point wasn't much better than him facing the Reignbow Arbiter's drawn bow. It was just the difference between a physical hell and a psychological one.
March 7th shook her head in response.
This was unexpected. He had thought March 7th would say she didn't know. Just as Leon was about to ask why she wasn't afraid, he heard her answer first.
"Because Leon is here."
March 7th said earnestly.
"Oh? You've got good taste, sis."
Leon took it as a compliment.
"Don't worry. I'm the strongest meta character today. There's no problem in this world I can't solve."
Hand in hand, the two walked, neither too fast nor too slow. Strolling through the streets like this allowed March 7th to take in everything around her.
Things that were trivial to Leon were novel and fresh to her. They were the essential materials needed to truly build the person that was March 7th.
A person cannot be empty; they must be filled with something.
As they walked, he suddenly felt March 7th's steps falter. Though it was only for a moment, it couldn't escape the perception of an Emanator. Leon followed her lingering gaze and saw a square, sky-blue camera sitting quietly on a display stand.
"Do you want that camera?" he asked.
Speaking of which, in the game's lore, she seemed to have a trait where she really loved taking pictures. He didn't know the specifics because he never bothered to remember useless things.
But now, he could understand her desire for a camera.
No memories meant no record of existence. And the photos a camera could leave behind were the best proof that she had been here, a unique "memory" she could slowly collect.
"A camera?" March 7th said blankly.
It seemed she didn't know what that little square thing was. He hadn't taught her, so it was normal that she didn't know.
"It's okay that you don't know, but why did your gaze linger on it?"
Leon postponed the explanation and asked for the reason first.
"I don't know. I just had a feeling in my heart that I wanted to look at it."
March 7th wouldn't lie to him, because Leon hadn't taught her how.
"Do you remember what I taught you? What do you do when you have a question?"
Leon asked again.
"Find Leon," March 7th replied honestly.
"That's right. Find Leon."
As he spoke, he led her by the hand toward the shop.
In the end, as expected, he bought it without any suspense.
The shop owner almost called security when he saw the bow on his back, but thankfully he was fobbed off with the excuse of "cosplayers," "the cosplay spirit," and "cosplayers are a cut above the rest."
"This is called a camera. It's used for taking pictures."
Leaving the shop, Leon handed the camera to her while explaining.
"Taking a picture means imprinting the people and scenes you love into this little thing. You press the shutter to trap them inside as a memory of your journey."
Leon didn't know any technical details like camera focus; all he knew was that pressing the shutter took a picture.
"As for the rest, I'll search for it online later for you to read yourself."
Leon gave the camera to her, then turned and slowly walked ahead, returning to their initial formation of one following the other to give her space to figure it out.
March 7th took it and glanced down at the camera. The whole process took less than a second.
When she looked up again at the back of the figure who had just turned away, her hands moved on their own. She subconsciously raised the camera.
Click!
She pressed the shutter without being taught, and the flash of light was gone in an instant.
March 7th opened the photo album.
In the scene captured by the camera, the crowds of people passing by Leon were covered by a chaotic jumble of black data corruption.
She didn't know why. Maybe it was her photography skills, or maybe it was simply a problem with the camera.
March 7th stared silently at the photo.
The people and the crowd were blurry, but one profile was perfectly clear. It was like a reflection of reality.
These passersby and the frozen objects were certainly important, but Leon was the irreplaceable anchor point that truly shaped the person known as March 7th.
Everything had begun because of him. It was only with his help that March 7th truly existed in this world.
March 7th raised the camera again.
In the frame projected by the lens, the most important anchor point was turning his head, calling for her to keep up.
The pedestrians coming and going were still obscured by garbled data. In this small LCD frame, the real scene became bizarre. Only one person remained unaffected.
She suddenly remembered what Leon had said just a moment ago.
[Taking a picture means imprinting the people and scenes you love into this little thing]
Did he mean...
The crowds are bustling, the world is bizarre.
And I love only you.
______
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