Under the night sky, Arc City finally regained its bustling atmosphere as people took to the streets to celebrate a long-awaited victory.
People from all over the world, dressed in their finest traditional attire, filled the streets, their diverse accents and languages adding a rich, exotic flavor to this international Shenzhou metropolis.
Of course, where there was clamor, there were also quiet areas. In stark contrast to the joyous celebrations elsewhere, countless candles and flowers were laid beside the city's newly erected monument.
Visitors silently placed bouquets by the monument, bowing their heads to mourn the family, friends, and fallen soldiers lost in the disaster.
Occasionally, the white-haired girl would hear muffled sobs rising from the silent crowd...
"Life is brief and fragile, but that's precisely why will and spirit can achieve immortality..."
The being known as "Imhotep" shook her head, placed her flowers down, and, mimicking the crowd, observed a moment of silence before the nameless monument before turning to leave.
If she didn't hurry, she would be late—
-
"Good evening...?"
"Good evening—"
After exchanging polite greetings, Houraiji Kyuusyou finally began to properly study the familiar yet strange partner before her.
Her pure white hair and blue eyes, so different from before, reminded her of a certain game card—
"Ah... a Blue-Eyes White Dragon..."
She blurted it out with remarkable courage... and was promptly rewarded with a sharp stomp on the instep from the latter's high heel.
Face flushed red from the pain but daring not to cry out, Kyuusyou could only cast a pleading gaze at Imhotep.
"Hmph..."
Seeing her companion's begging, submissive look, the girl snorted in annoyance and lifted her foot.
"You really put your weight into it... cough cough, let's not talk about that, let's not talk about that..."
Kyuusyou muttered something under her breath, earning another glare from Imhotep. She just smiled sheepishly and brushed it off.
"So, as the one who initiated this date... how long are you going to stand there grinning like that?"
Miss Imhotep stared at the sheepishly smiling Houraiji Kyuusyou, contemplating whether to give her another kick.
"Ahem... Follow me. It's been a while, hasn't it? We haven't had a proper date since we made things official..."
Kyuusyou linked her arm with Imhotep's and led her into the crowd.
-
"Hmm... Imhotep, what were you thinking about just now? You looked so lost in thought..."
"If you ever run into any life problems, you can come to me, Lady Kyuusyou~ I'm the best at being a life mentor for lost and confused girls!"
Kyuusyou watched Imhotep carefully licking her tanghulu, her eyes filled with curiosity.
But Imhotep seemed to have latched onto the most crucial part of Kyuusyou's statement.
"The best at being a life mentor for lost and confused girls?"
Shifting her attention from the interesting Shenzhou snack, Imhotep looked at Kyuusyou with a calm tone.
"That's right, that's right."
Houraiji Kyuusyou, unknowingly tap-dancing on a minefield, nodded confidently, wearing the expression of a seasoned expert who knew all about wooing girls.
"Then you must have flirted with quite a few girls..."
A dark, menacing voice whispered in Kyuusyou's ear, making her shudder on the spot.
"Gulp... No, no, that's not true! I'm completely devoted to you, I swear by heaven and earth!"
"Hmph, you wouldn't dare."
Glancing at the "French" Schicksal Valkyrie who looked ready to surrender, the girl turned her attention back to the tanghulu in her hand.
"So... what were you thinking about on your way here?"
"...Me? I was wondering what kind of existence humans truly are..."
"Huh...? Imhotep, aren't you human yourself right now?"
Kyuusyou, oblivious to the deeper meaning in the girl's words, just gave her partner a strange look.
"Perhaps... That's an answer only I can find for myself..."
"You'll always stay by my side, right?"
The white-haired girl suddenly posed this seemingly random question to Houraiji Kyuusyou, causing the latter to freeze for a moment. Then, as realization dawned, Kyuusyou broke into a smile.
"Of course, Your Highness~"
-
Compared to the vibrant, thriving realm of Arc City where all things flourish, the atmosphere in the depths of the Sea of Quanta was not quite so pleasant.
The "God" wandering here quietly awaited the activation of the Eye of the Deep, hoping to capture that fleeting tremor from the Prime World to relocate her little nest back home...
Just moments ago, the blonde girl God's leisurely mood was shattered. She sensed an ominous premonition, as if some damned stray cat was shamelessly cuckolding her, which once again soured her tranquil state of mind.
After meticulously dicing a Quantum Jellyfish blocking her path into fine mince, the still-frustrated blonde girl set her sights on a World Bubble drifting by. Just as the innocent World Bubble was about to suffer a cruel fate, being squeezed like bubble wrap for stress relief, two voices, similar yet entirely different in aura, sounded from behind her.
"Hey, you with the blonde hair up front! Do you know the way?"
A forceful, energetic voice, very much in the style of a "Big Sister," shouted impolitely at the girl who was tormenting the World Bubble...
"Umm... Wasn't that a bit too rude?"
This was another, somewhat timid voice, seemingly worried that the previous speaker's words had been a little too impolite. After all, the World Bubble was creaking ominously in the blonde girl's grasp...
"...?"
The blonde girl, who had turned around upon hearing the voices, showed a hint of surprise and astonishment on her previously gloomy face.
"Seele Vollerei...? And there are two of you???"
Staring at the two Seeles before her, one tall and one small, the blonde girl froze. The short-haired, timid girl hid behind the long-haired, assertive one who carried a scythe. Their only common feature was their identical faces. Though their temperaments differed, there was no mistaking that both were Seele Vollerei.
"How do you know our names???"
Veliona tightened her grip on her scythe, watching the blonde girl warily.
"Eek—You know Seele?"
The slightly timid girl looked curiously at the blonde woman before them...