"Stellaron Hunter Clara, pleased to meet you~"
"What is the purpose of you Stellaron Hunters?"
Under normal circumstances, everyone might truly have been deceived by Clara's highly alluring appearance.
But after what had just happened within the dream, no one dared to see the Clara before them as an innocent, romantic, pure and flawless little girl any longer.
Although Clara had pulled everyone into the dream, she hadn't harmed a single person. She had even helped Stelle step onto the Path of Preservation.
Regarding Clara's actions, everyone was somewhat baffled, completely unable to figure out what she intended to do.
Feeling the hostile, wary expressions directed at her, Clara couldn't help but sigh:
"I told you, I'm really not some bad person."
"My purpose in doing this was merely to follow Elio's instructions."
Elio: ...
My instructions? What did I instruct you to do? Since when?
"Elio… Slave of Fate." Hearing that name, Welt fell into thought.
"What is your goal? For the Stellaron? Or…"
No one knows what Elio's true purpose is.
Normally, Welt wouldn't want to bother with whatever aims Elio or the Stellaron Hunters might have.
But now, the fates of the Stellaron Hunters and the Astral Express are intertwined to such a degree that it can't be ignored.
"I already said~" Clara spread her hands, her face full of innocence.
"I truly don't know."
"Everything we do is carried out according to the script Elio has laid out."
"As for the purpose behind these actions? To me, it's not very important."
Welt: ...
Welt fell silent, because he didn't know how to proceed.
If the other party weren't Clara, Welt would detain them and begin an interrogation.
But this was Clara, a powerful Emanator. Welt—no, the entire Astral Express—was powerless against her…
"Hey, hey, Welt, can you hear me?"
Just as Welt was lost in thought, Himeko's voice suddenly sounded in his ear.
Hearing this, Welt snapped back to attention and confirmed.
"Yes, I can hear you."
Hearing Himeko's voice, Welt's tense heart finally relaxed a little.
"Clara isn't a bad person, at least not right now."
"You saw what happened in the dream earlier. If she wanted to attack us, we'd have no power to resist."
"So, rather than remaining hostile and wary, it might be better to temporarily set aside our grievances and sit down to have a proper talk."
"..."
Hearing this, Welt didn't immediately agree. He remained silent for a while.
Remembering Clara's overwhelming strength—enough to leave the [Astral Express] in despair—Welt finally nodded and agreed to Himeko's suggestion.
Noticing Welt's expression, Clara smiled slightly:
"I came here this time to apologize."
"Apologize?" Clara's words left everyone perplexed.
The strong bullying the weak—in everyone's minds, at least—was an immoral yet entirely reasonable thing.
Thus, no one really held any strong opinion about the matter.
Nor did they resent Clara for it… at least on the surface… As for their inner feelings, those remained buried.
But Clara being willing to apologize for something so commonplace completely took everyone by surprise.
Their inner impression of Clara improved slightly.
Putting aside Elio's instructions, Clara… she was also just an innocent, romantic little girl.
Clara: (￣▽￣)ブ
Hmm… that's enough. If I keep this up, I'll want to slap myself.
Clara opened one hand, and a Stellaron appeared in her palm.
"This is the Stellaron from Jarilo-VI." Under everyone's gaze, Clara spoke slowly.
"An apology must carry sincerity. This Stellaron is my sincerity."
"I don't ask for your forgiveness, but at least… please accept my apology."
Sparkle: ...
Watching everyone's expressions, Sparkle couldn't help but show a look of pity in her eyes.
'I "killed" you all once, then used your own thing to earn your forgiveness.'
'Pretend to get close, wait for the right moment, then "kill" you all again, and blow up your home while I'm at it.'
By now, Sparkle had already figured out Clara's next moves perfectly in her mind.
…
A/N: Firefly arrives tomorrow! Wishing you all double 5-stars in a single ten-pull, and bringing Firefly-waifu home!
Wait, no! Firefly-waifu is mine!
…
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