What is cute? I am the definition of cute!
Dear Elio,
Thank you for taking such good care of me all these Amber Years.
But as they say, joy and sorrow, parting and reunion, are the stuff of life.
The time has finally come to say goodbye. Although my heart is full of reluctance…
But… the Xianzhou Luofu… their offer is just too good to refuse!
So…
Yours truly, Little Clara, is jumping ship!
Farewell, Elio. I hope you enjoyed the screen time that was exclusively yours these past few years~
Oh, and I'll be taking Firefly with me too~
P.S. This is not a request, it's a notification!!!
Wishing the Script Peace and Quiet: ???
[The other party is not on your friend list. A friend verification request is required to send messages.]
Wishing the Script Peace and Quiet: ??? Seriously?!
[The other party is not on your friend list. A friend verification request is required to send messages.]
'What on earth is Clara up to now?'
Elio looked at the chat log on the screen, scratching his head with a paw in confusion.
'Well, fine. Maybe it's better if she doesn't come back.'
'In fact, it'd be best if she never comes back.'
Elio let out a disdainful sniff, not paying it too much mind.
Of course, Elio didn't really believe Clara would never return.
Could the bonds forged over so many years truly be shaken by mere material wealth?
'Hmm… Actually, what bonds did Clara even have with us?'
Elio lowered his head, falling into deep thought.
…
"Boom! Done!"
Blocked and deleted in one smooth move. Clara had never felt such intense satisfaction before!
After blacklisting every single one of Elio's contact methods, Clara put her phone away, took Firefly's small hand, and led her into the house—no, the manor.
"Come on, Firefly, let's go check out our new home!"
But Firefly's attention clearly wasn't on the manor. She looked at Clara with a face full of confusion and asked, "Um, Clara… are you really not going to deal with Elio anymore?"
"Of course not," Clara replied with a cheerful smile, nodding.
"Sticking with Elio means going hungry nine times in three days."
"But if I stick with the Luofu, I'll get eighteen meals in three days!"
"Choosing between Elio and the Luofu… I don't think I need to say more, do I?"
Clara tossed her hair. Her seemingly logical and serious demeanor made Firefly believe her completely.
Firefly wanted to try and talk Clara out of it. Even though Elio never said much, deep down, he cared deeply about everyone.
Every time they went on a mission, Elio would always add a few words of concern before they left.
"Clara, I think Elio has been pretty good to us, that…" Because Firefly thought Clara genuinely wanted to jump ship, her tone was hesitant and evasive.
After all, Firefly had told Clara before that she would trust her unconditionally. And now, not long after making that promise, she was about to break it.
Thinking of this, Firefly felt a bit embarrassed…
"That… that's… so I think we should still…"
"Alright, alright, I was just talking. I don't really want to jump ship," Clara said with a helpless wave of her hand, seeing Firefly's worried expression.
Seems I underestimated Elio's prestige… No, wait, that's right. If she really had to leave, Clara would be very reluctant too.
After all, aside from Kafka, she was the one who had spent the most time with Elio.
In her heart, she had long since come to think of Elio as her pet—scratch that—as family.
"I just wanted to give Elio a scare. I'll add all his contact methods back later."
"Of course… assuming he agrees…"
Clara's voice grew a little quieter as she said this.
Ah, forget it. He'll agree whether he wants to or not.
Elio, to agree or not to agree, you have no choice!
"Oh, oh, I see. That's good then," Firefly said, letting out a sigh of relief.
Firefly really liked this 'family.' But if Clara truly decided to leave, Firefly would follow her…
"Then let's hurry up and go take a look inside."
Not wanting to dwell on the topic any longer, Firefly turned her attention to the manor.
It was beautiful. Birds sang and flowers bloomed. The air carried a refreshing scent that lifted the spirits. It felt like a completely different place compared to the outside world.
Entering here was like stepping from the Everwinter City into a paradise of eternal spring.
One could imagine how much effort the Luofu must have expended to build this place.
"Maybe we should jump ship after all…"
Looking at the scene before her, Clara swallowed hard.
"J-jump then…"
Firefly was clearly also stunned by the sight before her, as if she had arrived in a fairyland…
[Greetings, my two masters. I am your artificial intelligence assistant.]
[Shall I proceed to give you both a tour?]
"Uh… are you an artificial dumb-dumb?" Clara asked, looking at the robot that had appeared before her, reminded of some very unpleasant memories…
Once, when Clara traveled to a mechanical planet, she was nearly driven mad by the artificial dumb-dumbs there.
They insisted on following every rule to the letter, with no room for flexibility whatsoever, which had frustrated Clara immensely.
If Elio hadn't suddenly notified her about some urgent business back then, Clara would have probably dismantled every single artificial dumb-dumb on that planet!
[All actions are based on the standards set by the master's words.]
[If the master believes I am one, then I am one.]
[If the master does not require my services, I will leave.]
"Uh… never mind. Show us around…" Clara still held a bit of prejudice against this type of artificial dumb-dumb.
Of course, Screwllum was not included in this prejudice.
Though, strictly speaking, Screwllum probably didn't even fall under the category of artificial intelligence…
[Very well, master. I shall lead the way.]
[I will, with the utmost efficiency and time-saving methods, introduce every single aspect of the manor to you both.]
"Alright, lead on." Clara nodded and said no more, holding Firefly's hand as she quietly followed behind the artificial dumb-dumb, taking in the beautiful scenery of the manor.
…
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