"Good morning, Firefly~"
"Morning~ I want a good morning kiss~"
"Mwah~"
"Hehe."
"How are you just like a child who never grows up? How will you ever become independent like this?" Looking at Firefly giggling foolishly over a morning kiss, Clara couldn't help but shake her head.
She was genuinely concerned about Firefly's future.
Hearing that, the silly grin instantly vanished from Firefly's face. Her eyes grew moist and watery, and she put on a pitiful, pleading expression as she looked at Clara.
"Clara, you won't leave me, right?"
"Of course not." Upon hearing this, Clara placed her hands on her hips and nodded with great determination.
"Even if the galaxies are destroyed and the universe returns to the Void, I won't leave you!"
Clara made this promise to Firefly very solemnly.
Over these years of being together, Firefly, and indeed all the members of the Stellaron Hunters, including Elio, had become an inseparable part of Clara's heart.
"Then it's all settled, isn't it~ This little kid still has a big kid like you, Clara, to take care of me~" Hearing her favorite answer, Firefly immediately broke into a smile.
"My wife Tongtong will always take care of me, right?"
Clara: …
"Who… who said… said they'd take care of you forever…" Hearing that form of address from Firefly, Clara felt utterly overwhelmed. A deep blush instantly spread across her face. "Don't… don't get ahead of yourself, okay?"
"Okay, okay, okay~" Listening to Clara's words, Firefly covered her mouth and laughed.
Although that's what Clara said, from her fidgeting hands and slightly flustered tone, it was obvious.
What was in Clara's heart was the complete opposite of what came out of her mouth.
Clara was perfect in every way, except her mouth was a bit stubborn.
Hmm… no, wait. Clara's lips were actually very soft~
"What do you mean 'okay, okay'!" Seeing Firefly covering her mouth and snickering, Clara instantly bristled. "I'm serious! I… I won't be taking care of you!"
Hearing this, the smile on Firefly's face deepened. She stretched out her arms, pulled Clara directly into an embrace, brought her lips close to Clara's ear, and said softly,
"You're right."
"Clara doesn't need to take care of me."
"I can take care of myself. And at the same time…"
"I'll take care of Clara too."
"Mmgh…" Listening to Firefly's voice by her ear, Clara's already flushed cheeks turned an even deeper red, seeming almost ready to drip blood. "Who… who needs you to take care of me… I don't need… don't need you to take care of me at all…"
With reddened cheeks and fingers twisting the hem of her clothes, Clara spoke these words.
"Okay, okay, okay~" Hearing Clara's stubborn words, Firefly didn't argue or say anything else, simply humoring her.
Hearing Firefly's three "okay"s, Clara bristled again:
"I'm telling the truth! I really don't need… don't need you to take care of me!!!"
"Okay, okay, okay~"
"I mean it, I really do!!!!" Clara shouted, looking at Firefly's smiling, all-knowing expression.
"Of course I believe Clara is telling the truth~" Firefly gave a light hum, taking in Clara's entire demeanor, her mood soaring. "Ahhhhh, I mean it, I really don't need you to take care of me."
"Mhm~ I never said what Clara said was false~"
"Really! Really!"
"Okay, okay, okay~"
…
Meanwhile, outside the Xianzhou Luofu, a train suddenly appeared.
"This is the Astral Express, I repeat, this is the Astral Express."
"I have arrived in the Xianzhou's airspace, requesting landing permission at the Xianzhou docks."
Inside the train, Himeko initiated a call to the Xianzhou before her.
Before long, a signal came through from the Xianzhou Luofu.
"Welcome to… the Luofu, Sky-Faring Commission, Star Skiff Haven…"
"Please wait patiently for docking procedures, please wait patiently for docking procedures… please wait patiently for docking procedures."
(A/N:Not padding the word count here, the original scene really repeats it three times, I'm not padding, I'm not padding, I'm not padding~)
But the signal from the Xianzhou was intermittent and broken.
"Strange…"
Himeko listened to the voice, lost in thought for a moment.
"No way, has something really happened to the Xianzhou?"
Looking at what was happening before her, March 7th couldn't help but feel a little scared.
"Hello? Hello? Can you hear me?"
But just as the group was silent in thought, the signal from the Xianzhou side returned to normal, and a voice came through.
"Yes, we can. Hello, we are the Astral Express."
"Hello, I am staff member number 002485652, stationed at Star Skiff Haven aboard the Xianzhou Luofu."
"The Astral Express? Please state your purpose."
"It's like this…"
Himeko truthfully relayed everything Kafka had told them.
"Pfft… haha… my apologies." After hearing Himeko's words, the staff member seemed barely able to hold back a laugh, but quickly returned to normal. "The Luofu will face danger, and nearly half its people will die…"
"Sorry, but that is genuinely the funniest joke I've heard this entire Amber Era."
The Express Crew: …
"Everyone, please… Aaaahhhhhhh!!!"
The staff member had just been about to ask the Astral Express to leave, but the next second, a terrified scream came through, followed by dead silence…
And the Jade Gate of the Xianzhou Luofu began to open at that moment…
…
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