After the heavy downpour, the weather turned rather nice and sunny.
Even the weather in Australia was the same.
Thanks to Eden's concert at the Sydney Opera House, the airport was bustling with a continuous stream of people.
Holding little Vya's hand as they stepped out of the airport, Elysia made for quite a beautiful sight...
"Ah, I should have requested to come with Himeko and the others after all♪~"
But on second thought, she decided against it. They were on a mission, after all—best not to disturb them.
"Objective: find Eden! Let's go~"
Elysia announced.
Vya was overjoyed too.
"Let's go, let's go!"
"To find big sister Eden!"
...
Meanwhile, in a suite at a high-end hotel downtown, Carole was sprawled out like a starfish on the soft bed.
"Ahh, this bed is so comfortable~"
She rolled around on the duvet,
"Come try it too, Hua."
Carole invited with a laugh.
Hua stood by the window. "Um... I'll pass."
The door gave a gentle knock, and Himeko pushed it open, coming to check on the two squad members she worried about the most.
"Rest well today, girls."
"Ah, Captain!"
Carole scrambled up from the bed.
Leaning against the doorframe, Himeko said, "Get plenty of rest. Tomorrow might be a tough fight."
"Don't worry, Captain! I promise to follow orders during the operation!"
Carole declared earnestly, though her eyes darted about as she slowly inched closer to Himeko.
"Ahem, so... Captain?"
"Whenever you make that face, I know exactly what you're after."
Himeko shook her head helplessly and flicked Carole's forehead with her finger.
"Ouch, you know me so well, Captain."
Carole rubbed her forehead, her smile undiminished.
"Can we go out for a walk? Look, it's Hua's first time here too..."
Throwing Hua under the bus right off the bat.
"Wait, Carole, maybe we shouldn't. We do have a mission, after all..."
Hua hesitated.
"You, you... what am I going to do with you?"
"...Fine. I'll set a curfew. Make sure you're back on time."
Himeko said with a smile.
"Great! Thanks, Captain!"
"Come on, Hua, what are you waiting for!"
With that, Carole grabbed Hua's hand and dashed off.
Watching their retreating figures, Himeko first smiled, then fell into an uncharacteristically pensive mood.
Once upon a time, she had been that age too. Had it not been for certain... incidents, how would she have ended up like this?
And girls like them, at that age, should be free and carefree...
"Haha, what's gotten into me..."
Himeko mocked herself. She'd seen too much of this kind of thing, and by all rights should have long grown indifferent. Why was she thinking about it now...
Blame the times, and this increasingly chaotic world...
Himeko suddenly felt like having a drink.
Never mind, she thought. She could wait until after the mission.
...
One flame grew weaker, another grew stronger...
...
Evening.
The Sydney Opera House—perhaps more people preferred to call it the vivid seashell sculpture.
Such a massive sculpture was truly beautiful.
Perched by the harbor, it was one of the world's most famous opera houses.
Not far out on the water, a private yacht lay quietly at anchor.
"Wow, it's beautiful from this angle too♪~"
Elysia leaned on the railing, gazing at the distant opera house. The neon lights of the city behind it sparkled like starlight, making the entire structure even more stunning.
She turned to look at Eden beside her.
"Eden is beautiful too♪~"
"Mmm, my dear Elysia, I'm so happy you came to see me..."
"I hope we're not disturbing you~"
"Of course not."
Eden replied with a gentle smile.
"Big sisters! Vya changed her clothes!"
Vya ran over to the two of them in her new dress—the very one Eden had made for her.
She'd learned to dress herself long ago, very early on. It was only before that Elysia had insisted on helping, letting Vya change into it herself.
The dress was primarily gold, adorned with white embroidery, and tiny crystals dotted the skirt.
Though the golden radiance wasn't fully revealed in the night, it wasn't like a pearl hidden in dust; instead, it appeared more subtle and elegant.
It would be even better with a little crown on her head~
That's what Eden thought. Should she prepare one when they got back? Silver or gold—which would suit her better? What color gem should go on it...
Of course, these were all things to consider.
"Ooh la la♪~ Whose little princess is this~"
Elysia crouched down, moving closer.
"Big sister's, of course!"
"Oh~ So it's our little Vya. How about a hug from your big sister?"
"Okay!"
Vya gave her wholehearted approval—though by the time she assumed this posture, Elysia had already scooped her up by the waist.
Vya giggled, then reached out toward Eden. "Big sister Eden needs a hug too!"
"Of course."
Eden looked at Vya, her eyes equally affectionate.
"Hehe~"
"Does Vya like this dress?"
Even though she'd already gotten the answer during their previous calls, now that Vya was actually wearing it, Eden decided to ask again.
"I love it! I love it so much!"
"I'm glad you like it."
Mmm, Eden's mind began plotting crown designs once more...
Happy times always seemed to pass so quickly...
After Eden left.
"My, my, what a dazzling big sister. Even the night can't hide her light~"
The pink puppy had popped out at some point. Watching Eden's retreating figure, she couldn't help but feel she resembled someone from her memories.
Perhaps she'd been out for a while.
But Elysia and Vya had been busy talking with Eden, so she'd been left out in the cold.
Besides, Eden couldn't see her...
"Wow, it's big sister Cyrene turned into a pink puppy!"
The pink puppy planted her hands on her hips, though she was long used to Vya calling her that.
"Long time no see~"
Elysia reached out to ruffle the puppy's head, but she nimbly dodged.
"Aww, you were so busy talking with that big sister, you left poor me all alone."
The pink puppy pouted, pretending to be hurt.
"Ah, sorry, big sister Cyrene..."
Vya apologized quickly.
"It's fine. Even though I've been alone a lot lately, I was still looking forward to coming out for some fresh air~ Just being able to come out makes me happy~"
"Being alone must be so boring..."
Elysia said. After all, the pink puppy rarely spoke about her own matters; most of it was about her friends.
"Imaginary friends are friends too~"
"Ah, that's so sad for big sister Cyrene..."
"It's alright~ Over time, I've gotten used to it~ Besides, I have you all now, don't I?"
"Let me pet you♪~"
Elysia smiled and stroked the pink puppy's fur.
"I wonder if I'll ever get to meet her properly~"
"You never know~"
The pink puppy somersaulted in the air, her figure gradually turning translucent before finally vanishing into the night sea breeze.
The harbor lights still glittered brilliantly, the yacht gently rocking with the waves.
There were always brighter things, but they all burned something...
…
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