"Do you need to go with you?"
After returning to the hotel—just as silently as they had left—their reappearance drew no attention.
Kiana offered the suggestion.
"I... want to talk to him alone."
Robin knew Kiana was worried about her. But she could not believe her brother had beco soone she no longer recognized.
After thinking it through, she decided she still wanted to speak with Sunday by herself rather than bring Kiana along.
Going alone and going with Kiana carried entirely different implications.
"All right. I'll walk you to Dewlight Pavilion."
"Thank you." The way Robin looked at her grew gentler. She had lost count of how many tis she had thanked her.
"No need to thank . We're friends." Kiana smiled. "Don't think you're troubling . If anything, I've caused you far more trouble."
Robin knew she was referring to helping spread news about the Galaxy Ranger.
The two things weren't the sa.
She thought so, but did not say it aloud.
Kiana escorted her to the entrance of Dewlight Pavilion and stopped, not following her inside.
Seeing Robin pause and look back at her, Kiana grinned and joked to ease her nerves. "Don't worry about ssing things up. I'm here, you know. If he refuses to listen to reason, I do know a little martial arts."
As she spoke, she even raised her completely non-threatening fist. It looked ordinary enough. Only those who had taken one of her punches knew just how terrifying it truly was.
Robin couldn't help but laugh. "Let's hope we won't have to resort to martial arts."
Seeing her smile, Kiana felt her own mood lighten. But soon another thought surfaced. Even though they were siblings, she still had to prepare for the worst.
"If you don't mind, I'd like to leave a mark on you."
Robin understood what she was worried about. Preparing for unforeseen events wasn't a bad thing. And she didn't mind at all if Kiana left a mark on her.
She extended her right hand without hesitation. "Of course."
That was quick.
Kiana couldn't help marveling. Was Robin's trust in her really at one hundred percent?
She hadn't lied to Robin about anything. But Robin hadn't doubted her in the slightest. No matter what she said, Robin believed her without demanding proof.
She had accused her own brother.
Yet Robin hadn't questioned her. Instead of confirming it with Sunday or investigating on her own, she had trusted Kiana completely and co straight to confront him.
That level of trust made Kiana sigh inwardly. Robin truly cared about her friend.
This went beyond ordinary friendship, didn't it?
A soulmate?
Robin must see her as one.
"I developed a teleportation ability recently. I can leave a mark on soone I'm familiar with. No matter how far apart we are, as long as our fates are intertwined, I can appear by your side."
Robin's eyes lit up. "So that ans, whenever we want to see each other in the future, we can et again anyti, right?"
She didn't consider issues of safety or privacy at all. Not a trace of hesitation appeared on her face.
That trust... undeniably full marks.
Kiana stopped hesitating as well. She took Robin's hand and set her as a teleportation anchor.
"That's right~" Kiana's tone turned cheerful. "Even after the Charmony Festival ends, we can still see each other often. No need to worry about distance."
A golden mark flickered and vanished into her palm. Robin withdrew her hand. At least this was one piece of good news.
"Go on. When you're done talking, co find ." Kiana maintained her smile. "If you haven't contacted or replied by tomorrow, I'll co looking for you."
"I'll get in touch as soon as I can." Robin nodded. After bidding Kiana farewell, she walked toward Dewlight Pavilion.
Kiana watched until Robin disappeared inside. Only then did the smile fade from her face.
She knew this visit likely wouldn't go smoothly. There was a high chance she would have to rescue soone.
Sunday hadn't spared even his own sister.
He truly believed Ena's Dream was a paradise that would make everyone happy. Robin would likely be drawn into that dream as well.
Confronting him might an Robin would be controlled or confined ahead of ti.
But they were still siblings.
The chance of Robin persuading Sunday was slim—but not zero.
"Mother is clearly worried. Why let her face this alone?" Araya, who had been invisible for a while, asked in confusion.
"Because he's her brother."
Kiana placed a hand on Araya's head and gently ruffled her hair. Then, as if rembering sothing, she crouched down, pulled out her phone, and opened the cara.
"Co on. Smile at the cara."
Smile?
Araya lifted the corners of her mouth. But no matter how one looked at it, the smile felt strange. There was no warmth in it. It looked forced and hollow.
Kiana snapped a picture, glanced at the result, and silently deleted it.
"All right. Just use whatever expression feels most natural to you."
She didn't insist on making Araya smile. If she wanted her to smile sincerely, she would first have to teach her what happiness was.
The slight curve at Araya's lips faded.
She returned to her usual expressionless face.
But it looked much more natural.
Kiana pulled her into an embrace. Her own radiant smile contrasted sharply with Araya's calm little face.
Looking at the new photo, although Araya remained expressionless, her features seed softer—no longer cold.
It would do.
After saving the photo, Kiana thought of Acheron, who had yet to arrive in the Asdana Star System.
Co to think of it, i hadn't t Araya yet. Since there was nothing urgent at the mont, she might as well chat with i—and ask when she would arrive.
[Kiana: Image.JPG]
[Kiana: i, i, when will you reach Penacony? I miss you!]
Acheron was on her way to Penacony. When she received Kiana's ssage and saw the photo of the two white-haired figures—one big, one small—she paused for a mont.
It was practically a miniature Kiana.
[Acheron: Is she Araya?]
A child who resembled Kiana so closely... After a brief thought, Acheron arrived at a possibility.
Araya.
The Stigmata Terminal Kiana had ntioned before.
[Kiana: As expected of i—you guessed it right away! That's right, she's the Araya I told you about last ti. So? Isn't she adorable?]
Of course Kiana was adorable.
But Acheron still felt uneasy about that trial. Especially seeing how lightly Kiana treated it, she was even less inclined to indulge her. If she praised her too much, what if she did sothing like that again?
Her response was restrained.
And it inevitably made her think of Kiana's current situation in Penacony.
[Acheron: Mm. In about three days, I'll arrive in Penacony. It's not peaceful there. Kiana, don't do anything dangerous. Wait for .]
i was still very concerned about the previous Stigmata trial. She had personally experienced what it felt like to be turned into a Stigmata Terminal.
Seeing Acheron's calm reaction, Kiana imdiately guessed why. And the warning she had given her afterward was also a subtle reminder of the answer.
Does this count as taking a risk right now?
Kiana awkwardly touched her cheek. She didn't think it counted as a risk. An adventure had to involve danger to be called an adventure.
Right?
Was she in any danger?
Obviously, there was no danger here at the mont.
[Kiana: Don't worry, i. I'm not going to do anything dangerous. I'll wait for you to co over!]
Turning to Araya, who was quietly waiting nearby, Kiana reached out and took her hand. "There's nothing urgent right now. I'll show you around this dream."
"If there's anything you don't understand, you can ask anyti. Don't keep it bottled up," Kiana said as they walked. "And about what I said earlier—you must rember the most important point."
"Don't learn from !"
anwhile.
Robin had successfully t her brother. Just like the last ti they saw each other, there was no sign of the thoughts Kiana had ntioned.
"What's wrong, little sister?"
Sensing her unusual gaze, Sunday looked at Robin with concern, assuming she had co to seek his help.
He could help with many things.
But when it ca to matters of the heart...
Although Sunday had cramd plenty of knowledge about romance, he still found it difficult to grasp. He couldn't understand why Robin couldn't let go.
Other than advising his sister to give up,
He couldn't think of any other way to help her at this mont.
Robin's emotions were clearly off.
Had her confession been rejected?
The Kiana she liked was not a simple person. And that Miss Kiana was entangled with several won.
As her brother,
Sunday did not approve of Robin sinking deeper into that situation. In his view, cutting one's losses decisively was the best choice.
If she had indeed been rejected,
Then perhaps that was a good thing. She just needed to endure this period of pain.
"She made you unhappy, didn't she?" Sunday said. "You must have heard from her about her situation with others, right?"
In his opinion, he had already reminded Robin about Kiana and that Ms. Ruan i. By now, Robin should have confird the truth of that information with Kiana.
"...No. I ca here for you, Brother."
Sunday, who had been thinking about how to comfort her, froze in surprise. "?"
Robin looked at him seriously. As siblings, there were so things that did not require probing. She went straight to the point.
"Brother, you chose Order, didn't you?"
Those words were like a drop of water falling into boiling oil.
Sunday's expression changed slightly, emotions surging at that instant. Robin did not hesitate in the slightest. Her gaze was firm, as if she had already found decisive evidence.
Where did she find out?
Sunday had deliberately kept his distance from Robin, refusing to involve her in this matter because he did not want to clash with her. He knew she would never agree with his ideas.
Where had things gone wrong?
Sunday's reaction extinguished the last sliver of hope in Robin's heart. The future Kiana had seen seed to be true.
"After returning to Penacony, I often felt soone secretly monitoring my every move. Those people from the Bloodhound Family—you sent them, didn't you?"
How much did Robin know?
"Little sister, I think you've misunderstood sothing."
Sunday felt she probably did not know everything yet. He tried to find an excuse to brush the matter aside.
"Ena's Dream."
Sunday's pupils tightened. He stared at Robin in astonishnt. He hadn't expected her to know even that.
This ant she knew everything.
"Do you still want to continue, Brother?"
There could not be a traitor within the Oak Family. So where exactly had the problem arisen? How had Robin learned all of this?
"You know?"
His voice grew lower. Since Robin already knew about Ena's Dream, no matter how eloquent he was, he could not simply gloss over it.
"I know." Robin gave a bitter smile. "You plan to use the Charmony Festival to drag Penacony into Ena's Dream, turning everyone into prisoners of Order."
She knew what she should and shouldn't know.
Sunday fell silent for a mont, as if making so kind of decision.
"Ena's Dream is a paradise capable of fulfilling our dreams. There, there is no oppression, no cri. People will no longer asure their lives by false standards of self-worth. Everyone will equally obtain dignity and happiness."
"That's enough, Brother! Is that kind of dignity truly dignity? What aning does that kind of happiness have? I already know what Ena's Dream really is. It's far too cruel—for you, and for everyone!" Robin could not hold back. "If even the right to choose is taken away, can that truly be called living?"
"But if even the most basic survival cannot be guaranteed, what choice do the weak have?"
Robin stared at Sunday in disbelief, pressing her lips together. "...Brother, when did you start harboring such arrogant thoughts?"
So high and mighty.
"I have simply seen too many people wailing in suffering. Choice... within rules defined by others, do people truly have real choice and freedom?"
"Ask yourself—can the weak truly choose their own lives? If they could, why would they wail and sink in this world of suffering?"
"Enough."
"What I want to build is a paradise that can embrace everyone. People will no longer need to desperately seek aningless value. In that paradise, they can obtain everything they desire—"
Robin could not endure it any longer. "Do you really think this is right? Is this truly what others want? Is this truly the paradise people are hoping for?"
Sunday looked at her in silence. He knew his argunts, his convictions, could not persuade Robin.
Their views
Had always been different since childhood.
He knew what kind of person his sister was. At this point, there was only one thod left to convince her.
"Ena's Dream can fulfill everyone's wishes. In the dream, everyone can obtain everything they desire."
Sunday took a deep breath and revealed the backup plan he had prepared after learning that Robin could not let go of that love which should not have existed.
"Right now, you cannot confess your feelings to the person you love because she already has a lover. But in Ena's Dream, the impossible will beco possible. Little sister, you won't have to hide your burning emotions anymore. You can be with her forever."
Robin had not expected Sunday to bring this up. Her eyes widened slightly, reflecting Sunday as he placed a hand over his heart and solemnly made his promise to her.
—
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