The following day.
Seele and Bronya, along with the others, headed out to Sapphire City.
They spent the day drifting through the Homu Amusent Park, the Homu Shopping Mall, and a haunted house. By the ti they started their journey back, the goosebumps on Seele's skin still hadn't faded.
"How can people in your world enjoy going to such terrifying places?" Seele asked, an expression of sheer disbelief etched on her face. She rubbed her arms, still trying to shake off the lingering chills from the haunted house.
"Terrifying? That wasn't scary at all!" Kiana chirped from the side, a smug grin plastered on her face.
"Oh, please! You were screaming even louder than I was just a second ago!" Seele rolled her eyes at Kiana, refusing to back down.
"I was not!"
The sky was gradually deepening into twilight. On the great cross-sea bridge connecting St. Freya High School's island to the city, the streetlamps had already flickered to life.
"Still... today really was a total blast." Seele let out a long, languid stretch, a relaxed and joyful smile spreading across her lips. "I'd say today was pretty much perfect."
"Seele..."
Bronya, however, had grown sowhat quiet. She sat beside Seele, her hand gripping Seele's with a desperate intensity—clinging to her as if she were afraid that the mont she let go, Seele would simply vanish into thin air.
From the driver's seat, Hiko stole a glance through the rearview mirror. She didn't sigh or say a word; she simply shifted her gaze back to the road ahead, her voice carrying a soft, warm edge of amusent.
"Let's head back for now. We bought a lot of groceries today. i and Sakura ntioned they're planning to whip up a massive feast once we're ho."
"Really? Well, I'm definitely not going to hold back then!" Seele laughed.
However, once they arrived back at St. Freya and everyone stepped out of the car, the group suddenly claid there was still plenty of ti. They suggested Seele and Bronya take a stroll around the campus on their own and only head back when dinner was served.
And so...
Seele stood barefoot on the soft sand, gazing out at the horizon. Her voice held a playful, slightly weary lilt. "The beach, the ocean, and in the middle of the night... it looks about as spooky as that haunted house."
"Seele." Bronya walked up from the side, stepping close to Seele and taking her hand. "Just wait a little longer. You'll see it soon..."
"See what?" Seele blinked, looking thoroughly confused.
Bronya didn't explain. She simply kept her eyes fixed on the sea with a look of quiet, steady determination. Seele felt a bit bewildered, but she didn't mind.
Getting to spend a little more ti with Bronya like this was nice. The feeling of being soone's entire world was becoming quite addictive.
For now, there was only the scent of the salty sea breeze, the silver moonlight shattered into a thousand dancing shards upon the waves, and the rhythmic, low pulse of the tide.
"Seriously, what am I looking for?" After they had sat on the sand for a while, Seele finally couldn't help but ask again.
"Look."
Bronya raised her hand, her voice carrying a rare tremor of excitent.
"Hmm?" Seele followed the direction of her finger, her eyes searching the distant waters. Then, she saw it—tiny sparks of blue light suddenly flickering to life out on the dark sea.
"Is that...?"
Seele froze, her eyes widening.
At first, there were only scattered pinpricks of blue radiance, as srizing as Honkai crystals. But then, the spots of light multiplied, growing denser and more vibrant until they ford a flowing ribbon of azure. It was ethereal and magnificent, like a dream bleeding into reality.
"What is this...?" Seele whispered, her voice dropping as she stared, srized.
"Bioluminescent jellyfish." Bronya turned her head to look at Seele's awestruck expression, a soft, joyful smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "They swim past here every year at this exact ti. But only for one day."
How did you know?
Seele didn't ask. She rembered that Bronya had only been here for less than six months. But in this mont, those details didn't seem to matter. The two of them stood there in silence, savoring a beauty that felt, for the mont, like it belonged only to them.
As the blue ribbon of light drifted further into the distance, Seele finally snapped out of her trance. "It felt... just like a dream."
"It wasn't a dream, Seele," Bronya said softly but firmly. She squeezed Seele's hand tight. "This is real."
"Yeah, I know. I was just using a figure of speech." Seele laughed, her gaze turning incredibly tender. She turned her head, intending to say a few more words to Bronya, when Bronya's cute face suddenly filled her vision.
And then...
"Mmph?!"
Seele's eyes went wide again. On her cheek, a soft, fragrant sensation told her everything she needed to know.
Wait, did I just get played? Was I the passive one here?!
"Seele..."
A mont later, Bronya gazed at Seele. Their fingers were still tightly interlaced, as if Bronya were guarding against any chance of Seele running away.
"Wh-What was that for?" Seele's cheeks flushed crimson, her eyes instantly filling with bashful panic as she tried to look anywhere but at Bronya.
I got kissed!
Holy crap!
This isn't the sa as kissing Theresa or Kiana! I was the one who got kissed!
Seele had never imagined that a day would co where she'd end up being the "prey," treated like a sweet little dessert!
But this feeling... it's actually not bad at all!
If she wasn't worried about breaking character, she would have thrown herself into Bronya's arms right then and there, acting like a spoiled brat and begging for a few more.
I've been acting like the assertive one for years, and finally, soone realized I actually like being the one taken by surprise!
As Seele's heart hamred against her ribs, Bronya finally spoke in a gentle voice. "Bronya likes Seele. Not because Seele reminds Bronya of her sister... but because Bronya loves Seele. I want Seele to rember Bronya forever."
"Honestly... you didn't have to go that far..." Seele mumbled under her breath, but her shy, flustered expression made it clear she didn't mind one bit.
"But... Seele doesn't seem to hate it."
"Who—who says?!"
After a bit of chaotic back-and-forth, the two finally made their way back to the dorms.
In the dormitory, they enjoyed one last magnificent feast. After resting for a while, Seele followed the group to the Science Departnt to change into a specialized transit suit.
Looking at the gear, Seele couldn't help but suspect that Otto probably had his fingerprints all over its design. He likely wanted to master the technology to traverse the Sea of Quanta himself.
Too bad for him, she wasn't actually "traversing" the Sea of Quanta—she was just going to transform.
"It's almost ti, isn't it?"
After waiting on the equipnt for a while, Seele turned to look at her surroundings.
"Yes... it's almost ti," Theresa answered softly after a brief silence.
Kiana, Bronya, and the others were gathered around the machinery, but none of them took a step closer. They were afraid of interfering with the data collection.
"Regardless of whether this works or not," Seele said, looking at everyone with a gentle smile, "I'll rember all of you. Bronya, i, everyone... and even you, Sin."
Hearing her na, Sin's breath hitched for a second. She turned her head away as if annoyed. "Who asked you to rember ?"
"Fine, then I'll just forget you."
"Hey!!"
"Haha, just kidding~"
After one last mont of laughter and teasing, the ti had finally co.
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