Lowering her head, Firefly spoke softly.
"Everyone here sleeps as equals, no matter their reasons. We each have our own goals… I'm sorry. I really am a stowaway. I dragged you into this, made the Family mistake you for one of us, made them treat you like a criminal. I'm truly sorry."
Her expression turned complicated as she looked at Pei Guang.
Her plan had originally been intricate—and Pei Guang was never supposed to be part of it. She'd feared anything unexpected, because Penacony was her one and only chance.
She couldn't afford for anything to go wrong.
But the unexpected did happen: not with her intended target, but with Pei Guang. In truth, her original target was Stelle.
But why hadn't Stelle shown up? Well, that was partly Pei Guang's fault, and partly Stelle's.
At the time, both of them had been flying through the sky. By all logic, they should have landed near each other, close enough for Firefly's plan to unfold perfectly.
But because Pei Guang had been wearing his oversized shorts, Stelle had been so distracted watching that she'd fallen out of the sky immediately, landing far from where she was supposed to.
Then, because of Sparkle, Pei Guang's own landing point had shifted a bit too, and after that, a whole chain of misunderstandings led to one strange event after another.
In a way, Firefly and Pei Guang's meeting was thanks to Sparkle.
Listening to her explanation, Pei Guang spoke up. "I know. I knew you were hiding a lot, just didn't expect you to tell me so soon…"
He'd honestly thought Firefly would only reveal her secrets much later, maybe when danger struck, or when they found the final treasure, after some dramatic betrayal followed by a sad backstory reveal.
He hadn't expected her to say it now.
He could tell she was still holding back some things… but really, who didn't have secrets? Players always had secrets. Their companions did too.
At his words, Firefly sighed. "Ah… I knew I couldn't hide it from you."
She turned back to face the sunrise once more, her voice calm as she began to tell her story.
"My hometown was destroyed a long time ago. Maybe it was the Antimatter Legion, maybe it was the Swarm. I'm an interstellar refugee, just like many of the locals here in Penacony. Harmony embraces all people, including those wandering souls from far away. The Family accepts them, but they never truly belong here.
In this dazzling metropolis, some people's dreams bear the name Penacony, while others' dreams are no different from reality. Yet every ordinary person who comes here carries the same wish in their heart.
I'm the same: in reality, I had a desire I could never obtain… It was too strong, so I turned to dreams for comfort.
Pei Guang quietly listened to Firefly's words.
At this moment, facing her heartfelt confession, all the usual playfulness in him faded away. He just wanted to know the past of the girl before him—her wish.
"What's your wish?"
Hearing Pei Guang's question, Firefly didn't answer directly. She slowly began to speak again.
"Entropy Loss Syndrome. Have you ever heard of it?
It's a strange phenomenon. People afflicted by it experience an irreversible, chronic disintegration of their physical structure. It means you are slowly disappearing, and to others, that disappearance is almost imperceptible.
You can still run, jump, talk to others. Everything looks normal: except you're always just a little slower than everyone else. Then slower and slower, until the outlines of yourself and the world blur together. You can no longer tell reality from dream, because both have become equally fragmented.
So, how could I refuse? Can you imagine? In this dream, I can… I can exist without being confined to a cold medical pod. I can forget what the doctors said, and with my body, freely listen, see, touch, think, and feel—just like right now…"
Firefly's gaze turned hazy as she looked at Pei Guang.
She recalled the little moments they had shared, especially that brief embrace earlier. Even though it was within a dream, that warmth, coming from someone else, was something she had never truly felt before.
She remembered their conversations, her inner turmoil before, but now she understood: she didn't have time to hesitate or think too long.
Her body made the choice for her.
She embraced him.
Firefly wrapped her arms around Pei Guang. Even though this was a dream, she could feel that real, gentle warmth once again: the warmth of another person.
An embrace is one of the purest ways people express emotion. And in that embrace, she felt the burning sincerity in Pei Guang's heart—a kindness so vast it seemed to embrace everyone who needed help.
That warmth was so universal that, in the moment she held him, she realized it didn't truly belong to her.
But… she didn't want to let go. This was a dream, so anything was possible. So she let herself enjoy this fleeting warmth, this moment that belonged only to her.
As she held Pei Guang, she also recalled what he had once said: that his affection for her was only as a friend.
Before, she had wondered why that word made her feel uneasy.
Now she understands…
She had seen and experienced many things, but when feelings came to her personally, she too felt lost. Still, confusion couldn't stop her from choosing, because… there was no time left.
"I'm sorry. For some reasons… there are things I can't tell you yet. But there are also things I should be honest about…"
Feeling her embrace, Pei Guang remained calm. "Because of the invitation, the Clockmaker's legacy, right?"
Firefly lowered her head. "I'm sorry…"
Pei Guang shrugged. "Nothing to be sorry about. Your affection quest is to commission me to help you obtain the Clockmaker's legacy, isn't it?"
Firefly released him and met his gaze, giving a firm nod.
"Yes. The Clockmaker's legacy is what I seek… But we don't necessarily have to part ways and become enemies. At least I don't want that to happen."
"Huh? Enemies? What enemies? Aren't we on the same team? If we're on the same team, your goal is my goal."
Pei Guang's answer left Firefly speechless for a long while before she softly asked, "Aren't you afraid I might deceive you? Trick you into handing over the Clockmaker's legacy?"
Pei Guang stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Deceive me? Nah. I've been tricked by everyone: from cute girls to ugly bastards, goblins, bald guys, weird creatures, even mythical beings. From ordinary people to bosses and kings… if I stacked them all up, I might not fill a whole city, but I could easily fill every room in these nearby buildings."
"What if I really deceived you?"
Hearing her question, Pei Guang furrowed his brows, feigning outrage.
"Wait a sec. You mean to tell me that after I complete your quest, you won't give me any rewards? I already have the lowest standards for rewards! Even affection points are enough for me!
Hold up: you're saying you won't even give me that? And on top of that, you'd hurt my teammates? Hmph, looks like I'll have to make a noble sacrifice and eliminate the threat before it grows."
"Sacrifice—? No! I'd never hurt you or your teammates, I just…"
"The reward, then? What is it?"
"Affection points… a lot of them… I don't have anything else…"
Pei Guang grinned. "So the quest reward is affection points, and you won't harm me or my team during the quest. Then what's left to deceive me about? Deceive me emotionally? If that's the case, great, I'm not losing anything!"
"Pfft, who'd deceive you emotionally!?" Firefly's protest came with a small laugh.
Pei Guang put on a serious face. "Don't say that. Someone here just did: who was it that bam! hugged me earlier and started sniffing me?"
"I didn't sniff you! That's slander, you jerk!" Firefly pouted and lightly punched Pei Guang's chest.
Just as Pei Guang was about to fire back, he noticed something odd. Near the potted plants, a small red feather was twitching.
Curious, Pei Guang walked over and gave it a tug, pulling out a small bird with yellow-green feathers and a red crest.
The bird panicked as it was yanked out. "Chirp-chirp! I wasn't spying on purpose, chirp! I was just watching the shooting stars! As for the couples watching the stars, I just glanced at them, chirp! I—I won't bother your date any longer! I definitely won't interrupt your sniffing either! Goodbye, chirp~!"
Firefly, who had just begun to calm down thanks to Pei Guang's nonsense, froze completely upon hearing that.
All that she had said and done… had been overheard by a bird? And worse, it thought she had sniffed Pei Guang?
Looks like this bird can't be allowed to live.
Let's burn it.