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On the rooftop during the Hour of Gold.
Every time they came here, it was a chance to temporarily detach from the noisy city below and enjoy a rare moment of peace.
After the usual ritual of appreciating the view, Su Qing turned around.
"These past few days, I've taken a whole new set of photos."
"It was only after seeing our photo together that I realized what the older ones were missing."
Flowing Flame was curious: "What was it?"
Su Qing thought for a moment. "If I had to summarize it… uniqueness."
"Then why have you been constantly photographing *me* these days…" Flowing Flame still hadn't let go of what happened at the Hour of Scorching Sand. "That photo of me drunk—can't you delete it?"
"Let's talk about this uniqueness first."
"Delete the photo!!" Flowing Flame was determined.
That photo was *so* embarrassing. Just knowing Su Qing might stumble upon it while organizing pictures made her want to disappear.
"Ahem. We'll come back to that later."
Su Qing changed the topic. "The reason I keep photographing you… is because *you* are the source of my unique connection to this city."
That caught her attention. "Eh? Me?"
Su Qing: "The first photo I took in Penacony, the one who guided me through the city... wasn't it you in both cases?"
Flowing Flame nodded happily. "Yeah, that's true."
Topic successfully shifted.
Su Qing continued, talking about what he'd come to understand over these past few days.
"Before, I only recorded Penacony from an outsider's perspective. Just its surface."
He faced the edge of the rooftop. "It's like looking down from here—you can see all the city's splendor, but you're not *part* of it. So the photos I took… were just like anyone else's."
"After I saw that photo of us, I realized what was missing: a piece of *me*."
"That's why I retraced our steps. This time, as a real tourist, experiencing each dreamscape with you. And sure enough, the new photos captured not just the dreamworlds' appearances, but also a sense of truly *being* inside them."
"I see." Flowing Flame was stelleting to understand. "But that still doesn't explain why you keep photographing me? Just because I was the first person you met?"
"No." Su Qing shook his head. "It's because, to me… you represent the most *genuine* embodiment of a dream-chaser."
"Besides being the first I met…" Su Qing looked directly at her.
"You're also the most vibrant, the strongest, and the most beautiful dream-chaser I've seen in Penacony. To me, you're the most special scenery of all. Of course I had to record that."
[stelle: What's happening!?]
[stelle: That was a straight-up confession pitch! Where's my bat!? I can't catch that!!]
[March 7th: (shook) How is he not the least bit embarrassed throwing out compliments like that??]
[Himeko: Maybe because, in his mind, he's just talking about work.]
[Himeko: Would you be embarrassed reading a project proposal or giving a PowerPoint presentation?]
[March 7th: I wouldn't know. I've never given one.]
[Himeko: …You're lucky.]
Flowing Flame opened her mouth to say something, but Su Qing's back-to-back "most"s left her speechless.
She'd spent over a month with Su Qing. She knew what kind of person he was—and she knew he didn't *mean* it that way.
Still, her cheeks couldn't help but heat up, and her right hand instinctively curled around the hem of her jacket.
"So…"
Su Qing stepped closer, eyes serious, looking directly at her.
Flowing Flame's heart skipped a beat. She wanted to step back—but held her ground.
Don't—don't look at me like that…
Your eyes are so serious, I might misunderstand…
And—there's a meteor shower now!?
From the corner of her eye, Flowing Flame saw meteors begin to streak across the sky.
Now!? *Now* of all times!?
Rooftop. Meteor shower. Silence all around. Just the two of them. One earnestly expressing their feelings…
You can't blame me, right? I *have* to read into this!!
Just as Flowing Flame was on the verge of breaking, even feeling the urge to shut her eyes—
Su Qing finally spoke, having gathered his thoughts:
"So that's why… don't stop, okay? You *have* to keep chasing the Clockmaker's legacy. Make your dream come true."
Flowing Flame's breath caught—her heart missed a beat.
Then she snapped back to herself, nodding rapidly. "Y-Yeah! You're right! We have to keep going! Chase our dreams all the way to the end!"
"Yes! That's the spirit!" Su Qing smiled, happy to see her resolve.
He truly hoped Flowing Flame would find the Clockmaker's legacy and cure her Entropy Loss.
After all they'd been through together, he and Flowing Flame were already—
[March 7th: Already *what*?]
—Already friends.
[March 7th: I—@#￥! I waited so long for this and *that's* what you give me, you clueless log!? #￥%（rage noises）]
[Sparkle: LMAO]
[Silver Wolf: LOL]
[stelle: March 7th, please remain calm.]
·
·
The meteor shower streaked across the sky.
Such a breathtaking sight was rare.
After cooling down from her earlier overthinking, Flowing Flame sat with Su Qing, both making wishes to the meteors.
After a moment of quiet.
Both had made their wishes.
Flowing Flame glanced over. "What did you wish for?"
Su Qing raised his camera and shook it. "To take even better photos."
Flowing Flame: "I *knew* it~"
Su Qing turned the question back. "What about yours? The Clockmaker's legacy?"
Flowing Flame shook her head. "Something like that isn't something a meteor can grant. That depends on my own effort."
"True," Su Qing nodded. "So then, what was it?"
"Hmm… it kind of needs your help..."
Flowing Flame took a small step toward him.
When the meteor crossed the sky, her thoughts had drifted far.
Wishes are a beautiful kind of hope. And her mind had—perhaps inevitably—landed on the person next to her.
She'd once imagined: if it were a better time, a better place...
With no Entropy Loss, no other burdens...
Could she stop being someone who only ever misreads things? Could she be someone who actually *acts* on those unclear feelings?
No.
Wishing for that—just like wishing for the Clockmaker's legacy—was too greedy. That wasn't something to leave to a shooting stelle.
So in the end, Flowing Flame chose a much simpler wish.
A wish a meteor *could* help with.
Seeing her step closer, Su Qing was about to ask what was going on—
But then he felt a soft weight against his chest.
He looked down—Flowing Flame had leaned into him.
The scent and softness of a girl enveloped him.
Su Qing froze, unsure of what to do.
——"Before the meteor shower ends, will you hold me?"
Soft words, a warm body, and a tender, gentle feeling.
A request that was impossible to refuse.
Her cheek against his chest made it feel like his heart was being tickled.
It was like the roles had reversed from earlier.
Now Su Qing was the one with his mouth slightly open, unsure of what to say.
He hesitated for a moment... and then simply lowered his arms and gently embraced the girl in front of him.
There'd been a similar moment back in the original dream—but that time, they were too focused on danger to notice.
But now, quietly holding her like this, Su Qing realized—
Flowing Flame was incredibly small.
Like some beautiful and precious treasure, one he didn't dare hold too tightly.
And more than that…
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