Ningguang slowly stood up and strolled to the window, gazing at the dazzling, brightly lit nightscape of Liyue.
"Heh. Keqing, I want to give up too.
Especially after attending the Grand Narukami Shrine's wedding ceremony, Yae Miko's misery was a stark reminder.
But every time I want to give up during the day, when I'm alone and awake at night, I'm utterly alone. Only he accompanies me in my dreams. When I wake up the next day...
I realize it was just a dream. Sometimes, I truly don't want to wake up, I want to be with him forever in my dreams."
Keqing nodded helplessly; her situation was exactly the same as Ningguang's.
"If it's known to be a dream, why wake up, Ningguang?"
"If it's known to be a dream, why wake up?"
Ningguang realized she was becoming less and less like the Tianquan she once was, instead becoming increasingly obsessed.
Was Yae Miko's present her own future?!
Carefully, Ningguang retrieved the unique, exquisite box from her personal space.
Keqing, who was born into a noble family, couldn't help but sigh with emotion.
The priceless Blue Field Jade, and the Blood Pearl from the Dark Outer Sea, which only existed in legends.
These precious jewels adorned the box.
"Ningguang, what exactly is inside this box?!"
Ningguang didn't answer Keqing's question, but carefully opened the box.
In that instant, Keqing froze, rooted to the spot. She shakily stepped forward, intending to grasp the tattered white robe.
But Ningguang got to it first.
"Keqing, this is something I obtained years ago, on the day Jingchen confessed his feelings for me."
"Huh?!"
Keqing stood there, momentarily bewildered.
Regaining her senses, she rushed forward, flustered.
"Ningguang, could I, could I take a look? Just let me examine it closely."
Ningguang gently stroked the white robe, ignoring Keqing's pleas, and murmured to herself.
"This feeling can only be remembered, but, but... alas."
Unnoticed, teardrops had already begun to fall on the white robe.
At the first floor of the Yuehai Pavilion, Shenhe suddenly sensed something and hurriedly put down the manuscript in her hand.
Ganyu was slightly taken aback.
"Shenhe, you, what's wrong?!"
"There's Jingchen's aura."
"Huh?! What?!"
Jingchen should be taking care of Colombina at Mt. Aozang, so how could he be in Liyue Harbor?!
Ganyu tried to sniff carefully.
The scent of Ice Osmanthus was indeed something only Jingchen possessed.
But weren't Jingchen's belongings in Yuehai Pavilion supposed to have been completely divided up by Ningguang and Keqing years ago?!
Just as Ganyu was pondering this, Shenhe rushed out, flashing from the first floor to the second.
With a punch, she pushed open the door to the Seven Stars' building, where Ningguang and Keqing were. They were still grieving.
The moment they saw Shenhe burst in, they were stunned.
Shenhe looked around, but there was indeed no trace of Jingchen.
But the white robe on Ningguang's hand, that... that was the real deal!!
Suddenly, Shenhe appeared before Ningguang.
"Huh?! Shenhe, the Adeptus?!"
Shenhe glared at the white robe.
"This is my junior brother Jingchen, right?!"
"Ah?! Uh, what's wrong?"
"Give it to me."
Keqing and Ningguang exchanged glances. Could Shenhe also be interested in Jingchen...?
In an instant, Shenhe snatched the white robe from Ningguang's hand.
...
By the time Ganyu arrived, most of the Yuehai Pavilion had been overturned.
Ningguang, Keqing, and Shenhe were still glaring fiercely at the white robe.
"You?! What are you doing?!"
"Ganyu, that's Jingchen's white robe!!"
"Ah?! Is this the reason you've been fighting, overturning most of the Yuehai Pavilion?!"
Seeing that Shenhe, Ningguang, and Keqing still didn't want to give up on the white robe, Ganyu directly took out several different white robes from her spatial backpack, as well as Jingchen's high ponytail hairpiece.
Shenhe, Ningguang, and Keqing were stunned.
Ganyu covered her head and spoke weakly.
"Um...this...Junior Brother Jingchen was once the acting Tianshu Star.
Master asked me to take care of his daily life, and... that's basically the situation."
Seeing the knowing expressions on Ningguang and Keqing's faces, Ganyu continued to stammer.
"You... you... you don't misunderstand, I really just took care of his daily life.
I, I don't have that kind of relationship with him like Colombina."
Keqing walked forward and pulled Ganyu to the side.
"Ahem, Ganyu, do you have any of those…"
Ganyu didn't expect Keqing to ask her something like that, and replied in a daze.
"Ah?! I… I… don't have any… really, I don't."
"Sigh, never mind then, just pretend I didn't ask."
Keqing then went back to Shenhe and Ningguang, and they all shared the robes and hair ornaments together.
"Ningguang, why don't you and I try on this hair ornament?"
Ningguang gave a slight smile. Ever since she met Keqing, she had always kept her hair in those cat-like twin tails.
"Hmm? Keqing, do you want to switch to Jingchen's high ponytail hairstyle?"
"What's wrong?! Can't I?!"
Ningguang, imagining Keqing with a high ponytail, couldn't help but cover her mouth and giggle.
"Alright, alright, I'll give it a try too."
Shenhe tightly gripped Jingchen's hair ornament, secretly thinking, Well, maybe I'll try this hair ornament too.
But, I also have red strings in my hair. (Referring to the character's design, don't argue).
My master has repeatedly warned me, I can't untie the red strings, what should I do?!
If I untie the red strings, will my ill-fated destiny as a solitary star reappear in the world?!
Just as Shenhe, Ningguang, and Keqing were continuously choosing white robes and hair ornaments...
Cloud Retainer descended.
"What in the world is going on?! You've managed to demolish a huge chunk of Yuehai Pavilion, a key location for the Seven Stars?!"
Ningguang and Keqing hastily stowed their white robes and hairpins into their spatial backpacks.
"Ah... Adeptus, we were just, just sparring with the adepti Shenhe, right, Ningguang?"
Keqing nudged Ningguang, who was standing beside her. Ningguang nodded slightly.
"Yes, Adeptus, just sparring."
Cloud Retainer looked at Keqing and Ningguang with a doubtful expression.
The Tianquan Star and the Yuheng Star, usually so composed, with their bright, beautiful eyes, how could they have caused such a ruckus?
Unless it was about Jingchen.
Cloud Retainer looked at Shenhe, who was beside her. She was untying the red rope from her hair, probably wanting to put it up in a high ponytail.
Wait, the hairpiece on her head, and the white robes?!
Weren't those what Jingchen wore years ago, when he was still the acting Tianshu Star?!
"Shenhe!! You?!"
Cloud Retainer immediately flew over to stop Shenhe.
"You can't undo the red rope seal!! And Jingchen's hairpiece, what on earth is going on?!"
"Master, I want to have a high ponytail hairstyle."
Cloud Retainer couldn't help but frown. There were so many of Jingchen's hairpins and white robes here.
Could Ganyu have brought these out?!
Wasn't this just to make Keqing, Ningguang, and Shenhe reminisce and feel sentimental?!
(Write a few chapters of daily life, then return to Snezhnaya, then go to Sumeru (daughter is born), Fontaine, and finally ascend to Celestia.
Shatter the false sky, return to the starry sky, and begin the Honkai: Star Rail arc.)
...........
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(End of Chapter)