Memories are like the deep sea... Never gaze upon its surface on a starless night.
At the ball, a woman radiating elegance and intellect entered, her hunter's gaze ceaselessly scanning the room.
Finally, she found her coveted prey: a quiet, purple-haired woman sitting alone in a corner, utterly out of place, as if waiting for something.
"Heh, Galaxy Ranger Acheron, right?"
The elegant woman, naturally seizing this moment alone with her prey, chuckled softly and revealed Acheron's identity.
It seemed this hunt wasn't a spur-of-the-moment idea, but rather a meticulously planned scheme.
"Waiting for someone?"
The woman glided gracefully to Acheron's side, a composed and confident smile gracing her lips.
"..." Acheron first glanced at her dismissively, then shook her head.
But in the next moment, before the woman could speak, Acheron nodded again. This bizarre behavior forced the woman to swallow the words she was about to speak.
What's with the head-shake-then-nod thing you're doing?
Ah... I get it now. The shake means you're not waiting for a person, but the nod means you are waiting for something. It's just that "something" isn't human.
Lumina: ???
Come on, one-on-one! Who are you calling non-human?!
"I didn't expect to see you again so soon, Miss Acheron."
Lumina, who had been watching the scene unfold from nearby without concealing her aura upon entering, was inevitably noticed by Acheron.
Seeing Acheron's head-shake-then-nod gesture, Lumina dropped her concealment, approached Acheron and the elegant woman, smiled faintly, and greeted them.
"Heh, it seems I've arrived at an inconvenient time," the woman said, her voice tinged with regret as she noticed Lumina's arrival.
"No, you've come at exactly the right moment," Lumina replied, shaking her head and meeting the woman's gaze with earnest sincerity.
"?"
"My beautiful lady, it's a pleasure to meet you. I am Lumina, a humble little Physician."
Sensing the confusion in the woman's eyes, Lumina gracefully pinched her skirt between her fingers and performed a traditional self-introduction.
?
Lumina's traditional, "white moonlight" self-introduction only deepened the woman's confusion.
However, the woman was clearly no ordinary person. She quickly recovered, bent her knees slightly, lowered her body, and introduced herself with a smile: "A pleasure to meet you, beautiful and kind lady."
"Black Swan, just an ordinary collector of memories."
"Acheron, a... um, a perfectly ordinary Traveler." Hearing their "unique" self-introductions, Acheron wondered if this was the current trend and imitated their manner, delivering her own distinctive introduction.
And so, three perfectly ordinary women introduced themselves to one another.
"Miss Lumina, what did you mean by 'No, you've come at just the right time' earlier?" After their introductions, Black Swan turned to Lumina to ask about the meaning of her earlier remark.
"It's quite simple, really," Lumina explained with a light giggle, covering her mouth. "Now that we're all at the ball, Miss Black Swan's arrival completes our dance partners."
"Hmm? I don't believe there's a three-person dance segment at this ball," Black Swan said, pausing before a puzzled smile spread across her face, indicating she still didn't understand the remark's meaning.
"Who said three people necessarily meant a three-person dance?"
Under the watchful gazes of Acheron and Black Swan, Lumina uttered another cryptic remark:
"Three's a crowd."
"Hmm... What I mean is, I don't dance," Lumina finally admitted after circling around the point for ages.
"Ah, I see. I never imagined such a beautiful creature as Miss Lumina wouldn't dance." Now that Lumina had finally gotten to the point, Black Swan nodded in understanding, a flicker of regret crossing her face.
"I hope in the future, I'll have the chance to dance with you," Black Swan said with a gentle smile. Then, her gaze shifted to her prey, Acheron, her purple-tinged eyes radiating intense confidence.
It seemed Lumina's arrival hadn't deterred Black Swan from pursuing her quarry.
Black Swan seductively tapped her lips with a finger, then chuckled softly and extended her palm toward Acheron, issuing a dance invitation: "Hello, beautiful Miss Acheron."
"At this elegant and romantic ball, would you care to share a dance with me?"
Upon hearing this, Acheron didn't rush to answer. She raised her gaze and studied Black Swan for a moment before finally placing her hand in Black Swan's palm, accepting the invitation.
"Then, Miss Lumina, I'm afraid you'll have to excuse us for now," Black Swan said to Lumina with a tone of sincere apology. Taking Acheron's delicate hand, she led her to the most central and prominent spot on the dance floor.
The sight of two stunning ladies taking the dance floor together naturally drew all eyes.
Two ladies dancing together was a perfectly normal sight.
However, the predatory gleam in the white-haired woman's eyes—a gaze that seemed to devour the purple-haired woman—made it clear that their relationship might be far more complex than it appeared.
As a slow, elegant violin melody began, the ball officially commenced. The two most conspicuous figures in the crowd now moved in perfect harmony with the music, their dance unfolding like a mesmerizing tableau.
"Mm-hmm♪ Miss Black Swan, you needn't apologize."
"Because it's I who should be apologizing, isn't it?♪"
Lumina smiled, a small stone materializing in her hand.
Image Stone
It could perfectly record any scene and preserve it indefinitely...
As Miss Black Swan stalked her "prey," she remained oblivious to Lumina's clandestine recording with the Image Stone.
Of course, the elegant Black Swan wouldn't have stopped her even if she knew.
After all, she was the hunter in this game...
Sensing her memories being extracted, the Black Swan lifted her head, radiating an aura of haughty grace.
"Getting into the swing of things, wouldn't you agree?"