"…Huh? Why're you spacing out?"
When Stelle snapped back to reality, Kafka, slightly shorter than her, was standing in front of her, waving a small hand in front of her face with a puzzled expression. Her eyes were clear, almost like a certain pink-blue-haired girl.
"Oh, I get it!" Kafka clapped her hands, looking as if she'd had a revelation. "My appearance must've triggered some memories in your mind. You're super confused and conflicted right now, feeling like you know me but can't recall where we met, right?!"
Stelle swallowed hard. "You're… Kafka?"
"Wow! You actually remember me?! Am I really that unforgettable to you? Even my Spirit Whisper couldn't completely erase your memories… Hehe, I'm so touched!" Kafka scratched her hair shyly, looking adorably bashful.
"Hm? Big Sis Stelle, who's she? Your friend?"
At that moment, Bailu walked over, dragging the knocked-out attacker, and asked curiously.
"Hey, hey, don't say that so carelessly. I'm a wanted criminal. If someone heard you call me Stelle's friend, it'd cause her trouble."
Bailu blinked, then lit up with excitement. "A wanted criminal? That's so cool!"
Kafka was also taken aback. She hadn't expected this reaction to her wanted criminal status and asked curiously, "Hey, you're not scared? I'm a wanted criminal, you know."
"You've got a point… But since you just helped Big Sis Stelle, I'll tentatively accept that you're a good person," Bailu said, turning her head away with a reluctant expression.
"Thanks for that. I'm Kafka. Mind if I join you guys for some milk tea? My treat!" Kafka waved her hand.
Bailu immediately responded, "Sure, sure! Hehe, you're pretty nice. Though, your name sounds kinda familiar, like I've heard it somewhere before."
Kafka said matter-of-factly, "I'm a wanted criminal, so of course you've heard of me."
"Makes sense."
"Wait, hold on." Stelle interrupted their conversation, thinking to herself, Isn't Kafka supposed to be here for me? How did she get sidetracked talking to Bailu?
Stelle wanted to ask something, but Kafka was already hurrying off to buy milk tea. She boldly cut to the front of the line, ordered three of the shop's most expensive milk teas, paid with her phone, and waited patiently, showing no concern about her wanted criminal status.
Taking advantage of the moment, Bailu glanced at Stelle. "Big Sis Stelle, your friend's kinda my type. Is she really a wanted criminal? She's not joking, right?"
Stelle said helplessly, "Why don't you check your phone and find out?"
"Oh, right." Bailu pulled out her phone, tapped the screen a few times, and found Kafka's wanted notice. After skimming it for a few seconds, her face grew worse and worse, until her body started trembling uncontrollably.
"One, ten, hundred… No, wait, one, ten, hundred…"
Bailu could hardly believe her eyes. "O-One hundred eight billion nine hundred ninety million?! T-T-T-This is a bit too ridiculous, isn't it? I-I was just talking to a wanted criminal worth over a hundred billion?!"
Stelle shrugged. "Mhm~ You were so enthusiastic earlier, I thought you weren't afraid of anything. Didn't expect you to get scared now, huh?"
Bailu glared at Stelle. "How was I supposed to know it's over a hundred billion credits?!"
Stelle: ? Isn't the focus supposed to be 'wanted criminal'?
"I'm done for. My strength is only worth fifty million, so doesn't that mean this Miss Kafka's combat power is over two hundred times mine?" Bailu swallowed hard. "I'd get knocked out with one punch, right? Good thing I didn't offend her earlier."
Stelle: "Your combat power calculation seems a bit off…."
A few minutes later, Kafka jogged back with three milk teas, generously handing them out. "Next time, it's your treat."
The three sat on a public bench by the roadside, with Stelle in the middle and the other two leaning against her. No one spoke, and the atmosphere grew quiet for a moment.
"Sigh." Stelle sighed, finally breaking the silence. "Kafka… you came to find me for something, right? The Cloud Knights will be here soon."
"Something? Nah, nothing too important." Kafka shook her head, smiling. "Actually, I just missed you. I pestered Elio for ages before he agreed to let me come see you. Oh, and he asked me to give you this sachet, to open when 'the sun disappears.' Here."
A sachet?
Stelle took it, puzzled. It was an amber-colored pouch, about the size of a baby's fist. It felt empty, like there was nothing substantial inside.
"But what does 'when the sun disappears' mean?"
Stelle instinctively looked up at the sky. The Xianzhou, after all, was essentially a planet-sized warship traveling through space, with no real "sun" to speak of. What they saw was just a "fake" sun simulated by the Xianzhou's ecological system.
Unless the Luofu faced a massive crisis or even crashed, the sun wouldn't disappear.
But… if this came from Elio, those words carried weight. Everything the "Slave of Destiny" foretold always came true without exception.
"No idea about that one," Kafka said with a giggle. "Back when you were around, I never had to think too hard."
The corner of Stelle's mouth twitched. "Alright, I'll figure it out myself later."
This plot was something she hadn't experienced… Well, come to think of it, since arriving in this world, none of the plots were ones she'd experienced.
She should've gotten used to it by now, right?
Kafka held out her hand. "Give me your phone."
"Hm? What for?" Stelle handed it over, asking.
"To add you as a friend, dummy," Kafka said, rolling her eyes. "Who else am I supposed to chat with in the dead of night?"
The dead of night… Stelle's mind drifted to the "dead of night" moments recently, and her expression grew a bit awkward. "Uh, yeah, right, right."
Tap tap tap—
Soon, the sound of a group's footsteps echoed from nearby. Kafka shrugged helplessly and handed her half-drunk milk tea to Stelle. "Sigh, good times are always so short. Time to say goodbye, Stelle."
Both sides of the street were now flanked by approaching Cloud Knights. Stelle stood up, asking with concern, "You… take care, alright?"
"Don't worry, this gal's got it covered." Kafka winked at Stelle ღゝ◡╹ )ノ♡, shot a strand of spider silk at a nearby building, stepped back to stretch it, and swung away on the silk.
Stelle: …
Could you not ruin the beautiful image I just built up in my head?!