["After arriving at the Xianzhou, Blade's Mara affliction flared up intensely, to the point where even my Spirit Whisper couldn't suppress it. In this state, he's unable to undertake interstellar travel."]
[Kafka looked at Blade, who was sitting indoors with his eyes tightly closed.]
["Therefore, I need to use my Spirit Whisper to continuously weaken the effects of his Mara affliction and temporarily seal it. While maintaining the Spirit Whisper, I can't afford to be distracted, so I need you to act as my protector. You'll guard me while I suppress Blade's condition."]
["I know when the danger will come and what it is. So don't worry—together, we can definitely overcome this challenge, and you won't face any negative consequences."]
[Kafka had already foreseen the upcoming danger, so all Stelle needed to do was set aside her concerns and work with her.]
[Kafka's first arrangement was for Stelle to clear out the monsters wandering nearby. It was a simple task—Stelle swung her bat and took them all out in a few swift moves. After returning to the hideout, she patiently waited for a while until Kafka paused her Spirit Whisper.]
["…Opening my eyes to see you, Stelle, it's been a while since I've had this experience."]
["I've cut off Blade's senses. Next, I'll make his consciousness drift away from the Xianzhou and your group of friends. This process must not be interrupted either, but before we begin, I can take a moment to answer your questions."]
["My questions?" Stelle froze for a moment.]
["Yes, as compensation for asking for your help—don't you have any questions for me? I put you to sleep, then woke you up, left you at Herta's Space Station, and lured you to the Xianzhou. I owe you many explanations. Don't you want to know?"]
——
"Of course I want to know!" Stark bolted upright from his chair.
Anyone with eyes could see that Kafka and Stelle were clearly old acquaintances, though the exact nature of their relationship was unclear.
"Judging by Stelle's skills, she must have been a Stellaron Hunter before, right?" Sein speculated. "Blade and Silver Wolf both know her, and their attitudes are quite nuanced… It's obvious they've fought side by side before."
"But that doesn't add up," Frieren shook her head. "Think about it carefully. Kafka, Silver Wolf, and Blade are all wanted criminals across the universe with bounties that have countless zeros, but there's not a single trace of a bounty on Stelle. If she was a Stellaron Hunter, how could there be no record of her at all?"
"And if they were comrades, Kafka's attitude seems unusually intimate—completely different from how she interacts with Silver Wolf or Blade…" Stark's tone shifted as he suddenly threw out a bold theory.
"Say… could it be that Kafka has a crush on Stelle?"
"Uh… a crush?!"
Frieren's face instantly flushed with a hint of red. She glanced at Stark, who was sitting nearby. "That… probably isn't the case, right?"
"Isn't it?" Stark tilted his head. "Then why didn't Kafka ask Silver Wolf to come? Silver Wolf's pretty capable too, right? Protecting her on the Xianzhou shouldn't be an issue."
"I'm telling you, she just wanted an excuse to be alone with Stelle! Blade's senses are sealed anyway, so he's not in the way. It's the perfect chance to get closer, don't you think?"
Seemingly proud of his deduction, Stark puffed out his chest triumphantly.
Watching Frieren blush slightly with a mischievous expression, Sein sighed and rubbed his forehead. He had hoped that one day these two might get together, but now it seemed impossible to expect Stark, this clueless guy, to catch on.
["Stelle did have some questions, but just as she was about to ask, Kafka suggested playing a game of truth."]
[The game had an element of strategy: both sides would ask questions, and lying was allowed, but each answer had to consist of one truth and one lie. It was up to the questioner to figure out which was which.]
[Kafka didn't have much time, so she allowed Stelle to ask two questions, but she also had to provide two answers.]
[The first question wasn't too significant—whether the answer was true or false didn't matter much. The fun of the game lay in the second question. So Kafka quickly posed her first question to Stelle: "What do you think of me?"]
[(Huh? What… do I think of Kafka?)]
[Facing Kafka's faintly smiling eyes, Stelle, tasked with answering, felt a bit flustered. After some thought, she decided to lie on the first question.]
[Taking a deep breath, Stelle spoke: "I hate you."]
["…Heh." Kafka's eyes showed little surprise. She maintained her smile, unfazed. "Look at that… it's that simple, Stelle. You really hide your thoughts well."]
[It was Stelle's turn to ask. Because of her memory loss, she hoped to find some answers from Kafka: "What was I like before?"]
["You? …You were a lifeform accidentally created by an Aeon, a body without a soul. Elio guided me to find you, and I helped you gain a soul."]
["There's not much to say about your past. You remember me because I was the only one you'd ever met. When your soul was born, I was the one by your side," Kafka said calmly and confidently.]
Emiya Household——
"That's probably a lie, right?"
"Hmm… I'm more inclined to believe it's the truth," Saber said, carefully analyzing Kafka's words, her brow slightly furrowed. "This woman always speaks with such confidence, it's hard to tell what's true or false."
"If Kafka's words are true, it would explain why Stelle could earn the gaze of Nanook and Qlipoth, while others can't. As such a unique creation, it makes sense that her body could contain a Stellaron…"
"But shouldn't an Aeon's creation have some more special abilities?" Shirou Emiya recalled how Stelle first appeared, swinging a baseball bat with no apparent extraordinary traits.
"No, she does have something," Lancer said, shaking the beer can in his hand, speaking lightly. "What sets her apart from others is that their Paths are fixed, but she can switch between different Paths—wielding a bat for Destruction, picking up a flaming lance for Preservation. That's something even an Emanator probably can't do, right?"
"Thinking about this now is pointless. We'll need to see Kafka's second answer for more clarity."
["I saw your expression—don't ask. I won't tell you whether the answer is true or false. Guess as much as you like, and choose your next question with that in mind. I hope your next question is interesting enough~"]
["But before that, let's continue our truth game. It's my turn again."]
[Kafka's lips curved slightly, like ripples spreading across a lake under a spring breeze: "Second question: Do you want to see me again?"]