In the end, Sairuis still took Stelle out for a walk.
On Narcissus Street, Stelle walked along the curb like a cat, arms stretched out for balance, making sure not to fall off.
"What are you doing?" Sairuis asked.
Stelle turned her head and replied with complete seriousness: "My feet can't touch the ground, or I'll die."
"Childish." Sairuis shook his head in disdain and strode ahead.
Behind him, Stelle noticed his oddly uneven steps, sometimes short, sometimes long. She hurried to catch up and asked: "Why are you walking a few steps normally, then suddenly making a big stride?"
Sairuis lowered his head at the crooked paving and replied, equally serious: "I can't step on the cracks between the tiles, or I'll die."
In the middle of speaking, he accidentally stepped on a crack. He paused for a moment, then continued walking calmly: "That didn't count—I wasn't playing yet. Only now it starts."
Stelle sneered: "Childish."
[You two are no different. Don't go calling each other out.]
Stelle put her hands on her hips proudly: "I'm only one year old. I should be innocent and carefree."
"And him—" She pointed at Sairuis, sighed dramatically, and shook her head with pity. "Even if you cured him, he'd still drool."
"Innocent and carefree? More like underdeveloped brain, and your cerebellum didn't develop at all," Sairuis shot back, face full of contempt.
Stelle rolled up her sleeves, ready to show him the might of the great Galactic Baseballer.
She reached out to tickle him, and Sairuis reached out as well. Their hands met midair with a smack, then pressed downward against each other.
Seeing him resist, Stelle grew more excited and went all in, alternating hands in a flurry of tickles.
Sairuis refused to back down, counterattacking in kind.
Faster and faster they went.
[You two look exactly like cats fighting right now.]
Passersby who saw them tussling by the roadside couldn't help but sigh: "Ah, youth… back in my day, I too…"
The quarrels of children come and go quickly. In just a short while, the two reconciled, shaking hands as if nothing happened. A cause for celebration indeed.
Then, Stelle declared Sairuis a hindrance and said she wanted to explore the map on her own.
…
Ten minutes later.
Dashing around in Jarilo-VI's Belobog, Stelle hunted for treasure chests with boundless energy. Then she felt something.
She followed her "mission guide" (crossed out: instinct), weaving through alleys while muttering "quest" and "main storyline" under her breath.
Finally, she wound up on Zoltan Street, where she spotted an old man with graying hair and a classic black robe, limping as if he'd twisted his ankle.
Though nothing floated above his head, Stelle swore she saw a faint blue exclamation mark.
A hallucination? Maybe. But for the great Trailblazer, such things were all too normal.
Quest triggered: Talk to the Old Man (0/1).
Stelle hurried up to block his path. "Hello, Grandpa."
The man's name was Neil, though most just called him Old Neil.
Today was not his lucky day. Perhaps because he'd stayed up too late studying the occult, Neil overslept by five minutes, missed the public carriage, decided to walk since it wasn't far—then promptly sprained his ankle near the company building.
Normally, at this hour, he'd be sipping tea and reading the paper at the security office. But disaster came one after another. He even wondered if he'd angered the goddess by praying too often for expense reimbursements lately.
Then suddenly, a strange girl rushed up to him, greeting him cheerfully.
Neil froze, not expecting a stranger, but returned a kindly smile anyway: "Hello, miss. Is there something I can help you with?"
Staring at him, Stelle tilted her head. A thought struck her: his figure overlapped with someone else in her mind.
With that, she pulled out the 10 pounds of allowance Sairuis had given her that morning and thrust it toward him. "I'm a Tarnished. Teach me the Topos Stance."
Neil's brows furrowed deeply. He thought hard but couldn't make sense of what "Tarnished" or "Topos Stance" meant.
Pushing the coin back, he said: "Sorry, miss. I think you've mistaken me for someone else. I don't know any Tarnished, nor do I know this Topos Stance."
After pondering, he added: "If you really need help, the police station is that way, and the Church of the Night Goddess is over there. You can try those places."
Looking into Stelle's clear eyes, Neil asked worriedly: "Do you need me to take you there?"
But Stelle was offended—how dare he question the great Trailblazer! She flexed her right arm, showing off her biceps, to prove she was perfectly fit.
Neil only grew more uneasy.
Seeing his doubtful expression, Stelle felt no embarrassment. On the contrary, she decided to demonstrate her greatness—descending like an angel, delivering salvation.
She was, without a doubt, an angel.
Ignoring Neil's offer to guide her to the police, Stelle instead asked where he was headed.
Though puzzled, Neil told her—Zoltan Street, No. 36, 2nd floor: the Blackthorn Security Company. It wasn't a secret. He'd worked there so long that every nearby shopkeeper knew.
Hearing the destination, Xing boldly stepped forward, scooped Neil onto her shoulder, and sprinted toward No. 36 at full tilt.
"Ah!" Neil cried out, shocked. Was he being kidnapped? Had he offended someone without realizing it? He frantically thought up escape plans.
Wind whipped past, disheveling his hair as she carried him.
Before he could act, Stelle had already set him down in front of the Blackthorn office.
"Huh?" Neil blinked in confusion, patting himself all over to make sure nothing was missing.
Stelle puffed up proudly, pounding her chest. "No need to thank me. I, Lady Sampo, never leave a name when doing good deeds."
Then she dashed off again—anonymous virtue incarnate.
She truly was an angel.
Stelle felt exhilarated, as if a long-idle game had suddenly popped a new quest.
…
[Companion Mission Accepted: If She Cannot Be Saved]
"Hah?"
Sairuis, squatting roadside with an apple, nearly jumped out of his skin when a husky bark suddenly rang out in his head. He held the apple to his eye, inspecting it closely.
"What the hell? Since when do apples spit out companion missions? Is this even an apple anymore?"
(End of Chapter)