Chapter 21: Chapter 21: An Apology Gift
"Sister Lumina, what are you doing here?"
Hearing March 7th's voice so close to her ear, Lumina turned with a smile. The overwhelming beauty of her face, just inches away, instantly froze March 7th in place.
Lumina turned fully to face March 7th, her expression playfully teasing. "What? Am I not allowed to be here?"
Startled out of her daze by Lumina's question, March 7th frantically shook her head and waved her hands, denying any ill intent. "No, no, Sister Lumina! That's not what I meant at all!"
"Oh? Then what did little March mean?" Lumina's eyes sparkled with amusement.
"I... I..." March 7th lowered her head, flustered and unable to articulate herself under Lumina's gaze.
If March 7th had only looked up and met Lumina's eyes, she would have seen the playful glint that betrayed her teasing intent.
Lumina's smile widened. She reached out and gently ruffled March 7th's hair.
Feeling the silky softness beneath her palm, Lumina's voice flowed like water, warm and soothing.
"Alright, alright, I was just teasing."
Hearing this, March 7th finally dared to slowly lift her head.
As she looked up, her eyes met Lumina's emerald-green gaze, filled with playful amusement.
Even the naive March 7th now understood that Lumina had been toying with her from the very beginning.
"Hmph! Sister Lumina, I'm not talking to you anymore!"
She gently brushed Lumina's hand off her head, her fair cheeks puffing up in indignation. With a cold huff, she looked utterly adorable, like a startled pufferfish.
"Hmm~"
Lumina hummed softly, ignoring the haughty little pufferfish. Her gaze shifted to the cosmic sea of stars, her eyes sparkling with fascination.
"March, you asked why I'm here, didn't you?" Lumina smiled. "I'm here to stargaze."
She pointed to the brilliant stars dotting the night sky.
"Stargaze? What's so interesting about that?" March 7th asked, her pout fading as she moved to stand beside Lumina, following her gaze to the twinkling celestial tapestry.
March 7th didn't see anything particularly special.
"Each star, light-years away, is a planet—a world teeming with life."
"When it shines brightly, it signifies the birth of a new life."
"And when it dims and fades, it marks the end of that life."
"If life exists only to end, does its creation, its new beginning, still hold meaning?" Lumina turned to March 7th, her emerald eyes swirling with emotion, as if eagerly awaiting her answer.
"I... I don't know," March 7th admitted, shaking her head. But then, her tone shifted. "But I'm certain that life's emergence must have meaning!"
"Take me, for example."
March 7th placed her hand over her chest, speaking with unwavering sincerity.
"I have no past. From the moment I gained consciousness, I woke up inside a giant ice block. Then Himeko and Uncle Yang found me, and I joined the Astral Express."
"At first, the mystery of my existence filled me with fear, with a dread of the unknown about my own origins."
"But through countless Trailblaze journeys, I discovered the meaning of life."
"So what if I have no past? I still have a future."
"That's why life is never meaningless! The very fact that it exists means it must have its own purpose!"
Hearing these words, Lumina froze, staring blankly at March 7th. March 7th's eyes burned with unwavering conviction. This usually carefree and seemingly naive girl was utterly serious about this.
Only when March 7th began to fidget under Lumina's intense gaze did Lumina snap out of her trance. With a gentle voice tinged with regret, she said, "I'm sorry, March. I shouldn't have brought that up."
"No, no, it's okay! I haven't cared about that for a long time, Sister Lumina. You don't need to apologize!" Seeing Lumina's apologetic expression, March 7th reverted to her usual bubbly demeanor, waving her hands dismissively.
"That's not right," Lumina said softly, shaking her head. "If you make a mistake, you should apologize." She opened her palm, and a soft green light illuminated a small pink hairpin shaped like a five-pointed star.
Lumina stepped closer to March 7th, closing the distance between them.
Feeling Lumina's proximity, March 7th's body tensed involuntarily.
A faint, ethereal fragrance emanated from Lumina, occasionally drifting into March 7th's nose and causing her heart to race.
"I wasn't sure what to give as an apology gift, so I brought this hairpin," Lumina said with a soft smile, holding up a pink five-pointed star hairpin. She gently fastened it in March 7th's hair.
After securing the hairpin, Lumina stepped back to create some distance between them. She studied how well the hairpin complemented March 7th's appearance and nodded in satisfaction.
Noticing March 7th's frozen, dazed expression, Lumina's lips curled into a playful smile. She conjured a mirror and offered it to March 7th.
"Take a look, March."
"O-oh!"
March 7th watched Lumina retreat, an inexplicable emotion stirring within her. The lingering fragrance brushed her senses as she reached for the mirror.
"It's... it's beautiful!" March 7th exclaimed, gazing at the hairpin in the mirror. The pink star was adorned with splashes of blue that perfectly matched her style.
Lumina chuckled softly, watching March 7th's adorable, carefree antics. She smoothed a strand of hair behind her ear and said, "Someone gave this to me, and it unexpectedly suits you perfectly."
[Didn't you just make that yourself?]
"Could you please be quiet?"
[...]
March 7th gazed at the hairpin in the mirror, growing more and more fond of it. She returned the mirror to Lumina, her joy overflowing. "Hehe, thank you, Sister Lumina!"
March 7th absolutely loved the hairpin and thanked Lumina warmly.
"There's no need to be so formal. Consider it an apology gift," Lumina replied with a slight shake of her head, glancing at the Astral Express in the distance. "March, the Astral Express has finished resupplying at the Space Station. If you don't hurry and board, you might get left behind."
"Huh?" March 7th quickly turned to check on the Astral Express. Relief washed over her when she saw the train hadn't departed yet.
But seeing the fully resupplied Astral Express, March 7th realized their time with Lumina was coming to an end...
The thought tightened her face with anxiety, her eyes filled with anticipation as she turned to Lumina and asked:
"Sister Lumina, will we meet again?"
"Hmm..." Lumina fell silent under March 7th's increasingly anxious gaze.
"Okay... I understand..." The light gradually faded from March 7th's eyes, and she visibly deflated.
Pfft! Lumina burst out laughing at March 7th's crestfallen expression. She reached out and flicked March 7th's forehead with a touch of fondness. "Silly girl, weren't you just brimming with excitement for the future? Why the sudden gloom?"
"We'll definitely see each other again♪"
"I've also received an invitation from the The Family in Penacony, so our next meeting will likely be in a dream♪"
"Ugh... Hmph!" March 7th rubbed the spot where Lumina had flicked her forehead, glared at Lumina's teasing grin, and puffed up like a little pufferfish once more.
Even though Lumina's forehead flick annoyed her, the thought of seeing Lumina again soon made her giggle.
"Oh, right!" March 7th suddenly remembered something. "Sister Lumina, I remember Himeko saying the Astral Express's next stop is Penacony!"
"The Charmony Festival in Penacony is still some time away. Until then, I'll continue wandering the cosmos."
"Sister Lumina... what's the point of all this?" March 7th blurted out, finally voicing the question that had been brewing in her heart, her eyes fixed on Lumina.
March 7th had been diligently researching Lumina's deeds across the universe, growing increasingly astonished with each discovery.
It wasn't that March 7th disapproved of Lumina's actions, but she couldn't help wondering if it truly mattered to devote entire Amber Eras to such selfless acts, without seeking any reward in return.
"Meaning..." Lumina closed her eyes, savoring the word. When she reopened them, her gaze returned to March 7th.
"Perhaps there is, perhaps there isn't♪"
Lumina tilted her head and offered March 7th a radiant smile—a pure, unadulterated smile, utterly without malice.
That smile would forever be etched in the young girl's heart, impossible to forget for the rest of her life.
On the platform, beneath the starry sky, a smile of pure innocence was forever engraved in memory...
-
Light Cone: The Meaning of Life
Rarity: Four-Star
Base HP: 953
Base ATK: 486
Base DEF: 304
Path: Erudition
Light Cone Skill:
Increases the wearer's Crit DMG by (20%/22%/24%/26%/28%).
Increases the damage dealt by the wearer's Follow-Up Attacks by (18%/24%/30%/36%/42%). When the wearer defeats an enemy with a Follow-Up Attack, they gain one stack of "Life." Each stack of "Life" increases the wearer's Crit Rate by (4%/6%/8%/10%/12%), stacking up to two times and lasting for one turn.
Story:
If life exists only to end, then what is the purpose of life, or even of rebirth?
What is the meaning of life? Everyone holds their own answer within their heart.
I have no past, but I still have a future. Through endless trailblazing, I have found my own meaning!
This was the answer given by one young girl.
Perhaps there is one, perhaps there isn't. I don't know.
This was the answer given by another.
Throughout the vast epochs of the cosmos, no one can truly define the meaning of life.
Yet, within each person's heart, there exists a unique and personal understanding of... life's purpose.