“Celine.”
Silver Wolf crossed her arms and looked at the doll-like girl who had suddenly appeared.
“You shouldn’t have come.”
“But I did.”
Celine replied calmly, as if stating an obvious fact.
Her gaze swept over Silver Wolf before landing on Kafka, who stood nearby with her usual faint smile.
The next instant—
Silver Wolf vanished.
She turned into a streak of light and charged straight at Celine.
“Give me back my accounts!”
Before she could reach her target, a hand suddenly grabbed the back of her collar.
Kafka had silently appeared between the two of them, effortlessly stopping Silver Wolf’s attack.
“Kafka! Let me go!”
Like a cat being held by the scruff of its neck, Silver Wolf kicked her legs wildly in midair.
“I’m going to beat up this idiot! She borrowed my gaming accounts, cheated on every single one of them, and got more than a dozen of my accounts permanently banned!”
Watching the struggling Silver Wolf, Celine spoke with the same emotionless expression.
“They’re only game accounts.”
“I can just make you better ones and give them back.”
“Why are you so upset?”
“‘Only game accounts’?!”
Silver Wolf’s voice rose several octaves.
“Every single account was carefully built by me!”
“They all had rare equipment and limited-edition skins!”
“And what exactly did you do?”
“Even the IPC can’t break through my firewall.”
“So how did you manage to get every single one of my accounts banned?!”
Celine blinked.
“Oh.”
“That.”
“I thought Herta might enjoy the games you play, so I kept asking if she wanted to play with me.”
“After I asked too many times, she got annoyed and asked which accounts I was using.”
“So…”
“I sent her your account IDs.”
“I didn’t expect her to ban all of them.”
Silence.
“…Damn you, Herta!”
Silver Wolf gritted her teeth.
She froze for a brief second before struggling even harder.
“And you too, Celine!”
“I’m going to kill you!”
“Alright.”
“Silver Wolf.”
“Celine.”
Kafka sighed helplessly, still holding Silver Wolf firmly in place.
Her lazy, soothing voice naturally calmed the atmosphere.
“Let’s put your personal grudge aside for now.”
“We have work to do.”
“The Astral Express is almost here.”
“No rush.”
Celine tilted her head slightly.
She looked toward an empty corner of the room as though sensing something.
“We still have a little time.”
“Enough for you to finish your conversation.”
Silver Wolf finally stopped struggling, though she continued glaring fiercely at Celine.
Kafka smiled faintly before releasing her.
“Choose one, Kafka.”
Silver Wolf straightened her clothes, summoned the male and female receptacles, and returned to her usual indifferent demeanor.
Although…
She still occasionally shot murderous looks at Celine.
Kafka’s eyes slowly moved between the two vessels.
A meaningful smile appeared on her lips.
Finally…
Her gaze settled on the female vessel.
“My choice is obvious.”
She gracefully walked toward the female Trailblazer.
Holding the Stellaron in one hand, she gently pressed it against the girl’s chest.
Leaning closer, Kafka whispered softly,
“Time to wake up.”
The female Trailblazer slowly opened her eyes.
Her consciousness rose from darkness like someone surfacing from the depths of the sea.
Her blurry vision gradually became clear.
The first thing she saw…
…was Kafka’s beautiful face.
Long purple hair.
Sunglasses.
A gentle smile.
“…Kafka?”
she murmured instinctively, her voice still hoarse.
Kafka smiled even more warmly.
“I’m glad.”
“You still remember me.”
“Hey.”
A playful female voice suddenly interrupted them.
“Don’t just look at Mom.”
“Look at your two aunts too.”
Confused, Stelle turned toward the voice.
Two girls were standing nearby.
One was Silver Wolf, arms crossed, looking away with obvious annoyance.
The other…
Made Stelle pause for a moment.
A beautiful doll-like girl with long purple hair.
Celine.
She quietly looked back at Stelle with calm, unwavering eyes.
For one brief moment…
The scene almost resembled a peaceful family reunion.
Then—
Without any warning—
Silver Wolf suddenly lunged at Celine again.
“Take this!”
As if she had expected it all along, Celine immediately sidestepped and raised an arm to block.
This time, however…
Silver Wolf’s attack was fueled entirely by personal resentment.
The two instantly clashed.
Within seconds, they were exchanging blows across the room.
To the newly awakened Stelle…
The entire scene looked less like a serious fight…
…and more like two sisters roughhousing.
She stared blankly.
“…Huh?”
“Don’t mind them.”
Kafka’s calm, almost hypnotic voice drew Stelle’s attention back.
“They’re just having a little family fun.”
She smiled as though the two girls rolling across the floor behind her were completely normal.
“Now…”
“Listen carefully.”
Everything unfolded just as it had before.
Kafka patiently explained Stelle’s situation.
She spoke of the future that awaited her.
She entrusted her with the Stellaron.
And finally…
Just before leaving, Kafka looked deeply into Stelle’s eyes.
“When the time comes for you to make a choice…”
“…make one you won’t regret.”
As her voice faded…
Kafka, Silver Wolf, and Celine were gradually enveloped by shimmering energy.
The three figures slowly became transparent…
Until they completely disappeared.
Stelle’s consciousness also faded once again…
And she quietly lost consciousness.