And so, Himeko dragged Stelle out of the café. After the two left, perhaps because the "buffer" was gone, the atmosphere at the scene inexplicably became somewhat stifling for a moment.
Whether it was a meeting of minds or simply women's intuition, March 7th and Robin glanced at each other, then quickly looked away again, both falling silent.
Seeing this, Yun Fan sighed inwardly.
He understood that this day would come sooner or later. What the Aeon of Causality had not expected was that it would arrive so quickly.
Ever since Yun Fan had decided to give each of them a warm home, he had already prepared himself to face a battlefield of jealousy—or even the kitchen knife—though, of course, no one could actually kill him…
Noticing the slightly heavy atmosphere, Yun Fan planned to casually bring up some topic to liven things up a bit, laying the groundwork for the upcoming confession or even negotiation.
But just as he was about to say something, March 7th—who had been unusually quiet since entering the café—spoke first.
"Um… hello, Miss Robin. I'm March 7th."
"Hello, Miss March 7th. I'm Robin, an artist from Penacony's Iris Family lineage."
Simply and straightforwardly, the two girls introduced themselves to each other, then—very much in sync—lowered their heads again.
Mm, topic concluded. Silence is golden.
Seeing this, Yun Fan lightly facepalmed. Little March's skill at starting conversations was as poor as ever—just like back on the Xianzhou Luofu when March 7th asked three questions to little Bailu.
[March 7th: "Where did this child come from? Where's your dad?"
Bailu: "I don't have a dad. (Though I do have a godfather.)"
March 7th: "Then what about your mom?"
Bailu: "I don't have a mom either."
March 7th: "..."]
"Alright, alright, you two beautiful ladies, no need to be like this. Let me make the introductions."
Yun Fan patted both of their shoulders—one on the left, one on the right—then began.
"March, this is Robin. There's no need for us to go into detail about her identity—I'm sure you've heard of her. She's my future wife."
Future wife… future wife…
Those big words echoed in March 7th's mind like ghosts and specters, reverberating endlessly. In her daze and stupor, two lines of clear tears unconsciously slipped from the corners of the girl's eyes.
I… he… Yun Fan is telling me that he's chosen Robin? Haha… y-yeah, that makes sense. After all, she's a superstar famous across the galaxy…
Gentle personality, beautiful appearance—for Yun Fan, perhaps she really is the perfect match. And me…
March 7th's sadness and tears naturally fell into Yun Fan's view. The boy's heart was filled with deep guilt and reluctance. Even so…
Shifting his gaze to Robin, upon hearing Yun Fan introduce her that way, our Miss Robin's heart was overflowing with surprise and joy.
With her insight, it wasn't hard to see the feelings this energetic girl held for Yun Fan. Yet she never expected Yun Fan to so directly confirm her status as "future wife." This made our Robin extremely delighted.
But when Robin saw little March's dazed expression and the tears that involuntarily flowed, her soft heart was still touched.
Think about it—she herself was the latecomer. It was only because of Teacher and Brother's decree that she had developed a relationship with Yun Fan. For Miss March 7th… wasn't this too unfair…?
'I'm sorry, Miss March 7th. Some things… even [Harmony] cannot achieve…'
Just as Robin felt guilty inside, she suddenly felt Yun Fan's large hand cover her fragrant shoulder. Then a voice spoke.
"Robin, this is March 7th, one of the Nameless of the Astral Express—my companion. And likewise… she is also my future wife."
Robin: '???!!!'
March 7th: '…!!!'
As the words fell, the surrounding environment suddenly turned deathly still. Time seemed to freeze at that moment. Whether March 7th or Robin, both were "locked" in place.
After a long while, Robin finally seemed to react. Like a startled little rabbit, she abruptly stood up from beside Yun Fan.
One finger pointed at Yun Fan, her cheeks puffed out in anger as she said, "Y-y-you…! You want to have it both ways!"
Right after Robin spoke, the dazed March 7th also came back to her senses.
"Yun Fan, y-you…! I…"
Just like Robin, March 7th's heart was filled with anger. The girl also wanted to say something harsh like Robin, to show her stance and momentum.
But for some reason, when the words reached little March's lips, they turned into something else entirely.
"I… can I do that too?"
Robin: '???'
...
Amid the vast and boundless sea of stars, the star chariot of Zhu Ming Xianzhou cruised proudly through the cosmos, passing by one brilliant celestial body after another. The star chariot accelerated, turning into a streak of light as it headed toward the Xianzhou Luofu.
Inside the star chariot…
Gazing at this unexpected guest who had just entered the star chariot, the General of Zhu Ming Xianzhou increasingly felt that the man before him looked very familiar. Yet what gave him a headache was that no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't recall the other's identity.
Sigh, sure enough, as one gets older, memory starts to decline?
However, behind this General, the petite Miss Yunli seemed to have thought of something. After seriously sizing up the middle-aged man before her, she spoke.
"Could it be… you're a Nameless?"
Hearing his granddaughter's words, Huaiyan—who had vaguely felt some impression of the man—finally remembered. A month or two ago, General Jing Yuan of the Luofu's Seat of Divine Foresight had sent a battle report to the Alliance.
Once that report was released, it created enormous waves throughout the Xianzhou Alliance.
The Xianzhou Luofu had gained a new Emissary—the Emissary of Causality, Qingque. The two Self-Annihilation Lords—Zephyro and Phantylia—both Emissaries of Destruction, had fallen upon the Xianzhou Luofu!
This news was akin to dropping a thousand-ton TNT bomb into a calm lake. In an instant, the entire upper echelons of the Alliance exploded.
And for that reason, one of the Xianzhou's most grand and celebratory festivals—the Martial Tournament Ceremony—had chosen the Luofu as host and organizer.
One purpose was to help the Luofu stabilize public sentiment and assist in postwar cleanup of remnants.
The other was that the other Xianzhou ships were extremely interested in the Emissary of Causality, as well as in the Nameless mentioned in Jing Yuan's report—the one who had summoned the Reignbow Arbiter's Mandate of Heaven Arrow and nearly killed a Self-Annihilation Lord with a single shot…