"Caelus-cub, what are you spacing out about?"
Leaving the three pitiful, helpless little ants in peace, Stelle rose with a languid stretch and bounded over to the bench, bringing her face — exquisitely goddess-like when she wasn't talking, all sharp Ji-circle features and high cheekbones — right into Caelus's upward-tilted gaze.
"I'm pondering a great question," Caelus said, stroking his chin. His eyes met that pair of blazing golden irises identical to his own, then slid sideways to take in the lively, cheerful pink-blue eyes beside them. "Specifically: who is cuter — you, or Ah Qi?"
"(^_^)?"
"⊙▽⊙..."
Scratch-scratch. Stelle and March 7th exchanged a baffled look. Even Stelle, who could usually read Caelus-cub's mind without trying, had absolutely no idea what he was on about.
But still —
"Obviously this treasure right here is the cutest! Adorable to the max, pinch-my-cheeks cute~"
Star-baby planted both fists on her hips and declared this with total confidence, her entire face screaming: compliment me already.
"Nyeh nyeh nyeh, so embarrassing — who goes around praising themselves like that~!"
March 7th stuck out her tongue.
"Well then, here's the real problem," Caelus said, leaning back against the bench and assuming the posture of a Chinese Idol judge issuing a devastating verdict. "How do you prove you're cuter than Ah Qi?"
"Prove? How would I prove something like that? My cuteness needs no proof~"
With that, Stelle kicked up one heel, tilted her head sideways, and unleashed a wide-eyed, heart-melting Wink at Caelus — the full innocent-seductress combo package. Ciallo~（∠ω）⌒★.
Uh oh. This girl had genuinely started believing she was cute.
"Then from now on, no more dumpster-diving for you — leave all the good trash to me," Caelus proposed pleasantly. "What kind of cute, beautiful young lady goes headfirst into garbage cans every day?"
"Tch~"
The Stellaron spirit's expression flipped in under a second. She shrugged and spread her hands with supreme disdain:
"Cute? What good is cute? Can you eat it? I am a woman destined to become the Queen of Trash! One day I will reclaim my power and authority from Tatalov — even if it costs me a quarter of my life."
Star-baby's pale, soft hand clenched into a fist, as if she held the entire world in her palm — standing at the summit, looking down upon all the scrap and refuse beneath her.
Deep in those sun-gold eyes, something like a lion seemed to lurk.
"...You're one of those 'declining children' types, huh."
Right then. The ability to access certain memories from her subconscious and cite them freely — this meme-infused Stellaron spirit's level of abstraction had climbed yet another floor.
Blink. Blink. March 7th stared, head slightly empty, thoroughly lost in the two of them flying off into their own little universe.
"So — Ah Qi is cuter."
"Hmm-hmm, excellent taste~!"
March 7th couldn't help planting her fists on her hips and thrusting out her admirably well-developed chest with a giddy grin: "This young lady is, after all, a face like a blooming flower, sharp as winter snow, warm and perceptive and — um..."
Mid-brag, March 7th suddenly remembered something. A memory belonging to the girl called March Stelle flickered through her mind.
Her voice trailed smaller and smaller. Her pretty face went visibly, rapidly red. March 7th wrapped both arms around herself and scooted backwards several quick steps, putting real distance between herself and Caelus:
"You're not just saying nice things about me so you can do something awful, are you?"
Caelus's brow furrowed. "Ah Qi, what kind of thing is that to say? I genuinely, sincerely think you're cuter when you're not diving into trash. How can you slander my honest feelings like this?"
"Really? No ulterior motives?"
Her cute, lively face wore a thoroughly skeptical expression.
"Sigh. I had actually been planning to give you a fun little present — and instead I've been betrayed three times over. My heart is dead."
Caelus pressed a hand to his chest, expression contorting with bone-deep, theatrical anguish.
"How does that even count as three — wait! A fun present?"
Keyword: triggered. March 7th's eyes lit up. She pivoted and latched onto Caelus's arm, deploying the skill: Beautiful Girl's Privilege.
"What is it~?"
"Caelus-cub, you know, I've been thinking — being cute does have its uses sometimes."
Star-baby wrapped herself around Caelus's other arm with utmost sincerity, blinking her big eyes at maximum broadcast power, then went Rua~! and planted an enthusiastic smooch on his cheek. Her whole expression read: See? Am I cute or am I cute~
Good things and you didn't say so sooner!
"Stelle, that's cheating!"
March 7th's face went a little pink. She scolded loudly, outraged at the use of such underhanded, out-of-bounds tactics.
"How is it cheating? You can kiss him too~"
Star-baby shot March 7th a sideways glance with the most comically smug, insufferably cheeky expression imaginable.
"Mmph…!"
Taking shameless liberties just because they're the same person, huh?
March 7th puffed out her rosy cheeks. Those rippling pink-blue eyes slid toward Caelus. Her soft pink lips pressed together in the tiniest, most uncertain pout — she seemed to be deliberating, wavering.
That shy, hesitant first-love-girlfriend expression alone was more than enough cute.
Caelus let out a soft laugh, tilted his head, and wiped the remnants of Stelle's kiss off his face onto the shoulder of her bright green hoodie. Then he reached into his spatial ring and drew out what looked like a toy from outside an elementary school gate — except the craftsmanship was breathtakingly exquisite — a ruby-red wand.
"Are you sure you want to defy the holder of a new toy?"
"!"
Star-baby had already leapt halfway into the air, about to come down with the Great Desolate Heaven-Imprisoning Hand and settle this — then gracefully rotated mid-flight, abandoned every shred of dignity, landed on one knee, clasped her hands in a formal bow, and declared with resonant gravity:
"I, Stelle, have drifted through half a life without finding a worthy lord. If you would not cast me aside, I am willing to call you foster father and accomplish great things together!"
March 7th, who had been lining up to grab Caelus so Stelle could land the hit, witnessed this and immediately short-circuited. You are way too practiced at this.
Her pink fist had barely any force to begin with, and the sight of Stelle's performance had drained the rest. The punch that reached Caelus's chest was about as threatening as a massage — all that righteous fury had dissolved into tumbling straight into his arms.
A warm softness settled against him. Caelus blinked — then lowered his head and pressed a light kiss to the corner of March 7th's lips.
A feather-light kiss. Just the barest touch of lip to lip, there and gone, like a dragonfly skimming water.
"!"
March 7th jolted back, eyes blown wide, blinking in a daze — like she hadn't quite processed what had just happened.
Then, two seconds later, the crimson arrived belated to her cheeks, climbing all the way to the tips of her ears in a wash of tender pink. March 7th raised a hand and covered her lips, completely at a loss.
Before her clever little brain could complete its rotation from flustered to indignant, Caelus held out the ruby wand right in front of her:
"Here, Ah Qi. This is your gift."
This moment called for that BUG — Hawaiian Cocktail.
The famous SpongeBob SquarePants Ditty.
Still frozen in her one-knee bow, hands clasped, Stelle felt that her complexion was looking a little pale, her blush a little heavy, and there might be a small round ball on the tip of her nose.
Damn!
I swallowed my pride for once, and you made me lose this completely!
But… not that she'd admit it, but Ah Qi's lip balm had a faint strawberry flavor today. Not bad at all.
Maybe next time she'd give her a violet-flower-flavored one. She'd only need a little back each day — from herself, or from Caelus-cub, either was fine, it was all the same anyway.
Movements a fraction mechanical, March 7th accepted the ruby wand like a slightly overloaded robot. A few seconds later her CPU pulled out of critical overflow — and then, predictably and inevitably, the gleaming red gem seized her full attention.
"This… it looks like it might be… a wand?"
March 7th held up the red staff, with its little carved wings curling around the handle.
"It feels familiar."
Star-baby stood up and studied the wand, a wave of déjà vu washing through her subconscious: "Ruby… staff of a myriad flowers… "
Her eyes snapped wide open: "A magical girl!?"
"Correct. Kind, brave, pure — a magical girl who wields cuteness itself against darkness and despair. So~ Ah Qi, make a contract with me!"
A solemn, majestic incantation resonated through the Starskiff, Caelus's voice carrying an additional note of lofty grandeur.
"What kind of contract? How does it work?"
"He's asking you to marry him," Stelle said casually. "It's a marriage contract."
"Oh, so how do I — huh!?"
The reflexive question died instantly. March 7th snapped to a halt.
"Joking. You just need to pull your soul out and seal it inside the ruby so it becomes a Soul Gem. That's all."
Caelus said gently.
"?"
March 7th's ahoge typed out a question mark. She had watched shows exactly like that, thank you very much.
What kind of magical girl has to rip her own soul out and stuff it in a jewel? Where on earth did this crooked doctrine come from?
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