Chapter 32: Long Night Moon: The Self-Proclaimed Clever Flawless Pure Child
'Swimsuit March is gone. How tragic.'
Rekka kept his face perfectly neutral, burying his deep disappointment deep within his heart as the water session came to an end.
"It would be great if the Astral Express had a pool this big too," March 7th sighed, kicking at the water one last time.
"Actually, we could set up an inflatable pool," Rekka offered, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "But considering the layout of the train... maybe only the storage room has enough floor space for an inflatable pool that big."
March 7th tilted her head, her imagination immediately running wild. A vivid image formed in her mind: a massive, garish plastic pool crammed into the middle of the storage car, surrounded by towering stacks of messy cargo boxes and spare parts. And right there at the edge, Pom-Pom would be standing on their tiptoes, using their short little furry arms to desperately hold up a garden hose, slowly trickling water into the massive tub.
"That wouldn't have any atmosphere at all!" she complained, waving her hands to dispel the ridiculous mental image.
A strange, comfortable silence fell between the two of them for a moment. The only sounds filling the massive room were the low, steady hum of the water filtration system and the crisp, rhythmic splashing of artificial waves lapping against the tiled shore.
"Take a photo of me," March 7th suddenly said, her voice dropping a fraction as a bashful hue crept up her neck.
"Take a photo? Sure," Rekka replied, pulling out the camera. He offered her a teasing grin. "But are you absolutely sure you want me to do it? If my hand shakes and I blur the shot, don't blame me."
"You wouldn't dare!" March 7th glared at him, puffing out her cheeks, but the fierce look quickly melted back into a shy, awkward stance. "Um... well... just make it look good. Lighting, angles, framing. You know what I mean, right?"
"I know, of course I know. Trust the professional."
March 7th waded a little deeper into the water and began brainstorming poses. First, she threw up a classic peace sign, but immediately dropped her hands, feeling it was way too silly for the mood. Then she tried a dramatic, sideways glance over her shoulder, but her neck felt stiff and the pose felt entirely too forced. Finally, she just gave up overthinking it, dropped her shoulders, and stood naturally in the crystal-clear water, offering a genuine, relaxed smile.
"This is fine," she called out.
"Click."
The shutter snapped, freezing the beautiful scene in time.
"Let me see, let me see!" March 7th could not wait. She eagerly waded through the water, splashing her way over and leaning in close to Rekka, her wet shoulder brushing against his arm as she peered at the small digital screen. "Wow... this shot is actually really great! Your photography skills are pretty good!"
"It is mainly because the subject is pretty," Rekka replied smoothly, not missing a beat.
March 7th froze. The bashful pink on her cheeks instantly flared into a deep, burning crimson.
"Why are you speaking so sweetly today?" she stammered, looking away.
"Today is the Path of Memory, after all," Rekka said, his expression completely solemn and serious. "I have to remember to save up all the nicest things to say today."
...
Back in the safety of her own room, March 7th vigorously dried her hair with a towel before slipping into her favorite fluffy pink one-piece pajamas. She padded over to the bedside table and picked up the camera.
"He actually took a really good photo. Hehe."
March 7th let out a thoroughly goofy, unhinged giggle that would have completely ruined her pristine image if anyone else were around to hear it.
"Hehehehehehe. Nyaha. Nyahahahaha!"
The girl flopped backward onto her mattress, rolling around wildly while holding the camera high above her head, admiring the picture from every possible angle. Once she had finally gotten enough of staring at her own swimsuit photo, she gently placed the camera right next to her pillow, flipped over to lie flat on her back, and stared up at the ceiling.
Today was really fun.
Even though having that guy Rekka staring at her made her heart race wildly at first, she had completely forgotten her nervousness once they actually started playing in the water.
Being able to hang out with a good friend, wear a cute new swimsuit, and take nice photos. Who would not be happy with a day like that?
"No, no, wait."
She suddenly sat bolt upright, her face flushing red all over again as she slapped her own cheeks.
"What good friend? He is just a junior! I am the senior! It is only right and proper for a senior Trailblazer to look after a junior! Yes! It is only right!"
Having successfully completed her daily routine of self-hypnosis, March 7th flopped back down onto the mattress and yanked the soft blanket all the way up to her chin.
"But when he complimented me today..."
She stared blankly at the ceiling panels, the corners of her mouth curling upward in a completely uncontrollable, foolish grin.
"Oh right! I almost forgot something super important!"
March 7th suddenly slapped her own forehead, throwing the blanket aside.
She scrambled out of bed, dug out a piece of premium stationery and a pen from her desk, and started drawing and writing.
However, the jellyfish March 7th attempted to draw turned out exceptionally ugly.
Holding the pen tightly, the girl stared down at the crooked monstrosity on the paper. It had lopsided, uneven tentacles and a bulbous head shaped exactly like a squashed round mushroom. She fell into deep, troubled thought.
"...Is this a jellyfish?"
She muttered the question to herself, her tone heavy with deep uncertainty.
It did technically possess the anatomical features of a jellyfish, but it also completely failed to look like one. That round, lumpy thing that was supposed to be the jellyfish head looked suspiciously like the shape of the Strawberry Devil Spicy Tofu she had eaten earlier today.
"Hmm..."
She picked up the pen again and tried to salvage the drawing by adding some expression to the poor, deformed creature. Two thick black dots for eyes and a wide, curved line for a smile.
The result looked exactly like a legendary derp-face meme.
"It looks even weirder now."
March 7th stared at the paper in total silence for two seconds before decisively picking up her eraser and violently rubbing out the goofy expression.
Forget it. Let it just be an emotionless, abstract jellyfish.
March 7th bit the end of her pen, staring blankly at the ugly drawing on the paper. She had never actually written a letter before.
No, she should put it this way: she had never written a letter to her other self before.
"What should I write..."
After hesitating for a long while, chewing on the plastic cap of her pen, the girl finally pressed the tip to the paper and started writing.
'To my other self: I only found out today that you exist within my body... thank you for always protecting me. Those past memories I cannot recall, if you think knowing them right now would make me sad, then let us just hide them away together. Anyway, life right now is exciting every single day, and I have an occasionally perverted but mostly reliable junior accompanying me. If you can see this letter, remember to give me a response in my dreams. Also, this drawing is for you. Although it is just average, it is full of heart!'
After writing the final punctuation mark, March 7th carefully folded the letter into a neat, perfect little square and tucked it safely under her pillow. She flopped onto the bed one last time, rolled over, and stared out the window.
"Goodnight."
March 7th murmured softly into the quiet room, turning over and burying her face deep into the soft pillow.
Starlight from the cosmos outside filtered through the thick glass of the Express windows, casting mottled, silvery shadows across the floor of the room. The girl's breathing gradually slowed, becoming long and perfectly even. Her long, delicate eyelashes cast faint shadows on her cheeks as she slipped into a deep sleep.
Who knows exactly how much time passed.
Maybe a few minutes. Maybe a few System Hours.
The sleeping girl suddenly sat up.
At this moment, the usual bright, bubbly light was completely gone from her eyes. Her irises had shifted, glowing with a piercing, brilliant crimson light that looked entirely unlike her usual self.
Right now, the one controlling the body was Long Night Moon.
'I really cannot do anything with you. You even learned how to write letters... You really are an easily satisfied child.'
Long Night Moon smiled softly as she reached under the pillow and picked up the folded page.
She appeared cold. She appeared elegant. She appeared perfectly calm and untouchable.
In reality, she was the universe's most die-hard March 7th fan.
After reading through the clumsy, heartfelt letter, Long Night Moon's crimson gaze shifted, falling on the digital camera resting right beside the pillow.
'Since you want a response, as the big sister who dotes on you the most, I naturally cannot let you down.''Since you want a response, I will give you this little surprise. Have sweet dreams, my March.'
Moving with absolute silence, Long Night Moon quietly left a small, mysterious gift right at the head of the bed for March 7th to find when she woke up.
Having done all this, Long Night Moon did not immediately return the body to sleep. She lifted her chin, looking up at the mechanical clock ticking on the wall. There were less than three minutes left until midnight.
Long Night Moon pushed open the bedroom door. Her figure moved like a phantom, completely weightless and silent as she drifted through the dimly lit corridor of the passenger car, finally stopping right in front of Rekka's room.
Inside the room, Rekka was sitting wide awake on the edge of his bed, his eyes locked onto the second hand of the clock as it ticked away the final moments of his current Path.
"Not resting yet, self-proclaimed clever Flawless Pure Child?" a cool, elegant voice drifted through the doorway.
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