Collapse Iron: Cosplaying the Near-Death Star, but with a full destiny.

"Osmanthus Pastry".

The shop owner answered with a smile.

"One box, please! No, two boxes!"

The firefly turned around and waved to the stars.

"What do you want to eat? It's on me!"

"Where did you get the money?"

Xing rolled her eyes.

Firefly took out a stack of credits from her pocket and waved them in the air.

"The allowance my sister Kaff gave me~"

Xing's lips twitched.

"Mom's allowance~"

"Who cares? As long as I have money to spend, that's all that matters."

Hoshi stepped forward, took a piece of osmanthus pastry, and took a bite.

"Mmm. It's quite delicious."

The three of them strolled along the main street of Changletian.

Like a bird released from its cage, the firefly stops to look around every new shop it sees, traces the origin of every new fragrance it smells, and touches, explores, and asks about every new and interesting thing it encounters.

She bought two skewers of shiitake mushrooms, gave one to Hoshino, and ate the other herself.

She tried on more than a dozen hairpins in a jewelry store and finally chose a bright green bamboo-shaped hairpin, saying that it matched the color of her hair ends perfectly.

She squatted in front of an old craftsman who sculpted dough figurines for a full ten minutes, watching intently as a lump of dough was transformed into a lifelike little rabbit in his hands.

"That's amazing..."

Her blue-violet eyes were filled with childlike wonder.

Mohoshi stood behind her, looking at the girl who had just been pulled back from the brink of death.

Her long, silvery-white hair shimmered softly in the sunlight, its emerald green tips resembling tender leaves in early spring. Her squatting posture was utterly unladylike; her bare feet trod on the bluestone slabs, a speck of dust clinging to her toes.

But she was smiling.

They were laughing so happily.

So pure.

So... live.

"Feed".

Xing walked up to Xing at some point.

"Um?"

"What are you looking at?"

"Look at her."

The corners of Hoshino's mouth turned up slightly.

"Don't you think this scene is beautiful?"

Xing followed her gaze.

Liu Ying was gesturing with the old dough figurine artist with a smile, probably begging him to make another one.

"really."

Xing nodded.

"This is what being alive should feel like."

The three of them strolled from Changletian to Jinren Lane.

The food stalls in Jinren Lane are even more concentrated than those in Changletian. The narrow lane is lined with all kinds of stalls, and the calls of vendors rise and fall.

I tried the firefly snack at almost every stall.

Stinky tofu. Candied hawthorn berries. Crab roe soup dumplings. Shrimp potstickers. Osmanthus lotus root starch. Sesame jelly. Savory pancakes. Salted duck.

"Didn't you just have osmanthus pastries and quail skewers?"

Xing watched in shock as Liu Ying took another bowl of steaming hot beef noodles from a stall.

"That's that one, and this is this one."

Firefly sat on a low stool at the entrance of the alley, slurping noodles with gusto, her cheeks puffed out like a hamster's.

"Back in Samri, we only had nutrient solutions and compressed rations. The taste..."

She wrinkled her nose.

"It's like eating cardboard."

She picked up a large piece of beef, put it in her mouth, and squinted her eyes in satisfaction.

"But this one—it has flavor, it's warm, and it's chewy."

"The taste of being alive."

Mohoshi sat next to her, also holding a bowl in her hand.

"Eat slowly. Nobody's going to take it from you."

"I'm afraid it won't be enough time."

The firefly's voice suddenly became softer.

She lowered her head and looked at the noodles and broth bubbling in the bowl.

"I used to think every day that this might be my last meal. So I always ate very quickly, afraid that my body would give out before I finished eating—"

She stopped.

Then he looked up and smiled.

That smile contained relief, self-deprecation, and a lingering shadow of past fears, but more than anything, it showed composure in the face of the future.

"But you don't need to worry about it now."

She picked up the bowl and took a big gulp of soup.

"I have a very, very long time."

Hoshi looked at her.

The golden pupils reflected the silver-haired girl who was eating noodles with gusto.

"Um."

she says.

"It's been such a long time."

When we came out of Jinren Alley, the sun was already setting in the west.

The dome of Luofu Mountain refracted the light of the setting sun into a golden-red curtain of light, like a huge silk ribbon spread across the entire sky above the celestial ship.

The three walked along Xuanye Avenue, their shadows stretched long.

Liu Ying walked in the middle, holding Xing's hand with her left hand and Xing's hand with her right.

Her steps were light and powerful, her bare feet treading on the warm stone slabs bathed in the setting sun. The warmth from her feet kept the corners of her mouth upturned in a smile.

"Hmm~"

She let out a satisfied hum.

"Today is the happiest day of my life."

"Compared to when you were at Pinocchio?"

Star Questions.

Liu Ying thought for a moment.

"When I was in Pinocchio, although I was very happy, there was always a voice in my heart reminding me - your time is running out, your body may break down at any time, you can't be too greedy."

"So that kind of happiness always carries a thin layer of bitterness."

"But today—"

She took a deep breath and then exhaled slowly.

"That sound is gone."

"Only happiness."

"Pure, complete happiness, without a trace of bitterness."

She turned her head and looked at Hoshino.

I looked at the stars again.

His blue-purple pupils shimmered with a warm amber hue in the setting sun.

Thank you.

She said softly.

Xing waved his hand.

"Don't thank me. The person who cured you is on your left."

"But you spent the whole afternoon with me."

Liu Ying smiled and shook Xing's hand.

"Thank you separately for this."

The Starry Sky Train is parked at its dedicated berth at the Louvre Wharf, its silver-gray exterior gleaming gently in the setting sun.

When the three boarded the train, Himeko was sitting on the sofa in the observation cabin reading a book, with a cup of coffee beside her.

She looked up at Liuying's bare feet, which were covered in dust, but said nothing. She simply smiled and returned to her book.

March 7th peeked out from the other end of the corridor.

"Wow, Firefly, you're here! You look so radiant!"

"Um!"

Firefly smiled and waved at her.

"Long time no see, March 7th!"

Dan Heng nodded quietly to the side, which was taken as a greeting.

Pam peeked her fluffy little head out from behind March 7's legs and looked at Firefly with a complicated expression.

"Pam remembers you! Last time your giant robot almost crashed into the train's corridor, Pam!"

"Sorry, sorry~"

Firefly crouched down and gently poked Pam's round belly with her fingertip.

"Next time I'll park Sam outside."

March 7th and Firefly started chatting away, their conversation ranging from the dream Ferris wheel at Pinocchio to the osmanthus pastry at Luofu. In between, March 7th showed off her newly customized Onpharos-style dress—an ice-blue gradient with ice crystal patterns on the hem, creating an ice mist effect when she moved.

"It looks so good!"

The firefly's eyes lit up.

"I want one too!"

"I'll take you to Aglaia's shop later~"

On March 7th, she smiled with her eyes crinkling.

The entire observation cabin was filled with lively conversation.

Seihoshi sat by the window, quietly watching everything.

Outside the window, the setting sun over Luofu was slowly sinking below the horizon of the fairy boat, its golden-red light fading inch by inch, replaced by a deep blue starlight.

The starry sky unfolded slowly outside the train's observation window, like an endless expanse of deep blue silk.

"Noriboshi".

Fireflies appeared beside her without her noticing.

March 7th and Danheng had already gone to prepare dinner. Pam skipped and hopped away behind March 7th, and Himeko closed her book and returned to the cockpit.

Only three people remained in the observation cabin.

Star. Firefly.

Liu Ying stood before the star, her back to the enormous observation window. The light from the starry sea poured down behind her, casting a bluish halo over her long, silvery-white hair.

Her expression was completely different from when she was laughing and playing in Changletian during the day.

Quiet.

soft.

They were so focused that you couldn't look away.

"Noriboshi".

She called again.

"Um."

I wanted to say thank you. But the words 'thank you' are too inadequate.

The fireflies' sound was very soft, yet it could be clearly heard in the quiet observation cabin.

Do you even know what you gave me?

No answer was given.

You gave me 'tomorrow'.

Liu Ying lowered her head and looked at her hands.

"From the day I was created, I only have 'today.' Only this moment. Because I don't know if my body will still be here in the next moment."

"When others say 'See you tomorrow,' I never dare to answer. Because I'm afraid, what if there isn't a tomorrow?"

"When others say 'Let's go out together next time,' I can only smile and nod. Because I'm afraid, what if there isn't a next time?"

"All the promises, all the expectations, all the words pointing to the future—'tomorrow,' 'later,' 'future,' 'one day'—are like candy in someone else's pocket to me."

"I can see it, but I can't reach it."

She raised her head, her blue-purple pupils staring directly into Hoshino's golden eyes.

"But you put it in my hands."

Tell me—you're cured.

"Those three words..."

Her voice began to tremble.

Do you know what those three words mean to me?

"It means I can say 'See you tomorrow' now."

"It means I can make plans with others to 'go out and play together next time'."

"It means that my life finally has a 'future'."

Tears welled up in her bright blue-violet eyes, but she kept smiling.

"Today at Changletian, I walked barefoot on the stone slabs, feeling the warmth of the sun. I ate so many things, my mouth was full of all kinds of flavors. I saw the old man making dough figurines, I saw the new dress for the seventh day of the third lunar month, and I saw the sunset over Luofu Mountain."

"I used to be able to 'observe' these things only through Sam's armor. The sensors told me the outside temperature and the colors of the spectrum. But the sensors couldn't detect the roughness of the stone slabs, the sweetness of the osmanthus cakes, or the itchy feeling of the sun on my skin."

"Today, I felt it all."

"You gave it to me."

"You gave me everything."

Hoshino's lips moved.

"Firefly, I—"

He hadn't finished speaking.

Fireflies tiptoe.

She gently placed her hands on Hoshino's shoulders, leaned forward, and let her long, silvery-white hair fall down, forming a semi-transparent curtain between the two of them.

Then, her lips landed on Hoshino's lips.

Gently.

Like a butterfly alighting on a petal.

The sea of ​​stars outside the observation window fell silent at that moment.

The kiss lasted only two or three seconds.

But in those two or three seconds, Hoshino could clearly feel—

Firefly's lips are warm.

The temperature of life.

A healthy temperature.

The warmth that only a person who has a "tomorrow" can possess.

The firefly took half a step back.

Her face flushed crimson, burning from her cheeks to the tips of her ears. But there was no panic in her blue-violet pupils, only open, unreserved gratitude and joy.

"This is... a thank-you gift."

She said in a low voice.

Then she turned around.

Xing leaned against the pillar of the observation cabin, arms crossed, her short, silver-gray hair slightly disheveled. She had witnessed what had just happened, a subtle light gleaming in her golden-gray pupils.

Don't look at me.

Xing's tone was flat.

"I didn't do anything. The person who cured you is over there—"

Before she could finish speaking, Firefly had already walked up to her.

"You did it."

"It's like fireflies," Liu Ying said.

"You spent the whole afternoon with me. You carried two bags of snacks for me. You caught me when I almost fell."

"and--"

Her blue-purple pupils stared directly into Xing's golden-gray eyes.

"In Pinocchio. In a dream. Just when I thought it was all over."

"You are."

"You've always been there."

Xing's pupils contracted slightly.

She opened her mouth, but Firefly didn't give her a chance to speak.

The silver-white figure leaned forward again.

This time it was faster and more decisive.

The firefly's lips pressed against the corner of the star's lips.

Xing's body stiffened for a moment.

Then, the tips of her ears turned red at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Liu Ying took a step back, and a smile bloomed on her face that was even more radiant than the sunset over Luofu Mountain.

Double the happiness!

She clapped her hands, and starlight-like fragments danced in her blue-purple pupils.

"One was given to Hoshino, and one to Seiya. Fair enough!"

Xing's face was already red all the way to the roots of her neck.

"you--"

Thank you.

Liu Ying's voice suddenly became very soft.

"real."

"Thank you for letting me live."

"Thank you for letting me know that being alive can be this good."

She turned around to face the huge observation window.

The starry sea stretches endlessly, and the blue nebulae spread out on the canvas of the universe like an ink painting.

Liu Ying stood barefoot by the window, her long, silvery-white hair swaying gently in the starlight.

"It's like a dream."

She said in a low voice.

"When I woke up this morning, I felt like I only had three months left to live."

"But now—"

She opened her arms.

"I have a lifetime."

"A whole, complete, a lifetime."

Ye Xing leaned against the bulkhead, watching Liu Ying's back.

In the golden pupils, the slender figure with outstretched arms before the sea of ​​stars was reflected.

At this moment, she felt that everything she had done—traversing timelines, enduring the pressure of eighteen destinies, fighting against nothingness, and rewriting cause and effect—was truly meaningful.

It was all worth it.

All for this moment.

A girl who should have disappeared stood before the starry sky, smiling and saying, "I have a lifetime."

All for this moment.

Late at night.

The Star Train travels at a steady speed through the sea of ​​stars, the low hum of its engine like a long lullaby.

The lights in the observation cabin have been dimmed to their lowest setting.

March 7th was curled up in a corner of the sofa, hugging a pillow, and had already fallen asleep.

Pam curled up at her feet, her furry body rising and falling gently with her breath. Dan Heng sat on a bench in the corridor, while Yun Chuan rested on her knees with her eyes closed.

Liu Ying sat on the floor in front of the observation window, her legs crossed and her knees tucked into her arms.

She did not return to the cave.

Kafka told her to stay on the train a little longer.

"Anyway, you're all better now, so you don't need to stay in Samri anymore."

—Kafka's own words.

Fireflies leaned against the glass of the observation window, watching the Milky Way slowly flow by outside.

The starlight reflected in her blue-purple pupils, like two miniature universes.

A faint smile played on her lips.

quiet.

Satisfied.

Like a traveler who has finally found his home.

Footsteps came from behind.

It's very light.

Hoshi walked over and sat down next to her.

The two stood side by side against the observation window, neither of them speaking.

Silent for a long time.

"Noriboshi".

"Um."

Will you come to see me again in the future?

"certainly."

"That--"

Liu Ying turned her head and looked at the profile of the star.

"See you tomorrow?"

Hoshi turned his head.

Golden pupils and blue-violet pupils met in the starlight.

"See you tomorrow."

The train continued forward.

Heading towards tomorrow.

The wind rises from the tip of a blade of grass and ceases in a young girl's dream.

(End of the article)

P.S.: Please leave a book review, good or bad.

I won't be writing Honkai Impact 3rd fanfiction anymore. I haven't played it in a long time, and I feel a bit sorry for everyone.

The next work is an urban everyday romance, not a lesbian relationship, but a normal male-female relationship.