Chapter 55: Departure
Night Star Lan saw Luo Xi fall silent and assumed she was being sentimental.
“Relax, Luo Xi. In the future, our relationship will be super close, so close that we could do anything together. And by then, I won’t be some helpless damsel; I’ll be the type who can toss you on the bed and kiss all over you!”
“You can’t seriously imagine that.”
“Hmph, if you haven’t seen me angry, consider yourself lucky. The little Luo Xi can never leave my side.”
“I see, pretty intense.”
Luo Xi maintained her poker face and nodded along with fake enthusiasm.
Night Star Lan felt Luo Xi was just humoring her. It seemed this poor damsel image had been set in Luo Xi’s mind during their time together.
If only that blasted Kuro hadn’t sealed her powers when he let her into the game. Being powerless surely made her look like a cute mascot that only knows how to squeak.
“Cough, cough… Anyway, I’m about to head back. I still have to deal with that Kuro guy, which is such a headache.”
“Kuro? Did he wake up in the future?”
Luo Xi didn’t expect the severely limited Kuro to ever wake up.
Unless someone could travel through time and fetch him.
As long as they were put in the same timeline, Kuro would awaken.
But humans won’t break through the time barrier easily.
Not unless they’re no ordinary humans.
Only the origin of stars or star eclipses can do that.
The future her definitely wouldn’t voluntarily wake him up.
What’s going on?
At this point, Luo Xi saw Night Star Lan looking embarrassed.
“Uh…that’s right…The reason Kuro woke up was because of me. Sorry for causing such a mess.”
“How’d you manage to do it?”
“Um…I guess fate allowed me to awaken with your same power level, so things got a bit out of hand.”
“I didn’t see this coming.”
Luo Xi quickly got used to the idea.
“Can I ask a question? Did you send me here?”
Night Star shook her head no.
“It was Kuro.”
She started explaining the situation.
“How should I put it? This involves two timelines. Many things happened. My friend completely severed Kuro’s concept of time, making it impossible for him to find you in another timeline. I’ve been trying to figure out what to do with him, but after meeting him, I realized he’s too strong. Thankfully, he’s not an evil villain, and even willing to satisfy my curiosity to learn the truth.”
Before Night Star finished, Luo Xi guessed her thoughts.
“I get it. If Kuro lost his ability to manipulate time, he naturally couldn’t send me back. So, what’s his explanation?”
“Um…he said this is a virtual world where I can relive our past events with you and witness everything firsthand. Everything here, including you, is a virtual reconstruction created by Kuro.”
“But…”
Luo Xi thought deeply, guessing Kuro’s motives.
“This isn’t a virtual world; it’s a memory world. Whatever happens here changes everyone’s memories—including yours and mine.”
“Oh wow! Does that mean the real you will have these memories too when I return?”
Night Star was shocked.
Luo Xi nodded lightly.
“If Kuro wishes, he could map these memories onto reality, creating a new branch of the timeline. Everything would align with the changed memories.”
“Wow, that’s powerful!”
“And if Kuro wakes up, he’ll be in full strength. Because he was supposed to sleep forever, his power wasn’t diminished. Waking him would mean having many abilities I don’t possess now.”
Luo Xi explained this newfound power.
“But this ability isn’t to be used recklessly. At least, I can’t interfere. Especially if it involves our shared memories, we need individuals with similar strength, like me. But if the future you has the same power level, she could join in too.”
“That makes me feel manipulated.”
Night Star always thought Kuro was just a quirky weirdo. But apparently, he was quite cunning.
“So, what does he plan to change with this power?”
“He said he wiped out your abilities when he brought you here.”
“Ah, true.”
“Thus, imprinting ‘you have no power’ deep into his memory allows him to alter your reality. This doesn’t require the butterfly effect; it’s enough to choose certain past events.”
Night Star’s eyes widened in recognition.
“I think I know what he intends to do…”
Kuro probably wants his time-travelling ability restored.
He won’t lose his time concept if he hasn’t met Night Sky.
And if Night Star Lan doesn’t have the wish machine ability, this scenario can’t happen, making the condition valid for modification!
So Kuro can travel through time again, reaching Bai!
Seeing her dazed expression, Luo Xi knew what she was thinking.
“I trust you can handle it.”
Night Star wasn’t confident.
“But without pushing my limits, I can’t defeat Kuro. Breaking my limits invites the gaze of destiny. Plus, with his time power restored, he’ll be even harder to face…”
“But believe me, the future me is also confident in you. If we’re deeply linked, the future me would have given advice knowing Kuro’s intentions. What did I say then?”
Night Star recalled.
“You didn’t stop me; you suggested I consider it.”
“Exactly. Given how well I understand you, having power equivalent to the origin of stars, you won’t defy destiny. So go ahead with your plan. I’m sure destiny will be on your side.”
Just as Night Star was about to respond, she felt an unease. Her body began to glow with countless specks of light, like she was about to vanish.
Seeing this, Luo Xi knew Night Star was leaving.
“Although I don’t know how the future me is doing, if I remember these wonderful moments with you, I’ll surely be happy. That’s something I learned from you.”
Luo Xi placed her fingers at her lips and pretended to smile.
“See? Isn’t this cute? It’s my first time, and I’m giving it to you as a parting gift. I hope you enjoy it.”
“That’s not a natural smile… but it’s cute.”
Even during the farewell, Luo Xi maintained her emotionless traits—though she did start talking more than usual.
Then, she leaned in and gently kissed Night Star’s lips.
“Mornings have morning kisses, evenings have evening kisses. So here’s a parting kiss, hoping your destiny will be smooth sailing.”
With a flash of white light, the entire world crumbled.
Night Star successfully left.
