Listening to Sylvia's introduction, March 7th grew excited.
She raised her camera and practically burrowed into Sylvia's arms.
"Hehe, Sylvia, how about taking a photo with me? I'll send it to the others."
As she spoke, her other hand gestured with a half-eaten skewer, her head nestled right against Sylvia's cheek as she struck an adorable pose.
Sylvia naturally took the box resting on March 7th's lap, her other hand hovering briefly behind the girl's back.
Putting an arm around her waist seemed a bit too forward, so she settled for resting her hand lightly on March 7th's exposed shoulder.
Without much hesitation, March 7th deftly adjusted the camera's angle and decisively pressed the shutter.
When she showed off the picture of the two of them, Sylvia asked curiously,
"You take photos even while eating snacks?"
"Of course! Once I take a picture, I'll absolutely never forget it."
Within that simple, matter-of-fact statement lay March 7th's deep-seated fixation on memories.
Someone who didn't know March 7th well might not think twice about it, but Sylvia happened to be someone privy to many 'secrets.'
So Sylvia pondered it a little more.
Then again, Sylvia wasn't much better off herself. In this world, she too was someone 'without a past.'
"Oh right, Sylvia, where did you live before coming to the Xianzhou?"
"Me?"
Sylvia thought for a moment, then omitted some key details.
She began a simple recounting, starting from, 'I woke up on a planet destroyed by a Stellaron.'
Just as Sylvia finished sharing a bit about herself, information regarding March 7th suddenly popped up:
--+--
[Target: March 7th]
[Favorability: 72 (Admiration & Empathy)]
[Relationship: None]
['Well, well, well, you've already learned to use a tragic backstory to win favor, haven't you? You're a natural-born heartbreaker!']
--+--
Sylvia always chose to ignore the commentary, but March 7th's favorability was startlingly high.
They'd only just met today, and it had already broken 70 points.
It was hard to say whether March 7th was just overly trusting or simply lacked defenses.
Sylvia wondered if her somewhat artistically embellished past had struck a chord with March 7th.
She thought it over carefully; she hadn't even mentioned amnesia.
But from March 7th's perspective…
Even if Sylvia claimed to remember her past, she had awoken alone on a desolate wasteland.
What good were memories when the planet's civilization lay in ruins, her homeland shattered beyond recognition?
Remembering might not even be a blessing.
And according to Sylvia's account, the place was crawling with Fragmentum creatures and monsters from the Antimatter Legion.
If not for sheer luck—running into a passing 'Galaxy Ranger'—Sylvia might never have lived to see the wider galaxy.
And that Galaxy Ranger had her own business to attend to, having reportedly headed off alone to Penacony.
Leaving Sylvia to adventure alone through the lonely vastness of space.
Compared to that…
March 7th thought about her own situation. While she couldn't remember her past, she had woken up on the Astral Express.
Surrounded by righteous, mature, good people, and the Trailblazing spirit of the Express perfectly suited her quest to find her own path in life.
It's all about perspective.
Before, March 7th often felt uneasy about her missing past, but after hearing Sylvia's story,
She suddenly felt incredibly lucky by comparison.
So much so that once March 7th processed this, her fondness for Sylvia skyrocketed.
In fact, her initiative to take photos of Sylvia held that very sentiment, too.
But even for an outgoing girl like March 7th, she wasn't so bold as to voice those thoughts directly.
So she simply said she wanted to take some pictures of Sylvia.
Naturally, Sylvia had no idea what notions were tumbling around in March 7th's little head.
But whatever she was thinking, the data and evaluation from the system genuinely made Sylvia feel a bit embarrassed.
It gave her a sense of guilt, like a scheming woman deceiving an innocent girl…
Before Sylvia could say anything, however, March 7th, acting completely unaffected, tapped a few more times on her camera and said cheerfully,
"Oh, right! I actually snuck a few photos of you earlier. Want to see?"
Though she phrased it as a question, her hands were already displaying the 'candid shots' she'd taken earlier.
In the images, Sylvia looked like the genuine 'Herrscher of Flamescion.'
Even Welt Yang would probably have to nod in professional approval.
The first photo in the album was a close-up of Sylvia.
In it, Sylvia wore her battlesuit, having just landed on the platform, flames still licking at her form. She held her sword, smiling off to the side.
And behind her, the Doomsday Beast lay placidly on the floor.
This was taken secretly by March 7th after Sylvia had subdued the beast.
There were a few more shots afterwards: Sylvia grappling with the Doomsday Beast mid-air. Who knows what March 7th was thinking at the time, snapping a photo during such a tense moment.
Others showed Sylvia at the main control panel, standing next to her 'Mount No.1.'
Clearly taken even earlier on the sly.
"…"
Sylvia looked at the familiar yet strange face in the pictures, feeling a peculiar sensation.
Having her combat stance captured by someone else like this and then shown to her was… actually quite nuanced.
It felt like she was watching some strange drama titled 'Kiana Braves the Star Rail.'
After all, this battlesuit and weapon were practically identical.
She'd grown used to this face, and her everyday attire differed from the real Kiana's, but how could she forget her past self so quickly?
This sense of dislocation occasionally surfaced when Sylvia looked in the mirror, but these two photos gave her the strongest feeling of dislocation she'd experienced in days.
"You took them really well. Send me a copy later, okay?"
As she spoke, Sylvia took out her phone, and they exchanged contact information.
"Hehe~ I'll send them to you later," March 7th said, clutching her phone and giggling.
She looked silly, and utterly adorable.
--+--
Just then—
A meticulously made-up, exquisitely dressed puppet walked directly towards them, entirely alone.
"A few days without logging in, and the Station ends up in this state?"
Herta muttered under her breath, stopping before Sylvia and looking down at her with a scrutinizing gaze.
The adorable puppet's face paired with those mature eyes created a strangely captivating contrast.
Herta's doll was more lifelike than Sylvia had imagined.
Especially its face—so vivid it was hard to believe it wasn't a real person.
Sylvia even suspected the very pronounced spherical joints weren't due to technical limitations, but simply because Herta didn't want to make the doll too realistic.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.