After a bath and changing into pajamas.
Sylvia had given Firefly a two-piece, long-sleeved set, quite plain in appearance.
But Firefly seemed to like it well enough, often fiddling with the hem or tugging at the cuffs, lost in thought.
Sylvia stood behind her, holding the damp, long hair in her hands. With a slight application of warmth and vibration, she dried the strands.
Acheron usually let Sylvia dry her hair this way too.
With enough practice, the technique had become quite refined.
Sylvia even managed to treat Firefly's hair with some conditioner.
By the time she finished, the fluffy locks carried an elegant, delicate fragrance.
Firefly couldn't help but gather her own hair, holding it close to her face and taking several deep breaths.
Then she lifted a strand of Sylvia's hair and did the same, sniffing softly.
Like a cat identifying a scent.
After drying Firefly's hair, Sylvia settled back onto the sofa.
The two sat close together once again.
But this time, Sylvia could catch the scent drifting from Firefly.
It was strange—clearly the same product she used herself, yet Sylvia felt this fragrance wasn't quite identical to her own. It had transformed into something familiar yet subtly different.
She took another few quiet breaths.
Sylvia became more convinced: even with the exact same shampoo scent, once it mingled with a different person, it could change entirely.
The monitor before them still displayed the game's results screen. Sylvia reached for the controller and navigated back to the game selection menu.
The change on-screen drew Firefly's attention.
Looking at the game library, she asked,
"By the way, Sylvia, when are you free? I'm planning to take a starship there this time. Kafka said the tour would start right from the ship. What do you think?"
Firefly sat sideways on the sofa, still toying with a strand of Sylvia's hair.
She casually brought up the arrangements for their outing.
That planet, being a tourist destination, offered all sorts of services, and private shuttle flights were quite a famous feature.
Firefly had wanted to visit for a while, but in the past, she never dared to hope for a private charter.
After all, showing up in SAM armor—she'd be lucky if they didn't call security. Expecting full service was out of the question.
But now~
Appearing as Firefly, with the fake identity Silver Wolf had prepared, there was no need to sneak in anymore.
She could openly enjoy the services, and openly play under the sun with Sylvia.
So when Kafka heard about Firefly's plans, she recommended this approach.
Sylvia, naturally, had no objections.
She wasn't some corporate drone tied to a schedule; she could do as she pleased day to day. Staying with the Express crew wasn't mandatory either.
Ever since that Doomsday Beast's beam startled March 7th and woke Stelle's Path of Destruction, Sylvia had grown increasingly ambivalent about the storyline the Express was meant to follow.
She realized that in this world, there existed Aeons like Finality and Erudition, who could see fate or calculate the workings of the universe.
Her own tiny butterfly wings weren't likely to stir up much of a storm anyway.
Besides, on the Xianzhou, even the final boss had been severely wounded by her ahead of time—what could possibly go wrong?
And at this point, it was unclear whether the Express would even go to the Luofu.
In the original storyline, Kafka guided the Express there to build goodwill with the Luofu and secure an alliance.
But now, that Jade Abacus of Allying Oath was in Sylvia's hands. She had no idea if there was a second one.
If they ever needed to call upon the Xianzhou for aid in the future, Sylvia could just as well issue the summons—it didn't have to be the Astral Express.
So Sylvia was truly quite free to go wherever she wished.
Even if something did come up, opening a quick portal for a round trip wouldn't be difficult.
Mulling over the Astral Express for a moment, Sylvia leaned slightly, letting her hair fall toward Firefly, allowing her to play with the strands.
But her gaze remained on the game library as she browsed through Silver Wolf's collection, saying,
"I don't have anything pressing. The clothes I ordered from Kafka will still take some time. Just arrange things as you like, Firefly."
"Mhm! Then I'll make the arrangements just like this."
Firefly happily nudged Sylvia's shoulder with her own.
Sylvia promptly nudged her back.
And so, what was meant to be a surprise outing gradually turned into a date planned together.
Thinking of this, Sylvia couldn't help but smile.
She tilted her head, watching Firefly sway gently, her long hair bouncing softly.
"Speaking of which, Firefly, how much do you usually sleep?"
"Hmm? Not much. I was born unable to dream, so my sleep is far shorter than most people's. Just a brief rest each day is enough."
Firefly answered with a smile, but the content of her reply was far from pleasant.
Sylvia's expression remained calm as she stared at the large screen, though her mind was racing, wondering just what those people in the Glamoth Republic had done to these clones.
For a living being with active cognitive abilities, dreaming was perfectly normal.
Yet Firefly was born unable to dream—clearly an unnatural outcome.
As Sylvia pondered this, Firefly continued:
"So, I often climb to high places in the early hours. I love watching the sun slowly break through the horizon. The sun rises as usual, and today will be another beautiful, peaceful day."
Firefly's positive outlook seemed to flow through her warm words, seeping into Sylvia's heart.
The discontent that had been stirring within Sylvia momentarily faded, replaced by calm.
Sylvia smiled, looking at Firefly's lovely face. At this moment, Firefly's smile seemed to glow.
"Then you must have seen many different sunrises?"
"Of course. Let me tell you, the sunrise over a bustling city, over a quiet country town, from mountainsides, across the sea... each has its own charm. I recommend trying them."
"I might not be able to get up that early. I often sleep straight through till noon."
"Hehe~ That's sleeping way too much."
Firefly looked at Sylvia, covering her mouth with her sleeve as she giggled. She had thought Sylvia would be the type to train diligently with her sword, not sleeping much.
Turns out she was surprisingly fond of sleeping in.
"But for this date, since we're going to the seaside, we could watch the sunrise over the ocean."
"Really? Then I'll try to wake you up when the time comes. Don't worry, I'm very punctual."
Firefly volunteered eagerly, even giving Sylvia a thumbs-up.
Sylvia almost said she could just set an alarm.
But seeing Firefly so excited, she really couldn't bear to dampen her spirits.
"If you don't mind the trouble, then I'll leave it to you."
"No trouble at all. I'm awake anyway."
--+--
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.