---
In Theresa's mansion
If described in one sentence—it would be: memories of death were madly assaulting them.
Countless moonlit memories and the scenes of blades flashing before their eyes all condensed onto the screen in front of them, as if that one fateful summer night—of encounter and farewell—was being condensed into just a few short minutes.
The white-haired girl, Homu, ice cream sundaes, dancing gently under the moonlight, the vampire, and the promise…
The pain from the past played out again before their eyes, even before the brain had fully reacted to it.
If "recalling a person by seeing an object" was something that happened unconsciously, then these resurrected memories were clearly brought on by someone's malice.
Luo Mo looked impressed, though he didn't show much joy. He just put on the same exaggerated expression as everyone else—a look of deep sorrow—and secretly observed the others.
Kiana's expression was similar to when she once encountered a classroom simulation: confused, tinged with regret, and not quite catching up.
Mei's expression was… probably like the one she made when tasting Kiana's cooking: a frown that said "difficult to describe."
Bronya… well, with her emotional regulation, her face remained expressionless.
Seele hadn't arrived back then, so she didn't have deep feelings about it.
The only one with a noticeable expression was Theresa—clenching her small fists, her eyes glistening and flickering…
It made him really want to tease her a little.
But before he could secretly observe everyone's reactions any longer, a soft and fragrant voice cut him off. Irene stood directly between him and Luna.
"My, my… what an impressively wicked sense of fun you have, dear Captain~"
She still smiled slowly, elegant and mysterious, like a flower blooming in the night. By the time you noticed its scent, it had already slipped into your lungs.
"Uh…"
Luo Mo's expression quickly shifted, and he sighed, "I didn't expect that after everything, we'd return to where the dream first began. I hope this time… we can actually rescue her from beneath the moonlight."
His voice was filled with emotion, while Kiana looked at him with deep suspicion.
She looked left, then right, then back at Luo Mo with clear distrust in her eyes. Her lips moved silently, as if saying, "Is this really the boss I know? Wasn't he possessed or something?"
Come to think of it, she occasionally thought maybe there was some fated bond between her boss and Luna—one a capitalist, the other a vampire. But that was just her imagination running wild.
His company was still the kind that had people breaking down the doors to get in—so many Valkyries wanting to join up just to get a cameo role.
She'd even had people come asking her for backdoor access. Unfortunately, the ones who came were clearly lacking in basic knowledge. Back when the company was first founded, it didn't even have proper entry exams.
The only thing she was thankful for was that she hadn't rebelled with Auntie Himeko and skipped the chance to join.
In short—Kiana shouted inwardly: "No way! My boss would never act like this!"
Luo Mo shot her a sidelong glance and said nothing.
As long as he didn't publicly say anything that would hurt group morale, there shouldn't be any problems, right? Surely no one would pick a fight with him for no reason…
.....
Meanwhile, beside the villa—in the Golden Courtyard pavilion
"That guy… so annoying! Even during Sirin's grand finale, he suddenly popped in to interfere, ruining the touching moment where all four of them finally came together in unity!"
"That moment that should've made me happy to see Sirin grow… suddenly turned into me worrying about Luna again. Too much!"
Elysia pouted in extreme grievance. The good moment was taken away before she even had a chance to properly appreciate it, and now she was left stewing in bittersweet feelings.
There's only so much sympathy and sorrow a person can handle—what she needed now was to replenish the happy and fun parts of her soul!
The pink elf lady wanted joy.
She didn't want to keep getting stabbed in the heart like this.
"Ah, don't just whine here," Mobius said lazily without even looking up. "Isn't their house just over there? Luna and Luo Mo are both there right now. Why don't you just go spill your heart out?"
"Though… I don't think she likes you very much."
Mobius lounged comfortably on the sofa, her gaze fixed on her pale jade-like fingers. She didn't express any opinion on the current drama.
"Hmm… maybe," Elysia muttered. "But why does Luna dislike me so much? Even Mobius doesn't hate me that badly, right?"
She was honestly feeling troubled. Despite all her efforts in this recent stretch of time, her relationship with Luna hadn't improved at all.
In fact, every time they met, all she got was a sharp glare.
She sort of knew who the real cause was, but that person refused to believe it.
"First of all, it's because you're His 'best friend '. Second… I hate you more than Luna does."
Mobius emphasized the words "best friend" with extra weight, raised two fingers and waved them slightly, her chin lifted slightly as she glanced at Elysia with an expression as firm and sincere as her tone.
"...Sigh, Luo Mo really is quite favored by all the Theresas. It feels like every Theresa gets along well with him. Is this some kind of innate talent?"
"Speaking of which, he also gets along with Griseo…" Mobius frowned slightly, pondering.
Another one who's favored by kids… no wait, reversed—it's another one who likes kids?
But still, his relationship with Elysia seems to be relatively good.
"So tell me," Elysia suddenly stepped closer, her eyes sparkling like a curious cat's, "is this whole thing actually just a re-adapted captain's script based on Luo Mo's autobiography? That's what I'm most curious about~ ♪"
"…That really could explain why they all care so much about Luo Mo," Mobius nodded lightly, answering vaguely.
After living here for so long, even her desire to experiment had slowed down. She was actually starting to care about romance and emotional stuff.
Mobius was a little surprised by this change in herself, but she didn't dislike it. Experiencing this kind of thing once in a while… wasn't so bad. At least she didn't have to deal with Type A's constant demands anymore.
----
In the game.
He once again arrived at that coastal city—Canghai City, the very place where, on a summer night long ago, he'd encountered the vampire.
Now, the scene had changed. Beneath the airship was a beach. Compared to the dark and gloomy night back then, the city was now bathed in daylight—cicadas buzzed loudly, waves of heat shimmered in the air, and brilliant sunlight shone down on the boundless sea like a giant, glimmering blue gemstone.
The air was thick with the smell of the ocean, and the blazing sunlight stung the skin.
Following the clues related to Luna, he didn't expect to end up right back here again.
The captain couldn't help but feel a bit emotional.
But it also solidified his resolve—this time, no matter what she had become, he would fulfill that old promise and bring her out of danger.
"Grrrgle~~"
Embarrassed, he looked at Irene in front of him. Just earlier he'd been talking so confidently, and now his stomach had betrayed him first.
When he woke up, he hadn't seen Bronie—she had probably gone ahead to scout for information.
"No need to be reserved, Captain. It's just the two of us here. Or… don't tell me you don't want to have afternoon tea with me?"
Irene smiled gently, her calm eyes locked onto the captain's. The intensity made him avert his gaze, shifting his eyes away as he shook his head decisively.
The two of them continued moving deeper into the city while following the direction Bronie had taken.
Soon after…
Inside the Homu Café, fast-paced music filled the air. The place was decorated in a vampire-themed style—clearly just a gimmick to sell merchandise.
Along the way, they found that although there were indeed many vampire legends in this city, upon closer investigation, most of them were just marketing tactics. Not real.
The captain stared blankly at the food on the table, momentarily forgetting how hungry he was. He was lost in thought. Those hamburgers… this café… he'd experienced it all before, on that summer night, with someone else.
Memories always have a way of surfacing at the most unexpected times. The briefest flickers of a film reel from the past could resurface in full clarity just from the right trigger.
For the memories we can't hold tightly, we will always occasionally remember them.
"To be distracted in front of a lady is terribly rude, Captain," Irene reminded with a faint tone of grievance. Though really, she probably just wanted to see the captain's shy expression.
Her pure white fingertips lightly brushed his arm, pulling him back to reality—back to the present. In front of him were just delicious hamburgers and… two long-lost companions?
Sirin stood stubbornly nearby, her little face awkward and stiff. Bronie stood beside her, looking like she was thoroughly enjoying the situation.
After a moment of hesitation, Sirin finally spoke, her voice like a textbook example of tsundere, face blushing and eyes averted:
"H-Hear me out… Bronie said… you two seemed like you needed help, so…"
But before she could finish, someone cut her off.
"Hey, I never said anything like that, okay? You were the one worried about him. As soon as things settled in Huyen City, you made me rush over to pick you up."
Bronie spoke rapidly, her tone full of amusement, and clearly more convincing than the blushing and stammering Sirin.
"You…! Bronie! Don't say that!" Sirin tried to stop her, but it was useless.
Bronie gleefully watched Sirin's reaction, finding the whole thing absolutely hilarious.
Then she casually mentioned that the Homu Café's hamburger meal set included Magical Girl collectible toys, and Sirin's expression instantly changed to one of joy. She gleefully rushed off to grab them.
Sometimes, a girl's thoughts are unexpectedly easy to understand.
But…
The grown-up girl standing in front of him wasn't quite so easy to read.
Irene gently helped straighten the captain's clothes. After carefully inspecting him, she finally gave a satisfied nod. Noticing the distracted look in his eyes, her head tilted slightly in confusion—then she burst into a cheerful smile.
Her warm, gentle smile eased the anxiety in the captain's heart.
Of course, Sirin's noisy antics earlier had already improved his mood significantly.
Maybe… this was the power of harmony?
----
On Sirin's side in Cecilia's home
"Ugh..."
The girl here was blushing just the same, muttering under her breath, "I'm not that weak or anything... I just wanted to help, just help, that's all. Why did it turn into something so embarrassing..."
As she spoke, she glanced forward with eyes full of yearning for affirmation. Her gaze was as pitiful and heart-tugging as a bullied little kitten, staring at Cecilia.
That performance earlier must've been someone talking badly about her, right? Definitely... huh?
She saw Cecilia, after thinking for a moment, smile warmly under Sirin's curious gaze. She reached out and stroked the girl's purple hair gently.
"This kind of Sirin is also very cute. Don't worry about those things~"
Sirin — collapsed.
She clutched her head in frustration, lips pouting enough to hold a whole bottle of soy sauce, sulking and refusing to look at Cecilia.
All her anticipation had vanished into thin air. Worse, she was tightly clutched by Bronie.
What was she, some comic relief character?
Magical Girl, huh?
I'll Magic Girl you!
From this day forward, in her mental blacklist, another name joined the ranks alongside the "Spirit of the Fountain" — Magical Girl.
"But honestly, it's no wonder she couldn't say anything. After all, it's about a guy — the Captain," Cecilia leaned in and added teasingly.
"Even if the Captain helped her a lot before, our Sirin isn't someone who doesn't repay kindness~"
Sirin's ears twitched. She slowly turned her head, her expression calming down. Suspiciously, she asked:
"Mom, do you really think that way? Then... I guess not being able to say it is kind of normal. It's not my fault."
"Well... I wouldn't say you like him exactly. Or do you?"
"Ugh, mom!" Sirin exclaimed, embarrassed and annoyed, pushing Cecilia away.
Whenever it came to this kind of topic, the girl could never suppress her shyness.
"But anyway, it doesn't really matter. I'm not some story mode character, and the Captain never actually appears as a defined figure. Who knows if he's even our boss?" she explained.
"But I never said it was Luo Mo, now did I? Don't just start imagining things on your own~"
Cecilia booped Sirin's nose, smiling mischievously.
Teasing her daughter was, as always, an amusing pastime.
Next to them, Bella let out a long sigh of relief. She had nearly gone off to find Luo Mo and challenge him to a dragon-versus-human duel.
Though… now that she thought about it, she'd probably lose.
But if Her Majesty the Queen wanted to find a partner, that wasn't necessarily a problem...
The issue was her.
The conflict in her "Dragon Heart" was real.
Fortunately, the worst-case scenario didn't come true.
"You know, it's not impossible that you'll get to see another Sirin sometime. Lots of familiar people have been appearing here lately. Maybe she'll show up too."
"Have you thought about how you'd greet another version of yourself?"
"Actually, these kinds of cases are getting common among students. It's kind of fun. Remember that time Theresa didn't want to work overtime and tried to secretly change into her loungewear to read manga? Pfft—haha!"
Cecilia laughed loudly, her shoulders shaking from giggles.
This former S-rank Valkyrie was still just as quirky and unpredictable as before. Her daughter had no idea how to deal with her — but she couldn't help imagining what that kind of scenario would be like.
It really... might be kind of fun.
------
Late into the night, after a long day of searching.
The Captain and his team had still found no major breakthroughs in the city.
It wasn't that this city lacked anything unusual — in fact, quite the opposite. It was too unusual.
When Bronie had been searching through the phase world earlier, she hadn't found anything. But once Sirin's issue was resolved, everything had suddenly appeared — the world, and someone who looked exactly like Himeko from the Captain's memory...
It was truly unbelievable.
After all, he clearly remembered that this phase world had been destroyed or was going to be destroyed soon.
But now, there were no such signs.
The phase world had stabilized once again.
The vampire rumors circulating in the city were a mix of truth and fabrication, leaving them unsure where to begin searching.
Until—
"Ah! Don't come any closer. Who are you guys?"
In the chilly night breeze, under the dim glow of a streetlight in an alley, a young boy whom they had helped during the day now acted like he didn't even know them — running away as if they were strangers.
It had only been a few hours, and yet he behaved like they'd never met.
This strange development set off alarms in their minds.
And when they encountered a red-haired officer-like woman — someone from Canghai City — this uneasy feeling reached its peak.
Her eyes were weary, as if she hadn't slept for days. Yet she still offered them a gentle smile and help.
She was Himeko. But not the Himeko the Captain remembered.
Even so, her answers, full of conviction and certainty, made everyone believe it:
Canghai City was trapped in a loop.
A night without tomorrow. A time loop.
And the only people outside of this cycle — the ones who could perceive it — were the Captain's team... and Himeko.
Maybe that's also why this phase world hadn't collapsed — because it had never ended in the first place.