NIKKE, When the Milky Way Blossoms

Mihara, Yuni, Lufi, and even the onlookers all subtly changed their gazes toward this person.

Phoenix, on the other hand, looked puzzled and confused.

Is that Casey store manager out of his mind?

Who gives away money like that?

Will we continue doing business in the future?

Chapter 57 Life is Not a Noun (Part 4)

"There's no need for money."

When the waiter tried to hand over the black card, Phoenix waved his hand repeatedly, directly refusing Casey's apology.

In his view, it is understandable for a clothing store to give away clothes as an apology.

But the customer even offered to give them money without being persistent...

Phoenix strongly suspected that the other party's actions were motivated by some ulterior motive.

If a business owner creates the impression that "it's easy for customers to get compensation," then it's no surprise that the business will go out of business within a few months.

Humans are not ants. The most distinctive feature of human society is that good people can produce bad people, and bad people can produce bastards.

There are not many good people left on the ark below.

If Casey dares to pull such a stunt in full view of everyone, there will definitely be people trying to extort money from their stores in the future.

So what is the other party's purpose in voluntarily giving money?

Is there something wrong with this so-called black card? Or is there something wrong with the money transferred?

Phoenix couldn't understand it.

Since you can't figure it out, the simplest way is naturally to refuse.

"Mikhail, Yuni, pack your clothes, then we'll go to the Glory Hotel for dinner," the commander said, then nodded and smiled amicably at Rufi.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Lufie. Thank you so much for standing up for us. I'll treat you to dinner another day."

The unscrupulous man was being polite, but he didn't actually take out his phone for a long time, which made the blonde girl mutter to herself.

They said they wanted to treat the person to a meal to express their gratitude, but they didn't even ask for their contact information. How can they have a meal with them?

Want to eat together through the live stream?

Is her livestream content really as entertaining as those game streamers?!

……

……

The seafood restaurant is located on the eighth floor of Rongguang Hotel.

"commander……"

After silently savoring a few pieces of lobster meat, Mihara, holding a knife and fork, finally asked the question that had been nagging at her for a long time.

"I feel a little... how should I put it, I have some doubts."

Across the table, Phoenix was devouring seafood. Having been born in a coastal city in his previous life, he could tell that all the ingredients used in this hotel came from the real ocean.

This is a taste that Perpetual cannot replicate.

"What's your question?" the man replied casually, completely disregarding his image as he ate meat and drank water heartily.

Seeing the commander's appetizing expression, Mihara felt a sense of relief, but quickly returned to her previous puzzled look, saying:

“Yuni and I can’t taste anything. The Commander knows this, so why is he so insistent on bringing us to the hotel for a meal?”

"Well, although I did have another purpose when I first came to the hotel."

But…

Halfway through his sentence, Phoenix suddenly raised his glass, gulped down a mouthful of ice water, his throat bobbing up and down several times before smiling and nodding at Yuni.

"Yuni, did you enjoy your meal?"

"Ok!"

The little girl nodded emphatically, still scooping up her fifth scoop of ice cream.

Look at her focused expression, paired with her brand new outfit, her cuteness level has undoubtedly doubled again.

“Nikki also needs to live, otherwise even with NIMPH, she would go crazy after a while, it’s just that her state of madness is a little different from that of an ordinary person.”

Phoenix, who usually dislikes making such remarks, gave a rare, serious answer to Mihara's question this time.

"As for life... although it's just a noun, to fit the meaning of this noun, you have to add a lot of verbs to it."

Shila-

Here, the man had just gotten into a serious topic.

Over there, the artificial intelligence seems to have encountered a short circuit in one of its transistors.

Not only did she appear in Phoenix's field of vision without permission, but she even stood next to Eunice, pointing at the ice cream and starting to act crazy towards someone.

I want to eat this!

[You're talking nonsense! How could you possibly taste what I'm eating?]

【Of course! We can simulate the fluctuations in your consciousness by investing a lot of computing power. I want to eat this too, right now!】

[Quiet down! There's no such thing as eating seafood with ice cream in one bite—it's a weird way to eat! Let me finish my main course before having dessert.]

Oh, okay then, just remember not to eat too much.

As Anick spoke, he obediently sat down next to Yuni, staring intently at the girl's small mouth. At first glance, he looked like a psychopathic lesbian ghost.

Such an outrageous scene made Phoenix squint slightly.

"Life..."

On the other side, Mihara's thoughts once again drifted into the depths of her memories because of the commander's words.

It was a colorless hospital room.

She lay on the hospital bed like a puppet, unable to move her body or feel any emotions; even crying with her family became a delusion.

Are you still alive?

Even after she gradually regained her mobility, she still believed that she was merely a breathing corpse, a dead body unable to perceive the outside world.

It was an indescribable fear.

It was as if even the concept of fear itself had become blurred, as if all the beautiful and splendid things in the world were mixed together like mud, eventually turning into dirty black.

Only pain could make her feel that she was still alive.

All that's left is pain...

"I don't think Mihara is completely devoid of perception."

suddenly!

The commander's hoarse voice, like a gentle spring breeze, dispelled the already tattered memories.

"Eh?"

Upon hearing the commander's words, Mihara's eyes widened, and he replied with a mixture of confusion and a hint of mockery:

"Hmm~ I can still feel pain, Commander."

“It’s not that kind of neural transmission perception.” Phoenix decisively chose to ignore the woman’s flirting and said, “When you were trying on clothes in the clothing store, you seemed a little happier than usual, didn’t you notice?”

"Yes, really?!"

"Yes! Yuni can feel it too!" The little girl, who was about to eat her sixth scoop of ice cream, chimed in crucially.

“But I buy clothes myself occasionally, and it’s nothing like what you’re saying…” Mihara said, then suddenly stopped, staring intently at her commander, an incredulous expression slowly appearing on her face.

Compared to her memories of going shopping for clothes on her own...

The time I spent trying on clothes at Casey's clothing store, and the moment I walked out of the dressing room to show the Commander my new clothes, were indeed...

There is indeed a subtle, indescribable sense of anticipation and euphoria.

“Really! Mihara was so happy back then, Yuni could hear it coming from the locker room.” The child insisted on her opinion, “Because when Mihara is happy, Yuni is happy too.”

Happy? Is that feeling what happiness is?

Mihara looked down at the tasteless food on her plate, her expression shifting from surprise to realization, and then from realization to understanding.

finally,

The woman chuckled with relief, her beauty enhanced by the subtle change in her expression.

"Is this the life the commander was talking about?" she said softly.

Then, he murmured almost silently in his lips:

"Didn't the commander just say that life is made up of many verbs?"

Hmm, with many verbs... this level isn't enough.