The shining Shoko Toyokawa

An handed over the glass of red wine, but Taki didn't take it.

"That's the only thing I don't want to hear you say!"

"Where is the woman who single-handedly changed the world?!"

An took a sip of wine and placed both glasses on the table beside him.

He looked at his partner calmly, "I'm scared, Taki..."

"You who once shone, have you become a coward now?"

To be fair, Taki's provocation was a bit clumsy, and his expression when he looked at the kitchen waste was far less vivid than it was seven years ago.

This... was probably because, no matter how embarrassing the pink-haired girl was right now, she couldn't possibly hate her from the bottom of her heart.

"!!!"

"Just continue to live your good life here!"

Seeing that An was still unmoved, Taki stood up angrily.

But as soon as she took a step forward, her hand was grabbed by An.

"Don't go, please don't go."

The voice of 'An' seemed to be begging.

"Xiao Deng hasn't come back yet. I really... don't want everyone to do anything dangerous anymore..."

"Ai...Ann..."

Taki felt mixed emotions.

"but…"

She wanted to say something, but looking at An's earnest expression, she couldn't bear it.

"Please," An hugged Taki's waist and buried his waist in her lower abdomen, "Soyo is still angry with me now, and Lenai-chan has always listened to you."

An's voice was soft and timid.

"So please, Taki, please help me convince them!"

"We are a community with a shared destiny, living and dying together. Once someone is involved, it is impossible for others to stand idly by."

She rubbed her face gently against the belly of the black girl, like a spoiled child.

"........."

"I'll tell everyone what you think,"

Taki finally softened her heart. She gently touched An's head and asked softly, "Do you still have nightmares often now?"

“…It’s much better now.”

An raised his head and showed a brilliant smile, "Taki, how are you and Hailing doing? When are you getting married?"

"You should worry about your own relationship situation first,"

Taki rolled his eyes at her and explained, "I've asked Hailing, and she doesn't have any intention in this regard. I think you're just being too naive."

"Eh~~"

The pink-haired girl stretched out her voice, "Is that really the case?"

Taki was fed up with her teasing expression, so he picked up his glass of red wine and drank it all.

"Even if Hailing is a girl, the one he likes is her eldest daughter, right?"

Taki smiled and put down the cup.

"I'm going back to take care of Xiao Deng. It would be nice for you to relax first..."

…………

Looking at the pink-haired girl getting farther and farther away in the rearview mirror, Taki sighed in his heart.

"Lying really doesn't suit me..."

"Thanks a lot,"

The flaxen-haired girl sat up from the back seat, forcing a smile onto her dull face.

"Just know that she won't get involved in this matter."

"Isn't it a bad idea for us to do this?" Li Xi hesitated, then continued, "Aren't we a community with a shared destiny?"

"A community of shared destiny..."

The flaxen-haired girl had a wry smile on her face.

"Xiaoxiang also said something like this..."

"Ann lied to us once, so... let's lie to her once too."

"That was seven years ago. You really hold a grudge," Taki complained. After a long while, he said, "But she is really tired. Let her rest for a while."

"This time...we will change the world!"

"Change the world..."

The flaxen-haired girl's blue eyes, like the first clear day after snow, reflected the scene receding outside the car window.

Her hair, which had been cut short because of that girl's death, has now grown back to waist length because of another girl.

But this girl was too fickle, so the two people who should have been close to each other always kept a distant relationship.

Perhaps, An's biggest problem is not his fickleness, but his lingering thoughts about the deceased.

Just like Nagasaki Suyo himself,

They are still not ready to give all their love to another person.

...............

……

"Oh my, what a touching friendship,"

The secret door connecting to the living room was pushed open.

A girl with pink hair that reached her calves walked into the living room with brisk steps.

Like a little character in a cartoon, she moved her head from behind An to in front of her.

She looks 99% similar to An, and their height and figure are like they were printed from the same mold.

But An's hair was tied into a neat high ponytail, and she let the pink waterfall flow and vent.

Like an annoying little goblin, it scratched An's face.

"I'll leave it to you from now on, Zhuang Yan," An deliberately didn't call her by her real name, but by her code name.

In a science fiction novel called "The Three-Body Problem II: The Dark Forest",

The heroine's name is Zhuang Yan. She is a person who should only exist in Luo Ji's fantasy.

But did Luo Ji really find the all-powerful United Nations in reality...?

The answer is most likely no.

Just like in the real world, there is no Kaname Madoka and Akemi Homura,

There is no red-haired senior sister who came to save you when you were at your lowest point, nor the little monster who bought 100,000 flower tickets for you.

Of course there won't be any 'Zhuang Yan',

Although it is not explicitly stated in the original text, it is possible that Zhuang Yanji is an agent sent by the United Nations to supervise the work of Logic, the Wallfacer.

That is to say...

The character Zhuang Yan is just an act.

"How long will it take you to come back? I might not be able to hold out for much longer,"

But the 'Zhuang Yan' here is not a well-trained agent.

If she pretends to be An, she will probably be exposed soon.

"Just put it off for a day, don't feel any pressure."

Obviously, An didn't have too high expectations for the substitute plan.

"Why don't you let them join you?" Zhuang Yan was still puzzled. "They should be very strong too, right?"

An was silent for a long time.

"I have nothing left,"

Her voice was full of fatigue.

"Besides them, I have nothing left. No matter what, I don't want to lose them."

"In that case, why not just ignore it?"

Zhuang Yan's innocent eyes were filled with doubt. "What the world will be like, it's not something that one person can decide, right?"

"No,"

An's expression was calm... and determined. "If even I don't do anything, then what's the point of Xiangzi's brilliance?!"

"I will do my best, whether it's defeating Caius and the separatist forces, or what's to come."

Seven years ago, after witnessing that flash of light, they ultimately chose to move forward.

...............

……

On the Argama, there is a 'forest'.

It is called a forest, but its area is actually quite limited.

Therefore, there are strict restrictions on the number of people entering the "forest" and the length of time they can stay.

"Yes, the Aurora Colony was named after the goddess of dawn in Roman and Norse mythology, Miss Chihaya."

Maya, who was forced to take half a day off, had nothing to do, so she came here for an "outing" with a few girls.

"I'm more curious about what Meowen-kun said, whether it's true that Chihaya-san and Char are having an affair," Subaru said with a gossipy look on his face. "Meowen-kun also said that Char is a weak bottom, being 'loved' by the pilots of Organization Y every day."

Hard, Maya's fist is hard,

Miao Meng, who says all kinds of nonsense just to get traffic, is committing a heinous crime!

"It must be a lie," Ninai said firmly, "How could the real Xia Ya be Xi?"

"The real Xia?"

Xiaozhi keenly connected this sentence with the guy who now claimed to be Xia Ya.

"Uh…"

Rencai realized that she had spoken out of turn and looked to Maya for help.

It seems that it would be better for 'Char', the 'clone' Maya, to speak on this matter.

But Maya, being herself, not only gossiped with them about herself, but also said that she was a fake or something, which really made people feel awkward.

"In the old days, America seemed to have a super soldier program,"

But she has done this kind of thing of deceiving people countless times...

"This plan already existed in the last century when the two superpowers were competing for supremacy,"

"Their experiments included so-called superpowers and drug enhancement. During the Unification War, they were said to have invested in the final product of this series of plans—"

"Enhanced humans and clones of excellent pilots are causing headaches for the Unified Army."

"Eh? 幛"

Xiaozhi was extremely surprised, "Isn't that an urban legend?"

"It's not an urban legend,"

Renai took over the conversation, and seeing Maya's calm expression, she continued, "At least clones aren't urban legends. That girl who calls herself Char is just an imposter!"

"Oh, yes."