Chapter 138: I wish time would stop here

　　"Nozomi...brother? Sister?"

　　Compared to the others, Griseo took light steps, quietly broke away from Blanca's hands, and took the initiative to run to Nozomi. She looked at his clothes, tilted her head, showed a somewhat puzzled look, and then opened her arms to him.

　　"hug..."

　　Griseo wouldn't care so much, as long as the person in front of her was still the Nozomi she was familiar with.

　　"Okay~"

　　Nozomi took the petite Griseo into his arms, and Eden also let go of his hand, allowing Nozomi to pick up Griseo.

　　However, Nozomi's response scared Hen and Blanca again... But they quickly remembered something and smiled helplessly.

　　"Ah... I almost forgot. You were famous for your varied voices, including female voices... Oh, it hasn't been that long."

　　Hen said this somewhat embarrassedly.

　　"Um...Nozomi, can I ask you something? The pair of ears on your head..."

　　Blanca pointed at the pair of slender animal ears on Nozomi's head that were similar to Sakura's and asked curiously.

　　"This? I think it's something I researched myself, a different way to use my abilities... It's a byproduct though, and it's essentially colored wind, so it can't be touched, you know?"

　　"is that so?"

　　Blanca seemed a little confused... Although she was no longer a researcher, she still subconsciously felt that there should be more things to explore here... Especially when she saw her daughter Griseo playing with Nozomi's ears.

　　It was really amazing. When Griseo stretched out her curious hands to touch the ears, they seemed to be aware of something. They shook slightly and fell into Griseo's palms. But when Griseo tried to grab them, they cunningly slipped away from her hands.

　　Finally, Griseo even found a unique way to play... She stretched out her hand and pressed it on Nozomi's head, moving along Nozomi's hair little by little to the position of the pair of animal ears, and the pair of animal ears also responded and were pressed on Nozomi's head little by little by Griseo.

　　When Griseo's hand brushed over his ears, they would suddenly "bounce" up and stand up again. She could even hear a slight "pop" sound, which looked quite interesting.

　　And... there was joy in Griseo's eyes, and it could be felt that she was really having a lot of fun.

　　"That... um... is Mr. Nozomi... right?"

　　A calm but slightly nervous voice came from the side, and with it, a slightly cold feeling emerged.

　　Turning my head, I could see a gray-haired man and Kevin standing next to him.

　　But Kevin seemed very confused at the moment, with bewilderment and doubt in his pupils. Even the gray-haired man who had just spoken had obvious hesitation in his tone.

　　"It's me~ ah... I remember you~ you and Kevin were sitting next to me at that concert~"

　　"Is it really you? Nozomi...but you look like this..."

　　Kevin seemed a little dazed... Not to mention Nozomi's voice at the moment, as his fan, Kevin had long been accustomed to Nozomi's changeable voice and was not confused by it, but this look... really made him feel strange!

　　"Eden helped me choose it. Isn't it beautiful?"

　　Nozomi put Griseo down, then gently lifted the hem of his skirt and said this in a very proud tone.

　　"Hmm...yeah, very beautiful."

　　Kevin could only nod dryly, quickly collected his thoughts, and introduced the person next to him to Nozomi.

　　"Since you still remember him, Nozomi, let me briefly introduce him. He is my friend - Su, and he is also a new fusion warrior... I am very grateful to your [Song] and [Power] for making his surgery go smoothly."

　　"It's you~ Nice to meet you~"

　　"No, I should be the one saying this... And I must thank you, Mr. Nozomi."

　　Su quickly adjusted his mindset. As a fan, he would not have any doubts about Nozomi's voice. As for Nozomi's current outfit... As a doctor, he had seen everything. That's it?

　　So Su held Nozomi's hand very solemnly, shook it up and down twice, and spoke in his most sincere words.

　　"Not only my surgery, but also... your [song] saved countless patients, and even saved my teacher. I am very grateful to you, really."

　　Then his tone became low again.

　　"And... I'm sorry, at that time... we were not able to develop a medicine to cure the Honkai Disease in time. Otherwise, you wouldn't have to fight for that slim chance of success... I'm sorry..."

　　"Hush - don't say that. Today is supposed to be your welcome party. Don't say such discouraging words. Besides..."

　　Nozomi's tone was light, and since he was speaking in a female voice, his voice seemed even gentler.

　　"I'm here now, right? I survived and can even help more people. That's good, isn't it?"

　　"...Well, thank you very much for your understanding."

　　Su was silent for a while before he nodded, and let go of Nozomi's hand at the right time, while saying with a smile.

　　"However, you are wrong about one thing... This welcome party is not just for me. There is also a companion... You should be familiar with him."

　　"Hmm?"

　　Nozomi tilted his head and followed Kevin and Su's instructions to head towards the corner.

　　There, a strange brown cat's tail was swaying gently in the air, and then, as if it had noticed everyone's gaze, it suddenly paused, and then a "kitten" with brown hair and heterochromatic eyes poked its head out, and you could see the pair of gently trembling cat ears on her head.

　　"Heh heh..."

　　It was Pardofelis. She noticed everyone's gazes and waved shyly as if she wanted to get closer but didn't dare.

　　"I don't know what's wrong with Pardu. She's unwilling to come over..."

　　"Well... I know why. I should thank her for her understanding~"

　　"What's wrong?"

　　"Sakura is allergic to cat hair, so... she's worried that getting too close might make Sakura uncomfortable."

　　Nozomi smiled, tilted his head slightly, thought for a moment, and then... sang a few syllables softly.

　　Hmm——

　　A gentle breeze was blown up, and golden notes jumped out along with his singing, staying beside Sakura.

　　Then, Nozomi waved to Pardofelis.

　　At first, Pardofelis was reluctant. Although she could see what Nozomi had done, she still didn't want to go over... But after confirming it several times and being encouraged by other people's eyes, she slowly approached... Of course, the more likely possibility was that Kalpas had already come out of the kitchen, and she wanted to find a place where she could feel safe.

　　"That...that...Sister Sakura, are you really okay?"

　　"Yeah, I'm fine."

　　"Huh... That's good, that's good... But is this your power, Brother Nozomi? Is it so omnipotent?"

　　Pardofelis patted her chest and breathed a sigh of relief... Although she really wanted to get close to Sakura, and she used to have a good relationship with Sakura, when she found out that the side effects of her surgery were somewhat similar to Sakura's, she was quite happy and wanted to form a [Beast Ear Alliance] with Sakura. But she found out that Sakura was allergic to her, so she was embarrassed to get close to Sakura again.

　　"I didn't expect Nozomi's power could be used in this way..."

　　Sakura poked the golden musical notes surrounding her with some curiosity... She could feel a gentle force enveloping her, like a warm breeze, isolating her from something, so that even if Pardofelis stood so close to her, it would not have any impact on her.

　　"Impressive, isn't it? But Sakura still can't touch you directly, Pardo, otherwise something bad will happen."

　　"Pfft... Brother Nozomi, your voice..."

　　"What's wrong?"

　　"...No, no, no, it's okay, it's okay, I'm just a little surprised."

　　Pardofelis quickly covered her mouth and hid her shocked expression.

　　"But I didn't expect you, Pardu, to participate in the operation..."

　　"...I just wanted to try a little harder, and my adaptability is okay. With your song as a support, I think I should be able to survive."

　　Pardofelis scratched her head a little embarrassedly.

　　"After all, I'm pretty lucky, and after the operation is successful, I can also... save a few more people..."

　　"..."

'I almost forgot that Pardofelis has been serving as the search pioneer in the rescue team. She has seen no shortage of tragic scenes, and for her to decide to undergo surgery... I guess she must have thought about it for a long time.'

　　"Oh~ We agreed that today is a welcome party for everyone, so why don't we keep the atmosphere so serious and sad~?"

　　Elysia's cheerful voice joined in at the right time, and she reached out from behind and gently kneaded Pardofelis's cute cat ears, and at the same time, she slightly tiptoed and pressed her body on Pardofelis. (Yes, Pardofelis is 164cm, Elysia is 163cm, Pardofelis is 1cm taller than Elysia, and because of the cat ears, Pardofelis will appear taller)

　　"Everyone, let's have some delicious food and have some fun~ Kalpas has been preparing for a long time~?"

　　"Shut up, Elysia."

　　Kalpas's impatient voice came from behind. Turning around, she could see him tidying up his clothes... He seemed to have cleaned himself and changed his clothes on purpose to avoid bringing the smell of kitchen fumes to the party.

　　Meanwhile, Aponia was placing snacks and other things on the table one by one... Noticing everyone's eyes on her, she turned around and smiled back.

　　"Oh, by the way, there's a little surprise~?"

　　Elysia said this and winked at Eden and Nozomi.

　　Then...

　　"Hey, [Record Player], why are you dressed like this today?"

　　"Brother Li!"

　　"Wow...you even changed your voice, are you serious?"

　　"The voice is very nice. And... it's been a long time since I last saw [Record Player]."

　　Li and Yin each smiled and nodded toward Nozomi.

　　"Why are you all here?"

　　"I got a promotion, what else can I do?"

　　Li shrugged and said nonchalantly.

"Also, there was an Honkai Eruption in Twilight Street before, which destroyed the whole place. We risked our lives to rescue the people inside... That [Kitten] was planning to participate in the operation because of this."

　　"Ahahaha... Brother Li, please don't say that..."

　　Pardofelis looked away somewhat embarrassedly.

　　"...Thank you for your hard work. It's a pity that I can't help you here."

　　"Don't belittle yourself like that. Your song has helped us a lot... If you say something like that again, I'll beat you up."

　　"You probably can't beat the Record Player now, Li."

　　Yin ruthlessly exposed her lover's bluff. After all, they were both just ordinary people now and would definitely not be able to defeat Nozomi, who was a fusion warrior.

　　"Hmph, what are you talking about, Yin? Just wait and see. I only need one thing to make the Record Player surrender!"

　　As Li said this, he took two steps at a time and came to Nozomi. He grabbed his hand and stuffed something into his palm.

　　"...Thank you, Brother Li~"

　　"Hehe~"

　　Nozomi seemed to sense something and smiled, thanking him, while Li also hummed twice with great pride.

　　The others looked carefully and found that what Li gave Nozomi was just a lollipop.

　　"Is this considered bribery, Li?"

　　The corners of Yin's mouth twitched before she finally uttered these words.

　　"Just tell me whether I won or not!"

　　"That's right, Brother Li is the best."

　　"You [Record Player], stop pampering him like that, or his tail will be up in the air!"

　　"Ha ha..."

　　The reunion scene, the fun interactions, and the playful conversations made everyone present smile.

　　Hmm

　　Soft dance music sounded quietly, attracting everyone's attention.

　　Turning around, they could see familiar figures for Nozomi and Eden, and the one sitting in the main seat was Elga.

　　"..."

　　Noticing everyone's gazes, they all smiled and nodded in response. When they looked at Nozomi and Eden, there was obvious joy in their eyes. Elga's gaze stayed on Nozomi for a long time before she finally nodded at him, slowly retracted her gaze, slightly lowered her eyelids, and immersed her thoughts in the performance.

　　"Hehe~ It took me a lot of effort to find them~ And some people also had to wait for a long time to fully recover... Come on, thank me, Elysia~"

　　"Thank you, Elysia." x2

　　"Hmm~"

　　Listening to Nozomi and Eden's responses, Elysia shook her head happily, her long pink hair fluttering, and then she came lightly in front of Nozomi.

　　"Well, the dance has already begun. So... this [Miss], would you please honor me and dance with me, who is as beautiful as a flying flower?"

　　"I'm so sorry, he already has an appointment."

　　With a smile, Eden gently pulled Nozomi closer and got close to him.

　　"That's such a pity~?"

　　Elysia also smiled and moved aside with the others to make way for the two.

　　"Hmm~"

　　Eden hummed twice with pleasure, exchanged a glance with Nozomi beside him, and then they took a step together, slowly, and walked to the center of the stage.

　　"I've finally waited until this moment... Nozomi."

　　"It's been a long time, Eden."

　　They hugged each other, held each other, looked at each other, and danced gracefully together to the music.

　　"Today, there are too many people here. Elysia has brought many people who can attract attention... I'm really worried."

　　Eden sighed at first, then laughed.

　　"But, at least for now, you won't take your eyes off me, right?"

　　"Of course~"

　　"…That's great~"

　　The figures separated as the dance music progressed, then embraced each other again.

　　"Nozomi, come and sing~"

　　"Isn't it bad to cover up other people's glory?"

　　"After all, they are stars~ It's okay for them to shine a little~"

　　Eden blinked and took the initiative to close the distance between her and Nozomi, pressing her body against his.

　　"Want to sing~?"

　　"Okay~"

　　Nozomi responded like this.

　　Soon, his and her soft humming overlapped and flowed quietly.

　　The dance steps spun lightly, and the golden light flowed like a stream, outlining the shape of musical notes in the air, spreading in all directions with the breeze, filling the dance hall.

　　The people who were still playing showed helpless smiles... The brilliance of Nozomi and Eden was so dazzling that for a moment their music seemed dispensable.

　　But... they did not stop, and they would not stop, even though they knew that Nozomi's power was enough for him to complete all the music alone, even though they knew that they would never be able to touch Eden's song, they would not stop.

　　The light of the "Double Stars" is dazzling and far away, but this is not the reason for them to stop there... Chasing the light is also a kind of romance, isn't it?

　　Immerse your thoughts in the performance, dissolve your emotions in the music, and express all your thoughts and ideas through music.

　　The light flows and the notes leap, illuminating them.

　　Even though the spotlight has always been on the "double stars", they are also shining with their own unique light at this moment.

　　The two people sitting in the middle of the dance floor, dancing to their heart's content and immersed in the singing, were smiling, smiling happily and joyfully.

　　They looked at each other, exchanged thoughts, and then lightly intertwined their steps. The two smoothly changed each other's dance steps and returned to the normal dance with Nozomi performing the men's part and Eden performing the women's part.

　　The dance steps originally led by Eden gradually shifted to Nozomi's hands.

　　"…Have they always been like this?"

　　Su looked at Nozomi and Eden who seemed to be completely immersed in their own world, then looked at the others who seemed to have gotten used to it and asked curiously.

　　"They've always been like this."

　　Dystopia, who had arrived at some point, responded with a smile, looked at Nozomi and Eden, and gently touched the shoulder of Kosma, who had arrived with her.

　　"Kosma, do you want to join me later?"

　　"I'm not very good at…"

　　"I'll teach you~"

　　"...Um."

　　Kosma nodded slightly. He was not good at speaking, but... he didn't want to refuse.

　　"Well, they are like this."

　　Kevin nodded, responding to his friend's question and acknowledging Dysdopia's statement... At the same time, he looked at Nozomi and Eden with a little bit of... envy in his eyes.

　　"..."

　　He lowered his head and looked at the palm of his hand. At this moment, he could no longer touch Mei, let alone dance with Mei like they did.

　　So... I can only envy and wish you all the best.

　　"...Sakura, do you want to dance with me later~?"

　　"Hmm? No thanks."

　　In response to Elysia's invitation, Sakura smiled and shook her head, and her gaze returned to Nozomi.

　　"Sakura really likes Nozomi. She never takes her eyes off him~?"

　　"...Um."

　　"…I'm surprised Sakura isn't shy."

　　"It's okay to be a little bolder sometimes, right?"

　　Sakura smiled and said so.

　　"Is that so... then Sakura is going to dance with Nozomi later?"

　　"No oh, now it's his and Eden's time."

　　"...Won't you be jealous? If that's the case?"

　　"No."

　　Sakura's gaze lingered on the pair of green animal ears on Nozomi's head, which were similar to her own, and she smiled.

　　"After all... he's here, isn't he?"

　　The pink animal ears on her head twitched twice in pleasure.

　　"I see…"

　　Elysia looked at Sakura's gently trembling animal ears, then looked at the golden musical notes that still lingered beside her, sighed softly, and then no longer mentioned the topic.

　　'The relationship between the three of them is really strange~ It's a bit confusing' - Elysia thought so.

　　Hmm~

　　The dance had come to an end, and the two had never taken their eyes off each other... Finally, in the final pose, Eden smiled, gently put her arms around his neck, leaned forward, and kissed him.

　　"Oh—"

　　"Oh... Brother Nozomi..."

　　"Griseo, don't look."

　　"..."

　　Everyone's voices were different, but none of them could affect them at the moment.

　　"Hehe~"

　　When their lips parted, Eden rested her head on his chest, smiling happily.

　　"Nozomi."

　　"Yeah, I'm here."

　　"I really hope that time will stop right now, so that... we can be together forever."

　　"I hope so too, but... we have to move forward, don't we?"

　　"Yes, we must move forward~"

　　"Besides, I can always stay by your side. Didn't you promise that?"

　　"Yeah, yeah."

　　Eden rubbed Nozomi's chest gently.

　　"You'll be there for me."