"Look, Firefly! They're selling fireworks at that little stall!"

"Hey, don't go off on your own!"

Although I was technically her guide, by now Stelle seemed to have taken over the reins of our tour. Her enthusiasm was so overwhelming that I was struggling to keep up.

After visiting Oti Mall, we had come out onto the main street of the Golden Hour. From there, I had walked with her to the square with the big statue of Clockie, where we had decided to take a short break.

Stelle ran towards me, holding what looked like long wooden sticks.

"What have you bought?"

"Sparklers! Have you never lit one before? Come on, I'll show you how!"

I followed her up a flight of stairs to one of the most picturesque spots in the Dreamscape.

Beyond a railing stood a breathtaking panorama.

The infinity of the Golden Hour was illuminated by the lights of countless skyscrapers like a myriad of precious stones, and at its centre, in all its splendour, towered the most precious gem: the Grand Theatre of Penacony.

Every time I went through here, I couldn't help but stop and watch that spectacle for several minutes.

Now, however, there was someone else who was monopolising my attention.

"OK, take one! Try not to hold it too close, you don't want to burn yourself!"

I'm pretty good at handling fire...

After making sure I had followed her instructions, Stelle brought a lighter closer to the tip of the stick I was holding.

"Oh... it sparkles!"

I stared at the tip of the stick I was holding, mesmerised.

"I mean... that's why they're called sparklers! Here, take another one!"

After Stelle had lit the second one he had given me, I began to wave them in the air,

"What a pretty glow... kinda like fireflies... Stelle, thank you."

"It's no big deal!" Stelle replied with a smile.

I... didn't think I'd ever feel such happiness again.

Maybe it's no big deal to her but... this time we are spending together is so important to me.

Absorbed in this precious, light-hearted moment, I began to spin in place, my eyes following the trail of light the sparklers left in the night sky.

Click.

image [https://i.imgur.com/upDbFhx.jpeg]

"Huh?"

I watched Stelle lower her phone, a guilty smile on her face.

"You... took a picture of me?"

"Sorry... you had such a lovely smile, I couldn't resist!"

"...Let me see it!"

After putting off the sparklers, I approached her and tried to grab her phone. But Stelle was a little taller than me and raised her arm, taking it out of my reach.

I started jumping around trying to catch it.

"Camera shy, huh?" asked Stelle, giggling.

"Stop teasing me and let me see it! I bet I look terrible!"

The only picture of me going around is the one of SAM on the wanted posters...

"No... no, I assure you you're incredibly pretty even in pictures!"

"Don't start making fun of me again!" I complained, "why do you want a picture of me anyway?"

"Because this way, even if I'm on the other side of the universe, I'll have something to remind me of the time we spent together!"

Huh?

I stopped jumping around and looked Stelle in the eyes. For once, she looked completely serious.

I... what am I doing...?

All this time I had been thinking only of myself and the memories I could create.

I had completely neglected Stelle's feelings.

She thinks she's befriending a local girl but, from the first moment I met her, I have done nothing but lie to her.

Suddenly the guilt I had felt earlier in the day came back, much stronger.

"Hey, not that sad look again! Is it because of what I said? Don't worry, we still have time to have some fun! And I'm on a space train anyway! I'll come back to see you lots of times, I promise!"

Her kindness... only makes things worse.

But I did my best to smile at her.

I know it's selfish of me... but just a little longer... please... I want to live in this dream just a little longer.

"Thank you, let's go to Aideen Park now! There are some fun games there!"

I didn't just want to change the subject.

The man following us hadn't given up yet. It was better for us to go somewhere crowded before he got any strange ideas.

Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

But as Stelle and I walked towards the amusement park, she suddenly stopped.

"Firefly, wait a minute! I saw something!"

And she sprinted off.

"Again?! Wait for me!"

Has she spotted our stalker?

But when I caught up with her again, I was confronted with a scene that was definitely unexpected.

…

"... Stelle... why are you hugging a trashcan?"

The girl barely looked up, a dreamy expression on her face.

"How could I resist? I've never seen anything like this!"

"Anything like this? It's just a trashcan!"

"Just a trashcan'? This, my girl, is a work of art, it's incredibly well made. Look at the shine on this metal. It sparkles!

No... this is not a trashcan, this is a chest, and it has yet to show us its treasure!"

"Please don't rummage through trash...'

But I couldn't help giggling.

This scene kinda reminds me of...

----------------------------------------

It was late at night.

I was returning from a mission.

Like a shooting star in the night sky, I landed at the designated spot near our secret base.

Still in my armor, I started walking towards its entrance.

Lately... even walking has become a problem when I'm outside of SAM.

I reached for the electronic mechanism to unlock the door, but it opened before I could touch it.

Who's up at this hour?

Oh... it's that girl... Stelle.

She had joined us recently and we had spoken a few times.

I had found her rather overwhelming.

When she saw me, the girl took a step back.

Oh... it's her first time seeing SAM. She must be scared... the armor is quite imposing, I guess. Maybe she saw the flare from when I landed through the windows and came to see what it was.

But after that brief moment of shock Stelle threw herself forward and hugged SAM's leg.

"SO THIS IS SAM! How freaking cool! Such shiny metal, such a sturdy build... it sparkles! Beautiful!" she said, stroking my thigh.

I was speechless.

What kind of reaction is this?

"Hey, what are you doing?! Don't touch me like that!"

"Huh? You can feel my hand from inside there?"

"Of course! I'm fully connected to SAM's systems... How could I even fight if I couldn't feel my surroundings!!"

"Unbelievable..." Stelle said, continuing to feel SAM's leg.

"Stop that! It tickles!"

I grabbed her arm, careful not to hurt her. But I couldn't help lifting Stelle a few inches off the ground.

The girl didn't seem to mind, on the contrary:

"Woah, so strong... but are you really the one in there, Firefly? This mecha suit is so big and your voice is so deep!"

I sighed.

"It's just a voice change module... step away for a moment or you'll burn yourself."

I let go of Stelle's arm and she obeyed, taking a few steps back.

In a vortex of flame and a flash of green light my armor disappeared. I landed gracefully in front of Stelle whose eyes were shining.

"Woah! It really is you! So cool! You almost looked like a superhero transforming back to their normal appearance after a mission!"

"Superhero? Stelle... maybe you still don't understand what we Stellaron Hunters do... we're the villains. And I'm probably... the worst of us. While the others act with finesse... the only thing I know how to do is wreak havoc."

Maybe if I scare her a bit she'll leave me alone.

But Stelle didn't even seem to hear me, her eyes were fixed on my other hand, where I was holding SAM's control device.

...

"Don't even think about it!"

"But I haven't said anything yet!"

"It's obvious what you are going to ask me!"

I clutched the device to my chest to make sure she didn't try to grab it.

"Just for a minute!" she begged me.

I sighed again.

"Even if I gave you the controller, you wouldn't be able to activate SAM anyway. Only I can pilot it. It's the only reason I exist..."

"Just let me try!"

"I said no!" I blurted out in frustration, "SAM is not a toy. It's just a weapon whose only purpose is to burn everything in front of it... just like me."

I tried to enter the base, leaving Stelle behind, but she grabbed my hand.

I turned to look at her, annoyed. But to my surprise, her expression had changed.

She wasn't smiling anymore. She looked pissed off.

"You are not a weapon!" she said in a firm tone.

What's with this reaction?

"Oh, and what makes you say that? Do you really think you know anything about me? We have barely spoken! I was born as a weapon to defend Glamoth against the Swarm, and now I am the weapon of the Stellaron Hunters... Fighting is my only reason to live."

"You're right, I don't know you well, but... a weapon... that's not the impression you gave me."

"Impression? What do you mean?"

"You know, before she brought me here, Kafka told me a bit about you: SAM, the Molten Knight, the most dangerous Stellaron Hunter, a death machine who leaves nothing but scorched earth wherever he goes. Imagine my surprise when I met you for the first time and found out that you were the one she was talking about!"

"... Is my appearance enough to make you doubt Kafka's words? That's a bit... superficial."

"I'm not talking about your looks... I'm talking about your character. You are rather cold and distant, but... I can still feel the warm kindness you try to hide.

You always sigh, as if you are filled with regrets.

And that's not all: when I saw you leaving for a mission, I could tell from a mile away that you were reluctant... It kinda made me think!"

"About what?"

Stelle smiled at me again and put a hand behind her head:

"Of all the Stellaron Hunters, you're the one who intrigued me the most.

Kafka... well, she's Kafka.

Silver Wolf seems willing to do anything as long as it's exciting.

And the same goes for Blade, if there's even the slightest chance of him finally finding a way to die.

But looking at you... I immediately thought, 'Why is she here if she seems to hate what she's doing?'"

"That's... none of your business!"

"Too bad! I already asked Kafka, since I was so curious!"

"... Nosy..."

"You want to find a new reason to live, right? And manage to subvert an inevitable fate?"

I sighed for the third time.

Why is this girl so interested in me?

"That's right... but it's useless, I've never managed to go against Elio's script. Fate is really inevitable, you can't change it."

"But you are trying to! That's what matters!"

"What matters? I have only collected failures after failures... In the end, my fate is to die as a weap-"

"No! Even if you have failed so far, the important thing is that you are trying to rebel against your fate!" Stelle interrupted me, "that already proves that you are not a weapon. A weapon is an object in someone's hands, they have no say in how they are used. But you... the fact that you are trying to find a new way forward... means that you have a will.

And a weapon cannot have a will of its own!"

Those words made my eyes widen.

"I..."

"And anyway, you know how it is... first impressions count.

Even if you're inside a weapon like SAM, you'll always be Firefly to me!" Stelle said, beaming at me.

This girl...

I handed her the device.

"You can hold it for a bit... but don't you dare leave my sight," I said.

Her eyes lit up.

"You're the best Firefly! I want to take pictures while I'm doing some poses! Come on, I'll help you get on the couch!"

----------------------------------------

"Firefly?!"

"Eh? Sorry, I got distracted again."

"That look on your face... is it possible you're a trashcan lover too?"

"What... no!"

Stelle sighed dramatically and turned her gaze back to the trashcan:

"What a shame! I'm sorry, no one understands you but me!"

"Don't start talking to it!" I scolded her, laughing.

But suddenly a deep voice answered.

"Considering you can appreciate your King's greatness, it seems you've got some sharp wit."

HUH?!

The trashcan lifted itself off the ground, revealing two muscular legs.

“What do you think of my body?” he asked.

Stelle replied with a curtsy:

“You look majestic and formidable!”

“Not bad at all. You can distinguish the outstanding from the mediocre, and your words are pleasing to my royal ears.If this were the real world, I'd gladly award you the title of "Trashcan General."

After bowing and spitting out some gems from under its lid, the trashcan ran away.

What... did I just witness?

As if nothing had happened Stelle turned to me:

"So... we're going to Aideen Park?"

“...yes.”