Chapter 53 A Beautiful Dream You always felt that this trio...

You always feel that this kind of trio, two girls and one boy, especially one of the girls being pink-haired, is particularly familiar.

...But where exactly does it feel familiar? You can't quite put your finger on it.

Until this day, you, Xi Lian, and Bai E went out for a picnic. You laid out a mat under a big tree, Xi Lian hummed an unknown tune, and Bai E packed bread to serve you later.

Perhaps the sunlight was too bright, and you dozed off.

I dreamt of that train again.

This dream seems to be deeper; you can clearly see the soft sofa in the car, the lush green potted plants, and the flowing nebulae outside the huge glass window.

You walk along the carriage, through the closed doors of the passenger cabin, and come to a spacious section with a bar, where you see a pink-haired figure standing there.

You've only ever seen this shade of pink on Qingmei. Besides, dreams are a projection of reality; it's impossible to completely fabricate a character with such a concrete figure—you can even see her slender figure and black dress.

But...she seems to be a little taller than Xi Lian?

“Xi Lian…?” you asked hesitantly.

The pink figure stirred and let out a soft laugh.

It wasn't Xi Lian's voice.

"This kind of life isn't bad, is it?" she said. "Waking up naturally every day, no world-shaking crises, no pressing problems to solve, just tacit partners and warm and considerate elders. Compared to that illusion where I was stranded on the space station, this is much more comfortable, isn't it?"

You hesitated in place, unsure if she was in danger, and dared not approach her rashly.

"...What do you mean? Who are you?"

She ignored your question and continued talking to herself:

"I originally intended to erase his memories as well, but directly accessing the source code is too difficult. I can only proceed gradually, using his longing for his hometown and his obsession with 'being with you,' to slowly immerse him in it..."

Fingers tapped calmly on the bar counter, tap, tap, tap.

“But dreams always end.” She smiled enigmatically. “It just… needs the right time.”

You can't understand what she's saying.

The pink figure chuckled softly and raised her hand. You cautiously assumed a defensive stance, but she simply vanished abruptly, her figure disappearing like a drop of water merging into the air, as if she had never existed.

A half-finished cocktail sat on the bar. The clear liquid swirled gently in the glass, with only a small portion remaining.

Where did it go? — To the left, nothing. To the right, nothing. — Behind it!

You turn around abruptly, but it's too late. She's completely at ease in this dream, and you only have time to catch a glimpse of her red eyes.

"Hand over your [memories]!"

...

"March, March! I'm so bored—what are you doing? Come play with me!"

"I'm organizing the photos from this adventure. It's a journal, all the rage these days! If you're really bored, want to come help me try it out?"

"...Uh, actually I'm almost sick of making dream passports..."

"Well, there's nothing I can do about that then. Perfect timing, I just got to Pinocchio, it was such a dream—maybe we'll go again sometime?"

"You mean... the Sweet Dream Cone?"

"Dream Cone! Yay!!!"

...

[Long Night Moon] has arrived in this memory.

Following the river of memory, she pushed open the door to March 7th's room and followed you deeper into the room. March 7th was intently hunched over the table, fiddling with little gadgets like tape and stickers.

She saw you and March 7th playfully fighting. Countless photos were piled up on the table.

You put your hands on your hips and announced, "Alright, since my dear Little March is busy, I guess I'll have to go see Teacher Danheng and Lao Ri."

March 7th waved to you, "No problem! But Professor Danheng is probably still organizing the think tank, and Mr. Sunday has been busy lately, so he might not have time to play with you. By the way, didn't you used to be good friends with that Star Core Hunter girl? Why haven't you been playing games with her lately?"

You feel sad, "They've gone on another mission. Am I the only one in the world with nothing to do?"

March 7th showed a sympathetic look.

With a "click," you closed the door and turned to leave.

Changyeyue stepped forward, a smile playing on her lips, trying to see what March 7th was doing.

—It was a thick notebook, mostly filled with photos of the three train crew's adventures, with a few landscape photos occasionally interspersed.

From these photos, Changyeyue can clearly see your past.

Danheng often took on the role of the patriarch. When you and March 7th had stomach aches and couldn't sleep because you secretly ate ice cream, he would silently bring you hot water bottles and painkillers, and then watch you eat them.

You all know that although he doesn't seem to be doing anything on the surface, he's actually quite angry, and his face is practically frozen.

March 7th kept giving you meaningful glances and muttering, "Quick, quick, think of a solution! Teacher Danheng is terrifying when he gets angry..."

Your eyes sharpened, your face filled with righteous indignation, and ignoring your still aching stomach, you rushed forward and hugged Danheng tightly, using all four limbs to entangle him.

"...!"

Danheng didn't react in time and was knocked back a step. A few seconds later, he raised his hand, wanting to pull you off him, but seeing that you were using some strength, he was afraid that a direct collision would hurt you, so after hesitating for a few moments, he still held your waist.

“…Let me go.” He sighed, but his expression softened. “If you’re sick, just take good care of yourself.”

"We won't let you go! Unless you forgive us!"

Danheng was exasperated by your shameless behavior. He glanced over and saw that March 7th was still chuckling across from him, and his ears immediately turned red again.

“It has nothing to do with whether I forgive you or not. I just hope you can take good care of yourselves,” he said.

"Then you say, 'I forgive the Trail Blazers and March'...!"

Danheng obediently repeated his studies, saying, "I forgive the Trail Blazers and March."

However, before you could even gloat for a few seconds, he, whose hands you had completely restrained in an octopus-like position, extended a long dragon tail and slowly, forcefully but gently wrapped it around your waist. By the time you realized what was happening, you were already completely gripped by the waist and torn off him.

The dragon's tail coiled around you and placed you back on the sofa.

"Get some rest," he said.

"Wow, Teacher Danheng tricked our little raccoon! Cold-faced little devil!"

You took the opportunity to rub the tip of the tail a few times. The cool scales slid across your wrist, but instead of cutting you, the tail stood up and lightly tapped the back of your hand.

"That's right! Bad dragon!"

As she looked at him, Chang Yeyue's gaze softened involuntarily.

But in order to achieve her ultimate goal... she shook her head, intending to follow the tide of memories and retreat to find you.

You weren't hard to find; you were in another carriage, engrossed in a game on your phone, oblivious to her arrival.

She reached out her hand again, a flood of memories washing over her—

Suddenly, a red light flashes on your phone.

"boom!"

The force was extremely domineering, grazing her cheek and scattering several memory spirits, even cutting off a strand of her hair, as if threatening or provoking her.

Chang Yeyue's attack was abruptly halted. She opened her eyes wide, her lifeless pupils reflecting the slowly falling strand of pink hair.

"……What?"

She clearly hadn't expected that someone could defeat her in the illusion she had created.

"The Masked Fool...!?"

No, that's not right... It seems... to be of a higher and purer level than the Fool... like... a Star God!

Before being completely forced out of the illusion, she only had time to leave a fleeting glance.

Your phone screen shows a golden wheat field.

*

"Partner, partner?"

"Hey buddy, wake up! The sun's already high in the sky!"

You suddenly open your eyes.

"Ouch." You hold your head, feeling dizzy. "I'm a little dizzy."

The weather is great today. The spot where you're having your picnic is covered by clouds, so you can't get much sun. In the distance, the sky is a clear blue, so you can enjoy the beautiful scenery without the harsh sunlight. It's perfect – you can enjoy the beautiful sunshine without the scorching sun.

Xi Lian sat opposite you, and you leaned on Bai E's shoulder, only then realizing that you had been dozing off for a while, with Bai E's coat still covering you.

The coat was quite a bit too big, covering your entire shoulders like a small cloak. Bai E couldn't help but laugh as he watched you sleeping with rosy cheeks, completely dependent on him, earning a helpless glance from Xi Lian.

Several birds flew over, landed on the branches, and started chirping and chattering, making "cheep cheep cheep" sounds.

Xi Lian noticed you weren't feeling well and was a little worried. She moved a little closer to you, straightened her skirt, and gestured for you to rest your head on her lap.

Do you need someone to rub your head?

——The beautiful girl’s knee pillow!

You feigned hesitation and asked, "Is it really okay?"

"Alright, alright, we're like family, aren't we?" Xi Lian grabbed your wrist, and you leaned into her arms. "But this is my first time doing something like this... If you feel uncomfortable, you should tell me right away, okay?"

As she spoke, a pair of soft hands covered your temples and gently kneaded them.

A gentle breeze blew by, dispelling the restlessness and the doubts and fears in your dream. You rested your head on her warm thighs. Bai E, who was not far away, did not react much. She just moved over to you automatically, using her body to shield you from the sunlight, and then reached out to straighten your disheveled skirt.

Along with the swaying wind chimes and the chirping of birds, Xi Lian began to hum softly.

You said in a daze, "...I always felt that you all took good care of me."

Xi Lian chuckled. "Just a 'feeling'?"

As you lie on your back, you see a strand of white hair falling down from the pink-haired girl's head, her bangs slightly obscuring the blue of her eyes, which are filled with smiles and tenderness.

"You can sense it without 'always feeling' it, right?" She brushed aside your sweaty hair and said softly, "...Everyone already knows how much she likes you."

Bai E nodded in agreement, his shoulders slumping slightly, displaying a completely relaxed and trusting demeanor.

You blinked. "...What if we're destined to separate someday?"

Bai'e gripped your hand tightly. "Then I'll go find you and bring you back, okay?"

How do I find it?

"No matter where I am, no matter how far apart we are. Even if fate doesn't favor me, even if I have to cross the Milky Way—I will find you."

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

Author's Note: The following contains spoilers for the main storyline of the new version. Please proceed with caution if you are sensitive to such content.

Honestly, as you can see, the foreshadowing of this "journal" was laid in the first chapter (although it was delayed a bit due to correcting typos, it's still quite a long time since then). My idea was that Little March likes taking photos, and when it comes to taking photos, it's definitely about making a journal. Since Little March is also at Onfaros, journals are something that will resonate with her the most... So I thought of using a journal to awaken her memories.

God knows I was shocked when I saw the official account also used the journal. And this chapter was originally planned to be about the Li Village trio burying the time capsule (you'd naturally think of that when you think of growing up), and then yesterday I drew Chang Yeyue, and the text message she sent was actually a time capsule… (facepalm)

Although the differences are only in the details, it's still quite a coincidence, I have to say [smiley face]