Firefly's Curiosity, Sparkle's Bold Teasing

It was late at night, and all was quiet.

Lin Hai had just finished a battle in Star Rail. His phone screen glowed a faint blue as a notification popped up in the background.

[You have received one chance to draw]

[Draw a lucky star?]

Without bothering to check what he was drawing, Lin Hai tapped the screen repeatedly.

The galaxy on the screen spun, shimmering with streams of light.

Ten lucky stars landed in his account.

Lin Hai put down his phone, went into the bathroom, and turned on the faucet, preparing to take a bath.

Two minutes later, the doorbell suddenly rang.

Lin Hai was a little surprised. No one should have been visiting at this hour.

He walked to the door and looked through the peephole. The hallway was empty, save for a palm-sized package on the floor.

He opened the door and picked it up. The box was so light it barely seemed to weigh anything. It was completely transparent, with no label, no sender, and no recipient's name.

A hint of surprise rose in Lin Hai's heart, but he opened the package anyway.

Inside lay ten glittering, star-shaped objects, each giving off a soft, pearly sheen.

He took one out and placed it in his palm. It felt slightly warm, as though he were holding a living thing that was breathing.

Out of curiosity, he gently closed his fingers around it.

The next moment, the lucky star suddenly lit up!

A pure white light that wasn't harsh on the eyes rapidly filled the room. The air stirred, and pages rustled as they flipped over.

At the center of the light, a figure gradually took shape, growing solid and clear.

When the glow faded, a girl with long silver-gray hair and eyes of different colors stood there in a daze, looking around in some confusion.

It was Firefly.

Lin Hai froze, his breathing nearly stopping.

Firefly was clearly just as shocked.

She looked at Lin Hai, her eyes full of wariness and confusion. Her right hand rose slightly on instinct, ready to summon her mech at any moment.

"Where... is this?" Her voice carried a barely perceptible tension.

"My home." Lin Hai answered instinctively, still feeling as though it were all a dream. "You... how did you..."

"Did you bring me here?"

Firefly cut him off, her sharp gaze sweeping over the lucky star he still held before slowly returning to his face. "What kind of trick is this? And what's your purpose?"

"I don't know... I really don't." Lin Hai hurried to explain, finding it just as incredible himself. "I just... drew these stars in a game, and then I squeezed one..."

Firefly studied him in silence.

By rights, anyone who forcibly brought her into unfamiliar territory without her permission should have been an enemy.

Strangely, though her mind was on high alert, her instincts gave her no warning of danger.

Instead, an indescribable sense of closeness, buried deep in her heart, slowly spread through her.

The person before her... gave her the illusion of reuniting with an old friend.

Firefly didn't understand where that feeling came from, just as she didn't understand why she had suddenly left Penacony and appeared in this ordinary bedroom.

She looked away and gazed out the window.

In the distance, high-rises stood packed together, and neon signs flickered with the cold light of a technological civilization.

A world she had never visited, with a seemingly moderate level of technology.

This was certainly not the City of Dreams Firefly knew.

She looked at Lin Hai again. The sheer astonishment and helplessness on his face didn't look feigned.

Finally, her gaze returned to the star in Lin Hai's hand, still glowing faintly.

All these strange events had to have come from this object!

"Hello, could you give me the lucky star in your hand?" Firefly held out her hand. "Perhaps I can use it to go back."

Lin Hai readily handed it over.

Firefly took the lucky star, hesitated for a moment, then gripped it tightly.

The instant her fingers closed, the scene around her shattered like a mirror, peeling away in fragments before rapidly reassembling.

When she came to her senses, she was standing on a street in Penacony.

The city's distinctive, illusory particles of light floated in the air, and a cloyingly sweet breeze gently brushed the ends of her hair.

Lin Hai had vanished, as though he had never appeared at all.

Firefly stood there in a daze and instinctively opened her hand.

The lucky star still lay quietly in her palm, its warm luster seeming to whisper that everything that had just happened was no illusion, but reality.

Firefly took a deep breath, drawing the City of Dreams' distinctive air into her lungs, yet she felt clearer-headed than ever before.

Without hesitation, she gripped the star again.

Light flashed into existence, then quickly faded.

Lin Hai suddenly appeared beside her. He stumbled and barely managed to steady himself, his face full of disbelief and shock.

Lin Hai looked around.

Floating domed buildings, intertwined neon illusions, strange creatures strolling down the street... Everything made it clear that this was not the world he knew.

"I need... a moment to take this in." Lin Hai's voice trembled slightly. The surreal sight before him challenged his understanding.

"Me too," Firefly replied softly, her gaze never leaving the lucky star in her hand.

This seemingly unremarkable little object actually had the power to tear through space and connect two worlds!

Lin Hai calmed his pounding heart, trying to analyze the incredible situation rationally.

Firefly held out her hand and returned the lucky star to Lin Hai.

The instant he took it, a glowing panel appeared in his mind.

[Contract Lucky Star]

[Contract target] Firefly

[Congratulations. You have completed a full round trip and fully activated the connection between you]

[Current affection] 85

Lin Hai clenched it tightly, silently thinking of returning.

The familiar dizziness came over him again, and light enveloped his body. The next second, his feet were on the familiar floor of his own home.

He slowly reached out, his fingertips touching the glass coffee table, then the soft cotton back of the sofa...

The familiar sensations finally convinced him that he really was back!

Lin Hai's gaze returned to the transparent box. Nine lucky stars still lay quietly inside, each emitting the same mysterious sheen.

A bold thought, tinged with excitement, grew wildly in his mind.

Contract Lucky Star.

That should be the name of these lucky stars.

Their function was to form contracts with characters from the Star Rail world, granting them the ability to summon each other and travel between the two worlds.

"Affection at 85. How high is that?"

Lin Hai was puzzled.

A string of text appeared on the panel in his mind, answering the question.

[Affection above 80 means she depends on you and has developed feelings for you]

[Affection above 90 means she can no longer live without you]

[Affection above 95 means she is willing to risk everything, even her life, to protect you and the relationship between you!]

Lin Hai sucked in a breath.

By that standard, Firefly's affection for him was astonishingly high. She had already come to depend on him and developed feelings for him.

That couldn't be likely!

Strictly speaking, the two of them had only just met.

The chances of love at first sight were very, very low.

Lin Hai shook his head slightly and stopped dwelling on it. Instead, he walked over to the box holding the lucky stars.

He took a second lucky star out of the box.

He gripped it tightly, using almost all his strength.

This time, the dazzling light illuminated nearly every corner of the room, even more intensely than before.

Within the light, a completely new figure quietly emerged.

A pretty girl stood there, a playful and curious smile playing at the corners of her lips.

It was Sparkle.

After appearing, she showed no sign of panic. Instead, she looked around with great interest, as though attending an entertaining party.

She even spun lightly in a circle, her sly gaze quickly sweeping over her surroundings. After confirming there was no immediate danger, she bounded cheerfully over to the window.

Through the glass, she studied the completely unfamiliar city at night.

Hardly any explanation was needed. Sparkle's curious and knowing gaze showed that she fully understood she was experiencing a journey beyond imagination!

Sparkle had played roles in many scripts, including ones about traveling to other worlds.

She stretched lazily, turned around, and said to Lin Hai:

"I'm very interested in you. Interested in that way."

"What way?"

"That way—the way you men like so much too!"

As she spoke, Sparkle slowly walked toward Lin Hai, her gaze suggestive, as if desire were stirring in her.

"Man, do you want to... give it a try?"

"Hmm?" Lin Hai was no yasashii protagonist. He came to his senses. "I'd be happy to try. The question is, do you dare?"