"Since my mom decided it, you'll be my wife from now on. If I'd said it outright when we first met, we'd have gotten our certificates already."
Caelus kissed Firefly on the cheek as he spoke. Her expression was shy, but she leaned into his embrace without objecting.
"Because of Aelio's script, I couldn't say it directly. I only found an opportunity to confess to you just now."
Firefly explained why she had not said anything before. Caelus understood. When it came to Aelio, he had no complaints. Penacony's chessboard was so vast—who could guarantee they were not a pawn?
"Caelus, there you are."
March 7th's voice rang out. Caelus turned around and saw Little March hurrying toward him.
"Little March, you're here."
"What do you mean, I'm here? I was scared half to death! When I first got here, I thought I really was dead. Forget how powerful Miss Acheron's slash was—why was friendly fire even on?"
March 7th immediately started complaining when she saw Caelus. She had never expected Acheron's slash to send her to this godforsaken place, and she was both frightened and aggrieved.
Meeting Little Bird Again
"She might have forgotten to turn it off. You know how forgetful she is."
Caelus took March 7th's hand and comforted her. Of course, Acheron had done it deliberately. From her conversation with Aventurine, he knew she wanted to send the Express crew to Dreamflow Reef and expose them to Penacony's deepest secret. Caelus realized the girls he liked were becoming smarter and smarter, which naturally pleased him.
"Are we playing a game or something?!"
March 7th grumbled, then waved at Caelus and Firefly, signaling for them to follow her.
"Come on. Uncle Yang and Himeko are waiting for us."
March 7th led Caelus and Firefly to an elevator. Once inside, they could feel the old-fashioned elevator swaying as it rose. When it reached the top, they arrived at the upper region of this dream.
After walking forward for a while, they saw Welt and Himeko speaking with a blond middle-aged man. Once Caelus and the others approached, they introduced themselves to one another.
"Hello, everyone. My name is Mikae, and I'm Dreamflow Reef's gravekeeper."
Mikae spoke to the group. Caelus more or less understood why Himeko had sought this man out. A gravekeeper, Dreamflow Reef, and the Clock Keeper's legacy—those things could probably be linked together.
"Little March, let's go bring Robin here."
Caelus took March 7th's hand. He had no interest in the old man. The Star Rail Express's grown-ups would take care of everything anyway. Naturally, he had to go find his dear little bird.
"You know where she is? Wait, she's alive?"
March 7th stared at Caelus in surprise. Not long ago, she had been grieving for Robin. Learning so quickly that Robin was alive left her struggling to process it.
"Acheron's slash sent us here, which means we died in the beautiful dream, right? Robin must have gone through the same thing."
Caelus explained as he led March 7th away. March 7th thought it made sense, but something still felt off. Caelus seemed like he had known Robin was here all along.
Before long, Caelus found Robin among a group of children, surrounded like the moon among stars. Even outside the Family's territory, without her prestigious status, Robin could still become the most popular girl through other means.
"Little bird."
While March 7th was still stunned, Caelus had already rushed over. He carefully squeezed past the children, reached Robin's side, and took her hand.
"I missed you so much. One day apart felt like twenty-four system hours."
Caelus skillfully clasped the softest spot in Robin's palm. If she tried to pull away, their palms would rub together, and he could tug off her glove. Robin noticed this too and could not help glaring at him indignantly.
"Big brother, who are you?"
The children surrounding Robin were unhappy. They had just been learning to sing from her when this person suddenly appeared and stole their teacher away.
"I'm Sister Robin's boyfriend."
Caelus directly shattered the children's fantasies with cruel reality. Even a sister as beautiful as an angel had to get married someday.
"You're lying! How could Sister Robin have an ugly boyfriend like you?"
One of the children grew anxious and blurted it out, naturally hoping to drive Caelus away and protect their teacher.
"You little brat..."
Caelus's fist clenched. If he and Robin had children in the future, they definitely would not be this naughty. But as a man, he had to maintain his composure. So he released Robin's hand, crouched down, spread out a tablecloth, and took out all the burgers, fries, and pizza he had bought in Golden Hour's dream.
"Come on, let's test your language skills. Any child who uses words to praise how well Robin and I suit each other can get some food. This is your reward for passing the test."
Caelus spread his hands. The fragrant food laid out before them constantly stimulated the children's taste buds. Dreamflow Reef was short on resources. There was food, of course, but it could never compare to Golden Hour's cooking techniques. Besides, Caelus was not simply giving it to them; they had to pass a test first.
"Big brother, you two suit each other so well, like butter and bread."
One child could not resist speaking first. For a child, coming up with words like that was already impressive. Caelus generously handed over a slice of pizza.
With the first taste tester, the rest of the children eagerly began their own tests.
"You're a perfect match, talented and beautiful."
"Made for each other."
"World-destroying."
"Cut. That won't do. Say it again."
Caelus unhappily tapped the child who had spoken on the head. He did not like hearing the words "world-destroying." Everyone knew he and Destruction were mortal enemies.
"May you grow old together and have children soon."
"You little rascal, why are you telling the truth? These are all yours."
Caelus immediately beamed and handed the burgers before him to the child who had spoken. After several more rounds, all the children took their food to the side to eat, while Caelus clapped his hands and stood up.
"They're just children. You're really getting worked up over them?"
Robin smiled. When Caelus had set those tests, she had neither objected nor disliked the children pairing them up. As an adult, she had that much grace. Unlike Caelus.
"Come on, I'm not bragging, but by age alone, which one of you here couldn't be my older brother or sister?"
Caelus patted his chest. He was a child himself, so of course he could bicker with children. If they disagreed with him, he could just cry at them.
"That's not really something to be proud of."
Robin teased him, then returned to her usual composure and asked with a smile.
"Did you deliberately give the food to those children? In the dream world, they may not need to eat, but they still get tired after exercising. Food is the best way to recharge."
"I have no idea what you're talking about. I was just testing the little brats."
Caelus shrugged. He had not expected pitying those poorly dressed children to bring such an unexpected reward. Robin truly was so understanding.
"Hehe, did you meet my brother outside?"
Robin smiled and did not dwell on the matter, instead asking about Sunday.
"I did. Brother Sunday wasn't nice to me at all. It seems the brother-in-law he has in mind isn't me. You need to put in a good word for me, or you'll lose me."
As soon as Caelus mentioned Sunday, he looked at Robin with tearful eyes. He took her hand and rubbed it over his eyes as if wiping away tears.
"I don't think he needs a brother-in-law."
Robin replied helplessly, but she still wiped Caelus's face. He must have suffered at her brother's hands. Robin knew her brother's personality well enough. Without her to smooth things over, Sunday would probably want to stuff Caelus into a toilet and flush him away. That was what he did to cockroaches in the house.
Chapter 102: What Is Borrowed Must Be Repaid
"After my death, how did my brother react?"
Robin asked something whose answer she had always known, yet she still wanted to hear Caelus describe her brother's reaction.
"No reaction at all. Just like he acted before."
Caelus thought about Uncle's demeanor. Sunday had indeed acted exactly as before. Even when Caelus had secretly touched that Light Cone, he had not acted as though it were his sister's keepsake. It was as if Robin were merely resting at home.
"Yes. If he weren't like that, he wouldn't be my brother."
Robin smiled. She knew her brother would not lose his composure in front of others, nor would he put down his work just because she had died. Even if he wanted to cry, he would wait until late at night and cry alone.
"Miss Robin, you really are alive."
March 7th came over to Caelus's side then and looked Robin up and down. Once she confirmed her idol was fine, Little March finally relaxed.
"Hello, Miss March 7th. I'm sorry for making you worry."
Robin nodded and gave March 7th a smile. She could tell that March 7th was a naturally kind-hearted girl, someone with a straightforward heart. Not like Caelus, whose scheming heart would be flattered even by being called a briquette.
"How did you know I was worried? When I heard you'd been harmed, I almost cried. It's great that the records I collected didn't become posthumous works."
March 7th found it strange that Robin knew what she was thinking. The two of them were not exactly friends, but she still said it happily.
"Caelus, come over here."
March 7th glanced at Caelus, who was still holding Robin's hand, then angrily dragged him aside to whisper.
"You knew Robin wasn't dead all along, didn't you?"
"Yeah."
Caelus had nothing left to hide now. He had fulfilled the promise, and everyone already knew Robin was alive.
"Then why didn't you tell me? You even kept it from me. I'll beat you to death."
March 7th raised her hand and hit Caelus, but her arm was so light and weak that it looked more like she was acting coquettishly.
"Listen to me. Robin and I were both stabbed by a Memory Zone Meme back then. When we woke up, we were here. She asked me to keep it secret, so how could I refuse?"
Caelus briefly explained. Seeing March 7th still sulking, he pulled her into his arms and tried to rub his face against her pretty cheek. Little March naturally resisted, shoving him around for a while before she finally smiled again.
When Caelus looked back at Robin, he found her touching up her makeup with a small mirror. She had probably expected to meet the others soon, so she was paying attention to her appearance.
Robin held a lipstick and applied a beautiful gloss to her lips. She even gave her mirror a confident smile. That smile left Caelus utterly captivated, to the point where he nearly floated away.
"What are you looking at?"
Robin closed her mirror and spoke to Caelus. Seeing him look as though he might float away made her want to laugh. When he said he was enchanted by her, he truly meant it.
"You like lip gloss, right? I'll give you one after we get out."
Caelus said seriously. Giving a girl lip gloss carried far more meaning than giving her other things.
"A man like you carries that sort of thing around?"
Robin did not refuse and say she did not want it, because she felt that if she did, Caelus's next words would certainly become even more excessive. She had already been taught that lesson several times.
"I bought it at the specialty store. The one you endorse, and it was limited edition."
"You're giving me something I endorse..."
Robin looked at Caelus strangely. Would her home lack the products she endorsed? She had used them countless times. She had thought Caelus made it himself.
"Just accept it. Don't feel burdened. It's not a free gift—you can pay me back little by little from now on."
Caelus still looked serious, afraid Robin would refuse it. His little bird was also intrigued by his words.
"Pay you back? How do I pay back lip gloss little by little?"
As Robin spoke, she saw Caelus raise both thumbs and touch them together, looking at her expectantly.
Robin's pretty face instantly turned red. She was smart enough to understand at once. He meant that after she applied the lip gloss, she could kiss him, and the lip gloss would rub onto him as repayment.
"You're so improper. I'm ignoring you."
Robin shyly withdrew her wings into her hair. She had no idea where Caelus got so many clever little tricks, and he used every single one on her. Even if she wanted to be angry and accuse him of taking liberties, Caelus had never said it outright. She had inferred it all herself, which made it even more irritating.
Firefly had been standing beside them like a wooden statue for ages, but she could not sit still anymore. This was a joke—the atmosphere around Caelus and Robin had turned pink. If this continued, she would become invisible.
So Firefly immediately went to Caelus's side, wrapped herself around one of his arms, and looked at Robin with a possessive gaze.
"You're Miss Firefly?"
Only then did Robin notice Firefly beside them. She found it strange that this girl was here too, but she still remembered the beautiful young woman.
"Why would a superstar know a minor artist like me?"
Firefly did not reveal her identity. In the dream, she was still a minor figure in the Family, so there was no need for Robin to remember her.
"We met before, though it wasn't actually you. A Masked Fool had used your appearance."
Robin smiled. Her smile was highly infectious. Though Firefly felt jealous, she could not lose her temper at Robin.
"Then let me introduce myself again. I'm Firefly, Caelus's girlfriend."
Firefly seriously introduced herself, giving only her name and identity. For her, that identity alone was enough right now.
"It seems you got what you wished for."
Robin saw the hostility in Firefly's eyes and found it a little amusing. Whether it was real or fake, Firefly was hostile toward her. Suddenly turning a little mischievous, Robin moved closer to Caelus, climbed both hands up his arm, and struck a pose as if she were about to hug him.
Before you continue