Elysia

As she muttered to herself, she unconsciously tapped the geometric pattern on the floor with the tip of her shoe. Her pink hair slipped over her shoulder as her head swayed slightly. Sunlight streamed through the blinds, casting alternating bands of light and shadow across her and illuminating the mix of anticipation, mild dissatisfaction, and mischievous excitement in her eyes.

This continent-spanning game of "Guess who?" was more than a greeting to her. It was more like the opening of an impromptu, carefree dance. She wanted to know whether that faraway guy in the East, always so lazy-looking yet unexpectedly perceptive, still remembered those insignificant little details from the past.

She was waiting. Waiting for him to set aside his complicated thoughts and truly "see" the familiar person behind the message.

The screen went dark, and she immediately tapped it to light up again.

Outside the car window, the sky was shifting from deep blue to golden orange.

"Quit while you're ahead," Yun Lan told himself. Some lines shouldn't be crossed lightly, even between people who were close. The little thrill of teasing was nothing compared to the chance of making the other person feel even the slightest hurt or unease.

He could almost see through the words the girl somewhere in some faraway country, surely grinning like a kitten that had gotten its way—Elysia.

Outside the window lay the stillness of night, but her words seemed to carry the sunshine and scent of a sea of flowers.

"Alright, alright, my dear Elysia." His message held a relaxed indulgence he hadn't even noticed in himself, along with a hint of helpless amusement at being found out. "I know it's you."

As soon as he sent the message, Elysia called him. Yun Lan answered.

His fingertips unconsciously traced the cool edge of his phone. Of course he knew. Who else in the world would play these little games, or lightly tack a musical note onto the end of every sentence, if not her? Her distinctive way of speaking had long been etched into his recognition system like a special code. His pretending not to recognize her had only been a way to add the kind of theatrical opening she liked best to this unexpected message from overseas.

"Lan, you're so mean—" Sure enough, her voice immediately rose a notch. In the background, an announcement in an unfamiliar language could just barely be heard, confirming that she was "traveling." "Even a perfect and adorable girl like me would have her heart go 'plop' and break if you pretended not to recognize her, you know? The pieces would turn into stars and float all the way to you, then prick your palm while you slept at night!"

Imagining her cheeks puffed out, eyes sparkling all the while, Yun Lan chuckled. "Yes, yes, my fault. So, my flower-like beauty, traveling the world and pelting me with stars," he paused to ask the question that had been on his mind ever since he saw the unfamiliar international number, "how did you get my contact information? I don't remember giving you this 'secret channel.'"

"Oh~ That!" Her voice instantly turned smug, and even the bustle in the background seemed to become the soundtrack to her story. "It was easy! The day before yesterday, I was at a café in Vienna, eating Sachertorte, when I suddenly missed you so, so much, Lan! Then I had a flash of inspiration and called your aunt!"

"M-My aunt?" Yun Lan froze, then put a hand to his forehead. His mother. Only Elysia could use that irresistible blend of innocent sweetness and utter sincerity to wheedle any "information" she wanted out of his mother.

"Yep! I told your aunt all about my romantic adventure around the world and shared the sketch I drew by the Seine River and the coin I tossed into the Trevi Fountain... She was so happy to hear it. She even said, 'Dear Elysia, be careful when you're traveling alone, and remember to keep in touch.'" She imitated an elder's concerned tone to perfection, then switched back to her own excited voice. "So naturally, I asked her in the most pitiful voice, 'Aunt Xia Yue, I miss Lan so much. Could you give me his number? I want to surprise him!'"

She put special emphasis on the word "surprise," her voice full of the joy of a successful prank.

Yun Lan could practically picture his mother, Xia Yue, smiling from ear to ear as Elysia charmed her over the phone and got her to "sell him out" without a second thought. He shook his head helplessly, though a smile spread from the corners of his eyes. "That wasn't a surprise. It was a shock. I got a sudden international message and thought some international scammer had expanded their business."

"Hmph, you don't appreciate a kind gesture! This is a beauty's care hotline, spanning time zones and mountains and seas!" Elysia's voice was accompanied by a faint crackle, as if it really were wrapped in a breeze from afar. "What are you doing now, Lan? Staring at my photo, perhaps?"

"Don't start. I left the photo at home; I didn't bring it to school. I'm not like you, skipping school to travel around the world."

"Aw, why would you bring that up, Lan! Are you saying you think Elysia's dumb? That's so mean! To make it up to you, I'll send you a postcard next time, okay? I'll mail it from the ends of the earth!" Her voice seemed to drift in and out, as if she were walking. "Oh, my train's arriving! Next stop is a little town at the foot of the Alps! I heard it has the most beautiful night sky in all of Europe!"

"Be careful. Don't get so caught up looking at the stars that you forget to watch where you're going," he reminded her, concern in his voice outweighing his earlier teasing.

"I know—Lan, you're still such a worrier!" The noise of the station gradually mingled with her voice. "Well, this flower-like beauty must be on her way again! Lan, remember to miss me! Bye~"

"Mm. Bye."

The call ended, and the line went dead. Silence filled the room again, but the air seemed to retain some of the lively energy she'd brought with her from far away. Yun Lan looked at the now-still phone screen, then raised his eyes to the dark night sky outside the window.

The night sky at the foot of the Alps?

He smiled, then slowly typed a message into the chat:

"Got it. Have a safe trip, and remember to send me photos. Also..."

His fingertip paused, then he added one last line and hit send.

"...don't prick me with stars again, my dear Elysia~"

Yun Lan set down his phone and slowly began to think.

"Ever since I came to this world and met them, I've realized that the two-dimensional and the two-and-a-half-dimensional worlds have merged. Characters from the anime of my previous life and characters from games have appeared before me together. I don't want to give up on anyone. Only children have to choose. I want them all."