Stars and Moon
The moon reflected in the water is the same moon in the sky; the person before me is the same person in my heart.
As Sera gazed at the scene, her thoughts were slightly stirred, and she involuntarily recalled this sentence.
Her thoughts quickly returned to the Herta beside her. Sera held the river lantern and reached out to touch it with the Herta's lantern.
Miss Herta understood his meaning. She pulled her long sleeves back slightly and squatted down with Sera, tilting her body slightly. However, Sera felt that she was not used to this outfit. There was a pulling sensation when she squatted down, and she had to be careful not to step on the clothes.
It's undeniably beautiful, but it's also undeniably troublesome.
Holding the river lanterns in both hands, the two turned their heads to look at each other, their smiling eyes reflecting each other's images, intertwined and inseparable.
Together, they slowly lowered the river lanterns into the lake. The two lanterns were propelled by the rushing water, gradually merging into the lake along with the 'stars' until they were indistinguishable from one another.
The two women watched silently as the river lanterns disappeared into the distance. Sera lifted the hem of her long skirt, stood up, made a prayerful gesture with her hands, and closed her eyes. Neither Sera nor Miss Herta had communicated with each other beforehand, yet they still performed the same actions in perfect unison.
"I hope Miss Herta can always be this happy."
"I hope Sera can be reunited with me soon."
Their intertwined desires became threads in the eyes of the gods, and the wheel of fate linked the two inseparable threads, for they had already made their own choices regarding cause and effect.
Let's go to the amusement park again tomorrow.
Sera figured that since his journey to the Blue began at the amusement park, it should also end at the amusement park.
"I... think so too."
Miss Herta nodded slightly. She also planned to say goodbye at the amusement park. They would eventually meet again, but even so, she wanted to say goodbye properly.
"Now, let's enjoy the beautiful view of the Milky Way converging during this nighttime boat trip."
Sera sat down on the edge of the small boat, dipping her left hand into the water. The lake water, which should have been icy cold, was inexplicably warmed by the lights and the 'stars' in the lake. Fish swam around Sera's right side, and some of the bolder ones tried to bite Sera fingers but were gently tapped on the head by her. They were startled and fled in panic.
Amused by the playful fish, Sera chuckled softly, pulled her sleeve back, and withdrew her hand from the water onto the boat.
His right hand, clasped with Miss Herta's, lifted her up into the air, and Herta loosened his grip, allowing Sera to lift up effortlessly.
"What's wrong?"
Miss Herta's smiling eyes, tilted to the side, gazed at Sera beside her.
"There is nothing."
Sera shook her head.
Do you want to hold the stars in your hands?
Miss Herta had some thoughts on this, and she could roughly guess some of Sera's ideas.
"Yes, there are many stars, each one unique in the sky, each one important, and none can be ignored."
Sera, of course, would not, and disdain, lie. Oh, of course—a white lie, if it were, wouldn't be out of the question.
"Um."
Miss Herta understood what Sera was talking about. She... could also guess something. When they first met, Sera's persistent expression towards her hometown wasn't about her hometown—it was about people, about people she liked.
But so what? Miss Herta doesn't care about any of that. All she needs to know is that she— Herta —is also someone Sera cares about.
"Since you want to hold onto the stars, you'd better hold them tight."
Miss Herta crossed her arms, her wide sleeves overlapping, and her face still wore a faint smile.
"Certainly."
Sera's smile widened, and she raised her right and left hands, which were clasped with Miss Herta's, again, and gently shook them. Miss Herta was not annoyed, and looked at Sera with gentle eyes.
I will always hold onto the 'star' tightly.
No matter what, I will not let go.
Because I am the moon, and the stars always accompany the moon—that's common knowledge!
"Hmph, the Herta will always be watching you."
Herta raised her right index finger, humming to herself, with a relaxed and carefree smile on her face, the kind of smile that a young girl like her should have.
"This isn't like the Herta's style."
Sera paused for a moment, but a teasing tone and words followed immediately. It seems Miss Herta is truly no longer alone~
"That's certainly something a girl your age, Herta, would say, but it's not the kind of thing the Herta of the past would have said."
"Fine, now the culprit is blaming me."
Miss Herta laughed even harder, and suddenly stretched out her right hand to vigorously ruffle Sera's smooth, silky hair.
"I was wrong, I was wrong."
Sera quickly raised her left hand in surrender, while her right hand—still intertwined with Miss Herta's left hand—was still there. The atmosphere was so relaxed and pleasant; the two beautiful women from the Xianzhou sat at the bow, frolicking and playing. The surrounding lake and the lights under the starry sky reflected each other, creating an unreal beauty. But both of them were certain that the people and scenery around them were real.
"What did I do wrong?" Because it was just a joke, Miss Herta chose to be relentless in her pursuit.
"Hmm... the mistake was saying something that Miss Herta shouldn't have said?" Sera chimed in, tentatively replying.
"No."
Miss Herta shook her head in denial, but her smile remained bright.
Keep guessing, good luck!
That is--
Sera leaned close to Miss Herta's ear and whispered in a gentle voice.
"Ms. Herta is unparalleled in the world, Ms. Herta is breathtakingly beautiful, Lady Herta... um!"
Sera's mouth was inexplicably filled with embarrassment and indignation when Miss Herta covered it. Sera went from being stunned for a moment to looking at Miss Herta with a smile in her eyes.
Miss Herta had no idea that Sera would feel a strange sense of shame when she said these familiar words.
Perhaps it's because being with the person you love is naturally different from being with others.
Click--
No. 0's camera was pointed directly at the two of them, continuously recording their interactions.
Its mouth was already turned up in a cat-like shape, and it kept muttering.
"This one's beautiful... that one's beautiful too... they're all beautiful, save them all to the database!"
With such subtle movements directed at the two of them, it was difficult for Sera and Miss Herta not to notice what No. 0 and No. 0 were doing.
Miss Herta's face immediately turned red. "No. 0, you'd better just take the picture already! What do you mean by taking pictures of her 'embarrassing history'?"
Sera gently patted Miss Herta on the shoulder.
"Alright, alright, Miss Herta looks beautiful no matter what."