Story Reader / Event Story / Stellar Narratives / Story
It's four in the afternoon. The weather is clear, the sky perfectly blue. White clouds drift overhead, buildings stretch across the distant skyline, and green grass spreads out underfoot...
Pulao is sitting on your shoulders.
Whoa, Commandant, stop moving around!
The girl on your shoulders loses her balance and leans back, flailing her arms before gripping your head tightly to steady herself.
The instructions say I need to run for ten seconds at a height of at least two meters to send it flying...
Of course! It's the special Double Seventh Festival upgrade by the little mechanoids—"Solar-Powered Impressionist Super Alloy Kite"! And you picked it out for me!
The so-called "Solar-Powered Impressionist Super Alloy Kite" is basically a silver-gray metal plate shaped like a magpie.
It's nearly half Pulao's size and weighs about a third of her body weight... which makes you seriously question whether it can actually fly.
They say once it takes off, it can fly... one, two, three... anyway, super high! Like really high!
She starts counting on her fingers, though clearly losing track halfway.
But it needs to start two meters off the ground, and I can't reach that high... good thing I've got you, Commandant!
Wait, what if I'm too heavy? Can you still run with me up here?
Or maybe we should switch. You hold the kite, and I lift you up by the feet—
A terrible mental image flashes across your mind— a 4'7" girl holding up a full-grown soldier running with a kite...
Hmm... good point. Then let's do it!
She happily hugs your neck with one arm and raises the kite high with the other.
Let's go!
You run into the wind with the Construct girl riding on your shoulders. The breeze is cool and refreshing, and the little girl above you cheers.
It's flying!
The silver-gray metal kite catches the wind and rises, spreading hidden wings midair and soaring into the sky under your surprised gaze.
Wow, it's going so high... higher and higher...
You hear the wind rushing past. The kite string is spinning wildly off the spool in her hand... and the weight on your shoulders starts feeling lighter and lighter...
It's going higher and higher... Commandant, I'm lifting off the ground!
Almost got it, just a little longer. Whoa!
A sudden gust hits, and the small body on your shoulders is lifted clean off. She's flying straight toward—
—the towering sky, now gaping open like an abyss, as if ready to swallow her whole...
No! This one's special!
She clings to the string with all her strength, refusing to let go.
You reach out and catch her, but the moment you do, your own feet leave the ground...
Commandant, give me your hand!
Just as you're about to slip, the strong little girl grabs hold of you. And just like that, the kite carries both of you higher and higher into the sky...
Under the glow of the setting sun, the "Solar-Powered Impressionist Super Alloy Kite" carries the two of you gently through the sky...
Is this... the windmill tower?
As the sun sets and night begins to fall, the kite slowly descends onto the top of a tall tower.
City lights flicker to life below, casting a glow on the girl's flushed cheeks.
Feels like this kite brought us here on purpose. The view of Constellia from up here is amazing...
She seems to have completely forgotten the terrifying ride you just had. She looks around excitedly, then grabs your hand so you can enjoy the night view together.
Yeah... but as long as I'm with you, Commandant, I can survive anything!
She gives you a sheepish smile, then confidently pats her chest like a little adult trying to look brave.
But that one's special...
She turns her head away, mumbling under her breath.
Because you picked it for me. It's the souvenir you gave me on the Double Seventh Festival!
She hugs the metal kite tightly. Something you chose without much thought has somehow become a treasure in her eyes...
It's Double Seventh... If I don't hold on to this "magpie," how could we ever cross such a long distance to meet?
She squints happily, and the tension in her puffed cheeks slowly melts away.
But there will be times when you're not here with me...
Anyway, I don't want to waste the gift you gave me. And we did manage to catch the kite in the end.
With a bounce in her step, she skips ahead toward the eaves of the windmill tower.
So... Commandant, come sit here with me.
There are still lots of places in Constellia I want to see with you tonight.
The stars twinkle overhead. She holds the big kite in her arms and swings her legs freely. She leans close to you under the soft glow of the neon lights...
You stumble together. You laugh together. And together, you share a warm and busy Double Seventh Festival.
