Inside this place that looks like the Night Butterfly, Alexandra was still confused, staring up at Penang Hill, stunned. She then embraced her, both eyes full of tears. |
Alexandra |
"Penny! Thank God, you're alive? Don't make me worry about you, STUPID IDIOT FOOL!" |
Penang Hill |
"Heh. I hate it when an idiot calls me an idiot, it's super annoying." |
Penang Hill allowed her to tightly hug her, as she gently stroked Alexandra's head. |
Penang Hill |
"It's okay, but you know what? I'm sorry, lil' Al, I kinda got you worried?" |
Alexandra |
"Why is sis Penny apologising to me.... Always, I always felt like I owe you an apology, Penny." |
Penang Hill |
"Apologise? Apologise for what? Are you still asleep, lil' Al?" |
Alexandra |
"No! It never was Penny's fault that Night Butterfly is ruined, you were born with the natural tendency to attract insects and monsters, of course you never decided to want that! I should have said so in the first place! Only me!" |
Alexandra |
"It's because! Penny you forgave me no matter how many stupid mistakes I made, because I didn't know anything back then and I was always screwing up! You scolded me, you were sarcastic, but you told me what to do next time so I wouldn't make mistakes!" |
Alexandra |
"You were kind to me like a real sister and cared for me, I'm a stupid and foolish runaway girl, I'm a stranger with no blood ties to you! You protected me, sheltered me, taught me things and loved me!" |
Alexandra |
"And yet! I never forgave my sis Penny despite all that! I've said a lot of horrible things, blamed you for everything and banished you away from Night Butterfly!" |
Alexandra |
"I'm sorry, I'm really sorry, Penny! I always wanted to apologise to you...!" |
Penang Hill |
"...Like I said, it's okay. It's nothing, you don't have to apologise." |
Penang Hill |
"That's because. Look, our Night Butterfly is fine. Nothing's destroyed, nothing's changed--" |
Alexandra |
"Penny...?" |
Alexandra looked on anxiously, still crying raggedly, at Penang Hill who was laughing ecstatically and somewhat dreamily. |
Penang Hill |
"Ah, the Night Butterfly. The place where I was born and raised, the place where all my happiness is..." |
Penang Hill |
"Look lil' Al, the Night Butterfly's here. Everything's fine and dandy, nothing will ever be destroyed, and I will never let it be destroyed again--" |
Alexandra |
"What are you talking about, Penny...?" |
Penang Hill |
"I fell off the train while I was fighting, and I was swallowed up in the sand. Then I heard some voices. It said, 'Take control, use me, I'll grant you any wish you want'." |
Alexandra |
"Penny, that's--" |
Penang Hill |
"To be honest, I didn't understand it. I've only ever had one wish." |
Penang Hill |
"I want to restore the Night Butterfly. I want to live there and laugh. I want to go back to the days when nothing was ruined and we were happy." |
Penang Hill clutched Alexandra in her arms tightly, looking somewhat insane. |
Penang Hill |
"Hey, I can make that wish come true. I can make it all go back to the way it was. We can start all over again... We can live happily ever after here, in this place, everyday again." |
Penang Hill |
"Inside this Night Butterfly that I love..." |
Alexandra |
(Ah... I see, Acapulco explained a lot of things to me on the train and stuff. About the Golden Land, and about the sandy creatures...) |
Alexandra |
(I see. That's why this golden city looked so much like the red-light district where the Night Butterfly was located. The sand creatures, which can transform itself into anything it wants, was the embodiment of Penny's desire.) |
Alexandra |
(In return, the sand creatures which had lost their masters so long ago, had once again acquired a new one to serve it...) |
Alexandra |
(There's no need to be a genius like Acapulco, or even an idiot like me to know that. This is all just an illusion, a mirage that is nothing more than a fake...) |
Alexandra |
"Penny - You know, I have to tell you something." |
Ignoring Alexandra's feeble words, Penang Hill babbled on deliriously. |
Penang Hill |
"Lil' Al, why don't you come and live here with me? One more time, we can be friends again in Night Butterfly...! I'll give you back everything I took from you!" |
Penang Hill |
"I'll grant you whatever you wish. I'll give you back anything I took from you. So please, forgive me... Don't hate me, please don't ever despise me like that again." |
Penang Hill |
"Your eyes, it's as if I'm your sworn enemy... I consider you my family. As an orphan abandoned at the doors of Night Butterfly, you're my little, sweet sister." |
Alexandra |
"...Hmm. You always ranted, 'I'm not your big sister'. You're not very honest, are you, sis Penny?" |
Alexandra |
"But, still, Nah - That's why I love you, my sister Penny. You've been growing up inside Night Butterfly, like an insect cage all your life, so you've never been exposed to the filthy world outside, and you're as pure as a child." |
Alexandra |
"But you know what? I didn't want that, I wanted to grow up fast. So I ran away from the safety of my insect cage, from my parents' house, and ended up inside Night Butterfly." |
Alexandra |
"This world is dirty and full of nasty things, but it's also ridiculously big... and I've also found a lot of sparkling, beautiful things." |
Alexandra |
"Penny, and everyone inside Night Butterfly, helped me find it. You all taught many things to me, you offered a lot to me, a stupid little runt who has nothing worthwhile." |
Alexandra |
"That's why. Now it's my turn to give. It's my turn to give back, Penny." |
Smiling happily, Alexandra once again held the ancient weapon in her hand tightly. Then, with Penang Hill still embracing her, she pointed the tip of her weapon at the Night Butterfly's wall. |
Alexandra |
"--I don't need a utopia given to me by someone else." |
Alexandra |
"Happiness is something I have to earn myself. If one's always stuck in the past, in happy memories, they'll slowly wither and die." |
Penang Hill |
"........." |
Alexandra |
"So. Let's go home, Penny. Back to the world we should be living in." |
Alexandra |
"Back to the filthy, tacky, and super annoying world, but also full of things we love. If it's broken, fix it; if it's wrong, correct it; if it's immature and stupid, then grow up and learn a little bit at a time." |
Alexandra |
"That's what you sis, Penny taught me." |
Saying this with a smile, Alexandra thrusted her ancient weapon into the nearby wall. A moment later - The wall is shattered and a large amount of light shot in from outside. |
After that... The strange sandy creature ceased to move due to the large amount of erupted water, and Penang Hill and Alexandra were rescued by us from its interior, which had collapsed after it turned to mud. |
They had fainted while holding hands, but soon regained consciousness thanks to our rescue. |
Alexandra |
"...I think, I had a very strange dream about something." |
Penang Hill |
"Yeah. I don't remember much about the dream." |
Alexandra |
"Me too... And I'm in so much pain everywhere. This mission is just so depressing." |
Puerto Rico |
"Mhm, Alexandra got hit by a sand cannonball, fainted and fell - You then crashed right on top of the giant scorpion and sank inside its body no." |
Acapulco |
"Yeah. It was chilling no. Quite immediately, dear sister and I went to rescue you." |
Acapulco |
"Apparently, these sand creatures can enter your head through your ears or something and force you to sleep, or look at hallucinations no." |
Acapulco |
"It's as if - They can induce the person they've bewitched into controlling them and using them no." |
Penang Hill |
"Ugh~... I think it was something like that, the dream. I mean, I was pretty close to being parasitised by these creepy creatures and made to do their bidding then." |
Acapulco |
"I'm not certain about being controlled by them, more so that you're being forced to be their 'master'... However, including the sandy creature's abilities, this is all my mere hypothesis. The proof is in the pudding - Nu-uh, it's in the mud pie no." |
Puerto Rico |
"Hmhmm. But you can be rest assured now. The sandy creature turned to mud when it was exposed to water, and since the mud's a liquid - It can be sucked by my treasure sword." |
Puerto Rico |
"I have sucked all of it and sealed it up inside my treasure sword. Now the sand creature can no longer do anything bad no." |
Puerto Rico |
"Hmhmm. My secret treasure sword is limited to liquids, but Alexandra's ancient weapon should be able to absorb even sand... Wait, so we didn't have to go to the trouble of digging up a water vein after all?" |
Acapulco |
"Ah... No, but, it would have been difficult to absorb it all without wetting it and stopping it from moving no. I took the safe and secure way, yeah." |
Puerto Rico |
"I see! That's what I'm talking about, Baby Aca no!" |
Acapulco |
"Uh, uh-huh... And now that we have a water source, we have the groundwork for building the station and we've fulfilled our original mission no. We're secured the site, and we'll leave the rest to the contractors and the like." |
Puerto Rico |
"Yes. We'll go home with our heads held high. We also want to make sure that the sandy creature I absorbed into this treasure sword are properly quarantined in a safe place." |
Puerto Rico |
"These children simply wanted to protect the place where they had lived. No, they were only ordered to do so by their ancient masters - It would be a pity to destroy them completely no." |
Acapulco |
"Mhm. We'll carry it carefully so that it doesn't spill and have Naypyidaw seal it up as well no. So, well, it shouldn't happen again no." |
Acapulco |
"Case closed, no♪" |
Conductor |
Thanks for your hard work, girls. Great work. In addition, we were lucky enough to find a track for a U-turn, and now we just have to head home... Everyone please rest and relax your bodies. |
Acapulco |
"Yes, Sir Conductor. Thanks to the water vein we dug, we have a large supply of water and we're going to take a relaxing bath no." |
Puerto Rico |
"Me too♪ I've used my head a lot this time and I've got intellectual fever no, and I'd like to cool my brain down with a bath or something no." |
Acapulco |
"Eh? I'm sure you, dear sister didn't have to use your head this time either no." |
Puerto Rico |
"I get a headache just listening to difficult conversations no♪" |
Acapulco |
"...Well, whatever. I'll do the hard thinking for you, sister. As I always have, as I always will." |
Penang Hill |
"Hmm. That's nice, you sisters are so close... I envy you, because I'm a lifelong solitary." |
Acapulco |
"Really? I think you have a proper family too." |
Alexandra |
"Zzzz, zzzz...♪" |
Penang Hill |
"Hey, lil Al's dozing off again. I guess she's tired, kids sleep a lot." |
Penang Hill |
"Gosh, this brat's too warm and I'm hot and bothered - don't lean on me, you're super annoying." |
Despite sounding venomous, Penang Hill gently invited Alexandra's head to her thighs. She put her on her knees to make it easier for her to sleep, gently strokes her unrelated little sister's head. |
Penang Hill |
"You did your best this time, lil' Al." |
Penang Hill |
"Thanks you... I feel like saying that to you." |
The train is moving through the desert in a happy, harmonious atmosphere. Our old home's are still far away - but as long as we don't stop moving, I'm sure we'll get home one day. |