The Great Mother of the Star Cluster—this was both praise for Xipe and an accurate reflection of the Aeon's essence.
The moment she ascended to Aeonhood, like the collision of geniuses, everything in the universe was seen as sparks from Nous's mind. This Aeon of Harmony had a similar quality.
However, the Family was the main branch that influenced her most deeply, much like the geniuses of the Genius Society.
Xipe could understand Sunday's thoughts and didn't mind his actions. But... even within the Family, renowned for its Harmony, Sunday's actions were considered the most severe betrayal.
He was a dissonant note that could not be integrated.
For the sake of the Family's internal "unity," and also for Sunday himself—even after his failure, she was certain that the boy would never abandon his beliefs, and he would never find what he was looking for within the Family.
"Perhaps Glamoth would be a better fit for him than the Family."
Because she understood, she chose to let go.
Because she cooperated, she let things run their course.
Because she supported him, she wanted to entrust him to someone else.
Even if their philosophies were opposed, she hoped that the boy could find his direction, find what he yearned for.
"I'll leave the rest to you."
The demonic, composite voice echoed in the air as Xipe's figure slowly dissipated.
Only the lingering voice in the girl's ear and the musical note in her hand proved she had been there.
The Dream of Unity was shattered. Everything seemed to have returned to its starting point.
"Was that... the Thousand-Faced God who was here?"
Robin, who had remained where she was, looked in a certain direction. She was a little surprised when she noticed the musical note in the hand of the gray-haired girl who had approached her.
"She's already gone."
"...I see..."
"Did she say anything?"
"Just dumped a problem on me."
"...A problem... I'll have to trouble you to take care of my brother."
Even if one understands the meaning of pain, it is still difficult to let go of that pain. Such an overly merciful brother.
And... a sister who, despite being covered in wounds, still spread her wings and soared towards the beliefs she held dear?
The gray-haired girl leaned closer, her golden eyes staring straight into Robin's clear yet resolute green eyes, her chin tilted as if she were examining and sizing her up.
"You're much more outstanding than that stubborn brother of yours."
Perhaps because of the close distance, Robin's cheeks turned slightly red. She said in a small voice, "My brother... he's just been standing still... for too long."
"So, it's about time to set off again."
"I'm suddenly a little interested in you."
"Uh..."
"After all, a resolute and mature girl is always particularly charming, isn't she? I'm also a little curious about what the world-famous star Robin tastes like."
"You mean..."
"Just for now... want to try harmonizing with me?" Hearing this, Robin's heart pounded.
Although she knew the other party probably meant no harm and was simply expressing their affection, which wasn't strange in itself—she had felt similar emotions countless times in the past. But this pure invitation... was different from any before.
"If you're willing, I would be honored," she said, biting her lip. Though she was indeed looking forward to it, she responded with composure.
For high-level followers of the Path of Harmony, they had the ability to share each other's feelings and senses through "empathy." Robin was a follower of this level. The main reason her songs were renowned throughout the universe was not just because they sounded good, but because her singing, aided by the Path of Harmony, could even share her feelings with her audience.
And now, what she was about to experience seemed to be a similar act.
"Harmonizing" was the highest form of communication, a meeting of minds—much like Mr. Jiang's unique body-swapping, and how the goddesses in Teyvat enjoyed interacting with him. In essence, it transcended simple words, a higher way of understanding each other.
A person might spend a lifetime trying to understand another, but through this method, it could be achieved with unimaginable efficiency.
In fact, ever since they met at the Luminary Wardance Ceremony, she had been curious about him... no, to be precise, it was probably even earlier. After all, she had already met Eden before that, and under Eden's high-intensity indoctrination, her curiosity about a certain someone was obvious.
Especially since she had also met Elysia... Robin discovered that both Eden and Elysia seemed to have something about them that she couldn't understand, and the source of all these things was a man named Jiang Qiao.
But frustratingly, it seemed that even Harmony couldn't share those things she couldn't understand. Robin knew she could probably only get the answers she wanted from the man himself.
However... there had obviously been no opportunity. What was worse was that not long after he arrived in Penacony, her brother caused a huge mess, which meant she had no chance to get closer to him and satisfy her curiosity.
Until now, when he brought it up himself.
"It seems you're already looking forward to it."
"I could tell from the first time we met."
"Then, try to feel it with your heart—everything that belongs to me."
Taking her hand and slowly placing it on her chest, the gray-haired girl said so.
A soft feeling... of course, for Miss Robin, such a simple lump of fat meant nothing. If it was just about size, hers were bigger.
The important thing was the moment she tried to use her heart, her Harmony, to touch that which had opened itself completely to her.
Her brain short-circuited. She stood there, dazed, for a long, long time.
After a long while.
"Ah, you're finally back..."
The Astral Express crew, who had been waiting, saw the gray-haired girl return. Next to her was Robin, looking a little dazed and disheveled. March 7 couldn't help but complain, "We've been waiting for you for a while..."
"Uh... did something happen?" Noticing Robin's strange state, her expression became a little odd. She leaned closer to Jiang Qiao and asked in a low voice, "What's wrong with Miss Robin? Why does she look so... spaced out?"
"It's nothing, she just received more than she could handle. A bit of an overload."
"...What on earth did you two do?"
"Just had some in-depth communication."
"Really?"
March stared at the two of them suspiciously.
After the problems in Penacony were resolved and Glamoth intervened with guidance and management, the Planet of Festivities seemed to have returned to its former state. According to their itinerary, the Astral Express crew would be making a short stop here.
Mr. Jiang Qiao, having regained his body, was busy creating beautiful memories for the little pink-haired girl and guiding her on her path, while... well, after the initial harmonization, since Harmony could only touch a small part of it, Miss Robin had been visiting frequently lately, often "studying" under Teacher Jiang's guidance late into the night.
Of course, at first, it was proper studying.
Later on... out of the necessity of exploring the Path of Harmony, Miss Robin opened the door to a new world.
Although the past was a bit sensitive, for a famous singer like Miss Robin, after getting past her initial emotions, she, like Eden, adapted exceptionally well.
The only problem was probably Miss March, who accidentally walked in on them.
Well, well, I was wondering how your relationship with Miss Robin progressed so quickly these past few days. So that's what happened!
The little pink-haired girl was a little angry. Although he wasn't part of the Express crew, he had promised to hang out with her in Penacony, but somehow ended up with another girl. More importantly, March remembered the forgotten request from another pink-haired fatty.
In a fit of extreme anger, Miss March 7's camera, used for storing memories, unlocked some secret photos.
Among them, even Stelle's figure appeared.
Don't ask, just know it was "count me in!"
And so, a certain someone passively experienced a three-on-one.
Although in Penacony, this was more like a strange dream, it couldn't be ruled out that a certain Masked Fool, who had come to Penacony for fun, found some entertainment and tried to launch a surprise attack on the real-world part of a certain someone in the form of a trash can.
How could one not join in on such an interesting event?
Just thinking about them being in a dream while she quietly raided their home base in reality, and the look on his face when he found a giant trash can upon waking up... the image brought Miss Sparkle immense joy.
"Hehe~ Let Master Sparkle give you a surprise~" Miss Sparkle, who had been itching to get her hands on a certain someone for a long time due to the instigation of a certain Aeon of Elation, but had never gotten the chance, smirked mischievously as she stared at the person lying in the dream pool.
Of course.
Although the fantasy was beautiful, the result seemed a bit... unsatisfactory.
Not only did she not unlock the elation she had anticipated, but she also felt another kind of elation. Normally, Sparkle would have sneered at such crude pleasure; after all, it was too cheap, not interesting at all.
But...
For some reason, the moment she was plunged into that elation, the unprepared Miss Sparkle felt as if the entire trash can had been filled to the brim.
That feeling, how to describe it...
It was as if all of her personas as a Masked Fool were filled in an instant. She could no longer think about anything else. The only thing she could do was utter unconscious and meaningless words.
"Mmm... this is...!"
At that moment, Miss Sparkle instantly understood that she had been tricked by the person... no! The god who had encouraged her to cause trouble and have fun!
She struggled to prop up her completely weak body, gritting her teeth:
"The Aeon of Elation!!!"