The Temple’s Decree and a Plushie’s Embrace

The Eternal Temple.

No one knew the precise nature of the bargain struck between Augu, who had been appointed as the psionic leader, and the Temple High Priest. Yet, in one singular moment, knowledge pertaining to psionic cultivation simultaneously imprinted itself upon the minds of every psionic user present.

The physical vessel determined the upper limit of one’s psionic potential, while thought and will laid the foundation for its development. Simply put, an individual’s ultimate psionic capacity was largely determined at the very instant of conception.

However, elements such as one’s vision, understanding, intellect, and sheer willpower functioned much like experience points. These factors gradually unlocked and amplified an individual’s latent psionic potential.

“Humanity is fortunate, possessing senses like eyes, ears, nose, and tongue. Through various means, they observe the cosmos, granting them a distinct advantage in the speed of psionic advancement…

“But humanity is also unfortunate. Their fragile physical vessels dictate that their psionic limits are inferior to those of most psionic species.”

With her back to Augu, the Temple High Priest gazed up at the empty crystal throne, perched atop a long flight of steps. Her form, shrouded by white robes, appeared ethereal, almost ghostly, and her exposed face was a swirl of profound darkness.

“Offer your fealty to the Divine Lord, and the Divine Lord shall alleviate your immediate woes, bestowing upon you a psionic avatar.”

“This divine boon will be sufficient to allow you to return to the stars, to expand your dominion across the cosmos.”

“Remember, you must sow the seeds of ‘Eternity’ in the mundane world, spreading the ‘Eternal’ doctrines of the Divine Lord.”

“The hour has arrived; you must now return…”

As if a fantastical dream was about to shatter, the starry river before Ming Yu’s eyes slowly faded, and a sense of disorientation gradually enveloped her. In the blink of an eye, the scene in her vision utterly transformed.

Soft ambient lights illuminated the room as the stealth pod’s hatch automatically opened. The ceiling of the virtual reality experience chamber came into view.

Ming Yu felt a pang of confusion. ‘What was happening? Was I forcibly logged out?’

She braced herself against the pod’s interior handle, pushing up to a standing position, her vision still slightly blurred. She shook her head gently, trying to clear it.

At the same moment, the hatch of the adjacent stealth pod also began to rise. Seeing this, Ming Yu, still not entirely lucid, stepped out of her pod and approached Little Nightingale.

Her gaze met Little Nightingale’s blue eyes. Sadly, unlike in virtual reality, they held no inner light.

Ming Yu carefully lifted Little Nightingale out, placing her onto a nearby soft sofa and allowing the girl’s head to rest against her own neck.

“Sister Ming Yu…”

“Little Nightingale, how do you feel?”

“Dizzy…”

“Hmm, I’m dizzy too.”

“…”

After a truly remarkable virtual reality experience, Ming Yu felt as though her combat skills had subtly improved. She mused that the tactical thinking honed from slaying the insectoids might translate well to hunting sea beasts.

Nevertheless, these were minor concerns. Little Nightingale’s experience was what truly mattered. Ming Yu could sense that Little Nightingale seemed quite pleased with the entire session.

After leaving the virtual reality arcade, Ming Yu took Little Nightingale to explore the nearby area, trying out every interesting attraction they found. There was one particular contraption, a ‘claw machine,’ that Ming Yu felt compelled to criticize.

After failing to grasp over thirty plushies in a row, Ming Yu’s expression finally hardened, her beautiful eyes turning icy with frustration. ‘Who invented this thing? It’s impossible to win anything!’

“Sister Ming Yu, don’t be impatient. Can I try?”

“…Fine.”

Ming Yu gritted her teeth, her eyelids twitching slightly, as she instinctively moved aside for Little Nightingale. A moment later, she realized something was amiss.

“Your eyes…”

“It’s alright, I just want to try. What if I win one… Don’t you agree, Luna?”

“Meow~ (ू•ᴗ•ू)”

The small white cat perched atop Little Nightingale’s head waved a paw.

“Oh, well, alright then.”

Ming Yu nodded, embracing Little Nightingale and guiding her hands to the joystick and drop button, explaining how to operate the machine.

With Luna’s unique vision, Little Nightingale feigned clumsy operation, ‘accidentally’ positioning the mechanical claw directly above a rabbit plushie. Then, she ‘inadvertently’ pressed the grab button.

The mechanical claw descended slowly, clamping around more than half of the rabbit’s body. Ming Yu froze, her eyes widening in surprise.

Just as she believed Little Nightingale had succeeded, the claw suddenly shuddered the moment it lifted, causing the securely held rabbit plushie to drop. At that instant, she truly laughed with exasperation.

“Haha, I finally understand. This thing is impossible to win from. What a complete waste of time!”

“Little Nightingale, let’s go!” Ming Yu laughed, a sense of resignation washing over her.

However, Little Nightingale’s expression remained unchanged. “Mhm…”

If Ming Yu wished to leave, Little Nightingale would not harbor any reluctance. Yet, seeing how much time Ming Yu had spent here, she knew her sister must be genuinely interested in the prizes within.

Little Nightingale was keenly aware that she had always been under Ming Yu’s protection, but she possessed nothing to repay her with. Now, presented with a rare opportunity, she hoped to obtain what Ming Yu desired.

“Sister Ming Yu, could I try one more time? Just one last time.”

“Uh, of course, no problem, but this… Alright, suit yourself.” Ming Yu nodded, a touch of helplessness in her voice.

Seeing this, Little Nightingale offered a small smile, once again maneuvering the metal claw. This time, it precisely gripped a specific rabbit plushie. The moment it lifted, a faint, dark glow flickered in Luna’s cat-like eyes, vanishing just as swiftly.

As expected, the metal claw shuddered slightly. However, in that precise instant, it was as if an invisible hand reached into the glass cabinet, steadily supporting the rabbit plushie.

The plushie then followed the mechanical claw’s movement, dropping perfectly into the prize chute. Ming Yu’s beautiful eyes widened once more.

‘What was happening? Huh? Was there some kind of guaranteed win mechanism for this machine?’ She reached for the retrieved rabbit plushie, lifting it by its long, pink-and-white ears.

It felt soft and plush, quite delightful. “Little Nightingale, this… this is simply a miracle!”

“When it comes to claw machines, of all the people I’ve seen, no one is better than you. I dub you… the God of Claw Machines!”

“Mhm!” Little Nightingale cozily narrowed her eyes, accepting Ming Yu’s praise with deep joy. An ineffable sense of satisfaction enveloped her.

Ming Yu felt all her earlier vexation dissipate completely, replaced by an overflowing sense of delight. She couldn’t help but plant a kiss on the cheek of the girl in her arms, her eyes crinkling with a charming smile.

‘She truly is the little genius I personally nurtured. Even at claw machines, her talent is extraordinary, effortlessly conquering those deceptive contraptions even with her eyes closed.’

After a full day of play, the sun began to set, and twilight quietly descended. On their way to the orbital transit station, Ming Yu suddenly noticed Little Nightingale, with a lazy Luna perched on her head, burying the lower half of her face into the soft plushie.

The exposed side of Little Nightingale’s cheek was notably flushed. “Little Nightingale, your face is a bit red.”

“…Eh? Sister Ming Yu, what did you just say?”

“I said, your face is a bit red.”

“Oh, my face,” Little Nightingale suddenly released Ming Yu’s hand, covering her own cheeks. She stammered, “It’s, it’s just from the sun…”

“Is that so?” Ming Yu tilted her head, glancing at the sky. Though the clouds hung low, the setting sun remained high above, still dazzling and brilliant.

After a moment’s consideration, she chose to walk slightly behind and to Little Nightingale’s right, allowing her own shadow to fall over the girl. “Are you still hot?” Ming Yu asked softly.

“N-no, not anymore.”

Hearing this, Little Nightingale replied weakly, burying her head even deeper into the plushie. Through Luna’s eyes, she constantly monitored Ming Yu beside her.

‘An angelic countenance,’ she thought, ‘is the best description for that face. I like it.’ Little Nightingale hugged the rabbit plushie even tighter.

“By the way, Sister Ming Yu…”

‘This plushie… is it for someone?’ she hesitantly probed. ‘I already have Luna, so this plushie… could it be a gift for Qing Shui Ling Yin?’