"She's a resonator. I really had thought she was a regular traveler." Phoebe's eyes shined as she pointed out their current attention.
"Traveler? How is she a traveler?" Danjin tilted her head to the sides, wondering what Phoebe meant by Katsuri being a traveler.
"Right, when I met her yesterday, she looked to be quite normal, you know? Since there were many people probably exploring the lands of Rinascita, and I had met quite a few of them, I didn't doubt for a single second that she was telling the truth. After all, meeting another Resonator isn't really easy."
Phoebe tried recalling what had happened right before she greeted Katsuri.
"Although her eyes was pretty scary... It's not that bad. Since many people had trauma, I thought that not touching it would be wise. Plus, she doesn't seem like she needed an outsider to tell her what to do."
"It was kind of, like, this is just a comparison, alright? Don't tell her I said this... She looked like a cat. As if she would hiss at me if I entered her personal space."
"Seeing her interact with you really made me think I was just imagining stuff. She really looked like an ordinary child?"
As she finished talking about her own encounter, Danjin responded with her own.
"By the way, she's 16. Don't treat her like a child or she might just bite you."
"She's 16!? But that height... Ah. I guess I shouldn't have made my own conclusion. Even the lady from the Montelly family..."
"Montelli family?" Danjin perked up at the sudden sound of a new information.
"Yes? Oh, right. You're also a tourist, right? The Montelli family is one of the strongest power in Ragunna, alongside Order of the Deep and the Fisalia family."
"Is that so? Does that mean there's three major factions that controls Ragunna?"
"That's right. Even this event, the Carnevale, was actually hosted by the Montelli family. So they hold the final call for anything that is going to be implemented."
Danjin nodded her head in understanding.
She was briefed a little bit by Yangyang before she got to Rinascita, so she knew the basic information. But hearing it being said by the locals really confirmed it.
"Ugh...."
Both their attention turned towards the sleeping Katsuri, who had moved around in her sleep.
Now she was leaning her head on the arm rest of the seat, making it easier to see the Tacet Mark.
Becoming a Resonator was already a rare thing, but having a unique Tacet Mark was another thing.
Never in their lives have they ever heard of a starless Tacet Mark.
This might just be the first.
[Wuthering Waves]
"...Carlotta?"
"Why the sudden formality? You can call me as you did previously. Did I do something to offend you, perhaps?"
The girl responded naturally, as if they were really close friends.
Katsuri had to blink her eyes multiple times, even rubbing them, just to make sure she was not hallucinating.
"Again, I'm not quite certain but you haven't touched your tea yet. Do tell me if you have any worries."
The confident smile, as if nothing could block her way, the sharp eyes that could pressure any individual who had become the victim of her attention, and the elegance a lady of a rich family would hold.
Even while holding onto a cup which was filled with tea, she did such thing with a dignity someone of a high standing would have.
Of course, Katsuri became speechless. Even after confirming that she was not hallucinating, she still couldn't believe her eyes.
She tried to recall what had happened before she got here, but nothing came up.
She was just here. As if it were the natural law of the world.
"...Is this real?"
"Yes? What's wrong? Is there something on my face that you're not telling me?"
"..."
Both their eyes met. The contact was kept for a bit until Carlotta blinks.
"Alright, you've won. I won't ask you about it. But I would highly appreciate it if you could at least not ignore me."
"..."
"I want to be rich! I will make the both of you live happily ever after!"
"They've both passed away. Are you sure you don't want to go back to your parents?"
"...Hello, I am Katsuri."
"Wuthering Waves? What's that?"
"Oh wow! This is pretty fun!"
"Gacha? Huh? What do you mean it's time to start gambling?"
"May his repentance bring peace to your soul." The the new gamer watched the Resonator Showcase with shining eyes.
"To our friends, The Montellis are always generous. As for our traitors..."
To the small child, it was as if the future became bright. Her dark thoughts disappeared the moment she learnt of her existence.
Cloudy mind and painful memories disappeared as if they never existed.
She watched through the monitor as the silver haired Lady landed on the car.
Gracefully dodging every ambush and attack, as if she was dancing to a choreography that had been rehearsed.
Shooting each and every enemy that got in her way.
As her monitor showed a shot of the grave with the lady's shadow moving away, younger Katsuri smiled brightly.
...even after hearing her talk, watching her movement, seeing the singular strands of hair waves with the wind, she still thought this was an illusion.
A regular person would've felt uncomfortable at the amount of time that had passed by since Katsuri started staring at them.
But Carlotta was different. As the second daughter of the Montelli Family, she was taught to always maintain dignity, even at the lowest of moment.
This small problem doesn't bother her even the slightest.
"Um..."
"Yes?"
At the slightest noise that was made by Katsuri, Carlotta immediately responded.
Flinching, Katsuri swallowed back the words that was about to escape.
She really wanted to ask something. A question that had been inside her mind for years.
As a small child, as a young teenager, and as a person.
'Are you happy?'
A simple question it seemed to be.
Yet the answer would determine her fate.
Instead, another question escaped.
"D-do you... know me?"
To her, this was the first time they've met. Although she's seen Carlotta through the monitor before, meeting her in person was another experience in entirety.
But the way Carlotta talk to her made it seemed like they've known each other for quite some time already.
"Of course. How could I not? In fact, I'm almost certain everybody in the Montelli Family know of your name. If they do not, I will... Never mind that. Why are you asking?"
"Oh, um..."
How could she respond?
Not only is she socially awkward, she's also meeting the person she placed the highest inside the pedestal in her heart.
There's no way she wouldn't be nervous.
It felt like her heart was beating faster than that time she got chased by Tacet Discords...
"...?"
All of a sudden, she woke up.