Chapter 92 - Swimming with Fireworks

  I know what you’ve all been waiting for.

  Believe me, I waited for it too. The moment felt inevitable, like gravity pulling us together. I even pushed my lips forward as soon as we both closed our eyes, anticipation tightening my chest. Myrrh’s warm breath tickled my skin, soft and rhythmic—so close that I could feel every subtle shift in the air between us.

  Then, the fireworks erupted. Midnight had arrived. The Xyraxis New Year. Behind my closed eyelids, brilliant flashes painted the darkness, bursts of gold and violet streaking the sky. The distant thunder of explosions rattled the atmosphere, as if the entire world was celebrating this moment with us.

  But the kiss never came.

  Instead, sharp pressure seized my nose, cutting off my breath. My lungs strained in sudden desperation, and I gasped, eyes flying open.

  Myrrh’s face filled my vision—her long yellow-green hair catching glimmers of firework light, her cheeks flushed with warmth, her lips curled into a teasing, impish smile. She had stopped just short of the kiss, hovering there, her fingers pinching my nose in a cruel but playful assault.

  “Ack!” I choked out, flailing slightly.

  “Stupid.” Myrrh giggled, her eyes twinkling with mischief. “I’m not wicked enough to steal your first kiss. That should be saved for someone you love.”

  She finally released my nose, letting me suck in a breath—just before she leaned in again. A quick, featherlight press against my left cheek. A smack, yet soft and damp, her lips lingering just enough to send heat rushing to my face. Instinctively, my fingers flew up, touching the spot as if I could trap the feeling there forever.

  I turned to her, pouting, my face undoubtedly red.

  “Ha! Caught you off-guard, didn’t I?” Myrrh snickered, stepping back triumphantly. “Did you really think I’d kiss a goon like you?”

  "You always find new ways to disappoint me." I grumbled, crossing my arms.

  Myrrh smirked, flicking her long lime-blonde hair with a dramatic flourish. "Well, unless I’m your first love, you’re not getting my kiss." Her navy blue eyes sparkled with challenge. "So go ahead—confess."

  "W-what!?" I sputtered, my heart lurching. "Why the hell would I confess to you? We’re enemies, remember? There’s no way—no way—I could ever fall in love with you!"

  The words tumbled out, sharp and unfiltered, fueled by sheer panic. Maybe it was the embarrassment. Maybe it was the lingering disappointment. Or maybe—just maybe—I was trying to convince myself more than her.

  Because the truth was, I had never been in love before. Not really. As an involuntary celibate, I was well acquainted with fleeting infatuations and shallow attractions. I knew what it was like to be captivated by a cute smile or an alluring figure, but love? That magical, all-consuming feeling? That was foreign territory.

  Sure, Myrrh and I had become friends. Sure, I sometimes felt an uncomfortable pang of jealousy when she was with her new support unit partner. But that didn’t mean I was in love with her. Right? It was too soon. Too absurd.

  Yet, as my words settled in the space between us, Myrrh’s expression twisted into a pout, her lips pursing ever so slightly.

  "Fine then," she huffed, turning her nose up. "Not like I’d accept your love anyway! I’d definitely reject you! I’m way out of your league, you goon!"

  "As if I’d ever confess to an all-boobs-but-gunpowder-brained hoe like you!" I shot back, my face burning, the heat creeping all the way to my ears.

  This back-and-forth squabble made us realize something—we were both ridiculously immature. A single glance at each other was all it took before laughter bubbled up, raw and unrestrained.

  "Hahaha!"

  "Hahaha!"

  I scratched my head, grinning sheepishly. The warmth in my chest was undeniable. "But still… thanks for being here with me. I gotta admit, these past few days have been some of the best holiday memories I’ve ever had. I don’t think I would’ve enjoyed my holidays back on Earth. So, in a weird way… I’m kinda grateful I got sick that day."

  Myrrh tilted her head slightly, her expression softening. "Well, I’m grateful too. If you had left for Earth, I’d be spending this Xyraxis New Year completely alone. My mother’s not around, after all."

  She stood up, dusting off her skirt before walking over to fetch a small case. With a flick of her wrist, she popped it open, revealing the slender metallic sticks inside. "Let’s light these up for our New Year."

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  I nodded with a smile, fishing out the souvenir lighter we’d bought earlier. With a quick flick, the flame danced to life, small yet eager.

  As soon as Myrrh lit her sparklers, they erupted in mesmerizing brilliance. Unlike the ones back on Earth, these weren’t just simple golden flickers. Each spark burst into shifting colors—violet, emerald, crimson, and cerulean—fanning out like miniature fireworks. The way she waved them left shimmering trails in the air, as if painting light itself.

  "Look, Zaft! It’s beautiful!" Myrrh twirled, giggling as she brandished the sparklers in both hands, their radiant glow illuminating her face. The embers crackled and hissed, tracing arcs of color in the dark.

  I simply watched, caught in the moment. The fireworks above, the sparklers in her hands, and the way she laughed so freely—it was impossible not to smile.

  "Yeah, it is," I said, my smile widening as I watched Myrrh twirl under the fireworks.

  She giggled, spinning with childlike excitement, the twin sparklers in her hands trailing radiant arcs of multicolored light. For a moment, she looked like a fire dancer, her movements effortless and fluid, as if she were painting streaks of magic into the air itself.

  The scene was mesmerizing—the vibrant sparklers, the cascading fireworks in the background, and Myrrh’s glowing, joy-filled face at the center of it all. I couldn’t let this moment slip away. Without thinking, I pulled out my phone and snapped a picture.

  There it was. My new masterpiece. My new Mona Lisa. The soft glow of the sparklers illuminated Myrrh’s features, her expression frozen in pure happiness amidst the explosion of colors. I stared at the screen, my heart swelling.

  "Hey, Zaft," Myrrh suddenly called out, her voice softer now, almost contemplative.

  "Hmm?" I looked up from my phone.

  A playful smile tugged at her lips. "I just had a crazy idea."

  I raised an eyebrow. "That’s never a good sign."

  "Have you ever dreamt of diving through the fireworks in the night sky?" she asked, her blue eyes gleaming with mischief.

  I blinked. "I haven’t. What would that even be like—"

  Before I could finish my sentence, she suddenly dropped her sparklers, the sizzling sticks clattering onto the balcony floor. And in the next instant—

  She lunged.

  A pair of arms wrapped tightly around me, and before I could react, I felt the rush of air as we tumbled backward. My stomach lurched as the weightlessness took hold.

  We were falling.

  Falling from the space cruise ship.

  The roaring wind swallowed my scream as Myrrh’s laughter echoed against the endless expanse of the sky.

  "Yaaah!" Myrrh squealed, her laughter ringing out like a melody against the roaring wind.

  "W-WHOOAAA!" I cried. "WHAT THE FUUUUUUUUCK?!"

  The sheer rush of freefall hit me like a freight train, my stomach flipping as the cold air whipped past us. Myrrh’s grip loosened, and for a heart-stopping moment, I thought she was letting go completely. But then, instead of tumbling apart, our hands found each other, fingers interlocking in midair.

  Now, we were no longer just falling.

  We were swimming—floating—soaring through the sky, a sea of fireworks bursting around us in every direction. The explosions painted the heavens in dazzling reds, blues, and violets, their shimmering light reflecting in Myrrh’s wide, exhilarated eyes.

  "Hahaha! This is so fun, right?!" Myrrh laughed, her voice barely cutting through the deafening wind.

  "This is insane!" I shouted back. "What were you saying?!"

  "What?!" Myrrh called out. "I can’t hear you!"

  It was pointless. The wind was too loud, drowning out everything but the pounding of my heart. But in that moment, words didn’t matter.

  Hand in hand, we dove through the fireworks-lit sky, gravity pulling us into an endless cascade of light and color. Myrrh turned to me, her blue eyes meeting mine, and we simply… smiled. No words. No frantic screaming. Just that single glance—an unspoken message we both understood.

  Then, I looked down.

  And panic slammed into me.

  The sprawling skyline of Xyraxis Metropolis came into view, its neon-lit skyscrapers rushing toward us at an alarming speed. The city stretched endlessly beneath us, a glowing labyrinth of glass and steel, getting closer—too close—far too fast.

  My blood ran cold.

  "WE’RE GONNA DIE!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, but I knew it was useless. Myrrh couldn’t hear me.

  And yet, somehow, she just kept smiling.

  "I have a crush on you!"

  Myrrh’s voice barely reached me over the howling wind, her words swallowed by the chaos of our freefall. Her face was flushed, her lips curled into a mischievous giggle, but maybe—just maybe—I misheard her.

  Did she really just say that? Or was she actually screaming about our impending doom?

  "Yeah, we’re about to crash!" I cried, my voice laced with sheer panic. "What the hell were you thinking?!"

  "Nothing! I didn’t say anything!" Myrrh replied, shaking her head with an infuriatingly carefree smile.

  "What?!"

  "What?!"

  We were absolutely not on the same page right now.

  The cityscape below was no longer a distant collection of lights—it was rushing toward us at breakneck speed, the towering buildings stretching higher, the streets coming into terrifying focus. A few hundred meters left before we turned into a tragic headline.

  Then, in the blink of an eye, Myrrh’s hand shot to her waist, revealing a sleek morpher.

  "Frame Unit, Awaken!"

  A blinding light erupted from her body, engulfing her in a radiant glow. Her form expanded—elongating, reshaping, transforming. Within moments, she was no longer the girl I had just been holding hands with—she was a twenty-meter-tall, gleaming Frame Unit.

  I barely had time to process what was happening before I found myself cradled in her massive metallic hands. The thrusters on her back and legs ignited, sending a powerful burst of energy roaring through the air. Instead of plummeting to our deaths, we were now soaring over the breathtaking skyline of Xyraxis Metropolis.

  My wide eyes took in the view from above. The Archonlight Tower stood like a glowing beacon in the heart of the city. The sprawling campus of the Orbital Tech Applied Kinetics University glimmered in its signature blue lights. The megamall stretched out like a massive neon playground. And beyond it all, the northern district pulsed with life, a symphony of floating highways and levitating transit pods threading through the futuristic landscape.

  I could barely breathe.

  Riding a Warfare Augmented Intelligent Frame Unit across the skies had always been a dream—one of those impossible, bucket-list fantasies. And yet, here I was, soaring through the night, cradled in Myrrh’s hands, as if the universe had decided to grant me a miracle.

  I turned my gaze to her towering mechanical form, feeling the rapid thud of my own heartbeat against my ribs.

  The way my chest tightened, the way my stomach twisted with something warm and fluttering—it was unfamiliar, terrifying, and exhilarating all at once.

  Was this… love?