Spathodea

A pair of curious eyes. Pulled from a cloth doll and re-sewn onto the buttonholes of folded jeans to enliven the drab design. But to be honest, when personalization becomes a competition, all participants become unbearably cliché.

An oddly shaped electric oven found at a junk market. Laplace researchers modified it based on designs scribbled in a notebook, and wearing it "fills you with power."

According to the interviewee, the design was inspired by a highly popular video game character.

A ringing ball made for the art of ball juggling, with bells hidden inside.

Tossed and spun, the ball trails like a chain of shooting stars. Set the cinnabar sealed within alight, and it blooms with every turn, blazing like a wheel of fire across the sky.

The champion belt of the Turbot Cup Youth Group. It shows how skillful and capable this young girl is. Her habit of carrying it around reveals how much she hopes to meet her own number one fan.

A rocket backpack named after a video game character. The related technology is derived from equipment owned by a certain airship captain and upgraded using portable energy tanks to provide increased power. "Though it's just child's play, it's so fun that even we're addicted!" Laplace researchers commented on the production process.

A double-ball sling made of silk ribbon, tied with colored knots.

It arcs like a flying dragon, bending and curving a thousand times over. Fire and wind play at its edge as flute and drum sound together. Once it tamed beasts in the mountains; now it brings wonder to the streets.

A pair of small brown boxing gloves crafted from fine leather, a gift from her mother. "This is the best birthday gift ever," the interviewee remarked. We might regard this as the beginning of a fight or as a striking challenge to traditional sports.

A Laplace creation crafted from vacuum tubes. Through the clever combination of springs and pressure components, it can fully transform.

This toy has the shape of a cannon, but according to the LSCC's definition of children's products, "it doesn't have any lethal power."

Gilded bracelets and ankle rings strung with bronze bells, worn by acrobats and performers from the Western Regions.

Amid leaping flames and drifting smoke, all one hears is the chime of bells with the dancing steps, sharp and clear like music.

This is a golden age for sports.

When the new middle class of the era of peace hoped their children would tread a respectable path, the television industry thoughtfully switched to sports channels.

They were on the field, on TV, on magazine covers, and on billboards. More than athletes, they were celebrities bathed in the limelight, earning astonishing endorsement fees, and with their gossip filling the entertainment news. The spotlight on the field paled in comparison to one-millionth of the new media.

The youth sports industry emerged as a natural consequence. Courses, equipment, apparel, competition registrations, and high tuition fees were attached to every aspect of the industry. Yet, still, a steady stream of people poured in. Those ambitious fathers and mothers all shared the same dream that the next sports prodigy would be their own.

And the "smart" ones had other plans: elementary school mock competitions, middle school leagues, charity fundraising matches ... Countless competitions, big and small, were added to resumes, helping secure recommendation letters for prestigious universities.

Youth sports became a "beautiful hobby," but also an industry, offering people a dazzling array of choices. Under the shadow of a eucalyptus tree, she picked up a flat pebble and placed it on her right knee. The stone felt cool to the touch as it slipped from her knee. She tried again, maintaining the delicate balance between her knee and the stone—a state of equilibrium.

All of this felt so familiar yet so strange.

Camberwell Public Middle School

Grade 7 · First Semester Report Card

· English

Subject Score: B

Teacher's Comment: Serious attitude towards studying, but inconsistent completion of coursework. Overall, Miss Spathodea needs to put in more effort.

· Mathematics

Subject Score: C-

Teacher's Comment: I hope to see more of you in class, Flame Flower Girl.

· Natural Science

Subject Score: B+

Teacher's Comment: Perhaps we should pay more attention to the time children spend on sports. Regardless, Miss Spathodea is a good girl, but her energy has its limits.

· Health and Physical Education

Subject Score: A+

Teacher's Comment: I cannot deny Miss Spathodea's talent in sports. If she would like to pursue a career as a professional athlete, now is the best time.

Pandora Wilson: Based on current research reports, it seems you are the only reincarnator who has retained "self-awareness."

Pandora Wilson: What do you think caused you to have a different outcome from other reincarnators?

Spathodea: Hmm … I think perhaps it's because of "responsibility."

Spathodea: Or rather, Ulu is like my "anchor." My teacher used this term; it's like a thing that keeps the ship stationary, preventing it from drifting away.

Spathodea: The identity of the Uluru Games' Priestess, my oath, and the combination of everything—my friend Ulu, it's these that have kept me seemingly stationary and allowed me to re-emerge.

Pandora Wilson: So, you're not "unable to return to your past self," but rather you haven't acquired "a new identity."

Spathodea: Yes.

Pandora Wilson: Does this mean you've never experienced an internal conflict between "me" and "myself"?

Spathodea: Conflict between me ... and myself?

Spathodea: Sorry, I don't know how to answer that … Maybe, I need to think more about this.