Hearing this question, Stelle froze for a moment. Oh no, in her haste, she'd forgotten about this detail—would this expose something problematic? But after a brief moment of panic, Stelle quickly came up with a plan. She let out a cold laugh, adopting a mysterious air. "Hmph, ignorant Fool, do you think your little schemes could escape my notice?" "From the moment I set foot in Penacony, the movements of every faction and every person have been completely under my control." "Do you really take me for a mascot?"
As she said this, Stelle had no confidence whatsoever. Anyone who knew even a little about the Astral Express crew would know exactly what kind of person she was. If Sparkle wanted to dig up dirt on her, she wouldn't even need to stalk or investigate—just a quick call to Sampo, and everything would be clear as day. So this lie could easily be seen through. But… why did Sparkle's expression seem a bit off?
Sparkle's eyes widened, filled with seriousness and caution. If this were her original world or when she'd just arrived in this one, she would've scoffed and mocked Stelle for acting mysterious. But now, after enduring a long period of humbling experiences, she'd learned to bow to reality.
Just as the once-naive March 7th had evolved into the capable fighter she was now, this once-absurd little gray-hair must have undergone a significant reversal as well.
So what she just said might very well be true! Ignorant, clueless, absurd… these labels of the original little gray-hair, when reversed, became profound, wise, and serious… Sparkle would no longer underestimate anyone she met.
She'd already paid a heavy price for underestimating March 7th before. This time, she wouldn't make the same mistake.
"…Heh, Sister Stelle, you're even a hundred times more impressive than I imagined." After a long silence, Sparkle was the first to back down. She let out a slow breath, uncharacteristically yielding. Until she could figure out Stelle's true capabilities, Sparkle decided it was best not to be too flashy. After all, with those two powerhouses—one pink, one silver—still around, any schemes she had would surely be shut down by them in an instant.
Meanwhile, Stelle's inner thoughts: Oh? This Sparkle was so easily fooled by my bluff? Hmm… I get it now—this Sparkle is a reversed version. Her strength and cunning are nowhere near the original's level of insanity. That's right, something felt off about her. Compared to the original Sparkle, this one's practically a rookie!
Emboldened, Stelle grabbed Sparkle's face even more brazenly. "You damned Masked Fool, confess—what did you do?"
"…Don't just mess with Lady Sparkle's face!"
At that moment, a sudden boom rang out. March 7th and Firefly's battle was nearing its climax. Their figures clashed in midair, unleashing a powerful shockwave in an instant! Stelle and Sparkle, caught in the blast, were thrown back. Duang! The terrifying force sent them flying, coincidentally crashing into the room they'd just exited, with the door slamming shut behind them.
March 7th/Firefly (alarmed): "!!!" Oh no! My chance!
Seeing Stelle and Sparkle locked inside together, the two stopped their fight, rushing to the door in a panic and pounding on it. "Stelle, wait in there, don't do anything reckless, we'll come save you right away!" In her urgency, Firefly even pulled out her transformation device, ready to activate [SAM] at any moment.
Click click click—
But despite their calls, no response came from inside the room. Instead, there was the sound of some mechanism operating, while Stelle, whom they were so concerned about, remained completely silent. Receiving no answer, March 7th and Firefly exchanged a glance, finally realizing the gravity of the situation.
Roar—
A low growl echoed from the depths of the corridor, as if some monster had awakened. From the slight tremors in the floor, it was clear it was approaching them.
…
"Hiss—damn, that hurts!"
Stelle rubbed her waist as she got up from the floor. With her physical resilience, normal impacts wouldn't injure her, but this was different—she'd chosen to shield Sparkle, taking the brunt of the impact herself and even banging into the corner of a table.
It hurt. It really hurt.
"…Oh? Little gray-hair, you're actually pretty decent, huh?"
Sparkle stood up, realizing Stelle had acted as her human cushion. She gave a mischievous grin. "Oh my~ Lady Sparkle's all torn up about how to repay you."
Stelle glanced around, a bad feeling rising in her chest. Looking at the door, she confirmed it was locked, as expected.
"No!!"
Stelle clutched her head in despair. "If I did something wrong, just punish me directly—there's no need for all this roundabout nonsense!"
"I paid such a huge price to get out of here!"
This cursed room was to blame for everything!
Sparkle quietly observed Stelle, noticing that her behavior didn't quite match her expectations. A flicker of doubt crossed her mind: What was she doing? Acting? Trying to establish a persona in front of her?
"You! Does this have anything to do with you or not?!"
Stelle grabbed Sparkle's shoulders. "Why did those two suddenly start fighting after all that smiling?! In a normal plot, shouldn't there be some subtle rivalry and passive-aggressive sniping for a while before it escalates to a direct confrontation?!"
"What kind of insane progression is this?! I'm the one who's really suffering here!"
Sparkle swatted Stelle's hands away, exasperated. "First off, this has absolutely nothing to do with me. Second, you're suffering? I'm the one suffering here, okay, Lady Sparkle?"
"I'm a Masked Fool! What I want is a thrilling, delightful plot that's full of Elation! Not to be treated like some roadside mob that gets casually taken out, got it?"
Stelle: "Weak! Practice more! You got taken out, so why don't you look at your own faults? If you were a real pro, you'd have me and Firefly dancing in the palm of your hand! You'd be in control of the whole situation, weaving between factions, facing them head-on!"
"Why is it that not only have you done nothing useful, but you've somehow ended up running around with March 7th to this place?"
At this, even Sparkle, rarely shaken, started to lose her composure. "Look at my own faults? Fine, then why don't you look at your own faults for those two inexplicably fighting out there? Or for being stuck in this room? Or for being trapped in this damn hotel?"
"Everything's about finding your own faults—how am I supposed to find fault with myself for inexplicably ending up in this place, huh, tavern curse?"
"Do you have any idea what it's like? I can only chase Elation until I die, not get targeted and outplayed like some clown every day! Got it?"
"How was I supposed to know you're all a bunch of lunatics, (tavern curse?) The wingboy's a capitalist, the Watchmaker's an even bigger capitalist, and the key player, Acheron, went off to the side of Destruction—what am I supposed to do?"
"Hand me a group of psychos—how am I supposed to play this game?!"
Sparkle took a deep breath, fuming. "Little gray-hair, you and I are simply not from the same world!"