"Firefly-san, may I ask you a question?"
"Of course, Robin-san. But if it's something I'm not allowed to say, I won't."
When Robin made her request, Firefly agreed without even thinking.
Elio's script didn't give her much content anyway, so she wasn't worried about leaking any important intel.
"Every time you Stellaron Hunters go somewhere, chaos follows. This time… are you planning to make a move on Penacony?" Robin asked after choosing her words carefully.
"We won't cause chaos in Penacony." Firefly's eyelid twitched. Were the Stellaron Hunters' reputations really that bad?
"Then does Penacony have a Stellaron, the 'Cancer of All Worlds'?"
Whenever the Stellaron Hunters went anywhere, it was basically because of a Stellaron. There was no way they'd come to Penacony just to vacation.
Robin didn't actually know whether Penacony had one. She wasn't a Family head like Sunday, so she couldn't possibly have access to Penacony's core secrets.
"Yes."
Firefly thought about it. This wasn't something she absolutely couldn't say—everyone would find out later anyway.
Even if Robin knew, it wouldn't change anything. The Dream of Taiyi was already prepared.
"I understand. Thank you." Robin's expression shifted as if she was thinking through something.
She knew the Stellaron's danger firsthand. Penacony looked calm on the surface, but the undercurrent was turbulent—if there really was a Stellaron here, it could be an unstable time bomb.
What a headache. The Charmony Festival had invited forces from all sides. If the Stellaron erupted, the Family would never escape responsibility.
If the Stellaron Hunters were here, that meant the Stellaron was definitely a problem.
"Excuse me. I need to go back and investigate." Robin said apologetically, then left.
"Another Stellaron… What kind of karmic grudge do we have with Stellarons?" Stelle's tone was complicated.
Jarilo-VI, the Xianzhou Luofu, and now Penacony too—oh right, Sphere III had three Stellarons as well.
It was ridiculous. It felt like the Astral Express was just a more reputable version of the Stellaron Hunters, running around everywhere to solve Stellaron disasters.
Were they being set up by someone?
"..." Firefly put on an awkward yet polite expression. In the script, the Nameless really did have an inseparable fate with Stellarons.
...
"Koji, you should be able to cure Firefly's illness, right?" Yae Miko asked.
"Yeah. But Stelle already thought of a solution herself, so of course we should let her take her little girlfriend to Ruan Mei's place and try it out."
Koji shrugged. If Ruan Mei couldn't treat Entropy Loss Syndrome, then there were only a handful of people in the universe who could.
He really could heal Firefly instantly—but he still wanted to give those two a chance to forge their bond.
"Little girlfriend?"
Lumine and the others couldn't help laughing. The nickname was honestly perfect. Forget the Stellaron Hunter identity—Firefly's vibe really did feel like a first-love kind of girlfriend.
"Hehehe, that nickname is hilarious. If we tease them to their faces, the little gray-haired one probably won't react much… but that little firefly will totally turn into a steam engine~"
Sparkle appeared again, sitting on a chair like she'd just found front-row seats to a great show. A dazzling smile bloomed on her cute, mischievous face.
"Brat, why are you here?" Koji glanced at her. Wasn't she supposed to be planting 'bombs' everywhere?
"Oh? Since you're calling me that, then what should I call you?"
"Small fry~ Small fry~"
Sparkle didn't get mad at all. Instead, she leaned fully into the bratty act—mouth open, expression perfectly smug, even tossing out that reward-like line.
Honestly, Sparkle's build plus her personality made her naturally suited for the brat trope.
In situations like this, you really did need to give her a shot to make her behave.
"So you really are a brat." Koji laughed helplessly. Sparkle rarely ever felt embarrassed.
"Sounds great. Love it. Can you call me that too?" Lumine stepped forward, hands on her hips, chest out, chin up.
Brats were way too cute, and the voice was sweet too. No favoritism allowed—she had to reward her as well.
There was another expert?!
Sparkle was a little surprised. What kind of niche taste was this?
"Lumine, dial it back a little." Paimon couldn't help blurting it out. She couldn't even look—this was a bit too perverted.
"What's the big deal? It's not like it'll cost me a chunk of flesh. I like hearing it." Lumine said righteously.
Sparkle, being the kind of person who lived for fun, sighed in amazement. "Small fry… are you in idiot mode?"
To be honest, she'd seen plenty of people and played plenty of roles, but someone like Lumine was rare—thick-skinned and utterly shameless.
Way too interesting. She almost wanted to invite Lumine to a drinking party.
As someone who lived for the joke, you had to have thick skin. If you got embarrassed yourself, how were you supposed to mess with people?
"Ahhh, that's the good stuff—deliciously shameless hospitality." Lumine said with satisfaction.
That was exactly what she wanted to hear. Now she was fulfilled.
Not just any beauty could call someone "small fry" and make it hit right—you needed a brat like Sparkle to get that specific feeling.
"Such an idiot small fry. Want me to step on you with my foot?" Sparkle raised her smooth leg, her sandal leaving her "food-grade" bare foot plainly visible in front of Lumine. Since she was wearing open-toed sandals, there was no way there'd be any foot odor.
"Really?" Lumine asked eagerly, eyes locked on Sparkle's foot as she licked her lips.
She genuinely wouldn't mind taking a taste. It was a pretty girl's foot, after all.
...
None of them were ordinary people, so there wouldn't be much "taste" anyway—soft, full, and honestly kind of appetizing.
Sparkle: "..."
Hearing that and seeing Lumine's expectant look, Sparkle didn't even know what to say. Her extended foot tensed up instantly—she wasn't sure whether to pull it back or what.
She felt like she'd still underestimated Lumine. In front of so many spectators, Lumine could say something that perverted with a straight face.
"Nice." Eula couldn't help pressing a hand to her forehead. Back when she and Lumine shared a bed, Lumine had also wanted to "sample" her feet—Eula wasn't that perverted, so of course she refused.
"Blondie, I think you're better suited for the Path of Propagation." Sparkle laughed.
This wasn't the kind of talent Elation needed. This was the kind of talent Propagation needed.
A thousand words condensed into two: insane.
A natural Propagation prodigy—thick-skinned enough, perverted enough, and her head was full of filthy thoughts.
"Not at all. I have a husband—he's right here among this group."
Lumine turned her head—only to find Koji was gone. She scratched her head in confusion. When did he leave?
"Hehehe, did your husband run off because you're too perverted?" Sparkle couldn't stop laughing. She didn't know when Koji left either—she'd been distracted by Lumine's depravity.
"My husband would never dislike me." Lumine said calmly, brimming with confidence. She was Koji's rightful queen. No matter how many younger sisters joined later, that would never change.
(End of Chapter)
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