If someone told Siobham that this Xipe Cake was Xipe drunk, who'd plucked a piece off itself to make a little creature for fun... she might actually believe it.
Of course, if she were told the truth, that Pei Guang had simply used a Light Cone and some Harmony-path materials to craft it, she'd probably question reality itself, convinced that Aha must've been behind this prank.
Still, with such pure Harmony power, opposing the Family would be effortless.
Even if its strength felt a bit… odd, different from the traditional Harmony, as long as Xipe Cake displayed it, the heads of every major Family would obey its command.
No—Xipe Cake wasn't rebelling against the Family. It was guiding the Family back onto the true path of Harmony!
But Siobhan couldn't figure something out.
With power this immense, why wouldn't Xipe Cake simply speak directly to the Family leaders?
With the few major Families in Penacony, the moment they saw Xipe Cake, they'd probably treat it as an honored guest: even the Dreammaster would personally receive it.
Yet such a being wanted to rebel against the Family? An Emanator of Harmony rebelling against the very Family that worshiped Harmony?
Why would the prince rise in revolt against his own faith?
Her thoughts were spinning.
As she tried to make sense of it all, she cautiously asked, "Rebel against the Family… why do you want to do that?"
Pei Guang didn't respond.
Instead, Xipe Cake barked, "Woof woof woof~ woo-woof~"
That answer froze Siobhan's expression: because she realized it was right.
There was dissonance within the Family—and whether it came from outside or within, she couldn't say.
The Family's actions no longer matched the image it presented to the world. From what she'd learned, even the higher-ups of each lineage were no longer united.
Harmony? For many Family members, Harmony had become nothing more than an excuse, a tool for personal gain.
Had Xipe Cake not revealed its power, Siobhan would never have allowed Commander and Spade to get involved. But once it did, she knew this was a guaranteed victory.
And that meant… Penacony was about to change forever.
Since it was a sure win, there was no reason for her to hold back—in fact…
Siobhan said, "If we're rebelling against the Family, can I join you? I know the Iris Family inside out!"
She had been raised by the head of the Iris Family. She might not know much about the others, but with someone like Xipe Cake leading, joining the cause could bring enormous benefit to her lineage's future.
She didn't hate her Family: she just despised the stagnation of its predictable fate. And because she loved it, she couldn't ignore the corruption within.
Now that she had the chance to shake things up, and with guaranteed success, of course she'd take it.
Siobhan began sharing her knowledge of the Family's inner workings.
Though she was from Iris, she also understood the other Families quite well. With her as an insider, well… by the time Sunday figured out what had really happened to his sister, the actual leadership of the Family might already be completely replaced.
But this outcome was already within Pei Guang's plan: in fact, it was ideal.
He fully intended to use the Family's own power to investigate Robin's death and uncover the truth about Something Unto Death.
Experience and intuition both told him: that thing was not as simple as it seemed.
While Pei Guang and the others were discussing how to raise the banner of rebellion against the Family, March 7th and Firefly had found a place to sit.
In the lounge area, Firefly sat restlessly, her eyes darting toward Pei Guang. Her tone was uneasy as she asked, "Shouldn't we… go over there?"
March waved her hand dismissively. "No need~ Stuff like this, brain-heavy things, is better left to Ah Guang! Once he's figured it all out, he'll come tell us what to do next. Until then, we just rest up and make sure we're ready for when he inevitably does something that fries our brains again."
The reason March could always accept Pei Guang's ridiculous antics so quickly… was because she had completely given up trying to understand them.
What was the point of thinking? Thinking too much just made her head hurt~
Might as well relax—and have fun with Pei Guang.
Firefly murmured, "I see…"
She took a deep breath.
She wanted to stay calm, but for some reason, she couldn't help wondering what she could do to help Pei Guang.
Seeing how restless Firefly was, March 7th smiled. "Don't worry, Cutiefly~ Ah Guang'll finish soon enough. That's when we'll really have work to do. Until then, rest up and recharge!"
As March 7th reassured her, she blinked mischievously—and then, almost casually, asked, "Oh, right—totally off-topic, but… did Ah Guang ever kiss you?"
This question made Firefly widen her eyes.
"K–Kiss me? N–No… he didn't…"
Her stammering expression amused March 7th, but at the same time, that nervous reaction told her something important: that scoundrel Pei Guang might have raised other girls' affection for him, but at least he hadn't done anything that would make her really jealous.
Since he hadn't kissed Firefly, that meant Pei Guang had only ever kissed her, March 7th, from start to finish.
She wasn't losing!
That thought instantly lifted March's mood.
Firefly, noticing the change in her expression, blinked curiously and asked, "Eh? Why did you ask me that question?"
March couldn't hold back a mischievous smile. "Ahem~ Oh, nothing. Just curious~"
At that moment, Firefly seemed to catch onto something.
She asked directly, "Hm? You and Ah Guang… have kissed before? What was your first kiss like?"
Once that topic came up, March, who could never keep secrets, immediately perked up.
"Our first time? That was when we first met! I was trying to help him out of kindness, and the first thing he did when he woke up was grab me and kiss me! A forced kiss right off the bat: it almost left me with trauma, you know?"
If March had said that with a calm expression, Firefly wouldn't have thought much of it—maybe even believed that the experience really was unpleasant.
But that expression… that shy, flustered, happy, nostalgic expression full of longing: was that supposed to be a bad memory? If that was "bad," then what on earth would count as "good"?
She's… embarrassed, right?
Firefly stared at March and instantly found the word for it. As she thought it over, her mind quickly pieced together March's words, tone, and expression.
Summarizing the key points, she extracted the important conclusion:
Kiss = creates a beautiful memory!
Recalling March's story: the first kiss, a bit of force, the blush, the happiness, the dreamy expression… Firefly's thoughts started to race.
To leave behind a shy, happy, heart-fluttering memory… the kiss had to be unexpected and bold!
At that moment, Firefly looked at March with a face full of gratitude.
She hadn't expected March to be so open: even though March was ahead, she still shared her winning secret!
March, on the other hand, was confused by the look Firefly gave her. She had no idea why Firefly suddenly had that "I understand everything now" expression.
Still, just to be sure, Firefly asked again, "So… Ah Guang really forced that kiss on you?"
March puffed her cheeks unhappily. "Of course! That jerk! Hmph!"
Just thinking of Pei Guang back then made her mad—but remembering him now made her happy again.
Those mixed feelings of irritation and joy tangled together into a complicated expression.
Seeing that, Firefly was sure March wasn't lying.
But she still wanted confirmation: so she quietly pulled out her phone and sent a message to Silver Wolf.
A few dozen seconds later, Silver Wolf replied with a definite answer.
With that, Firefly made up her mind.
She stood up.