"Eh, aren't you—!"
March 7th, chasing after Stelle, caught sight of the figure across from them and froze for a moment.
The girl's clothing was elegant, her bearing graceful and refined. Her long hair, a shimmering blend of silver and violet, flowed with a starlit sheen, and the ornate, distinctive feathered ears framing her face lent her an almost angelic purity and nobility.
"Um, excuse me, are you... no, could it be that you're..."
Little March flailed her arms excitedly, gesturing in a scramble of half-formed words.
"That amazing person!"
"The superstar of Epsilon! 'If I Can Stop One Heart From Breaking' is your work, isn't it?!"
Her eyes seemed to fill with tiny stars, glimmering with pure, unfiltered adoration.
"I didn't expect such an adorable young lady to be a fan of mine as well."
Robin looked at the pink-haired girl before her, brimming with warmth and energy, and offered a gentle smile, soft as a spring breeze drifting across harp strings.
"Ah! It really is Miss Robin! To think I'd get to meet the real her here!"
March 7th clenched her small fists in excitement, bouncing in place.
But the fan's fervor was quickly interrupted by a question mark. She tilted her head, her big eyes full of confusion, and pointed at Stelle.
"Why did you call her Miss Tom?"
"Well..."
Robin wasn't quite sure how to explain the dream in question.
"Ah Qi, did you forget?"
Stelle propped a hand on her hip. "I told you about my little dream adventure — the mighty, invincible cat I turned into. His name was Tom!"
She glanced at Robin, puffing out her chest and lifting her chin, her small face set in an arrogant expression that somehow only made her cuter.
"A hero doesn't change her name, a warrior doesn't hide her surname — I am the Galaxy Batwoman. If you don't like that, feel free to call me the Galaxy Queen of All Females instead. I can handle it."
Robin: "..."
She kept her perfect smile in place, though it stiffened for just a heartbeat.
March 7th arched an eyebrow and shot a sideways glare at the increasingly puffed-up Gray-hair beside her, deadpan.
"Hey, hey! When did you crown yourself Galaxy Queen of All Females?"
"Just look at this face and you'll know why!"
Stelle jabbed a thumb at herself, utterly confident.
"Pfft, so shameless!"
March 7th made a face without any hesitation, then quickly turned back to her idol with an apologetic, 'sorry my kid's a handful' kind of smile.
"Miss Robin, don't mind her — just call her Stelle!"
Then, curiosity got the better of her.
"By the way, Miss Robin, are you a member of the Family?"
As a fan, this was news to her.
"To be honest," Robin shook her head elegantly, her smile still gentle, "I'm a guest here, same as all of you."
"Penacony is my hometown, but I left after I grew up. This time, I've had the honor of being invited back to perform at the Charmony Festival."
"I see," March 7th blinked.
While White Seele and Little Duck were introducing themselves to Robin, Stelle — who had no real idea just how big a star Robin was — pulled out her phone and did a quick search.
The screen filled with a dizzying wall of honors, astronomical record sales, and blinding titles like "Cosmic-Tier Diva" and "Treasure of Epsilon." In an instant, she understood what a real superstar looked like.
Her attitude did a complete one-eighty. She lunged forward, and without another word, raised her phone and started snapping close-up photos of Robin, click, click, click.
Then she pulled a Polaroid camera out of her spatial ring and, with practiced ease, spat out two fresh photos.
"Can I get an autograph?!"
"O-of course."
Though Stelle's sudden shift in attitude and lightning-fast photo skills made the corner of Robin's mouth twitch almost imperceptibly, an autograph was a small enough thing that she had no reason to refuse.
"What, are you a fan of this diva now too?"
Haxxor Bunny chewed her gum, a teasing edge in her voice.
"Nope," Stelle shook her head as if it were obvious.
"Then what are you up to?"
"Heh heh heh~"
Stelle gave a sly, everything-going-according-to-plan grin and waved her phone smugly.
"I just looked it up — her autographed photos go for a fortune on the secondhand market! This is a straight-up money code. Free money's still money~"
As she spoke, Stelle opened up the Galaxy Trading Network right then and there and listed the still-warm autographed photo of Robin she'd just gotten.
"Let's see what the market says... starting price, 500,000 credits, just to test the waters?"
Stelle rubbed her chin — then, a second later, her expression froze solid.
"Sister Stelle, what's wrong?" White Seele noticed something was off.
"..."
Stelle swallowed, her voice taking on a dreamy, faraway quality.
"...Sold. Instantly."
"What?!"
Little Duck was stunned.
500,000 credits?
Gone in an instant?
"Holy crap, someone snapped up 500K just like that?"
Haxxor Bunny was shocked too, immediately crowding in front of Stelle's screen.
"Let me see which rich boy is throwing money around like that!"
Haxxor Bunny leaned in, not quite believing it.
The buyer's user ID glowed clearly on the screen: [Guardian of the World's Most Beautiful and Adorable Robin, No. 9527].
"Tch, no wonder this place is the top money-sink of the universe — rich boys everywhere you look!"
Haxxor Bunny clicked her tongue, rubbing her hands together with greedy glee.
"Let me take a look at which sucker— ahem, which esteemed rich gentleman it is. Maybe I can strike up a friendly little chat later, see if I can shake loose some pocket money?"
She snapped her fingers, and a translucent blue holographic interface unfurled instantly in front of her, data streaming down like a waterfall.
"Whoa, doxxing someone already?"
Stelle watched Haxxor Bunny's smooth, obviously well-practiced moves and couldn't help but comment.
"Do all you hackers love doxxing this much?"
That Silver Wolf character, whenever she got into an argument in a game and couldn't out-insult the other side, and couldn't get Stelle or Caelus-cub to help trash-talk for her, would just doxx people instead.
A time-honored tradition, truly.
"I'm just taking a little peek, that's all."
Haxxor Bunny didn't even look up, her fingers flying through the empty air, her tone as breezy as if she were just browsing a shopping app.
"Don't worry, I still have professional ethics. I won't actually go posting anyone's info up on a street lamp."
For a top-tier hacker, doxxing someone was practically a daily chore.
"Miss, I really think this..."
Listening to the group's shameless business scheme and blatant doxxing going on right in front of her, Robin's expression shifted from helpless to thoroughly bewildered as she tried to intervene.
But before she could finish — the complex interface in front of Haxxor Bunny collapsed shut. The results were already in.
That fast?! That's how quick a doxx can be?!
Robin's mind reeled.
Who exactly was this person?
That speed...
Just how many people have you doxxed in your life?
"Whoa, what the hell?"
Haxxor Bunny stared at the results on the holographic screen, her expression turning into something between amazement and disbelief, like she'd just witnessed the most baffling moment of the year.
"This buyer is a robot? And that 9527 in the ID isn't random — it's genuinely unit number 9527. And there's a whole long list of others with the exact same format, just different numbers."
She looked at Robin with a mix of awe and absurdity.
"This army of robots runs around the clock, twenty-four seven, just watching every major trading platform, snapping up your autographs and merchandise the second they appear... is it always this crazy?"
No wonder she was a real superstar!
Was this the ultimate hardcore fandom, or...
"Yeah, clearly a bunch of mind-melted, deep-PUA'd stan-brained fans," Stelle concluded, sharp enough to sense a gaze suddenly sweeping her way.
Not far off, Sunday — who'd been chatting with Welt, Himeko, Ruan-Caelus, and Caelus-cub — seemed to glance her direction, ever so briefly, something faint and unreadable in the depths of his golden eyes.
"Mind-melted or not, if it makes gold coins rain down, it's a good thing," Haxxor Bunny nodded, ever the pragmatist.
She turned to Robin with an especially sincere smile.
"Hey, Miss Robin, could I trouble you for an autograph too? Just one!"
Robin: "..."
And then you'll turn around and list it for 500K, won't you?
Feeling a faint sense of futility, she nodded softly all the same.
"...Sure."
Haxxor Bunny got her autograph and, with practiced efficiency, listed it across every major trading platform, casually setting the price at a flat one million credits.
One second...
Three seconds...
Five seconds...
The platform's interface stayed dead still, quiet as a stagnant pond.
"Bronya thinks," Little Duck said, arms crossed, reasoning it out logically, "even the most obsessed rich fan wouldn't buy up every single autograph when they're basically identical, right? There should be some kind of... diminishing returns?"
"Tch, is that all? Is that all?"
Haxxor Bunny scoffed, curling her lip. "If that's the extent of it, can they even call themselves real fans? True fans should support—"
Her words cut off abruptly, her eyes going wide as she stared at the transaction-success notification that had suddenly popped up.
"Holy crap! Someone actually bought it?! There's really that big a sucker out there?!"
She stood frozen in place.
While this new business venture was getting underway on one side, something else was happening on the other.
"Hey, friend, sorry about the joke earlier — hope you don't mind."
Aventurine, all smiles, greeted the gray-haired, golden-eyed young man in front of him with easy familiarity.
Privately, he shook his head, thinking his colleague really ought to take some lessons in how to speak like a normal human being.
The intel she'd given him wasn't wrong, exactly, but her casual little phrase about them being 'closely related' had turned out to mean something jaw-droppingly different than he'd expected.
Especially now that Sunday had confirmed it — Ruan Mei's identity was set in stone, beyond doubt!
Caelus looked at the golden-haired man before him, peacock-proud and preening, his golden eyes calm and unreadable, and said nothing.
"Allow me to introduce myself — I'm Aventurine, of the IPC's Strategic Investment Department, Topaz's colleague."
Aventurine kept up his easy, familiar manner.
"If I was rude to you earlier, please forgive me. A small welcoming gift — 500,000 credits, a token of goodwill."
"Oh! I knew it!"
Caelus's expression instantly brightened, blossoming into a look of pure, genuine delight. He grabbed Aventurine's hand before the man could withdraw it, shaking it vigorously, his tone dripping with heartfelt emotion.
"The moment I saw you, I felt like I knew you — you're the spitting image of my long-lost half-brother, separated at birth!"
That easy? Aventurine thought.
Was this guy really that hard up for cash?
That didn't add up.
A flicker of doubt crossed his mind, but his smile stayed exactly the same.
"From today on, we're brothers sharing one account — what's yours is mine, and what's mine... is still mine. No need to keep score between us!"
"..."
The corner of Aventurine's mouth twitched, almost imperceptibly, before he burst into an even heartier laugh.
"Hahaha! You're a hilarious guy, brother. I've got some business to attend to, so I'll head off first."
He smoothly slipped his hand free of Caelus's grip and turned to walk away without missing a beat.
It wasn't that he'd have actually minded opening a separate account and slipping this 'brother' a bit of pocket money.
But with so many eyes and ears around — the Family, plus everyone else the commotion had drawn in — this was no place for any real, substantive conversation.
Now that contact had been made, there'd be plenty of chances later.
Meanwhile, over where Sunday had been exchanging pleasantries and light negotiations with Himeko, Old Yang, and Ruan-Caelus, the conversation was wrapping up.
"My apologies for taking up your valuable time. We won't intrude any further."
Sunday gave a slight bow, his face set in a flawless social smile.
"Should you ever need anything while in Penacony, the Family is always at your service."
His reasoning aligned with Aventurine's — in this chaotic, delicate situation, now was hardly the moment to probe these two extraordinary guests aboard the Express.
Still, this trip had turned out far more eventful than expected.
He hadn't imagined this Genius would actually come to Penacony. The Family had indeed sent invitations to every reachable Genius, but only a handful had even bothered to respond — and always to decline.
The greatest surprise, of course, was the appearance of Genius Society Member #81 herself — Ruan Mei.
The Family had truly sent a token invitation to every reachable Genius, but only a scarce few had explicitly declined, while the overwhelming majority simply never responded at all.
This was expected — a Genius's research time was far too precious to waste on what they no doubt saw as a pointless social gathering.
Who would have guessed that a Genius with such... peculiar leisure interests would actually show up to sightsee in Penacony?
What weighed even heavier on Sunday's mind were two looming concerns that followed.
First, a member of the Genius Society was, by her very nature, a variable capable of upending the entire board — her presence alone could throw unpredictable wrenches into their ongoing plans.
The one small mercy, if it could even be called that, was that from the conversation just now and the impressions given off by 'Miss Ruan Mei,' she seemed to have no intention of entering a dream.
But that only made things more baffling.
If she had no intention of experiencing Penacony's central attraction — the dream itself — then why had she traveled all this way?
Was it really just to accompany that gray-haired Nameless one... on a vacation?
Sunday rubbed at his throbbing temple.
Well, no matter — as long as this Miss Ruan Mei kept her word and truly stayed out of the dreams, as she claimed...
Then the Family would be willing to pay a considerable price to ensure she remained comfortably settled in the waking world.
That might be the only manageable option available, given the current circumstances.
Sunday's attitude and methods left a rather good impression on Caelus — Caelus found himself quite fond of this 'Brother Sunday.' Just as Sunday was about to leave, Caelus suddenly thought of something, hesitated for two seconds, and stepped closer, lowering his voice.
"Watch out for Ifrit."
Before crossing over, aside from comedic fan edits, Caelus had also occasionally watched the official special PVs.
He recalled one called "A Night of Ever-Flame: Scene 33," a promotional PV for the A Journey of a Thousand Stars series, put out by a professional villain team.
The Annihilation Gang was planning to make trouble in Penacony.
Something about — Akash, pluck your strings and silence Harmony's hymn.
Constance, wither Penacony's midnight into ruin.
Prepare this land of sweet dreams to welcome its new master, arriving from Fetora—
"Ifrit?" Sunday's steps halted.
"Do you mean the Duke Inferno, of the Annihilation Gang?"
This year's Charmony Festival was unusual — even the Annihilation Gang and the Denizens of Abundance had received invitations to Penacony. Everyone assumed Penacony was throwing an unprecedented, grand celebration, but as the current power broker of Penacony, Sunday knew full well that many of those invitations hadn't come from the Family at all.
Someone with hidden motives inside Penacony had sent them out instead, luring every faction here for their own scheme.
"If you mean the Annihilation Gang, there's nothing to worry about there," Sunday said slowly, giving Caelus a meaningful look.
"Archduke Ifrit of the Netherflame — his starship crashed under unknown circumstances just before entering Asdana. He and all his offspring were reduced to nothing but bones..."
"What? Say that again?"
Caelus froze.
Dead?
Wait, the villain team that had their own promotional PV just... died, quietly, without a trace?
Was that even real?
Seeing Caelus's disbelief, Sunday thought for two seconds before continuing.
"Actually, that's not quite accurate."
"The Archduke's offspring have genuinely vanished without a trace, but Ifrit himself, as a fire demon, did leave remains behind... a great many, in fact, scattered all across Penacony. The Family is currently dispatching people to clean up the residual embers this fire demon left strewn across the star field."
"?"
Not only was he dead, but his ashes were scattered across the whole of Penacony?
It didn't sound like a joke — but could things really work out this way?
Caelus used his Fool's mask to keep his composure, pulling up the memory of the promotional PV — the Archduke standing proudly with his children lined up beside him, declaring war on every faction with lofty arrogance.
In that moment, something seemed to have been added to that demonic, imposing face from the memory.
His skin looked a bit pale, his cheeks had a bit too much blush, and there was a little red ball stuck on his nose.
You're the wildest thing in Gotham, the busiest act under the circus tent, the one standing guard outside McDonald's, the big or small joker in the deck — that's exactly what this is!
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