Derick studied Sparkle carefully.
She was petite, about the same size as Huohuo. She had straight bangs and twin tails, with a fox mask perched on her head.
She had a very cute face, but unfortunately, the personality of a classic brat. Red makeup was smudged around her eyes, and she had two red dots painted beneath them.
A collar with a bell hung around her snow-white neck, making Derick think about adding a leash to it.
She wore an Edo Star-style kimono, though it was heavily modified, revealing a lot of her fair skin. Her small legs were held close together, her ankles, which looked no bigger than his palm, resting in geta sandals. Her toes were painted red, adding a touch of allure to her playful appearance.
"So? Am I pretty? With a cute girl like me as your guide, I guarantee you'll be the coolest guy in all of Penacony."
Seeing Derick's gaze, Sparkle even twirled around in front of him.
"I'm not interested in that sort of thing. Why are you here?" Derick asked her directly.
He had no interest in continuing the conversation with Sparkle. As one of the Masked Fools, her greatest skills were lying and manipulating people.
Derick believed that no matter how careful he was, he would inevitably fall into one of Sparkle's traps.
It was better not to play her game at all.
"Well..." Sparkle started to say more, but seeing Derick's completely unreceptive expression, she had no choice but to be frank.
"Alright, I came to you to make a deal."
"A deal? What kind of deal? You're not going to mention being a tour guide again, are you?" Derick asked Sparkle.
"Relax, relax, it's nothing like that." Sparkle waved her hand. "I'm here because I want to ask you for some information, and I plan to team up with you to do something."
"What do you want? What information are you looking for?" Derick asked Sparkle.
Sparkle stated her purpose: "It's about that pitch-black creature, the black humanoid being that has appeared next to Lady Ruan Mei and in a few other places. I want to know more about it."
"In the entire universe, you people have had the most contact with that black creature. I want to get some information from you, and if you could help me capture it, that would be even better."
Back when she saw Derick's Second Clone with Ruan Mei, thanks to old Sampo, Sparkle had gotten the idea to capture it for fun. But Ruan Mei kept a close watch, and Sparkle could never find an opportunity.
Since she couldn't find a chance on her own, Sparkle naturally wanted to cause trouble from the inside. And for that, the most suitable person was Derick.
She had gathered some information on him and knew that Derick was on bad terms with that pitch-black creature. She felt fairly confident she could persuade him to help.
Hearing Sparkle's idea, Derick was stunned.
You want me to capture my own clone?
Well, well. Who in the courtroom dares to accuse the judge?
"I have no interest in helping you," Derick refused her outright.
"Don't be so hasty, Derry. I can offer you a reward." Sparkle leaned in close to Derick, grinning.
"I can give you money. Lots of money."
Derick ignored her and started to walk away.
"Hey, wait!" Sparkle moved closer to Derick again, her petite body pressing against his.
She lifted her fair white thigh, blocking his path with its inner side against his lower abdomen.
"If you don't like money, I can offer other forms of payment. For example, myself."
Sparkle's breath was fragrant as a flower, and a seductive look appeared on her delicate face.
"So, Derry, want to touch my leg?"
Just as Sparkle said this, Derick heard a shocked gasp from behind him. He turned to see Castorice, Acheron, Robin, and Huohuo standing not far away, with a clear view of his and Sparkle's compromising position.
The gasp had come from Huohuo.
Huohuo looked completely shocked.
What kind of charm does Mr. Derick have? We were only gone for a moment, and he's already hitting it off with another girl.
He's a top-tier incubus! He is!
Derick looked at Sparkle, thinking, Is this how you planned to trap me?
Sparkle watched Castorice with great interest. According to her information, Derick's little girlfriend was a very jealous girl.
Although she wouldn't make a big scene, she would still express her displeasure, which would be a successful prank on Derick.
While Sparkle was thinking this, Castorice walked over.
Castorice came to Derick's side and grabbed his hand.
Sparkle's smile widened.
Castorice took Derick's hand and pressed it directly onto Sparkle's thigh.
Huh!?
This was rather unexpected for Sparkle.
Castorice even pushed down, making Derick's hand grip Sparkle's thigh hard.
There wasn't much flesh on Sparkle's thigh; it was very slender and bony. But her skin was fine and cool, very silky to the touch.
"Ouch! That hurts..." Sparkle quickly put her leg down. Castorice's grip was actually quite strong, and after that squeeze, Sparkle found a bruise forming on her thigh.
Castorice glanced at Sparkle. She didn't know who this girl was, but to think she could make her jealous with a stunt like this was truly underestimating her.
Besides, even if she did get jealous, she wouldn't get angry at Derick.
Even someone as well-informed as Sparkle wouldn't know about Derick's relationships with people like Feixiao and Yunli. It was unrealistic to expect Castorice to lose her composure over jealousy.
Realizing her plan had backfired, Sparkle limped and hopped away into the distance.
Once she was far away, she sent a message to Derick.
"Derry, I have one more reward to offer! It's about how those Memokeepers from the Garden of Recollection are planning to deal with you. Do you want to know? If you do, come find me anytime."
With that said, Sparkle turned a corner somewhere and disappeared from sight.
Reaching a deserted alley, Sparkle couldn't help but rub her thigh.
No one had ever touched her thigh before. To be manhandled like that was truly beyond Sparkle's expectations.
But it also piqued her interest.
Pranking others is fun. Having a prank fail and getting pranked back is also fun.
"Perfect. It seems there are quite a few amusing people here in Penacony," Sparkle thought to herself.
Just as she was thinking this, the lid of a nearby trash can suddenly flew open, and a figure emerged from within.
Stelle appeared with a satisfied smile on her face.
The Golden Hour truly lives up to its name. The trash cans here are really something else.
Stelle looked completely content from her rummaging.
Looking at the slightly grimy Stelle, Sparkle greeted her with a grin.
"Hey there, little gray-hair."
Stelle looked at Sparkle, confused.
Who is this person?
And... why is there a handprint on her thigh?
____
Our community goal challenge is still on!
🎯 With 100 Powerstones, a free bonus chapter gets released to everyone!
🚀 And at 55 SUPPORTERS, a massive 5-chapter update drops for all stories!
🎉 Exclusive Welcome Rate: We've slashed the price for your first month!
👻 Ready to join? Find me, Walnutchan, on that special creator platform (P). You know the one! 😉