Luckily, Stelle's body was durable.
At least a dozen people stepped on her, some even tripping and falling on top of her. Yet, she didn't dissolve into memoria on the spot. Instead, she struggled to extend a hand, "Help…"
Pressed to the ground, she didn't see the silver-haired girl's smile freeze upon seeing her. Though the girl's expression seemed a bit cute, the growing madness in her eyes was chilling.
Ugh… these bastards are really asking for it…
No, no, I can't lose control. These bastards dared to step on my Stelle … That's a privilege only I have!!
Though the girl had a gentle nature, she had three absolute lines that could not be crossed:
Those who obstruct my meeting with Stelle, die.
Those who harm Stelle, die.
Those who dare get close to Stelle, die.
The people before her had triggered the second of her "must-die principles." It was time for judgment.
The air seemed to heat up. The crowd noticed that, despite no audio source nearby, a powerful BGM began playing in their minds: Dun dun dun dun dun—
"A bunch of fools blinded by money—get lost!"
Just as the girl was about to draw her ultimate weapon, a cold, sharp cry came from behind the crowd. Hearing it, the Hounds, previously driven mad by greed, shuddered and instinctively crouched, clutching their heads.
A girl in knightly armor with light blue hair tied in a ponytail emerged from behind the crowd. Her face was stern, her gaze sharp, with a halo like Sunday's atop her head and a pair of holy wings behind her.
Such stunning beauty was rare even in this dreamscape full of customized faces.
"M-Miss… Miss Robin, w-why are you here?"
The lead Hound, crouching with his head down, looked up with a fawning smile. "We're just catching a stowaway, not slacking off."
Crack!
Robin conjured a whip out of thin air and lashed it across him. "Lower your head when speaking to your superior."
Lead Hound: "Y-Yes… I overstepped."
Robin's gaze swept over Stelle on the ground and Firefly ahead, letting out a cold huff. "Catching a stowaway? You little darlings, have you gone mad for credits?"
"My intel said the stowaway is entirely silver—referring to their outer armor. How did it become a silver-haired girl in your eyes?"
"And didn't you notice you stepped on a tourist?!"
"You're all losing today's wages!"
Robin's voice turned icy, and the Hounds knelt in panic, pleading, "Miss Robin, please have mercy, don't dock our pay!"
"My grandma just gave birth yesterday, and my uncle can't even afford formula!"
"Nooo, if you keep docking my pay, I'll have to take out a loan to work—"
"I was wrong, Miss Robin. If it comes to it, whip me a few more times! Please, please, please!"
"…"
Robin ignored the Hounds' wailing. She stepped forward, helped Stelle up, and asked, "Miss, are you okay?"
Stelle, seeing her rescuer (shaking her head frantically): "Mhm, mhm, I'm fine."
"My subordinates were too unruly just now, causing you a bad experience," Robin said. "…As an apology, on behalf of the Hound House, I'll compensate you with a month of free lodging and a clean 'dreamscape outfit.' How's that?"
Stelle nodded hesitantly. "…Alright."
Robin smiled slightly, gently placing her hand on Stelle's chest (at this moment, someone had pulled out a transformation device). She softly chanted a few words, and Stelle's vision blurred. Her clothes transformed into Robin's (original) outfit.
Stelle: ?
Whoosh—
A breeze blew, lifting Stelle's skirt—
"Hey, hey, hey—!"
Stelle frantically pressed down her skirt, flustered. "Not this one!"
"…Ah, sorry. This is Penacony's best-selling outfit right now. I thought you'd like it. Let me change it for you."
Stelle's vision blurred again, and a JK-style outfit matching Firefly's skin appeared: white blouse, white stockings, short skirt, and small leather shoes.
Stelle: "I want my original! No special outfits—!"
"Ah… okay."
Stelle's clothes shifted again, returning to her classic skin, now clean and free of the footprints from being trampled.
"Sorry for disturbing your experience. If you have any issues, you can call the complaint hotline. If there's nothing else, we'll take our leave."
Robin politely bid farewell and left with the Hounds.
Stelle let out a slow sigh, then felt a bit awkward—she'd come to play the hero, only to be treated like a speed bump. Ugh, so embarrassing…
"Miss Super-Duper-Invincibly-Cute-Kind-Beautiful-Gray-Haired-Lady, thank you for stepping in to help me!"
At that moment, a pair of soft hands grabbed Stelle's arm. The silver-haired girl looked at her with admiration. "I'm Firefly. Thank you so much just now."
Stelle: Tch, this is a bit too enthusiastic…
"Oh… I'm Stelle. It's nothing, just doing what's right. I didn't even help much—you should thank Miss Robin," Stelle said, scratching her head awkwardly.
But Firefly shook her head vigorously. "No, that dead bi… I mean, Miss Robin only came because you're a tourist. Without you, she wouldn't have cared about this. So all the credit goes to you!"
Stelle: "I… I had that big of an impact?"
Firefly nodded emphatically. "Of course! Look at those Hounds' creepy faces. Without you stepping up, I'd have been caught, forced to confess, and maybe even subjected to all sorts of dark, unspeakable humiliations."
"Because of you, I avoided that tragic fate. You practically saved my life!"
Stelle: "Is it that serious?"
Firefly gripped Stelle's hand, her gaze sincere. "Miss Stelle, this must be your first time in Penacony, right? To express my gratitude, please allow me to be your guide and give you the happiest journey in all of Penacony!"
Stelle's thoughts: This… Firefly is so radiant! Sob sob, I'm so touched. After so long in this universe, I've finally met a character who's barely changed. So touching, sob sob—
Before this, Stelle had worried Firefly might turn out to be some "SAM-headed oddity," but now, thinking about it, even in fanworks, Firefly's a character whose eyes are only on the Trailblazer!
So, Stelle nodded firmly and said, "Okay!"
…
A few streets away, March 7th was carefully picking out gifts when she suddenly felt a chill down her spine, for no apparent reason.