In the end, Stelle passed up the chance to earn "praise for noble morals" and chose to press the dream bubble to her forehead, closing her eyes.
…
The scene before Stelle's eyes became chaotic, like a stirred water surface, but soon calmed. A familiar figure appeared and spoke—
"Aki, today, I have something very important to tell you."
Stelle: Oh… I remember this part. Isn't this where Pom-Pom scolds Akivili?
Stelle felt like she existed as an observer, her body involuntarily asking, "What is it?"
Pom-Pom said, "Actually, you and Aha the passenger are half-brothers with different mothers. Haven't you noticed? You both share the surname 'A.'"
Stelle: "…A path I never imagined. It's indeed a form of Trailblaze. But Pom-Pom, you've been hanging out with Them too much lately—you're picking up Their bad habits."
Stelle: "I was here first."
Pom-Pom: "Hmph, They chat with me, play games, keep me entertained, and care about me. What about you? All you think about is [Trailblaze]. What else do you have?"
Stelle: "…Sorry, Pom-Pom, but [Trailblaze] is my mission. You should understand—I can't stop walking its path."
Pom-Pom: "Is that so? Isn't the final say on [Trailblaze] up to you? Isn't 'not blazing trails' also a form of 'Trailblaze'?"
Pom-Pom: "Forget it, I'm going to hang out with Aha."
Stelle: "W-Wait, I can also…"
(Pom-Pom didn't stop or even look back, leaving. As a being of form and spirit, your senses are exceptionally sharp, clearly hearing Pom-Pom and Aha laughing and bonding in some room.)
Stelle: "Even the conductor doesn't want to deal with me. I… I'm such a terrible Nameless."
The dream bubble ended here.
Stelle speechlessly removed the dream bubble from her forehead and glanced at its label: Secrets of the Aeons Unknown to All, donated privately, origin: Herta Space Station.
Had she known it contained this content, she would've returned it for a new one.
She didn't steal the dream bubble only to step on a landmine…
—"Catch her, don't let her escape!"
At that moment, a sharp voice rang out nearby. A man was chasing a cyan figure, shouting, "Don't let that stowaway get away, brothers! That's a 30,000-credit bounty—go get her!!"
"Ohhh—Bounty! Bounty!! You're not getting away—"
"Get out of my way, that stowaway's mine!"
"You damn workaholic, gone stupid from overtime? We all get a share if we catch her!"
"…"
Boom boom boom—
A frenzied crowd chased after the cyan figure, their expressions manic, like people starved for a month spotting a royal feast, itching to pounce and tear into it with primal instincts.
The group was so large the ground trembled faintly. They wore matching uniforms—clearly, these were the "Hounds" stationed in the dreamscape.
The Hounds, one of the Family's six major houses, were responsible for the Family's security.
"Are these people insane… just 30,000 credits, and they're this reckless?" Stelle scratched her head, unable to comprehend.
This trip to Penacony came with a 500,000-credit budget from Himeko for each of them.
"Brothers, did you hear? There's a wanted criminal worth 30,000 credits over there!"
The frenzy didn't stop. A nearby billboard, Billboard A, suddenly perked up, shouting to its peers, "My kin, it's time to do something!"
Billboard B: "What should we do? Isn't working hard enough already? I'm stationed here 24 hours a day, never resting."
Billboard C: "And what can we do? We're just billboards."
Billboard B: "Exactly, we're just employees. Doing our duty is hard enough."
Billboard A: "No, my kin, think about it! As the boss's most loyal employees, we must do everything to profit him, even at the cost of our lives!"
Billboard A: "As employees of this restaurant, seeing the boss make money makes us happy! Kin, you need a leader, and that leader is here, right before you!"
Billboard A: "That's right, I, the King of Billboards, declare: For the boss's profit, charge!"
All Billboards: "Ohhh—Charge!"
"This place… even the billboards are caught up in the rat race?"
Stelle scratched her head, puzzled. Suddenly, she realized something—that cyan figure that ran past seemed like an important character.
Right, saving Firefly is everyone's responsibility!
With that thought, Stelle hurriedly chased after the billboards.
…
In a relatively secluded spot.
The silver-haired girl stopped before a dead end. Hearing the chaotic, heavy footsteps behind her, a shadow of gloom flashed in her eyes: What a bunch of relentless mad dogs… Finding her in a place this big is already hard enough, and these guys are making it worse…
Ha… why not just take them all out? The Family said tourists' safety in the dreamscape is absolutely guaranteed. Even if she wiped them all out, they'd probably just wake up in reality.
No, she's too close now. What if she saw my bad side?
Patience, she had to be patient.
"Hahaha, 30,000 credits—you've got nowhere to run now, huh?"
The lead Hound, chasing closest, wiped drool from his mouth, his predatory gaze scanning the girl's delicate figure, eyes gleaming with greed for credits. "Hahaha, it's been a while since I've seen such a pretty bounty…"
"Hehe, yeah, yeah. Just thinking about how one person can fund a good time for dozens of us brothers makes my wallet wanna laugh," another Hound said.
—"The bounty belongs to our boss!"
At that moment, the billboards caught up, knocking aside the Hounds in their way and surrounding the girl. "Hehehe~ Bounty, such a pretty bounty. If we bring it back, the boss will definitely praise us, hehehe."
All Billboards (brainwashed): "Praise—Praise!"
"What the hell are these things?!"
The knocked-over Hounds scrambled back on all fours, like actual hounds. "The bounty's ours! Brothers, forget these non-human, non-living things—strike first! Grab the bounty quick!"
"Ohhh—Charge—"
The Hounds swarmed, trampling the billboards underfoot.
—"Stop!"
At that moment, a sharp cry rang out. Stelle, wielding her baseball bat, did a front flip over the Hounds, landing in front of the girl. "The Galactic Baseballer is here! Who dares—huh?!"
The Hounds immediately trampled Stelle underfoot. In their eyes, the only thing that existed was the bounty. Galactic Baseballer? They thought she was a speed bump.