Dreamscape, Daydream Hotel.
The entire hotel lobby was empty, eerily silent, with welcome streamers scattered on the floor—clearly prepared for Mr. Gallagher.
Firefly: "I heard the concert is being held in the grand auditorium on the first floor. Let's go."
Stelle wasn't sure if it was her imagination, but she felt an inexplicable sense of unease in the hotel. It was too spacious, too quiet.
It was like a scene straight out of a horror game.
"Don't be afraid."
Sensing Stelle's thoughts, Firefly took her hand gently and said softly, "To keep things discreet, the hotel is like this. Don't worry—if there's any danger, I'll handle it for you."
"Who said I was scared?"
Firefly's reassurance sparked Stelle's competitive spirit. She puffed out her chest and stepped in front of Firefly. "Besides, protecting a beautiful girl is everyone's duty. I'm the Galactic Baseballer—how could I possibly let you protect me…?"
Tick-tock—
A burly figure suddenly materialized in front of Stelle, nearly scaring her soul out of her body. The figure, with its familiar muscular build and a clock for a head, was none other than Clockie, whom she'd parted ways with not long ago!
"You—how the heck are you here?!"
Recognizing the figure, Stelle huffed irritably. "Can you give a heads-up next time you show up? You almost scared me to death!"
"Tick-tock! Your ol' pal sensed a friend in danger, so I rushed over."
Clockie bowed apologetically. "Sorry, friend, tick-tock."
"Just spit it out already! I'm sneaking in to see a concert with my friend!" Stelle said impatiently. "If we get caught, I'm blaming you!"
"Tick-tock! Friend, that's exactly what I'm here to warn you about." Clockie said with concern. "The memoria in this hotel is strange. It interferes with the cognition of anyone inside. You might think you just entered the hotel, but you're actually already trapped!"
"What?"
Stelle was dumbfounded. "Wait, I just came in through the front door. Can't I just walk back out?"
"No, that's how the mechanism is designed."
Stelle thought for a moment. "Hold on… you said the memoria interferes with my cognition. How do I know you're not part of the interference?"
Clockie: "We're one and the same. If needed, I can read your memories. Let me see… Tick-tock? Tick-tock! Is this tick-tock something I can even show? Why's your head full of that pink-haired girl, friend?"
Stelle chuckled awkwardly, starting to hypnotize herself. "Yup, definitely an illusion. Gotta be an illusion. I'm definitely dreaming. No one will find out, no one will find out…"
"Tick-tock—Friend! The anomaly in the hotel comes from some kind of 'harmony.' To solve the problem, you have to find the source of the 'harmony'!"
With that, Clockie vanished.
"You… okay?"
Firefly suddenly leaned close to Stelle's face, so close it felt like their breaths were mingling. "Why did you suddenly freeze?"
"Huh?"
Stelle instinctively stepped back, a bit embarrassed. "I-I zoned out just now. I saw Clockie again."
"That cartoon character again?"
Firefly asked curiously, "What did it say?"
Stelle recounted everything Clockie had told her.
"So… it's saying there's something wrong with this hotel, right?"
Firefly's eyes narrowed slightly. "Hmm, in cases like this, it's better to err on the side of caution. Safety first."
"Let's get out of here."
The two quickly agreed. However, as they turned around, they were shocked to find that the golden entrance they'd come through had turned into an oil painting on the wall, as if it had always been that way.
"W-W-What?! This place is haunted?!"
Stelle's heart sank, and she instinctively gripped Firefly's hand tightly. "Firefly, hold on to me and don't let go. I'll do my best to protect you."
Firefly nodded obediently. "Mm."
In truth, Firefly wasn't panicked about being trapped. A mere wall? No problem. She could just switch to her "Complete Combustion" form and smash through with brute force.
But if the current situation meant she could spend a little more time with Stelle… well, that wasn't so bad, hehe.
For good measure, Stelle even summoned her Flame Lance, scanning their surroundings warily, half-expecting a non-human monster to jump out any second.
The two ventured forward along the only available path. As if sensing their presence, every door in the lobby swung open automatically, revealing dark, silent corridors behind each one.
What had been a warm and welcoming hotel now felt like a template straight out of a horror movie.
Stelle picked a door at random. The corridor was lined with locked rooms, occasionally emitting eerie sounds.
Bang!
Suddenly, a door on the right side ahead was kicked open with force. A group of Dreamjolt Troupe members stepped out, glaring menacingly at the two.
Soda Hound, Television, Dice Cat… and even a Soda Gorilla!
This was bad—they were under attack!
Stelle's heart sank as she shouted, "Firefly! Get behind me!"
"Roar!"
Stelle's yell seemed to startle the creatures. The leading Soda Hound let out a cry, raised its head, and lunged at Stelle—
Stelle used her Skill: Ever-Burning Amber!
Soda Hound dealt 1 point of damage.
Stelle used her Basic Attack: Piercing Glint of Unmelting Ice!
Stelle dealt 56 points of damage. Soda Hound fled in fear!
"Phew—pathetic little Soda Hound, nothing to it!"
Stelle let out a sigh of relief, turning to grin at Firefly.
Bang!
Firefly punched straight through the Television. Her delicate, slender fist emerged amidst fragments and wires. Then, with her other hand, she grabbed the Television's casing and ripped it apart—
Crack!
The Television was torn in half on the spot!
This level of ferocity was something Stelle had only seen in some old anti-war drama!
The remaining Dreamjolt Troupe: !!!
Including the elite Soda Gorilla, the entire group fled as abruptly as they had appeared.
Stelle stared at Firefly, slack-jawed. Sis, where's your mech? How are you tearing a Television apart with your bare hands?!
If she's this strong without her mech, how powerful would she be with it? With that kind of physical strength, could she even go toe-to-toe with Himeko?
"Ah…"
Noticing Stelle's gaze, Firefly rare showed a hint of panic. She casually brushed off the metal fragments on her clothes, adopting a frail expression.
"Um… that was pretty intense, wasn't it? Anyway, we handled it! Right?"