Faced with Sparkle's enthusiastic invitation.
Sylvia was less concerned with accepting or refusing, and more preoccupied with what the meaning behind Sparkle's series of actions truly was.
She couldn't possibly be stirring up trouble for no reason at all.
The bombs she'd set off on the Luofu back then, Sylvia had initially thought were just deliberate sabotage, but in reality, she had toyed with quite a few people.
Even if it wasn't quite spectacular enough.
And just a short while ago.
Sparkle had suddenly shoved her mask into Sylvia's hands.
Sylvia thought Sparkle was planning to have some fun at her expense, but in actuality, she'd used Sylvia's hand to slip into the Dreamflux Reef.
And without a doubt, she must have heard Micah's earlier explanation of the current situation in Penacony.
Actions that seemed somewhat absurd always ended up getting Sparkle the kicks she wanted, or the information.
But Sparkle wasn't a local, so how did she manage to grasp so much key information?
Like showing up when Sylvia was looking for Gallagher.
Claiming she knew where Gallagher was.
Like now, appearing in the Dreamflux Reef and inviting Sylvia to blow up the Grand Theater, or that black hole.
Every time, it sounded nonsensical at first.
But now, Sylvia suddenly felt that while Sparkle was looking for fun, it didn't seem to be purely about seeking amusement.
It couldn't really be just about setting off fireworks for everyone to see.
And the outcome was bound to be unexpected.
Whatever she wanted to do would definitely draw a lot of attention and it had to be the kind with very strong connections.
But here's the question.
Where did Sparkle get her information?
Or was Sparkle even more capable than Sylvia imagined?
With a puzzled expression, Sylvia looked Sparkle up and down.
Because they'd never really thrown down, Sylvia always felt that the last time she'd grabbed Sparkle for that massage, it might have been partly because Sparkle wanted to get caught.
So just what level was Sparkle, really?
"What's up? Why're you suddenly staring at me like that? Does that mean you're gonna say yes?"
Sparkle blinked.
"Nope, I refuse!"
"Oh come on, don't reject me so fast."
Sparkle's giggling demeanor was as adorable and punchable as ever.
Whether that was a matter of personal aura or something else entirely.
"I'm curious, you shouldn't have any reason to target the Penacony Grand Theater out of the blue."
"Oh my? For the thrill, of course! The Grand Theater is the heart of all Penacony. If it got blown up, it'd be a riot."
"Maybe you've got a point, but I feel like that can't be the only reason."
The more candid Sparkle acted, the more Sylvia felt she must be hiding crucial information.
"Mmm... you're overthinking it, little white-hair! Geez, I swear, I'm only inviting you 'cause I think it'd be fun."
"I'm afraid you'd blow me sky-high along with it."
As Sylvia finished speaking, she suddenly fixed her gaze on Sparkle and walked right up to her.
"Staring so intently, a girl might get shy... Eep—!"
With a pop, Sparkle vanished from where she stood, and Sylvia reached out, immediately grabbing the scruff of the neck of the Sparkle who had tried to slip away to the side.
Then, before Sparkle could even struggle or resist.
A startled yelp escaped her as she was lifted clean off the ground.
Held around the waist by Sylvia's single arm, she was slung over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
"What are you doing?!"
Sparkle squirmed, but couldn't break free.
Even when she tried using her abilities, Sylvia saw through them easily and pushed her back down.
Sylvia turned her head to glance at Sparkle.
She was putting on an act of being puffed up with anger, lying sprawled over Sylvia's shoulder as if she'd finally given up on any futile resistance.
"Hey, little white-hair, where are you taking me?"
"Somewhere we can take a break, and I can properly ask you just what other secrets you're hiding."
Sylvia unhesitatingly told Sparkle her goal.
She still had a feeling Sparkle had let herself be caught on purpose...
Sylvia had a certain degree of doubt about the fact she'd actually managed to nab Sparkle.
She always felt Sparkle shouldn't be this easy to catch.
"Hey hey! Is this any way to treat a cute, beautiful girl? So unromantic!"
Sparkle's little fists came thumping down on Sylvia's back thump, thump.
Behind her, those cute, dainty little feet also kicked at Sylvia's rear end, smack, smack.
It wasn't exactly gentle.
But it wasn't enough to break through Sylvia's defenses either.
To an onlooker, Sparkle's actions looked more like she was throwing a tantrum.
Which only made Sylvia more convinced that Sparkle was letting herself be caught because she found it amusing.
But then again...
Sylvia had slightly underestimated her own resistance to illusionary techniques.
Both her enhanced mental fortitude and her eyes, capable of seeing through disguises and illusions, were quite effective at countering Sparkle's primary abilities.
Sparkle, and by extension the Masked Fools, weren't exactly types specialized in combat.
For them, seeking fun was the real deal, combat prowess was just a nice bonus.
Sparkle was a dangerous theatrical maestro, obsessed with performance, able to flawlessly imitate personality, appearance, everything.
Even combat ability could be performed to a certain extent.
But unfortunately for her, Sparkle had run into Sylvia.
Her high mental resistance made Sylvia naturally more perceptive to Sparkle's performances.
Coupled with eyes that could pierce disguises.
Catching Sparkle last time really hadn't been intentional.
Sparkle loved seeking fun, but she wasn't about to deliberately lose just for a laugh.
Of course, having her proud abilities cracked did pique Sparkle's interest in Sylvia.
So her resistance wasn't as strong; she also wanted to probe Sylvia's limits.
To the point where, later on, she kept coming back to pester Sylvia time and again.
As for this time...
Sparkle had actually put up a genuine fight...
Getting caught once was enough; Sparkle had no desire to experience her whole body twitching uncontrollably again, or to end up in some weird position in front of Sylvia.
But unfortunately, this time, Sparkle fought back in earnest, and she lost.
Logically, if Sylvia were still as strong as last time, Sparkle probably could have broken free.
But this time, Sylvia had returned from the Luofu with earth-shattering improvements.
Combined with her existing ability to dispel illusions, poor Sparkle was once again easily suppressed by Sylvia.
The sheer, exaggerated increase in physical strength left Sparkle dumbfounded.
She knew Sylvia had taken the Arbor.
But why Sylvia could suddenly become this strong was something that honestly left Sparkle completely baffled.
And so, as a result—
Sparkle suddenly realized, wasn't she about to be subjected to Sylvia's weird massage again this time...
Ugh...
Even for Sparkle, just thinking about that inexplicable massage made her heart race a little, a flutter of nervousness.
That damn little white-hair!
Just wait until she learned how to do it herself, then she'd make Sylvia taste what it was like to be forcibly treated!
Sylvia, meanwhile, curiously glanced at Sparkle, who had suddenly gone quiet, cradling her own face, lost in thought.
Come to think of it, could Sparkle actually be doing this on purpose?
Was she so hung up on that first massage experience that she kept pestering Sylvia, not even putting up a fight?
Was Sparkle not just a thrill-seeker, but also some kind of masochist?
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.