"A mask?" Phaethon didn't pay much attention at first, saying offhandedly, "What's so special about..." Before he could finish, he suddenly realized something, his expression changing slightly. "Wait? A red mask?"
A bad premonition instantly shot through his mind.
That noisy, troublesome mask of Elation that Aha had forcibly foisted upon him?
Phaethon began silently praying for that light-fingered little kitten, Cipher, to have some good fortune.
He hoped that when she tried to offload the stolen goods, she wouldn't end up not only failing to sell the mask but also getting herself sold off by that completely unpredictable Aha.
No, the more Phaethon thought about it, the more he felt that with Aha's nature of reveling in chaos, this possibility was frighteningly high.
"It seems the stories you have to tell me aren't just about the previous cycle."
Cyrene chuckled softly, her fingertips quietly hooking onto the hem of Phaethon's clothes. "The stories that happened between you and them in this recurrence... I want to hear them all too."
Phaethon looked at the curiosity and warmth in her eyes that brooked no refusal and finally let out a soft sigh, though it carried a hint of indulgence.
"Alright, I'll take you to meet... the Chrysos Heirs of this cycle. But... before that, I need to check on that little kitten first."
***
A small shop that had appeared on the street at some unknown time.
"What would you like, honored customers? This humble shop has everything~"
A somewhat stiff voice rang out. Cyrene followed the sound and couldn't help but pause slightly.
There stood Cipher, forcing an extremely unnatural smile on her face, her hands held in a "welcome" pose.
Most striking of all, balanced perfectly on the side of her head was a vividly colored, exaggeratedly grinning red mask.
Phaethon's gaze swept over Cipher's eyes, which were desperately blinking, practically screaming "HELP ME," and he sighed helplessly, his tone flat. "Cipher, if you're being forced, blink."
Before he even finished speaking, Cipher's blinking frequency skyrocketed, so fast it was almost a blur.
"Ha ha ha ha ha!" A joyful yet utterly mirthless laugh erupted from the mask.
"Welcome, honored guests, to Aha's humble shop! For the two noblest people in Amphoreus to grace us with your presence together truly brings immense glory to this little shop! What would you like to buy? As long as this shop has it, just name it! Aha guarantees fairness to all, young and old!"
Phaethon ignored the mask's clamor, cutting straight to the point, his voice still calm. "You said this shop sells everything. I want the Dolos catgirl right here. Name your price."
He had expected Aha to hem and haw or propose some outrageous condition.
However, the mask's laughter only grew louder and more delighted. "Good! Good! This customer is truly straightforward! How much would you like?"
This overly smooth response put Phaethon on guard, but he showed nothing, continuing, "All of her."
"All of her?!" Aha's voice was filled with glee, as if encountering a once-in-a-century extravagant customer.
"The customer is truly generous! However, Aha is famously a conscientious vendor, most honest! Tell you what, Aha can first cut off one cat tail for you to inspect the quality—guaranteed fresh and lively!"
"If the customer is satisfied, Aha will carefully cut up the remaining parts, portion them out, pack them meticulously, weigh them fairly, and sell them all to you! The price will be absolutely reasonable!"
"No! No! Meow—!" Hearing this, Cipher was so scared her tail instantly puffed up, standing straight as a rod, her voice taking on a sob. "I don't want to be sold off in pieces! Cipher can follow Boss Aha, can be loyal and help Aha look after the shop!"
At this moment, Cipher's survival instincts were at their peak.
"Oh?" Aha's tone was teasingly amused. "But this esteemed customer had already made an offer to buy you before you thought of following me. Everything has an order; first come, first served. That's the rule of business, you know~"
Watching this farce unfold before him, Phaethon thought, *What kind of mess is this?* He said, "Aha, I don't want her anymore, alright? Stop bullying her."
"Aiya, Aha was just joking! Who told her to dare steal from Aha?" The mask's tone sounded utterly unapologetic, instead full of relish.
"Fine, Cipher, was it? Seeing your sincere heart, Aha will give you a chance to redeem yourself. Here, sign this one-week employment agreement. For this one week, you are Aha's temporary shop assistant! Room and board included, work... guaranteed to be interesting! If you amuse Aha, Aha will let you off."
As it spoke, a scroll appeared out of thin air, hovering before Cipher, with shimmering text and a waiting handprint mark already visible on it.
Looking at this coerced agreement and remembering her bad habit of light-fingered stealing, Cipher was filled with regret.
Seeing this, Phaethon knew this Aeon of Elation was probably just teasing Cipher. This little kitten was going to have a tough week ahead.
He shook his head, no longer looking at the utterly despairing Cipher, took Cyrene's hand, and turned to walk out of the shop.
"Let's go," he said softly to Cyrene, his tone returning to normal. "I'll take you to see what kind of lives the Chrysos Heirs are living in this cycle."
The shop door closed again.
*With a "great deity" like Aha covering her for the coming week, even if the Aeon of Destruction Nanook arrives in person and Amphoreus blows up, this little kitten will probably be safe and sound*, Phaethon thought. *This... might not be such a bad outcome after all.*
***
When Phaethon led Cyrene to a stall selling all sorts of peculiar souvenirs...
And when they saw Aglaea, who was acting furtively yet still sweeping all the "Droma" plush toys and merchandise off the shelves, he fell into a prolonged silence.
In the end, it was Cyrene who broke the eerie quiet first. She let out a light, good-natured laugh:
"Ah ha ha ha, it seems Lady Aglaea in this recurrence is unexpectedly childlike! To like these Droma plushies so much? What an adorable hobby!"
Phaethon let out a deep sigh and said nothing. At this moment, he would rather believe Aglaea's aesthetic tastes and hobbies had undergone a complete reversal than contemplate another, more terrifying possibility—that a certain pair of adversaries had run into each other again, hauntingly persistent.
"Let's... just go see Professor Anaxa of this cycle," Phaethon said stiffly, changing the topic as he practically dragged Cyrene away from the scene.
***
Walking along the road, listening to Phaethon briefly recount how he saved Anaxa's sister in this cycle, a light of admiration appeared in Cyrene's eyes:
"So, in this recurrence, you kept that very important family member for him, right? That's wonderful, little Phaethon! You did so well."
Phaethon smiled and led her to stop in front of a cottage that looked cozy but had a somewhat inexplicable charred smell wafting from it. He raised his hand and knocked on the door.
The door opened quickly, and there behind it was Anaxa's sister.