『 "Hmm, it seems you have fulfilled the contract. The day has finally arrived. Then, let us depart—I shall escort you to the throne, the Pillar of Creation, to witness the future of my clan…"
Shatana bowed to Stelle and said, "I wish you success."
As the words fell, Stelle felt the space around her twisting and warping. In the blink of an eye, Stelle appeared within the abandoned mines of Belobog. Broken trash cans were scattered all around, a scene of utter devastation.
Stelle's eyes widened, her heart aching as she looked upon the corpses of the trash cans surrounding her.
While Stelle was grieving, the wind in the air suddenly picked up. Stelle raised her head only to see a massive bomb hurtling toward her.
Stelle immediately retreated to the side, but it was too late. The shockwave from the bomb blasted her into the air. She tried hard to stabilize her body, but before she could land, she was seized by a gigantic hand.
It was a giant version of Sampo. Sampo lifted the Stelle in his hand, chuckled, and then gave a light toss, throwing Stelle to the bottom of the mine's valley.
Stelle struggled to climb up. Seeing the surrounding trash cans charging fearlessly toward Sampo, Stelle reached out a hand to stop them, but they paid her no heed, continuing their charge against Sampo.
Laughing maniacally, Sampo dropped countless bombs. The trash cans couldn't block his explosives at all; one by one, they were blasted to the ground, never to wake again.
Watching the trash cans being blown back, Stelle was furious. Filled with rage, she charged toward Sampo.
The trash cans behind her tried to stop Stelle, but just as Stelle had tried to hold them back earlier, she couldn't pay them any mind now. She only wanted to go up there and beat Sampo to a pulp!
Stelle ran to the edge of the platform and leaped high into the air, her right fist tightly gripping the three proofs of trust. They provided her with an endless stream of power, and her right hand emitted a blinding golden light.
With a roar of fury, she transformed into a gigantic trash can. Seeing Stelle's fist coming, Sampo also roared and extended his left fist toward her. Just as the two fists were about to collide, the screen paused, and Hotaru's voice came through.
"W-Wait a minute! Isn't this getting too ridiculous—?!"
As soon as her voice fell, Stelle felt another wave of dizziness, and the surrounding space twisted once more.
Stelle slowly opened her eyes. In front of her was Dr. Edward's giant, colorful eyeball. It seemed she had exited the Dream Bubble. 』
『 ....』
〘Sampo〙: Why does old Sampo feel like there's a hidden meaning in this Dream Bubble of yours, Hanabi?
〘Hanabi〙: Oh my~, Hanabi-sama doesn't know anything~ You'll just have to guess~
〘Hotaru〙: This really was too ridiculous! (Sam_Sortie.jpg)
....
『 Sampo looked at the awakened Stelle, shook his head helplessly, and sighed, "Oh my~, what a pity—I still wanted to see how you would handle the King of Trash…"
Stelle retorted speechlessly, "What Tatalov? That was just you, wasn't it?"
Sampo didn't answer Stelle. Instead, he looked at Hotaru standing to the side and sighed, "A shame, truly a shame! Such a profound dream, brought to an abrupt halt by Miss Hotaru's intervention…"
"I was actually looking forward to seeing what kind of expression you'd make the moment you discovered the truth," Sampo said, looking back at Stelle.
Hotaru lowered her head at Sampo's words, but because Stelle was in front of her, Stelle didn't notice.
Stelle crossed her arms, looking at Sampo. "What are you trying to say?"
"Say? No, it should be 'reveal'…" Sampo shook his head, denying Stelle's phrasing.
"The truth about the Sweet Dream—aren't you constantly searching for it? Don't be blinded by the beautiful scenery, my dear. Comfortable environments create blind people."
"Don't you think this Dream Bubble is very similar to the Penacony of today, hmm?" Sampo tilted his head, his words laden with implication. "A group of people with ulterior motives, squeezed onto a tiny stage. No one wants to be exposed under the spotlight, so they push the poor Little Gray Hair to the front~"
"The Dreamscape isn't your own bathtub; it's a treacherous deep sea. If I have to be clearer~ don't be deceived by that alluring, glowing light. I'm going to be very disappointed if you get bamboozled by the likes of them." 』
『 ....』
〘Himeko〙: Just like the content of the Dream Bubble, there are hidden meanings in his words.
〘Stelle〙: Why have you Fools all become like the Riddlers, loving to speak in riddles?
〘Hanabi〙: Don't you think it's very amusing? Watching others scratch their heads in confusion because of your riddles, aren't you happy?
〘Stelle〙: It is amusing, but only on the premise that the person being riddled isn't me!
〘Hanabi〙: You really want to have your cake and eat it too, Little Gray Hair.
....
『 After listening to Sampo's loaded words, Stelle muttered, "A glowing light…"
"You see that little girl is still there?" Sampo pointed to the spot where Hotaru had just been.
Stelle turned her head, only to find that Hotaru was already gone.
"Claims to be a Penacony local, yet knows nothing of the insider ways—plenty of skill in petty theft though. Just who is she?" Sampo pointed out the inconsistencies with Hotaru one by one. "My dear, have you never suspected her for even a moment?"
"Take my advice. If you have questions, go confront that girl quickly. Don't let her run away with her tail between her legs, haha." After laughing, Sampo gave Stelle a curtain call bow.
"Farewell, pal… Make sure you don't disappoint me." With that, Sampo left with a meaningful smile. 』
『 ....』
〘March 7th〙: I bet Stelle noticed something was off about Hotaru a long time ago.
〘Herta〙: Tell us something we don't know.
....
『 Watching Sampo's figure drift further away, Stelle's heart wavered because of his words.
Although she had also noticed some issues with Hotaru, she wasn't willing to suspect this cute girl. But now, because of Sampo's speech, she had to find Hotaru and ask for clarity.
Stelle believed Hotaru wouldn't have gone far, so she immediately started searching the area. Finally, she found Hotaru by a flower bed, gazing into the distance.
Sensing Stelle's presence beside her, Hotaru took a deep breath, then turned her body slightly to the left, seemingly avoiding Stelle's gaze.
After a long while, she finally turned back and spoke softly.
"I'm sorry." Hotaru looked at Stelle with a sad expression, the light in her eyes dimming a few shades due to her heavy heart. 』
『 ....』
〘Stelle〙: It's okay, I believe in you!
〘Stelle〙: Even if I'm deceived a thousand times by such a beautiful girl, I'm willing!
〘Hotaru〙: That's an exaggeration, I won't deceive you that many times. The above was just required by the script.
〘Silver Wolf〙: That's right, blame Elio!
〘Elio〙: Nyaaaaaa?
....
『 "No need to apologize. I didn't suspect you," Stelle said, comforting the saddened Hotaru with a gentle voice.
"Thank you." Upon hearing Stelle's comfort, the light in Hotaru's eyes rekindled, though her expression still held a trace of loss.
She took a deep breath, gathered her courage, and said to Stelle, "I… did hide some things from you…"
"For example, I am indeed not a Local, and the Bloodhound Family isn't hunting me without reason… There are also other reasons for traveling with you…"
Her voice grew lower and lower, as if she was afraid these words would make Stelle sad.
"…But my gratitude for your help is real." She raised her head, looking at Stelle firmly. "My admiration for the Nameless is also real. You've been to many worlds, seen all kinds of people and things. Every day is a brand new start…"
As she spoke, she unconsciously clasped her hands over her chest, as if grasping the life she longed for.
"You can board the Express, too. We can travel the universe and trail-blaze together," Stelle extended an invitation to Hotaru.
Hotaru was stunned for a moment, then shook her head. After a moment of silence, she spoke slowly.
"I want to take you to another place, is that okay? This time it's not a tourist attraction. Quite the opposite… It's sort of my Secret Base."
"There, I will tell you everything I know… as much as I possibly can."
"Okay, I trust you." Stelle looked at the girl in front of her, nodded, and smiled.
"Thank you…" Hotaru looked at Stelle with eyes full of gratitude. 』
『 ....』
〘Hanabi〙: Little Gray Hair is completely captivated by the Hotaru-chan~
〘Elysia〙: A secret base? That must be a beautiful place♪.
〘Silver Wolf〙: It hasn't been that long, and you're already taking her to a secret base?
〘Castorice〙: Excellent material, my inspiration is bursting forth.
〘Hyacinthia〙: Cassie, give me a copy once you're done writing.
〘Little Ica〙: Dudu, dudududu!
....