The man clearly had never seen a vehicle shaped quite like this before.
"Ma'am! Your mode of transportation…" the Bloodhound officer trailed off as he hurried over, his eyes landing on the Judah motorcycle.
After all, while Judah functioned much like a motorbike now, its appearance still largely retained the original form of a gigantic cross.
For a moment, he honestly had no idea how he was supposed to deal with it.
"What, Penacony doesn't allow motorcycles?" Kallen asked, sounding deeply unconvinced.
Seriously? They were already inside the dream, and the Family still had this many rules?
"It's not that they aren't allowed…" The Bloodhound swallowed.
"It's just that your vehicle, um, doesn't appear to have a registered plate, nor has it passed the Family's safety inspection. And also…"
He pointed at the glowing chain afterimages still flickering around the wheels.
"These visual effects interfere with the dream experience of other guests. According to regulations, that counts as illegal modification."
Kallen lowered her head to look at the chain afterimages, then raised her eyes back to him.
"This is actually my Path power."
"Huh?"
"I'm a Pathstrider. This bike is the manifestation of my Path. Are you telling me the Family wants to issue a ticket to my Path?"
The Bloodhound officer's expression immediately became colorful.
He had seen Pathstriders before, sure—but someone who manifested their Path as a vehicle? That was a first.
Could she be a Pathstrider of Remembrance?
"Th-this… I need to consult my superiors…"
"Fine, go ask," Kallen said cheerfully. "I'll wait right here."
And just like that, she really did park by the roadside, one foot planted on the ground, calmly waiting for him to make the call.
Kallen didn't bother listening to what he was saying.
Her attention had shifted elsewhere.
The street looked perfectly normal. Pedestrians, storefronts, advertisement signs, and those notes floating in the air.
Everything looked exactly the way Penacony ought to look.
But Kallen could feel something stirring beneath those carefully maintained appearances.
Whether it was Propagation or Destruction, both were silently influencing this dreamscape.
Even the strand of Nihility she had injected into the dream pool was now slowly spreading through the deeper layers of the dream.
Yeah… it looked like present-day Penacony had become one massive stew.
Kallen withdrew her senses and looked back at the Bloodhound officer, who was still on the line.
He seemed to be running into some kind of trouble. His expression shifted from tension to confusion, then from confusion to outright terror.
When he ended the call and jogged back to her, his attitude had undergone a complete reversal.
"M-my deepest apologies, Miss Kallen! I was blind and failed to recognize greatness!"
He was almost shouting by the end.
"Your vehicle is fully compliant with all regulations in Penacony! There are absolutely no problems! Please feel free to ride as you wish!"
Kallen looked at him with a half-smile. "So the consultation got you an answer?"
"It did!" The Bloodhound nodded so hard sweat flew off his forehead.
"Mr. Sunday personally confirmed it. Your identity is completely in order, and your vehicle is perfectly legal!"
"Sunday personally confirmed it?" Kallen repeated.
"Yes! Mr. Sunday said you are a distinguished returning singer of the Iris Family and possess the highest level of traffic clearance!"
The Bloodhound's voice was loud and clear. If not for his still-trembling legs, his attitude would have been flawless.
But Kallen had no intention of exposing him.
She knew perfectly well why Sunday had responded so quickly.
It was not because of some "returning singer of the Iris Family" identity. That kind of cover wouldn't mean much to the Bloodhound Family.
Sure enough, the identity of an Emanator really was useful.
We Emanators don't eat the beef.
"All right then, since there's no issue, I'll be on my way."
Kallen twisted the throttle, and Judah let out a gleeful roar.
"Have a pleasant ride!" the Bloodhound shouted after her.
Kallen ignored him, kicked the accelerator down, and the Judah motorcycle shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow.
And yet before she had even had time to enjoy herself—
a voice suddenly rang in her ear.
"Miss ahead, could you stop for just a moment?"
That wasn't an ordinary shout. It was resonance carried on the power of Harmony.
The voice wasn't loud, but it cut through the roar of the motorcycle with perfect clarity and reached her ears directly.
Kallen arched a brow, but her hands moved quickly.
She hit the brakes, and Judah growled low, chain afterimages carving a bright arc through the air before the bike came smoothly to a stop at the roadside.
She turned her head toward the source of the voice.
At the entrance of a small coffee shop by the street stood a young woman.
She wore a pale blue dress embroidered with delicate musical notes.
Of course Kallen recognized that face at once.
Robin.
Penacony's most famous singer, Sunday's most treasured younger sister, and the brightest star of the entire Charmony Festival.
To be fair, Kallen was a little surprised.
If she remembered correctly, because of the Dreammaster and Sunday, Robin should no longer have been able to use the musical resonance of Harmony within Penacony.
So what had that voice just now been?
Kallen's gaze quickly found the answer: around Robin's neck hung a necklace identical to the one Kallen herself was currently wearing.
Oh, so that was it.
Looks like the item Sunday gave her was actually pretty valuable.
After all, even his beloved little sister was wearing one of the same design.
Still, what was this big star stopping her for?
With Sunday's personality, there was no way he would have told Robin anything about her.
Kallen offered a casual greeting. "Miss Robin? What do you need from me?"
She didn't bother pretending not to know the other woman.
With Robin's fame, anyone in Penacony—local or tourist—would know her on sight.
Robin paused for only a moment, then quickly recovered her graceful smile. Steadying the half-finished coffee in her hand, she stepped toward Kallen.
"I happened to see you speaking with that Bloodhound officer just now from inside the café. It looked like there was… some sort of misunderstanding?"
Kallen found the question baffling.
"…And?"
Robin stopped in front of her, her eyes drifting down to the ridiculously overdesigned motorcycle.
"So I wanted to confirm something. Did you just use some… special means to make my brother give you special permission?"
Kallen: ???
You wound me.
Seeing Kallen remain silent, Robin's clear eyes immediately gained a note of certainty.
"I know my brother. He rarely handles this kind of trivial matter personally unless the other party has a reason he simply can't ignore."
Then Robin stepped forward and suddenly took both of Kallen's hands in hers.
"Miss Kallen, I just heard it as well—you're a singer of the Iris Family too, aren't you?"
Kallen froze.
But not because of Robin's sudden action.
It was because she had once again sensed someone's gaze.
This time, it wasn't like the Dreammaster's authority-based surveillance.
Kallen used the permissions she had stolen through Nihility to check.
Sure enough, atop a building some distance away, a certain chicken-winged young man was peering over with a telescope.
Judging by his expression, he looked quite worried—as if he was ready to intervene at any second.
Still, Kallen knew perfectly well that unlike the Dreammaster, he wasn't actually spying on her.
Yikes. So this was what being a sister-con looked like.
Kallen turned her attention back to Robin.
Robin continued, "As fellow singers of Harmony, Miss Kallen, what you did was wrong!"
Her face was full of seriousness.
Not only did she not let go of Kallen's hands, she tightened her grip instead, as if trying to pass that sense of righteousness directly through the contact.
Kallen blinked. "So what exactly do you think I did wrong, Miss Robin?"
"Everything!" Robin answered without hesitation.
"Relying on connections like that is not something a singer of Harmony ought to do."
"Harmony is about resonance. About understanding. About the connection between hearts. As singers, we should lead by example."
It was obvious that this superstar had misunderstood something.
She thought Kallen had used her identity as a "returning singer of the Iris Family" to exploit Sunday's position and gain convenience.
Kallen fell silent for two seconds.
She lowered her eyes to the hands Robin still held, then glanced up toward the nearby building where the chicken-winged boy hurriedly lowered his telescope, and finally let her gaze settle on Robin's earnest face.
An excellent idea took shape in her mind almost instantly.
"Miss Robin…" Her voice dropped.
Robin paused.
She could clearly feel it now: the hands she had been holding, which had just been steady as stone moments ago, were now trembling faintly.
"What's wrong?" Robin instinctively tightened her fingers. "Did what I said just now—"
"No. You were right." Kallen shook her head, and there was a carefully restrained thickness in her voice.
"Harmony really is about resonance and understanding… but I… I'm not even qualified to speak about such things."
Robin was stunned.
She immediately sensed that something was off about this "returning singer of the Iris Family."
That trembling didn't feel fake.
At least, Robin couldn't detect even the slightest trace of pretense.
For one brief moment, Robin even felt a little guilty.
Had she gone too far?
But before she could do anything else, Kallen had already thrown herself into Robin's arms.
"Senior Robin, your brother threatened me!"
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 147)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter185)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter105)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter215)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 185
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 170
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass Volume2/1
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 206
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 190
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 154
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player Volume4/23
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 106
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 67
Uma Musume: From Beginner 125
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 85
Uma Musume: I Want All 105
I Can Copy Unique Skills 90
Summoning an Evil God, but the 70
Supernatural Multiverse 90
My Harem Is Indescribable 80
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 86
"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 68
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 81
Still playing traditional Honk 65
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 65
What Should I Do After Switchi - Volume2/3
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 57
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 45
Transmigrated as Sukuna 59
Checking In in Demon Slayer 59
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 73
I Refuse to Become a Heroic 45
My Best Friend Into a Slime? 36
A Saiyan Stands Above Marvel 40
What Do You Mean by Using a Lab Mod to Be the Hero? 60
Tanya Starts from Re:Zero 30
Why did they assign me to Uma 35
MYGO Beauties 43
DanMachi: Emiya the Giant Hero 30
The Gacha Merchant Who Started 31
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