Aidan, March 7th, and Stelle worked together to smash the three figurines blessed by Aha and remade three new ones.
"If you're going to bless something, bless this."
His slight obsessive-compulsive disorder had kicked in.
The Aha figurine soon received a blessing.
"Hahahahahaha."
The figurine, an aggregate masks and various Elation props, began to emit laughter.
"Quiet down."
After being told, the Aha figurine actually quieted down.
March 7th and Stelle stared at the quiet Aha figurine on the table.
"It stopped laughing?" March 7th carefully leaned in a bit and poked the abstract aggregate with her finger.
It didn't budge, as quiet as an ordinary figurine.
"This is way too obedient."
"Ridiculous."
"It's not ridiculous. I heard from Sampo that Aha has been kicked out of the Masked Fool' Tavern. Apparently, it's 'No entry for Aha and Sorrowful Bard' or something like that," Aidan said.
March 7th's expression was a bit hard to maintain.
"So, Aha was kicked out by Their own followers?"
"I heard Sampo mention in a chat before that the fun the new Masked Fool are seeking is too low-level and lacks any bottom line. They don't take responsibility for cleaning up the mess after having their fun; they're mostly just causing destruction rather than finding true joy."
Aidan continued to offer incense to the other Aeons, talking as he did so.
As he spoke, the previously quiet Aha figurine on the table suddenly moved.
"...!"
"Did Aha just move?"
"Yes, I think so?"
Aidan thought for a moment.
"I know."
No scene could stay serious with this BGM playing.
Herding Sheep.
Deng-deng-deng-deng-deng-deng-deng-deng~ Deng-deng-deng-deng-deng-deng~
"Pfft—"
"Now it's not scary at all, is it? So what you were afraid of was just the background music."
"Ahahahahahahaha—"
The Aha figurine burst into loud laughter.
— — —
"So, is this why this thing appeared on the Express?"
Something like a spatial rift, though very small, truly existed in Aidan's room.
Himeko stared at the curved spatial rift that looked like a smiling mouth, her expression strange.
"You summoned The Aeon of Elation here?"
"Probably, maybe, possibly... sort of?"
Aidan scratched his head.
"But it seems to purely represent Aha's laughter; it doesn't have any special purpose."
A purely commemorative landscape.
"And Aha stole my figurines."
Aidan spoke with indignation.
"Eighteen figurines, all of it gone. Aha is just like a dog."
[Aha No Entry]
Aidan used his extreme manual dexterity to make a small board. He drew Aha's mask on it, added a large red 'prohibited' sign, and hung it on his door.
"Is this effective?"
"I think it should be. I heard that's how people at The Tavern keep Aha out. If you hang this, Aha won't come."
Aidan stood with hands on his hips, looking satisfied at the sign with the big red cross on his door.
March 7th stood behind him, her expression hard to describe.
"Is it possible..." Stelle raised her hand nearby, "that Aha doesn't go in not because of that sign?"
Aidan's expression froze for a moment.
"...Don't ruin the moment."
"If Aeon really wanted to come in, do you think this crappy piece of wood could stop Them?"
"I've clearly expressed that they're not welcome. If Aha still forces their way in, wouldn't that make aha look very unrefined?"
"When has Aha ever had refinement?"
Aidan was momentarily speechless.
"That's true."
Someone who could blow the Express into two halves—what kind of refinement could he have?
"If it works for The Tavern people, I figure it should work here too."
"The Tavern people kick Aha out, and then Aha really doesn't go in?"
"Yes."
"Then where did Aha go?"
"How should I kno—"
"Could he have come specifically to find you?"
"Not necessarily, maybe he came for Stelle."
Stelle:?
"Find... find me?"
Just as she finished speaking, the lights in the corridor suddenly flickered.
It wasn't the kind of flicker from unstable voltage, but a rhythmic one, as if someone were clicking a switch.
One long, two short.
One long, two short.
"...Do you guys think this light flickering looks a bit familiar?"
"Yeah, like a trope from those classic horror movies."
The lights went out completely, and the corridor plunged into darkness.
Immediately after, a tooth-grinding grinding sound came from Aidan's room, as if something were forcefully squeezing through that narrow door gap.
"Waah! What's that sound!" March 7th was so scared she grabbed Aidan beside her.
"Don't scream! I'm scared too!"
Aidan shivered from March 7th's scream.
"Can you two have some spine!"
Stelle said this, but her body honestly retreated two steps, hiding behind Himeko.
Aidan was being strangled by March 7th and couldn't breathe, but he didn't dare push her away: "No... I mean... let go first... I can't breathe..."
"No! I'm scared!"
"If you're scared, why are you strangling me!"
Stelle poked half her head out from behind Himeko, looking at the rift that had already expanded to the height of half a person.
"Sister Himeko, should we... run?"
Zzt, pop.
The carriage returned to normal.
"This carriage just had a power outage, what are you... doing, Pom?"
"...Huh?"
So, it was just a power outage?
March 7th finally let go and straightened her collar as if nothing had happened.
"No, nothing's wrong, we're perfectly fine."
Stelle poked her head out from behind Himeko, looking at Pom-Pom and then toward Aidan's room.
The spatial rift was still there, but it had shrunk to the size of a palm, floating quietly in mid-air like some inconspicuous decoration.
Pom-Pom walked closer with a flashlight, their gaze falling on the sign with the big red cross on Aidan's door.
"Passenger Aidan, what is this, Pom?"
"...Insect repellent board."
"Insect repellent board?"
"Yes, to prevent a certain special kind of bug from entering," Aidan nodded without changing his expression. "For example, the kind of bug that steals figurines."
"...This looks like Aha, Pom."
"So..." Stelle spoke up hesitantly, "it really was just a power outage?"
"Yes."
"Damn you Aha, don't let me get your ass!"
Aidan slapped the wooden sign onto the ground.
He thought Aha was playing him, but it turned out Aha wasn't playing him—isn't that just playing him anyway!
After Aidan's anger subsided, he hung the sign he'd stomped on a few times back on the door. Once everyone had left the carriage—
"Hehehehehehehehahahaha..."
The Aha mask on the door emitted a burst of suppressed laughter.