Chapter 368: Penacony Arc 『 Part Sixty-Three 』, Lost Generation part 2
"That's simple enough; I can help you verify it,"
Hugo said with a casual air.
"Verify? How?"
While Vivian was still lost in confusion, Hugo had already extended his palm toward her with a mischievous smirk. In his hand was a mobile phone emitting a rhythmic beep—beep— sound. The number on the screen was, without a doubt, Phaethon's.
"Wait!"
Vivian lunged forward to snatch it, but Hugo deftly sidestepped her.
"Hugo, DON'T—!!"
…
"Hugo?"
Wise looked curiously at the vibrating phone resting on the sofa.
He pressed the answer key, but no one spoke. Instead, a chaotic cacophony of background noise filtered through—something about 'two-timing' and 'don't fight.' It wasn't until he cleared his throat and said 'Hello' a few times that the noise gradually died down into silence.
Then came the soft rustle of fabric, as if someone were pressing the phone tightly against their heart. Amidst the static, the sound of a young woman's breathing reached his ears before any words did—a breath intentionally held light, yet trembling slightly with nerves.
"Um… Master Phaethon…"
Vivian's voice was faint but solemn, as if every word had been carefully drafted, erased, and rewritten.
"Tomorrow morning… would you like to go see a movie with me, Master Phaethon?"
The final inquiry was as quiet as a mosquito's hum; Wise could almost hear the girl's heartbeat through the receiver. He could even imagine her at this moment, fingers twisting the lace trim of her skirt. The last time he was at the cinema with her, that very lace had brushed against his forearm, leaving a faint, lingering itch.
The silence lasted for perhaps two seconds.
"I'd love to,"
Wise agreed decisively.
"Let's meet at the cinema entrance tomorrow morning."
And so, it was settled. Perhaps due to an excess of excitement, the girl on the other end let out a scream like a boiling kettle before abruptly hanging up.
Wise silently tucked the phone back into his pocket and looked up at his sister, Belle, who was holding the remote on the sofa.
"Belle, could you accompany Section Manager Miyabi, Ran, Koko, Caesar, and Morningstar to the movies tomorrow?"
"Me? Alone? With all of them?! Brother, just how many people have you asked out to the movies under Phaethon's name?"
"I don't quite recall… maybe a dozen or so, give or take?"
Wise scratched his head sheepishly.
"Then what are you doing tomorrow?"
"I have a date to see a movie with Vivian tomorrow morning."
"Tsk…"
Belle shot him a look of pure disdain.
"…Brother, you are truly the worst."
—
「 March 7th rubbed her forehead. "I get why, but there's a whole lot of bad guys and girls around here and I'm worried about getting stabbed in the back. Stelle has been bullied a few times now, and I can't stand it anymore..."
Stelle puffed out her chest with pride. "It's cool. You can bully me whenever!"
"You…" March 7th was momentarily speechless. "…No! This lady cannot accept that reasoning! …Fine, I'll just have to keep a close eye on him myself! If all else fails, we'll just flip the script and use him instead, right?"
Having reached an agreement, Stelle sent the Express Crew's consent for cooperation to Aventurine.
The other party was delighted, promptly transferring another 200,000 Credits to Stelle as a 'small token of good faith.'
Stelle relayed Aventurine's attitude to Welt, who nodded, noting that something about Aventurine's behavior still struck him as suspicious.
"Without any evidence, he directly accused that Galaxy Ranger of being the suspect in Robin's death. Yet, he said absolutely nothing about her connection to the 'Memory Zone Meme' or why she's been lurking by your side."
"Does Aventurine have other plans?"
Welt nodded. "Perhaps Aventurine's goal from the start wasn't to win your trust, but to sow a seed of doubt regarding Acheron. A more chaotic situation is the outcome he desires most."
"After interacting with her so many times, what is your impression of Miss Acheron?"
"Impression?"
Stelle rubbed her head, trying to recall this person she should have been familiar with. Strangely, her mind held only a blurred silhouette, like an oil painting soaked in water; all the details had bled together, fading along with the memories that should have been vivid.
"That's strange… I can't seem to remember clearly." 」
「 ..... 」
〜DC Extended Universe, Earth-1〜
Clark Kent placed the freshly printed column draft gently on Editor-in-Chief Perry White's desk, the scent of fresh ink still hovering over the paper. Perry, chomping on a cigar, squinted at the pages for a moment before suddenly knitting his brows.
"Acheron?"
He narrowed his eyes.
"The character columns for Penacony are important. We can't just feature any nobody. Is this 'Acheron' really worth an individual piece?"
"A nobody?"
Clark thought he had misheard. He repeated,
"Did you just say… she's a nobody?"
"Isn't she?"
The Editor-in-Chief slowly exhaled a cloud of smoke.
"She is an Emanator—the only Emanator currently in Penacony. How could she be a nobody?"
Clark emphasized repeatedly.
"Based on current intelligence, she is the most powerful figure among all the factions in Penacony. She personally slew Duke Inferno and dismantled the Ever-Flame Mansion… surely you remember?"
"I have some impression of the Ever-Flame Mansion…"
Perry rubbed his temples. He sensed something was off, but he couldn't put his finger on it.
"The name Acheron rings a bell, I suppose."
"Please, try to remember."
Clark returned to his desk and pored over the intelligence he had gathered on Acheron once again. As Superman, he realized something was amiss; it felt as though something in the sky was invisibly influencing the Earth, yet he couldn't define it.
"Lois,"
He whispered, stopping his girlfriend as she walked past with a stack of files.
"Do you remember Acheron?"
Lois tucked a stray hair behind her ear, the file folder slipping slightly in the crook of her arm.
"I remember. Isn't she the one Stelle and Aventurine are always bringing up?"
Clark breathed a small sigh of relief.
"What about other details? Her identity, her appearance, her strength…?"
"Well, I remember…"
As she tried to recall, Lois's brows furrowed visibly.
"I remember she's a woman with long hair, but the specifics…"
She tapped her head lightly.
"Damn it, I know I looked at her file while I was buying coffee this morning."
"Just as I thought…"
Lois's reaction made Clark more certain that something was happening within the 'Sky Curtain.' To be safe, he asked a few more colleagues, but the results were identical—they all remembered the name Acheron to some degree, but none could recall any further details.
It was as if an eraser were slowly scrubbing the world's memory of Acheron, leaving only him, a Kryptonian, with a more lasting impression.
"How can this be? She's an Emanator. Shouldn't an Emanator leave a more profound impression?"
—