Chapter 323: Penacony Arc 『 Part Eighteen 』, The Infinite Loop of the Penacony
「 "Shall we eat as we walk and head to the next stop?"
Hotaru led Stelle through several landmark locations before arriving in front of a massive cartoon statue.
"Look! This statue is none other than Penacony's world-famous cartoon character—Clockie!" Hotaru introduced enthusiastically. "He hails from Penacony's longest-running and most renowned animation, which follows the adventures of the protagonist, Clockie, and his companions in Dreamville. It's been airing for over ten thousand episodes now!"
"Is this design really… legally safe…?" Stelle wiped a bead of sweat from her brow.
"Eh? Risk? Why?" Hotaru didn't quite understand. "Clockie is a superstar known by every household in Penacony. There shouldn't be any problem… I think."
"But did you know? It's said that the prototype for Clockie was the legendary—The Watchmaker. Even though the Clockie in the animation is just a clumsy braggart… I still choose to believe the theory that the Watchmaker was a Nameless! After all, pioneering a dreamscape sounds exactly like the path of 『 Trailblaze 』."
Hotaru asked Stelle to help take a commemorative photo of her with Clockie. Just as the two were preparing for the shot, Stelle's attention was suddenly drawn by a series of chirping cries for help coming from the statue.
"Help! Help-chirp! Pull me out-chirp! Help-chirp!"
Clockie's eyelashes seemed to be pleading for Stelle to pluck them out—and while the situation was very 'dream-like,' how could that possibly be more important than taking a photo of a beautiful girl? Stelle ignored it immediately; she would take Hotaru's photo first and worry about the rest later.
After they finished taking photos of each other, Hotaru noticed that Stelle seemed a bit distracted, glancing up at the statue from time to time. She followed Stelle's gaze toward Clockie but saw nothing out of the ordinary.
"Stelle, is something… wrong with the Clockie statue?" 」
「 ..... 」
〜Chainsaw Man World〜
Denji sat cross-legged on the sofa, staring at Clockie's colorful eyelashes on the projection in the sky. However, rather than eyelashes, they looked more like a few vibrant feathers.
"Huh? With feathers that big stuck in the statue, Hotaru can't see them?"
Denji furrowed his brows in confusion.
Power, who was munching on an apple, let out a disdainful snort at his words.
"Denji, you're way too stupid! You really need to learn more from a genius like Yours Truly… Hotaru can't see the feathers because she doesn't have a Stellaron, obviously!"
"Besides, Denji…"
Power pointed at Hotaru on the screen, who was currently posing for Stelle's photo.
"…Do you actually like this type?"
Aki Hayakawa, sitting nearby and sipping his coffee, didn't even look up.
"You'd be better off asking him what type he doesn't like."
"Tch… what's so good about a girl who looks this fragile? I could make her cry for three days with a single punch, okay?"
"No violence! The 'girlfriend vibe' is crucial!"
Denji looked up, his face a mask of pure envy and jealousy.
"A devil like you wouldn't understand, Power. A girl like Hotaru is definitely, definitely… number one on the 'Best Choice for a Girlfriend' list among all the cute girls we've seen on that screen!"
"Ha? But didn't you say March 7th was number one last time?"
"…They—they're tied for first!"
—
「 Stelle leaped up and gave a tug, actually pulling a small origami bird out of the statue. The bird expressed its gratitude excitedly, promising that if she visited the Great Tree, it would show her something wonderful!
After letting out a cute yet peculiar chirp, the angular little bird flew away.
While Stelle was still pondering the 'Great Tree' the bird had mentioned, Hotaru grew curious about why she had suddenly jumped. Realizing that she was likely the only one who could see the bird, Stelle made up a random excuse to brush it off.
The two walked side-by-side to the railings along the street. Hotaru rested her hands lightly upon them as the midnight breeze gently tossed her hair, the strands brushing against Stelle's cheek. A faint, ethereal fragrance seemed to linger in the air—like white roses glistening with dew in a garden after the rain, pure and beautiful.
"Do you see that building in the distance?" Hotaru pointed toward the far edge of the dreamscape, where a magnificent structure hung suspended in the night sky. Its dome shimmered with various hues under the neon lights, resembling a magical castle from a fairy tale.
"That is the famous Grand Theater—another major landmark of Penacony! Don't you think its silhouette is quite unique? It used to be the Central Prison of Asdana, but the Family renovated it within the dream, transforming it into the radiant Penacony Grand Theater we see today."
"And during the once-in-an-era Charmony Festival, members of the Family gather in the theater to welcome the descent of the Harmonious Choir (Embodiment of Harmon), bringing eternal peace and happiness to Penacony." 」
「 ..... 」
〜Shingeki No Kyojin World〜
The candlelight in the Scout Regiment office flickered, casting the shadows of two men against the walls piled high with documents. Levi sat in his chair, arms crossed, staring intently at the opera house on the screen with a deep scowl.
"Will the effects of this choir be similar to Robin's? If it can soothe people's hearts… then I don't think we need to be especially on guard,"
Levi said.
"At least for now, what the 『 Harmony 』 has shown is generally benevolent."
"Hmm…"
Erwin shifted his gaze from the screen, his blue eyes appearing exceptionally deep in the candlelight.
"It's hard to say what the actual effect of the Harmonious Choir is, but I am curious about one thing."
"What is it?"
"We know for certain that the resonance of the 『 Harmony 』 can influence a person's emotions and inner self. If the Harmonious Choir brings eternal peace and happiness to Penacony, could that be interpreted as… the Choir performing a continuous, centuries-long harmonic resonance over the entire planet? It is precisely this resonance that allows Penacony to maintain its long-standing concord."
"If that's the case, why would they invite other factions to Penacony? Wouldn't that interfere with their plan?"
Levi took a sip of his cold black tea, his frown deepening.
"…It doesn't make sense."
Erwin shook his head slightly.
"I'm inclined to believe that 'dissonance' or 'noise' naturally arises within Penacony, and this noise needs to be periodically cleared by the Harmonious Choir… much like a loose table leg needs to be reinforced regularly with a hammer and nails."
"But if we expand the scale to the entire galaxy… would the other Star God factions then be classified as 'noise'? Do they need the Harmonious Choir to help them resonate, to incorporate them into the chorus of the 『 Harmony 』? I suspect… that is the real reason the Family invited the different factions here."
—
「 The two arrived at Aideen Park, a bustling leisure area themed around SoulGlad.
Hotaru was enthusiastically introducing the 'Syrupism' of SoulGlad to Stelle when she suddenly paused. Stelle noticed that for a fleeting moment, Hotaru's gaze became sharp and cautious, piercing toward the space between Stelle's brows—or perhaps, toward somewhere right behind her… 」
「 ..... 」
( Translator-kun: Oh no... I forgot, since the Sky Curtain/Light Screen can affect them... So ever since the warp jump to Penacony, every single one of them has already... )
( Translator-kun: Welp, the intrusive thoughts have won. I play the game with the JP dub and watched the stream of Su-chan, so my brain is hardwired to use 'Hotaru' instead of Firefly. So starting now, I'm going to address Firefly as Hotaru. I know some of you might react the same way you did when I used 'Pam' for Pom-Pom, but I can't help it... the urge is too strong. Also, don't worry, I won't use any JP names for other characters; it's just that those two are my favorite HSR characters. )