—[?]
—[What are you doing?]
Stelle casually pushed the subtitle aside, "Oh, you don't get it. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Hold on a sec."
—[Wait, shouldn't you be focusing on the main task first?]
Stelle walked up to the characters and scrutinized them closely. Her purpose was simple: she wanted to check in advance if these characters had any obvious plot twists, so she wouldn't be blindsided when meeting them later.
First was Aventurine. His limited-edition contact lenses weren't an issue, but he kept his eyes lowered. Combined with his current subdued, reserved attire, he didn't resemble the confident, dazzling peacock from before. Instead, he looked plain and low-key, almost like someone with autism.
Quite a change.
Next was Robin. Compared to the superstar who commanded everyone's attention, this Robin wore a white suit with her light blue hair tied into a ponytail, looking sharp and composed.
Uh… not bad. At least she didn't morph into a muscle-bound fitness coach. Acceptable.
Then came Sparkle. Compared to the others, she seemed the most normal. Only three words could describe her: Cool! Cool! And damn cool!
Sparkle and Silver Wolf were essentially the most scantily clad characters in the entire game, with Sparkle taking it up a notch. The reason was simple: she wore sandals, while Silver Wolf wore sneakers.
Add to that Sparkle's naturally ethereal presence, and it was hard not to let one's imagination run wild.
But Stelle just gave a calm smile. Women? Hmph, she'd long lost interest.
Since she couldn't spot anything unusual, she'd wait for their real performance later.
Sunday, like Robin, was dressed in a suit, but he seemed relatively more relaxed. His accessories looked extremely lavish, with buttons that seemed to be made of gold.
"Subtitles, which way do we go?"
After finishing her observation, Stelle looked up and called out to the air.
—[…]
—[You're… quite spirited.]
—[This way (arrow)]
"Anyway, this is a dream, right? I might not even remember this when I wake up," Stelle said with a smile, following the arrow's direction toward a door on the side of the hotel lobby.
The door opened automatically, revealing a bizarre expanse of memoria. Stelle had expected this—it was a hallmark of Penacony.
—[Pass through this door, and you can leave the dream and return to reality.]
Stelle nodded and stepped toward the surreal doorway—
Bang! (the sound of tripping over the threshold)
Stelle: Reverie Hotel's designer! Who taught you this anti-human design? A memoria door that blocks your view, huh?
"…"
Stelle stumbled, her body lurching forward uncontrollably, and she crashed right into an extremely imposing yet soft embrace.
Stelle: !!! (her body temperature skyrocketed)
W-What just happened? Why does this plot feel so familiar? Masaka, is this a scene from an anime she'd watched before? The male lead accidentally falls into the female lead's chest, and then…
Stelle's gaze darted around frantically: purple leather jacket, shorts, katana… no mistake, this must be Miss Acheron!
Ugh… she couldn't breathe!
No way! She was a principled person. Since she was already entangled with March 7th, she couldn't just take advantage of another girl!
Stelle quickly steadied herself, lowered her head, and stammered in a flustered tone, "S-S-Sorry, I-I-I didn't mean to! It's my fault, I take full responsibility, please forgive me…"
The "Acheron" across from her sized Stelle up, her voice low: "Interesting."
Phew—she didn't seem angry…
?
Wait, something's off.
Stelle had heard Acheron's voice before, even the original voice of Acheron's voice actor, but… it wasn't this deep, nor this raspy.
This voice didn't sound like a girl's, or even a young person's!!
And… and this voice felt strangely familiar. Stelle was certain she'd heard it somewhere before, but if she couldn't recall it immediately, it must belong to an NPC with a minor role.
Wait… masaka?!
A bold idea suddenly surfaced in Stelle's mind, so terrifying that it made her tremble, so terrifying that she didn't dare look up!
A deep male voice, a smoky tone, an NPC related to Acheron…
Trembling, Stelle raised her head and met the "Acheron's" gaze.
"…!!!"
Stelle finally understood what it meant in wuxia novels when they described "having one's spirit stripped away, soul obliterated." The moment she locked eyes with the flames in this "Acheron's" gaze, she experienced that feeling firsthand.
Standing before Stelle was a goat-headed creature with a flaming head.
Stelle knew this flame-headed goat person was named Ifrit, better known as Duke Inferno.
"You damn…"
Stelle couldn't help but curse, her voice trembling with a hint of a sob. Her expression seemed angry, and she even let out a bitter laugh—she didn't know what words, actions, or expressions could convey her true emotions.
She had so much she wanted to express, but alas, she only had one face and one mouth.
She had just mistaken Duke Inferno for… No, when she woke up, she absolutely, absolutely had to find someone from the Garden of Recollection to erase this memory. Whether it was Fugue or Black Swan, this memory could not stay in her mind!!
She'd rather die than relive this in her final moments!
"Your memoria is trembling. Your soul is not far from annihilation," Duke Inferno said calmly. "Since that's the case, there's no need for me to guide you further. Rest in this nightmare, and then…"
"Return to the waking world."
"There, we will find all the answers."
Crack crack crack—
Amid her nearly exploding emotions, cracks spread across Stelle's body until, like a puzzle, she shattered with a boom, dissolving into a pile of memoria.
…
"Ah—"
Stelle jolted awake from the nightmare, gasping for air, her heart pounding fiercely, her clothes soaked with cold sweat.
What the hell was that just now?!
How could someone dream of something beyond their own imagination?!
Something wet rolled down the corner of her eye. Stelle instinctively licked her lips, the salty taste silently reminding her that in that nightmare, she had been scared to tears.