["Let's eat while walking and head to the next stop?"]
[Firefly led Stelle around several iconic locations before arriving in front of a massive cartoon statue.]
["Look, this statue is Penacony's famous cartoon character — Clockie!" Firefly enthusiastically introduced. "It comes from Penacony's longest and most renowned cartoon animation, telling the adventure story of the protagonist Clockie and his companions living in Dreamtown — it has been serialized for over ten thousand episodes!"]
["Isn't there any risk with this image…" Stelle wiped her sweat.]
["Eh, risk? Why?" Firefly didn't quite understand. "Clockie is a well-known superstar in Penacony, there shouldn't be any problem… right?"]
["But did you know? It's said that Clockie's prototype is the renowned — Watchmaker. Although the Clockie in the animation is just a reckless braggart… I still most believe the theory that the Watchmaker was a Nameless! After all, reclaiming the Dreamscape sounds very Trailblaze!"]
[Firefly asked Stelle to help take a photo of her with Clockie. Just as the two were about to take the picture, Stelle suddenly had her attention drawn by a series of cries for help coming from the statue.]
["Save me! Save me cheep! Cheep me out cheep! Save me cheep!"]
[Clockie's eyelashes seemed to be begging Stelle to pull it out — although this seemed very "dream-like," how could it be more important than taking a photo with a beautiful girl? Stelle immediately ignored it and took the photo for Firefly first.]
[After taking photos of each other, Firefly also noticed that Stelle seemed somewhat distracted, occasionally looking up at the statue. She followed Stelle's gaze toward Clockie but saw nothing.]
["Stelle, is there something wrong with Clockie's statue…?"]
——
Chainsaw Man.
Denji sat cross-legged on the sofa, staring at Clockie's colorful eyelashes on the Celestial Screen — though they were more like several colorful feathers.
"Huh? Such big feathers stuck in the statue, can't Firefly see them?" Denji frowned in confusion.
Power was munching on an apple and let out a disdainful snort: "Denji, you're so stupid! You still need to learn more from a genius like me… Firefly can't see the feathers, of course, because she doesn't have a Stellaron!"
"Also, Denji…" Power pointed at Firefly, who was taking a photo for Stelle on the screen. "…do you like this kind?"
Hayakawa Aki, who was drinking coffee nearby, didn't even look up: "Why don't you ask him which kind he doesn't like?"
"Tch… What's so good about this weak and whiny woman? This great me could make her cry for three days with one punch!"
"Reject violence! Girlfriend vibe is important!" Denji looked up with an expression of envy, jealousy, and hatred. "Of course a demon like you wouldn't understand, Power. Among all the cute girls on the Celestial Screen, Firefly is definitely… ranked number one on the 'most suitable girlfriend' list!"
"Huh? But didn't you say March 7th was number one last time?"
"…T-They're tied for first!"
——
[Stelle jumped up and pulled, actually managing to pull out a paper bird from the statue. The bird excitedly expressed its thanks and promised that if she went to the big tree, it would show her something nice!]
[After letting out a cute yet strange cry, the angular little bird flew away.]
[While Stelle was still thinking about the big tree the bird mentioned, the Firefly beside her curiously asked why she suddenly jumped. Stelle realized that apparently only she could see the bird, so she casually made up an excuse to brush it off.]
[The two walked side by side to the railing by the street. Firefly lightly rested her hand on it. The midnight breeze gently lifted her hair and brushed across Stelle's cheek. It seemed to carry a faint, elusive fragrance, like white roses covered in dew in a garden after rain — pure and beautiful.]
["See that building in the distance?" Firefly pointed toward the edge of the dreamscape, where a magnificent building floated in the night sky. Its dome shimmered with colorful lights under the neon, like a castle enchanted in a fairy tale.]
["That is the famous Grand Theater — another important landmark of Penacony! Don't you think its silhouette is quite unique? It used to be Asdena's central prison. The Family renovated it in the dream and transformed it into the radiant Penacony Grand Theater it is today."]
["And during the once-per-era Charmony Festival, Family members will gather in the theater to welcome the descent of the Choir of One (the embodiment of Harmony), bringing everlasting peace and happiness to Penacony."]
——
Attack on Titan.
Candlelight flickered in the Survey Corps office, casting the shadows of the two onto the wall covered with documents. Levi sat in his chair with arms crossed, staring intently at the opera house on the Celestial Screen with furrowed brows.
"Could the Choir's effect be similar to Robin's? If it can soothe people's hearts… I don't think we need to be particularly vigilant," Levi said. "At least from what Harmony has shown so far, it's generally benevolent."
"Hmm…" Erwin shifted his gaze away from the Celestial Screen, his blue eyes appearing especially deep in the candlelight. "It's still hard to say what effect the Choir of One actually has, but I'm very curious about one thing."
"What?"
"What we can confirm so far is that Harmony's resonance can affect a person's emotions and heart. If the Choir of One can bring Penacony everlasting peace and happiness, can we understand it as… the Choir performing a centuries-long Harmony resonance on all of Penacony? It is precisely through this resonance that Penacony has maintained long-term harmony."
"If that's the case, then why are they bringing other factions to Penacony? Wouldn't that interfere with their plan?" Levi took a sip of the already cold red tea in his cup, his brows furrowing even tighter. "…This doesn't make sense."
Erwin gently shook his head: "I'm more inclined to believe that disharmonious 'noise' will arise within Penacony, and these noises need to be periodically cleared by the Choir of One… just like a loose table leg that needs regular reinforcement with nails and a hammer."
"But if we scale it up to the entire galactic universe… then can other Aeon factions be categorized as 'noise'? Do they need the Choir of One to help with resonance and incorporate them into Harmony's chorus? I suspect… this is why the Family invited different factions here."
——
[The two arrived at Aideen Park, which was a themed leisure area in Golden Hour. The crowd was bustling.]
[Firefly enthusiastically introduced Golden Hour's "Syrupism" to Stelle, but as she spoke, she suddenly paused. Stelle noticed that at a certain moment, Firefly's gaze became cautious and sharp, piercing straight toward her brow or perhaps somewhere behind her…]
——