"If it were me, I would adjust the emotions of all the girls in Penacony to be madly in love with me! That way… hahahahaha!"
"Useless. Idiot. Pervert."
Kanao, who was folding clothes nearby, rolled her eyes.
"What an idiot!"
Inosuke's boar head mask tilted as he let out a disdainful snort. "With this kind of ability, of course you should make everyone fear and respect me! Use it to become the boss of all of Penacony! And make that Sunday guy take off the halo on his head and give it to me. That halo is worthy of a boss!"
——
[Misha expressed his thanks to Stelle again. Only then did Clockie learn that Stelle and Misha were already friends.]
["Thank you, Stelle. I didn't expect to meet again so soon." Acheron also expressed her gratitude. "The chaos earlier… I heard a group of Masked Fools were causing trouble on the street and disrupting order. I was passing through and got questioned, and some… misunderstandings occurred during the process. In the end, I caused you trouble again."]
["This lady… is also an acquaintance of yours?" Firefly looked at Stelle curiously.]
["Not exactly an acquaintance. We've met once before. She helped me at the hotel earlier. She's a kind person. Nice to meet you too, beautiful lady."]
[Firefly was suddenly complimented and felt a bit shy, lowering her head: "B-Beautiful lady…"]
["By the way, what did you do to that gentleman earlier? His sudden emotional change… was quite unbelievable." Acheron said.]
[Stelle had a flash of inspiration: "It was talk therapy! I used talk therapy!"]
["I guess… it has something to do with that… Clockie that only you can see?" Firefly guessed.]
[Acheron narrowed her eyes, looking somewhat puzzled: "…Clockie?"]
["Yes, that cartoon character… it seems to have appeared in reality—I mean—in the dream. Although I don't really understand the situation either… but Stelle said it seems only straightforward, pure, and childlike kids with a pure heart can see it…"]
["..." Acheron let out a long sigh. "Looks like I've already passed that age."]
["But if this Clockie really exists, many things make sense. I can feel some ambiguous entities accompanying you. Unfortunately I can't communicate with them like you can. Perhaps we both react to [Memoria] to some degree, allowing us to perceive these incredible things in the dream. You're just more sensitive than me."]
——
Bleach.
In the backyard of Urahara Shop, the black cat lazily lay on the low table. Her golden cat pupils reflected the conversation between Firefly and Acheron on the sky screen. Urahara sat cross-legged nearby, tapping his knee with a folding fan.
"Hey." Yoruichi's tail tip swayed gently. "Didn't they miss something?"
Urahara's lips curved slightly as he opened his fan with a swish: "As expected, Yoruichi-san noticed it too~ Firefly's discussion seems to have completely left out Misha, even though he can also see Clockie."
"Why? Shouldn't Misha be more worthy of attention? Or is it just because his identity is that of an ordinary bellboy?"
"Ordinary?" Urahara lowered the brim of his hat, his tone carrying a hint of playful amusement. "From the moment he could see Clockie, he stopped being ordinary. I think both he and Stelle have met some kind of 'special condition' that allows them to see Clockie."
"But I don't know the exact content of that condition yet. I'll make a bold guess… the two of them may have, intentionally or unintentionally, gotten involved with some fundamental rule of Penacony."
"Could it be related to [Trailblaze]?" Yoruichi asked.
"Not certain, but it's easy to verify. [Trailblaze] isn't just Stelle. Just bring Clockie in front of Himeko and the others. If Himeko and the rest can also see Clockie… that would explain some things."
——
["I originally thought that elegant Memokeeper had left something in your mind. Now it seems there are quite a few special existences in this dream just like her."]
["Elegant Memokeeper?"]
[Acheron nodded: "Not long after we parted, I unintentionally entered a ball. A lady wearing black gauze invited me to dance. That was my first time dancing… It was an unforgettable experience."]
["Unfortunately, I forgot to ask her name… I only know she came from the [Garden of Recollection]."]
["Garden of Recollection… is that the group that serves the [Remembrance] Aeon?" Firefly asked.]
["Yes. They can travel between worlds in the form of memes, appearing only to specific people—it's quite similar to the Clockie you mentioned, isn't it? As expected of a grand family event, perhaps there are far more guests who answered the invitation than we imagined."]
["Anyway, thank you all again for your care. I wish you a pleasant time in the dream. I won't disturb you two… on your date?"]
[Firefly's face instantly turned bright red. She waved her hands in a fluster: "N-No, it's not a date…!"]
——
Spy × Family.
(Obviously it is a date! A completely open and undeniable date!)
On the shopping street, Anya, who was holding a chimera doll in one hand, couldn't help but complain in her heart.
Watching Firefly on the sky screen blush furiously while denying it was a date, even the elite spy Loid couldn't help but sigh: "Are all the girls in the universe this indirect? Since she's already acting together with Stelle, the best strategy is to just admit it's a date and press the advantage."
"T-That's not right…!" Yor suddenly blushed, nearly dropping the shopping bag in her hand. "Girls naturally get shy! And… and…"
Her voice grew smaller as she unconsciously remembered that she still hadn't been able to say "I love you" to her husband.
…She completely understood Firefly's embarrassment!
"But Stelle is also a girl. When both are girls…" Loid said in an analytical tone, "If both sides keep being reserved, the relationship will become hard to progress and fall into a stalemate. At that time, someone needs to take the initiative to break through—"
"T-That's why Mr. Loid doesn't understand at all!" Yor interrupted him excitedly, not noticing that she had unconsciously crushed the stone under her foot into powder while distracted. "Feelings between girls need to be more… more…"
"More what?" Loid asked curiously, leaning closer.
Yor's face was as red as a sweet pepper beef stew: "They need… they need things to happen naturally! They only met each other today! At least they need to go on fifty dates first before progressing further, right?!"
"Fifty times? So you need that many dates?" Loid calmed down and seriously pondered the deeper meaning behind Yor's words.
(Could it be that my proposal that night was too rushed, and Miss Yor was somewhat dissatisfied? Is she using the relationship between Stelle and Firefly to hint that I should go out on more dates and shopping trips with her?)
(As expected, I've been neglecting her…)
Anya read her father's logically sound inner thoughts and nodded seriously.
(Daddy is thinking about Mommy. Anya also thinks Daddy should go on more dates with Mommy. Although… Daddy's entire reasoning process was wrong, the unexpected result was correct.)
——
[After Acheron's figure disappeared into the neon depths of Penacony, Firefly finally let out a long breath. She turned to look at Stelle beside her. Her fingers unconsciously stroked the edge of her skirt, and her voice became a little lighter than before:]
["…She left. Then, shall we…?"]