[Daydream] Hotel, March 7th's guest room
"Waaah, you can't sleep either from excitement, right?! I can't wait to see the world inside the dream!"
"By the way… does the dream pool support double occupancy? That way we could have company~"
Stelle shook her head. The dream passport didn't seem to mention any rules against multiple people entering together… probably fine?
"Where are you planning to go first?"
"Obviously [The Moment of Scorchsand]! How can anyone visit a vacation paradise and not hit the shopping heaven?! I'm ready to fill shopping bags to the brim!"
With that, March 7th spun around and triumphantly pulled out a massive black-and-white shopping bag.
"Tadaa! Teacher Adrian's custom [Eternity] shopping bag!"
"It literally never ends, dude!" Stelle's mouth twitched.
"Hmm… after shopping, I'll change into a gorgeous evening gown and head to the Grand Theater in Penacony to watch Miss Robin's concert!"
March 7th had done all her homework—she was ready to dive in.
"What do you think about this whole festival?"
"At first I really thought we were just here to vacation, but now… I'm sure this [festival] is anything but ordinary! All the factions deciphering riddles, fighting over an inheritance—it's straight out of a detective novel!"
"Maybe there'll even be classic tropes like family turning against family, houses falling apart, lovers separated by life and death, rivers of blood…"
The more March 7th thought about it, the more excited she got. What kind of conspiracy lurked behind the Planet of the Festivities? Did Mr. Sunday have ulterior motives? Could she drink Teacher Adrian's milk tea inside the dream?
"Boring. I wanna see rivers of blood!"
If things really spiraled into chaos, Stelle wouldn't mind tossing in another match—just to see how big the fire could get. After all, someone would clean up the mess… probably. Depends if HE felt like it.
"Kidding, kidding. As if that'd happen."
"Don't worry! If the sky falls, Uncle Yang and Big Sis Himeko will hold it up. Let's just enjoy this rare vacation!"
After saying goodbye to March 7th, Stelle returned to her own room—only to find the door wide open.
"Weird… Why is my door open?"
Peeking inside, she spotted an "uninvited guest." A closer look revealed the IPC emissary from the front desk—Aventurine.
"Oh? Fancy meeting you here again."
Following her impression of Topaz (also from Strategic Investment), Stelle greeted him politely.
"We meet again, friend."
"That's right, friend! Relax—I'm just here to bask in a little luck. This room is yours now, but half a system hour ago… it was mine."
"Lucky building number, lucky floor, lucky room number. I went through a lot of trouble to book this gem… and now it's yours. Cherish it, friend."
Stelle was completely lost. "You're the one who gave me this room?"
"Who else? The Family, out of the goodness of their hearts?"
"This is the real Land of Dreams, Penacony. Countless people across the galaxy would spend half their lives just for a ticket to the Daydream Hotel."
"Think about it—who gets to stay here? Without my little scheme, would the Family dare offend all those VIPs just to open a back door for an [uninvited guest] like you?"
Aventurine strolled to the tea table. "So sit down and chat. By right and reason, I've earned that much, haven't I?"
Stelle dropped her polite smile, now fully on guard. This guy was bad news…
"You should talk to Himeko or Welt."
"Wrong. The one I need is you." Aventurine turned around. "Simple, friend—I need your help."
"You might not realize yet, but Penacony is far less simple than it appears. The Family's eyes are everywhere. I can't say it outright—you get me."
He dangled the bait first: "My goal is straightforward—help the Corporation reclaim something that already belongs to it. If you assist me, once it's done, you'll receive generous compensation… and the shelter of [Preservation]."
The next second, Stelle repeated her front-desk move, flashing the fire lance she earned on Jarilo-VI.
Aventurine smirked, utterly unimpressed. "Tch~ The Bricklayer's inferior stone… worthless."
Stelle admitted—she was pissed. Inferior stone?! This fire lance had historical value! (Limited to Jarilo-VI, sure.) But it was still the symbol of being glanced at by [Preservation] Qlipoth! She wouldn't let him trash-talk her lance!
She almost dumped her entire inventory to flex on him right then and there, but suddenly realized how dangerous that would be. Damn provocation tactic—she nearly fell for it!
"Let's speak plainly, friend. Fellow [Preservation] Pathstriders—except I seem to have an extra title: Director of the Strategic Investment Department."
"I don't need the IPC's protection," Stelle stated firmly.
"Hmm… sure you don't want to reconsider? After all, you're different from the others."
"You're special—special enough to flip the entire table. That [power]… don't you want to wield it? Or… don't you want to be free of it? Don't you want to make the universe remember your name with it?"
"That power everyone fears yet craves—it's right there in the palm of your hand…"
Stelle stumbled back a few steps. Was he talking about the hourglass necklace?! How terrifying was his intelligence network?!
"…Miss [Stellaron], am I right?"
Stelle: ?
Oh, right—she almost forgot there was a Stellaron inside her too. Memory these days… maybe she should sign up for a course with the Garden of Recollection's Memekeepers.
"How did you know?"
Aventurine's lips curved upward. "Now I do."
Silence. Stelle's opinion of the Strategic Investment Department plummeted. Every single one of these IPC guys was a cunning bastard—he just bluffed her!
"You don't have to answer now. Thinking takes time. When the moment's right, I'll come find you naturally."
"Of course, feel free to discuss with your companions, or even try to use me instead—I welcome it. Because that would also prove your value to me."
"I never make losing bets. I hope all you [friends]… won't disappoint me."
Aventurine's tone suddenly shifted, pressing down on her: "No matter what… the outcome won't change."
"Oh, right—before I go, let's play a quick game. Super simple: guess which hand the chip is in. Just so you get a better feel for my personality… and how I do things."
He tossed a coin into the air. "Oh, I forgot to ask which side you pick. But it's fine. Like I said…" He opened both empty hands and slowly stepped closer.
"Friend, the game has already begun. Make a deal with me… you can't refuse…"
"No reason… no room…"
At that moment, Aventurine noticed Stelle's initially panicked expression suddenly calm. His own instincts screamed danger—he whipped around toward the door.
Freesna stood there leisurely holding a bottle of milk tea, watching the show.