"Eh?"
The cute girl was startled.
"L-Lord Akivili, what... what are you talking about? My name is..."
Before she could finish, Setsuna tapped her face. A wave of Imaginary energy spread outward.
"Sparkle, Sparkle... you've got quite the nerve."
"You can trick March 7th, trick Kiana, even fool Himeko for a bit... but you actually set your sights on me too, hm?"
Shua—
Under the influence of Imaginary energy, her form could no longer be maintained.
Her body suddenly shifted, transforming into a small girl wearing a short red kimono, with black twin-tails.
Petite, cute, and mischievous.
"Eh eh eh eh eh?!—"
Sparkle hadn't expected Setsuna to expose her disguise so directly and immediately panicked.
"N-No, that's not right, I-I, I'm..."
"You're Sparkle, a Masked Fool, deliberately disguising yourself as a Nameless to board my Astral Express."
Setsuna pressed her down with one hand, preventing her from escaping his arms.
"Mm!"
Sparkle struggled twice, only to realize the vast difference between her strength and Setsuna's.
Perhaps the "human" traits this Commander displayed were too obvious, causing her to overlook an undeniable fact—
He was an Aeon, on the same level as other Aeons.
How could a mortal's power compare to that of an Aeon?
"Eh?!—"
"When did you find out?!"
Sparkle tried desperately to escape, her face full of unwillingness. It felt like she had completely overplayed her hand.
Looking for fun on an Aeon... and getting caught on the spot.
"The moment I saw you."
Setsuna pinched her again.
"Did you think your disguise was perfect? Flawless?"
"The power of Elation on you can't be hidden at all. That's your Path. In front of me, there's no possibility of concealment."
"Ugh..."
Sparkle's tricks were useless against Setsuna.
Countless plans flashed through her mind, but under absolute power suppression, she had no space to use any of them.
"Eh eh eh?!"
Himeko and March 7th were also shocked upon seeing Sparkle.
"Commander, this is?!"
"She's a Masked Fool here to stir up trouble. You should know their reputation, right?"
"You mean those followers of Elation...?"
Himeko blinked.
"Tch."
Sparkle pouted, then turned to the other girls in the carriage.
"We're exposed, stop pretending!"
"Huh? They're fake too? But..."
March 7th was startled.
"Miss Black Swan just..."
"Their memories aren't wrong, right? Of course not. Because these are things They personally experienced."
Setsuna chuckled.
"Guess who could know those past events in such detail, even correcting the finer points so perfectly that even a Memokeeper from the Garden of Recollection couldn't detect any flaws?"
"Isn't it the person involved?"
"?"
Under Black Swan's astonished gaze, Setsuna walked over to one of the girls and looked down at her.
"Having fun?"
"Eh, Lord Akivili, what are you talking about?"
The girl tried to play dumb.
"Using the same trick twice isn't interesting. Aha, this time you even dragged a few more people along."
Boom!!—
Setsuna showed no mercy, channeling Imaginary energy and striking with a punch.
"Ahahahahaha!!!—"
Accompanied by a manic burst of laughter, the forms of over a dozen girls instantly dispersed.
They transformed into Imaginary energy, gathering together and whipping up a violent gust within the Astral Express.
"Akivili! Akivili! You truly surprise me!"
"You actually saw through me this time?! Tell me, tell me quickly—was there something I didn't do well enough?!"
Shua—
An indescribable energy entity gathered within the carriage.
The clown mask on Their face split into countless smiling faces, circling around Setsuna as if greeting him.
"???"
"Ah!!!"
Sparkle was nearly scared out of her mind.
"Wait?! You are?!"
She had always thought the one discussing the grand plan with her was just another Masked Fool somewhere in the universe.
Turns out, the one she tried to prank was the Aeon of Trailblaze—and the one giving her ideas was Aha. Absolutely insane.
The other exposed Masked Fools were equally terrified upon seeing Aha's true form.
"Oh! My dear Fool!"
Aha's mask turned toward Sparkle.
"Your performance just now was excellent! Excellent! Even though you didn't succeed in the end, you and Akivili both gained a bit of Elation, didn't you?"
"Mm, among all the Masked Fools, you're one of the best. Truly!"
As They spoke, They even mimicked Sparkle's voice:
"'Being favored by Lord Akivili is my honor...' You acted so well, I couldn't even tell whether that was your true feeling or not!"
"Ahahaha—"
"..."
Sparkle felt like she had become part of Aha's amusement.
Aha had sent her to amuse Themselves with Setsuna, and regardless of success or failure, she herself was part of Aha's entertainment.
"Ah!!!"
Himeko, March 7th, and the others were utterly horrified. They hadn't expected the small Astral Express to host two Aeons at the same time.
"Akivili! I think I already did very well! This story was beautifully crafted! How did you still see through it?!"
"Tell me? Tell me quickly?..."
Aha circled around Setsuna restlessly.
"..."
"I admit your preparations were thorough."
Setsuna sighed.
"Starting from a real event, then embellishing it with touching details... mm, it's no surprise even Angeloids couldn't detect anything wrong."
"Was bringing Black Swan along also part of your plan?"
"Yes!"
Aha was extremely excited.
"I guessed she could help us board the Astral Express. Oh, Akivili, if you hadn't come personally, we probably would have succeeded."
"That's true."
Setsuna had to admit it.
Himeko had been completely taken in at the time, and with March 7th's soft heart backing them up, it might really have worked.
Unfortunately, recruitment matters were always handled personally by him.
"But you made it too fake."
He stared at Aha.
"Didn't you notice? The people you created were a bit too standardized... too exaggerated?!"
"And besides, just like Sparkle, I can sense the power of Elation on all of you."
"Oh!"
Aha's mask nodded.
"I thought you liked that kind of human girl."
"If you were planning to take things further with them, I could've given you a little surprise too!"
"..."
Setsuna seriously considered whether he should beat Aha up.
Imagine this—being all lovey-dovey, hugging a girl, only for her to suddenly turn into Aha. Who the hell could tolerate that?!
This guy would probably come up with some twisted prank every now and then just to amuse himself at his expense.
"But Akivili, where are we going?"
Aha noticed that the Astral Express was still traveling through the starry sky.
After countless years, this was a rare occasion where They had boarded the Astral Express again.
"To explore a new world. I'm taking you somewhere interesting—guaranteed to be fun."
Setsuna replied.
"Really? Really?!"
Aha waved Their nonexistent limbs excitedly around him.
"If I knew you were this generous, I wouldn't have gone through all that trouble, Akivili!"
"Oh, wait—that Fool was pretty entertaining though."
"..."
Sparkle, held by Setsuna, didn't dare to speak.
Boom!!—
On the Hyperdimensional Star Map, Setsuna selected a location he had vaguely glimpsed before but never fully explored.
The Astral Express shot across the cosmos like a meteor, heading straight toward the edge of the universe.
Rumble!!—
The Celestial Comet Wall shattered once again.
"!!!"
Qlipoth cast a grave gaze toward them.
"Ohohohohoho! That blockhead noticed us!!"
"Akivili, Akivili, we're really going to another world!!"
Aha was extremely excited, recalling the days when They had once run wild together.
They could hardly wait to find some fun in a new world.
Crash—
After the sound of space shattering, the Astral Express arrived at its destination.
It resumed cruising within a completely unfamiliar universe.
"Where is this...?"
Everyone was confused.
"We're here."
Setsuna enveloped the Astral Express in a protective barrier, isolating it from all external influence and interference.
He opened the door, tossed Aha out, and casually threw the extra Masked Fools down onto a planet below.
"What about me?"
Sparkle was still tucked under his arm.
"You stay. When we get back, you're getting a proper beating."
Setsuna waved at Aha.
"This universe is incredibly interesting. Play however you want."
"I've got something to do over there. See you!"
Boom—
The Astral Express flashed with light and vanished.
"Huh?"
Aha froze for a moment, initially a bit confused, drifting aimlessly through space.
The star systems, lifeforms, and environment here were completely different from the Star Rail universe—a totally unfamiliar world.
"Oh! Akivili, where did you bring me?"
Their gaze swept across the galaxy, sensing countless unfamiliar signals.
There were ordinary humans, unknown creatures, and indescribable entities from the Warp.
Aha felt that most beings in this universe didn't seem very happy. They carried heavy burdens and sorrow.
"Aha!—there must be laughter!"
"The stars must have laughter, and so must you!"
A hearty burst of laughter spread across the universe in an instant.
"W-What?!"
Countless humans on planets looked up, sensing that an extraordinary existence had arrived in their world.
Within the Chaos domain, a humanoid god with blood-red skin seated upon a brass throne cast a surprised glance into the distance.
In the Garden of Nurgle, a god brewing foul concoctions in a cauldron raised Their head, noticing the Nurglings around Them suddenly laughing for no reason, utterly confused.
Within the Crystal Labyrinth and the Palace of Pleasure, the gods of the Warp all sensed this uninvited guest from another universe.
"Aha!"
Aha scanned the galaxy once more, Their gaze settling on a distant planet.
"Where is this?"
"Hm? What's that golden guy sitting on a throne?"