"Commander, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."
A few minutes later.
Firefly naturally invited Setsuna to take a seat.
This was one of the most luxurious restaurants in the Exalting Sanctum. From the top-floor viewing area, one could see the entire Delve.
Below, the lights had just begun to glow, countless points of brilliance illuminating half the night sky. Combined with the Xianzhou's classical architectural complexes, the scene was utterly magnificent.
"Mm..."
Setsuna stared at Firefly for a few seconds, then glanced into the distance.
"Commander? Is there something on my face?"
Firefly blinked.
"No. You look great."
Setsuna thought for a moment.
"Thank you."
A faint blush crossed Firefly's face as she handed him the menu, her voice soft and sweet.
"I've already chosen a set meal. If there's anything you want, Commander... please feel free to order."
Setsuna casually selected a few dishes.
While enjoying dinner, the two chatted back and forth.
"Commander, how do you like the scenery here? I spent a long time picking this place."
Firefly asked.
"Mm, it's nice."
"Just now, I sensed some fluctuations of imaginary energy. Someone seemed to be using it for something. Did you notice?"
"Eh?"
Firefly was slightly startled and shook her head.
"No, my perception isn't as sharp as yours, Commander..."
"There are many capable individuals on the Xianzhou. Occasional interference from imaginary energy is probably normal, right?"
She looked at Setsuna with a hint of nervousness.
"Is that so?"
Setsuna glanced into the distance and shrugged.
"Oh, it's probably from the Alchemy Commission or the Artisan Commission. I must have misread it."
"Mm."
Firefly changed the subject.
The two talked about the Starsea Empire and their future plans within this universe.
After finishing dinner.
Firefly spoke again.
"Commander, I heard the night view near the Starskiff pier is beautiful. Would you like to go take a look with me?"
"Mm..."
Setsuna thought for a moment.
"Let's go somewhere else."
"Eh?"
Firefly was a bit surprised. This wasn't part of the original plan, but she still nodded obediently.
"Where would you like to go?"
"The Eternal Snowfall. You haven't been there before, right?"
Boom—
A small shuttle carried the two of them aboard the Eternal Snowfall.
The Juggernaut still maintained synchronous operation not far from the Xianzhou, with countless stars stretching beneath it.
"This is... the flagship of the Starsea Empire?"
"It's so big!"
Anyone who boarded the Juggernaut would be awed by its colossal hull.
Standing at the highest point of the bridge, the vast cosmos stretched overhead.
It felt as if the entire universe were within reach, as though one could pluck the stars from the sky with a single hand.
"Didn't you say before that you wanted to see more of the universe? In the future, we can go together."
Setsuna gently wrapped his arms around Firefly from behind.
"Ah..."
The girl let out a soft cry of surprise but did not resist.
"Thank you, Commander. Before I met you, I never imagined I would have a chance to be cured of Entropy Loss Syndrome, or to move freely like this."
"Is that so?"
Setsuna's hand subtly moved a little higher.
"I think your figure has improved as well."
"Wah, don't bully me..."
Firefly puffed her cheeks and gently held his hand.
"You've done so much for me. I don't even know how to repay you..."
"That's simple. Just devote yourself to me."
Setsuna pinched her cheek and said it bluntly.
"Ah!"
Firefly's face turned even redder as she lowered her head and let out a soft, embarrassed protest.
"Y-You... what are you saying..."
"Not willing?"
Setsuna whispered in her ear.
"I-It's not that..."
"I quite like you."
"Ah..."
Firefly flushed from head to toe, fidgeting nervously in his arms.
She glanced at him, but the moment their eyes met, she quickly lowered her head again.
Every expression and movement perfectly captured her shy and adorable charm.
"Do you mean... this is too... too sudden..."
"Weren't you a bit envious of Tingyun today? Everything you bought was in matching pairs, hm?"
Setsuna teased her deliberately.
"Mm..."
Realizing this was a rare opportunity, Firefly gathered her courage and spoke in a voice as soft as a mosquito's hum.
"Commander, I... I feel the same."
"Um... please take care of me from now on..."
She turned around, stood on her tiptoes, and closed her eyes, embracing him in a kiss.
The two stood at the top of the starship, surrounded by countless stars.
Leaning lightly against Setsuna, the girl's delicate figure seemed soft and fragile, her face tinged with a faint blush.
If time could freeze at this moment, it would be utterly romantic.
However.
At the instant their lips were about to meet.
Bang—
Firefly suddenly transformed into a half-human-height doll.
It resembled Sparkle, wearing a short red kimono with twin tails and a mask on its head.
Its body seemed filled with mechanical parts, its head wobbling as it let out a hoarse, mocking voice.
"Hello! Commander!"
"I am a dangerous bomb, and also a lawless outlaw who scorns public morals!"
"Ah! What a wonderful day you've had—going on a date with a beautiful girl, having dinner, and finally sharing a kiss and doing all sorts of things together..."
"Perfect, perfect! But it's missing a bit of fun! Allow me to provide that missing fun for you!"
"Commander! I like you!!!"
After cackling mockingly for a while, it began counting down while shaking its head.
"Explosion countdown: 10, 9, 8, 7..."
"?"
"Pfft—hahahahaha—"
At the edge of the starship, Sparkle clutched her stomach, nearly rolling on the ground from laughter.
"Commander, Commander, are you going to kiss a bomb?"
"Pfft—hahahahaha—"
She knew a mere bomb couldn't harm Setsuna.
But the sheer satisfaction of pulling off such a prank filled her with joy.
Since Setsuna was surrounded by many girls, the simplest method was to play to his preferences.
Sparkle figured he wouldn't maintain such high vigilance while on a date, and Firefly's pure and adorable nature made the perfect entry point.
And it seemed to have worked.
"Since ancient times, heroes can't resist beauties... heehee."
"That bomb can't be stopped, you know... 5, 4, 3, 2, 1... BOOM!"
Sparkle counted with her fingers, eagerly waiting to see Setsuna's reaction.
"BOOM!"
"BOOM!!"
"Huh?"
The expected explosion never came.
Click—
Setsuna lightly tapped the doll, reducing it to a molecular state.
Then he raised a hand.
Activating the authority of the Herrscher of the Void, the space aboard the Eternal Snowfall began to distort.
"Eh—eh—eh?!"
Just as Sparkle tried to escape, she found the surrounding space completely locked, as if invisible walls had formed around her.
Her vision blurred, and the next moment, she was already caught in Setsuna's hand.
"Was it fun?"
Setsuna pinched the little girl's chin.
"Pretty fun."
Sparkle smacked her lips.
"It would've been even more fun if you hadn't noticed."
"Where did I mess up?"
She asked humbly.
"Everywhere. I knew about this from the moment you started planning it."
Setsuna snorted.
"First, your transformation might fool Firefly, but it's nowhere near enough to fool me."
"Second, Firefly doesn't have that kind of money to casually book the most expensive restaurant on the Xianzhou."
"And did you forget what Sophons are used for?"
"Eh—"
Sparkle looked up, finally remembering that Setsuna always had a super AI monitoring the world for him.
Almost nothing could escape its gaze.
"Alright, I lose then. Bye! I'll do better next time!"
Sparkle struggled to escape, but found she couldn't break free from Setsuna's grip at all.
"Heh."
Setsuna tucked her under his arm and walked toward the bedroom of the Eternal Snowfall.
For mischievous brats who love pranks, heavy discipline is necessary.
"After playing along with you for so long, letting you go just like that wouldn't be right, would it?"
"I told you—if you win, you are Elation. But since you lost, obediently accept your punishment, Sparkle."
Smack—
Sparkle was tossed into the starship's bedroom, and she realized her prank might have gone a bit too far.
The space aboard the Eternal Snowfall was completely locked down. No matter how she tried to mobilize imaginary energy, she couldn't escape.
Even her earlier position swap with the bomb doll had been anticipated by Setsuna.
"Eh?—"
"Commander, your place is pretty spacious, huh?"
"So how are you going to punish me? Make me wash dishes and scrub decks on the ship?"
She sat on the bed in a duck-like posture, looking at Setsuna with a playful grin.
Using humor to bluff.
"Mm, I could cook for you too as compensation. How about I take care of your meals for the next month?"
"I promise I won't tamper with anything, really!"
"Heh."
Setsuna looked at Sparkle's cheerful expression and snorted.
"You're still pretty happy, huh?"
"Ah, I accidentally got caught, sorry, sorry. I'll go apologize to that Firefly girl when I get back."
Sparkle swayed her head as she spoke.
She felt that Setsuna was very human, unlike other Aeons who were unfathomable. That was precisely why she dared to tease him.
Of course, a failed prank was also a kind of Elation. Right now, she was extremely curious about what Setsuna planned to do to her.
After all, not everyone got the chance to be "punished" by an Aeon.
"By the way, the Aeon of Destruction likes killing people, Remembrance likes peeking into memories... what about you, Commander? You wouldn't throw me into another world like Aha, would you?"
The little girl asked curiously.
"No, wait, you're also Elation. Though you don't seem very joyful. Being too serious isn't good."
"Hmph."
"You want punishment that badly? Fine, I'll grant it."
Setsuna pressed a hand against Sparkle's forehead and lightly tapped.
Whoosh—
A surge of imaginary energy spread outward.
Sparkle felt her body go limp, as if something had been extracted from within her. Her connection to imaginary energy was severed.
Clatter—
Her Masked Fool mask fell to the ground.
"Eh?"
When she came back to her senses, she found she couldn't summon even a trace of imaginary energy anymore.
All the abilities tied to the Path of Elation—her countless roles, her ability to deceive with imaginary energy, her power to freely alter her appearance—were completely sealed.
Her body also felt weak.
She had become an ordinary person.
"This is?!..."
"I severed your connection to the Path of Elation, Sparkle. That's your punishment."
"You used the power of Elation to do something that displeased me. Isn't this only natural?"
Setsuna looked down at her.
As the one who wielded the Path of Elation, his authority was no different from that of an Aeon.
He could grant Path power to others, bestow Envoy-level strength, or cast his gaze upon ordinary people and let them walk a Path.
He could also take that power away, severing their connection entirely.
"Ah!"
Sparkle froze, unable to react for a long time.
She stretched out her hand, desperately trying to use even a sliver of imaginary energy, but no matter how hard she gritted her teeth, she couldn't summon even a trace of Path power.
She had been crippled.
An outcome she hadn't expected. No beating, no scolding, no strange punishments.
To her, this result was the least "joyful" of all.
Sparkle relied on the power of the Path and her identity as a Masked Fool to chase one amusement after another across the cosmos.
Being cast out of the Path of Elation, abandoned by Elation itself, was worse than death.
"Ah!!!"
"Commander! Commander!!!"
Sparkle crawled over and pitifully tugged at Setsuna's sleeve.
"Th-This isn't right!!"
"H-How can you do this? I'm the most joyful one! How can you abandon me like this?!"
"This is the punishment you asked for."
Setsuna gently pinched her cheek.
In his hand, a cluster of Imaginary energy formed—the very Path power extracted from Sparkle.
"Eh?!—"
"Change it! Change it! Please!!"
"I'm sorry!!!"
Sparkle lunged at Setsuna, trying to snatch the energy back. But now she was just an ordinary person—she couldn't even match the strength of one of his fingers.
"I can wash clothes, cook, clean, anything!"
"Oh, I'll apologize to that Firefly girl too! Really! She can beat me up if she wants! You can hit me too!"
She hopped and reached again and again, but the energy remained just out of reach.
Snap—
Setsuna crushed the imaginary energy in his hand, watching Sparkle panic with mild amusement.
"Regretting it now?"
"Wuu..."
Sparkle wanted to say she had only been trying to have a little fun teasing him, but he was an Aeon. He had countless ways to deal with her.
She could only puff her cheeks and nod.
"I was wrong... you're magnanimous, right? Let me off this time? We can change the punishment method?"
"I promise I won't ruin your good moments again..."
As she spoke, she even raised a hand to swear.
"You expect me to trust a Masked Fool? Hm? The most honest person in Penacony?"
Setsuna lifted her chin.
"It's true! I'm very sincere right now!"
Sparkle looked up at him.
"Mm..."
Setsuna thought for a moment, then sat on the nearby sofa.
"Fine. We can change it."
"Really really really?!"
Sparkle rushed over as if she had been saved.
"As long as you can make me feel Elation and satisfaction, I'll grant you your Path power again..."
Setsuna said leisurely.
"Eh?"
Sparkle froze.
"Commander, do you want me to perform something again? But I'm just an ordinary person now. I can't act..."
At first, she thought he meant entertaining him like the Masked Fools did for Aha—creating amusement.
But she quickly realized something was off.
There were only the two of them here. She couldn't exactly make a spectacle out of him, and she no longer had the power of the Path.
"Make you satisfied...?"
Gulp—
Sparkle swallowed.
She thought of something.
Aha had once said the new Aeon of Trailblaze liked beautiful girls, and Setsuna indeed had many around him.
She had interfered with his date with Firefly, stuffing a bomb into his arms at the last moment. Of course he wouldn't be pleased.
In that case, if she wanted to compensate and make this Aeon feel satisfied and joyful, there was probably only one option.
—There were many interpretations of Elation. Seeking fun was one, but in certain other universes, there was another kind entirely.
"So that's it...? I... I understand!"
"Commander, this was your intention from the beginning, wasn't it?!"
Sparkle leaned closer.
She realized she had become the source of his amusement instead.
"Your choice. Honestly, living as an ordinary person isn't so bad, is it?"
Setsuna smiled at her.
"Mm!"
Elation was Sparkle's pursuit, and also her future.
Having witnessed the brilliance of the cosmos and the boundless sea of stars, she would never be satisfied living a mundane life as an ordinary person.
So, Sparkle chose her future.
"So hot!"
Even through her silk glove, she couldn't block the heat.
Because she was completely unprepared, her movements were clumsy and hurried.
"Commander, is... is this right...?"
Sparkle tried to play the part of a little troublemaker.
Now that she was just an ordinary person, there was a qualitative gap between her physical ability and Setsuna's.
She trembled slightly, cautious and careful.
"A little, but not much."
Setsuna watched her calmly.
Putting everything else aside, she did look quite cute. That playful, teasing joy was part of what made Sparkle who she was.
When was the last time he dealt with a mischievous brat like this?
Setsuna thought about it. Probably Observer.
"Eh? Really?!"
Sparkle became even more serious, eager to regain her Path power.
"Don't rush."
Snap—
Setsuna snapped his fingers, and the spacetime around the Eternal Snowfall instantly distorted.
Everything outside slowed to a crawl.
"We're just getting started."