Penacony.
Located in the Asdana system, it was originally a place where the IPC exiled criminals and forced them to mine Memoria.
Then, after it fell under the Family's control, it gradually became the "Planet of Festivities," renowned across the universe.
Here, there were hotels straight out of a fairy tale, and bustling shopping centers packed with every kind of interesting store imaginable...
Here, too, one could indulge in extravagance and pleasure, as though stepping into another world.
Anything you could imagine could be realized here.
Anything you wanted to do, you could do here.
It sounded fantastical, but that was simply the truth.
After all, this place was one vast dream.
Of course, some people mistook the dream for reality and lost themselves in it so completely that they could no longer pull away.
The suffering of real life drove them to keep escaping, until only the dream felt real anymore.
Countless scholars and media outlets across the universe had criticized that very phenomenon.
Some had even abandoned their spouses and sold off their property just for the chance to live here permanently.
Its virtues and its vices coexisted, yet people still flocked here endlessly from every corner of the cosmos.
A place that let people escape reality would never lack for demand.
It was just that recently, the people of Penacony had been able to tell quite clearly that more and more ships were arriving.
And these ships were all exceptionally expensive, each carrying a sky-high price tag in the Company's catalogs.
More importantly, the insignias emblazoned on their hulls made people instinctively want to keep their distance.
Because those were the emblems of the Family, Penacony's true rulers.
And judging by the people aboard them, none of their standing within the Family was low.
The Family's countless branches maintained the stability of the dreamscape, and if you angered the administrators, even a sweet dream could turn into a nightmare.
Not to mention that these people were clearly of distinguished status.
"Long time no see. Representative of the Calatari system, I believe this is the first time we've met since the last Family gathering."
"If I remember correctly, you're the representative of the Bauhinia Tal system. Indeed, it has been quite some time."
And so the Family representatives from the various systems exchanged greetings with practiced ease.
The Family spanned countless worlds, so in order to maintain its influence, its members across different star systems could not simply meet whenever they wished.
And the reason they had all come here this time was very simple.
"Gopher Wood managed Penacony for the Family for thousands of years, and now his physical body will soon come to its end. What a regrettable thing."
"Yes... I still remember meeting Mr. Gopher Wood in the past. He was like a warm wind, like sweet rain in spring, soothing people's very souls..."
That was right. The true reason these Family representatives had come to Penacony was to mourn the fading of Gopher Wood's flesh.
Although Penacony's public leader had now become Sunday, the influence Gopher Wood had left upon the Family was far beyond anything Sunday could compare to.
No one knew exactly how long he had served the Family, but one thing was certain: anyone who had ever met him gave him the highest praise.
[He scattered seeds of mercy to the wind, and the wind itself grew warm.]
[He sang the creed of Harmony to the rain, and law gathered with the sweet showers into flowing streams.]
[The jealous lightning burned away his body, yet from the ashes, his undying soul soothed the sorrow of the storm clouds.]
He was that kind of being—so compassionate, so utterly devoted to the Path of HARMONY.
And yet, unexpectedly, his flesh had begun to wither for reasons unknown.
This was without question one of the greatest sorrows the Family had ever faced.
So the Family's people had come here from all across the galaxy, all to commemorate Gopher Wood and all he had once been.
Only after chatting for a while did they realize one thing.
"Where is Sunday? Why hasn't he come to receive us?"
That was right. They had already been standing here talking for quite some time, so why hadn't Sunday appeared to greet them?
Wasn't that far too improper?
"I sent Sunday away from Penacony on my orders for the time being. If that has caused any neglect, please forgive it."
Just as the Family representatives were beginning to wonder, the crow that had been waiting quietly nearby suddenly spoke in a human voice.
"But please rest assured—Sunday should return to Penacony very soon, and when he does, he will certainly call on each of you in person to offer his thanks."
That familiar voice immediately made the gathered representatives straighten up.
Because wasn't that Gopher Wood's voice?
"Mr. Gopher Wood, you're too kind. We are all members of the Family. How could there be any question of neglect?"
"Exactly, exactly. We were only worried that Sunday might not yet be able to inherit your mantle, which is why we were concerned."
With a few words from each of them, the awkwardness in the atmosphere disappeared at once.
Gopher Wood said nothing more. The crow simply spread its wings and led several Family representatives toward the hotel that had been arranged for them.
And just then, an inexplicable ripple of power spread through the sky.
That power carried with it the faint sound of singing at people's ears—a song filled with hope and strength.
It was as if a figure stood before countless disasters, driving back every malice that approached.
The hope woven into that song sounded as though billions upon billions of living beings had opened their mouths as one.
It shook all of Penacony and drew everyone's eyes skyward.
There, a silver-white ship was slowly descending.
And as it entered Penacony, even the sky around it was stained with rainbow hues.
Seen from space, all of Penacony seemed to have turned into a seven-colored planet.
Faced with such a sudden event, the Family representatives, the crow beating its wings in midair, and even the bystanders nearby were all rooted to the spot.
Whoever had just arrived had really maxed out their entrance effects.
But that blaze of color had come quickly—and vanished just as quickly.
Before long, the countless rainbow lights dispersed completely, as if they had never appeared at all.
And yet what had just happened absolutely was not an illusion.
What was more, no one had even entered the dream yet, which meant this had happened in reality.
And that made it a serious matter.
What kind of being could arrive and put on a display like that?
This was the Family's turf. No matter who you were, you ought to show the Family some respect.
But the moment you showed up, you stole the thunder right out from under all these Family representatives.
And so the people gathered there all began whispering among themselves.
"Where did that ship come from?"
"Who exactly is this? How can they be that impressive?"
Everyone looked over the ship's exterior, only to find no insignia of any faction at all.
But there were still people sharp-eyed enough to recognize the model.
After all, this was the very ship the Company had specifically advertised as capable of reaching a tenth or so of the Astral Express's jump speed.
Its price tag placed it firmly in the top tier across the entire universe.
Which meant the person who could afford to ride in such a vessel was either fabulously rich, nobility, or both.
Seen that way, the extravagant spectacle on arrival almost made sense.
For rich people, pulling stunts like this seemed perfectly normal.
And once the ship landed, people grew even more curious about who exactly its owner was.
Even Gopher Wood's crow could not help turning its gaze that way.
Within the power that had just rippled out, he had sensed something exceedingly strange.
If he could have that thing... if he could obtain that power...
Wouldn't his plan then...?
But before that, Gopher Wood needed to know exactly who was inside.
Then, under everyone's watchful gaze, the ship's hatch opened—and out came a whole group of... women?
The crowd stared, only to realize that all those women looked remarkably alike.
That had to be gene technology. No ordinary person could produce an effect like this.
Using gene technology was considered unethical throughout the universe, but there were still people who used it in secret.
"To think this person would be so bold. Isn't this the sort of thing you're supposed to keep for private entertainment?"
"Judging from how they're moving, they also seem to be acting as bodyguards."
"Tsk, tsk. Rich people really do know how to have fun."
By the time those women appeared, the crowd had already decided that the owner of this ship was one of those wealthy types who also happened to be absurdly unrestrained.
Using clones was one thing. Using them as guards on top of that? Who knew what sort of things they got up to at night?
The people present only grew more eager to see who the ship's owner really was.
Who could possibly come up with something so creatively outrageous?
But unexpectedly, even after the guards had all come out, the people inside still showed no sign of emerging.
If one edged a little closer, it seemed there was some kind of argument going on inside the ship.
The voices said...
"What are you embarrassed about? This is your home, isn't it?"
"Y-You're one to talk! After what you did to me, how am I supposed to go out and face people like this?!"
A man and a woman were speaking inside the hatchway, and most importantly, the woman's voice sounded familiar to many of the people listening.
The ones inside, naturally, were Sora and Robin.
Only Robin still did not dare go out, and the reason was simple enough...
Even when she wasn't using any power, her wings were now constantly flashing with seven-colored light.
Robin couldn't control it no matter how hard she tried.
She had already come to terms with her wings changing color—but only on the assumption that she could control it.
Yet the moment she arrived in Penacony, she had suddenly formed the tiniest bit of resonance with this place.
And then?
And then she had ended up like this.
Rainbow light kept alternating across her wings, flashing over and over.
The brightness was considerable too. Even with the hatch already lit, her wings were still enough to dye the entire space in shifting colors.
How was Robin supposed to go out like that?
She couldn't.
"So what do we do?"
Sora sounded helpless.
They were already here. It wasn't as though Robin could just hide inside the ship forever.
This was a docking port.
Every day, every hour, every minute, ships were constantly arriving and departing.
Waiting until everyone else was gone before coming out simply wasn't possible.
Robin knew that too, but this mattered a great deal—especially when it came to her dignity.
There was no way she could just stroll out like this.
Sora thought for a moment, then suddenly had an idea.
"In that case... how about..."
Robin gave a visible shiver. Somehow, she had the distinct sense that Sora was thinking of something very bad.
Surely he wasn't planning to retaliate for being squeezed dry writing songs for her just now.
And while Robin sat there in unease, Sora took something out...
...
Outside, people were still speculating over who exactly owned the ship.
Who had made such a grand entrance—and pulled off so many ridiculous stunts besides?
Then, beneath everyone's gaze, two figures emerged from the ship.
"People of Penacony, how are you all doing?"
One of them wore a giant clock head, his face hidden completely behind it.
"G-Good afternoon, everyone!"
The other wore an Origami Bird mascot head.
And at the sides of that bird head, there were even two little wings giving off flashing rainbow light.
"I'm Clockie Mask, and she's Origami Bird Mask!"
"Welcome, everyone, to Penacony!"
That was right—this was the best solution Sora had come up with.
Turn the tables.
As long as I'm not the embarrassed one, then the embarrassed one will be someone else.
And besides, Clockie and the Origami Birds were the biggest stars on this planet.
So with the two of them appearing like this, no one would suspect their real identities.
This was the flash of inspiration Sora had come up with on the spur of the moment.
And that move successfully plunged everyone around the ship into silence.
That full-field silence only made Robin's feelings more complicated.
They weren't going to recognize her identity, were they?
But after that brief hush, the entire place suddenly erupted into noise. People were cheering for Sora and calling out in praise of Robin.
"The resemblance is incredible!"
"Especially those blinking wings on the Origami Bird—what a creative touch!"
The cheers washed away Robin's embarrassment. It seemed this whole thing had actually been bluffed through.
Even the Family representatives from the other star systems took what had just happened as some kind of performance.
It had to have been prepared in advance. Otherwise, how could the arrival of a single ship make the skies over an entire planet change color?
"Mr. Gopher Wood's welcome ceremony truly is extraordinary."
"I never expected Mr. Gopher Wood to have such a side to him. This has really opened my eyes."
They all took the situation as a special welcome ceremony Gopher Wood had arranged just for them.
The crow that was Gopher Wood gave a slight nod, but its gaze never left Robin.
That power...
And once Robin realized the whole thing had successfully been passed off, she finally relaxed.
Thank goodness Sora's idea worked. Otherwise she would have died of embarrassment.
Taking advantage of the moment, she hurriedly grabbed Sora's hand and tried to make for The Reverie.
As for the Iron Cavalry girls guarding them nearby, every last one of them was visibly struggling not to laugh.
None of them could imagine what must have been going through Robin's head when she'd agreed to do something like that.
It had to have been spectacular.
Robin only wanted to leave as fast as possible, but events did not develop the way she wished.
When she and Sora passed by the Family representatives from the other systems, everything was still normal.
Some of them were even smiling at the pair.
Then, just then, the long-silent Gopher Wood suddenly spoke.
"Robin?"
The crow's tone carried uncertainty, yet he could still sense a familiar aura from her.
This seemed to be one of the twins he had once taken in.
Robin's body stiffened at the sound of that name, and her wings began flashing even more violently in response to her feelings.
How was that possible? When had she slipped up?
Robin had no idea how to face the being who had once taken her in. Though stern, he could still be counted as a second parent to her.
And because of that, she still feared him a little.
She had thought this disguise would be enough to fool everyone.
But she had never imagined Gopher Wood would recognize her here.
What am I supposed to do?
Robin's thoughts went blank for a moment.
Then suddenly, the hand she had been holding was the one that grasped hers in return.
"Oh-ho-ho, Miss Robin's songs really do go perfectly with me, Clockie Mask."
"I, Clockie Mask, am very much looking forward to one day performing on the same stage as the galactic superstar Robin~~"
Chattering out that playful nonsense, Sora quickly dragged Robin away from this scene of trouble.
But though he left, Gopher Wood's gaze remained fixed on their retreating backs.
There could be no mistake.
The one wielding that power was Robin...
"How interesting."
...
This time, Sunday truly felt powerless.
He had assumed that with the Family's top-of-the-line ship, catching up to Sora would hardly be difficult.
Who would have thought the other ship's speed would reach a level he could only look up at in despair?
Several times he had nearly caught sight of the other ship's tail.
And yet every time, once that silver-white vessel swept past a star, it seemed to recover all its energy again.
In the blink of an eye, it would be gone without a trace.
He had even found himself wondering, "Do you people really have enough power to keep running at full speed like that?"
The answer, as it turned out, was yes.
Not only did they have enough power, they could even widen the gap by a ridiculous amount.
So by the time Sunday returned to Penacony, nearly all the Family representatives from the other systems had already arrived.
There was nothing for it. He could only hurry to freshen himself up, put on a smile, and go deal with them.
He apologized to them all for his absence and for any shortcomings in their reception.
And in a setting like that, Sunday displayed all the bearing of a leader perfectly capable of succeeding Gopher Wood.
It was also from their mouths that he learned what had happened earlier.
A planet wrapped in seven-colored light, Clockie Mask, Origami Bird Mask...
He had not received a single report of any of this.
He could not help suspecting that perhaps the Dreammaster had arranged it.
"This was not something I set up."
Yet that was the answer he received from the Dreammaster.
"On the contrary, I believe I saw an old acquaintance among those two..."
Resting in a reclining chair, Gopher Wood replayed the footage from earlier.
From the moment the planet was cloaked in light to the instant Sora and Robin vanished from sight, everything was displayed before Sunday in full.
"That one is your sister, is she not?"
Gopher Wood wore a smiling expression, yet Sunday could clearly feel his gaze resting on him.
"Yes. She is."
Sunday stood to one side, looking out the window at the world beyond.
"After traveling the universe, your sister seems to have picked up something rather remarkable..."
Gopher Wood's finger traced across the wings flashing with rainbow light.
The moment Sunday heard that, veins practically stood out on his forehead.
"My sister was absolutely led astray by that man!"
My sister is so kind, so pure—there is no way she would ever put something like that on her wings herself!
It was definitely that rotten man, sweet-talking innocent Robin into this, which was why she had ended up like this.
Especially the words Sora had spoken to Gopher Wood before leaving—in Sunday's ears, they automatically transformed into something else entirely.
"Old man, I've got my tricked-out ride parked downstairs. Hurry up and get a room ready for the two of us."
Yes. To Sunday, that was what Sora's words had really meant.
A ship that glowed in seven colors looked exactly like the kind of thing those flashy boy-racer punks across the cosmos would drive.
Robin was so pure. She had definitely been fooled by that man's slick words!
"Dreammaster, now that that guy is here in Penacony, we absolutely have to throw him in prison and interrogate him properly!"
Sunday ground the words out through clenched teeth, already imagining several different methods of revenge.
But unlike the highly agitated Sunday, Gopher Wood was in no hurry at all.
"No need to rush, no need to rush..."
His fingers tapped out a certain rhythm against the tabletop, and the smile on his face never changed.
Only the faint glint in his eyes suggested he was calculating something.
Neither of the twins could be allowed to come to harm.
Otherwise, both brother and sister would become estranged from him.
But his plan required the help of the two of them in order to succeed.
How, then, could he...?
Suddenly, a sharp light flashed through Gopher Wood's half-lidded eyes.
If not for that person today, he might have overlooked this entirely.
In that case...
There really might be room to maneuver here.
...
Robin made her way to The Reverie with practiced ease and handled everyone's check-in.
When the front desk saw the information Robin provided, they could not help showing their astonishment.
No matter how they looked at it, they would never have guessed that this person wearing an Origami Bird head and giving off the air of a comedy performer would actually be connected to Robin.
Still, with her credentials in hand, arranging accommodations for several hundred people did indeed become much simpler.
And once she had finished checking everyone in, Robin dove straight into her room.
"If I don't get this state under control, I'm not coming out!"
Robin could have returned directly to stay with the Family in Penacony, of course—but how could she possibly dare go back looking like this?
So she chose instead to shut herself in the hotel and master this state first.
Sora had no solution for that either. All he could do was remind her, "In a few days it'll be time to say goodbye. If it really comes down to it, the two of us can just keep wearing the mascot heads."
If one person was embarrassed, it was better for everyone to be embarrassed together. Once enough people were embarrassed, then it didn't really count as embarrassment anymore.
If Robin was going, then Sora was all in too.
"Don't worry. I'll definitely get it under control!"
With that declaration of certain victory, Robin locked herself inside the room completely.
Though in truth, whether she locked the room or not didn't really matter.
After all, the truly interesting part of Penacony was not in reality...
It was in the dream.
So Sora took the chance to enjoy Penacony's true specialty service.
"Lincoln's dead, y'know!"
As he called out that strange phrase, his eyes slowly dimmed.
In the next moment, it felt as though he were sinking into a boundless deep sea.
The sensation was very similar to Tartaro. Since both were made of Memoria, there naturally wasn't much difference.
If one really had to name the difference, it was probably that Tartaro didn't have a Stellaron.
Having already been through Tartaro, Sora was more than used to it. He relaxed his mind and let the Memoria keep drawing his consciousness downward.
And in his ears, he could hear sounds like bubbles rising.
But mixed in with those bubbling sounds was a faint whisper...
"We... all... several thous..."
The whisper was like a call from a deep valley, or like an old tape with parts of the sound worn away.
In any case, Sora had no idea what the words were supposed to mean.
Other than that, though, he did not encounter anything else.
He didn't run into some hotel janitor the way the Stellaron girl had.
Nor did he somehow wander into a twisted side-dream.
It seemed the adventures of this place had very little to do with him.
And just as Sora was thinking that, he opened his eyes...
What greeted him was a bustling, traffic-filled city. Vehicles sped across the roads, and the brilliant sky proclaimed the unreality of this place...
This was Penacony's dreamscape, the most prosperous place within the dream itself—
The Golden Hour.
This was a place where one could lose oneself in pleasure and forget every trouble in the world.
Sora looked around with unrestrained curiosity. Entering in person felt completely different from experiencing it through a screen.
But after taking in his surroundings, he realized he couldn't see the Iron Cavalry girls anywhere nearby.
"Looks like everyone got separated."
And if that was the case, then...
He could do whatever he wanted.
"Keh~ heh~ heh~. Let me take a good look at what this place has to offer."
With limitless curiosity, Sora began exploring the dream.
And first and foremost, he was curious about the trash cans.
He really wanted to know what on earth was inside them.
But the moment he lifted the lid on one, a pitch-black something lunged straight at his nose.
No way—there really was something in there?!
Sora reacted quickly, stepping back two paces to avoid the attack.
That gave him a clear look at what had just tried to attack him.
"I am Lordly Trash Can Number Twenty-Four!"
The trash can proudly displayed the number 24 engraved on its body.
And the thing that had attacked Sora just now was actually... a pair of wings.
"I was once a trash can that safeguarded the cleanliness of the skies, but the lid suppressed me upon the earth..."
The trash can stuffed several things into Sora's hands.
"Thank you for helping me break the seal. Now I can continue soaring through the skies."
Having said that, it beat the wings on its back twice and flew into the heavens.
Leaving Sora standing there alone, staring after it in complete dumbfounded silence.
What even was that? What kind of nonsense was this?
And the things it had given him were gleaming notes, each printed with Clockie's face.
The name of the item immediately surfaced in Sora's mind.
Clock Credits.
And judging by the denomination, these seemed to be the largest kind.
"Trash cans are this generous here?"
Sora scratched his head. Well, if it was willing to give them, then he'd take them.
Free profit was still profit.
After that little experience, Sora finally understood just how absurd the dreamscape could get.
And honestly, it was kind of fun.
Now that he had money, naturally he ought to go spend some.
Food, clothing, lodging, transportation, and the direction of consumption.
Clothes could be customized, The Reverie already covered lodging, transportation could be solved by hitching a ride...
After thinking it over, that only seemed to leave food.
At the same time, Sora also wanted to know what the difference was between eating in a dream and eating in spirit form.
So after asking a few signboards by the roadside, Sora successfully found out where the food street was.
According to what he'd heard, it was packed with delicacies of every kind, with cuisines from races all across the universe.
Of course, that place also came with all sorts of legends.
According to one story, a Xianzhou man with a red headband surnamed Liu had once come there to study cuisine.
He was supposedly a chef from some Xianzhou establishment called Yangquan Restaurant, and he had come here to learn for the sake of its recipes.
Naturally, many people were unwilling. Those recipes were their treasured secrets.
Left with no other choice, he could only reason with them the way chefs did.
And so he defeated many of the great culinary masters of the cosmos, until eventually everyone on that food street trembled three parts out of ten whenever they heard his name.
The moment Sora heard that legend, the corner of his mouth twitched.
Why did that sound so oddly familiar?
Still, it also made him look forward to the food street even more.
What kind of food was it, exactly, that could make that chef resort to solving things chef-style just to obtain it?
Filled with anticipation, Sora headed straight for the food street.
And then...
Then, at the far end of the road, standing in front of a shop selling something like takoyaki, he saw a purple-haired woman holding a blade as tall as she was.
Sora fell silent.
Why are you here?
Hasn't the Charmony Festival not even started yet? How did you get here already?
"Miss, you've been standing here staring forever. Are you buying or not?"
The purple-haired woman came back to herself at those words. She looked at the takoyaki-like food in front of her, thought for a moment, and then—
"How about I trade you this peach for it?"
---
T/N: the story is Chuuka Ichiban! cooking master boy yes