"Hello, we'd like to register... Robin?"
Stelle and the others arrived at the registration desk. As soon as they spoke, they were surprised to find that the registrar was the little bird they had just met not long ago. "You're moonlighting here too?"
Robin pressed down her ballpoint pen expressionlessly and said: "It's just to share my brother's worries. As long as Brother needs it, I can handle anything."
Stelle blinked, saying nothing more. Her intuition told her that Robin's mood didn't seem great right now.
She didn't know what had happened, but it was best not to provoke her for now.
"I heard that winning the championship in this competition lets you meet Sunday, so we came to register. There are five of us in total. Thank you for your help." Stelle scratched her head and said with a cheerful grin.
Robin clicked her pen. "There's a rule: teams of two. You five assign yourselves."
Stelle tilted her head in confusion. Teams of two?
Then she...
"I'll withdraw."
The moment the words "teams of two" were spoken, Dan Heng keenly sensed the unusual shift in the air and tactfully stepped out of the registration circle.
Seeing this, March 7th and Firefly nodded slightly: Mm, I like smart people.
"Speaking of teams of two, Stelle, we're already the most in-sync partners, right?" March 7th spoke first. "Don't forget, whether in Belobog or the Luofu, the two of us were always inseparable."
March 7th was well aware that, on this point, Firefly absolutely couldn't compare.
"That does sound pretty reasonable..." Stelle scratched her hair and muttered.
"You can't put it that way. Things like 'tacit understanding' are innate. Even two people who've never met might be more in sync than two who've known each other for years."
Firefly crossed her arms. "Let me give an example. March 7th, do you know what Stelle's sleeping habits are?"
At this question, March 7th froze. Though she basically slept with Stelle every night, when it came to such details, she really hadn't noticed.
"You know?" March 7th countered.
"Of course." Firefly smiled. "The biggest characteristic when Stelle sleeps is—she's not easily woken up!"
"As long as she's asleep, no matter what you do, you can't disturb her!"
As she said this, Firefly was extremely confident inside. Please—if Elio hadn't ordered her not to reveal her identity yet, she would've played her cards long ago!
Stelle was originally one of us Stellaron Hunters. When it comes to time spent together or the order of meeting, Firefly should be the winner!
She knew Stelle's habits inside and out!
However, Firefly herself probably hadn't realized that this one sentence was like a key, opening the door to a new world for March 7th!
She recalled the past dozens of days and nights. Stelle's excellent sleep quality... did seem to fit?
It really was like that. March 7th also knew she tended to move around in her sleep and often mistook Stelle for a body pillow, yet even with all that tossing, Stelle had never once been woken.
"So that's how it is... that's really great." March 7th murmured with her head down, the corners of her mouth involuntarily curling up.
Stelle: ?
Why did she have a bad feeling in her heart?
"...Hmph, Firefly, I admit you do have some skill to guess something like that." March 7th snorted coldly. "But in the end, who Stelle teams up with is up to her to choose."
Firefly returned a cold laugh: "Fine, then let Stelle choose for herself."
The two turned their heads toward Stelle in unison: "Stelle! Who will you choose to team up with?!"
Stelle: ...
Under their death stares, a bead of sweat slowly rolled down Stelle's forehead. Her body began to tremble uncontrollably. No way—why leave this life-or-death choice to her?
She didn't dare choose!
Couldn't she suddenly fall gravely ill and pass out? The kind that lasts a whole day.
Or couldn't Aha glance over here? Teleport her straight to the Pathstrider Canyon or something.
Or let the dream glitch a bit! The kind where she opens her eyes and returns to reality!
Gulp...
Stelle swallowed hard. Just as she was about to close her eyes and await death, a small hand suddenly reached from behind her, grasping her palm and interlocking fingers.
"You two, stop fighting. If you don't trust each other, I can take this spot instead."
Sparkle gently rested her chin on Stelle's shoulder and smiled faintly at the two women.
...
One minute earlier.
"[Elation Value -3, Elation Value -3, Elation Value -3...]"
Sparkle had finally quieted down for a bit, only for this broken system to start wailing again.
This is deadly!
Sparkle had completely figured out the underlying logic of the Elation system: just watching fun wasn't enough; she had to participate.
Only fun she was involved in would count toward her Elation value.
So, she made her move.
Sparkle steeled herself and stepped in: "Since you're at an impasse, why not let me help? Let me be little gray-hair's partner. How about it?"
"You?"
Facing the doubtful voices, Sparkle flicked her bangs. "That's right. To be honest, I have an ability neither of you possess—illusions."
"Watch."
Sparkle snapped her fingers and, right in front of them, transformed into Stelle's exact appearance.
"As long as I partner with little gray-hair in this form, you shouldn't have any objections, right?"
"..."
Looking at two completely identical Stelles, March 7th and Firefly were stunned. It... didn't seem impossible?
—"Heavens, I'm actually this good-looking?"
At that moment, Stelle's voice suddenly rang out. She stared at Sparkle in shock, unable to resist reaching out to pinch the latter's cheek. "As expected of me."
"I've decided. I'll team up with Sparkle. Objections overruled!"
Stelle clapped her hands and made the final decision on the spot.
She knew full well that if she chose to stay neutral between March 7th and Firefly, no matter which one she picked, the other would instantly go yandere. Then, on some future day, she'd suddenly be bagged, locked in a lightless basement, and subjected to bondage play.
Sparkle's appearance gave her a way out.
Since Stelle herself had spoken, March 7th and the others naturally said nothing more. However, Stelle seemed unaware that, in their lowered gazes, a shared yandere possessiveness flickered in unison.
On some day in the future, Stelle would likely regret this choice.
"Miss Robin, Sparkle and I are a team. Please register us."
Stelle dragged Sparkle to the registration desk, only to find Robin's face had completely darkened. She was muttering things like "I hate same-sex flirting the most."
Robin had a reason for her bad mood.
Flashback to the Reverie Hotel, after Stelle's assassination attempt.
After seeing the others off, Robin went alone deeper into the hotel. Born sensitive to melodies, she could more easily locate the "abnormal harmonies" within the hotel compared to others.
After twists and turns, she stopped before a principal-level suite. In her perception, the harmony affecting the entire Reverie Hotel's memetic qualities and even disrupting the dream's death-revival mechanism was inside.
Hoo...
Robin exhaled slowly and pushed open the door with force.
"Arigato Mambo Hachimi o~"
(it's a mix of hachimi song and the Chinese military dance, midu mountain song)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6asDdEFlccA
The door opened, and a beautiful baritone recited incomprehensible, complex lines.
"Mr. Gallagher, please stop singing."
Robin interrupted this "two-person concert" expressionlessly.
Yes, you heard right—this was a concert for only two people. One was a middle-aged singer with slicked-back hair and casual attire. His face had graced the front pages of countless posters and ads; he was known as a galactic superstar.
He was Gallagher.
The other was the impeccably dressed, handsome CEO of the Penacony Group, exuding extraordinary poise in every gesture—Sunday.
"Robin? What are you doing here? Is this a place for you?"
Sunday looked at Robin, his golden eyes full of displeasure. "Can't you see I'm in a business collaboration with Mr. Gallagher? Out, out!"
From Sunday's tone, his relationship with his own sister seemed far from good.
Robin snorted coldly. "Brother, I can't control your worsening taste in music, but the 'harmony' from your concert is affecting the dream."
"What are you trying to do? People outside have already noticed something off. If you keep going, not just you—Mr. Gallagher will be implicated too."
At that, Sunday shook his head slightly and waved Gallagher off: "You go first. I'll find you when I have time."
Gallagher glanced at Robin, said nothing, and left alone.
"...Hoo, Robin, what do you want? I'm your brother, not your dad! Can you stop coming to me the moment something happens?"
Sunday suddenly scolded: "Don't you already know what I'm trying to do? Why ask knowingly and interrupt my concert?"
Robin grew angry too: "Concert? Then buy tickets openly and watch at the venue! This is a hotel! You two men! Holding a concert! How can I feel at ease?!"
"You weren't like this before. Keep going and you'll ruin yourself!"
Sunday: "Robin! Don't go too far! Yes! I like Gallagher, so what? I've suffered so much—can't I have someone I like?"
Robin abruptly drew a revolver from her waist: "He babied woo woo bo! Listen to yourself—are those human words?!"
"Let me tell you, I'd rather be your nanny for life than watch you walk into the abyss!"
"Me, into the abyss? Heh heh heh... Robin, why do you think that is?"
Sunday let out a low laugh filled with sorrow: "Fine! Then let's talk about the cause of all this!"
"Back then, we siblings relied on each other—that's true, right?!"
Robin: "True!"
Sunday: "Ask yourself—have I ever failed to act as 'elder brother like father' to you? For you, I was forced to join the Group and slave away. Countless days (since entry-level employees have no nights), I was so exhausted I hallucinated, my body out of control..."
Sunday: "But how did you treat me?"
"From childhood to now, you blocked every way I could interact with the opposite sex!" Recalling past pains, Sunday's face twisted: "You spread rumors around me, saying I'm a creepy pervert. From then on, every woman looked at me strangely!"
"Do you know how long that made me insecure?"
Robin was momentarily speechless but quickly gathered her words: "Though my methods were a bit extreme, it wasn't exactly slander, was it?"
"You really did grin idiotically at pretty girls on your phone every day!"
"That was because you 'schemed' against me from the start!" Sunday roared: "You pulled strings to have factory leaders 'take care' of me, arranging me in an all-male factory. Before age thirteen, I hadn't even seen a girl!"
Robin countered: "Am I not a girl?!"
"Wasn't everything I did for your sake? You know how handsome you are—I don't need to say it. What if some sleazy girl snatched you? What would I do?!"
"What does that have to do with me?!" Sunday said: "We're siblings—blood siblings!"
"Can you stop watching those shady anime?!"
Robin fell silent for a few seconds, choosing her words carefully: "That... still isn't a reason for you to like men."
"What can I do about it? You ruined me so I feel nothing for women now, and you're blaming me?"
Robin: "..."
Sunday turned away angrily: "Now Gallagher's gone, you leave too. Rest assured, I still remember our shared ideal."
"I will create a world without suffering."
Robin was silent for a moment, then turned to leave.
"Wait, one more thing."
Sunday suddenly called her back: "My plan is about to succeed. One last piece is missing. Go to the Hot Sands Hour and help me."
...
Back to the present.
Though Robin didn't know Sunday's intent in having these people join the so-called "variety show competition," since he needed her to do it, she wouldn't refuse.
Even if seeing same-sex flirting made her uncomfortable.
"Alright, all registered."
Robin surveyed the crowd, confirming everyone expected was present, then announced loudly: "Everyone, since we're all here, I'll announce the competition rules set by Mr. Sunday."
"Of course, before starting, there's a disclaimer: participating in the variety show henceforth means default consent to sell related copyrights. You are all prominent figures in the galaxy—this needs to be stated."
"If anyone objects, you may leave now. Mr. Sunday's appointment will be rescheduled. If no objections, please listen to the following rules."
"The name of this variety show competition is "Birdie Kart". During the competition, contestants must form teams of two to drive flying cars and race for speed on the Hot Sands Hour's pinball track. All tactics are permitted during the race. The first team to reach the finish line is the champion."
"The rules are simple. I hope everyone can bring something extraordinary to this simple program."