Sword Art Online.
"She actually knows the content of the invitation…" Kirito rubbed his chin and lowered his head in thought. "Those who can receive the invitation are all representatives of various forces in the galaxy. Could it be… her true identity is related to the existing forces?"
Asuna gently blew away the steam from her cup: "Could she be from the IPC? Maybe Firefly is actually an undercover agent secretly sent by the IPC to be by Stelle's side?" Asuna's eyes lit up as she raised her chin confidently. "This is a… honey trap!"
Kirito couldn't help but chuckle and lightly tapped Asuna on the head with a hand chop, making the girl let out a cute "Kyaa!"
"How is that possible? Assuming what Firefly said is true, then she is a critically ill patient in reality. How could the IPC bring a patient to Penacony as a stowaway?"
But besides the IPC, there were only the Masked Fools, the Astral Express, the Garden of Recollection, the Galaxy Rangers, and the Annihilation Gang… From Firefly's attitude and reaction toward the above forces, she didn't belong to any of them, except perhaps the Annihilation Gang…
"Is Firefly related to [Destruction]…" As soon as this guess popped into his mind, Kirito immediately dismissed it.
Not to mention that Duke Inferno had not yet appeared, there was no such figure as Firefly among his offspring.
Asuna put down her cup, the ceramic base clinking crisply against the wooden tea table: "Kirito-kun, there's another possibility… the Stellaron Hunters. Do you remember when Stelle first entered the dream, she encountered Silver Wolf and SAM?"
"SAM…"
Kirito's movements paused. The fireplace light danced on the side of his face, his expression in the shadows unclear: "Impossible. From the voice, SAM is clearly a tall adult male. Firefly is a sick young girl… No matter how you look at it, she doesn't seem like someone who could single-handedly destroy the Jepella Brotherhood."
——
["The atmosphere suddenly became so heavy. Sorry, it shouldn't be like this… Let me think, how to liven up the atmosphere?" The girl suddenly thought of something and looked up at Stelle. "Right—You have many friends on the train. What do you usually do in this kind of situation?"]
["Pom-Pom would use a spray bottle to calm us down…"]
[The girl was somewhat surprised: "A spray bottle? That's too… direct. Perhaps we have other choices?"]
[After denying the methods of the other train members one by one, the two finally chose March 7th's selfie method to liven up the atmosphere.]
["Selfie, selfie… You're right. I've been here so many times, how did I not think of taking a photo? But taking one alone… always feels a bit awkward. Want to do it together? Consider it a memento."]
["Sure."]
[When Firefly handed over the phone, her fingertips still carried the coolness of morning dew. She slightly tilted her head, her voice as light as a feather landing on water. "Um… I'm a little afraid of the camera, so don't laugh at me, okay…"]
[Stelle took the phone, opened the camera app, and switched to the front camera. All in one smooth motion. Then she extended her arm, holding the phone farther away to ensure the frame could fit both of them.]
["Wait a moment, let me prepare…"]
["Three, two…"]
[The countdown voice gradually softened, the final tail note melting into the morning breeze. The girl quietly moved half a step closer to Stelle, slightly leaning in. Her skirt hem swayed gently in the wind with her movement, casting intersecting shadows on the empty rooftop.]
["One."]
[When the shutter sound rang, the girls' fingers made playful V signs. The morning light perfectly plated a layer of soft glow on their faces, turning this best moment into eternity.]
——
KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World!
"Ah, my eyes exist for this…" Kazuma sat sprawled contentedly on the bench. "As expected, looking at beautiful girls makes one feel bright and cheerful…"
"Hey! What do you mean by that?" Aqua turned her head in dissatisfaction and grabbed Kazuma's collar, shaking him wildly. "This goddess is also a beautiful girl! And a genuine deity! Doesn't seeing me make your mood bright?"
"…You already know the answer." Kazuma's dead-fish eyes slowly turned to her: "Can you show a healing-type smile like Miss Firefly?"
"Nonsense! O-Of course I can!"
Aqua suddenly clasped her hands over her chest. Her water-blue long hair fluttered without wind. She slowly raised her chin, her eyes suddenly bursting with star-like sparkles.
"Watch this! This is Goddess Aqua-sama's most perfect—"
"—So gross, so fake, so pretentious." Kazuma interrupted expressionlessly. "It's basically mental pollution."
"Hmph, you're actually being picky. A real beautiful girl is right in front of you but you don't know how to appreciate her. Instead you like women in the sky. Tsk tsk, as expected of an otaku…"
"No, I just understood the kind of happiness you all feel when obsessing over Dan Heng and Argenti."
Kazuma let out a long sigh and collapsed on the chair like a deflated ball. "Sigh… I also want Miss Firefly to go on adventures with me."
——
[Stelle's phone suddenly rang. The train group was exchanging and analyzing their own experiences in the chat.]
[March 7th said she encountered a man with a plaster head at the auction but he left without doing anything, which felt very suspicious. Welt also had some unpleasant experiences and said he wanted to talk to everyone in person.]
[Everyone agreed to first gather in Himeko's room in reality.]
[Stelle and Firefly both prepared to return to the hotel in reality, but when they reached the street, Stelle discovered there was surprisingly no one on the road.]
[(…Strange, where did everyone go?)]
[Stelle arrived at a square and saw Sampo standing with arms crossed, seemingly having waited for them for a long time.]
["We meet again, darling…" Seeing Stelle and Firefly walking side by side, Sampo sighed with a disappointed look: "Sigh, looks like you didn't take my advice to heart at all… What a shame. That girl has you this enchanted?"]
——
Chainsaw Man.
"Obviously! Of course I'm enchanted! If I'm not enchanted by Miss Firefly, should I be enchanted by you!?"
Denji snorted with disdain: "People who only hide in the back stirring up trouble are the most annoying… No wonder the Masked Fools are disliked."
"This lord also hates this kind of gloomy guy. Originally, for the sake of that interesting dream, this lord could have given him eighty points." Power pouted. "But since the dream is over and this lord has enjoyed it, I can only give him zero points."
"So…"
Power and Denji almost roared at the same time: "Stelle!… Hurry up and use your bat to smash his head! This kind of human trash should stay permanently in the trash can!"