"Bird?"
Shikamaru closed his eyes and recalled. In Sunday's room at that time, there was indeed a crow with an entirely deep black body, engraved with strange symbols. It had coldly observed everything happening in the room from beginning to end without making any sound.
"Could that crow be related to the Dreammaster?" Naruto guessed.
"Not sure, but if it is related to the Dreammaster… that means the Dreammaster doesn't fully trust Sunday either. He even secretly sent a crow to monitor Aventurine's interrogation."
It seemed the Family was not as monolithic as Shikamaru had imagined. At first, he thought the Company's executives would be a mess, constraining each other for benefits. But in the end, they were the most united ones. On the contrary, the Family… seemed to have a crack spreading silently in a corner he couldn't see.
——
[ Stelle beat up the guard on the spot again. However, unexpectedly, he refused to yield this time and stubbornly refused to let them through. ]
[ Stelle had no choice but to adjust his emotions to sorrow and melancholy. Unexpectedly, this guy actually started sobbing in front of them. ]
[ "Y-You… must you really do this?" ]
[ "Sorry, a human life is at stake, and for the Family's reputation, we need to understand the details of the case." The guy cried so hard that even Himeko felt a bit embarrassed. ]
[ The guy painfully wiped the tears on his face. "No, I mean—must you really make me kneel down and beg you?" ]
[ Stelle: "If you don't mind…" ]
[ The guy cried with pear blossoms in the rain, becoming more and more heartbroken: "I didn't expect… you would really push your luck. In that case… I have no choice but to do as you wish and lower my noble head to plead with you…" ]
[ March 7th hurriedly waved her hands in panic: "No no no, no need… Just stand here, okay? Be good…" ]
[ Seeing him cry so sadly, Stelle had no choice but to adjust his emotions to joy again. This time, without even wiping the tear stains on his face, the guy excitedly looked at his wristwatch: "Let me see, what time is it now… What? It's already time?" ]
[ He was as happy as a child. Without even giving Stelle and the others a chance to speak, he left the scene laughing loudly by himself. ]
[ "..." ]
[ March 7th and Himeko watched his bouncing back as he left and fell into silence once again. ]
[ Fortunately, no one was disturbing them anymore. They finally got to meet Gallagher. After explaining their purpose, Gallagher let out a deep sigh: "The Nameless have also gotten involved with the Family… What a twist of fate." ]
[ "The Family… what's wrong with them?" March 7th felt there was something more to his words. ]
[ "Nothing, don't mind it. In Penacony, everyone loves the Family." Gallagher said, "No matter how much one resists the [Sweet Dream], when the time comes, they will still become reluctant to leave. Who would want to leave a warm nest? Only fools, children… and drunkards whose heads aren't clear." ]
——
Bleach.
"This guy is definitely hiding something." Hitsugaya Toshiro said coldly. "Saying something like that—is he afraid the Nameless won't notice the strangeness in his words?"
Hirako Shinji lazily sprawled in his swivel chair, his golden bangs covering half his eye: "Well~ Rather than hiding, he seems more like he's…" Shinji rested his index finger on his chin with an amused smile, "fishing."
"What do you mean?"
"Look—" Hirako Shinji crossed his legs. "Since this guy has heard of Miss Himeko's name, he should know very well that they won't let go of any clues about the Family. By saying this, even outsiders like us can hear the implication. Isn't this equivalent to actively throwing out bait, waiting for the Nameless to bite and dig deeper on their own?"
"Hey… aren't you overthinking this?" Hitsugaya looked up at Gallagher. "This uncle looks quite reliable, but with his stubbly beard and listless spirit, he's quite different from the Family's elites. He doesn't seem like the scheming type."
Hirako Shinji shrugged: "If he didn't have that intention, just treat it as me talking nonsense, okay? Anyway, I tend to think he's found some information about 'death,' which has led to his attitude toward the Family… being rather subtle."
——
[ Himeko also sensed the implication in his words, but he immediately denied it. ]
[ Gallagher looked around and lowered his voice: "You want to talk about the case? Sure, follow me. This place isn't suitable for talking. Let's move somewhere else." ]
[ … ]
[ At the same time, on the other side. ]
[ Welt and Acheron walked side by side on the streets of Golden Hour, looking at this extravagant city that belonged solely to dreams. Welt couldn't help but sigh: "Even after such a shocking tragedy, this beautiful dream continues to operate in an orderly manner." ]
[ "Aside from the Family of Harmony, it's hard to imagine any other force in the universe that could maintain such a massive structure." ]
[ Acheron said indifferently: "The Family itself is also a huge, perfect building, like… a living statue of a god." Her gaze turned toward the distant Pipisian. "Every Family member sees themselves as a piece of the divine body, revolving around the sole core and shared ideal. Under His command, they faithfully perform their duties, dedicate themselves, and in turn receive sustenance from it." ]
[ Welt nodded in appreciation: "An interesting metaphor. Perhaps this is the fundamental reason why Penacony's sweet dream can endure." ]
[ "But the human body eventually has its time, and so does the body." ]
[ Welt said coldly: "This doesn't sound like a comment a [Galaxy Ranger] would make." ]
[ Acheron said unhurriedly: "Just stating facts. Mr. Welt must understand the taste of it better than I do." ]
——
Dragon Raja.
"This Family looks like some kind of extreme religious organization."
In the headquarters of the Snake Clan, Gen Uesugi stood alone under the eaves of the Japanese-style room. The night wind carried the clear sound of bamboo striking stone in the courtyard. He looked up at the magnificent city in the Celestial Screen—Golden Hour's lights were too dazzling, even more exaggerated than Tokyo at night. It was as if someone had melted all the stars in the galaxy and cast them into those ostentatious spires and arcades.
"Young Master, to be precise, all forces that follow Aeons are like this. If it weren't for the Company's top executives being unable to integrate into Qlipoth's divine body, they would probably have done the same long ago." Crow said. "From this perspective, Sunday intends to forcibly make Aventurine defect to [Harmony]'s side. The kind where if he doesn't defect, he dies."
"Yeah, their devotion is truly enviable."
Gen Uesugi's fingers unconsciously stroked the hilt of Spider Cutter. In fact, the structure of the Snake Clan was similar to Penacony's Family, both composed of different families. But the biggest difference was that what connected everyone in the Snake Clan were vague and precarious things like honor, courage, and dignity, while what connected the Family was the "Aeon."