"No need to apologize. I never doubted you."
Stelle gently shook her head and spoke to Firefly, who had apologized to her.
The people on the Astral Express were all quite willing to trust others, and among them, Nero was one of the three with the least sense of caution.
"...Thank you."
Firefly looked at Stelle with a complicated expression and couldn't help worrying about her.
But hearing that still made her feel much better.
"I... did hide some things from you... For example, I'm really not a local, and the Bloodhound Family isn't chasing me without reason... There were also other reasons for traveling with you..."
The girl gently pressed a hand against her chest. Under the swaying glow of the city's neon lights, she softly spoke, as if she had made up her mind to be honest with the person before her about some things.
But when the words reached her lips, she swallowed them back.
"...But I truly am grateful that you helped me.
"And it's also true that I admire the Nameless. You've been to so many worlds, seen all kinds of people and things. Every day is a brand new beginning..."
"You can board the Express too." Stelle blinked and said sincerely, "The Astral Express doesn't reject anyone. That's how Nero and I got on in the first place."
"..."
Firefly was silent for a few seconds before smiling.
"I'd like to take you somewhere else. Is that okay? This time it isn't a tourist attraction. Quite the opposite... You could probably call it my secret hideout.
"There, I'll tell you everything I know... as much as I possibly can."
"Okay." Stelle nodded. "I trust you."
"Thank you..." Firefly's brows relaxed a little.
Just like when they had first met, Firefly once again led Stelle through the dazzling night market.
Halfway there, however, Stelle stopped.
Something small on the street had caught her attention.
It seemed to be calling for help.
As she walked a little closer, Stelle saw a figure that instinctively made people worry about copyright licensing.
Black overalls.
A white shirt.
White gloves.
And a round head.
It looked like one of Penacony's classic cartoon characters.
Clockie!
He seemed flustered.
"Tick-tock! Help! Help! Someone's going to die! Somebody help!"
Drawn over, Stelle had no choice but to stop in front of Clockie.
Looking at him, she asked, "What... exactly are you?"
Clockie became annoyed by Stelle's question.
"Hey! I'm a clock, not a thing!"
"Oh, so you're not a thing.", Stelle muttered thoughtfully, but then paused.
That didn't sound very nice.
The annoyed Clockie also seemed to realize it a moment later. He stared blankly at Stelle.
"Hey! Wait... You... can actually see me?"
Stelle looked at Clockie.
The little guy wasn't very big, but he wasn't so small that people would have trouble noticing him.
She could always see Pom-Pom on the Express, so she didn't think it was strange to be able to see Clockie.
Meanwhile, Firefly noticed Stelle had stopped. She looked at her with concern and softly asked, "...What's wrong?"
"Nothing. It's not important," Stelle said.
Stelle had met quite a few people who were afraid of ghosts.
Like Guinaifen.
Like Huohuo.
Like Sushang.
The first two had also come to Penacony. Little Guizi had eagerly wanted to livestream, but could you even livestream inside a dream?
In any case, Stelle wasn't sure whether Firefly was afraid of this sort of thing.
The situation was a little strange, so she decided not to tell her yet, in case she frightened her.
Clockie was still asking Stelle whether she could really see him.
And after confirming that she really could, he became delighted.
"Tick-tock! Wonderful! Wonderful! Misha can be saved!"
A familiar name came out of Clockie's mouth, immediately catching Stelle's attention.
Clockie continued introducing himself, listing Penacony's classic cartoon characters one after another.
The Hanu Brothers.
Mr. Soda.
That Bird.
Hamster Ball Knight...
It was as though these cartoon characters truly lived in this dream-woven world.
And so far, Stelle had already met three of them.
Or four, if SoulGlad counted as Mr. Soda.
"Clockie, take me to save them," Stelle said.
"...Clockie?"
Firefly looked at Stelle in shock.
"You're seeing a cartoon character that doesn't exist in reality?"
Stelle nodded.
"So you really can't see him?"
Firefly blinked and followed Stelle's gaze, but all she saw was an empty space.
"Uh... Where? I can't see anything..."
"Tick-tock! I guess only honest, innocent children with a childlike heart can see me, like this gray-haired friend."
Clockie tried explaining himself to Firefly, who couldn't see him.
Stelle, meanwhile, raised an eyebrow.
The words Clockie had just used immediately and accurately brought a certain figure to mind.
Honest.
Innocent.
Childlike.
Was there anyone more suited to those words than Nero?
"This Clockie is basically describing Nero!"
Siberian Duck said to the viewers in the livestream.
Then, as if only just realizing it himself, he added, "Oh no, guys. I'm cooked. Just hearing a few adjectives immediately made me think of Nero."
[Dan-heart Eternal: No, no. Relax. Believe in yourself. You're still nowhere near as down bad as Yellow Pee Bro. Besides, those adjectives really do fit Nero.]
[Aha's Emanator: Honest. Nero has always attacked the moment he decides to, and he always opens with something straightforward like a jumping slash.]
[Belobog Savage: Innocent. Nero is obviously a pure and sincere kid. He never plays mind games with anyone. He always says exactly what's on his mind, to the point that some people get mentally shattered after being "scolded" by him.]
[Sampo Doesn't Sleep at Night: Childlike. Could someone without a childlike heart come up with something like the Fragmentum Factory of Ah-le-ge-Ha? Without the imagination of a child, who would think of putting Fragmentum creatures to good use?]
[Pom-Pom: You guys summed it up perfectly. Honest, innocent, and childlike. That's right, those are Nero's three great virtues!]
[I Use Pantene: Sure, those three virtues make Fragmentum monsters want to kill themselves.]
[Put Nero's Feet in My Mouth: What have you all been summarizing? Let me do it.]
[Put Nero's Feet in My Mouth: Honest. Nero never hides what he's thinking. If he wants to ride on top of me, he'll just climb right on top of me!]
[Put Nero's Feet in My Mouth: Innocent. Nero has no idea what I'm trying to do, but he'll always kindly agree to my requests. If I tell him to take off his socks, lie on the bed, and say I'll treat him to ice cream, he'll take off his socks and lie on the bed waiting to eat ice cream!]
[Put Nero's Feet in My Mouth: Nero likes playing games, and he's always willing to try them with me. Hehe... We always get to play lots of new games together.]
[So Handsome I Get Beaten Up on the Street: Unless I'm mistaken, based on what I know about Yellow Pee Bro, he's definitely implying something with those words.]
[I'm Really Not the Mole: No need to guess. He's definitely implying something. He's been way too unrestrained today. Even losing fifty-fifty after fifty-fifty on his pulls can't teach him a lesson.]
[Glue Man: I've said this before, but I'm saying it again now. @Put Nero's Feet in My Mouth You're unstoppable, kid.]
This was just a small incident that happened in Siberian Duck's livestream.
It was said that two hours after Siberian Duck ended the stream, Yellow Pee Bro updated his account with a new post.
In the short video he uploaded, the toilet in his home seemed to have exploded.
Brown stuff was spraying out like a fountain, like a bottle of cola stuffed full of Mentos.
But that had nothing to do with Nero, Stelle, or the others.
At this moment, after hearing Clockie's words, Stelle complained to Firefly, "He says you're not honest, innocent, or childlike..."
"...How am I not honest, innocent, and childlike...!"
Firefly was clearly unhappy.
Putting aside the last two...
Wasn't she honest enough?
Thinking back to the Jepella Rebellion, she had even reminded Kafka not to toy with her prey.