On a street corner in the Golden Hour, Sparkle strolled along at an easy pace.
The crowd around her gradually thinned out. After walking a little farther, Sparkle stopped.
Without turning around or looking in any particular direction, she suddenly spoke, "Hey, let me ask you something... Is your way of getting a girl's attention really to follow her out in the open? It's been almost half a System Hour."
Sparkle let out a laugh and turned around. Along with the sound of footsteps, Aventurine stepped out from the shadows.
The playboy raised an eyebrow.
"To be precise, it's been forty-five minutes. Time flies when you're having fun, doesn't it?"
Aventurine walked up to Sparkle, looking down at the Fool before him.
"Besides, why would I want to get your attention?"
"Heh... Relax, little peacock. Fools aren't that easy to deceive." Sparkle spoke with hidden meaning. "Though you... ah, what a beautiful pair of eyes. You're from Sigonia, aren't you?"
Hearing Sparkle's words, Aventurine narrowed his eyes.
'A Fool...'
He immediately knew who the Fool she was referring to.
He had indeed been thinking about dragging a Fool into this mess, like the one standing before him. But was Nero a Fool too?
The reason he had left earlier wasn't only because he had other business to take care of. He had also noticed someone acting suspiciously, so he deliberately hid himself to observe. In the end, every clue pointed toward Sparkle...
In a very short moment, Aventurine recalled the Nero he knew.
To say that child was a Fool...
He really couldn't see it.
Still, he couldn't rule out the possibility.
The Elation Aeon could do anything.
Besides, the background behind that child really was quite extensive.
From what he currently knew, Nero had the Xianzhou Alliance behind him, the Astral Express, and perhaps even the Genius Society counted as one of them.
The IPC naturally leaned toward him to some extent. Besides that, there was also Miss Robin of Penacony... perhaps even Mr. Sunday would be somewhat biased toward him because of Miss Robin.
According to the IPC's collected intelligence, aside from everything mentioned above, the recent activity and reorganization of the Knights of Beauty also seemed to be connected to that child.
So Idrila also occupied a place among the shadows behind him. Furthermore, a considerable portion of Herta's research materials concerning the Aeons seemed to have been provided by Nero...
'Oh, I see.'
'No wonder Nero is called a Fool.'
The information he had provided all came from Aha.
Aventurine blinked, sorting many things out in his mind.
Looking at it this way, Nero didn't really need him to worry.
Still, he wanted to keep watching over the child.
With so many enormous forces in the universe standing behind him, things were actually even harder to deal with. Once the storm arrived, both the chess pieces and the chessboard would only end up being overturned.
Still, Aventurine felt somewhat relieved.
At least he no longer had to worry about Nero's safety.
To him, Nero was like a younger brother.
Or perhaps like his younger self.
Back when Topaz first brought the child to the IPC and he met him for the first time, a strange feeling had risen in his heart.
Having received the Amber Lord's blessing, he could more or less sense that some invisible influence had settled upon him.
But that didn't matter.
Nor was it important.
People always need to build a few pillars to support their hearts...
Just as adults who grew up in poverty will do everything they can to give their children the best.
Just as adults who never had the chance to go to school often hope even more that their children will earn good grades...
Aventurine had felt something similar.
He had once seen someone he deeply missed in Nero.
Sometimes, he also saw his younger self in him.
That invisible influence allowed him to find traces of long-lost memories in the child, even if those memories were no more than a handful of sand scattered by the wind.
Aventurine's childhood had not been a happy one.
So he hoped Nero could be a little happier.
Besides, the child really was adorable and well-behaved...
These thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant. Aventurine's smile never changed. He still appeared carefree and completely at ease.
"Would you like another hint? For example... that I'm an Avgin?"
"Hmm... My eyes aren't as pretty as yours, but I'm not blind." Sparkle looked up at Aventurine.
"Who in the universe doesn't know you Sigonians? Born liars, thieves, social butterflies... honey on your lips and a sword in your mouth. The reputation fits perfectly."
Sparkle showed no mercy with her words.
Aventurine replied lightly,
"The other Fool you mentioned doesn't know that."
Sparkle, who had been about to continue speaking, paused.
Although she had plenty of confidence in the little ancestor and believed in his abilities, the way he had acted during their earlier conversation had made her start doubting her previous judgment.
Now that Aventurine had said this, she unexpectedly found it somewhat believable.
After a brief silence, however, Miss Sparkle still stubbornly stuck to her original opinion.
"Don't be too confident, little peacock. Looking down on a Fool comes with a price~ If you ask me, you'd fit better under a manhole cover... Ah, there's one over there. Hurry along~"
Sparkle pointed at a nearby manhole cover.
"No thanks. Dark corners don't suit my style. This dream suits me much better. Frivolous, vain, flashy, and hollow... and it never rains! These clothes of mine are rather delicate. They can't handle wind and rain."
"Put away that clever tongue of yours, little peacock." Sparkle narrowed her eyes. "Run along now. We're Fools, not fools. We don't plan on playing friendship games with the IPC's lapdogs."
Aventurine chuckled, "Oh? Really? You've never been friends with anyone from the IPC?"
"You think I haven't read Penacony's history? Don't try to drag me into your boring office politics."
"Fool. The moment you accepted the invitation to this grand gathering, you stopped having a choice. Pick a side while you still can, before you lose everything."
"You sound awfully confident~ As if you've already won over that chicken-wing boy from the Family."
Sparkle curled her lips into a smile as she looked at Aventurine, her words still as sharp as ever.
"How'd you do it, little peacock? Take off your clothes, kneel down, and apologize while promising, 'Waaah, the IPC absolutely won't set its sights on Penacony'?
"Friends... give me a break. You people only see others as chips."
"What's wrong with chips?" Aventurine smiled, unmoved by Sparkle's words. "At the gambling table, only chips don't lose themselves. The Garden of Recollection and the Astral Express both understand that. They're very clever."
"But truly clever people never join the game in the first place. See? Doesn't that make me even smarter?" Sparkle said.
"Listen carefully, little peacock. You were invited by the Tavern too. Want to recruit a Masked Fool? Fine. Then use your brain and think about what the Elation Aeon actually wants."
At that, Sparkle narrowed her eyes, and her voice dropped slightly.
"But I doubt saying all this will do you much good. Let me think... never entering the game in the first place really is a wonderful idea. You're doing the same thing too, aren't you?
"Sparkle thinks so as well. Fools can just sit back, watch the show, and enjoy the gossip. What do you think? Is the chip I'm offering heavy enough?"
Aventurine frowned, looking at Sparkle without saying a word.
"Don't be so serious, little peacock." Sparkle smiled. "Even though Fools don't always get along with each other, compared to other organizations, we actually get along quite happily. It's practically like the old Knights of Beauty."
"All right, here's one last hint. Since you can't persuade anyone, why not find a mute to be friends with? At least they won't argue with you. Hahaha."
Seeing Aventurine fall silent, Sparkle said no more. She simply waved.
"See you~"
Then she skipped away.
She looked to be in a very good mood.
Watching her departing figure, Aventurine called out, "Thank you! Making friends with a mute... I'll remember that!"
After saying that, Aventurine sighed.
"...What a headache. Looks like I'll have to pay the Family another visit."