『 The male Bloodhound looked at Stelle, who was shielding Hotaru behind her, and shouted, "Guys, she has an accomplice!"
The female Bloodhound who had caught up from the side put her hands on her hips and said aggressively, "Perfect, take them both down!"
The two slowly closed in on Stelle. Stelle tightened her grip on her bat, her left hand holding onto Hotaru's hand, making it convenient to knock someone out with a cheap shot and then run away later. She had done this once in Jarilo-VI; she was very practiced at it.
Just as Stelle was about to make her move, a man's voice, laced with a hint of decadence, rang out.
"Alright, alright, boys—that's enough."
Everyone looked towards the source of the voice and saw a scruffy, middle-aged uncle wearing a grey vest with stubble on his face walking slowly towards them. His steps were steady and powerful; every step brought an invisible pressure to the Bloodhounds in front of him.
After turning around and seeing who it was, a look of astonishment appeared on the male Bloodhound's face, and he stammered, "O… Officer?"
The middle-aged uncle gave Hotaru a meaningful look, then walked into the middle of the group. He looked at the two Bloodhounds and scolded them loudly, "How are you handling things? Open your eyes and look closely. Is this young lady the stowaway we're looking for?"
Hearing this, Hotaru poked her head out cutely from behind Stelle, then nodded, agreeing with his statement.
The female Bloodhound looked at the uncle who had suddenly appeared with such an imposing aura and asked her companion in confusion, "Huh? Who… who is this?"
The male Bloodhound shook his head helplessly, leaned close to the female Bloodhound, and whispered an explanation, "Don't you know? Brown hair, grey vest—this is the security officer sent by The Family to watch over the Charmony Festival."
The female Bloodhound suddenly realized who it was after her companion's explanation, then hurriedly stammered an explanation to the new officer.
"I… I see… Reporting to the officer, we are currently apprehending a stowaway—it's this little girl. She's extremely suspicious; it must be her!"
The female Bloodhound pointed her finger at Hotaru. Because of this gesture, the head Hotaru had poked out hid behind Stelle's back again, while Stelle looked at the female Bloodhound with her head held high and chest out.
"Bullshit. Take a good look again, will you? The eyewitness report said it was a silver guy, and you bring me a silver-haired little girl? Can those be the same thing? And you even got into a fight with a guest?!" The uncle didn't calm down after hearing the female Bloodhound's explanation; instead, he got even angrier, walking up to the two of them to question them.
"That's enough, get lost. Let me handle this." After speaking, the uncle waved his hand, signaling the two to leave.
"Yes, sir!" Knowing they were in the wrong and that the officer had given them a way out, the two immediately took the hint, turned around, and left.
"I'm truly sorry to have let our esteemed guests see such a joke." The uncle smiled at Stelle and Hotaru, then introduced himself, "I am Gallagher of the Bloodhound Family. Those idiots are young hounds I'm raising."
Gallagher crossed his arms and shook his head helplessly. "They are still young and sensible; they misunderstood my orders and actually treated a VIP of Penacony as a criminal… Sigh, truly a breach of etiquette. On behalf of the Bloodhound Family, I offer my sincere apologies to you both."
With that, he bowed slightly to the two of them. 』
『 ....』
〘March 7th〙: A silver guy means they have to catch a silver-haired girl? That's way too reckless.
〘Dan Heng〙: However, judging from what Silver Wolf accidentally let slip earlier, Miss Hotaru seems to be a Stellaron Hunter. So these two Bloodhounds actually found the right person by accident.
〘Silver Wolf〙: Hey, hey, Elio, don't extend your claws towards my snacks! I already apologized. It was going to be exposed sooner or later anyway, so knowing in advance isn't a big deal, right!
....
『 "Bloodhound Family?" Stelle muttered the new term she had just heard.
"The Bloodhound Family are the gatekeepers of the Dreamscape, responsible for a series of security tasks here, including apprehending stowaways," Gallagher explained. "Previously, we received a notification that criminals had infiltrated Penacony under the guise of the festival. Right now, it is the eve of the Charmony Festival, and there is no shortage of people with ulterior motives…"
Hearing these words, Hotaru clenched her hands tightly, her knuckles turning slightly white from the excessive force. Her body also began to tremble involuntarily, as if the pursuit by those two had caused a great impact on her.
Gallagher looked at Hotaru in this state and comforted her softly, "Rest assured, Miss. I believe this is a misunderstanding. How could such a cute girl be a stowaway?"
Hotaru looked up and expressed her gratitude to Gallagher.
"Thank you. If you hadn't stepped in to help, I really wouldn't have known what to do."
Gallagher waved his hand and laughed, "Think nothing of it."
"I have other matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave first. If you need anything, just find the nearby young hounds to contact me. I wish you enjoy this beautiful dream."
After speaking, he turned and left. Hotaru watched Gallagher walk further and further away until he disappeared at the end of her line of sight. Then, she turned her head to look at Stelle, her eyes revealing sincere gratitude.
"Thanks to you stepping in to help just now! Otherwise, I might really have… been taken away." 』
『 ....』
〘Silver Wolf〙: Dying of laughter, why did your line "been taken away" sound so monotone?
....
『 Stelle put her hands on her hips and revealed a triumphant smile, "Galactic Baseballer, mission accomplished!"
"You speak so interestingly." Hotaru looked at the abstract Stelle before her and smiled gently. 』
『 ....』
〘Silver Wolf〙: Someone is about to be played like a fiddle~
〘Stelle〙: I'm happy to! I'm willing to be deceived by a beautiful girl!
〘March 7th〙: You're completely hopeless.
....
『 When she saw the ticket on Stelle, her eyes widened. She pointed at Stelle's ticket and said in surprise, "I just noticed… you are a Nameless, right? Is this your first time in Penacony?"
Stelle looked at the surprised Hotaru, scratched her head, and asked, "Are Nameless that famous?"
"Of course, the Interastral Peace Broadcast recently publicized your glorious deeds! I also know that you often travel all over the galaxy—you were invited by The Family, right? I… I can be your guide!" Hotaru summoned up her courage and said to Stelle.
"Although I was treated as a stowaway by the people from the Bloodhound Family, I'm actually a local—an artist from the Iris Family, Hotaru! Even though I'm just an extra…"
"When there are no performances, I also take on work around Glaux Avenue. If you don't mind, I can take you to experience all sorts of interesting things! As long as I work hard, maybe I won't be investigated…"
Hearing Hotaru's explanation, Stelle smiled and said, "That's great, I was just lacking a tour guide."
"You're welcome, after all, you helped me out big time!" 』
『 ....』
〘March 7th〙: Although I know you have no resistance to beautiful girls, aren't you accepting this a little too quickly?
〘Stelle〙: I don't know why either, but when I saw Hotaru, I felt a sense of intimacy. It's like… like we knew each other before.
〘Hotaru〙: Pam_Shy.jpg
〘Dan Heng〙: That implies that Stelle was a member of the Stellaron Hunters before boarding the Express.
〘Stelle〙: Then I really have an inseparable karmic bond with the Stellaron…
〘Elysia〙: Heart Hunter? Whose heart are you planning to capture? ♪
〘Griseo〙: Grandma Mobius, what does Sister Elysia mean by that?
〘Mobius〙: Little Griseo, be a good girl, let's go paint. I have something to discuss with your Sister Elysia.
〘Pardofelis〙: Sister Eden, run! Sister Snake is getting angry!
....