『 Boom, a peal of thunder struck, followed by the pitter-patter of rain hitting the ground.
"Mama…! Mama…!" A girl's voice filled with surprise and excitement rang out.
"…Mama—rain! It's raining!"
"Rain…? Rain…" The woman's voice trembled.
"It's raining! It's real! Those outsiders didn't lie to us, they really summoned the rain… Mama, we can leave this place… We can go home!"
"Go home… Ah… Gaiathra Triclops, it is you. Can you hear me? Thank you… Thank you…"
"Darling, listen... this is the sound of rain. On the day you were born, the sky also sent down a gift like this from Gaiathra." The woman gazed at the flesh and blood in her arms.
"Such a lucky child, such a blessed child... Just like your name. A gift from THEM to Avgin... my boy..."
"May the goddess Gaiathra close HER eyes three times..."
"May your bloodline pulse forever…"
"May your journey always be smooth…"
"…And may your deceptions never be revealed."
"…Welcome to this sorrowful world, Kakavasha."
The screen went black after the words fell, and then a familiar male voice sounded.
"Hey, you should wake up, gambler."
The scene brightened, and Aventurine grabbed his head and stood up from the barstool, "Whoa!"
"God, I might have had too much SoulGlad… I didn't expect you to return so quickly, so… any discoveries?"
After speaking, he looked at Ratio, who had woken him up across from him. Ratio crossed his arms and replied.
"Just as you guessed: nobody outside knows Robin was murdered, not even a whisper of rumor. The television is still broadcasting her ceremony rehearsal—probably a stand-in—people are all dreaming."
Aventurine nodded, as if all this was within his expectations, "That's to be expected. Who would have thought that death would truly descend upon the sweet dream constructed by The Family, and the victim is the heroine of the Charmony Festival…"
"Honestly, I didn't believe it before, and even tested it myself a few times—until I discovered that I really couldn't die. Whenever there's danger, I get forcibly awakened by the Dreampool, as if I just had a nightmare."
"That's why I'm convinced there must be a bigger secret hidden behind this." 』
『 ....』
〘Stelle〙: You're even this ruthless to yourself? You really are a genuine gambler.
〘Aventurine〙: Thanks for the compliment.
....
『 "Then you must have also heard of that Memory Zone Meme." After saying this, Ratio sneered, "Hmph, when I went to pull strings with the Oak Family for you, they were already in a panic."
"Besides Robin, there was another victim. Not sure about the specifics, only know it was a stowaway."
"Two homicides?!" Aventurine showed a shocked expression after hearing this, then thought of something and suddenly realized: "I said that Nameless's reaction was wrong; she must have stumbled into the other one…"
"Sigh… This killer is truly a madman… But I must say, a murder case is a great breakthrough point to accuse The Family of dereliction of duty and let the IPC use this as a pretext to intervene."
"It's just that their methods are much tougher than I imagined; they even prepared a stand-in for Robin… These two cases will definitely be suppressed."
Aventurine put his hand on his chin in a thoughtful pose, "What to do? Let me think… A rare opportunity, cannot afford to fail, I must be very careful…"
"Impressive, gambler. So quickly, and you're at your wits' end again?" Ratio feigned a surprised expression, teasing, the sarcasm in his tone undisguised.
Aventurine ignored the professor's sarcasm and said calmly, "There are many chips, but they must be carefully selected. The most direct one… has to be Robin. Remember? That Masked Fool told me to find a mute person to be friends with."
"And Robin is the mute person she spoke of. She lost her voice; an ordinary person wouldn't notice, but it couldn't escape your ears or mine. It's not the organs making sound, but the resonance of Harmony."
"If it wasn't that the girl practiced singing until her throat went hoarse, then there's only one possibility: something is wrong with The Family, or something is wrong with Robin herself. To figure this out, I tried every way to meet her…"
"…But she died, died right under my nose." Aventurine's face grew gloomier as he spoke.
Ratio nodded, then gave his own commentary, "A total loss—and by the way, it sent you to the interrogation table."
"There are eyewitnesses at the scene. The Family is temporarily believing your alibi, but for the time to come… I'm afraid you'll have to spend it under the surveillance of the Hounds."
Hearing this, Aventurine let out a self-deprecating laugh, spread his hands, and looked at Ratio, saying: "The current situation is not optimistic, Professor, I'm starting to break out in a cold sweat."
"Do you think there's any possibility of a comeback in this current situation…?"
"If you ask me about the probability—there is, but it approaches zero—to use a term more fitting for Penacony, dream on." 』
『 ....』
〘Stelle〙: The professor's mouth is quite toxic, too.
〘March 7th〙: How come it feels like Aventurine is always being roasted?
....
『 "But if you just can't keep your hands to yourself and want to find someone to try your luck with, then there happens to be a suitable candidate…"
Ratio gave Aventurine a suggestion, "That man wants to see you again."
"Who?" Aventurine asked suspiciously.
"Sunday." Ratio gave a calm reply.
Aventurine sighed after hearing this. What was bound to come finally arrived. 』
『 ....』
〘Stelle〙: Here it comes, endure the anger of the sister-con!
〘Magus〙: Keep your spirits up, don't lose face!
〘Aha〙: Robin is dead, I have no heart to explain right from wrong!
....
『 "Is it a formal confrontation, or a private trial?"
"If it were the former, I wouldn't need to be the messenger." Ratio looked at Aventurine speechlessly, as if complaining that he had asked a useless question.
"Alright… then that's it, it's all correct. See, the dead cannot speak, but the living can—"
Aventurine swept away the previous gloom and said to Ratio in a light tone: "Ratio, I can be certain now, there must be a problem within The Family."
"Just wait and see, that man's sister is dead… He won't be able to sit still."
"No time to lose, let's set off now—lead the way! A good show… is about to begin." 』
『 ....』
〘Hanabi〙: Soon, the little peacock will be playing mind games with the chicken-wing boy, looking forward to it.
〘Stelle〙: Are you two cockfighting here?
〘March 7th〙: How do you manage to join the conversation every time?
....
『 The two left the bar, the camera shifted, and the two arrived in a magnificent hall.
"We have arrived. Dewlight Pavilion, the fortress of the Oak Family, the place where the heads of the families discuss the grand plans for Penacony." Ratio introduced.
"Fortress? That's a good metaphor. Not long ago, I dealt with warlords in the Imaniqa star system; their synchronous orbit manors weren't this heavily guarded."
"It suits its owner. This mansion nominally belongs to Sunday; without his invitation, ordinary guests would never have a chance to set foot here. Take a few more looks, while you still have a moment of freedom."
"Hey, Professor—that's a bit much, which side are you actually on?" Aventurine asked after hearing this, looking at Ratio.
"Who can guarantee I won't sell you out?" Ratio crossed his arms and closed his eyes, replying.
"Then let's wait and see. Once I meet that control-freak Oak Family head, I have my own ways to pry the answer out of him." Aventurine turned to look at the mansion's gate.
"Follow me, I'll take you to his parlor. Don't say anything unnecessary, leave the people of The Family to me to deal with."
After speaking, Ratio walked toward the gate, and Aventurine immediately followed. 』
『 ....』