Seeing Acheron's lonely figure sitting by herself in the interrogation room, Mo Xin's little face instantly darkened, her cheeks puffing up with anger.
She slammed the door shut with a loud bang, her hurried footsteps echoing through the empty room. In just a few strides, she rushed over to Acheron, her eyes filled with undisguised worry and indignation.
"Sister Acheron, they didn't give you a hard time, did they? Are you okay? Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?"
Acheron nodded slowly, her voice as light as a feather.
"Mm, I'm fine."
"That's good..."
Mo Xin let out a long sigh of relief and raised a hand to pat her flat chest.
Just as she finished speaking, Mo Xin seemed to suddenly remember something. Her brows knitted tightly together, her teeth clenched once more, and her cheeks puffed up with anger.
"Hmph! They clearly said it was just a 'routine inquiry,' but they ended up making it look like this!"
As she spoke, she reached out and tightly grasped Acheron's delicate hand. Her fingertips turned slightly white from how hard she was gripping it, while her eyes sparkled brightly.
"Sister Acheron, don't worry. I'll definitely go explain everything to everyone. I absolutely won't let Captain Chen and the others bully you again!"
Acheron did not answer. She simply raised her eyes and looked at her quietly.
Her gaze was faint, like the moonlight of late autumn, clear and tranquil. Yet it fell directly into Mo Xin's eyes, causing her grip on Acheron's hand to loosen involuntarily as her earlobes instantly turned bright red.
"S-Sister Acheron... W-Why are you looking at me like that...?"
Mo Xin's voice softened with an almost imperceptible tremble. Her fair little hand slowly withdrew from Acheron's palm as she nervously fiddled with the hem of her clothes, her fingertips poking at the fabric like a little rabbit flustered from being stared at.
"I-I'm being serious..."
Yet Acheron seemed completely oblivious to her embarrassment.
Those amethyst-like eyes were unfathomably deep, fixed on her without blinking. That gaze concealed an impenetrable fog, impossible to decipher, yet it inexplicably caused one's heart to tighten.
No one knew how much time had passed.
Acheron suddenly tilted her head slightly, a trace of confusion appearing in her cold, beautiful eyes.
"You came to see me... for what purpose?"
Hearing this, Mo Xin froze for a moment. Her clear eyes quickly filled with confusion as she blinked subconsciously and scratched the back of her head.
"Ah? Sister Acheron, I came here specifically to visit you and tell you not to worry!"
Seeing this, Acheron's expression remained unchanged. Only the violet depths of her eyes darkened slightly, as though trying to see through the person standing before her.
Then, she calmly stated the truth.
"You are not Mo Xin."
Mo Xin (๑°⌓°๑): "Eh?"
"Sister Acheron, what are you talking about? How could I not be Mo Xin?"
"Mo Xin" covered her lips and chuckled softly, her eyes curving into crescents.
Her tone was filled with helpless amusement as she waved her hand gently, as though teasing Acheron for making such a joke.
Acheron's gaze lingered on "Mo Xin's" face for a long while. Dark currents swirled within her violet eyes, yet she remained silent.
Just when "Mo Xin" thought the matter was over, Acheron suddenly spoke again.
"Does the anomaly in Muyun City have anything to do with you?"
The cold, indifferent words echoed throughout the interrogation room, like ice dropped into boiling oil, instantly shattering the disguise hanging in the air.
Acheron remained seated calmly, her violet eyes fixed on "Mo Xin" like a bottomless abyss.
There wasn't the slightest ripple in that gaze, yet it carried absolute certainty.
"Mo Xin's" smile stiffened.
The hand she had raised froze in midair, as though time itself had stopped.
After nearly ten seconds of silence, a low laugh suddenly rang out.
"Sigh~ You're really no fun. Couldn't you have played along with me a little longer?"
The innocence in "Mo Xin's" eyes slowly melted away.
Plum blossom-shaped patterns gradually bloomed within her pitch-black pupils, transforming them into a pair of enchanting plum blossom eyes.
Even her voice gradually changed.
Gone was the soft, sweet voice of a young girl. In its place was a brisk, lively tone, the ends of her words curling upward with playful cunning. It was the unmistakable voice of a mischievous little brat.
Immediately afterward, a hazy, dreamlike glow rippled through the cramped interrogation room.
It flowed gently across the walls and floor.
Within moments, several girl-sized goldfish appeared out of thin air. Covered in shimmering gold-and-red scales, they lazily swam through the air, their transparent tails gently swaying as they occasionally passed through the glowing mist, leaving behind trails of sparkling silver droplets.
The gloomy interrogation room quietly transformed into a fantastical dreamscape.
Acheron subconsciously glanced around at the surreal changes.
When she looked up again, the Mo Xin standing before her had disappeared.
In her place stood that all-too-familiar little brat.
Sparkle.
Sparkle ~ (∠・ω＜)⌒☆: "Long time no see! Did you miss Sparkle?"
Acheron (๑•.•๑): "..."
...
Sparkle (●—●): "..."
"Tsk, you really don't give Lady Sparkle any face at all. How boring!"
Sparkle folded her arms, puffing up her cheeks like an angry pufferfish. Her mischievous little brat aura instantly reached full power.
Acheron ignored Sparkle's complaint, her gaze unwavering as she repeated the same question.
"Does the anomaly in Muyun City have anything to do with you?"
Feeling the pressure around Acheron growing heavier and heavier, Sparkle's heart skipped a beat, and all of her earlier confidence instantly vanished.
She hugged herself and shrank her neck, her voice becoming noticeably softer.
"Hey, hey, hey, don't get so worked up! We can talk this out! My delicate skin can't handle your 'tender loving care'!"
Sensing the subtle shift in the atmosphere, Sparkle wisely chose to act cute and beg for mercy.
...
Once the atmosphere settled down again,
Sparkle seemed to have completely forgotten the confrontation from moments earlier.
She casually hopped onto the table in front of Acheron, swinging her fair little legs back and forth while her toes occasionally tapped against the edge of the table, producing crisp little sounds.
Completely unconcerned with where she was, she simply leaned back and lay flat on the tabletop. Her soft hair spread across the cold metal surface, making her already exquisite face appear even more delicate.
Fortunately, Sparkle was petite. Otherwise, the narrow interrogation table would never have been able to accommodate such a carefree posture.
She rested both slender jade-like arms behind her head, speaking as casually as if she were chatting about everyday life.
"Mind telling me what you're thinking? For example... why would you suspect me for no reason? After all, a cute girl like Sparkle is usually as well-behaved as can be~"
Acheron silently leaned back against her chair.
"It's because of those people today."
"Just because of them?"
Acheron shook her head.
"It's happened more than once this month."
"So what?"
Sparkle rolled her eyes, absentmindedly twirling a strand of her purple hair around her fingertip.
"A heroine getting hit on wherever she goes because she's too charming and constantly running into weird trouble... that kind of plot isn't exactly fresh anymore, is it? If you ask me, the only thing missing is a 'male lead' showing up to save the damsel in distress."
Sparkle slowly turned her head.
Her crimson eyes met Acheron's violet gaze, and a peculiar spark seemed to flash between them.
Sparkle (❁´◡`❁) ✲ﾟ: "How about... next time I'll play your male lead, and we can even do it together... Hehehe~ I wonder if that swan will get jealous~"
Acheron: "Black Swan? Hmm...I...don't think she wants to see me again..."