"Ta-da! Were you scared?"
Sparkle made a funny face at Fu Zhu, but when she saw him just staring at her with a flat expression, she pouted, suddenly feeling bored.
"Playing with a blockhead like you is no fun! Shouldn't you at least play along at a time like this?"
Fu Zhu rolled his eyes. He understood Sparkle's temperament all too well. The more you played along, the more excited she got. Giving no reaction at all was the best way to handle her.
"What is your objective?"
Although Fu Zhu had already guessed that Sparkle's grand scheme of luring everyone into the Memoria bubble was for the sake of Firefly's third death, with Himeko and the others present, he couldn't just say it out loud.
With a grin, Sparkle clasped her hands behind her back and leaned in close to Fu Zhu, so close that he could smell the fragrance from her body.
"My objective has been the same from the very beginning. I won the second round, and the last one will be no exception! The final winner will be the great Lady Sparkle!"
Fu Zhu understood. He made a move to grab Sparkle, but as if she had anticipated it, she immediately sidestepped, dodging his hand.
"Hee hee, you're not even going to take responsibility for me. I won't let you get a second hit in."
Seeing his first attempt fail, Fu Zhu didn't try again. He couldn't actually capture Sparkle here. Annoying as she was, he knew her objective was still to fulfill her agreement with Silver Wolf, which meant they were, for now, partners.
Fu Zhu knew everything, but Himeko and the others were completely in the dark.
Himeko stepped forward to stand beside Fu Zhu, her brow furrowed as she stared at the perpetually grinning Sparkle. "Where is Miss Robin?"
Sparkle shook her head with a smile. "Sparkle doesn't know If you want to find out, why don't you go see that chicken wing boy first? After all, the deceased is his sister"
With that, Sparkle began to skip cheerfully toward the door. But before she could get far, a sword and a baseball bat blocked her path.
"Hmm?"
Sparkle turned her head to look at Xing and Acheron who were blocking her way, her gaze lingering on Acheron. Her perpetually playful willow-leaf eyebrows knitted together for a moment.
But soon, her frown relaxed, and a smile returned to her lips. "An Emanator of Nihility masquerading as a Galaxy Ranger. If you weren't so dangerous, I'd really love to play with you. But if you don't get serious, you won't be able to stop me Toodles"
Acheron remained silent for a long moment before quietly withdrawing the sword that blocked the path. Just as Sparkle had said, if she wanted to stop a cunning Fool, this Memoria bubble would likely be utterly destroyed. With Fu Zhu and the others still inside, she couldn't do that.
Sparkle waved to the group, and her figure vanished from the suite.
Fu Zhu watched her leave, then turned to the others. "Let's go. We'll talk after we get out of here."
No one objected. Black Swan stepped forward, gently raising a hand to close the door before opening it again. The hallway outside was gone, replaced by a slightly ethereal-looking portal.
"Passing through here will lead you out of the Memoria bubble. Let's go."
The moment the group left the bubble, March 7th and Welt, who had been waiting outside, immediately came over.
March 7th rushed forward and counted the people, noticing that Firefly, who had gone in with them, was missing. She looked at the others with a hint of confusion. "What about that girl, Firefly?"
Seeing March bring up Firefly, Xing's eyes dimmed for a second. But having already witnessed Firefly's death twice, and with Fu Zhu's guarantee that she would be fine, she didn't break down as she had before.
"There was... an accident with Firefly."
March 7th noticed the look on Xing's face wasn't quite right. She let out a soft "oh" and, being perceptive, didn't press the matter further.
Welt smoothly took over the conversation, asking about their experience inside the bubble. "So, did you find anything in there?"
"Yes, we have a few clues."
Himeko took the lead, recounting their experiences to Welt. After she finished, she looked at Fu Zhu, her eyes asking if he had anything to add, since he and Acheron had been separated from them for a period of time.
Fu Zhu picked up the thread, his expression serious as he addressed the group. "When I was separated from Himeko and the others, I happened to run into Acheron. At the time, she was in a standoff with the former head of the Oak Family, Mr. Gopelmu. When Gopelmu saw me, he became hostile toward me as well. It seems he took the opportunity to slip into the Memoria bubble with the goal of driving both me and Acheron out of Penacony."
Fu Zhu summarized the course of events, giving everyone the gist of what had happened.
As he was explaining, Acheron glanced at him with a hint of puzzlement. At the time, Gopelmu hadn't revealed his real name. How did Fu Zhu know it?
However, it was only a fleeting curiosity. This might be related to Fu Zhu's abilities, and she didn't press the issue, simply burying the question deep in her heart.
---o---
After hearing about Fu Zhu's encounter, Welt and the others wore expressions of shock. Himeko and Welt, in particular, frowned deeply.
Welt stroked his chin, his brows knitted together. "Why would the former head of the family want to expel you two? Could it be because you are both Emanators?"
Neither Acheron nor Fu Zhu had known each other for even half a day. Welt couldn't see much common ground between them. The only thing they shared was that they both possessed the power of an Emanator. If that was the reason for Gopelmu's attempt to expel them, it meant The Family was plotting something significant.
They likely felt that the presence of two Emanators would disrupt their plans, which is why they would stop at nothing to drive Fu Zhu and Acheron away.
The atmosphere grew heavy. March 7th and Xing instinctively shrank back, each grabbing one of Fu Zhu's arms and retreating a step behind him.
"Big Bro, since they don't welcome you, why don't we just leave?"
"Sorry, I'm in my rebellious phase. He doesn't want me to stay, so I'm going to stay and get to the bottom of this."
Xing rolled her eyes speechlessly and poked Fu Zhu in the waist. "How old are you, still in a rebellious phase!"
Fu Zhu ignored his sister's teasing and looked toward the two elders of the Express crew, Himeko and Welt.
"Himeko, Welt, I think Sparkle was right. Whether we want to solve the mystery of Robin's death or investigate what The Family is secretly planning, we need to meet with Sunday."
"But..." Himeko hesitated, glancing at Fu Zhu and Acheron. "The Family went so far as to send their former head to drive you away without any regard for appearances. I'm afraid the reception won't be very friendly."
Himeko was being very conservative with her words. In her mind, this meeting could very well be a trap.
"Don't worry," Fu Zhu said calmly. "Back when I fought Gopelmu, he never revealed his identity. I only learned who he was through other means. If The Family wants to keep their plans hidden, they won't tear off all pretenses with us just yet."
"Alright, then let's go meet with this Sunday." After a moment, Himeko turned to the others. "However, it's best if some of us stay behind as backup. Since they dared to make a move against two Emanators simultaneously, they must have some kind of ace up their sleeve. We can't let them catch us all in one net."
Welt fully agreed with Himeko's assessment and nodded. He then said to Fu Zhu, "Fu Zhu, why don't you and I go meet with Mr. Sunday? Himeko, you can wait outside with March and Xing. As for Ms. Acheron and Ms. Black Swan..."
Acheron immediately stated her intention to stay behind. "I won't be joining you two. With Mr. Fu Zhu present, I doubt they could keep you there even if they tried. If anything, they should be the ones who are worried."
Black Swan gave the group an apologetic smile. "My apologies, everyone. I have some matters I need to investigate, so I'll be taking my leave for now. However, if you need any assistance, please don't hesitate to contact me."
With that, Black Swan's figure faded and disappeared from sight.
The remaining members had no objections to Welt's arrangement. Fu Zhu nodded to Welt.
"Let's go, then."
---o---
"Professor, how did the investigation go?"
In a luxurious suite, Aventurine sat on a plush sofa. Seeing Dr. Ratio walk in through the door, he greeted him with a smile and asked about his progress.
Seeing Aventurine lounging so casually on the sofa, Dr. Ratio couldn't help but let out a cold snort.
"A gambler is a gambler. Besides dreaming of striking it rich, you spend your days finding every opportunity to slack off."
Aventurine simply shrugged at Dr. Ratio's jab. "You may see me like this, but while you were investigating those deceased individuals, Professor, I successfully latched onto a ridiculously thick thigh."
"Who?" Dr. Ratio's interest was piqued. He was curious to know who Aventurine would call a "thick thigh," but he quickly guessed the person's identity. "Don't tell me it's that Nameless, Fu Zhu?"
"Correct. Here in Penacony, who else is more worthy of my efforts to win over?"
Seeing his guess confirmed, Dr. Ratio let out a surprised "Tsk." "I didn't expect a gambler like you to have such good luck."
"My luck has always been excellent. But now's not the time for that. Professor, you still haven't told me the results of your investigation."
"The results? The results are just as you expected. All those who died in the dreamscape have vanished without a trace."
"That's truly... excellent."
Aventurine's eyes lit up, but he noticed the look of disgust Dr. Ratio was giving him and quickly waved his hands to explain.
"I just think this can be used as a bargaining chip to bring The Family to the negotiating table. Professor, you mustn't think I'm some kind of cold-blooded monster."
"Hmph, who knows? Let's go. The Family has already made arrangements for us. We can go meet with that head of the family now."