『 [ Hmm… I hope these trials don't last too long… ]
On the path to the second stage, Hotaru couldn't help but mutter under her breath.
Soon, the two of them arrived before the second physical judge.
[ With me, you two must interpret the story scenes I describe using masterful body language. ]
[ Picking up from last time: A torrential downpour saved you both as you collapsed in the desert. ]
[ This rain extinguished the anger in your heart. You look at your companion beside you, who has lost all will to fight, and want to comfort her… ]
[ At this moment—what action should you take to make her laugh? ]
The physical judge presented the story scenario, leaving it to Stelle to perform.
[ Pat her head. ]
Stelle reached out her hand and, while Hotaru stood there completely bewildered, gently patted her head.
[ Who would be amused by that… ]
Hotaru didn't laugh; instead, she looked a bit speechless.
[ Then I'll stand up, ready to depart. ]
Stelle made a motion as if lifting her legs to walk away.
[ That doesn't look like you're trying to make me laugh. It looks more like you're about to abandon me… ]
Hotaru shook her head.
[ Then I'll perform rolling in the sand! ]
Stelle lay down on the ground and then began to roll around frantically, completely disregarding her image.
[ Ah… this…. Pfft. ]
Hotaru looked at Stelle's ridiculous appearance and was successfully amused.
[ Answer correct! ]
[ Watching you roll in the sand, your companion recalls the hardships of this journey. She cannot help but laugh out loud, and hope is rekindled in her heart. So, young lady— ]
It was Hotaru's turn to perform.
[ I'm... gonna get back on my feet and keep moving forward. ]
Hotaru displayed a determined look, one of regaining confidence.
[ How touching! ]
[ The story continues. That heavy rain allowed you both to sniff out a business opportunity, and you began to enter the umbrella industry. But just as business began to pick up, your competitors started dumping low-priced goods to corner the market. ]
[ You were forced to sell your high-priced inventory at a loss… ]
[ This is nothing more than drinking poison to quench thirst, dragging you to the brink of bankruptcy. ]
[ At this moment—what decision will you, the unyielding one, make? ]
The judge presented the second act's scene.
[ I will leave, heartbroken and dispirited. ]
Stelle turned around, revealing a lonely and desolate back, and walked into the distance without looking back.
She was even muttering to herself.
[ The hero's quest started with a bang. For this dream I've toiled and sang. If the dream repays me in pang, then I will join the Annihilation Gang.... ]
With that said, Stelle's pace quickened a little.
[ That's totally giving up... Come back here! ]
Seeing that Stelle seemed about to just walk away, Hotaru hurriedly pulled her back.
[ Then I'll kneel and beg for mercy! ]
Stelle flopped down, kneeling on the ground with lightning speed, and then proceeded to kowtow heavily several times toward an imaginary business rival, even repeatedly spouting pleas for mercy like "spare me, hero."
[ Get up, get up….. nobody fights a business war by kowtowing... ]
Stelle's actions left Hotaru dumbfounded, and she hurriedly reached out to pull her up.
[ Then I'll flip the table and jump up, slamming my hand on it!! ]
[ You want me to retreat in the face of difficulties? Impossible! ]
[ A Dreamchaser can be knocked down, but they will not be defeated! ]
This time, Stelle finally expressed an unyielding attitude.
[ Excellent! ]
[ Unfortunately, your friend does not agree. ]
[ Looking at your mountain of debt, she feels the future is hopeless, and then— ]
The judge clapped for Stelle and then looked at Hotaru.
[ Uh…. then I'll be heartbroken and leave Penacony…. is that okay? ]
Hotaru made a look of utter despair and, ignoring Stelle's attempts to hold her back, turned and left.
[ Okay, more than okay! ]
[ You two have outstanding acting talents; I'm almost moved to tears! ]
[ But what follows is the true challenge. You will face the strictest judge in the history of this program, and you must rely on your own perfect acting to win them over! ] 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
March 7th: "Pfft, hahaha….."
March 7th: "Oh my, I can't take it anymore, my stomach hurts from laughing."
March 7th: "I'm telling you, Stelle, you went there just to be a comedian, right?"
Hanabi: "Not bad, little gray-hair~."
Hanabi: "I didn't expect you to be so skilled at Elation-style performances."
Hanabi: "It's a real shame you didn't become a Fool with that kind of talent.~."
Furina de Fontaine: "Miss Stelle's performance was just too funny; I'm laughing to the point of tears."
Hu Tao: "'The hero's quest started with a bang. For this dream I've toiled and sang. If the dream repays me in pang, then I will join the Annihilation Gang....' I didn't expect it…."
Hu Tao: "Miss Stelle is also a master of doggerel poetry!"
Hu Tao: "She's practically a kindred spirit!!"
Himeko: "Hehe, this poem is actually quite interesting."
Himeko: "Stelle, I couldn't tell you had this kind of talent."
Stelle: "Hehe, it's just writing a poem; it comes naturally."
Silver Wolf: "I get the logic, but why on earth would you join the Annihilation Gang?"
Silver Wolf: "What's so good about the Annihilation Gang?"
Stelle: "Nothing good about it, it just rhymed and flowed well, didn't it?"
Stelle: "Otherwise, if I joined the Antimatter Legion, wouldn't that exceed the word count?"
Hotaru: "Hmm, well-reasoned and convincing!"
Guinaifen: "But sis, what were you thinking when you kowtowed and begged your business rival for mercy?"
Li Sushang: "The moment she knelt, I was completely stunned."
Qingque: "Heh, those kowtows were solid, though!"
Qingque: "Not bad, you performed with real effort. Thumbs up!"
Paimon: "Uh…. begging a competitor for mercy…. this kind of behavior…. It's a bit like something I'd do…."
Lumine: "Paimon, you're quite self-aware, aren't you!"
Paimon: "B-but as long as you're here, I don't need to beg for mercy!"
Stelle: "You guys don't understand; this is called prioritizing harmony, retreating to advance."
Stelle: "It's a business strategy."
March 7th: "Nonsense, pure nonsense!"
March 7th: "It's clearly just because you were scared of them, so you hurried to beg for mercy to save your life."
Stelle: "It's all just performance. If this were reality, faced with my baseball bat, it'd be the others begging for mercy!"
Silver Wolf: "What's this about suppressing everything with force?"
....
『 Hotaru and Stelle continued forward and arrived before the final judge.
[ Welcome to the final stage. ]
[ In fact, the plots you just experienced are all taken from the movie "Once Upon a Time in Dreams." ]
[ Two fellow travelers come to the empty Penacony with dreams. They long for success but are repeatedly frustrated. ]
[ In the end, one of them refuses to give up, despite the mountain of debt…. ]
[ The other gives up on their career and leaves this place. ]
[ Years later, they meet again in the bustling Penacony, but they hesitate to acknowledge each other, because— ]
The strict judge paused here.
[ I became a big shot, but she ended up destitute. ]
Stelle couldn't help but chime in.
[ Against the backdrop of a revitalized Penacony, the joy of reunion mixes with the sorrow of past separation, the awkwardness of being strangers, and the shyness of a long-awaited encounter, all converging at this very moment. ]
[ Give it a shot. Try to convey this sorrow and joyscene to me — bring it to life with precise and emotive acting! ]
The strict judge presented a fairly high-difficulty performance scenario to Hotaru and Stelle.
[ Ugh... Is this ever going to end? I know, why don't you try that... clockwork thing you used before?]
Hotaru felt this was taking up too much time, so she thought about having Stelle use Clockwork to see if they could speed-run it.』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
Stelle: "Hehe, Hotaru encouraged me this time."
Stelle: "It wasn't intentional on my part."
March 7th: "Here comes the disclaimer again, huh?"
Hotaru: "Uh…. the acting difficulty she requested was really too high."
Hotaru: "If we don't use some unconventional methods, I'm afraid we won't pass even by the end of the day, right?"
Boothill: "Perform the emotions of sorrow and joy mixed?"
Boothill: "Son of a biscuit, unless you're an acting genius, I don't think you'll be able to perform anything that satisfies her by the time the Charmony Festival officially opens!"
Boothill: "That's just a pure waste of time."
Boothill: "Might as well pull out a gun; that'll satisfy her much more, baby."
Furina de Fontaine: "But if you did that, wouldn't you be severely arrested by the Family?"
Himeko: "In this situation, Stelle's Clockwork is indeed more reliable."
Hu Tao: "Suddenly thought of a question: for such a strict performance, how on earth did that red-haired contestant with the highest score perform it?"
Furina de Fontaine: "Perhaps that person just happened to be a professional actor?"
March 7th: "About that….. if that person really is Argenti….."
March 7th: "He's no actor."
Argenti: "I have no need for performance, for everything I am is a manifestation of Pure Beauty from the heart!"
....
『 Stelle thought Hotaru made sense, so she began to secretly use Clockwork on the strict judge.
She pondered for a moment and first tested the waters with a feeling of resentment.
[ CUT!!! ]
[ A self-made tycoon treating her former companion with such disdain makes me feel nothing but indignation! ]
As soon as the Clockwork took effect, this strict judge gritted her teeth and shouted.
[ Huh? We haven't even done anything yet…. She's got quite the imagination, doesn't she? ]
Seeing this scene, Hotaru couldn't help but remark.
[ Your performance even surpasses the original work! ]
[ It's simply….. simply... it's just— ]
[ It! Doesn't! Look! Like! Acting!! ]』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
Silver Wolf: "Good grief, your Clockwork is as wicked as ever."
Silver Wolf: "Look at her excited expression; she's about to burst into tears."
Hotaru: "Hehehe….. so sorry….."
Hotaru: "If we weren't in such a rush, we definitely would have passed the stage honestly through acting."
Stelle: "Sigh, it's a pity, but we're in a hurry to save the world; there's really no time to waste here."
Stelle: "It'd be nice if there were a chance to come back and experience this in the future…"
....
『 [ Although we passed the test, let's go quickly….. the Stellaron is what matters. ]
After clearing the stage, Hotaru began dragging Stelle along at a run.
[ Congratulations to both contestants for successfully clearing the stage! ]
[ But more than passing, we care about—did you two have fun? ]
[ Happiness is more important than success! ]
[ Looking at the time, you were quite a bit faster than that red-haired contestant! ]
Walking to the intersection leading to the next major stage, the two encountered the guide again.
[ This red-haired contestant.... who exactly is it? ]
Hearing news of the red-haired contestant again, Hotaru was a bit curious.
[ You will find out, but only on the condition that you two successfully pass the upcoming trial! ]
[ Welcome to the second stage of the 20th 33rd Scorching Sand Audition, sponsored by SoulGlad—Gunfire Time! ]
[ You can choose Gunfire to accept the trial of the Hanu Brothers... ]
[ Or you can choose Time to accept the trial of Clockie. ]
[ Now—make your choice! ] 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
Stelle: "Damn, almost forgot there were major stages ahead!"
Hotaru: "This is really too time-consuming."
Hotaru: "Perhaps, just as Silver Wolf said, we really should have just set the venue on fire from the start…"
March 7th: "Oh my, with so many stages, I wonder how Himeko and I are doing right now…."
March 7th: "Don't tell me we're stuck on the first stage?"
Himeko: "Hehe, March, you have to have confidence in yourself."
March 7th: "Right, right, a stage of this level definitely won't stump us!"
....
『 [ The Time trial sounds like a total waste of time. ]
[ Let's choose the Gunfire trial. ]
To save time, Stelle and Hotaru consulted each other and chose the Gunfire trial, which sounded more straightforward.
Afterward, the two of them sat in a railcar and arrived at the Gunfire trial stage.
[ Dear friends, welcome to the wonderful world constructed by the Watchmaker! ]
[ Waiting for you ahead is the charming image of the Clockie animation series—the Hanu Brothers, who are neither entirely good nor entirely evil! ]
[ It is said that the inspiration for these cartoon characters comes from the Watchmaker's personal experiences. ]
[ According to Clockie scholars, the real-life prototypes of the Hanu Brothers once had a deep friendship with the Watchmaker, existing as comrades-in-arms. ]
[ You can leap into the world of the Hanu Brothers through the television at the entrance and spend a wonderful and thrilling story with them—wishing you a successful completion! ]
At the entrance, the guide explained the detailed information about the stage as usual.
[ Since it's a trial of gunfire….. we should be able to solve the problem with combat, right? ]
[ I hope it won't waste too much of our time. ]
Hotaru said to Stelle, and then they walked onto the stage together.
[ Are you ready? ]
[ One, two, three….. ]
In front of the television, after Hotaru counted to three, they both touched the television together.
Afterward, they both transformed into Brother Hanu.
[ Are we... controlling this, Brother Hanu together? ]
Hotaru's voice sounded somewhat amazed.
[ Very good, everyone. It looks like you've got the hang of it quickly! ]
[ In this episode of "Little Hanu's Operation," Boss Stone has assembled a fleet and is preparing to attack Dreamville! ]
[ Cousin Wolf and Bomb-Head are also restless.... ]
[ The old fly, the brave Brother Hanu, must repel them and protect their home! ]
[ However, the current Brother Hanu is unarmed and cannot fight the villain legion at all. ]
[ For this, Brother Hanu is preparing to seek help from the Puzzle Gentleman. Hurry and go talk to it! ] 』
『 ....』