Yes, Sparkle's first thought was how to increase her own bounty amount, rather than, like a normal person, thinking of every possible way to get the wanted notice lifted.
After all, no matter how you look at it, having people constantly 'thinking about you' when you're out and about isn't exactly a comfortable feeling.
"Sampo, what do you say… if we blow up the Interastral Peace Corporation's embassy right in front of those two 'Ten Stonehearts', wouldn't that be super fun?"
"Huh? This… this matter, your old Sampo will have to pass…"
Upon hearing Sparkle's words, old Sampo immediately broke out in a cold sweat on his forehead. Oh my little auntie, those are the 'Ten Stonehearts'—actual high-ranking members of the Interastral Peace Corporation, holders of the Preservation 'Cornerstone'.
Who knows if they brought their Cornerstones with them to Jarilo-VI this time? If they got provoked and actually used the Cornerstones, then he'd be in deep trouble.
Your old Sampo isn't Sparkle—he doesn't have her near-top-tier strength among Emanators under any Path. If things really turned into a fight, Belobog might very well become his burial ground.
"Um… Big Sis Sparkle, how about you go alone? This kind of fun, your old Sampo really can't handle it."
"Oh?" Hearing this, Sparkle raised an eyebrow, then looked at Sampo with the gaze of someone eyeing prey.
"I say, old Sampo, after just a few days without seeing you, how did you become so useless?"
The girl picked up the wine glass on the table, took a light sip, then a look of disdain appeared on her face.
"Ow, my dear auntie, please spare your old Sampo! You've already taken my mask, and now you're after my life too?"
At this moment, Sampo was truly on the verge of tears. What sin had he committed? Big Sis, you can't just keep fleecing the same sheep over and over!
"Tch, boring."
Sparkle uninterestedly pursed her lips. Realizing she could no longer get any emotional value from Sampo, she didn't continue to pester him.
"Fine, fine~ Since that's the case, I won't force old Sampo to come cause trouble at the company's embassy with me."
Hearing that Sparkle was no longer making him go along, Sampo let out a long breath of relief as if granted amnesty. But in the next moment, the girl's words made him raise his heart back into his throat again.
"But… old Sampo, you can't just contribute zero effort, right? After all, we're both Masked Fools, and your mask…"
At this point, a little-devil-like smile appeared on the girl's face, like a ferocious beast staring intently at its chosen prey.
"Old Sampo, you wouldn't want to never see your mask again, would you?"
...
"Jade-jie, are you sure that Masked Fool will come tonight?"
Inside the Interastral Peace Corporation's embassy, our Lady Jade was currently sitting in the seat that originally belonged to the 'Resident Representative of Jarilo-VI', while the original owner of this seat had long since been dismissed by Jade.
After hearing Topaz's words, Jade lightly narrowed her eyes, then showed an expression of complete confidence.
"She will definitely come. That Masked Fool will certainly show up."
"Masked Fools are different from ordinary people. If it were a normal person who learned they were wanted by the Interastral Peace Corporation, they would definitely try every means to prove their innocence and get rid of the wanted status."
"But Masked Fools are different. Not only do they not feel fear, they will even find ways to derive even more fun from it."
Topaz gently rubbed her chin, a thoughtful look flashing in her eyes. The girl was also intelligent; compared to Jade, she had simply spent less time as a 'superior', lacking experience.
But with Jade's guidance at this moment, she quickly understood the cause and effect of the situation.
"In other words, that Masked Fool named Sparkle will strike at the company again to raise her own bounty and gain even more fun from it."
The girl suddenly realized. Indeed, only by thinking from the perspective of a Masked Fool and using a fun-seeker's logic to deduce could one predict the other's moves.
So that was why Jade had urgently ordered the release of Sparkle's wanted notice—her guide was truly terrifying when thought about deeply.
"Hehe, just wait, little Topaz. Today or tomorrow—at most three days—that Masked Fool will definitely come knocking."
...…
Penacony… in the room where the Astral Express crew was staying…
'Whoosh—!'
As Firefly summoned 'SAM', a scorching heat immediately rushed toward them, turning into a wave of hot air that enveloped everyone present.
"Ugh… What's going on? I suddenly can't open my eyes…"
Little March used her arm to shield her eyes, doing her best to resist the scorching gust blowing at her.
"Six-Phased Ice, manifest!"
With a soft exhale from the girl, blue energy representing the Path of Preservation surged out, enveloping her entire body for protection. Of course, the girl didn't forget to also shield her nearby Fan, even if he probably didn't need it.
Meanwhile, Himeko and Stelle, who were directly opposite Firefly, weren't so lucky. Since the two were right in front of the girl, the scorching wave primarily covered that area.
If Himeko hadn't reacted quickly and summoned her drones to block in front, the two of them might have been blown to the ground by the intense airflow right now.
Seeing this scene from inside the mecha, Firefly felt a slight embarrassment in her heart. To be honest, this was the girl's first time summoning 'SAM' after becoming an Emanator of Causality.
Her control over the power wasn't perfect yet, which accidentally caused this little farce.
"Um, Miss Himeko, Stelle, are you two okay? I-I didn't mean to."
Firefly's voice was transmitted to the outside through the mecha, but to everyone's ears, it sounded extremely out of place.
How to put it… a magnetic robot suddenly speaking in a shy, girlish manner—no matter how you looked at it, it was an extremely mind-blowing thing, right?
"Cough cough, we're fine…"
Silently retracting her drones, our Navigator lady couldn't help but feel a sense of frustration in her heart.
She hadn't expected that just the aftershock of the other's transformation would nearly knock her over. Was the gap between ordinary Pathstriders and Emanators really that huge?
With a faint bitter smile, Himeko raised her head to look at the cyberpunk-style mecha in front of her: silver-white armor, a core emitting green flames, and that sci-fi movie-like mecha appearance…
"So that's how it is. So Miss Firefly, you are the Stellaron Hunter—SAM."