"Hey, aren't you going to wake up yet?"
"If you don't wake up soon, I might just pluck all your hair out."
Looking at Lady Sparkle, who remained utterly serene and unmoved despite Lumina's relentless prodding, Lumina couldn't help but feel a grudging admiration.
Impressive. How can she endure all this?
If not for the crowd around them, Lumina would have been tempted to test just how far Lady Sparkle's limits truly extended.
Don't misunderstand—I just want to see how flawless Sparkle's disguise skills are, nothing more. No other bold intentions whatsoever.
Lumina's hands continued to pinch Sparkle's cheeks, molding them into various expressions, which she then recorded on her phone.
While these embarrassing photos wouldn't faze Sparkle—a natural-born prankster—or the mischievous forces behind her, they would be utterly disastrous for Lumina.
As for exactly what that "utter disaster" entailed... well, if you know, you know.
"Aiya-ya, darling, you're not up to the task either."
"You were so close to getting the answer right!"
"But alas, the correct answer is..."
Finally, under the relentless groping of Lumina's "helpful" hands, the magnificent Lady Sparkle could endure no more. Though Black Swan hadn't quite finished her deduction, Lady Sparkle burst out, eager to reveal the answer.
Breaking free from Lumina's boundary-less clutches, Sparkle planted one hand on her hip and pointed triumphantly at Black Swan with the other, a triumphant grin spreading across her face. She was ready to deliver the final blow, a figurative slap across Black Swan's face with the truth!
But... just as Lady Sparkle's sakura-petal lips parted to speak, Lumina, feigning regret, preempted her, declaring:
"It's Lady Sparkle's corpse."
"It's Sparkle herself, disguised as her own corpse, isn't it?"
Sparkle: ...
Having revealed the answer, Lumina smiled faintly at Lady Sparkle, whose face had darkened considerably.
"Heh, I see now. Then who is this Mr. Sampo?" Black Swan couldn't suppress her glee at seeing Sparkle humiliated by Lumina, though she maintained a facade of composure, adopting an expression of dawning comprehension as she turned her gaze to Sampo, asking with feigned curiosity.
"Beautiful lady, I've been honest with you from the start. I truly know nothing of this. I was merely delivering a letter for a friend when I was inexplicably dragged into this scheme by someone claiming to be a 'partner'."
Sampo spread his hands, sighed, and said with feigned helplessness, "I'm just an ordinary person."
"So, I fell into the fools' trap right from the start," Black Swan realized, her sharp mind instantly piecing together the cause and effect.
"Hahaha! Hahaha, hahaha, ha..." Sparkle, watching Black Swan's expression shift, was filled with glee and burst into laughter.
But as she laughed, the memory of Lumina's earlier actions washed over her, instantly extinguishing her mirth.
Ignoring the fact that she groped my "corpse," the real outrage is that she stole my line! Sparkle fumed.
That was the climax of the entire play! And this goddamn saint just snatched it away!
Lady Sparkle, the Magnificent, is about to die of rage!
How did this goddamn saint even know the answer...?!
Sparkle glared at Lumina through gritted teeth, but Lumina, mistaking the glare for a wink, winked back.
Sparkle was momentarily stunned by Lumina's wink, freezing in place for a moment before realization seemed to dawn on her face. Her suspicious gaze swept up and down Lumina's form before settling into an expression of dawning comprehension.
"This annoying saint," she muttered, narrowing her eyes, "couldn't possibly have some peculiar fetish, could she?"
Sparkle recalled Lumina's earlier physical advances and her flirtatious wink. Could this annoying saint... have fallen for me?
The thought flashed through Sparkle's mind, her eyes darting around as if struck by a brilliant idea. A mischievous smile curled her lips into a charming arc as she purred sweetly at Lumina:
"Darling~"
"Want to dance with me?"
Sparkle bounced over to Lumina, wrapped her arm around Lumina's, and pressed her body intimately against hers.
In Lady Sparkle's sakura-colored eyes, innocence and purity shone like those of a naive little girl, untouched by worldly concerns.
"I'm sorry, dear Miss Sparkle, but I don't know how to dance," Lumina replied. "I'm afraid I can't join you for a partner dance."
While Lumina was somewhat surprised by Sparkle's actions, she also found them entirely reasonable, given the circumstances.
Although Lumina desperately wanted to accept Sparkle's invitation to dance immediately, she steeled herself and refused, adhering to her principle of casting a long line to catch a big fish.
"Ah? Is that so? What a pity," Sparkle said, her large eyes glistening with a hint of tears as she tightened her grip on Lumina's arm.
Hiss... Miss Sparkle, darling, you seem to be playing with fire.
To prevent herself from entering Berserk Mode, Lumina subtly withdrew her arm and shifted her feet, moving a step closer to Acheron.
"Ooh~" Noticing Lumina's subtle movement, Sparkle glanced at Acheron, then back at Lumina, her clever little head seeming to grasp something.
"If that's the case, I won't interrupt you, darling~ Enjoy your date with this Galaxy Ranger, Miss."
Sparkle smiled, waved, and left with Sampo.
Thanks to that annoying Saintess's interference, Sparkle's plan to recruit Black Swan had been half-ruined... Well, even without her interference, given Black Swan's attitude, she likely would have refused anyway.
In the end, Sparkle never voiced the words she had intended to say to Black Swan.
However... compared to Black Swan, Lady Sparkle had found a far more suitable "dance partner."
"Darling~ What kind of surprise will you bring me?"
Sparkle cast a sly glance at Lumina, already anticipating the spectacle that would unfold when Penacony's grand performance officially began...