"Please welcome the number one beauty of the Masked Fools, Miss Vita!!!!"
A stunningly beautiful girl walked onto the stage to a round of applause.
Holy crap, it's really Vita? Mo Wang shrank back in his seat. This was worse than running into an old acquaintance; this was someone from his home world. If she recognized him, it would be social suicide.
Wait a minute, when did Vita become a Masked Fool?
"Huh? Miss Vita has been with us for years. You're new, right, brother? How do you know her?" the man beside him asked.
"Uh, we're not close. She's just... famous back home," Mo Wang said with an awkward laugh, glad that his mask was hiding his expression.
"I see. Well, a person like Miss Vita is bound to be famous everywhere."
And then it hit him. The crossover event! That's when she joined! How did that become canon?! Oh, right, they did meet in the main story...
If Mo Wang had to list the people he wanted to avoid most, Vita would be near the top. He didn't know much about her post-final-arc storyline, as he had found the Salt Snow Holy City arc to be incredibly boring.
But he did know that the big Vita was a classic "bad woman" archetype, and in the 2.0 storyline, she had inexplicably started causing trouble again, even deleting his male character account.
He had quit the game after that, so he had no particular fondness for her. But he had to admit, she was the only decent character MiHoYo had released in 2.0.
If Vita can be a Masked Fool, then why not my beloved Herrscher of Sentience? Is she not enough of a troll?
"Vita! Vita! Vita!!"
"Miss Vita, look over here!"
"Ah! Miss Vita smiled at me! I can die happy!"
The crowd went wild, their cheers even more enthusiastic than before. It seemed that even among a group of cosmic terrorists, a pretty girl was more popular than an old man. Can't argue with that.
And so, Mo Wang joined in, waving two glow sticks he had pulled from thin air. What? He didn't like her? When she was a meta-defining support character, it wasn't a matter of like or dislike; you either had her, or you couldn't play the game. So good!
"Ahem, I'm so jealous," Aha said, their mask morphing into a crying face. "To think Miss Vita would get such a reaction... even I, the great Aha, am envious."
"Shut up, you old fossil!" Mo Wang yelled, jumping to his feet. "Stop being so cringe! Even if you cry, you'll never be as cute as a pretty girl!"
"Get out of the way, you has-been! You're blocking our view!" he continued. "If you want to cry, turn into a cute girl first!"
"A... has-been?" Aha's mask turned a pale grey. "I, Aha, am a has-been idol?"
The entire auditorium fell silent. Everyone stared at the man in the V mask.
"Is this guy crazy?" the man next to him whispered. "He's talking to an Aeon like that?"
"Brother, my apologies for my earlier rudeness. May I ask your name?" he said, now looking at Mo Wang with a newfound respect.
"The name's Little M, the genius troublemaker."
"A pleasure, a pleasure. You've got guts, brother."
On stage, Vita raised an eyebrow, a faint smile on her lips. She seemed intrigued by this sudden outburst.
"Has-been... has-been idol..." Aha's mask began to crack.
"That's right! You're a has-been! If you want to be popular again, turn into a cute girl! Otherwise, no one wants to look at you!" Mo Wang yelled.
"Turn into... a cute girl?" Aha paused, a new, vibrant smiley-face mask appearing on their face. "Hahaha! Interesting! Very interesting! You're right! Cute girls are justice! Then I, Aha, will challenge Vita for the title of the number one beauty of the Masked Fools!"
A brilliant light enveloped Aha, and when it faded, a tall, beautiful girl stood in Their place, still wearing the smiley-face mask, but with a completely different aura.
"Well? Am I not more popular than Miss Vita now?" the new "Girl Aha" asked, twirling playfully.
The crowd erupted.
"Holy crap! Lord Aha really became a cute girl!"
"This is insane! But... They're actually kind of hot?"
"Lord Aha! No, Miss Aha! Please look at me!"
Even Mo Wang was stunned. "Holy crap... They actually did it."
Vita just laughed, amused by the whole spectacle.
Mo Wang fell into a deep thought. He had severely underestimated Aha's lack of shame. And he had to admit, while the girl on stage was attractive, it was the knowledge that she was actually Aha that made it... exciting.
It was like the Seven Archons in Genshin. It wasn't about whether they were strong or good-looking; it was about their status. The same applied to the Aeons. And now, seeing the dancing Girl Aha, he couldn't help but think of the white-haired loli Qlipoth...
Maybe I should write a light novel when I get back. 'My Aeon Girlfriend,' 'A Love Story Between Me and an Aeon,' 'Loving You for Three Thousand Years'... He'd probably get hunted down by a lot of people for that.
"Well? Am I still a has-been now?" Girl Aha asked, puffing out Their chest.
"Uh, I think something's still missing?"
"What?! What's missing?!"
"I mean, a performance this magnificent should be recorded and shared with all the other Aeons and factions! Only by showing our enemies your true form can we bring more people into our family and spread the gospel of Elation!"
Holy crap! This guy is a genius! The crowd was in an uproar. That's right! Why should we keep Lord Aha's divine dance to ourselves?! It's a loss for the entire universe!
Those who hadn't been recording were now kicking themselves.
"Hey, you got that on video?"
"No, did you?"
"I did."
"Holy crap, give me a copy."
"Ten thousand credits. Non-negotiable."
"What?! You're scamming your own people?"
"Hey, it's a free market. And if you buy now, I'll throw in a Lord Aha figurine."
"Give me a hundred copies!"
"Hahahaha! See?! Cute girls are justice! Don't worry, my family, the show will go on! Let's get this party started!" Aha was about to launch into another performance.
"Um, Lord Aha, we're running out of time. Shouldn't we move on to the next guest?" Vita interjected. If this continued, Sparkle would never get to go on stage.
"Oh, right. My performance will have to wait. I'll just have to show my old friends the video later," Aha said.
Mo Wang sighed. His stalling tactic had failed. Oh well. I wonder how many people will lose their minds when they see that video. Elation is a dangerous thing.
The lights dimmed once more, and this time, it was finally Sparkle's turn.