"Hello, everyone! Your beloved Sparkle is finally here!"
A lively and charming girl appeared on stage as the spotlight focused. One might assume such a girl would be gentle and kind. Well, she was certainly lively, but "gentle and kind" were not words one would use to describe her.
In the world of ACG, girls named Hanabi (Sparkle) were usually cute, like a certain little sister-in-law from Naruto... But this one was the most dangerous of them all. Why? Because she was a psychopath.
Her hobbies included blowing things up and causing general mayhem. She was the poster child for the Masked Fools' terrible reputation. Mo Wang decided to give her a new nickname: "The Jade-Faced Grenade King."
"My, my, you've all kept me waiting for so long," she said, feigning tears. "Lord Aha and Sister Vita were on stage for so long, and so many interesting things happened. Did you all forget about little old me? I'm so heartbroken."
Anyone who knew her knew the tears were fake. If you fell for that, you weren't worthy of being a Masked Fool.
"Now, now, how could we forget our adorable little sister Sparkle?" Vita said with a smile, helping her up.
"Really, Sister Vita? You didn't forget me?"
"Of course not. Who could forget someone as cute as you?" Vita's eyes, however, were wary. She knew that tears from Sparkle usually meant trouble.
"That's great!" Sparkle's tears vanished in an instant, replaced by a radiant smile. "I knew you wouldn't forget me! Now then..."
"Actually, we did forget."
"Who's Sparkle again?"
"Isn't this a newcomer welcoming party? Why are all these weirdos on stage?"
"If there's nothing else, I'm leaving."
Mo Wang's bored voice cut through the air. He was slouched in his chair, his mask unable to hide his utter lack of interest.
Holy crap, brother, you... The people around him were stunned. The greatest insult to a Masked Fool was to be called "boring." It was a complete and utter repudiation of their entire being.
And to say it to Sparkle, the infamous pyromaniac... was he trying to get himself blown up?
But Mo Wang was fearless. A bratty little gremlin like her? If she dares to come at me, I'll pin her down and teach her a lesson.
On stage, Sparkle's expression froze. Vita and Aha instinctively took a step back. The dark aura around her was so thick, she looked like she was about to turn into a human bomb.
"You... you said Sparkle was boring?"
"What else? Who wants to watch a crazy person blow things up all day? Your act is only interesting to you. A Masked Fool who can only entertain themselves? You should just quit!"
Mo Wang's words shocked the crowd into silence. They all instinctively moved away from him. This guy wasn't just brave; he was insane.
Aha just watched, a look of amusement on her face. This is interesting. My most prized Masked Fool versus the fan-favorite. This is better than anything I could have planned!
"My, my, that's a scary look on your face, little sister," Mo Wang taunted. "But I'm tired of your act. It's always bombs, bombs, bombs. The essence of a Masked Fool is 'foolishness,' not 'madness.' You're just a madwoman pretending to be an artist."
"You... how dare you say that to Sparkle?!" she shrieked, her voice trembling with rage. "Do you know who Sparkle is?! Do you know how powerful Sparkle is?!"
"Powerful? Hahaha!" he roared with laughter. "Is threatening people with bombs 'powerful'? That's not power, that's a tantrum! A true Masked Fool uses wit and humor, not violence. You're a disgrace to the organization!"
"You... you..." Sparkle was shaking with rage, her smile completely gone, replaced by a twisted snarl. "Mo Wang! I challenge you to a fight! Sparkle will show you what true 'power' is!"
"A fight? Fine. But I hope you have more tricks up your sleeve than just throwing bombs. If you come at me, I'll wipe the floor with you and show you what a true 'fool' is!"
"You're dead!" Sparkle was seeing red. She was about to charge off the stage.
"Calm down, Sparkle!" Vita grabbed her. "We're all Masked Fools here, let's not fight!"
"Yeah, he's just got a big mouth. You're his senior, you should be more tolerant," Aha added, holding out a bomb to her.
The crowd watched, mesmerized. This is amazing! A rookie, challenging Aha's authority and then going head-to-head with Sparkle?! This is the best show I've seen in years!
They all pulled out popcorn and soda, tears of joy streaming down their faces. This rookie gets my vote for Best Newcomer, no matter what.
"He's not just a big mouth! He's insulting Sparkle!" she snarled, trying to break free from Vita's grasp. "Let me go! I'm going to teach him a lesson!"
"Little M, you should tone it down a bit," Vita said, looking at Mo Wang with a mixture of exasperation and amusement.
"Me? I'm just speaking the truth! If all the Masked Fools were like her, we'd be a laughingstock! I'm trying to save the organization!" He was on a roll now, determined to verbally annihilate the bratty gremlin.
"You... you..." Sparkle was speechless.
"What? Cat got your tongue? Come at me!" he taunted.
"Little M! You're dead!" She finally broke free, a bomb already in her hand. "Sparkle will show you the true meaning of 'explosive art'!"
"So you finally snapped?" Mo Wang remained seated, unconcerned. "Go ahead, throw it. But just a reminder, this is Lord Aha's mental space. If you break it, They'll be very angry~" He gave Aha a look.
What? I have a part to play in this too? Aha thought. Hajimo, you've done well!
"Ahem, Sparkle-chan, he's right. If you blow this place up, we won't have anywhere to hold our next meeting. And it won't even hurt him. Be a good girl, and I'll buy you a lollipop later."
"You... you two!" Sparkle sputtered. They were ganging up on her!
"Don't listen to him, he doesn't appreciate your art," Vita said, patting her back. "Everyone else loves your performances."
"Really?" Sparkle looked up, her eyes watery.
"Of course! See? They're all applauding for you," Vita said, and sure enough, the crowd was cheering.
"Hmph! See? Everyone loves Sparkle!" she said, puffing out her chest.
"Oh? Is that so?" Mo Wang said lazily. "Or do they just enjoy watching you argue with people?"
"You... you bastard!" Sparkle's smile vanished. "You're dead!"
"Here we go again," he sighed.
"Alright, that's enough!" Vita said, exhausted. "If you two keep fighting, the whole event will be ruined!"
"Hmph!" Sparkle grumbled, but she lowered the bomb.
"That's better," Vita said, relieved. "Now, for our next, even more exciting event!" She shot a look at Aha.
"Oh, right! The main event!" Aha, having finished two tubs of popcorn, finally stood up.
They gave Mo Wang a mysterious smile, and he felt a sudden chill. Oh no. I'm not getting out of this, am I?