Chapter 66: Firefly, Hehe, My Firefly
[A beautiful girl thanked Stelle for her help and revealed her identity—Firefly, an artist from the Iris Family. Firefly noticed that Stelle, as a Nameless, was visiting Penacony for the first time.
To express her gratitude, she volunteered to be her guide as a local. Stelle naturally agreed happily, ready to explore under Firefly's guidance. Firefly gave an introduction to the Oti Mall before taking Stelle to a small shop, intending to treat her to some delicious food. "This place has most of Penacony's signature dishes—Clockie Pizza, Oak Cake Roll, Clover Salad… and the classic SoulGlad! Feel free to pick anything, it's on me!"
Stelle didn't hold back and bluntly stated that her spending habits were… a little high. Firefly took out all her savings, confident she could still afford it. Stelle walked away with 20,000 Credits after buying every single item on the menu. Carrying an armful of food back to Firefly, Stelle noticed her voice trembling slightly. "Ah… this… this…"
"...You've already ordered everything? You… have great taste! Haha… W-Well then, I'll pay now…"
After settling the bill, Firefly and Stelle continued their journey.]
[March 7th]:"You absolute monster!"
[Fu Xuan]:"For an ordinary person, 20,000 Credits is no small sum."
[Kiana]:"You spent all that sweet girl's money?! You absolute monster!"
[Stelle]:"Why do I feel guilty? I'm a monster!!"
Watching Firefly's trembling voice, even Stelle's icy heart melted. She wanted to ask her video-self—what kind of mindset led her to spend all of Firefly's savings?
[Firefly]:"It's fine, I offered to treat you. If you ever come to Penacony in real life, just buy me an Oak Cake Roll, okay?"
[Stelle]:"No problem! You can have anything you want! I've got deep pockets!"
[Qingque]:"If I recall correctly, isn't Miss Firefly a Stellaron Hunter? Do Stellaron Hunters not get paid?"
[Elio]:"Meow~ This cat knows nothing~"
[Pom-Pom]:"Miss Firefly could always come to the Astral Express, you know?"
[Elio]:"Wait—are you poaching right in front of me?!"
[Sampo]:"LOL! Keep it coming, I love this!"
[After finishing their meal, Firefly took Stelle on a tour of Penacony. They visited one of the planet's famous landmarks—the Clockie Statue! After explaining the history of the Clockmaker, Firefly personally took a photo of Stelle with the statue.
Next, they went to an observation deck overlooking the Penacony Grand Theater, another iconic structure. Then they arrived at the largest plaza in the Golden Hour—also the headquarters of SoulGlad Scions.]
[Stelle]:"Traveling with Firefly—heck yeah!"
[Kiana]:"Mei, I wanna go on a trip too!"
[Elysia]:"Traveling with a beautiful girl is truly one of life's greatest joys!"
[Silver Wolf]:"This makes me wanna visit Penacony too. Firefly, you better take me with you next time!"
[March 7th]:"If Firefly is a Stellaron Hunter, doesn't that mean her claim about being from the Iris Family was just a lie?"
[Stelle]:"No problem! I'll gladly be fooled!"
[Lingsha]:"Careful, or you'll be played like a fiddle by a femme fatale~"
[Stelle]:"I don't mind! Woof woof!"
[Kafka]:"The internet isn't lawless land. Behave yourself, darling."
[Just then, Firefly suddenly grew alert—someone seemed to be tailing them. To shake off their pursuer, she decided to take Stelle on a detour. They visited the Dreamplay Troupe, exchanged some tokens, and happily played around on the amusement rides.
After having their fill of fun, they rested at a drink bar. Stelle grew curious about why Firefly was leading her around so erratically. Finally, Firefly explained:
We're being followed.
She described the stalker based on her observations: "He's about 180 cm tall, give or take 2 cm. Well-built, clearly trained. His strides are long but make no sound when stepping—lightfooted. This kind of gait leaves no footprints..."
"...He seems skilled in combat—the covert kind. His palms are broad but his fingers are slender and dexterous. I'd guess he favors blades—daggers or short knives..."
Before she could finish, their stalker appeared. It was someone Stelle recognized—none other than "Sampo."
Strangely enough, Sampo mistook Firefly for March 7th.
After clearing up the misunderstanding, Sampo suggested he take Stelle and Firefly to experience some "adult entertainment," offering to show them around Penacony properly.]
[March 7th]:"Sampo, I misjudged you! How could you not recognize me?"
[Sampo]:"Whoa there, Miss March! You're misunderstanding ol' Sampo here! How could I ever forget you? Maybe… just maybe… that Sampo in the video isn't me?"
[Huohuo]:"...But what exactly is this 'adult entertainment' Sampo mentioned?"
[Tail]:"Kids shouldn't think about such things."
[Sunday]:"Let me clarify—Penacony has no such indecent activities!"
[Stelle]:"Firefly is amazing! She deduced Sampo's appearance just from those details!"
[Firefly]:"Well, I am a Stellaron Hunter—I have my skills."
[Stelle]:"But who is this Sampo really?"
[Dan Heng]:"Have you forgotten we have someone in this group who specializes in disguises?"
[Sparkle]:"Care to guess? Could it be little old me?"
[Stelle]:"Nope~ Not guessing~" [Sampo led them to the lower levels of the commercial district and used his connections to let them experience the "Little Hanno Adventure."
Stelle had a blast and let out a cool "Hmph!"
After completing a series of challenges and transforming into Hanno's sidekick, Stelle finally reverted to normal.
And let out another cool "Hmph!"]
[Stelle]:"This is 'adult entertainment'? Kinda disappointed."
[March 7th]:"Don't break the rules!"
[Kiana]:"This cartoon transformation thing looks so fun!"
[Bronya Zaychik]:"Bronya wants to turn into a Honkai beast."
[Theresa]:"...Honestly? Same."
[Kosma]:"..."
[Griseo]:"Kosma just made a very cool 'Hmph' sound."
[Qingque]:"How did you all translate so much meaning from a single line of ellipses?!"
[Elysia]:"With the help of this book—'100 Questions for the Silent Boy'—courtesy of your friendly neighborhood fairy!"
[Silver Wolf]:"...There's actually a book like that?"