Chapter 68: A Date with Firefly
[What Sampo wanted to convey to Stelle through the dream—this dream bore a striking resemblance to present-day Penacony. "A bunch of scheming people crammed onto a tiny stage, none willing to step into the spotlight, so they push the poor little gray-haired one to the front—"
"Don't be fooled by alluring fluorescence.
If you fall into the hands of that kind of person... I'd be extremely disappointed."
"Fluorescence? What are you referring to?"
"See that girl? Is she still around now?"
"Take my advice—if you have questions, hurry and confront that girl. Don't let her slip away with her tail between her legs, haha."
Soon after, Sampo left, as if he had only come to warn Stelle.]
[Stelle]: "This Sampo is an imposter. His true motives definitely aren't that simple."
[Yunli]: "Not a single word about Firefly possibly deceiving you!"
[Stelle]: "I believe Firefly wouldn't harm me. Besides, I've already gotten to know her in the group chat. It's perfectly reasonable for a Stellaron Hunter to conceal her identity for a mission, right?"
[Silver Wolf]: "Uh... Firefly hasn't even explained yet, and you're already deceiving yourself."
[Kiana]: "No matter what, I'll always believe in Mei!"
[Raiden Mei]: "Why bring that up all of a sudden?"
[Bronya Zaychik]: "I suddenly miss Seele."
[After searching for a while, Stelle found Firefly standing before a patch of plants. Though Stelle didn't doubt Firefly, she still wanted the truth. Firefly admitted she had been hiding something, but nearly everything she had said was true.
Afterward, Firefly wanted to take Stelle somewhere else—not a tourist spot, but her secret hideout. "There... I'll tell you everything I know... as much as I can."
Just like before, Firefly led the way while Stelle followed behind. Along the path, however, Stelle suddenly heard Clockie calling for help. It was only then that Clockie realized Stelle could actually see him. But Firefly couldn't perceive him at all—to her, Clockie talking to Stelle just looked like Stelle muttering to herself. Clockie told
Stelle: "Only straightforward, pure-hearted children with childlike innocence can see me."
After relaying this to Firefly, Firefly pouted in frustration: "...How am I not straightforward, pure-hearted, or innocent enough...?!"]
[Kiana]: "I can see Clockie right now—does that mean I'm straightforward, pure-hearted, and innocent?"
[Bronya Zaychik]: "Idiot Kiana, we can all see him in the video!"
[Herta]: "A being only visible to specific individuals must be a special type of Meme entity."
[Silver Wolf]: "Firefly, you're even taking Stelle to your secret base now?"
[March 7th]: "You two, seriously!"
[The situation was urgent. Following Clockie's lead, Stelle arrived at the scene—Misha and Acheron were surrounded by a group of people and seemed to be in grave danger.
Strangely, though Stelle recognized both of them, Firefly and the group completely ignored Misha. But with no time to dwell on it, Stelle used Clockie's "Clockie Trick" and easily rescued Acheron and Misha from the encirclement. During their conversation, Acheron told Stelle: "Not long after parting with you, I stumbled into a ball. A lady in black veil invited me for a dance... It was my first time dancing. A truly unforgettable experience."
After some more discussion, Stelle continued her date with Firefly.]
[Black Swan]: "From that description, it seems Miss Acheron danced with me."
[Black Swan]: "Miss Acheron, would you be willing to share a dance with me in reality as well?"
[Acheron]: "I look forward to it."
[Kiana]: "I want to see Mei dance too!"
[Dan Heng]: "As expected... Even Miss Firefly can't see Misha."
[Fu Hua]: "In that case, there must be some secret regarding Misha."
Fu Holmes deduced.
[Clockie]: "Tick-tock! Misha is a good kid!"
[March 7th]: "Clockie, can I learn the Clockie Trick too?"
March 7th had been itching to try it ever since seeing Stelle dominate with it in the video.
[Clockie]: "I don't know! If you come to Dreamville and can see me, then give it a try! I'll teach you!"
[March 7th]: "This lady is definitely straightforward, pure-hearted, and innocent!"
[After bidding farewell to Acheron and Misha, Stelle proceeded toward Firefly's secret base. They boarded a bubble ball machine, arrived at a manhole cover, and then—two beauties crawled right into the sewer together.
Stelle had initially worried about the social embarrassment of crawling into a sewer in broad daylight...
But Firefly reassured her: In dreams, anything can happen—people here are already used to seeing such things. To demonstrate, Firefly went down first. Naturally, Stelle followed right after.]
[March 7th]: "Stelle, you were completely unfazed rummaging through trash cans in Belobog in front of everyone—why is crawling into a sewer suddenly embarrassing?"
[Stelle]: "Are trash cans and sewers the same thing?"
[Kiana]: "Aren't they? With everyone watching, both seem pretty embarrassing to me."
[Honkai Star Rail - Welt]: "Stelle, your reputation has reached my hometown."
[The scene shifts elsewhere—Sparkle calls out Aventurine, who had been tailing her: "Your way of getting a girl's attention is by blatantly stalking her for half a system hour?"
Aventurine steps out after being caught: "To be precise—forty-five minutes.
Time flies when you're having fun, doesn't it?"
Sparkle chuckles as she approaches Aventurine and begins mocking him with sarcastic remarks. Yet no matter how much she taunts him, he remains unshaken, his tone still perfectly amiable. This time, however, Sparkle is here to provide information—albeit in riddles. "[Making friends with mutes]... What a hassle. Looks like I'll have to deal with [The Family] again."]
[Qingque]: "Sparkle's aggression is next-level! Even the Master Diviner pales in comparison."
[Fu Xuan]: "Qingque! You—you slacker!"
[Stelle]: "I see it now—her aggression doesn't hold a candle to Belobog's traffic lights."
[Honkai Star Rail - Welt]: "Still doesn't compare to Tesla."
[Honkai Impact - Welt]: "True!"
[Silver Wolf]: "Now I get why Aventurine is one of the Stonehearts—that defense is insane. Not even a scratch."
[Aventurine]: "For a gambler, emotional stability is key."