["Hey."]
[A clear, cold female voice suddenly came from the doorway.]
[The two looked toward the sound and saw Acheron standing at the door, her purple eyes scanning back and forth between Stelle and Aventurine before finally settling on the more oppressive Aventurine.]
["What are you two doing in my room?"]
——
Demon Slayer.
"???"
Wind Pillar Shinazugawa Sanemi looked full of question marks.
…So whose room is it exactly?
"Could it be that Mr. Aventurine actually lied to Stelle about the room too? Just to cooperate with her?" Kocho Shinobu smiled with pursed lips: "Oh my~ With that posture and distance, it's really easy for people to have bad associations. I hope Miss Acheron doesn't misunderstand."
"B-But…"
Kanroji Mitsuri had almost all her attention focused on Aventurine, especially those eyes. She had never seen such beautiful and special eyes before. They were simply…
"Haven't you noticed how special Mr. Aventurine's eyes are? They look like they're glowing!" Her face suddenly turned red, and her pink-green braids swung back and forth with her excited movements.
Tomioka Giyu somehow appeared in the corridor and commented expressionlessly: "Indeed very special… Specially dangerous. Stronger pressure than a demon."
"Ara, Tomioka-san actually gave an opinion~" Kocho Shinobu covered her mouth with her sleeve and chuckled lightly. "But it's true. Mr. Aventurine's gaze is like a venomous snake that wants to swallow its prey whole. Oh, wait…" Kocho Shinobu suddenly thought of something. "Miss Acheron and Stelle met in the dream, so they're somewhat acquaintances. Could she be here to help Stelle out because she saw Stelle being pressured by Aventurine?"
"That makes sense and fits the style of a Galaxy Ranger." Rengoku nodded. "Although Aventurine appears very domineering, in the end he's just a high-level company executive with no real power. As a Galaxy Ranger, Acheron's skills… everyone has seen them."
When they said "seen them," everyone fell into silence at the same time. Honestly, they hadn't seen clearly at all how Acheron drew her blade.
That woman… she couldn't be stronger than Jingliu, right?
——
["…Your room?" Aventurine seemed a bit slow to react.]
[Acheron didn't speak, simply staring at him silently.]
[The atmosphere in the room instantly became subtle.]
["…"]
[After a long silence, Aventurine finally spoke and praised Stelle: "Impressive, friend. You've only been in Penacony for a short while and you've already learned to invite people to join you."]
["Don't misunderstand. I just wanted to remind you — this place is full of mixed characters, and there are too many people with bad intentions. Remember to be careful, for example… remember to close the door."]
[After speaking, Aventurine left the room.]
[Now only Stelle and Acheron remained in the room. After staring at each other silently for a while, Acheron asked curiously: "…Why aren't you leaving?"]
["…Huh?"]
[Seeing Stelle's reaction, Acheron also became puzzled and lowered her head to think: "…Did I enter the wrong room? That shouldn't be. Before I spoke up to interrupt you, I double-checked the room number…"]
["Could it be the wrong wing… No, maybe the wrong floor number too? Sorry, this hotel is too big, and the corridors look very similar. It's easy to lose your way if you're not careful…"]
[As she spoke, Acheron prepared to return to her own room, but before leaving, she had one question. This question might seem rude or strange to Stelle.]
["…Have we met somewhere before?"]
["Probably in the dream…" Stelle vaguely still remembered what that dream looked like.]
[Acheron raised her head as if realizing something: "…Right, the dream. On the way here I had a dream. In that dream there seemed to be your figure… It felt like some thought flashed through my mind…"]
——
Harry Potter.
In the Transfiguration classroom, the afternoon sunlight slanted in through the high windows, making the floating dust sparkle. Professor McGonagall was tapping the blackboard with her wand, explaining the key points of turning a hedgehog into a pincushion. Her sharp gaze swept across the classroom.
Harry held his textbook upright in front of him, pretending to take notes diligently, but his eyes kept glancing at the ceiling — on the Celestial Screen, Acheron and Stelle had met again, yet she seemed to have no impression of it.
"Hermione." Harry lowered his voice and leaned closer. "Her memory… doesn't it remind you of someone?"
"Who?" Hermione bit the end of her quill, her brows tightly furrowed. "I don't see who she resembles. Harry, do you mean… she's under something like a 'Memory Charm'?"
"Do you remember the cosmic locust plague?" Harry said excitedly, accidentally raising his voice. "That Self-Annihilator! That army leader! His memory only lasts three days. Maybe it's similar to Acheron—"
"Mr. Potter!"
Professor McGonagall's voice struck like thunder. Harry sat up straight abruptly, and his textbook fell onto the desk with a "thud." The whole class turned to look. Ron kicked him under the table.
"It seems you have already mastered the Hedgehog Transfiguration Spell to perfection." Professor McGonagall pushed up her glasses, her eyes behind the lenses flashing dangerously. "Why don't you come up and demonstrate it for us?"
Harry's face turned red as he slowly walked to the platform. As he stood up, Hermione whispered urgently beside him: "The key point is on the hedgehog's back! Harry! Don't rush!"
Professor McGonagall handed him a trembling hedgehog: "Begin, Mr. Potter."
Harry raised his wand, took a deep breath: "Uh… Transfiguration Spell?"
A blue light flashed. The hedgehog did turn into a pincushion — except it was a pincushion covered in sharp spikes, looking even more dangerous than before the transformation.
Some students below couldn't help but chuckle. Professor McGonagall glared at them sternly.
"It seems some students' minds have flown off to the Celestial Screen." She said coldly. "Detention tonight, Mr. Potter. Practice until you can produce a proper pincushion."
Harry returned to his seat dejectedly. Ron patted his shoulder sympathetically.
"Harry, I just thought about it. I think what you said makes a lot of sense." Hermione immediately leaned over and lowered her voice. She pushed the conclusion she had written on parchment toward Harry. "Maybe Miss Acheron really is related to the Self-Annihilator. But the problem is, can a Self-Annihilator become a Galaxy Ranger?"
Harry was about to answer when Professor McGonagall's voice rang out again: "Miss Granger! Do you want to come up and demonstrate as well?"
Hermione's face turned bright red instantly as she quickly covered her mouth.