["Sparkle again? Is she that eager to write herself to death?"]
["Oh, in the name of the God of Elation, if you ruin my act again, I swear I'll kick your ass hard!" The sheriff got so anxious that even Sparkle's real voice leaked out.]
——
DC Universe.
"This Miss Sparkle's sense of humor reminds me of certain… old acquaintances in Arkham Asylum."
While watching Miss Sparkle's "performance" on the Celestial Screen, Bruce Wayne always felt an inexplicable sense of déjà vu. If she dared to come to Gotham City, this kind of "talent" would definitely be a guaranteed resident of Arkham Asylum.
Accompanied by the striking of the grandfather clock, Alfred stood at the study door holding a silver tray. Under the night sky, Penacony's lights and shadows passed through the stained glass, casting eerie color patches on the oak floor.
"Young Master, you wouldn't be thinking of that green-haired gentleman, would you?" The old butler gently placed the black tea on Bruce's desk. "Speaking of which, in terms of behavior style, this Miss Sparkle does share some similarities with him."
"You mean the Joker?" Bruce shook his head. "That guy at least has curtain calls, but this Sparkle doesn't seem to have any intention of ending her performance. Even after solving this murder case, she'll probably still pester Black Swan for the next one."
Alfred calmly put down the teapot: "But at least not as dangerous."
"That's true. The Joker seeks chaos and disorder, while these Masked Fools like Sparkle are just looking for some fun. As long as they don't actually blow up Penacony, Sunday should still be quite tolerant of them."
——
[The sheriff said that Sparkle was strangled to death while buying a tie, and the three suspects at the scene were still the old acquaintances Ayou, Zhong Shan, and Zoro.]
["Finally, based on surveillance footage, witness testimonies, and all kinds of messy evidence, the culprit must be among these three—and they are definitely not accomplices."]
[Sampo put his hands on his hips in annoyance: "You've completely given up on making it consistent, haven't you?"]
["Oh, in the name of the God of Elation, saying one more word to you would tarnish my noble and pure soul!"]
[After the deputy sheriff told Black Swan the information about the three old acquaintances, he urged her to go investigate. On the roadside, the two found a custom tie belonging to Sparkle, but there was no other evidence. It seemed to be hidden in the game console again just like last time.]
[Sparkle's mask suddenly appeared, using a coquettish tone: "Lady Sparkle doesn't want to disrupt the investigation~"]
["What a great 'doesn't want to disrupt the investigation.' Sparkle really is a law-abiding good citizen—then why doesn't she go turn herself in?"]
[The two transformed into the Hanu brothers and entered the game console world. Besides finding a small stool, there was also… a fish. Sampo fanned it away in disgust: "…What's this smell—why is there a smoked fish on the ground?"]
["Mr. Sampo, take a closer look… This is a fine [Smoked Red Herring]."]
[Sampo shivered and trembled: "Help, this joke is really too cold…"]
[Black Swan smiled with interest: "Even among the Fools I know, Miss Sparkle's sense of humor is quite unique."]
——
Teyvat.
"This not-very-funny joke reminds me of a… friend."
"Uh, me too…" Kaveh hesitated.
"You two are probably thinking of the same person. Let me guess… he probably really likes playing Genius Invokation TCG, right?" Alhaitham flipped through the book in his hands without lifting his head.
In the Sumeru Akademiya café, the moment Tighnari heard the word "joke," he felt the fur on his tail stand up one by one. The surrounding temperature unconsciously dropped by twenty degrees, giving a bone-chilling feeling.
"You know—"
A low youthful voice suddenly sounded at the door, like waterlogged wood in the rainy season that couldn't produce a crisp sound. This voice seemed to carry a biting chill, instantly making everyone present feel a chill down their spines.
"Why is Sparkle's red herring not popular with Sampo?"
A dark-skinned youth wearing a jackal-ear hood walked over slowly. The rhythm of his shoes stepping on the floor was like a countdown.
"—Because it would fill the scene with a 'fishy' (foolish) atmosphere." Cyno kept a straight face and seriously told his joke. "This is a new joke I just thought of. What do you think?"
"Uh…" Kaveh's entire face showed a dazed look after being brutally assaulted by the pun—he wanted to complain but didn't know where to start.
"…Cyno, when did you get here?"
"Hm, just now. When I was at the door about to come in, I saw the clue Sparkle left and got inspired." Cyno sounded somewhat proud. "By the way, what do you think of my joke just now? If it's good, I plan to tell the Traveler next time."
"It's a bit profound. I'm afraid only the God of Wisdom herself could understand it." Alhaitham lowered his head and took a sip of coffee. "If you get the chance to see the God of Wisdom next time, you might as well tell it to her first."
——
[The last piece of evidence was a ring. After collecting it all, Black Swan had already noticed that this puzzle was a bit strange and planned to report to the sheriff first.]
["Oh! In the name of the God of Elation! I didn't expect Detective Black Swan to come back so quickly! So, did you find the culprit?"]
["More or less." Black Swan said indifferently.]
["Oh~ As expected of Detective Black Swan. You're as sharp as the nest of magpies on the garage roof of my Uncle Frank's house!"]
[Sampo couldn't help laughing: "Wow, you directly switched to a different bird species."]
[Black Swan handed the tie to the sheriff, stating that there was no culprit in this murder case at all. According to the sheriff, Sparkle's cause of death was being strangled by the anti-theft device in the tie. Before dying, she swallowed the ring to keep her breathing clear… In short, her death was extremely abstract.]
[Sampo frowned: "Uh… isn't this not quite right? This is too simple, isn't it? Although the first case wasn't hard either, this one…"]
[Black Swan said this was one of Sparkle's pranks. No matter how the evidence was submitted, it would be considered correct.]
["Why take it so seriously? Lady Sparkle is a Masked Fool, not a Masked Genius. If you want a challenging puzzle, please turn right and go to the Erudition Society. We only provide fully entertaining reasoning experiences!"]
[After speaking, he shared the next puzzle with the two.]
[Along the way, Sampo couldn't help saying: "It really is just like you said. Solving the puzzles is just a front. That girl is purely using us for fun. What now? Are we just going to keep being led by the nose?"]
["Miss Sparkle is truly an interesting person. Her heart seems chaotic, yet it is also very easy to understand. She is like an actor on stage, and also like a child craving to be watched."]