JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind.
"Ah? S-She died just like that?"
Mista widened his eyes. He didn't expect Sparkle, who had been active the whole time, to die so easily in such a "comical" way… and inside a trash can no less.
"Isn't this too strange? In the dreamscape, besides that ugly guy with lots of eyes that looks like a Stand who can truly 'kill' people, can humans do it too?"
"…But this Black Swan probably can't be considered human anymore, right?"
Trish showed a puzzled expression. In her impression, Black Swan seemed different from the others. She didn't understand what they meant by "meme," but from the context of the conversation… it was probably something similar to a ghost?
A woman who could turn into a ghost, whom others couldn't see or touch, and could freely enter and exit dreamscapes—killing someone in a dream didn't seem unimaginable.
Fugo narrowed his eyes: "But if you die in the dream, your body would wake up in reality. I suppose Miss Sparkle is probably rubbing her eyes in the White Day Dream Hotel right now?"
"…That's true, but only if the Sparkle in the dream disperses into dream bubbles, right?"
After Trish said this, everyone finally noticed that the "Lady Sparkle's corpse" on the Celestial Screen had not disappeared. From beginning to end, the girl remained quietly leaning against the base, as if asleep.
"This is… faking death, right?"
Mista held his chin, carefully observing the girl, and curled his lips: "If this girl wasn't so noisy and stayed quiet, she'd actually be quite cute… Anyway, she's much cuter than a certain someone who calls herself a 'lady.'"
"Giorno… Can I hit him here?"
Trish gripped the tissue tightly, her manicured nails almost digging into her palm.
"Um… Polnareff is still resting upstairs. Just don't disturb him."
——
["H-How is this possible?! How could someone die in Penacony's sweet dream? What did you do, you from the Garden of Recollection?!"]
[Sampo immediately panicked and began accusing Black Swan. "You did it, didn't you? Killing in dreams… only the power of [Remembrance] can do that! You planned it from the beginning. Just because she teased you, you wanted to kill her to silence her!"]
["There is no death in Penacony's sweet dreams. This is The Family's promise, and also the protection of [Harmony]. Even a Memokeeper cannot break this barrier." Black Swan said unhurriedly. "There's no need for such grand gestures. If you only wanted to confirm this… I have already given you the answer, Miss Sparkle."]
["Miss… Miss Sparkle? Who are you talking to?"]
["You, of course."]
["The other character that Sparkle disguised herself as… isn't that you? Mr. 'Sampo'?"]
[Black Swan combined the skipped locked-room murder case and after some simple reasoning, she believed she had understood Sparkle's hint—that the culprit was the [Detective Assistant].]
[Sampo's tone suddenly turned cold: "Has anyone ever told you that you seem more like a detective than a Memokeeper." But he slowly shook his head, indicating that Black Swan's reasoning was infinitely close to the truth… However, he still had another answer here.]
[The detective assistant who proved her death was not the real culprit, but an accomplice who helped her "fake her death."]
[At this moment, the "corpse" that had been silent suddenly stood up, smiling as she looked at Black Swan: "Darling, the correct answer is—Lady Sparkle's corpse! Sparkle disguised herself as 'Lady Sparkle's corpse'!"]
[Black Swan let out a "pfft" laugh, indicating that although it was a bit deliberately emphasized, it was still acceptable. She looked at Sampo: "Then… what about this Mr. Sampo?"]
[Sampo bowed slightly: "Beautiful lady, I confessed to you from the beginning—I really don't know anything. I was just helping a friend deliver a letter."]
[Sparkle smiled as she walked to Black Swan's side: "Darling, why take it so seriously? You take [Remembrance], I harvest [Elation]. We can each get what we need from each other. Since we get along so well and both of us are alone… why not travel with me and dance a duet together?"]
——
KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World!
"The Memokeeper seems to be very popular wherever she goes in Penacony. Even a Fool couldn't resist inviting her to cooperate." Kazuma sprawled on a bench in the Adventurer's Guild. "As expected, a big sister who is beautiful, wise, and full of power is hard currency no matter where she goes!"
"Power? But she looked quite miserable when Acheron plucked her feathers? Did you forget?" Aqua suddenly interjected from the side.
"Hey hey hey… Aren't you mistaken? The one plucking feathers was an Emanator! With one slash from her, the Demon King of our world would still owe her twenty lives! Whoever provokes that kind of monster suffers. Just like how failing an exam against the top student in the grade doesn't mean your grades are bad, right? What if you're second in the grade?"
"That makes sense… It's mainly because the last dance almost completely ruined this big sister's image, so I'm still a bit uncomfortable."
Kazuma coughed lightly: "Then you'd better adapt quickly. I suspect that if one day The Family makes her unhappy, she could wipe out The Family with a single slash. She already wiped out one Duke Inferno. There's no guarantee she won't target other factions."
——
["…Although I don't understand why you are so obsessed with breaking The Family's barriers. But as I said, a Memokeeper cannot help you. Please find someone more capable." Black Swan looked up at Sampo beside her. "Besides, I don't think you are lonely. Oh, I don't mean him, but the one behind you…"]
["The one who hired you to come to Penacony probably doesn't want you secretly interacting with other factions, right?"]
[Sparkle immediately became interested, the corners of her lips slightly raised: "…How did you know?"]
[Black Swan's smile deepened: "Although memories are like deep seas, trying to catch two fish with one net… the fish in the sea may not suit your taste, you know?"]
["So you mean, you're rejecting me?"]
[More and more people gathered in front of Clockie's statue, completely surrounding Black Swan. The smile remained on Sparkle's lips, but the light in her eyes had completely cooled: "Memokeeper… do you think you can leave safely?"]
["Why wouldn't I be able to?" There was not the slightest panic on Black Swan's face.]
[Seeing the intimidation fail, Sparkle immediately put on a shallow smile again: "Darling, I won't scare you anymore. You will know the answer sooner or later! Let's consider this a shallow acquaintance today. Whenever you change your mind, come find me at the tavern—provided you can find it, haha!"]
[She turned around: "Let's go, Sam… Sam… po?"]
[Sparkle frowned, her little face full of confusion: "…Who is… Sampo…?"]
[Sampo was also dumbfounded. He realized this was no longer Penacony. Everyone present seemed unable to see Black Swan, allowing her to leave freely.]
["I said… why wouldn't I be able to?" Black Swan turned back to look at the two Fools staring at each other in confusion on the square. "Don't worry. Too crude methods go against my memory aesthetics. So once I leave everyone's sight, you will remember everything again. And…"]
["Sorry, darling. The dance partner I have in mind… I already have someone chosen."]