Sword Art Online.
"Uh… her dance partner wouldn't be Acheron, right?" Asuna frowned slightly. "That would be heading straight into hell…"
Kirito sat beside her, his black coat casually draped over the back of the chair. He looked at the faint smile on Black Swan's lips and gently shook his head: "It's not that terrifying though, is it? Miss Acheron's attitude is still relatively friendly. Hmm, if I had to make a comparison… she's like a relatively friendly but extremely powerful NPC? That dance only happened because Black Swan actively peeked into Acheron's memories. Otherwise nothing would have occurred."
"That does seem to be the case…" Asuna carefully recalled. During that dance, Acheron indeed hadn't shown any active malice. If she had shown even a little… Black Swan probably wouldn't have been able to participate so intact in the cooperation with the Express crew.
Black Swan being crushed in Acheron's memories felt more like them as players accidentally stepping into a high-level boss's territory and being casually killed by the traps in that domain.
"However, what's happening now should be before she reached cooperation with Stelle. Black Swan should have already made contact with Himeko. Her dance partner… is probably the Express crew."
Kirito smiled: "Compared to the straightforward Express crew, this group of Masked Fools operates too much in the shadows. If it were me, I probably wouldn't dare cooperate with someone like Sparkle."
"I've roughly figured out her style… If she claims she wants to perform on stage, I suspect she'd find a way to kick me onto the stage while hiding herself sneakily. Then once I've attracted enough audience attention, she'd drop a bomb and send all of us back to reality."
——
[White Day Dream Hotel.]
[Amber-colored lights cast a hazy glow on Sparkle's somewhat unhappy face. She sat at the bar swinging her legs, holding a glass of classic sparkling water in her hands, sighing repeatedly: "Sigh… seriously, it's not like I would actually do anything to her."]
["Forget about that Memokeeper. Let's talk about my business. I've done all the help I promised. According to our agreement—" Sampo paused. "It's time to return my [Mask] to me, right?"]
[Sparkle put on a serious thinking expression: "Since when do Masked Fools have to honor agreements?"]
[Sampo was stunned for a moment.]
[Seeing his somewhat dazed reaction, Sparkle let out a "pfft" laugh. Her laughter was like glass marbles accidentally spilled, tinkling and jumping across the dreamy bar counter.]
["—Hahaha, just kidding! I just love seeing that expression on your face. Here, take it. The key to the tavern cellar is in the third barrel on the left. Don't say I gave it to you."]
[But she curiously raised her head again: "However, Sampo… after so long, why did you suddenly remember to take back your mask? This doesn't seem like the you I know…"]
["Let me guess—the great catastrophe is coming to Jarilo-VI, right?"]
[Sampo put one hand on his waist and gently shook his head: "About that, no comment. But I really like a sentence you once said—'The good show is about to begin. Those who can't make it onto the stage can only retreat behind the curtains'—it makes a lot of sense."]
["Occasionally, old Sampo also wants to go on stage and make a fool of himself."]
[Sparkle turned around and said: "If you ever run out of options, remember to contact me. I value relationships a lot."]
["No thanks. You staying far away from Belobog would be the biggest help to me. After all, the [Elation] that Miss Sparkle pursues… Sampo really can't compliment it." After speaking, Sampo waved his hand. "I'm leaving. Say hello to Giovanni for me."]
["Got it. I was just saying it casually, don't take it seriously. One after another, all of you are like this…"]
["—Why take it so seriously?"]
——
Harry Potter.
The soil of the Forbidden Forest gave off a damp, earthy smell after the rain. Harry followed Hagrid with uneven steps, his boots constantly making "squelch" sounds as they sank into the mud. Hagrid's moleskin coat was also covered in mud, but he strode forward without caring, occasionally bending down to check the newly grown glowing mushrooms by the roadside.
"Hagrid, those Masked Fools might still have trump cards! Their masks are the trump cards!" Harry jumped over a fallen tree trunk while panting and excitedly shared his speculations about the people and events on the Celestial Screen. "If you ask me… they definitely have power hidden inside those masks!"
"And that Acheron, she's really too cool. She actually counterattacked the Memokeeper who was peeking at her memories and single-handedly wiped out Duke Inferno's mansion! This is simply—" Harry suddenly realized Hagrid hadn't said anything and unconsciously lowered his voice: "…Hagrid, are you listening?"
"Sorry, Harry. I haven't really paid much attention to what you're talking about." Hagrid pushed aside the blocking vines without looking back. "Compared to those Pathstriders inside who fight and kill all day, I still prefer the cute little creatures in the universe."
"Little creatures?"
Harry carefully recalled the animals Hagrid usually kept and suddenly had a bad feeling: "The little creatures you're talking about wouldn't be the real Blast-"
"Do I have such bad taste, Harry?" The two finally reached the hut. Hagrid pushed open the door studded with dragon teeth. "Come in and sit for a while."
As soon as he pushed the door open, Harry understood what Hagrid meant by "little creatures."
Besides the messily placed furniture, the most eye-catching things in the room were several plush toys in the corner—it was hard to imagine a giant like Hagrid liking such things. There was Pom-Pom, as well as the Woofers, Heliobi, and others.
Upon seeing the Pom-Pom plush toy, Harry's eyes immediately lit up.
"Quite interesting, right? That… rabbit?" When talking about his beloved magical creatures, Hagrid finally showed some interest. "I've never seen such a perfect creature! Long lifespan! Intelligence comparable to humans! And very cute appearance! I suspect Pom-Pom is some kind of mixed-blood alien rabbit, but unfortunately I can only observe through the Celestial Screen."
"But the most interesting one is this." Hagrid took out a basketball-sized Woofer plush toy. "This thing is selling like crazy in Diagon Alley. I barely managed to grab one. Many ladies like it a lot. It's a shame we can't contact the Herta Space Station. Otherwise, I would definitely apply to adopt one."