"Mmm—finally, we're here. The Family's entry process is way too much. We went through over a dozen checks on the way in, and they searched our luggage four or five times…"
At the front desk of The Reverie Hotel, March 7th let out a huge yawn and grumbled under her breath.
"I was starting to wonder if they wanted to dig out your Stellaron and take a look at that too…"
"At least for now, the Stellaron's mood is still stable." Stelle folded her arms. "But the one they checked the hardest was probably Corruption-chan, right?"
"I don't know why, but the Family's inspection process for energy lifeforms is so absurdly long that I'm starting to wonder if it'd be faster for Corruption-chan to skip the energy form and go through the companion pet check as a Swarm King instead…"
"Ehehe… I wouldn't mind being Lynelle's pet…"
"Dummy, don't say things people could misunderstand!" Lynelle saw Misha walking toward them and quickly knocked Corruption-chan on the head.
Misha might not have Mikhail's memories yet, but she still didn't want to leave some strange first impression on this great senior Nameless.
"Welcome to The Reverie Hotel! My name's Misha. If you'd like to check in, please head to the front desk. If you need help carrying your luggage, you can call me anytime."
"It's the kid from the dream…" Stelle paused for a moment as pieces of that dream seemed to flash through her mind. With a hint of curiosity, she began chatting with Misha.
"Then I'll go check on Himeko and Mr. Yang first?" March turned to Lynelle.
"Yeah, go ahead. Stelle might be talking for a while." Lynelle nodded, then lowered her voice. "That blue-haired kid might be a huge Astral Express fan, you know? Look, there's a tiny ticket mark on his necktie."
"Huh? You're right…" March froze. "But I remember Pom-Pom saying this style of special pass is only owned by Nameless who've been aboard the Express… At least, I don't think anyone would make a fake of something like that, right?"
"Could that kid be some hidden member of the crew too?"
"Who knows?" Lynelle blinked. "Maybe it's just like you said. Or maybe some people simply copied the ticket and turned it into a souvenir…"
"Mmm, it is kind of hard not to think about… Forget it. I'll ask Himeko later." March didn't dwell on it and walked straight toward the hotel front desk.
A few minutes later, though, March 7th came rushing back with a nervous look on her face.
"Lynelle, Stelle, Corruption-chan… There're a lot of people gathered at the desk. Himeko and the others look like they're in trouble!"
"Very sorry, Miss Himeko…"
By the time everyone reached the front desk, they happened to hear the troubled voice of Alley, the hotel receptionist.
"According to our records, the Astral Express has reserved four platinum guest rooms in total. They're under Mr. Welt Yang, Miss Himeko, Miss March 7th, and… Mr. Dan Heng. These are indeed the only four reservations we have."
"Uh…" Stelle froze, then nodded with a solemn look and tugged on Lynelle's sleeve. "Yes. I'm Dan."
Lynelle gave Stelle a strange look, then tilted her head. "Then… I'm Heng?"
"Yes. The two of them are Dan Heng." Corruption-chan put on a thoughtful expression. "So I should be Mister."
"This really isn't the time for jokes, you dummy!"
"Dan Heng… I see. When we replied to the Family, Lynelle and the others hadn't boarded the Express yet." Welt came to a realization.
"Here's the situation. Dan Heng can't come for the moment because of certain matters, and in the meantime, the Astral Express has welcomed several new Nameless. Would it be possible to add two more rooms for us, then transfer Dan Heng's room to Stelle's name?"
"These three children are new passengers of the Astral Express. I can vouch for their identities," Himeko said with a nod.
"That may be…" The receptionist looked troubled. "It's not that I doubt your identities, but the Charmony Festival is about to begin. At this time, I'm afraid it'll be difficult to arrange new rooms on short notice. Also, changing the room list at the last minute is somewhat complicated…"
"Uh, actually, Corruption-chan and I can stay in Herta's room… Then Stelle can take Dan Heng's room." Lynelle thought for a moment, then took out Herta's proof of authorization.
"If I remember right, members of the Genius Society are permanent VIP guests of the Family, so there should be a room reserved for Herta here too, right?"
"I'm her assistant, Lynelle. This is the proof she gave me earlier. If you doubt its authenticity, you can send an inquiry to The Blue right now."
"Ma-Madam Herta? This…"
The moment she heard Herta's name, Miss Alley seemed to think of something rather unpleasant.
For a brief second, her expression slipped out of her control. Still, her training as a service worker let her restore her attitude fast.
"I'm very sorry. To be safe, we do need to verify the authenticity of this letter. But Madam Herta's whereabouts are unpredictable, so I'm afraid you may need to wait a little longer…"
"Haha, why make it so troublesome?"
Just then, a voice came from behind them.
"Miss Alley, with the Charmony Festival so close, there's no need to waste time on something so meaningless. I can vouch for Miss Lynelle's identity. She's indeed Madam Herta's sole and very important assistant. This has long been recorded with the IPC, and her relationship with Herta is quite close."
"You are… Mr. Aventurine?"
Just as expected… He took the bait.
Hearing the voice behind her, the corners of Lynelle's lips curved up a little. Herta's proof could solve the problem, but unless she had no choice, Lynelle didn't want to cause trouble for Herta.
Besides, in this matter at least, someone else would be more anxious than she was.
That someone was Aventurine.
At the start of Penacony's events, Aventurine, who was more or less alone, would have to look for allies through every method he could and find a way to break into the Family's defenses.
In his plan, the Astral Express was an important piece.
Aventurine would line up behind the Astral Express on purpose and use that chance to get involved with them in a natural way.
But if Lynelle solved the whole thing using Herta's identity, his plan would fall apart completely. Any contact he tried to make with the Express afterward would feel forced.
So as long as Lynelle took out the proof, Aventurine would jump out before Alley could verify her identity and solve the matter himself.
Of course, that alone probably wouldn't be enough to justify his contact with the Express. He'd surely find some other reason too…
"Indeed. I'm Aventurine, humble as I am, of the IPC's Strategic Investment Department. I'm a Non-Performing Asset Liquidation Specialist under [Diamond], and I'm here by invitation of [the Watchmaker]." Aventurine gave the group a slight bow, then looked toward Lynelle.
"Of course, that title may sound a little unfamiliar to you all… But Miss Lynelle, do you remember helping a friend of mine in Belobog?"
"You mean Topaz?"
"Exactly." Aventurine smiled. "If Miss Lynelle hadn't stepped in so promptly to hold back that troublemaking Masked Fool, and if the Express crew hadn't helped Bronya with advice, the IPC and Jarilo-VI might've suffered a few needless misunderstandings because of that Masked Fool. Naturally, my friend's been full of gratitude toward you ever since."
"She didn't host you well enough during Aetherium Wars, so before I set off, she made a special point of asking me to look after you all."
The Watchmaker… Himeko quietly exchanged a look with Welt, then spoke first.
"I see. Since you're Miss Topaz's colleague, that makes you a friend of the Astral Express as well. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Aventurine."
"Hahaha… If we're friends, then helping friends with a small problem is only natural. During this trip through Penacony, I'll have to trouble all of you to look after me as well." Aventurine let out a bright laugh, then turned toward the receptionist beside him.
"Miss Alley, as you can see, please let these young ladies check in for my sake."
"I have an appointment with Mr. Sunday of the Family. For my sake, I'll ask him to handle this matter later. Don't worry, I won't cause you any trouble."
"Well…"
"Please be at ease, Alley."
At that moment, another voice came from the side. "The Family can't let its guests enter the dream burdened by worry."
"Speak of the devil. Look who's here: Penacony's handsomest man, Sunday, and the singer known across the cosmos, Robin."
"Thank you for waiting, Mr. Aventurine. This way, please. Let's speak in private."
Sunday neither confirmed nor denied the praise. He simply gestured for Aventurine to follow him, while Robin walked over to the Astral Express group and began explaining the situation.
Mmm… At this point, there shouldn't be any more problems, right? Oh, right. Aventurine might show up in Stelle's room later, but that move should just happen to get caught by a lost Acheron, so it's not a big deal. Does that mean I can enter the Dreamscape early and wander around?
At that moment, Lynelle was distracted, thinking through her next move.
She didn't notice that her gaze had followed her own tastes with ruthless precision and drifted onto Robin. More accurately, it had landed on Robin's ear-wings.
"Um… Miss Lynelle? Miss Lynelle?"
Robin noticed her stare and tilted her head with some curiosity. "I noticed you've been looking at me for a while now… Is there something I can help you with?"
"Ah, that's because your ear-wings look like they'd feel really nice to touch… Cough, cough, no, wait, that came out wrong. I didn't mean to be rude. Sorry…"
Maybe she'd been thinking too deeply, because Lynelle said what was on her mind before she could stop herself. The girl quickly came back to her senses and tried to fix it with a red face.
"Oh… Have you never met a Halovian before?" Robin paused. "If you're truly curious, you may touch them a little… But as a reminder, if you meet a Pepeshi later, please don't ask to touch the fluff ball on their head. That's, um… not really something strangers should do."
"No, no, no… If I really touched them now, I'd die in the social sense on the spot, right?"
Hearing that the little songbird had actually offered, Lynelle shook her head faster than a rattle-drum.
Was she kidding? If it were only her and Robin here, she might really hug the cute little bird and give those ear-wings a fierce petting. The problem was that Sunday was still watching from the side.
Lynelle had no doubt that if she really touched Robin's ear-wings right now, Brother Sunday might start chanting at light speed and hit her with a round of In the Beginning Was the Deed.
"Hehe…" Lynelle's cute, red-faced head-shaking seemed to make Robin quite happy. She stood with a smile and said goodbye. "If Miss Lynelle is still curious the next time we meet, I'll keep that promise for you."
"Well then, I won't disturb you all any longer. Alley should've finished handling the hotel matter by now, so please enjoy Penacony's night to the fullest."
"I can't believe we really met Robin…"
March 7th took the Dreamscape Pass from the attendant and clicked her tongue in wonder. "I didn't expect her to really be that gentle… Though I don't know if it's just me, but doesn't Miss Robin's voice sound kind of strange?"
"All right, March. We'll talk about that later."
Himeko patted March on the head and gave a small shake of her own.
"For now, everyone should go put down their luggage first, then meet back in the lobby."
"Mm-hm. I still haven't looked closely at the Dreamscape Pass, though… It says… Huh?"
March 7th let out a confused sound. "Why does this passport's wording feel kind of weird?"
"What does it mean by 'please enter the dream with your face upward,' 'please don't fall asleep kneeling, lying prone, or in any other unconventional posture,' and… 'please don't enter the dream while naked'?"
"March." A certain Lynelle explained with a solemn face, "You need to understand that it's just like those absurd school rules. Behind every absurd-looking rule, there may be an even more absurd, shining moment of human-shaped stupidity. So if you don't want to become part of one of those stories, it's better not to dig too deep into those rules."
"Eek… Th-Then I won't try it…"
When March put those two rules together, she seemed to understand something all at once. The girl's face turned red, and she immediately gave up on the reckless idea growing in her heart.
"My room seems to be upstairs from yours. If anything happens, remember to call me on the terminal, okay?"
With that, Lynelle reached the staircase and kept going up, then found her room.
But…
"Wait…" Looking at the familiar red button on her desk, as well as an adorable Sparkle doll, Lynelle fell silent.
"I haven't even entered the dream yet. How'd she already find me…"
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL