"So soft…"
The inside of Silver Wolf's thigh was warm and soft, and since she wore shorts every day, Sylvia's face had landed right against it.
For a moment, Sylvia couldn't tell whether this counted as punishment or an unexpected reward.
Then Silver Wolf's Affection suddenly rose by one point.
--+--
[Target: Silver Wolf (Corrected)]
[Affection: 71 (Embarrassed)]
['A girl who says one thing but acts another always shows her displeasure through her actions. You've got this in the bag!']
--+--
"…"
That could raise her Affection too?
And what kind of ridiculous comment was that?
Sylvia briefly considered grabbing Silver Wolf around the waist and teasing her back. But when she looked up and saw that Silver Wolf was close to overheating, she abandoned the idea and hurriedly pulled herself free.
She struck first instead, stepping forward and wrapping both arms around Silver Wolf.
"Duckie, if you wanted a hug, you could've just said so. Smacking me on the head hurts."
"Ha. That's just one of life's three great delusions. Now get off me!"
Silver Wolf said that, but once she buried her face in Sylvia's arms, Sylvia's familiar yet strangely distant scent filled her senses. A faint blush crept across her face, and most of the strength drained from the hands she'd raised to push Sylvia away.
Then—
--+--
[Target: Silver Wolf]
[Affection: 72 (Embarrassed)]
--+--
Her Affection had risen again after only two sentences.
"…"
Sylvia was stunned.
Was Silver Wolf actually that easy to win over? One direct show of affection had earned her two points.
With that thought, Sylvia raised a hand and gently stroked Silver Wolf's head.
"Fine, fine. It was all in my head. I'm the one who wanted to hug you, okay? Let me hold you for a while. It's been ages, Duckie. Want to hang out together today?"
"Hmph… Hmph!"
Silver Wolf made two muffled noises from inside her embrace. She sounded like she was declaring, 'Fine, I suppose I'll indulge you this once.'
Firefly tilted her head beside them and stole a glance at Silver Wolf's face. By pure accident, her gaze met Silver Wolf's soft, almost melting eyes.
Firefly then had the privilege of watching Silver Wolf's expression shift from surprise to shock, then embarrassment, before finally collapsing into complete confusion.
"Hehe…"
Firefly covered her mouth and giggled behind them. Silver Wolf only showed this side of herself when Sylvia was around.
But Firefly's laughter drew Sylvia's attention and snapped Silver Wolf back to reality. Silver Wolf immediately began struggling to escape Sylvia's arms.
"What's wrong? Couldn't breathe?"
Sylvia hadn't noticed Silver Wolf's rapidly changing expression. She simply let go and found herself staring at Silver Wolf's bright red face.
"…"
Silver Wolf opened her mouth, but her mind was too muddled to answer at once. By the time she recovered, she'd already missed her chance to agree, so she stayed silent.
She turned around instead, putting her back to both Sylvia and Firefly before leaning against Sylvia again. Sylvia couldn't exactly force her to turn around, so she looked toward Firefly.
"Right, you said you planned to enter the Synesthesia Dreamscape through a smuggling route. Why?"
"Um… It's because of my condition. I was born without the ability to dream, so I can't enter through normal means."
Firefly spoke calmly about her own situation. Sylvia frowned as she listened, though she didn't interrupt.
"Is that why Silver Wolf came with you? She can get you into the Synesthesia Dreamscape?"
"Yes. We only need to find a stowaway hideout somewhere in Penacony."
"…"
Sylvia stroked Silver Wolf's head as she thought.
"But there's no need for that. Even if Silver Wolf has to help you enter, you don't need to sneak in. I can register you properly. Penacony's security has been tight lately."
Over the past few days, the Alfalfa Family had been spreading rumors on purpose. With the Charmony Festival drawing closer, the number of stowaways had shot up, and the Bloodhound Family had become far stricter when screening visitors.
"Um…"
Firefly tilted her head and blinked.
"What's been happening in Penacony lately?"
"…Neither of you knows?"
Sylvia froze at the question. Those rumors had spread everywhere, so how could Firefly not have heard them?
Firefly hesitated before shaking her head. She hadn't contacted Kafka or the others in the past few days, so she truly had no idea what had happened.
Silver Wolf's voice came from against Sylvia's chest.
"I know, but it's all fake, so I didn't bother telling Firefly."
Still resting her head against Sylvia, Silver Wolf turned to glance at Firefly.
"Let's just do what Sylvia said. I checked a moment ago, and Penacony's been catching a lot of stowaways lately."
Silver Wolf kept shifting around, so Sylvia poked her in the stomach.
"Are you staying for a few days too?"
"I'll pass. There's no way I can check in normally with this face."
Silver Wolf shook her head. Firefly always operated outside while SAM drew everyone's attention, so almost no one recognized Firefly herself.
Silver Wolf's face, however, was known across the galaxy.
"All right, then."
Sylvia shrugged.
Penacony had never lacked wanted criminals and other troublesome visitors. Anyone who put in enough effort could find a way around its checks, so Silver Wolf probably had another mission to handle.
Sylvia didn't press the issue.
After getting to know the Stellaron Hunters, she'd learned that their lives outside the main story she remembered weren't filled with endless vacations. Beyond the events she knew, the Stellaron Hunters remained active across the galaxy, planting one hidden thread after another for the future.
All they had to do was wait for the right moment to pull them.
--+--
Before long, Silver Wolf altered the course of the ship that had originally planned to slip quietly into Penacony. Instead, it sailed openly into Penacony's spaceport.
Sylvia held Firefly's hand and looked back at Silver Wolf, who remained aboard the ship.
"Firefly and I are heading down."
"Go on, go on. Call me once you reach the room."
Silver Wolf tossed aside the two-player controls and sprawled across the sofa again. When she heard Sylvia, she waved them away without looking up.
"Fine, fine."
That tone told Sylvia everything. Silver Wolf wanted to focus on her game.
Sylvia smiled and led Firefly into The Reverie.
"Wow…"
Firefly's eyes widened as she followed beside Sylvia and looked around. The hotel was crowded, and far more Bloodhound Family officers were patrolling than before.
With Sylvia accompanying her, Firefly's registration went smoothly. The arrangement wasn't exactly standard, but after Sylvia contacted Sunday, the remaining paperwork was completed without trouble.
"I never thought I'd get the chance to come here through the front door."
Firefly sighed with emotion as she and Sylvia stood inside the elevator. Since she couldn't dream, she'd assumed this land of beautiful dreams would remain forever beyond her reach.
She'd never expected to enter so openly.
"Then take some time to explore while you're free. This place may be decadent, but it's certainly interesting."
"Mm-hm!"
Firefly nodded with an eager smile. She was clearly excited to explore, though she was even more excited about doing it with Sylvia.
Sylvia led Firefly into her room, only to find that Silver Wolf had somehow arrived before them. A large device resembling a stasis pod had also appeared in the room.
Silver Wolf sat on the sofa and put away her handheld console. Then she glanced at Sylvia and Firefly's joined hands.
"Well, look who finally showed up."
Sylvia had long since grown used to Silver Wolf appearing and disappearing without warning.
"What's this?"
She walked to the center of the room and touched the device Silver Wolf had brought. Several cables ran from the back of the pod to the Dreampool.
"It's obviously Firefly's dream pod."
Silver Wolf hopped off the sofa, opened the glass hatch, and gave Firefly a thumbs-up.
"I made a few modifications. Once she enters the dream, The Family's system will register the Dreampool's IP address. That way, she won't attract attention."
This hadn't been part of the original plan. Since Firefly had initially intended to enter through a smuggling route, she would've appeared in the system as an unregistered intruder.
But now that Sylvia could provide her with legitimate registration, Silver Wolf had put in some extra work to keep Firefly out of trouble after she entered the dream.
"Thank you. I know this took a lot of work."
Firefly walked over to the pod and smiled at Silver Wolf.
"Enough with the formalities. Get inside. I'll send you in."
Firefly nodded and lay down inside the dream pod. Sylvia watched Silver Wolf close the hatch.
"Does Firefly need you every time she enters the dream?"
"Of course not."
Silver Wolf looked at Sylvia as though she'd just asked the dumbest question in the universe.
"For the first activation, I need to make sure the program runs properly and that Firefly's condition stays stable. After that, it won't matter."
Sylvia wasn't bothered by the look. Instead, she grinned.
"You don't show it, but you really care about Firefly."
"?"
Confusion appeared on Silver Wolf's face.
"Firefly didn't tell you?"
"Tell me what?"
"…"
Silver Wolf studied Sylvia's expression and realized she truly didn't know. She frowned, torn over whether she should explain.
But since Sylvia was already standing there, keeping quiet would be pointless. Silver Wolf sighed and continued making the final adjustments for Firefly's body.
"For someone who can't dream, entering the Synesthesia Dreamscape comes at a cost comparable to 'death.'"
"What?!"
Sylvia's voice shot up. She grabbed Silver Wolf's shoulders without thinking.
"What does that mean?"
"It means Firefly will experience something like dying. And if anything goes wrong, she could actually die inside the dream."
Forcing the consciousness of someone who couldn't dream into the Memory Zone would make Firefly endure mental agony on the level of death. Both her body and mind would face the crushing pressure of Memoria, as though she were diving into the deepest part of the ocean.
If Firefly lost hold of herself before reaching the Synesthesia Dreamscape, then her death wouldn't be symbolic. She'd truly die.
Silver Wolf gave Sylvia a brief explanation of the danger. As she spoke, her hands never stopped moving, and she activated the dream pod.
Water from the Dreampool flowed through the cables and into the pod, submerging most of Firefly's body.
"Ugh—!"
Not long after the device started, pain twisted Firefly's face. Her limbs trembled and twitched as though she were fighting against something invisible.
"…"
Sylvia clenched her fists. She drew a deep breath before speaking.
"Why does Firefly have to come? Neither you nor Kafka has trouble entering dreams."
Silver Wolf noticed the edge in Sylvia's voice and gave her an expression that said she'd expected this reaction. She grabbed Sylvia's wrist and looked straight into her eyes with rare seriousness.
"Have you misunderstood something? We're the Stellaron Hunters. Following Elio's Script is the one rule we must obey."
Outside the Script, they could do whatever they pleased. Inside it, they had to follow its instructions.
That was Elio's only absolute rule.
Silver Wolf wondered whether Sylvia had spent so much time around them that she'd forgotten who they were. Perhaps she'd started thinking of Firefly as some helpless girl who needed protection.
"Besides, Elio's Script brought Firefly here, but so did your choice."
Silver Wolf pulled Sylvia's hand away from her shoulder.
Sylvia had been the one who wanted to bring Firefly to Penacony and fulfill the promise made in their agreement. She hadn't known that entering the dream would cause Firefly such pain, but that didn't change the choice she'd made.
Silver Wolf lowered her gaze toward Firefly's tightly furrowed brow. Then she kicked Sylvia lightly in the leg.
"Stop saying pointless things. Take her into the dream and make sure she enjoys herself. She's been looking forward to her date with you."
"...I understand."
Sylvia nodded and swallowed everything else she'd wanted to say.
Firefly would be fine.
According to Elio's Script, Firefly would experience three deaths in total. This was, at most, the first.
It might not even count, since the experience was only comparable to death.
Silence spread between them.
After a while, Silver Wolf checked the stable readings and knew Firefly had made it through the worst of the process. She relaxed inwardly before flashing Sylvia a grin.
"Everything's working properly, so I'm heading back. You should hurry into the dream and welcome your 'princess.' Have fun on your date with little Firefly."
Firefly's situation was different from Silver Wolf's own experience. Both had started from an agreement, but Firefly's feelings for Sylvia were clearly deeper.
Silver Wolf could understand why. If someone had given her an entire box of Oak Cake Rolls, she would've been touched too.
At that thought, Silver Wolf reached up and touched the jewel on her ear. Compared with Firefly's gift, the earring Sylvia had given her carried little more than sentimental and decorative value.
Silver Wolf still hoped Firefly could enjoy one happy journey beyond the boundaries of the Script.
With that, she ended her holographic projection and vanished from the room. Sylvia locked the door, moved over to the Dreampool, and lay down.
--+--
Golden Hour.
Unless newcomers deliberately chose another destination or encountered an accident, they usually entered the dream through Golden Hour. Firefly was no exception.
The white-haired girl dropped from the sky and landed in the plaza in a surprisingly stylish pose. She looked around, planning to explore the nearby streets first.
Before she could leave the plaza, however, she spotted Sylvia hurrying through the crowd toward her.
"Sylvia! I'm over here!"
Firefly raised a hand and bounced in place, trying to make herself visible above the crowd.
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL