『 [ Um… Mr. Sampo… ]
On the road. Hotaru looked at Sampo, her words caught in her throat.
[ Is something troubling you, miss Hotaru? ]
[ Don't worry, i assure you, all our activities are perfectly wholesome and adhere to public decency! ]
Sampo glanced at Hotaru, immediately discerning her misgivings.
Thus, he offered a solemn guarantee.
However, his assurance carried little conviction.
[ To get to the other side, we'd have to travel a considerable distance—everyone, let's take the Pinball Machine to bounce across! ]
After walking for a while, Sampo led the two to a Pinball Machine and proposed.
[ A Pinball Machine? She's not yet accustomed to the Dreamscape; that could be quite dangerous… ]
Upon hearing Sampo's words, Hotaru expressed concern for Stelle's safety. 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
Stelle: "She cares about me! I'm on her MIND!!"
March 7th: "Uh… Miss Hotaru certainly seems very concerned about you."
Ei: "There's no such thing as baseless concern in this world."
Ei: "Did you two know each other before?"
Stelle: "No, i have no recollection of that."
Hotaru: "I… I don't think so either…"
....
—✦In Between✦—
"Hey, why won't you admit you've known her all along? Anyway, this whole video thing keeps exposing everything. The script's already in utter disarray."
In an unknown location, silver Wolf looked at Hotaru, asking with a hint of bewilderment.
"I… I still don't know how to explain it to her. Besides, I'm afraid it might affect her! Though the script has become chaotic, she remains special. So, until things are completely clear, i shouldn't easily disrupt her life."
Listening to Silver Wolf's words, Hotaru's expression was hesitant. But moments later, she reaffirmed her inner conviction.
"Tch, boring. "Suit yourself."
Silver Wolf found Hotaru's reasoning somewhat foolish, so she pouted, and said no more.
—
『 [ Dangerous? Miss Hotaru, this is the Family's beautiful dream; how could there be danger? What's the point of being in a dream if you don't seek a little thrill! ]
[ Come on, Stelle, prove to her you can do it! ]
Sampo was unconcerned, and began to egg Stelle on. Stelle, by nature, was fearless. So, without a word, she plunged straight into the Pinball Machine.
Then, she maneuvered the deflectors along the path to the correct direction, and launched herself!
Biu! Biu! Biu!
Amidst a series of rhythmic strikes, the Pinball Machine successfully launched her to the opposite bank.
Afterward, they emerged from the machine together. And continued their journey toward their destination.
[ Is this… the lower level of the commercial district? ]
On the way, Hotaru observed their surroundings, unable to resist asking.
[ Precisely. Our destination is just ahead—'Peppy Pepeshi's Salon'! ]
Sampo nodded.
[ This salon is no ordinary place. Besides the Pepeshi people, only guests with VIP cards can enter. ]
[ Of course—there's nothing old Sampo can't handle. ]
Along the way, Sampo subtly praised himself a few times, causing Stelle and Hotaru to roll their eyes.
[ Yo, big brother bodyguard! We meet again. ]
Sampo led the two to the entrance of a shop.
Then, he began to converse with a Pepeshi bodyguard at the door.
[ Hmm? Oh… it's you. Back to patronize us again? ]
The bodyguard looked up at Sampo.
[ Indeed, today I'd like to bring two friends to enjoy your esteemed establishment. I wonder if there are any vacancies in our salon? ]
Sampo said with a wide, ingratiating smile.
[ How many people? ]
The Pepeshi bodyguard raised an eyebrow.
[ Three. ]
Sampo answered swiftly.
[ Let me see the VIP cards. ]
The Pepeshi bodyguard nodded, then requested VIP cards from everyone.
[ Right away, for your inspection! ]
Sampo immediately pulled out his VIP card.
[ I meant your two friends'—I've already seen yours. ]
The Pepeshi bodyguard shook his head.
[ Ah, well… my friends are new here, how could they possibly have VIP cards, haha. ]
[ Could you make an exception, just use my card? These two are absolutely safe and reliable; I'll vouch for them with my own card! ]
Sampo chuckled awkwardly, and began to negotiate with the Pepeshi bodyguard.
[ That simply won't do; we can't break the rules. If there's no accreditation, then please leave. ]
The Pepeshi bodyguard's stance was firm.
[ Looks like we can't get in. ]
Hotaru muttered softly, seeing the situation.
[ What now? ]
Stelle looked at Sampo.
[ Don't panic, don't panic! Let old Sampo think of a way… Oh, I've got it! ]
[ How about this, big brother bodyguard, we won't go in. Could you help me retrieve something? I left it here earlier— ]
[ "'The Moment of Betrayal,' 'The Cloud of Doubt,' and 'Everlasting Hatred.' Just mention the 'Clown's items' to Miss Thunderbolt — she'll understand what I mean.. ]
Sampo pondered, then tried a different approach with the bodyguard.
He rattled off a string of bizarre items.
[ "Clown"? What in the world is all this? ]
Stelle listened to Sampo's riddles, her expression peculiar.
[ Hah, don't be so impatient! Let old Sampo keep you guessing for now! ]
Sampo had no intention of explaining just yet.
[ No problem, i'll tell her. You all wait here for a bit. ]
The Pepeshi bodyguard readily agreed this time, and entered the shop to retrieve Sampo's items. 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
March 7th: "The moment… of betrayal'?… The clouds… of doubt? And Everlasting Hatred..."
March 7th: "What in the Honkai are these things?!"
March 7th: "Are they really wholesome and publicly decent??"
Stelle: "I don't think so."
Stelle: "But I have no proof."
Seele: "Can little kids even watch the next scene?"
Seele: "If not, I'm going to cover their eyes!"
Hook: "No! Hook wants to see!"
Clara: "Ugh… Clara probably won't watch."
Sampo: "Don't worry, folks."
Sampo: "Though I don't know who this imposter of me is."
Sampo: "But from old Sampo's experience in the field,"
Sampo: "the names of these items are probably just code names. What you might call a secret signal."
Stelle: "So, the upcoming scene isn't anything inappropriate for children?"
Sampo: "That should be the case."
Stelle: "Tch, boring. I was looking forward to a grand spectacle."
Hotaru: "Uh….."
March 7th: "Stelle, i beg you, please be serious, okay?!"
Venti: "Ehe, miss Stelle's temperament truly is amusing."
Zhongli: "Indeed, miss Stelle is quite the captivating individual."
Paimon: "It feels like traveling with Miss Stelle always leads to interesting adventures."
....
『 After a brief wait, the bodyguard returned with Sampo's requested items.
[ Here they are. She said these alone weren't enough, so she also sent you a "Broken Dream" and told you to handle it. ]
The bodyguard handed the items to Sampo, adding a reminder.
[ Oh, the big sister is always so thoughtful! Many thanks, many thanks. ]
[ Now we're just missing one more thing. We need to find a nearby arcade machine… Oh, what a coincidence, there's one right outside the salon. Come on, come on, i'll show you something fun. ]
Sampo thanked the bodyguard, then led the two towards a television-shaped arcade machine.
[ Is that a television? ]
[ Why is this television… just abandoned on the roadside? ]
Upon reaching the arcade machine, Hotaru asked curiously.
[ Haha, I'm afraid you're mistaken, Miss Hotaru! This is an arcade! This fine machine has a sense of aesthetics worthy of the Dreamscape —not the electronic garbage from Punklorde, but a game more suited to the 'Dreamscape's' aesthetic! ] 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
Silver Wolf: "Punklorde's… electronic garbage???"
Silver Wolf: "Say that AGAIN!! (Furious.jpg)"
Kafka: "Alright, alright, silver Wolf. Don't be so serious. It's just something said in a dream; pretend it doesn't exist."
Silver Wolf: "Kafka, this isn't about being serious or not, it's a matter of principle!"
Silver Wolf: "I hereby solemnly declare! Punklorde's games are absolutely not electronic garbage!"
Silver Wolf: "Absolutely NOT!!"
Silver Wolf: "If anyone dares to say that again, i'll have Blade slice them to PIECES!! (Enraged.jpg) "
Blade: "....."
....
『 [ I say, Stelle, why don't you try touching it and see what happens? ]
[ Are you trying to trick me? ]
Stelle looked at Sampo, sensing his malicious intent.
[ Um… I think—just my feeling—this television might have something fishy about it. ]
Hotaru also suspected the television was problematic.
[ These are artifacts of the 'Family'; how could there be anything fishy? But if you don't want to try, that's fine; I'll do it. ]
Sampo said he would do it, but his gaze drifted to Stelle.
Hotaru, seeing this, also looked at Stelle, eager to see her choice.
Even the mysterious cartoon character in sunglasses on the television subtly seemed to look at her.
So, Stelle took a deep breath, with a resolve to face death, and touched the television.
Immediately, her head spun for a moment, and she transformed directly into the cartoon character named Hanu from the television.
[ Why did you turn into this... thing!? ]
Hotaru gasped, covering her mouth.
[ Hmph! ]
Stelle let out a very cool hmph. It was truly, incredibly cool!
[ You look so... cool. ]
Hotaru struggled to describe it.
[ You're absolutely too cool now, my dear! ]
Sampo looked at Stelle with a mischievous grin.
[ So, why did Stelle turn into this…? ]
[ You don't understand, miss Hotaru. She was just sucked into this television, swapping bodies with this Hanu brother—wait, let me take a closer look… ]
[ Look! This thing is called 'Hanu's Adventure'—according to the plot summary, you've been shrunk by Boss Stone's strange device and must embark on a thrilling adventure, using your tiny body to save Dreamville… ]
[ Now, you have to complete what this Hanu brother did in the cartoon—or touch this television again—to change back. ] Sampo explained after glancing at the plot.
[ Hmph! ]
Stelle's hmph was still incredibly cool, absolutely rock-solid cool!
[ Oh, it also says "Enter the doorway to begin your adventure"—apparently, you'll have to crawl in there to start your challenge, my dear. ]
Sampo pointed in a direction where a doorway was conveniently located.
[ …We'll be cheering for you, Stelle. ]
Hotaru encouraged. 』
『 ....』