"This place is full of people," Stelle said, looking around.

"It's the biggest park in Penacony. Everything here is soda-themed! See that huge soda bottle in the distance? That's the headquarters of the Soulglad Enterprise. It is the most famous drink in Penacony. The ingredients it's made from are extinct in real life, so the only way to enjoy it is here in the Dreamscape."

"Soulglad... I ordered it earlier, right? I guess I ate too much... I can't even remember what it tasted like..."

That's what you get for spending my 20k credits...

"Something wrong? You look angry for some reason."

"Nothing... Let's go, there are some games with prizes over there, stay close to me and be careful not to get lost in the crowd," I told her, watching our stalker in the distance.

Let's see if he follows us here too...

"Don't you want to play, Firefly?" Stelle asked as she received some tokens from the Aideen Park attendant.

"I already lost all my daily tokens this morning."

"Oh, bad luck at games, I see! Don't worry, I'll win enough for both of us."

The truth was that I couldn't get any tokens because I didn't have a Dreamscape Pass.

Another lie to add to the collection...

I smiled as I watched Stelle, who, despite her boasts, lost all her chips in the nearby slot machines without winning a single thing.

Unfortunately, I couldn't give her the attention I wanted: our pursuer was getting much closer.

I can't ignore him any longer... soon Stelle and I may have to part ways, I have to warn her of the danger she's in.

So, after her last token resulted in another loss, I said to her:

"Let's go to the snack bar over there, so you can try Soulglad again!"

"Ok..." said Stelle, all mopey.

Still peering through the crowd, I led her to our destination.

Let's see if he gets any closer...

"So... did you have fun, Stelle? Golden Hour is great, isn't it?"

The girl quickly recovered from her disappointment and smiled at me:

"Yes! Although I have visited several places in the short time I have been with Astral Express, I must say that this one is special. It has a magical atmosphere. It's really like a dream."

"Right? It's a dream that accepts everyone, where our real life circumstances don't matter..."

It even accepts a criminal like me...

"Why the sad tone?" asked Stelle worriedly.

"Oh, it's nothing..."

"If you want to talk about it, I'm here! Anyway, thanks for being my guide! I had so much fun being with you!"

"You're welcome. You really helped me before, I was just returning the favour. Besides, I love this place, it even accepted someone like me... so I was glad to share it with you!"

"Accepted... didn't you say you were from here?"

"I... I am local, at least for now."

The me she met today was born and will die in Penacony... outside here... there is only SAM.

I noticed that our pursuer had come even closer, no longer seeming to hide.

"Could you come a little closer? I have something to tell you."

Stelle obeyed.

Suddenly I felt a rush of nervousness.

She's so... close. The last time we were this close... was when we said our last goodbyes.

But now was not the time to bring up those memories.

“Someone has been following us Stelle. He started when we parted ways with Mr. Gallagher, so I'm sure you're his target.

He's about 5 feet 9 inches tall, give or take. Judging from his strong build, it's clear that he's well trained. He walks in long strides, but his steps are light and barely audible. That way of walking doesn't leave footprints…”

I watched him again as he got even closer:

“ ...He looks like a skilled fighter, the covert kind. He has large palms, yet his fingers are slender and nimble. I reckon he has experience using knives, like a short sword or dagger… He is wearing a maroon jacket, has emerald eyes and dark blue hair..”

"How on earth did you see all these stuff from a distance?! But... from this description the only person I can think of is..."

"Stelle! he's coming this way!"

I slipped a hand into a pocket, ready to materialise Sam's control device.

If it is to protect her...

But our pursuer didn't seem inclined to attack. When he was close, he raised a hand in greeting:

"Hey, if it isn't my most loyal customer, Stelle? Long time no see! What a coincidence to find you here in Penacony, my old friend!"

"Sampo? What the hell are you doing here?" replied Stelle with an annoyed look on her face.

I relaxed a bit since Stelle seemed to know him. But I didn't let my guard down just yet:

If they are friends... why has he been following us at a distance all this time?

The man turned to me after greeting Stelle:

"Oh, where are my manners? Miss March! It's a pleasure to see you again! But what's that expression? Don't tell me you don't remember me? After all the favours I did for you all in Belobog..."

"March?! You should get your eyes checked. Does she look like March to you? She's Firefly, my guide!"

"Uhm pleased to meet you, I'm Firefly, a stage performer for the Iris Family..."

"Oh, that explains everything! I was just wondering how Miss March managed to change her appearance in such a short time. It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Firefly, I am Sampo, an old friend of Stelle."

"I don't remember ever becoming friends with you..."

"Oh, don't be like that! You'll embarrass Miss Firefly!"

Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

The two of them started a little back and forth.

I took my hand out of my pocket. This Sampo guy didn't seem like a threat, but...

I don't know why, but... I feel that there is something sinister behind his friendly demeanour.

"What are you doing in Penacony, Sampo?" asked Stelle.

Sampo seemed amused by the question:

“My purpose? Haha, you're funny. What else can I do in Penacony? Well, I just hang around, daydream, and do the things that anyone on vacation would do. By the way... since we've met... how about I take you on a little tour?”

"I already have a guide, Sampo... let's go, Firefly!" Stelle replied, taking me by the arm.

But Sampo blocked her way:

"Come on. I have been watching you for a long time. Miss Firefly seems to know Penacony well... but when it comes to adult entertainment... I can do much better!"

"Adult entertainment?!" I repeated.

"Just as I thought, that's not your field, Miss! My analysis was right..."

Analysis... Was he following us to find out what I wanted from Stelle? Maybe... he really is her friend and wanted to make sure I wasn't taking advantage of her...

Meanwhile, a spark of curiosity had lit up Stelle's face.

Damn...

It seemed that it was time to say goodbye because of Sanpo.

I sighed.

I knew it wouldn't last forever... but now that we have to part...

"Well... then... I'll be going. It was a pleas-"

"What are you talking about? I told you I'd spend the whole day with you! Come with us! I know how he looks like... but he's not a bad person!"

"Miss Stelle... you know I can hear you, right?"

"I... all right..."

How could I say no to her...

We followed Sampo to the lower parts of the shopping district.

Apparently his idea of "adult entertainment" was to sneak into a club run by the Pepeshi, a native species of Penacony that would be quite similar to humans were it not for their small size and the cotton ball sticking out of their heads.

But the club's bouncer seemed to have no intention of letting us in. I saw Stelle raise an eyebrow as Sanpo pathetically tried to fool him.

Eventually, though, he seemed to give up.

"Let's go, Firefly!"

"No, no! Don't worry, this was not our final destination! As soon as my Pepeshi friend returns with some items I left at the club, we can leave."

Stelle did not look convinced at all:

"What do you have in mind? Don't tell me this is another scam of yours..."

"No scams. I want to show you a very special Dream Bubble..."

"A Dream Bubble?" said Stelle, "I tried a couple of them before I met Firefly and they were just a load of nonsense!"

Dream Bubbles... ah, that weird shop with the giant eyeball sells them. They're practically movies... what is Sampo trying to show us?

"I am not talking about an ordinary Dream Bubble! You see, a special service is offered to the most loyal customers of that shop. We can submit dreams we've recently had. With the appropriate emotion prototypes, the shop will be able to turn them into customised Dream Bubbles that can be experienced over and over again. And it just so happens that I had the perfect dream for you two the day before yesterday. The kind of dream you'd like to keep living as soon as you wake up..."

"The kind of dream you want to keep living as soon as you're awake...?!"

Just... like today...

Sanpo looked at me with a grin:

"Why so surprised Miss, I thought as a guide you would be aware of this service. After all, Dream Bubbles are one of the most popular attractions of the Golden Hour!"

Oh...

I had been careless.

And it only got worse.

As we walked towards Oti Mall, Sampo continued to chat amiably. But it was obvious that there was an ulterior motive behind his words.

His questions and comments seemed to have only one purpose: to try and get me to contradict myself.

He's trying to expose my lies in front of Stelle... He's realised that I'm not from here... But how? Is it just because of the Dream Bubbles?

He can't know my true identity, can he?

This situation only rekindled my feelings of guilt.

This is why he followed us... he thought I was someone who wanted to deceive Stelle... and he was absolutely right.

When we arrived at our destination, Sampo argued for a moment with the owner of the Dream Bubbles shop, the giant eyeball called Dr. Edwards, and had a large drop of Memoria delivered to him.

"Here we go! Put your foreheads here... I hope you're excited, there's a big reveal in the finale!"

A reveal...

Stelle followed Sanpo's instructions and I couldn't help but do the same.

After a moment, I found myself immersed in a sea of Memoria, and soon bizarre scenes began to appear before my eyes.

Stelle was moving through an underground city surrounded by talking trashcans with muscular arms and legs.

Thrashcans again!?

But soon, following the absurd situations Stelle was getting herself into, I began to understand the meaning behind the plot of this Dreambubble.

She's being bounced around by various trashcans... they're manipulating her to do their own bidding... just like... Penacony!

It was all an allegory about how here on the Dreamscape different factions would try to exploit her...

It's a not too veiled attack on me... but then the reveal?! Does he actually knows who I am?!

I couldn't risk it. I didn't want Stelle to find out and even worse in this absurd way.

Before the Dream Bubble could reach its finale, as a gargantuan trashcan-turned Stelle was about to punch a giant Sanpo, I shouted:

"Hey wait! What kind of nonsense is this?!"

My shout stirred the memoria around me, bringing that strange experience to an early end.

I reopened my eyes, finding myself confronted by a confused Stelle and a displeased Sanpo, who shook his head and said:

"What a bummer. I was really looking forward to seeing how Stelle was going to overthrow the Garbage King..."

"I would have defeated him with one punch!" replied Stelle, a note of regret in her voice.

"What a huge pity! Such a meaningful dream came to an abrupt halt cause of Miss Firefly!"

"I..."

"I was looking forward to seeing your face when the truth dawned on you," Sanpo continued, turning to Stelle.

"Is this weird dream trying to hint at something hidden?" she asked.

... will he tell her anyway...? I... don't want... to hear it...

Panicking, as Stelle was distracted by Sanpo, I slipped away and disappeared into the crowd.

I'm such an idiot.

I ran and ran without stopping.

I shouldn't have lied to her if I wasn't prepared to face the consequences.

I arrived at Clockie's Square and, as I climbed the stairs, I stopped at the spot where, just an hour before, I had shared precious moments with Stelle.

They already seem like a dream, one that I wanted to continue while awake...

If Sanpo had really revealed my identity to her... she would want nothing more to do with me.

She knows what kind of monster SAM is in the real world...

I leaned against the railing in front of me, my eyes once again on the Grand Theatre.

I would have loved to spend more time with her...

But as my mind wandered, a voice brought me back to earth.

"Firefly! That's where you were! Don't disappear like that! You scared me!"

Stelle.. why...

Had I misunderstood Sampo's intentions?

I turned around. Stelle was smiling at me...

I can't stand it anymore!

"Stelle...I have something to tell you."

"Go ahead," the girl said, also leaning against the railing.

I turned my eyes away. Unable to look her in the face.

"I...am hiding something from you. I... I'm not a local."

"I know."

"You... know? Did Sampo...?"

"No, I figured it out a while ago. The fact that the first person I talked to here turned out to be a guide was already a bit suspicious... and then you continued to act a bit strange.

You knew your stuff but it felt like you had only been here a short time."

"Oh..."

So all this time... she already knew I was lying to her. But then...

"Why didn't you tell me anything and still hang out with me?"

"Well, even though you're not a real guide, you've given me a great tour. Your enthusiasm for this place is contagious! Besides... you didn't seem like a bad person. I guess you have your reasons for hiding something..."

I turned around, stunned. Stelle was still smiling at me.

But why.. even though I betrayed her trust...?

This girl was really too innocent, from now on I should have done my best to protect her from those who really wanted to manipulate her.

Trying to fight the urge to burst into tears, I hurried to tell her:

"I-I thank you. I know it's not worth much coming from a liar like me... but you have to believe me, I had no ulterior motive in approaching you! I... just wanted to get to know you and spend some time with you..."

It was Stelle's turn to act surprised:

"Just get to know me? What for? Is it because of what you told me before? "

I... damn it... I can't help lying again and again. I am such a terrible person.

If I had told her that we had once been friends, but that she had lost her memories of me... she would have realised that I was one of the Stellaron Hunters. After all, Kafka had already told her that she was one of us before she lost her memory.

If I reveal my identity now, only to be forced by the script to fight her as SAM... I couldn't bear that. I just want her to remember me as the girl who gave her a Penacony tour...

"Y-yeah, it's... because of my admiration for the Nameless. You have been to many worlds, met people from all walks of life and experienced all sorts of things. Every day is a new beginning for you..."

"I see..." Stelle said nodding, "since you admire us so much... how would you like to join the Astral Express? From what you've told me, you don't like what you're doing now... it could be a fresh start for you! I'm sure you'd fit right in!"

Those words were like a knife.

I... if only I could. Such a life... that's what I've always dreamed of. But...

"Stelle I understand if you don't want to trust me anymore, but... can I take you to another place? It's not another tourist attraction, it's my very own secret base."

Stelle's eyes lit up:

"A secret base!? What are we waiting for?!"