"...Oh, right. I don't think I've ever met your parents."
"Oh, they went to another world."
"...My condolences."
"You know what I mean."
"Hehe. Have you considered giving us a raise?"
"Not for now. Isn't 3,000 Paradise Gold Coins per mission enough?"
"It is enough, but I just want to earn a little more. Chen Luo, just how strong are you?"
"I'm too weak to even truss a chicken."
"It flashed red. You're lying!"
"Obviously. The main thing is, I don't know how strong I am now either. Basically, no one I can reach is someone I can fight, and anyone who can honestly fight me is someone I can't reach."
"Alright, March 7th, you're done asking. My turn now. Chen Luo, if you had to choose between Bronya and Cocolia, who would you like more?"
"...Do you have to ask such a tricky question?"
"Answer quickly!"
"Bronya. If I choose Bronya, I can lure both Seele and Cocolia over. But if I choose Cocolia, I can only lure Bronya over."
The red light flashed.
"??? Are you serious?"
"You were the one who started joking first."
"Chen Luo, you're a puppeteer. Of all the puppets you made yourself, which one do you like most?"
"Suigintou. Her other sisters haven't fully taken shape yet, while the other puppets weren't exactly made by my own hands. So I only have one choice."
"What's your ultimate dream?"
"One day, my parents suddenly telling me that they're actually super big shots and super rich, so I can lie flat for the rest of my life and just coast until I die."
"...I want that too." Stelle nodded in agreement.
"Wake up. Once a Trailblazer, always a Trailblazer. Trailblazers are doomed to work hard their whole lives," Chen Luo kindly reminded her.
"..." Stelle