Dolls, Dolls, and Dolls

In the upper-deck dining hall, Duncan and Lucretia sat side by side, both with stern expressions. Across from them sat the two head-swapping champions who had just put their own heads back on—Luni looked somewhat nervous and uneasy, while Alice wore her usual brilliant smile, seeming as though she had not had enough fun yet.

After holding it in for several seconds, Duncan was the first to speak. "Was it fun?"

Luni immediately lowered her head awkwardly and fidgeted with her fingers. Alice, meanwhile, nodded happily at once. "It was, Captain! You have no idea, our connectors are actually the same size..."

Duncan's eye twitched. Then he noticed Luni fidgeting with her fingers. For some reason, the gesture looked familiar. After pondering for a moment, he glanced thoughtfully at the Sea Witch beside him. "Did you like picking at your fingers when you did something wrong as a child too?"

"Uh... that was when I was very young..." Lucretia had not expected the subject to suddenly turn to her. She froze for a moment, and then her expression became slightly strange. "You... you remember that?"

"...No, but it still feels somewhat familiar," Duncan said, gently shaking his head. Then he coughed twice and turned his gaze back to the two dolls. "Whose idea was it first?"

This time, the two dolls finally answered in unison: "Shirley!"

Duncan: "...?"

A moment later, Duncan and Lucretia were still sitting stern-faced on the dining hall bench, but now, besides the two head-swapping champions, Shirley was sitting across from them as well.

A'gou lay on the floor beside Shirley, trying hard to hold his own head in his paws while muttering softly, "Don't look at me, it wasn't my fault, I tried to talk them out of it, I just couldn't stop them..."

Duncan