"Maybe I went mad a long time ago. Who knows?" Aventurine smiled faintly.
Dr. Ratio fell silent for a moment, then sighed.
"Forget it. Here, take this."
"Open it when you're at death's door. You'll thank me."
Aventurine took what Dr. Ratio handed him and gave it a disdainful glance.
"What's this supposed to be, a doctor's note?"
But he got no answer.
When Aventurine looked up again, Dr. Ratio was gone.
Evidently, he had left the dream.
"...Heh. You do have a flair for drama, Professor."
The next moment, pain swept through Aventurine's mind again.
"Hiss... Damn it."
"You want me to investigate, but you won't give me a single clue. Nice going, you wing-headed bastard."
"...Good thing I'm one step ahead."
Only after making sure no one was watching did Aventurine slowly take a feather from his pocket.
The next moment, it turned into a pale pink lotus and floated above his palm.
Feathers drifted down from the sky and sank into Aventurine's body, gradually clearing his vision.
"Whew... Much better."
Aventurine put away Featherfall Dust, gazed at the night sky above the beautiful dream, and said quietly:
"The way you're all on edge seems to confirm my hunch."
"Now, let the company's Rain of Riches fall on everyone equally."
Aventurine rummaged through his bag and gave a self-mocking smile.
"All right. Time to go."
He headed straight for Aetherium Park, his gaze sweeping over the passersby.
"You'll do."
He pulled a handful of gems from his bag, closed his fist around them, and walked toward the singer onstage.
Seeing him approach, the singer named Larose greeted him warmly.
"Please support my performances so The Song of Pure Beauty can continue to ring out across the galaxy."
"Heh, these gems are for you." Aventurine handed them over.
"Wow,