"Oh, it's nothing."
Aventurine withdrew his gaze and said calmly,
"My dear son is pulling pranks again. You know how it is—he always wants his great father to embarrass himself in front of others..."
Uma blinked.
"Looks like... you and your child aren't very close?"
"Let's continue our previous topic, then. Thinking about it, I suppose..."
"Things like being haunted by nightmare ghosts if you blow out candles while making a birthday wish... do sound rather unprofessional coming from us."
Aventurine smiled faintly.
"Heh, that really is bizarre."
"But thank you for sharing."
Aventurine bade the reporter farewell and approached the next person.
He was a dark-skinned man.
"Uh... were you looking for me? Sorry, I thought you were looking at something behind me."
The man named Bal scratched his head.
Aventurine took out a gemstone from his handbag and smiled gently.
"These gems are for you."
"Huh?"
Bal accepted the gift, hardly daring to believe it.
"This is... a gift for me? Are you sure you haven't made a mistake?"
Aventurine nodded.
"Just a little money. Please accept it..."
"Really?!" Bal was beside himself with excitement.
"I can actually receive a gift from someone?"
"Not for my parents, but for me?"
"Thank you! Thank you so much!"
The dark-skinned man cradled the gems, so excited that he nearly jumped up.
"Easy there, friend. I only wanted to ask you about something," Aventurine continued.
Hearing that, Bal immediately deflated and said disappointedly,
"...Sigh, I knew it."
"What do you want to know? My father or my mother?"
"Uh..." Aventurine was speechless.
"Neither."
"I only wanted to ask whether you've heard of [Death] in the Dreamscape."
"Oh?" Bal's eyes lit up.
"That sounds exactly like something my father would say..."
"He told me danger was everywhere, and that I couldn't let