As Stelle sent her messages in the group chat, replies from the others quickly flooded in.
March 7th: "Stelle!"
Himeko: "Stelle, as long as you're safe."
March 7th: "That woman didn't do anything bad, did she?"
Himeko: "Something seems to have happened at the Dream Hotel. The Family has sealed off the scene, and we're negotiating with them now."
Himeko: "Let's all meet under Clockie's statue in a bit."
March 7th: "@Stelle Is Little Fish with you right now?"
Reading everyone's replies, Stelle said nothing. She stood there, staring blankly at her phone for a while before replying, "No..."
Stelle: "@Himeko @March 7th When Little Fish and I split up, he went through a door Miss Black Swan created to find you. Before I came out, I thought he was with you by now."
The group chat fell silent.
For a while, nobody sent another message.
The atmosphere among the Astral Express Crew seemed to turn serious all at once.
Stelle slowly lowered her phone and steadied herself. Only then did she take a deep breath and head toward Clockie's statue.
As she walked, Stelle considered where Jiang Yu might have gone, as well as what roles the various factions might have played in his "disappearance."
She walked along Golden Hour's streets in a state of unease, but there were quite a few people here who shared her feelings. Those immersed in their sweet dreams paid it no mind at all.
Meanwhile, at Firefly's secret base.
"Elio's losing it again."
Silver Wolf's projection leaned against the railing, her eyes fixed on the handheld console in her hands as she spoke distractedly. Beyond the game's background audio, occasional chaotic noises could be heard, giving the impression that something was rolling all over the floor.
Firefly sat beside the flower bed with