Stelle found the first Sparkle doll on a drinks counter at the stern.
The doll bobbed its head and spoke first when it saw Stelle approaching. "At last, you're here, Lady Little Grey Hair. I'm the local constable, and right now, I'm playing a bomb!"
Stelle stared at the strange doll for a while, then asked, "Are you bad at writing character profiles?"
The next instant, Sparkle's voice came from inside the doll. "It's called paying off foreshadowing. What do you know?"
After that, the doll cleared its throat and switched voices again. "All right, since you've found me, it's time to fulfill my mission. Next, I'll count down from five, then explode!
"Five-
"Four-
"One-!"
"What happened to my three and two?" Stelle interrupted the Sparkle doll.
"Does that matter? I'm not even a real bomb!" the Sparkle doll said, then switched back to Sparkle's voice. "Surprised? Shocked? Terrified?"
Stelle shook her head.
What a joke. She was the Galaxy Bat Hero, a consummate professional. No matter what happened, she would never panic-unless she hadn't been scared senseless.
"No? Really? Fine, what a shame. You really ought to learn how to make a girl happy!"
The next moment, the doll stopped moving and fell silent.
Stelle thought for a moment, picked the doll up, then tore it open with her tremendous strength and inspected it carefully.
There really was no bomb inside, just an audio device.
Just then, Stelle received a message. Black Swan had spoken in the group chat she had just created.
Black Swan: "I've made progress with the bombs."
Black Swan: "Good news and bad news."
Black Swan: "Which would you like first?"
God of Jump Attacks in the Ancient Kingdom: "Riddle-tellers () Penacony!"
Stelle: "??? Why are you in this group too?"
Black Swan: "In