Chapter 72 (Imagine Vergilius and Don Quixote... I don't need to say anything more.))

The ambient noise of the bustling crowd seemed to fade into the background as Daniel lay there feeling utterly exhausted and overwhelmed. After what felt like an eternity of lying static on the ground, Daniel was interrupted by a sharp, almost childlike female voice that pierced the air like a dagger. It was the kind of voice that demanded attention, its pitch and tone betraying a certain level of enthusiasm that bordered on the manic one.

He closed his eyes briefly, trying to block out the chaos around him, but the sharp voice that broke through the silence shattered any hope of respite, "Hey, look at these rings! They are of the sun and moon! Don't you want one!? We want the sun one! And we do believe the moon theme fits you better! OH! We'll get one of the planets for Thalassa, Su Yuan, and James! Which planets would they be-"

With a heavy sigh, Daniel sat up, making a not-so-silent declaration by rubbing his eyes in a futile attempt to alleviate the headache building inside him, "Did you even ask me if I want to wear it?" He questioned, his tone tinged with exasperation. Arms crossed defensively, hoping his friend would finally start listening to him or at least consent to his opinion whenever she did something.

Dante's eyes remained fixed on the intricate moon patterns etched into the shiny ring. She had been blankly staring at it for a few seconds, lost deeply in thought, before finally turning his attention back to Daniel. Slowly, she looked up to meet his gaze and stared at him without changing expression; she turned to the rings and then back to him; she repeated with a flat and monotone voice, "We do believe the moon theme fits you better." 

Daniel sighed, feeling a headache coming on as he looked at her response, he thought, 'My efforts might be in vain... Discussing with someone smart is hard... but discussing with someone foolish and ignorant is impossible. After all, walls don't talk back." A random thought got in his head, "But I wonder what strange and bizarre thoughts are swirling around in that skull.' 

And his wish became true: a white dream bubble calmy rested above her head, yet no one batted an eye on it, so he made the deduction that probably only he could see it; he focused his gaze on it just to watch a slice of bread stand erected on a table, doing absolutely nothing.

The bubble exploded, snapping Daniel back to reality as Dante turned her attention back to the ring in her hand. Robotically repeating her earlier words, "We do believe," But instead of saying the last phrase, she continued with, "We have a solution for that!"

He shook his head, his irritation evident in the furrow of his brow and the subtle tightening of his jaw; with a heavy sigh, he resigned himself to the situation at hand, "Do whatever you want..." He continued with a slightly more serious tone, "We seriously need to tackle your new personality and teach you how to use your new abilities..." It was going to be a daunting task, one that would require a lot of patience, understanding, and a willingness to confront the problems that lay forward. But if anyone could act like a grumpy dad setting limits to her an over-enthusiastic daughter...

It was Daniel.

And as for the girl... She moved across her inventory, her gaze quickly flitting from item to item in search of a solution. Amidst the small clutter of objects, her eyes shortly lingered on three items marked as "Tickets to meet an alternative." According to the detailed item description, she would meet with what she could have become in another timeline. There would be time to explore their purpose later; for now, they were relegated to... Important but not urgent.

Meanwhile, on the outside, the girl's focus remained firmly fixed on Daniel. Her eyes crackled with a spark of silliness that seemed to dance with mischief. With swift, practiced movements, she produced a detective's magnifying glass from thin air and wielded it like a seasoned detective, directing its lens toward Daniel's face; she exclaimed, her voice ringing out with a mix of triumph and excitement, "You're smiling!" Then she stopped to continue with, "We think... No! You aren't anymore! Dang it! We weren't fast enough. It was just a faint smile!" 

And Dante, following the obviously 'undiscernible' and 'impossible-to-realize' clues of confusion on Daniel's face, she rushed to clarify. "You haven't smiled since..." Dante began counting them on a piece of paper but quickly gave up and threw it effortlessly to a nearby trash can, "Well, forever! Also..."

*Flash*

The sudden sound of a camera filled the air, catching Daniel off guard as he instinctively flinched at the unexpected brightness. Before he could utter a word of protest, the girl exclaimed, "We didn't like it... We need to take another photo! You are under a stair! Who places a stair there?! Could you move to the left to take it again?"

Daniel raised an eyebrow at the seemingly random photo, silently questioning its purpose. Sensing his growing confusion, Dante offered a lighthearted explanation, her laugh tinged with genuine fondness, "It's something we'll treasure to remember our friendship! we'll need to take one with everyone else in pairs, everyone together with and without us or another member, and that would be..." The girl attempted to calculate the number of photos needed but quickly gave up, ultimately dismissing the idea with a wave of her hand, "A LOT OF PHOTOS IN TOTAL!!!"

Dante looked at the ground, her gaze fixed on Daniel, who was lying on the floor, she asked, "Why are you on the floor!? The effect should have passed long ago! Unless you have tasted the auroras! But you aren't the type of person to do that. And yes, we, in fact, tasted the auroras... Just if you wonder!" She rushed to his side, gently cleaning him with a handkerchief, adding in a low voice, "They taste like... A really weird cotton candy."

Daniel's silence hung heavy in the air, his gaze fixed on Dante with a menacing intensity that sent a shiver down her spine. She could sense the tension building between them like a thick fog. Worriedly, she muttered anxiously under her breath, her eyes darting around the room as if searching for an escape route. "Okay, we accept it! We didn't realize what happened; our body moved alone; we might have a problem... Happy???"

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Okay... finally, this is going to end!

The pinkie stuff is funny and amusing, but if it keeps going for like 6 chapters, it gets boring...

Well, it doesn't for me! But I gotta think about y'all...

Oh also

There are going to be 3 chapters really soon! (This Monday is going to be one!)