Robin looked at Sol standing in front of her, warmth rising in her chest, her eyes filled with deep gratitude.
Sunday was, after all, her brother—an undeniable fact.
Faced with Aventurine's questioning, she truly didn't know how to explain herself. Before the facts, all words felt pale and powerless.
What's more, she really did harbor the intention of protecting her brother, an important figure on the opposing side. He was her only remaining family.
At a moment like this, trust and support mattered more than anything else.
"Mr. Mercer, I'm merely pointing out an objectively existing issue. There's no need to be so tense, is there?" Aventurine pinched a chip between his fingers and said with a smile. "The Family has been operating in Penacony for many years. This incident must have been meticulously planned. If we want to stop them, there can't be even the slightest flaw."
"We're already at a numerical disadvantage—if there's an insider on top of that, one misstep and we'll lose everything!"
He stirred up everyone's emotions, aiming to secure the greatest possible benefit.
He had already taken plenty of losses in Penacony before even getting started, saddled with a massive scapegoat. His final gains had to be substantial.
"I believe in Robin."
Sol had many rhetorical ways to refute him, but he chose this one. "I really like listening to her sing. I think she's a very good person. There's no need to doubt her."
This was his honest thought. The little bird was so beautiful, and her heart so pure—there was no way she could be a bad person.
"Mr. Sol…"
Robin couldn't help but feel deeply moved, emotions surging in her beautiful eyes.
Such straightforward words allowed her to fully sense his sincerity.
Being supported like this was already more than enough.
"Wow, that's exactly what I think too!"
March 7th widened her pink-and-blue eyes, feeling as though she'd found a kindred spirit.
She was also Robin's fan. She loved listening to Robin's songs, and from the first meeting, she had believed Miss Robin was a good person.
She'd thought she was the only one so naïve and hadn't even dared to say it at first.
But with Sol stepping up first, she felt that great minds really do think alike!
"Isn't your explanation a bit too flimsy?"
Aventurine looked at Sol in astonishment, feeling it was so simple it bordered on childish.
It was ridiculous—just because he liked Robin's songs, because Robin looked pretty, he believed she was a good person and chose to trust her?
He couldn't imagine such words coming from Sol's mouth. This man, who appeared mysterious and ambitious, should have had a much stronger rebuttal.
"That's only what you think. I trust my friend."
Sol didn't find it flimsy at all.
If sweet talk worked, then it had more than enough meaning.
Was he supposed to analyze Robin's motives frame by frame and painstakingly explain them to Aventurine?
Impossible. The Interastral Peace Corporation was casted as the antagonist in his plans—they couldn't just flip sides and join the righteous camp.
"So, you're willing to disregard Penacony's safety?" Aventurine's expression cooled. "Blind faith leads to disastrous investments. That applies to anything."
He looked around and raised his voice to incite the others. "Could it be that all of you are willing to trust such an absurd excuse and hand over your faith just like that?"
"Why not?"
Kafka stood beside Sol, the corner of her lips lifting slightly. "I think Mr. Mercer makes perfect sense."
"Same here."
Firefly nodded and stood alongside Kafka.
"He's my boss. Whatever the boss says, that's what we do."
Silver Wolf let out a sigh, as if she'd seen through the mortal world.
Life was too hard for her—not only did she get teased herself, she even had to help her boss flirt.
"Me too!"
Stelle eagerly hopped over to Sol's side.
She was Silver Wolf's colleague—and an even higher-level employee who had contributed half her freedom. She had to defend the master's rights!
That way, the master could be driving a star destroyer next year!
Sparkle bounced over to Sol, her gaze full of grievance and pitiful charm. "I trust my dear. His eye for picking mistresses has always been excellent."
Bang!
Sol's expression didn't change as he punched Sparkle on the head.
The bird wasn't even caught yet—don't you dare spout any nonsense.
"..."
Robin's face flushed slightly, her feelings complicated.
If Sol truly had such intentions, she didn't know what she would do. In many parts of the galaxy, there were countless variations of stories that went "One cannot repay such great kindness—this humble woman can only offer herself in return".
And judging by things now, there were already hints of that trajectory.
"Actually, Miss Robin was the ally I chose first." Gallagher spoke up, his attitude toward the Corporation far from friendly—it had been the Watchmaker's first adversary.
There was no need to say more about Acheron and Black Swan; they stood firmly by Sol's side.
As for Aventurine—who was he? They didn't even know him.
In the blink of an eye, everyone except Himeko and Welt Yang had taken a stance. Since the two didn't stop Stelle and March 7th, that was effectively a stance as well.
The two of them couldn't help but sigh inwardly—after such a short time in Penacony, the kids they'd raised were practically all about to run off.
"..."
Aventurine looked at the row of people opposite him and felt like something had gone terribly wrong.
Just moments ago, everyone had been cooperative teammates exchanging intelligence, agreeing to fight monsters together and save Penacony. How had it suddenly turned into him being the outsider?
"Mr. Aventurine, it seems everyone agrees with my decision."
Sol's expression was calm, completely unconcerned with the Corporation's presence.
The forces the Interastral Peace Corporation had brought to Penacony were merely fragments of power of an Emanator—hardly enough to accomplish much.
If the P49 Throne of the IPC were here, he might have seriously considered negotiations.
A so-called [Throne] was the pinnacle beneath an Aeon—an overwhelmingly powerful existence among Emanators.
Aventurine's expression darkened slightly, but he soon smiled with easy grace. "Indeed, the eyes of the masses are sharp. It seems I was overthinking things just now and misunderstood Miss Robin."
He turned to Robin and gave a slight bow. "My apologies. That was my mistake."
A real man knows when to bend and when to stand—this was nothing.
The current situation was extremely unfavorable for him. Everyone here was united and clearly didn't want the IPC stirring trouble.
That was troublesome. He couldn't even deploy his usual tactics of alliances and division, completely unable to split them apart.
All he could do now was lie low among them, gather intelligence, and plan for later.
"It's nothing."
Robin's expression was calm, her gaze resolute.
The biggest issue at hand was thwarting the conspiracy to revive Order during the Charmony Festival.
Before that, everything else had to give way.
She cast aside her feelings toward the Corporation and said solemnly, "When I arrived here, all 107,336 members of the Oak Family had already gathered at the Penacony Grand Theater. Judging by the time, the Charmony Festival is about to begin. We need to head there quickly."
"Let's go—crush their conspiracy!"
Stelle excitedly raised her fist. "Let those guys get a taste of how awesome we are!"
It was her first time having so many powerful friends fighting together—an unprecedentedly perfect opening!
Let Penacony's kids witness some education from the galaxy!
Soon, everyone departed together.
Meanwhile, Sparkle lingered beside Robin, as if she had something to say.
Thinking it was about what happened earlier, Robin leaned close and whispered softly in Sparkle's ear, "Miss Sparkle, I really don't have any intention of competing with you. You don't need to worry."
"That's not what I mean." Sparkle licked the corner of her lips and said with a sly smile. "I want you to come over earlier, you know. You're my wife, Sol is my husband—one husband, one wife system!"
"As expected of a Masked Fool—you really know how to joke."
Robin felt as if she'd been struck by five bolts of lightning at once. She forced a strained smile and fled from Sparkle as if escaping.
"Sparkle-sama never jokes."
Sparkle planted her hands on her hips, deeply dissatisfied.
Sol was so capable—if no one helped share the load, she'd have much less time to go out and mess with people for fun.
===BREAK===
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