The Mask That Always Smiles

All the wishes had been granted, and each person was eager to reveal theirs simultaneously. Eliza, Kai, Pensée, and Amii Ling were excited, like children unwrapping birthday presents in front of everyone, all wanting to show off what they had wished for.

Eliza was the first to reveal her wish made with Kai: "As Gig-git is a real-life dog now, he deserves all the perks of being... real-life, so we wished for Gig-git to be able to eat chocolate without getting sick, like humans can. It isn't fair that only humans can enjoy chocolate."

Lillian said, "What about dog chocolates specially designed for a dog's digestive system?"

Eliza cut her off, "YAK YAK YAK YAK!! No, he just deserves high-quality chocolates, not cheap, smelly, yucky dog chocolates. I mean, I tried them and hated them and wouldn't give them to him."

Pensée agreed and nodded, "That's right! A precious dog like Gig-git deserves the absolute best."

Eliza smiled as she dropped luxurious caramel chocolates onto the muddy forest floor. Gig-git sniffed at the chocolate, pushing it through the dirt with bits of leaves, twigs, and insects sticking to it. He eagerly snapped it up and started chewing, but it got stuck in his teeth, frustrating the dog, who started 'yakking' as he tried to dislodge the caramel chocolate from his mouth. "YAK YAK YAK YAK!!"

Eliza and Kai glanced up at Pensée and Amii Ling, knowing exactly what they were about to ask.

"So, dying to know what we wished for back there?" Pensée teased.

Amii chimed in confidently, "We put our hearts into that wish, thinking the world would truly appreciate it."

Pensée continued proudly, "We wished for the end of poverty, widespread well-being, and an end to famines," with Amii adding, "Like, yeah, the Pro Tags are totally pro for famines and all that."

"The Pro Tags are pro what? Maybe it's good she's no longer part of the so-called 'Pro Tags,'" Lillian thought to herself, with a hint of disbelief.

Eliza just shook her head. "Whoa... just whoa... I wish I had thought of that wish."

"Yes, you both... all four of you wasted your wishes on something selfish and pointless," Pensée smugly remarked.

"And we two are going to be known as the ones who saved the world," Amii added.

"Yay!! We are going to get sooooo many followers from this!!" Pensée exclaimed, showing everyone her followers increasing by thousands every second.

Lillian wanted to make a comment about there being more to life than online followers, but she decided to end the topic before her phone rang with a call from another woman with a superiority complex. Lillian recalled the advice she had heard: "They say to always smile on the phone because your tone can convey your emotions. Even without seeing your face, they can sense your vibe. And on video calls, they can definitely sense it." She smiled before answering, "Hi there..."

For some reason, the noise of crickets and the girls talking in the background distracted her, causing her to momentarily forget whom she had just answered the phone to. She slipped up and repeated nervously, "Hi there... hi there?" Embarrassed by her mistake, she thought, "Maybe I can laugh it off and pretend I was trying to be cute."

A truly sophisticated conversation starter, indeed.

"My dear Lily 'Starrgazer', are you truly indulging in starr-gazing at this very moment? I can discern the faint chirping of crickets and the gentle hum of mosquitoes in the background."

She paused, unable to recall her name, despite spending numerous hours with her just a couple of days ago. She replied, "No, I am not starr-gazing. I am at Heart-Ling Forest for my wish-making."

"Ah yes, I did catch a glimpse of your girls' performance in that brief 5-second highlight video someone posted on eBunnee, or was it 4 seconds? Regardless, do ensure you make a splendid wish upon the shooting starr."

She reflected silently, "'Shooting starr'? More like a soggy, smelly shooting sock on my face, assaulting me like a pancake Frisbee that landed splat on my face." The name of the person speaking on the phone still escaped her.

Ashlyn Starr carried on speaking, and Lillian still didn't remember her name. "I was just talking with my management team, and I understand that Kassy is your idol and her songs have had a profoundly transformative impact on you. So, we're arranging for her to call you next week for a delightful conversation. I've heard she really enjoys interacting with her fans. Oh, and please be aware that when she calls, she might be dealing with a slight sore throat. Just something to make a note of."

She thought to herself, "A sore throat? Seriously?! That's quite a sore throat. And yay, another chat with Kassy... just what I didn't need." She mumbled in reply, "Thank... you..."

"Do remember to credit moi for arranging this, my little Starrling."

"Sure..."

"I can tell you're too excited to speak, and I can't blame you, because now you have over 100k followers on eBunnee; you can now enter the Bun-verse."

Lillian had forgotten that she'd gained loads of followers after the VR event and was shocked. She quickly looked up photos of the Bun-verse while checking her followers and noticed that the 'n' in 'bun' looked remarkably like an 'm'. She asked, "Can I go?! How do I get there?"

"How does one get there, my dear Starrling? Just follow the yellow..." The connection abruptly went dead.

Unbeknownst to Lillian, Eliza, Kai, and Larisa stood in front of her, eavesdropping on the whole conversation. "So how do we get to the Buniverse?" Eliza asked, tapping her foot so frantically, she might as well have been trying to dig a tunnel to China. They were hanging on her every word, eager to know the secret. Lillian, not wanting to disappoint, repeated exactly what she heard, and they mistakenly thought she knew more. Eliza tried to call Ashlyn back, but Ashlyn's phone battery was as dead as a doornail. Clearly, she forgot to gulp-ball it up. Lillian, feeling the pressure, said, "To get to the Buniverse, you just have to... follow the yellow..."

"The yellow what?!" both Kai and Eliza said in unison.

There was an awkward silence for a period of time, followed by another period after this word.

Larisa flitted through the surroundings—trees, swamp, and the bathhouse—moving with ethereal speed. In mere seconds, she exclaimed in a hyper-cute anime-girl style, "Eep! I found it! There's a yellow trail we should totally follow to get to our destination!"

Eliza shook her head, her tone amused but firm. "This isn't a video game. There aren't any yellow lines or markers to guide us."

Kai chimed in thoughtfully, "Well, we should follow something yellow, though."

Larisa pointed excitedly at the trail of urine left by Lucid Chaos. "Look! We just have to follow this wee trail to find the special place-desu!" She giggled oddly.

"Ewww!! Seriously?! We don't have GPS or anything?" Eliza exclaimed.

Kai shrugged. "Something this secretive wouldn't show up on GPS anyway."

"Well, I guess we're following it then," Lillian sighed, eyeing the urine trail reluctantly.

Kai added cautiously, "Just be careful not to step in it; it might be toxic."

Eliza nodded cautiously, keeping her distance as she observed the urine bubbling vigorously.

"We're off to see the wizz-ard!" Larisa exclaimed as she hopped over the trail like a bunny ghost, brushing past Ami Ling and Princess Pensée.

Pensée looked at her. "Where are you going?! You plan to go somewhere without asking us if we want to come?!"

Eliza, avoiding the mention of the urine trail, boasted instead, "We're heading to Bun-verse! Since we've all had over 100k followers now."

"Bun-verse... That place," Pensée continued, "I've been there many times... it sucks."