The next morning, Kenjiro awoke to the gentle sound of birds chirping outside his window. He stretched, feeling more rested than he had in days. He looked over and saw Lyrielle, already awake, sitting in a chair and reading a book, a small, shy smile on her face. The memory of his ridiculous "Peanut Butter Jelly Time" dance came flooding back, and a hot blush crept up his neck.

"M-morning," he mumbled, quickly getting out of bed.

They met the rest of the party in the inn's common room for breakfast. DragonSlayer was a wreck. He had dark circles under his eyes and was pointedly refusing to look in Bombom's direction, instead staring intently at his plate of eggs as if it held the secrets to the universe.

"Slept well?" Bombom asked, a teasing smirk on his face.

DragonSlayer just grunted in response, shoving a large piece of bacon into his mouth.

"We should get going," Gluteus said, his voice a calm, steady rumble in the awkward silence. "Lyrielle, you mentioned you knew the way to this... Aeonfall kingdom?"

She nodded, closing her book. "Y-yes. It is far to the north, beyond the Whispering Mountains. It is a long and dangerous journey."

"Perfect," Bombom said, a competitive fire lighting in his eyes. "A long journey means more chances to train. And more monsters to punch."

"I think I'll pass on the punching for a while," DragonSlayer muttered under his breath.

After a hearty breakfast, they packed their gear and prepared to leave the strange, unsettling village of Gigglecreek behind. As they stepped out of the inn, a familiar ZUUUUUH sound echoed from above. Nomu, the man with the gravity-defying hair, descended from the sky, landing in front of them with a confident smirk.

"So," he said, looking at Bombom. "Ready for that fight?"

"Still no," Bombom replied flatly.

"Come on!" Nomu insisted. "I'll make it worth your while. If you win, I'll give you this." He held out a small, glowing stone. "It's a mineral shard from a fallen star. Incredibly rare. A giant or half-giant blacksmith could forge it into an unbreakable weapon or armor."

Gluteus's head snapped up, his eyes locking onto the shard with an intense, covetous light.

Bombom saw the look. He sighed. "Fine," he said, cracking his knuckles. "Let's get this over with."

They moved to the village square, a small crowd of curious onlookers gathering to watch. "Alright, pretty boy," Nomu said, cracking his own knuckles. "Let's see what you've got."

He rushed forward, his fist a blur of motion. But Bombom, his senses honed by countless life-or-death battles, easily sidestepped the attack. He didn't even bother summoning his shadows. He just used his own, surprisingly nimble body, dodging and weaving around Nomu's powerful but clumsy attacks. After a few minutes of the one-sided dance, Bombom saw his opening. He ducked under a wide hook and delivered a single, powerful kick to the back of Nomu's knee. The man's leg buckled, and he went down with a surprised yelp.

Bombom stood over him, a triumphant smirk on his face. "Had enough?"

Nomu just laughed, a genuine, impressed sound. "Okay, okay, you win," he said, tossing the glowing mineral shard to Gluteus, who caught it with a look of pure, unadulterated joy. Nomu pushed himself to his feet. "You're pretty good, for a Lily. We should fight again sometime." And with another ZUUUUUH, he was gone.

The party finally left the village, their new destination clear. The road to Aeonfall, and the next chapter of their bizarre, chaotic adventure, lay before them.

The long walk from the ruined kingdom was a grueling, silent affair. The weight of their adventure, the loss of Ren, and the unsettling mystery of the timelines had left the party drained. Finally, as the sun began to dip below the horizon, casting long shadows across the path, they saw the warm, welcoming lights of a small village nestled in a valley. A hand-painted wooden sign at the entrance read: "Welcome to Gigglecreek."

Bombom sighed. "Of course, it's called Gigglecreek."

They found a modest inn and rented two rooms for the night. Bombom, wanting to discuss the timeline theory further with the most knowledgeable member, decided to room with Lyrielle. This left Gluteus, SynchroNoice, and a very grumpy DragonSlayer to share the other room.

After settling in, Bombom bought a large platter of roasted meat and bread and brought it to his room. Lyrielle was sitting quietly by the window, staring out at the stars.

"You should eat," Bombom said, placing the food on a small table. He invited her to join, but she was too shy.

"T-thanks, b-but I'm not that hungr-" Before she could finish, Bombom was in front of her, holding a piece of meat close to her mouth. He pulled her closer, his face just inches from hers.

"You should eat," he said, his red eyes surprisingly serious. "Protein. Good for you."

Lyrielle's face exploded in a blush, her heart hammering against her ribs. Seeing his face this close, his expression so earnest... she had no choice. She shyly took a bite. Just then, a loud ZUUUUUH sound echoed from the open window, and a man appeared, hovering outside. He had a bizarre hairstyle, a towering pompadour so stiff with gel it looked like a weapon.

"Hey, you!" the man said, pointing a finger at Bombom. "You must be Bombom. I heard you are very strong, so I want to fight you."

Bombom, in the middle of taking a large bite of bread, turned to him very, very slowly and, with his mouth full, said a single, muffled word: "No." He then turned back to his food.

"Come on, let's fight!" the man insisted. "I'm super strong! Look at my jeans!" He flexed his legs, the denim straining against his muscles.

Lyrielle, her shyness momentarily forgotten, spoke up. "We are tired. You can challenge Bombom later."

The man sighed dramatically. "Sure. But I'm not taking no for an answer." He crouched in mid-air, ready to take off. "By the way, I'm Nomu." With another ZUUUUUH, he flew away into the night.

Lyrielle turned to Bombom. "Do you know him?"

"No," Bombom said, swallowing his food. "And I'm still not gonna challenge him." He looked at her, his expression suddenly serious. "You know what time it is?"

Lyrielle looked at the sky, then back at him, confused. "It's-"

"IT'S PEANUT BUTTER JELLY TIME!" Bombom suddenly yelled. He jumped to his feet and began doing a ridiculous, flailing dance, swinging his arms back and forth like a banana. Lyrielle stared, her mind unable to process the sheer, unadulterated weirdness of the scene. He was so close, so energetic, and the dance was so... suggestive? Her face went from red to crimson, her brain completely short-circuiting as she fainted, collapsing softly onto the floor.

In the other room, Gluteus was sketching designs in a notebook, already planning his next suit of armor. DragonSlayer, bored and annoyed, was pacing the floor. "Where was the last time your armor broke?" he asked.

"I don't remember," Gluteus replied, not looking up from his drawing. "I think it just broke two times, not counting this one. In total, three. But the minerals to make them... are kind of rare."

"Maybe a mage that has his specialty in minerals?" SynchroNoice suggested from his corner.

Gluteus shook his head. "Only if this mage is a giant or a half-giant."

DragonSlayer sighed in frustration. "Why is Bombom staying with the girl while I have to stay with a mountain and an ant?"

SynchroNoice let out a small, sad sigh at being compared to an ant.

"Maybe it's because he looks like a girl," Gluteus theorized, "and they will probably be more confident without our muscles around."

"Tsk. Whatever, I'm out," DragonSlayer grumbled. "I'm going to look for someone."

He stormed out of the inn and into the lively streets of Gigglecreek. He saw her almost immediately—a beautiful woman in a flowing white dress, standing alone under a streetlamp. This was it.

"Hey girl," he said, trying to sound smooth. "You're the most precious lily in the world to me. How about we hang out so we can meet each other?"

The woman blushed and, without a word, beckoned him to follow. She led him to an establishment with a glowing neon sign of a banana and pulsing red lights over the door. A few minutes later, DragonSlayer came sprinting back out, his face pale, tears streaming from his eyes as he ran back to the inn.

Bombom, hearing the commotion, went to the other room to see what was wrong. "What's going on? I'm trying to rest."

"Don't go into the establishment that has a banana and some red lights!" DragonSlayer cried, his voice trembling. "I'm traumatized!"

Bombom just sighed and walked away, returning to his own room. "Weirdo~" he muttered.

Gluteus let out a deep, rumbling laugh. "Didn't you know? Shapeshifters own those establishments. They turn your desires to life, and their appearance only reflects what you want to see."

DragonSlayer's face went white. "That's what I was saying," he whispered, his voice full of a dawning horror. "When I entered the place... it had many Bomboms."

Gluteus laughed again. "Oh, my dear DragonSlayer. You are starting to like Bombom. It's a normal thing. He's a good leader, beautiful, and strong."

SynchroNoice nodded. "It's no surprise. If I went there, it would probably be full of Bomboms, too."

DragonSlayer dropped onto his bed, burying his face in a pillow, his entire body trembling with a mixture of horror and deep, confusing embarrassment. "I'm traumatized," he mumbled, his face burning.

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