The Pretty Puppet Is Fierce

The display case numbered 61 in the Chaotic Star System held a marionette doll.

Beautiful, soft, fragile.

Everyone coveted that breathtakingly beautiful doll.

But the astronomical price marked on the display case made them hesitate.

The world fell into chaos. Monsters were about to descend, and fear swept through humanity like a plague. Everyone in the Chaotic Star System became a fugitive. Under cover of night, they smashed the glass case at number 61.

A mutant, whose eyes stung from the doll's beauty at such close range, reached out impatiently. "...It'd be worth it even if I died."

The lifeless puppet's eyes slowly shifted.

Mutant: !!!

The next moment, the mutant and the descending monster burst into fireworks in midair.

"Oh." The beautiful, fragile doll, as if a gust of wind could carry it away, stepped out of the glass case and picked up the puppet arm that had fallen to the ground. With great care, it wiped the pale arm clean. "Oops, it fell out."

-

The puppet thought life in the Chaotic Star System was very difficult. By day, it had to pretend to be human and run a dessert shop, which was so popular it kept it busy without a moment to spare. At night, it had to take apart its own body and wash each piece clean.

The puppet was worried.

It was an ordinary, fragile puppet. If humans discovered it was different, it would be doomed. And pretending to be human wasn't easy for a puppet.

The puppet did think humans looked a little strange when they saw it, and trembled whenever they spoke to it. When they came to buy something, they'd turn red-eyed and choke back tears. "You don't have to pay... Just take it."

"I couldn't do that." The puppet shook its head and earnestly took out a stack of banknotes, counting them out to the shopkeeper one by one. Then, in high spirits, it took a bag of gingerbread and left.

Another perfect performance as a human!

The puppet set off two little fireworks in its heart.

"Did that great one go on another killing spree today?"

"Yeah. I heard three monsters died, crushed into puddles by that great one because they tried to steal the chocolate desserts."

"Uh... Those monsters must never have tasted the little desserts that great one makes. They taste like a mix of leather and metal."

"That's probably the taste of the powerful... But why did that great one give you these worthless banknotes that were discontinued ages ago?"

The shopkeeper shook his head blankly. "I don't know either."

The onlookers looked down and saw several sheets of paper cut into lopsided little flowers, with amounts carefully written on them: 100, 200.

-

Lately, the puppet had felt that something was off. For example, the scenery kept changing without warning, its underwear would mysteriously disappear, and parts of its body often moved against its will.

The puppet removed its right eyeball and stared at it with an eye as beautiful as the ocean. In a soft, worried voice, it said, "I can give you some gingerbread for free, but could you please stop possessing me?"

The Lord of Monsters, a capricious tyrant who had long terrorized the S-rank star systems, had now become a blood-red eyeball. It affectionately pressed itself against the puppet's soft cheek.

[Notice: 1. A puppet bottom who is often dragged into monsters' illusion traps but never notices, firmly believing he lives a normal life; he's very vain, spends all his savings on scented oil, and has a house full of pretty junk & a Lord of Monsters with nothing on his mind but cuddling his wife.

(The top's identity may change. The current possibilities are the Lord of Monsters, a genius puppeteer, or the light of humanity who has slept for over a hundred years. Only his identity changes; his perverted personality won't. Feel free to give it a try. I'll choose the identity that makes for the most thrilling story and best fits the plot.)

2. The blurb may be revised and polished several times before the story begins, but the central premise won't change.

3. Readers with strong preferences for either the top or the bottom, proceed with caution.

4. Blurb screenshotted on 2024/3/7.]

Theme: Love and freedom.