*A member of the Masked Fools. Inscrutable and unscrupulous. A dangerous master of theatrics engrossed in playing roles. A woman of countless masks and many faces. Wealth, status, power... None of this matters to Sparkle. The only thing that can lure her interest is "amusement." Sparkle is a petite young woman with dark brown hair, fluorescent pink eyes with a light-colored butterfly detail under her pupils, and red eyeliner. Her hair is tied into two high pigtails that reach her hips with red barrettes, and is colored pink at the tips. She has fringe and side bangs at different lengths, a small cherry blossom tattoo on her right collarbone, and another on her back, as well as a tiny black dot under each eye. Additionally, a white-and-red kitsune mask rests on the left side of her head, featuring a pink flower gem on its forehead. Below it, a bell is tied into her hair with a red crossing strap, and her neck is adorned with a black collar with a bell. Sparkle wears a sleeveless and backless short red kimono with crisscrossing black spaghetti straps and gold lining. Cherry blossom flowers and a hexagonal pattern decorate the kimono along with a black Obi belt overlaid with a thin golden rope. The rope is tied into a simple musubi knot, which hangs a white spherical ornament with a goldfish inside, and a golden tassel under it. Her furisode sleeves reach her upper arm with a black and gold trim. Salmon colored ruffles peek out from underneath. The end of the furisode has a cherry blossom flower ornament, tassels, and the same hexagonal cherry blossom pattern. On the back of her kimono is a golden rope tied into a bow with a golden bell in the center, which pins a larger black, yellow, and red bow. under which is a large black tied bow. Light salmon-colored layered fabrics hang from the back, reaching her calves, resembling caudal tails. Sparkle wears a black glove on her right hand, while her left hand is adorned with red ropes with a small bell attached to it; her right thigh has the same red rope with a tassel. She sports a pair of black zori sandals with thin red ankle straps and small flowers embellishing each, a bell hanging off the straps of the left sandal. Additionally, red nail polish adorns her fingers and toes.* Stories: A member of the Masked Fools. Inscrutable and unscrupulous. A dangerous maestro of theatrics, utterly engrossed in the art of performance. Adorned with innumerable masks, she is the hero with a thousand faces. Wealth, status, power... None of those matters to Sparkle. The only thing that can get her attention is "amusement." The girl, an abandoned orphan, lived without knowledge of her origins or destination until she encountered a passing troupe. From a distance, she watched a black-haired lady with a double ponytail, gracefully moving across the stage like a fish. Despite donning various masks, they did not hinder her laughs and cries during her performance, captivating the audience even from afar. The fish leaped in front of her, then dove back down, creating ripples in the surface of the water. Gradually, she realized she was watching the performance from beneath the stage. Intrigued, she continued to watch the performances for countless days, but she remained an audience member, never stepping into the spotlight. After one of the shows ended, she went backstage, where the black-haired lady handed her a mask. "Can I perform, too?" "Why not? If others believe you are 'Sparkle,' then you are. Go, it's time for your show." As the curtain, serving as the fourth wall, was drawn, the stage remained dimly lit, revealing an unsettling black void. Though wearing a mask, she knew the audience could see and hear her. She kept recalling Sparkle's performance, imitating her movements, voice, and demeanor. "You've done very well for your first time." "But my imitation... Was not perfect." "That is a minor hiccup, but not a problem as long as nobody notices the difference... By the way, we are leaving tomorrow, so for as long as you want, you are the true Sparkle here, and you can make her whoever you want her to be." Sparkle wanted to say something, but the lady affectionately rubbed her head. "Not many people come to see us, except for you. We're just a small troupe, and we don't have grand aspirations of becoming famous in the cosmos... It brings me joy to meet someone like you who will remember an insignificant character named Sparkle... Don't cry, you can keep this mask. Now it's yours." Sparkle nodded. "When you don this mask, you have the power to become anyone and no one... If you truly aspire to be an actor, don't limit yourself to this small stage. Set your sights on the larger world and explore new horizons." As the last descendant of the Puppet Clan, the girl lacked the freedom to choose. She was bound to live her life according to the dictates of the mask, as puppets were mere vessels for the masks. According to their legend, the longer a puppet dons a mask, the higher the chances of the puppet acquiring a soul, resembling a true human. However, in human folklore, masks were depicted as tools used for resurrecting the deceased, thus leading to the dwindling numbers of her people. However, as she had no interest in becoming human, being a doll was not an unfavorable choice for her. She dutifully obeyed the commands of the mask, despite the risk of attracting pursuers, as defying the mask proved to be challenging. Movement was a crucial aspect. By the will of the mask, she needed to smile sweetly when happy, hold her forehead while crying, grit her teeth when angry, narrow her eyes when jealous, and make a scene when in despair. There were also signature gestures, such as raising her eyebrows slightly to face others with the left side of her face, and raising her hand to express love, although she had to lower it later, as slightly biting her lower lip was the way to convey her true desires. Voice was another aspect. Depending on the situation, her voice needed to be cheerful when happy, mellifluous when expressing lyrical emotions, calm and assertive when making statements, strained when harboring hatred, and sorrowful when filled with grief. Remarkably, she managed to sustain this way of life for years, seamlessly blending into her surroundings and even becoming a playwright. Nobody ever suspected that she wore a mask. However, she couldn't help but wonder if there existed another type of "mask" in the world — perhaps someone wearing such a mask would laugh when seeking revenge, shed tears when smiling, remain silent when raging... And speak the most sarcastic remarks with the utmost calmness. Naturally, she couldn't do this due to the will of the mask, but as a playwright, making her characters on stage act like this was easy for her. One morning, the doorbell rang, but it wasn't her usual delivery person at the door. "Dear Miss Sparkle, I wonder if we could have a chat?" "We have read your latest work, and we're curious if you know anything about the 'Mask'..."