Chapter 163. Xander Masato: Do I Still Have Time to Run?
"Don't feed the pigeons.
You'll get fined."
In the wide-open plaza, Xander Masato watched Kiana take out some bread to feed the pigeons.
He reminded her while lifting a hand to lightly tap her head.
"Fined?"
Kiana's hand froze mid-pinch.
She looked at the little lump of bread in her hand, then at the pigeon standing its ground and staring her down without fear.
After thinking for a moment, she threw the bread straight into her own mouth.
"Coo—coo."
Seeing the food was gone, the pigeon flew off grumbling.
On the other side, Sirin quietly pulled back the little hand she'd just stretched toward the snacks.
"It's a local regulation.
Didn't you notice the police not far away already eyeing you like hawks?
They're just waiting for you to feed the pigeons so they can write you a ticket."
"Eek~"
Following Xander's pointing finger, Kiana soon spotted two officers in uniform casting glances their way from time to time.
"Fine, fine—what a weird rule."
"It's to prevent the wild pigeons from breeding out of control and damaging the environment, right?
Seele looked it up before we came~"
Today was the first day of the Schicksal Game Expo, yet the group was leisurely strolling the streets of Italy, soaking in the local vibe.
Only Ken Sugisaki had gone to the closed-door developer meeting, fully representing Fantasyland Company in talks with other studios.
"Leaving just Sugisaki to handle it—are you sure that's okay?"
Bronya was a little worried about this.
"Relax, relax.
Key's social skills are great, and I already told him—if he hits anything he can't decide, he should call me."
Xander smiled and gestured with the phone in his hand.
No sooner had he finished than Elysia's sweet voice rang out from not far away.
"Xander, come here~"
Holding a pink camera, Elysia waved at him happily.
Beside her, Kaguya gave a gentle smile and a small wave.
Xander's gaze shifted to Elysia.
Behind them stood a grand, imposing Gothic church.
Beneath the tall spires, the classic Baroque façade was covered top to bottom in sculpture—ornate to the extreme and exquisitely beautiful.
"What is it?"
After greeting Seele and the others, Xander walked over with a smile.
"Photos, of course~"
Handing the camera to Kaguya, Elysia didn't even wait for Xander to reach her before she slipped up and happily hugged his arm.
The weather had turned warm today.
Elysia had changed into a pink-and-white long dress she loved.
Elegant floral accents dotted the fabric, and the cutouts at the shoulders revealed the tender, faintly rosy skin beneath.
Lower down, sheer white stockings framed her slender calves, and her feet slipped into a pair of clean white shoes.
Her pink hair hung loose, and overall she looked so sweet and lovely.
Just then, Xander heard Elysia's question at his ear.
"Do you remember what I told you at the beach?"
He nodded gently at her words.
The fireworks from that night had left too deep an impression.
He might never forget them.
"So, as the first stop of our journey together, of course we have to leave a keepsake here~"
Hugging his arm a little tighter, Elysia pulled him to the front of the church.
Kaguya held the camera and earnestly coached their positions and poses.
"Xander, don't be nervous.
Relax your body a bit."
"No, don't you think Kaguya's poses all feel kind of hard?"
"Hard?"
Xander turned his head and glanced at Elysia's casually twisting waist.
Soft to the touch yet impressively flexible.
Alright—maybe it was just that his own flexibility was terrible.
"Smile more naturally.
Yes, just like that."
"Hold me openly like this.
What, getting shy now?"
"Yes, touch foreheads—hey, don't actually kiss~"
"Though a kiss wouldn't be bad either.
Let's take another one~"
Under the envious gazes of tourists, Kaguya snapped set after set of photos in different poses.
After a while, when Kaguya finally made an OK sign, Xander—whose body had gotten a little stiff—let out a long sigh of relief.
Before he could say anything, Elysia suddenly rose onto tiptoe, laced her fingers together on his shoulders, and her soft lips breathed out a sweet fragrance.
A delicate whisper, soft and tinged with longing, sounded in his ear.
"Xander, next time we do something like this… could you put a wedding dress on me?"
"!!!"
His heart seemed to skip a beat.
It was several seconds before Xander came back to himself.
By then, Elysia had already traded places with Kaguya, her cheeks slightly flushed as she jogged off.
He looked up and met Elysia's eyes.
She gave him an adorable wink.
Flirt and run, huh?
He'd remember this.
Compared to Elysia, Kaguya was much more reserved.
At most she held hands and leaned in close.
Anything more intimate was something she couldn't do at all in public.
Hearing the commotion, Kiana and the others in the plaza crowded over with curiosity.
When Kaguya finished, on the logic of "we're already here," they took turns stepping up for pictures.
Xander became a communal photo prop, passed around at will by a group of girls.
By the end, even Mei got swept up in the mood and took a few group shots.
At last, after everyone had their turns, Elysia started pulling the girls together for photos.
Xander could finally take a break.
He slumped onto an empty bench by the roadside and let out a long breath.
"Big bro, thanks for the hard work~"
Seele and Kiana walked over together with smiles.
Behind them, Sirin was in charge of the camera.
Elysia held a slightly embarrassed Mei on one side, rubbing cheeks with her.
On her other side she'd pulled in Kaguya as well.
Left and right, two Eastern beauties in her arms—she looked very pleased.
"Hey, getting to take pics with so many cute girls should be fun, right?
How are you already worn out?"
Kiana walked over and tapped the toe of his shoe with her foot.
Xander shot Kiana a glare and grumbled.
"Why do you think I'm tired?
Isn't that your fault?!"
"Who sits on a person's shoulders and still makes them run?
I'm a human, not a horse, okay?
You're heavy as heck!"
"Nonsense, I'm not fat!
I—I was just curious, that's all!
And I even let you hold my thigh.
Giving you that much of a freebie—what's wrong with you putting in a little effort!"
Being called fat made Kiana anxious at once.
As soon as she finished, she pinched her own smooth, tight waist, worrying, "Am I really getting chubby?"
"Heh~"
Xander let out a disdainful chuckle.
"Hey, you jerk—say it clearly!!!"
Seeing Kiana about to charge at him, Seele hurriedly grabbed her.
With Seele holding her back, Kiana felt a bit disappointed.
She huffed and then said stubbornly, "Whatever.
For Seele's sake, I'll let you off this time.
A beautiful girl won't stoop to your level."
"Big bro, don't bully Kiana."
At Seele's soft little complaint, Xander spread his hands helplessly.
"Alright, alright.
You're not heavy.
I was faking it just now."
"Faking it?
What, not satisfied even after taking photos with so many cute girls?"
"I'm not dissatisfied.
Don't you feel the crowd around us is getting thicker?
I'm still a somewhat well-known figure, right?
If we keep taking pictures, rumors are going to fly all over the place."
Propping his chin on a hand, he went on lazily, "Seele, Elysia and the others don't mind.
But what about you and Mei?"
I don't mind either.
Thinking that to herself, Kiana answered aloud, "Hmph, so you do have a speck of conscience."
"A speck, but not much."
Roasting himself, Xander's phone suddenly rang.
He opened it, and upon seeing the email from the Schicksal Group, he raised an eyebrow.
"The application got approved?"
Seele looked over, curious.
"Approved?"
"Mm.
Approved.
I'll head over this afternoon."
"Application?
What application?"
Their exchange left Kiana totally lost, and she anxiously asked for clarification.
"A visitor application for Schicksal HQ.
I have a friend undergoing treatment there.
Since we've got the chance this time, I'll stop by and see her."
"Oh~ got it."
Kiana nodded.
With her curiosity satisfied, she didn't ask more.
The girls had already planned to go shopping together that afternoon.
Whether Xander came along or not was fine.
The expo was in Milan.
As a fashion capital, it naturally stirred great enthusiasm among the girls.
Under Elysia's lead—she'd been here several times—they quickly settled on an afternoon shopping plan.
The only pity was that Griseo had been picked up by her parents as soon as she arrived in Italy and couldn't join them.
"It's about time.
Seele, go tell Elysia and the others.
Schicksal HQ isn't that close from here, so I'll head out first."
"Mm.
Big bro, go on ahead.
Come back early tonight, okay?
Stay safe~"
"Mm~"
Rising from the bench, Xander ruffled Seele's hair as she closed her eyes in contentment.
On his way off he also took the chance to rub Kiana's white fluff of hair, which made her chase him down and land two playful punches.
Fixing her slightly messy braid, Kiana watched Xander get into a taxi.
Blushing, she muttered under her breath, "Seriously… can't he be a little gentler with me, like he is with Seele…"
"Kiana, did you say something?"
Seeing Seele look over curiously, Kiana grinned foolishly and waved both hands.
"Nope, nothing at all.
That annoying guy finally left, so he won't get in the way of our shopping!"
"Big bro is actually really nice.
Don't say that in front of him~"
"Okay, okay.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
I get it!"
Flustered by Kiana's teasing, Seele scurried off to find Bronya.
Before Kiana could savor her triumph, a pale hand knocked her on the head.
"It's Xi Shi, dummy.
There's no such thing as 'Shi Xi.'"
Sirin, who happened to be walking by, groused at her own sister.
Then she glanced around and asked curiously, "Xander?
Where'd he go?"
Getting smacked by Sirin left Kiana annoyed, and she shot back, "Who knows—maybe he went to find a new sweetheart."
"Huh?"
…
As the most famous spot in the region, the taxi driver needed only the name, and he fired up the engine without another question.
He and Xander chatted on and off along the way.
When the topic turned to Schicksal, there was a hint of pride in his voice.
As one of the world's three biggest tech organizations, it was indeed something to be proud of.
Because the ride was a bit long, Xander had the driver pull over partway.
He bought a pizza by the road and split it with the driver.
That loosened the man's tongue even more, and he chirped all the way until they reached their destination.
When it came time to pay, the driver flatly refused to take his money.
Helpless, Xander left a banknote on the front passenger seat, hoping the man would notice later.
Schicksal Group Headquarters.
Naturally, a headquarters wasn't just a single building.
Like Anti-Entropy's base, it was an enormous industrial-research park.
Soaring walls enclosed a vast area.
Past the imposing main gate, office blocks and laboratories rose everywhere within the campus, stretching farther than the eye could see.
This was a special gate used to receive guests.
Foot traffic wasn't heavy, but the décor was exquisitely refined.
Face matters—he understood that much.
As Xander walked up, he noticed someone already waiting for him at the entrance, smiling and waving.
"Hello, are you Mr. Masato?"
The young woman receiving him had the same dazzling white hair and azure eyes as Kiana, even wearing a big braid down her back.
Compared to Kiana's dopey charm, though, this lady felt gentle and mature.
"Yes, that's me.
And you are…?"
He reached out to shake hands.
She introduced herself at the same time.
"Hello, I'm Kallen.
Kallen Kaslana."
"!!!!"
At the introduction, Xander went rigid all over.
He almost yanked his hand back out of sheer shock.
Kallen—was it that Kallen?
Noticing Xander's stunned look, Kallen scratched her cheek with a shy smile.
Despite not really knowing how old she truly was, she still had the bashful air of a young girl.
"Sorry—did I scare you?"
"N-no, not at all."
Xander gave a dry laugh.
Even if he had been scared, it's not like he would dare say so.
Tap—tap—tap.
Suddenly, quick little footsteps sounded from behind Kallen.
A short girl with white hair in a nun's outfit scurried over.
Spotting Xander and the Kallen in front of him, she planted fists on hips and protested, "Grandma Kallen, didn't we agree I'd be the one to receive him?!"
Come to think of it, when he decided to visit Schicksal HQ, he'd told Theresa first.
As it happened, she'd come to wheedle more budget for St. Freya from her grandpa these days, so she simply came herself.
"Kallen, I'm curious about Little Luna's friend too~"
Kallen wheedled softly at her granddaughter.
"Ugh—well, now you've seen him.
Grandma Kallen, head back for now.
I'll take him from here.
Go keep an eye on Grandpa!"
In this family, no one could refuse Grandma when she acted like this.
"Otto?
What's he done now?"
Theresa shot Xander a sidelong look and smirked.
"Because a strange man came to see his beloved little granddaughter, he's planning to bring out Judgment of Shamash to play with~"
Kallen's expression froze.
She threw Xander an awkward smile.
After a quick goodbye, she took off toward an office building at a speed that didn't match her image at all.
Xander: "…"
Would it still be in time to run now?
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