Chapter 4: Lala Satalin Deviluke
Inside the bathtub, a pink-haired girl suddenly surfaced. Her graceful figure, flawless body, and beautiful face completely mesmerized Franklin.
"Escape successful."
The girl's voice snapped Franklin back to his senses, making him realize just how incredible the scene that had just unfolded was. His hands, which were still clutching the two soft mounds on her chest, immediately released their hold as he quickly backed away.
Her perfect figure was now fully revealed before his eyes, and Franklin's heart began pounding uncontrollably — in both of his lives, he had never been this close to a woman.
Staying vigilant, Franklin understood that his current situation was extremely dangerous. Whoever this girl was, she was definitely stronger than him — spatial teleportation was not something ordinary people could pull off.
As the weaker party, Franklin carefully assessed his circumstances. Yet, the more he observed the pink-haired girl in front of him, the more he found himself drawn to her. At the same time, an odd sense of familiarity welled up inside him, as if he had seen a scene like this before.
The girl, completely naked before a boy bathing in the tub, showed no sign of panic whatsoever. Instead, she kept a relaxed smile on her face.
It was as if she didn't care at all that they were both stark naked. And when their eyes finally met, Franklin suddenly recalled something.
"Are you alright? You seem to be hurt — you're bleeding."
Her gentle, soft voice stirred Franklin's heart even more, and the wariness he felt toward her began to slowly fade.
Blood dripped into the water and spread out. Franklin was mortified — he hadn't expected that, even with a body refined to the seventh stage, he would still get a nosebleed just from seeing a girl's body.
After taking a deep breath and forcing the bleeding to stop, Franklin mustered his composure and asked, "Who are you, and why did you suddenly appear in my bathtub?"
The pink-haired girl smiled. "I'm Lala. Lala Satalin Deviluke. Just call me Lala.
"I'm really sorry about earlier — I didn't mean to scare you. The teleportation device I was testing malfunctioned. It can only transport my body, not my clothes… so that's why I ended up like this."
Lala's pure, innocent smile put Franklin at ease. And that name — Lala — made his memories clearer. To Love-Ru — a harem anime.
He couldn't remember the details, but he was sure it was a lighthearted romance series. Still, even if she seemed harmless, anyone from the same world as Dragon Ball was not to be underestimated.
Once he confirmed there was no immediate danger, Franklin stepped out of the tub naked, grabbed a towel to wrap around his lower half, and handed another one to Lala.
Lala accepted it without the slightest hint of embarrassment or shyness. After thanking him, she casually wrapped the towel around herself.
Only then did Franklin notice the constantly swaying tail behind her — thin, black, and long, with a heart-shaped tip.
His thoughts immediately went in a questionable direction. But for his own safety, he decided to pretend as if nothing was out of the ordinary.
"Are you… a succubus?"
Although Lala looked puzzled by the term "succubus," she still smiled as she explained, "I'm not a succubus. I'm a Devilukean. Oh, and you haven't introduced yourself yet — and what's a succubus, anyway?"
Franklin felt awkward. He cleared his throat and said, "Sorry, my name's Franklin. I'm a Blue Star human. As for the succubus thing… now's not the best time to explain."
Lala noticed his embarrassment but didn't press further. Instead, she slowly lay back into the tub.
"My legs are getting a bit cold from standing. Want to join me?"
Franklin was speechless. This is my house, so why are you acting like you own the place? he shouted inwardly. But outwardly, he remained calm. After all, it wasn't like he'd lose anything from this situation.
"Then I'll gladly accept."
Once he was certain Lala meant no harm, Franklin relaxed and acted more naturally.
After slipping back into the tub, he asked directly, "Lala, you said you're an alien? How did you end up on Blue Star? There's been no evidence of alien life here."
Lala frowned slightly. Franklin thought he might have said something wrong, but then she suddenly stood, turned around, and sat down right on his lap.
The new position was more comfortable for both of them, but the intimate skin-to-skin contact immediately caused a reaction below. Franklin tried to distract himself, but with little success.
Feeling his face grow hot and sensing another nosebleed coming on, Franklin was just about to stand up and flee when Lala's voice reached his ears.
"Dad keeps trying to force me to marry someone I don't like, so I ran away from home. I remember him saying Blue Star was dangerous and that I shouldn't contact it. But to escape my family's pursuit, I fled here.
"As for why Blue Star hasn't discovered any alien life… it's because your solar system is surrounded by a Great Silence Barrier. The information you receive is all relayed from a high-level civilization's lunar base, which creates the illusion that no extraterrestrial life exists."
As Lala spoke, Franklin successfully distracted himself. And in that brief moment, memories of the anime's later events began returning to him.
"Lala, I'm truly sorry about earlier. Not only did I touch your chest, but I also saw your naked body and even shared a bath with you. I don't know what those actions mean in your culture, but on Blue Star, such things are absolutely forbidden between strangers. If possible, I'll take responsibility!"
Lala fell silent for a while. Then, after a long pause, her calm voice broke the quiet.
"On Deviluke, touching a girl's chest and gazing deeply into her eyes is considered a marriage proposal.
"If the girl accepts, the marriage contract is officially sealed. As for seeing each other naked and bathing together — my mom said those are things you only do with your destined partner."
After a moment of hesitation, Franklin asked softly, "Lala… does that mean my actions just now count as a proposal to you?"
Lala looked conflicted. After thinking it over for a long time, she shook her head.
"Sorry… I do like you, Lin, but Blue Star is so small. My spaceship was damaged when I arrived, and my father's guards — Zastin and the others — will come looking for me. I can't drag you into this…"
"Ding: Mission Triggered."
[Mission: Proposal Mission]
[Mission Rank: E-]
[Proposal Mission: Propose to Lala Satalin Deviluke. Reward: 100 top-grade spirit stones.]
Franklin frowned slightly at the words floating before his eyes but didn't pay them much mind — this was already his plan. Proposing to Lala was something he had to do. It wasn't just following his heart — it was necessary to perfectly integrate into this worldline.
Seeing Lala stand up to leave the bathroom, Franklin quickly rose to his feet and shook his head.
"No. I'm a man. If I do something, I own up to it. I like you, Lala. From the moment I first saw you, I was deeply drawn to you.
"If you accept me, then even if your family objects, I'll come find you one day and marry you."
Lala, who had been about to leave, froze at Franklin's words. For a moment, hesitation and conflict filled her heart.
(Support me and read ahead on Patreøn: patreøn.com/craxxtranslations.
Two new chapters are released daily—thank you for your support!
Powerstone Event: Every 100 powerstones unlocks 1 bonus chapter.)