Chapter 134: Bulma Takes the Lead
The sound of footsteps echoed again from the inn's staircase. Lala had just come down when she saw the tense atmosphere in the lobby.
"Eh? Leafa, why are you sitting on top of Lin? Weren't you saying you had something urgent to take care of?"
Lala's voice snapped Kirigaya Suguha out of her daze. Startled, she quickly scrambled off Franklin, snatched up Kirito's soul vessel, and hurried to Lala's side, repeating everything Franklin had just said.
"If that's what Lin said, then it must be true. From what I know, when Lin says something, he can always make it happen."
Lala's firm tone and trusting gaze made the corner of Franklin's mouth twitch—because this time, he'd actually been bluffing.
After getting Lala's confirmation, the confusion and obsession clouding Suguha's heart seemed to melt away all at once. A faint smile even appeared on her face.
"Thank you, Lala. If you hadn't helped me figure things out, I probably would've lost my mind just now."
Seeing such a drastic change in Suguha's demeanor, Franklin wasn't sure whether to be relieved or helpless. As Bulma helped him to his feet, Suguha came running back.
"I'm really sorry about earlier, Mr. Franklin. Lala told me you're all amazing people and that there's nothing to be afraid of with you around. I didn't believe it at first… but now I do. Mr. Franklin, please—save my brother! If you can bring him back, I… I'll do anything. Whatever it takes. Even if I have to give everything."
Feeling the heat rising to his face as several girls turned their eyes toward him, Franklin was utterly speechless.
"Uh… didn't I just say there's only a slim chance I can save him?"
"Yes, Mr. Franklin, you did—but Lala said you always speak very conservatively, and when you say there's a small chance, that actually means you're pretty confident."
Seeing Lala's encouraging expression, then looking back at Suguha's hopeful, blushing face, Franklin felt his mouth twitch again.
"Sorry, I think you misunderstood. What I meant is that right now, I have no way to bring Kirito back. That 'tiny chance' I mentioned refers to the future—when my power grows stronger, maybe then there'll be a possibility."
"As long as there's even a tiny bit of hope, it's enough. No matter how far in the future, I can wait."
Franklin was at a loss for words. He dragged Lala aside to a corner, making sure no one followed before whispering,
"Lala, how much did you tell her exactly? Why does it feel like no matter what I say—even nonsense—she just believes it?"
Lala stuck out her pink tongue playfully. "Not much! I just introduced who we are, that's all."
Then, as if something occurred to her, she leaned close to Franklin's ear and whispered, mimicking his tone, "Wait, Lin—you can't actually do it right now, can you? You were just stalling for time?"
Franklin gave a faint nod. Lala tapped her head lightly. "Ah… so I ruined your plan?"
"Not really. I said it's something for the future—after some time, it won't matter anymore."
When they turned back around, everyone was staring at them. Lala's expression didn't change at all, while Franklin waved his hand casually.
"Don't look at me like that. I just wanted to know what exactly Lala told Suguha earlier."
"'Suguha'?!"
"Mr. Franklin, you really do know everything! I'm counting on you to save my brother. Whatever you ask for in return, I'll agree—anything! I mean it!"
Seeing Suguha's flushed face and hearing her earnest tone—so sincere she seemed ready to offer even herself—Franklin rubbed his temples in exasperation.
"Uh… anything?"
Feeling Bulma's threatening stare and catching the hesitant looks on Mith and Asuna's faces, Franklin exhaled deeply.
"It's way too early to talk about conditions. Whether Kirito can even be revived is still uncertain. Let's talk about that later."
Suguha let out a relieved breath. Those words had taken all her courage to say, and now that Franklin wasn't pushing for it, she didn't have to worry that his motives were impure.
Bulma patted Franklin's shoulder. When their eyes met, Franklin bent slightly toward her.
"Don't forget what we actually need to do tonight. You said earlier—about Lala… It's already late. If we're going to act, it's time to act."
Franklin's eyes widened.
"You're really fine with this? You're even pushing me to do it? Don't tell me you think that after I… with Lala, you'll—"
Bulma's fist immediately met his face. Though it didn't deal any damage, Franklin was still sent flying.
All the girls stared in disbelief. Bulma's face turned red for a moment, but when she remembered there were no outsiders present, she quickly regained her composure.
"Ahem. Sorry, that was a bit too hard. Next time, maybe keep certain thoughts inside your head. Saying them out loud isn't exactly appropriate."
Slowly getting up, Franklin nodded seriously. "Yeah, that's a bad habit of mine. I'll work on it."
Their cryptic exchange left the others completely confused. But neither Bulma nor Franklin intended to explain. After they shared a knowing glance, Bulma coughed lightly to draw everyone's attention again.
"Anyway, things are settled for now. We should take care of dinner. It's the weekend tomorrow, so trying the game's food doesn't sound bad. Asuna, Mith—how did you handle meals earlier?"
Under Asuna and Mith's lead, the group headed out of the inn.
"Um, you all go ahead. I just remembered something I need to take care of. Lala, you too—Momo and Nana have something they want to discuss with you."
Outside the game, Momo and Nana—listening to Franklin's words—exchanged a look, then both turned toward the meditating Franklin in front of them.
Meanwhile, the real Franklin had already snuck to the dimensional gate. Just as he was about to open it and slip out, Nana pulled out a remote and pressed a button twice.
The gate instantly locked. Realizing he couldn't leave, Franklin dropped to the ground and pretended to be dead, ignoring their repeated calls completely.
Back inside the game, the three girls stared blankly as Franklin dragged Lala back into the inn. None of them knew what to make of it.
Bulma clapped her hands lightly. Once everyone looked her way, she smiled.
"Let's just go ahead without them. Those two have… private matters to handle. They might not be back anytime soon."
"Lin, didn't you say Momo and Nana wanted to talk to me? Shouldn't we just log out now?"
After renting a large suite, Franklin pulled Lala upstairs at a brisk pace.
"That was just an excuse to slip away from the others. Lala, I want to test something—whether in-game, it's possible to help you awaken your Origin Tribe bloodline.
Its ability is to strengthen the soul power of people who share mutual affection. And since our avatars are manifestations of our consciousness, wouldn't this be the perfect time to try?"
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