"At least there's two other people watching," Sylvia said, letting out just a tiny laugh as she teased, "Pfft... but I never figured you for someone who dreamed of being that kind of white-clad sword immortal, Sushang."
Maybe that image was just a coincidence.
But that kind of elegant, serene demeanor—it was probably what Sushang was striving for, wasn't it?
Even if a bedhead like Sushang—who clearly skipped out on all her lessons—couldn't be further from that kind of vibe.
It was hard to imagine the future Sushang actually turning into something like that.
"Ugh... w-well, that's how they always write it in the storybooks! A girl can dream, can't she? It's totally normal!"
Sushang's expressions were always pretty animated, but right now, her face was a whole whirlwind of emotions.
Shyness, annoyance, anticipation... all these complicated feelings mixed together.
Add to that her little face, flushed bright red.
It made her look incredibly lively and cute.
"Totally normal, totally normal. You—"
Just as Sylvia was about to say something else.
Suddenly, a gaze so intense you could practically feel it came from up ahead.
When Sylvia looked up.
She saw Stelle standing there, staring at them without moving a muscle.
"...Having a little secret chat right out in the open and not including me?"
"What secret chat? You're imagining things."
Sylvia denied it without changing her expression, then steadied Sushang and said, "We should probably head back to the restaurant. Maybe the food hasn't gotten cold yet, and we can still order a couple more dishes."
"No way! You were definitely whispering just now! And look how red Sushang's face is?!"
Stelle dashed over to Sylvia's other side in a flash and grabbed hold of her other arm, like a little dog guarding its food.
Huohuo stood by, completely at a loss, watching the scene unfold.
Those two were already hanging all over the big sister... She kinda wanted to hug the big sister too...
B-but... would that be weird? Shouldn't she be trying to help, not just pile on herself...
"U-um... Big Sister, what should I do now?"
"Heh heh~ Get up there, you!"
But Tail, as if getting its payback on purpose, grabbed Huohuo and tossed her straight at Sylvia.
"Waaahhh—!!"
Startled out of her wits, Huohuo latched onto Sylvia's head like an octopus.
"Puh-guh—!?"
Hit with a sudden Huohuo-headshot, Sylvia's vision went dark, and she nearly tipped over backwards.
Luckily, Stelle was right there to brace her, letting Sylvia lean against her chest, but then Huohuo, because Sylvia's head had turned, tumbled right into Stelle.
In the end, all four of them ended up on the ground, tangled in a heap.
But that's when Sylvia's eyes flew wide open.
This soft sensation.
Is this Stelle girl... relying on her thick clothes... not wearing anything underneath...?
She's so well-endowed, doesn't it hurt to go without? Didn't anyone teach her basic common sense?!
Sylvia lay there against Stelle's chest, her mind reeling.
Basic common sense! Common sense!!
--+--
Catching an actual Heliobus in the Aurum Alley was an unexpected bonus.
It didn't stop Sylvia from taking Huohuo along to eat and drink their way through the Alley.
As for the very real possibility that Stelle might be going commando, Sylvia decided to play dumb for now.
As for Stelle herself, who knew if she'd been watching some weird stuff with March 7th.
She was over there pretending to be jealous, acting all intense like some yandere, and it really made you want to punch her.
Sylvia got the feeling Stelle just wanted to see her flustered and thought it was funny.
That girl really needed some education in that department...
She definitely needed some serious correction; she was lacking in so many ways.
Asking Himeko... not really appropriate either.
Ask Kafka? She was busy too.
After getting home, Sylvia couldn't help but scratch her head.
So she opened her chat with March 7th:
[Sylvia: March, you there?]
[March7th: I'm here, I'm here! Wow, this is rare, Sylvia actually reaching out to me.]
[Sylvia: Come on... is it really that rare...]
[March 7th: Why don't you scroll through our chat history? You're usually talking to Stelle.]
[March 7th: (Pom-Pom angry emoji)]
[Sylvia: Ehe~]
[March 7th: So what's up today?]
[Sylvia: ...Well, how should I put this... it's kind of an awkward topic.]
[March 7th: ?]
[March 7th: Stelle didn't get into trouble again, did she?]
[Sylvia: Why is Stelle the first thing that comes to your mind?]
[March 7th: Because when that girl is not being serious, she's REALLY not being serious!]
[March 7th: Spill it. What did she do this time? I can handle it.]
[Sylvia: It's nothing major, actually. It's just, you know Stelle lost her memory.]
[Sylvia: And I was thinking, maybe she needs some, uh... education in certain areas...]
After the message was sent, there was a pause from March 7th. It took a while before a string of question marks came through.
[March 7th: ?]
[March 7th: ??]
[March 7th: You scared my phone right out of my hands!]
[March 7th: What did she DO?!]
[Sylvia: Calm down.]
[March 7th: I CAN'T calm down!]
[Sylvia: She didn't do anything crazy. Just take a breath.]
[March 7th: ...]
[Sylvia: So here's what happened...]
Sylvia rambled on, recounting the day's events.
And she emphasized the strange behavior Stelle had picked up from who-knows-where.
But as she talked, March 7th's responses started getting awkward.
[March 7th: Ahaha... well, um... you see...]
[March 7th: It might be because of those movies I made her watch.]
[March 7th: (March 7th sweat emoji)]
[Sylvia: ...I knew it! It was you!]
[March 7th: Sorry!]
[March 7th: I was just trying to show her what a real alpha female looks like, I didn't think she'd actually imitate it!]
[Sylvia: And it was yuri?]
[March 7th: I messed up...]
[Sylvia: ...I give up.]
[Sylvia: I'll handle it myself.]
[March 7th: I'm really sorry]
[March 7th: (March 7th crying emoji)]
Sylvia was at a loss for words.
Leave it to you, March.
Well, forget it. March was a lost cause.
Guess she'd just have to corner the girl and take care of it herself.
She needed to make Stelle understand that her body belonged to a grown woman.
And a very well-developed one at that.
All that hugging, clinging, and wanting to be all over each other? Not appropriate!
--+--
Meanwhile, somewhere else.
March 7th stared at her chat log with Sylvia.
A sly grin spread across her face, the look of a successful schemer.
"Eheh~ You can thank me later, Stelle. That was some top-tier wing-womaning, right? You definitely owe me a nice meal for this."
Little March was a good girl who repaid kindness.
Since Stelle liked Sylvia that much, of course she had to be a good wingman.
"Come to think of it... Stelle said that Aurum Alley place she's helping out at has tons of good food. Maybe I should head over and check it out sometime?"
The Astral Express was currently docked at the Luofu.
The whole crew was taking it easy on the Xianzhou for a while, not in any hurry to push on to Penacony.
Like Miss Himeko said.
No need to rush the journey. After going through something intense, you need some downtime to decompress.
The Luofu was huge, plenty of places to explore.
March 7th could have a blast even on her own.
But having someone along would definitely make it more fun.
"Hmm... maybe I'll just invite Sylvia along, hehe~"
March 7th pumped her fist, her mind made up.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.