Stelle popped up out of nowhere, giving March 7th a visible jump.
"Eek—! You scared the daylights out of me! When did you even get here?!"
March hadn't sensed Stelle's approach at all. She immediately started fretting over whether her little heart-to-heart with Sylvia had been overheard.
Sylvia, currently held in Stelle's grasp, was far more composed than March.
She'd sensed Stelle's arrival long ago, but since March was mid-sentence, she hadn't wanted to cut her off. She just hadn't expected Stelle to skip the greetings and go straight for a back-hug, muttering:
"Sister, you smell so good."
Watching March 7th get so flustered she didn't know where to put her hands, Sylvia considered mentioning that Stelle had only just arrived. However, with Stelle currently snuggling against her back, it felt a bit awkward to speak up.
Stelle buried her face, resting her chin on the back of Sylvia's head. Her warm breath drifted through Sylvia's hair, creating a ticklish, stifling heat against her scalp. After a few beats, Stelle finally looked up.
"I just got here. Honestly, March! You dumped all the work on me just so you could sneak off and slack. Spill—what were you two gossiping about?"
Still refusing to let go of Sylvia, Stelle took the moral high ground and began wagging a finger at March.
The Xianzhou locals who had tagged along were there to help, but someone from the Express needed to coordinate.
March had bolted the moment they stepped off the ship, leaving Stelle to handle the hand-off with the Xianzhou delegates alone.
After a long ordeal, Stelle had finally managed to carve out a moment of peace, only to turn around and find March and Sylvia huddled together, whispering sweet nothings.
Stelle puffed out her cheeks, a strange, sour feeling bubbling in her chest.
A couple of days ago, when she heard Sylvia had stayed the night in March's room on the Express, she'd felt a bit... off. Now, seeing them laughing and chatting so closely, that feeling had only intensified.
Unfortunately, thanks to her amnesia, Stelle was missing a few "common sense" sectors in her brain. She was like a child who hadn't quite grown up, making it hard for her to identify this peculiar emotion.
Unable to process it, Stelle had simply followed her instincts. she'd lunged forward, grabbed Sylvia from behind, and taken a deep breath of her scent—like a toddler reclaiming a favorite toy.
Once the instinctual move was over, however, Stelle found herself at a loss. She might be a bit of a "kid" due to her memory loss, but she hadn't actually regressed into infancy.
March was her companion, and so was Sylvia. She couldn't exactly start a playground scrap with March over her.
The reason she'd kept her head buried in Sylvia's hair for so long wasn't just because she wanted to keep sniffing her—though she wasn't denying that part—it was mostly because she genuinely didn't know what to say next.
March, who had been ready to get defensive, immediately wilted when the topic of "slacking" came up.
She scratched her head, letting out a sheepish laugh before diving headfirst into an apology.
"I'm sorry!"
She knew she was in the wrong. March was technically the senior member here, and she knew Stelle could be a bit... eccentric... because of the amnesia. But she'd been so preoccupied with Sylvia that she'd completely abandoned her duties.
As a senior, it really wasn't her best look.
A short distance away, Robin leaned on her equipment, her eyes narrowing slightly as she watched the trio. Without a word, she tightened her grip on the tool in her hand.
Seeing Stelle's bold display—and Sylvia's lack of resistance—sparked a subtle flame of jealousy in Robin's heart.
It was that sting you feel when you realize a close friend has found another "best friend" you didn't know about.
Robin couldn't help but worry. Given her status and her duties, would she ever really have the chance to go on adventures with Sylvia?
And speaking of adventures, the Astral Express was constantly trailblazing into the unknown. Weren't they much better suited to be Sylvia's companions than she was?
"Hmm..."
She felt a sudden impulse to walk over and pluck Sylvia right out of Stelle's arms. Outwardly, however, she maintained a graceful smile, saying and doing nothing.
She even took a moment to sign an autograph for a Xianzhou local who claimed to be a fan. On the surface, her poise was impeccable.
Sparkle, however, was having a very hard time stifling her laughter.
She hadn't known Sylvia long; most of what she knew came from Silver Wolf.
And while Silver Wolf usually described Sylvia as a "fickle, low-down girl who makes me want to punch her," Sparkle hadn't paid much attention.
After all, Silver Wolf was wearing matching earrings with the woman. The "scolding" always sounded a bit too much like a tsundere act for Sparkle to take it seriously.
Until today, Sparkle had assumed Sylvia had just used that strange massage technique on Silver Wolf, leaving the hacker embarrassed and cranky. But looking at the scene now...
Sparkle was loving every second of it.
Sylvia herself was probably still oblivious, caught in the eye of the storm. But Sparkle, as a bystander and a professional chaos-seeker, could read the hidden thoughts of every woman present.
She had to hand it to Sylvia—it took some nerve to provoke this many people and then throw them all into the same room. How many lives did she think she had?
Moreover, Sylvia was still wearing that earring that matched Silver Wolf's. Sparkle looked at the other trinkets—the rings, the necklaces, the bits and bobs. Were they all keepsakes from other women?
Sparkle covered her mouth, fighting to keep her giggles from escaping. She was dying to see what kind of "grand finale" Sylvia would face when the truth finally came out.
Honestly, she wanted to see Sylvia get chased down by a mob of angry women right this second!
If she were just a common flirt, it wouldn't be as fun. But every single woman Sylvia knew was a force of nature. That showdown was going to be spectacular.
This is too good, Sparkle thought. She immediately added Sylvia to her "Frequent Contacts" list. She decided that even after the business on Penacony was over, she'd be harassing Sylvia constantly.
She wanted to see just how many more dangerous women Sylvia could collect.
Maybe she'd even play matchmaker and help things along.
If she could witness Sylvia being hunted by the combined forces of the galaxy's major factions... well, that would be the ultimate joke.
--+--
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.