In an instant, the atmosphere in the room turned eerily strange.
Witnessing the scene unfolding right before her eyes, as a normal person, Raiden Mei could naturally tell that this was clearly a certain Paramecium with wicked intentions toward Lunelle attempting to do something naughty, only to be accidentally caught red-handed by her.
"Kiana! I never expected you wouldn't even spare Lunelle? You've truly disappointed me!"
When it came to Kiana's... particular preferences, Mei, having suffered from them firsthand, was all too aware.
So, putting together what she had just witnessed, Mei naturally arrived at the "true purpose" behind Kiana's shameless behavior.
"Mei! It's not what you think! Let me explain, please hear me out, waaah!"
Faced with Mei's disappointed sigh, Kiana—who had just been utterly enchanted by Lunelle's adorable beauty—finally realized how easily her actions could be misunderstood.
"Alright then, would Miss Kiana please explain why, the moment Bronya and I opened our eyes, we saw you deliberately grabbing little Lunelle's hand and pressing it against yourself?"
Seeing Kiana's pitiful, wronged expression, the kind-hearted Mei ultimately gave her one last chance to explain.
Heck, if Kiana's explanation had even a sliver of reason to it, Mei might have considered forgiving her.
But...
"Um... Mei, actually... it wasn't like I wanted things to turn out this way, at the time... I don't know what came over me either."
"I just suddenly felt that Seele looked way too adorable, and then... then I couldn't help it and... kinda wanted to touch..."
Listening to Kiana's explanation that sounded more and more like something a total pervert would say, Bronya—who always wore a (ᗜ ˰ ᗜ) expression—went without saying.
But even Mei, who had been leaning toward forgiving Kiana, completely darkened her expression upon hearing this so-called explanation that might as well be translated directly as "Kiana's Declaration of Going Unhinged."
Well done, you silly cat—given a chance, and you just couldn't make use of it!
Truth be told, Mei really felt like prying open Kiana's skull right then and there to see just how much water had gotten inside.
Could there really be someone in this world so dumb that, while trying to explain themselves, they'd end up firmly planting a blame that might not have even been theirs squarely on their own head?
"Enough! Kiana, you don't need to explain anything else. I understand everything now."
At this point, Mei didn't care whether Kiana had acted on her true intentions or not.
After all, leaving everything else aside, Mei could now be one hundred percent certain that Kiana absolutely had some impure thoughts about the adorable Lunelle!
"Really? Hehe, I knew Mei would be the best. Even though I did have that thought at the time, I still didn't actually touch—"
Hearing Mei indicate that she didn't need to explain further, Kiana—who had already felt like her explanation was getting messier and messier—naively believed that with the deep understanding between her and Mei, Mei would surely understand her dilemma.
But what Kiana never expected was...
"Anyway, from now on, when we're all sleeping together, please make sure to stay far away from our adorable Lunelle!"
Kiana: "Huh?!"
Seeing that even Mei, who trusted her the most, was now outright ignoring her, Kiana could only fall back and look toward Bronya, who had maintained a (???) expression the whole time but was actually seething with anger internally.
But with the ironclad evidence right there, clearly nothing Kiana said could salvage her image in Mei's eyes anymore.
So, unsurprisingly...
"Seele... Kiana is a big dummy who obviously has ulterior motives toward you. Remember to keep your distance from her from now on, okay?"
Without sparing any face, Bronya outright badmouthed Kiana right in front of her to Lunelle, then promptly dragged away the still somewhat dazed and adorable Lunelle, who was lingering in a shy afterglow.
After all, if she continued to let her precious Seele stay too close to Kiana, Bronya strongly suspected that this dummy, who had her eyes on her adorable Seele, was entirely capable of pulling something like "forcibly taking a maiden."
After everyone had left, Kiana—whose thought process was lagging who knows how many beats behind—finally belatedly realized something.
This... this isn't right, is it?
While Kiana admitted she might have had just a "tiny" bit of inappropriate thoughts about the sweet, soft, adorable Seele...
If she had actually gotten to enjoy it, then fine, but she clearly hadn't succeeded yet, right?
Suddenly, she couldn't shake the feeling that she'd inexplicably taken the fall for someone else's huge blame?!
Yet, this perplexing confusion of Kiana's was destined to remain unanswered.
After a night's rest, by checking the wall clock that was still somewhat functional, Lunelle discovered it was still a little past 4 a.m.
Recalling that the time she'd snuggled into bed with her three "wives" under one blanket was around 8 p.m., a quick bit of mental math made Lunelle realize that her deep sleep this time had only lasted about seven hours before ending on its own.
But based on past experience, Lunelle knew that whenever the simulator woke her automatically, it almost always meant the simulation cooldown had fully reset during her sleep.
So, Lunelle called out to See-chan in her mind and directly asked:
"See-chan? Has my simulation cooldown ended?"
[Host, simulation cooldown is complete. Begin simulation?]
"Huh? Even with deep sleep, why was the cooldown so fast this time?"
[Host's intimate contact with characters judged as romance targets in reality can accelerate simulation cooldown.]
[It is recommended that the host make more use of their charms, quickly pursue romance targets for deeper physical closeness to obtain special mysterious rewards.]
"Hah? How audacious! I, Lunelle, was once a respectable seven-foot-tall man! You want me to sell my charms?"
"No way! Absolutely not!"
"I, Lunelle, would rather starve or jump off from here than sell my charms for some measly rewards!"
Hearing See-chan's provoking words, Lunelle was immediately displeased, issuing what was probably the umpteenth utterly unconvincing declaration of righteous refusal.
If See-chan, as the simulator spirit, had a mouth, the corners would surely be curling up right about now.
Executing a perfect "plan succeeded" moment right on the spot.
As they say, unintentional flirting is the deadliest!
For a top-tier "little succubus" like Lunelle, who, under various talent enhancements, practically radiated an aura that enchanted all sorts of beautiful girls, the key was to maintain their pure-as-snow persona while coupling it with an irresistible, tantalizing charm.
Only by achieving that blend of innocence and allure could they truly unleash their devastating effect on lovely maidens.
Completely unable to objectively recognize her own terrifying charm ability from her own perspective, Lunelle remained utterly unaware that her very words had played right into the outcome See-chan truly desired.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 2 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.