"Huh? Introduce 'Seele' sensei to my dear Eden...?"
Hearing her beloved Eden make such a request right off the bat—one that felt 'just a tad' tricky for her current situation—Elysia suddenly found herself stuck between a rock and a hard place.
After all, she could barely even meet little Seele's adorable gaze for more than a few seconds these days.
How on earth was she supposed to invite the girl out to meet her bestie like this?
Impossible!
Absolutely no way!!!
Through that simple exchange, Eden—who knew Elysia's personality all too well—instantly picked up on the faint hint of hesitation in her friend's reply.
!!!!
'Could it be... Elysia and Seele-sensei have already developed a much deeper relationship, and now she's even reluctant to introduce Seele-sensei to me?'
In an instant, Eden felt a pang of unease, her mind involuntarily conjuring the image of her long-admired "Seele-sensei" completely and utterly molded into her dear friend Elysia's shape.
Based on Eden's understanding, under normal circumstances, Elysia would have agreed to such a reasonable request without a second thought.
But this time, Elysia had shown hesitation.
Even if she hadn't explained the exact reason behind it, the hesitation alone was enough to indicate that, at least at this moment, a part of Elysia truly didn't want to introduce "Seele-sensei" to her.
"Oh? Could it be... 'Seele-sensei' isn't even willing to meet her fan and be friends with me?"
Having seen through a bit of Elysia's reluctance, Eden quickly spoke up again, emphasizing that her main goal in seeking out "Seele-sensei" was simply to make a friend.
And as a world-class idol, Eden's acting skills were, naturally, top-notch.
Almost instantly, she perfectly shifted her tone to one laced with melancholy—as if fearing her "simple wish" might be cruelly denied the very next second.
Her words were truly enough to move the listener's heart and bring a tear to the eye.
Especially since she was pouring this out to Elysia, who had zero resistance to reasonable requests from beautiful girls!
"Don't be sad, my dear Eden!"
"It's just that 'Seele-sensei' has been really busy lately, so even I can't promise I'll definitely be able to bring her to meet you~"
Faced with Eden's sudden and well-executed "appeal to pity," Elysia felt utterly defeated, her defenses crumbling.
After all, as the famously top-tier lesbian of the Previous Era, the one thing Elysia couldn't bear to see most in life was a beautiful girl feeling sad or heartbroken!
And on top of being a top-tier beauty herself, Eden also carried the super-buffs of "world-class idol," "world-class super-rich lady," and "Elysia's best friend"—all extra points in Elysia's book.
If not for unexpectedly encountering an incredibly, unfairly, supremely, jaw-droppingly cute girl like little Seele, the spot for the most important beautiful girl in Elysia's heart would undoubtedly have belonged to Eden!
Although the enchantingly charismatic little Seele had come from behind to firmly claim the number-one spot on Elysia's ranking of beautiful girls, it didn't mean Elysia's feelings for Eden had cooled in the slightest.
After all, as a dedicated admirer of beauty, Elysia's affection for the girls she fancied was always on a steady upward trajectory.~
It's just that little Seele, who perfectly matched every fantasy and expectation Elysia had for a beautiful girl, had maxed out her favorability at first sight.
But even though Elysia couldn't bring herself to outright refuse her best friend, thinking of how busy cute little Seele was with her research work every day, she quickly fell back on the excuse that "Seele-sensei is very busy."
Based on Elysia's observations, it was true—the adorable little Seele practically lived in the lab from dawn till dusk. That was an indisputable fact, wasn't it?
"Is that so? It might be a bit presumptuous, but could you ask 'Seele-sensei' when she might have some free time?"
"My stay here in Australia isn't very long, and I'd really love to meet 'Seele-sensei' before I leave..."
Hearing the genuine note of apology in Elysia's tone, Eden on the other end of the communicator frowned slightly, finding the situation a bit tricky.
After all, Elysia's excuse sounded awfully like using little Seele's busy schedule as a cover, essentially telling her flat-out not to have any contact with Seele-sensei whatsoever!
But remembering Elysia's honest, never-lying nature, Eden quickly dismissed her uncharitable suspicions about her friend's words.
They had been best friends for years, after all.
Plus, Elysia had personally stated before that she and "Seele-sensei" were just ordinary friends.
Eden remembered that statement very clearly—she'd even secretly recorded and saved it.
And since her stated intention was merely to befriend "Seele-sensei" as a fan, no matter how she looked at it, Elysia shouldn't strongly oppose that, right?!
So maybe the truth really was as Elysia said—perhaps "Seele-sensei" was busier than she'd imagined.
"I know it's a bit forward, but I still hope you can pass on a message to Seele-sensei for me!"
"If 'Seele-sensei' is willing to spare a bit of her precious time to grace me with a meeting, then please come with her to [XXXXXX]."
"Just delivering the message would be enough. I'll accept whatever the outcome is. Is that alright?"
Having gone through the trouble of bringing her concert project all the way to Australia just to follow a lead on Seele-sensei, Eden obviously wasn't about to give up without even getting to meet her face-to-face!
So, clinging to that last sliver of hope, Eden spoke with a tone of utmost sincerity, earnestly entrusting her request once more to her best friend and trusted wingwoman, Elysia.
Faced with Eden's earnest plea, Elysia truly found herself completely swayed by her dear Eden.
"Ah… this? Since my lovely Eden has prepared everything so thoroughly, of course it's no trouble at all to pass along a message for you to Seele-sensei!"
"It's just… Seele-sensei's work is really very busy and important. So even if she does refuse, my dear Eden, you mustn't be sad, okay~?"
The thought crossed her mind: Eden, her closest friend, had only come to Australia on her suggestion—a rare opportunity—and simply wanted to meet the "Seele" she had long admired in person, hoping to become friends.
But now, because of her own uncontrollable longing for little Seele's… presence, was she really going to let her best friend miss out on even this simple, tiny wish of "becoming friends" with little Seele?
As someone who could repeatedly "consider the future of human civilization" and forcibly suppress the restless emotions in her heart, Elysia obviously only found the willpower to exceed all expectations when she was thinking of others.
At that thought, the courage that had inexplicably shrunk by "just a bit" when it came to interacting with little Seele suddenly perked up again.
This was for her dear Eden!
Besides, the adorable little Seele was usually quite busy.
If Seele seemed the slightest bit hesitant, she could just take it as a refusal. That should make things easier, right?
"Mm! Of course! If Seele-sensei truly has no time and doesn't wish to meet a little fan like me, then I won't impose any further or trouble 'Seele-sensei' again!"
"After all, this place is under my company's umbrella, and I've obtained official operating permits from Fire Moth. No one would dare say anything if you and Seele-sensei visited here. So, Elysia… I'm counting on you."
Hearing Elysia agree to her request, the heavy stone in Eden's heart finally settled, at least for the moment.
Though Eden had powerful capital paving her way, she had vaguely noticed that information related to "Seele-sensei" seemed to be tightly sealed off by Fire Moth's higher-ups.
Even with wealth and influence among the world's elite, Eden couldn't fully uncover detailed intel about "Seele-sensei" through her special channels.
Faced with Fire Moth—an enormous organization whose reputation in this Previous Era world was now at its peak—Eden had already begun mobilizing her resources, planning to invest in the organization's related ventures.
But becoming a truly influential high-ranking member within the organization would clearly require a bit more time and maneuvering.
So, for now, still in the early stages of cooperation with Fire Moth, Eden naturally couldn't openly approach "little Seele," a key figure whose data was heavily restricted by Fire Moth.
Her only option was to rely on Elysia, her good friend who could clearly track "Seele-sensei's" movements, to help bring the long-admired "Seele-sensei" before her.
However, the unusual attitude Elysia displayed in today's conversation made Eden aware that her plan might not necessarily succeed.
So, if she couldn't get the answer she hoped for from Elysia…
Heh heh heh…
Then as a young lady who had climbed into the ranks of the world's top capital through art and design, Eden certainly wouldn't mind using some less-than-glorious capitalist methods to achieve her goals!
Meanwhile, Elysia, completely unaware that her dear Eden had firmly set her sights on the little Seele she adored most…
And Lunelle, who had been ordered by Himeko to rest properly today, had just finished making herself breakfast and was eating while pondering how to spend this hard-won day off.
At this moment, Elysia, somewhat like being sold out and still helping her dear Eden count the money…
"Hi~ Good morning, adorable little Seele~"
After several days, she finally mustered the courage to approach the adorable little Seele, using the excuse of passing along a message for her good friend.
Though Elysia tried her best to maintain her usual demeanor, facing her wife who had finally taken the initiative to see her, Lunelle naturally felt a little happy.
But her wife's extremely guilty behavior—not even daring to meet Lunelle's eyes—made it obvious even to a little sweetheart like Lunelle that her wife probably needed help with something suddenly.
"Hmm? Good morning, Elysia sis… But did you come find Seele today because there's something important you need help with?"
Hoping to quickly ease the odd tension that had arisen between her and her wife, Lunelle smiled and proactively hinted that she was willing to help.
But seeing Lunelle's adorable expression, seemingly delighted to assist, Elysia suddenly felt a twinge of… foreboding.
She had come specifically hoping the message would fail.
Yet little Seele, who was always busy with research work, today gave off the vibe that she might actually have time for other things?
"Erm… it's really not anything major~"
"It's just that I have a good friend who suddenly hopes I can take Seele to meet her, maybe become friends or something."
"But Seele, you're usually so busy, right? So if adorable little Seele really can't make it… I'll just help you decline—"
No matter how strange she felt inside, since she had promised her good friend Eden, Elysia faithfully repeated Eden's request right in front of little Seele.
And before Elysia could finish speaking, the very thing she feared happened exactly as expected.
"Of course that's fine! It just so happens Himeko sis insisted that Seele take a proper break today."
"Seele wasn't sure what else to do anyway. But since she's your friend, Elysia sis, just meeting and becoming friends is no problem at all!"
When Elysia mentioned "friend," Lunelle quickly guessed that her wife was actually being so thoughtful as to introduce her to the rich lady big sis, Eden!
And the thought of having a chance to meet a living, breathing Miss Eden in the simulation made Lunelle agree without a second thought!
After all, who could resist getting to know a world-class rich lady and beautiful wife like Miss Eden?
--+--
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.