"So... Seele actually has free time today? Well... alright then...?~"
Seeing little Seele, who was usually so busy every day, just happen to be free on this particular day—of all days—Elysia couldn't help feeling like she'd just swallowed a whole basket of lemons.
Her heart was practically drowning in sourness.
Boo-hoo... She was supposed to be the first in everything, so why... why had things turned out like this?
Poor Elysia.
Even though she was the first lovely wife to make contact with little Seele in this simulated reality, she always had to watch helplessly—for the sake of "the future of human civilization"—as her dearest little Seele was swept into the arms of other beautiful girls.
And this time, it was Elysia herself who had actively sent her adorable little Seele off to meet her own dear friend.
Even though Eden had said she just wanted to meet Seele face-to-face and maybe become friends, Elysia couldn't shake this strange feeling.
Leading Seele to this meeting somehow felt like she was carefully packaging up her own wife and delivering her right into Eden's hands—and even paying for the shipping herself!
Was that just her imagination...?
Suddenly struck by this ominous premonition, Elysia noticed the blazing sun outside the window—a sun particularly hostile to a fair-skinned beauty's delicate complexion.
Since she wasn't yet a MANTIS warrior with that built-in fair skin, Elysia figured she'd just borrow a sun hat from little Seele's closet to shield herself.
So she casually reached in and pulled out a hat. It would definitely block the sun, but the color... seemed a bit off.
Was it... green?
When Lunelle saw her wife Elysia fish out a green cap—one that clearly belonged to Himeko—from the closet, she did think it looked a bit odd.
But considering she wasn't the one who'd be wearing the green hat, Lunelle decided not to point it out.
"Elysia, are we ready to go?"
After equipping her essential low-key trio—[face mask, sunglasses, and baseball cap]—Lunelle, now wearing oversized shades but still radiating an irresistibly cute aura through her unique scent and presence, reminded her green-capped wife in her ethereal, sweet voice that it was time to head out and meet the wealthy lady.
"Mhm, let's go~"
With the sunglasses hiding Lunelle's soul-stirring, enchanting eyes, Elysia felt the urge to pounce on her right then and there noticeably fade.
The "safe distance" she usually had to maintain—over three meters—to keep her composure now shrank back to about one meter. Her tone stabilized too.
But even as Elysia secretly sighed in relief from the reduced pressure, she couldn't help feeling a little regretful that she couldn't admire her dear Seele's breathtaking beauty up close anymore.
After all, even with her face covered, little Seele's figure was still so cute, so captivating~
Yet compared to her usual self, whose every move seemed to tease and entice, she definitely lost a few points on the adorableness scale!!!
Of course, behind those big sunglasses, Lunelle had no idea what her wife Elysia was thinking. If she knew, she'd probably roll her eyes in the most adorable way.
It was one thing that her normal charm was so overpowering it left Elysia a "bit" overwhelmed—that was understandable.
But now, even with that troublesome allure all covered up, Elysia still felt a tiny hint of dissatisfaction?
'So when I'm too cute, it disrupts your peace, but when I hide this rule-breaking cuteness, you're still not happy?! Seems like no matter what I do, I just can't win!'
Luckily, Elysia was aware her conflicting feelings were a "bit" hard to please. So she kept those unspoken thoughts to herself—not daring to voice a single word.
Harboring these tangled, awkward emotions, Elysia led Lunelle toward the meeting spot she'd arranged with her good friend Eden.
Since the concert project was under Eden's direction, and the stage construction was nearly complete, the Australian branch had seen a massive influx of capital and industries under Eden's control.
In this barren land, a small, modern city—quite advanced in technology, resembling a "university town"—had been rapidly built in an astonishingly short time.
Basically, any high-end facility for dining or entertainment could be found here.
And all this was set up just for a concert. On the surface, these capital ventures claimed to be "expanding into the Australian market," hence collectively building this modern entertainment hub.
But in reality, it was the whimsical, wealthy boss Eden's premeditated move to legitimately carry out her "Operation: Win Over Seele-sensei" in the Australian branch!
After all, for Eden—the world's wealthiest top-tier capitalist artist—if spending money could win a beauty's favor, any amount was clearly worth it.
But as the saying goes, even the cleverest housewife can't cook without rice; having money means little if there's nowhere to spend it.
Eden, with her ample resources, knew that lovely "Seele-sensei"—thanks to her recent verbal recommendation and the phenomenal earnings from her now record-breaking novel—was hardly strapped for cash.
Moreover, after thorough investigation, Eden had used her capital influence to uncover many of Seele-sensei's outstanding contributions in scientific research.
So Eden understood that given Seele-sensei's current status, simply throwing money around wouldn't easily win her affection.
Yet the Australian branch was so barren; finding a romantic, fun spot for a couple's date locally would be nearly impossible.
But where there's money, there's a way. If conditions don't exist, use money to forge them!
Thus, this entertainment mini-city, lavishly built in the Australian region, was essentially Eden's prearranged exclusive dating venue for herself and "Seele-sensei"!
However, this plan to wholly win over Seele-sensei—heart and mind—through dating hinged entirely on the premise that "Seele-sensei" would graciously accept the invitation.
If this politely arranged meeting fell through…
Deep within her heart, Eden had already developed a similarly unhealthy obsession toward "Seele-sensei."
After this, she would likely be unable to resist using her own resources, especially once she established a high enough level of authority within Fire Moth.
She'd probably end up imitating a certain power-abusing snake-wife, pulling straight out of some classic, cliché early CEO novel plot like "Overbearing Eden Falls for Seele" with her beloved "Seele-sensei," wouldn't she?
Fortunately, our dear Seele's willing acceptance of the invitation this time luckily didn't push things toward an irreparable point...
So, even though Eden had just asked Elysia for help not long ago, she never expected that in such a short time, she would receive the thrilling news that Elysia—her good bestie and even better wingwoman—had actually brought the "Seele-sensei" she adored right over!!!
At this moment, Eden couldn't help but feel truly ashamed for her earlier narrow-minded suspicion that Elysia and "Seele-sensei" might have some unimaginably close relationship.
After all, if Elysia really had any improper intentions toward "Seele-sensei," how could she possibly be so quick to actively deliver her own 'wife' right into Eden's hands?
It seems I, Eden, have truly measured a beauty's heart with my own petty scale!
'You really are the best, Elysia!!!'
'When "Seele-sensei" and I get married, not only will you absolutely be the maid of honor, I'll also wrap up a big, fat red envelope with "a hundred million" inside for you!'
The mere thought of finally being able to see her long-admired "Seele-sensei" in person…
When no one was around, Eden allowed a rare, maidenly shyness to flicker across her expression.
Just then, however, a rather… ahem… "perfectly" timed notification about the rehearsal schedule for her concert's performances chose to arrive, somewhat killing the mood.
Seeing such ill-timed arrangements, Eden's slightly flushed face instantly darkened.
After all, Eden's world tour was the most capital-intensive, guaranteed-profit project in the pre-Honkai civilization world, its reach truly vast and complex.
If even the slightest hiccup occurred during its preparation, the resulting financial losses would be an astronomical figure utterly unimaginable to ordinary people.
Not to mention matters involving Eden herself—the absolute star and the behind-the-scenes major boss of the entire concert.
Objectively speaking, there was no reason Eden should waste her incredibly precious time meeting some novelist.
So, feeling rather annoyed, Eden very naturally followed her heart and chose...
[All matters related to performance rehearsals are postponed by one day!]
"Even if the King of Heaven himself showed up today, he couldn't stop me from meeting the adorable 'Seele-sensei'!"
After sending out that announcement, Eden paid no mind to any other trivial matters and began leisurely selecting the perfect outfit for her meeting with "Seele-sensei" from her wardrobe, where even a single casual dress was a million-worth work of art.
As for all those originally scheduled, crucial concert rehearsals? They were instantly pushed wholesale to "tomorrow."
By combining the intelligence her people had discreetly gathered with some tidbits gleaned from her excellent wingwoman Elysia, Eden had secretly managed to figure out some of "Seele-sensei's" current… preferences.
For instance, while "Seele-sensei" overall gave a very soft, delicate, and easily-flustered impression, the cautious Eden still demanded a comparative analysis of secretly taken photos showing "Seele-sensei's" reactions when interacting with various types of girls, to pinpoint the exact image of a beautiful girl "Seele-sensei" liked most.
Fortunately, the truly professional team under Eden's command wasn't anything like the one in [Date A Live], which seemed to specialize in terrible ideas and holding people back.
Plus, well, when a rich lady like Eden pays that well…
So, after conducting an almost maniacally precise comparative analysis, the professional team finally concluded that "Seele-sensei's" ideal 'wife' image should, first and foremost, have a well-developed figure—especially certain fatty deposits needing to be firm and sizable!
Next, behavior should be relatively proactive, and attire should be on the sexier side.
Also, while having perfect leg curves, she should prefer wearing black stockings or even going barefoot to better attract "Seele-sensei's" gaze.
In terms of aura, she should be sufficiently alluring, preferably presenting a slightly mature, older-sister type of beautiful girl image!
Basically, the more of these preference traits one person could embody, the better.
From a general, professional, rational standpoint, that should hit "Seele-sensei's" preferences more squarely, creating a better first impression.
After learning these key elements to capture "Seele-sensei's" special attention, Eden couldn't help but sigh in relief.
After all, going by this analysis, even without deliberately packaging her persona, Eden already met most of these conditions fitting "Seele-sensei's" tastes.
Like having those firm and sizable fatty deposits, perfect leg curves, and a fondness for wearing black stockings…
Since she already had these unchangeable hardware requirements down, everything else that could be managed through acting was naturally no big deal!
Thus, following the professional team's advice, though feeling a bit embarrassed, to better showcase her leg curves, Eden gritted her teeth and chose a rather "risky" ultra-short skirt paired with garter belts and black stockings.
--+--
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.