"Eeeeeek!!!"
Lunelle, who had "accidentally" caught an unexpected glimpse of something... utterly scandalous, instantly transformed into a cute, steaming kettle on the spot, puffing out invisible steam!
This...
Was this the kind of thing a sweet young thing her age was allowed to see without a subscription fee?
Wait!
Hold on! Didn't her actual mental age technically qualify as "adult" already?
Oh well, never mind then! In fact, bring on more! Wow, so exciting!
And seeing the two beautiful girls arriving one after the other at the cafe entrance...
Especially noticing her dearly beloved Seele-sensei, from whom, despite the concealment of sunglasses and a mask, a visible wisp of "steam" representing extreme shyness seemed to be rising...
'Looks like that team's deductions were unexpectedly useful after all! Might have to give them a raise later!'
Clearly pleased that her design, tailored to specific tastes, had achieved such an outstanding effect, Eden, who had braved her own shame to deliberately wear this outfit, couldn't help but feel a surge of joy.
Her mood now excellent, Miss Eden very naturally curved her lips into a smile that could captivate nations.
"Elysia, you're finally here! And this must be Seele-sensei, I presume?"
Dressed to accentuate an alluring aura, Eden didn't hesitate in the slightest.
Right in front of little Seele, she adjusted her crossed fishnet-stocking-clad legs, stood up gracefully from her seat, and walked over with elegant steps.
But whether it was intentional on Miss Eden's part or not...
From Lunelle's angle, she once again "accidentally" saw certain things beneath the fluttering hem of that ultra-short skirt that really shouldn't be seen!
And because the skirt's hem seemed specially designed to reveal just a hint of that elusive "absolute territory"...
Even as Eden walked over with a perfectly calm demeanor, and even though Lunelle already had an inkling of the specific color a proper gentleman shouldn't notice, her adorable gaze behind the sunglasses couldn't help but drift towards the hem of that skirt, rising and falling with each step.
After all, this teasing, barely-there design, which seemed to promise another peek at mysterious "scenery" with just a slightly larger stride, was practically custom-made for someone with a little secret degenerate streak like Lunelle!
Eek! Accidentally saw it again, how embarrassing (≧△≦)!!!
Even though over a year had passed since Lunelle started her simulations, and she'd encountered no small number of beautiful "waifus" from the Previous Era...
She had to admit that Miss Eden's debut here had perfectly nailed all the little quirks and preferences of Lunelle's inner degenerate.
So much so that even though this was their first meeting within a simulation, Lunelle genuinely felt quite a favorable impression toward this astute and wealthy Eden-sama, her potential waifu.
However, seeing her usually noble and elegant best friend Eden not only dressed in a rather "shameless" manner today but also radiating an intense "siren" vibe...
A certain pink, plump young lady, who also harbored less-than-innocent designs on little Seele in her heart, couldn't help but feel suspicious.
No matter how much she trusted her dear Eden, witnessing Eden so blatantly exuding charm in front of little Seele...
Elysia, whose eyesight was perfectly fine, could clearly tell her good friend had come prepared with a specific agenda today!
"My deaaar Eden~? I recall you telling me you just wanted to befriend 'Seele-sensei,' right? But what you're doing now... hmm?"
Because the adorable little Seele was also present, Elysia, not daring to puncture that certain delicate layer of pretense in front of her, could only adopt a slightly aggrieved, sulky expression.
She tried using suggestive words, seemingly wanting a reasonable explanation from her dear Eden.
'After all, little Seele is my future wife-in-waiting! How dare you, my own good friend, have the audacity to make a move on your bestie's future wife right in front of me!?'
"That's right! I merely wished to meet 'Seele-sensei' as a fan and become friends. Is there something inappropriate about my actions, Elysia?"
Yet, faced with Elysia's somewhat weak, roundabout questioning that didn't dare state things outright, Miss Eden showed not a trace of guilt.
Instead, under Elysia's increasingly resentful gaze, she brazenly stepped forward and took "Seele-sensei's" small hand.
Moreover, the look Eden directed at "Seele-sensei" was, from start to finish, filled with admiration and a sense of relieved fulfillment, as if a wish had come true.
Since Miss Eden genuinely was a fan of "Seele-sensei's" books...
Even Elysia, who now strongly suspected her dear Eden had ulterior motives toward little Seele, couldn't spot anything amiss about Eden's demeanor after scrutinizing her carefully for a long time.
"Eh!????"
Completely unaware that Miss Eden had already secretly become her solo stan behind the scenes, Lunelle felt her cute little brain short-circuit at Eden's sudden, intimate handshake.
After all, initially Lunelle had thought she was just tagging along with her wife Elysia to broaden her horizons, riding on the coattails of her wife's friendship.
But facing Eden's joyful expression, like a fan meeting their idol, something felt off... by a whole "heck" of a lot!
It was... as if Miss Eden, a world-class idol, actually admired her?
Utterly clueless about how things had developed to this point, Lunelle felt like she was in that famous short skit with Dark Seele—where after letting her waifu Dark Seele's consciousness wreak havoc in the outside world for a day, she suddenly switched back to herself and felt the whole world had changed.
Wha... what in the world happened?!
Could it be that her novels alone had truly turned Miss Eden, a world-class idol, into her fan???
"Seele-sensei, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy schedule to come! It's just about time for afternoon tea. Might I have the honor of inviting you to join me?"
After taking hold of Lunelle's fragrant, soft, and wonderfully pleasant-to-touch hand, Eden slipped perfectly into her role as Seele's solo stan, acting entirely in character.
She smoothly proposed the idea of having little Seele join her for afternoon tea.
But perhaps because Elysia was deliberately maintaining a two-meter safety distance from little Seele, or maybe because Eden was too excited meeting her idol to pay attention to anything else...
Her good friend Eden somehow "accidentally" seemed to nearly forget about Elysia, who had been standing right there!
"My dear Eden, whaaat about me~?"
Watching her best friend act as if no one else existed, speaking only of the adorable little Seele, her eyes and words seemingly holding only that one person...
Presenting a perfect picture of "ditching friends for a pretty face," utterly forgetting her good friend...
Elysia, who had only been a little sulky before, felt that "little" morph into "a heck of a lot."
She even let out a sound that somehow managed to sound both sweet and strangely... grass-green with envy!
'No matter if it's knowing little Seele or knowing dear Eden... I was the one who came first!~ It should be a good thing for my best friend and my future waifu to know each other! So why? Why does seeing my bestie and my future wife interact just a bit, like fan and idol, make me feel so awful o(TωT)o?'
But Eden, whose eyes were currently only for "Seele-sensei," naturally had no clue Elysia's heart was suddenly echoing with white album sentiments.
Faced with Elysia's aggrieved look, Miss Eden seemed to belatedly realize her enthusiasm upon first meeting Seele-sensei might have been a tad... excessive.
"Oh, right! Elysia, if you'd like to join us, that's perfectly fine too!"
Considering she still needed to squeeze some value out of Elysia, her useful wing-woman, for the time being, Miss Eden instantly adopted a look of chagrin, as if she'd accidentally forgotten her best friend in her excitement over seeing her idol.
She magnanimously indicated there was naturally a place for Elysia at this tea as well.
But Elysia, extremely sensitive to shifts in a girl's mood, inexplicably felt her dear Eden's apology sounded somewhat... perfunctory?
However, being naturally very tolerant toward fellow beautiful girls, Elysia couldn't possibly pursue Eden over just a strange feeling.
Soon, Miss Eden led the two beauties into a lavishly decorated private room that had been prepared in advance.
An array of upper-class desserts and delicacies, considered exorbitantly priced even in the Previous Era, filled the space. Even with a dedicated multi-tiered serving cart for the dishes, the remaining desserts still covered the room's sole exquisite small round table completely.
To show her seriousness about this afternoon tea with Seele-sensei, Eden had gathered every dessert and treat her professional team's analysis suggested would theoretically suit Seele-sensei's tastes and displayed them all here.
But considering there were only three people at most for this tea party, the small round table with its pristine white tablecloth was only about a meter in diameter.
Eden's prior arrangement was perfectly reasonable.
After all, it was just an afternoon tea to sample various sky-high-priced pastries for normal people.
She didn't need to show off by setting up a massive banquet table fit for a royal feast—though she certainly had the means to do so if she wanted.
However, this seemingly normal setup was distinctly unfriendly to Elysia, who currently had "a heck of" a problem controlling herself.
After all, sitting around this table, less than two meters across...
Wouldn't that mean the distance to little Seele, no matter how hard she tried to maintain it, would inevitably be within two meters?
Right now, with little Seele wearing her "low-profile trio" (sunglasses, mask), just the sight of her exposed feet was enough to force Elysia to stay over two meters away.
During the tea, little Seele would have to remove her sunglasses and mask to eat, right?
Then, facing little Seele's true visage, Elysia's safety distance would likely need a second expansion, probably stretching from the original three meters all the way to five!
And if she forced herself to stay within that unsafe zone, Elysia felt that during the tea, if she lost control for a moment, she might end up "eating" little Seele herself instead of the desserts!
But of course, Elysia could never voice these worries born from her own excessive perversion and craving for little Seele's body.
So, even though Eden and little Seele had already taken their seats...
Elysia, who had just been complaining about being left out, remained rooted to the spot, plunged into an intense internal struggle.
"Elysia? We've saved a seat for you over here~"
Seeing Elysia, who had been sulking about not being included just a moment ago, now suddenly hesitant to approach, Eden felt rather pleased inwardly.
After all, when dating and trying to raise affection with someone you fancy, the fewer third wheels, the better.
But considering Elysia, her good friend and wing-woman, could still contribute to her grand mission of winning over Seele-sensei...
Eden was willing to say a few token words.
However, if she had already reminded Elysia and Elysia chose not to accept...
Then Eden would just have to "reluctantly" enjoy a lovely afternoon tea for two with the adorable Seele-sensei.
Having said the polite things, even if Seele-sensei and Elysia were close, surely they couldn't blame her, right?
Especially since Elysia and Seele-sensei were just ordinary friends anyway...
'Wow... so many things that look super yummy (ˉ﹃ˉ)'
Faced with a dazzling array of delicious-looking desserts, Lunelle, who had removed her sunglasses and mask for easier eating—revealing her breathtaking beauty—had stars in her eyes.
But mindful of her "humble status" as someone merely tagging along thanks to Elysia, Lunelle didn't dare just dive in and start devouring the food in front of her host, Eden.
"Seele-sensei, please don't stand on ceremony during afternoon tea. Feel free to choose whatever you'd like! After all, all these treats were specially prepared for you."
Seeing Lunelle seated and tempted but hesitant to start, Miss Eden politely indicated she could help herself.
However, as a total newbie to high society, Eden's polite words made Lunelle's thoughts jump to suspicion: Was Eden-sama testing whether she was worthy of being Elysia's friend?
Like, if she succumbed to the temptation and started eating eagerly, Eden-sama wouldn't say anything, but inwardly would slap her with negative labels like "impolite" or "uncouth"?
Thinking this, Lunelle sucked back the "tears" that almost dribbled from the corner of her mouth. Compared to mere delicious food, her waifu's affection points were clearly more important!
But just as Lunelle was feeling a tiny bit proud of herself for resisting the lure of the desserts...
Miss Eden, smiling, suddenly picked up a piece of pastry so exquisite it resembled a work of art, and then...
"Huh?"
An exceptionally sweet and delicious morsel was suddenly popped into Lunelle's mouth the next second! The movement was so fast Lunelle had no time to react before it was entirely inside!
Even Eden's slightly cool fingertips briefly brushed against Lunelle's rosy lips.
By the time a stunned Lunelle came to her senses, that gentle touch on her lips was gone.
But she suddenly realized Eden-sama was now staring at her with an inexplicably intense, burning gaze!
That look was truly identical to the ones her main waifu Dark Seele, Himeko, and even Mobius used when looking at her!
It was the kind of overbearing gaze that regarded her as their exclusive possession.
As someone treated as a coveted treasure by her various waifus, how could Lunelle possibly be unfamiliar with it?
--+--
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.