Cool moonlight flooded the windowsill. Inside the bedroom, the silence was finally broken by a few muffled whimpers.
[87 → 77 NEW!]
"The plot really has gone off the rails," Luo Hong remarked after he was satisfied.
"Passed out, huh?" He smirked playfully and lifted Bronya's head from the pillow. Her expression was... well, let's just say it was too "intense" for public viewing. "Fine, I'll let you enjoy the afterglow for a bit."
He laid her back down and sat by the window to savor the moment. As for the derailed plot? That wasn't his problem. He just wanted to flirt with his Duckie.
A moment later, Bronya finally regained her senses. "Don't you plan on taking responsibility for this?" she asked angrily. After she had told him about the attack, they had "battled" until just now.
"Take responsibility?" Luo Hong looked surprised. "I'll take responsibility for you, but I'm not taking responsibility for a messy plot. I just want the people I like to be well. Am I supposed to do nothing just because it might mess up the story?"
He threw his hands up in mock offense, only to be hit in the head by a flying pillow.
"W-What are you blathering about?!" Bronya sat up, trembling. Her face was completely red, from her neck to her earlobes. She couldn't help it—Luo Hong's lines like "I'll take responsibility for you" and "I just want the people I like to be well" had hit her right in the heart.
Faced with this series of "straight-ball" romantic attacks, she couldn't help but blush furiously. Even her body, which had just calmed down, began to burn with heat once more.
"Heh," Luo Hong chuckled, picking up the fallen pillow. "Shy already?"
"I was planning to say a few more sweet things, but it seems my dear Duckie isn't ready for that level of romance yet."
He shook his head, his deep affection vanishing as his face turned expressionless. "Tell me, of all the trades you've made with me, which one hasn't benefited you? The changes in the plot happened because of your actions; I won't take the fall for that. Ultimately, I am just an information provider. What you choose to do with it is up to you."
"You could even choose to do nothing at all. I told you—you live until the end, and humanity defeats the Honkai. The future is bright, at the very least. All you have to do is stand by and watch others sacrifice themselves. That should be enough, right? But—"
He leaned forward, bracing his hands on the bed and staring into Bronya's eyes with a sharp, piercing gaze. "Can you really do that?"
The moon hung directly behind him, casting a sacred glow around his silhouette, giving him the majestic aura of a deity.
"B-Bronya... cannot."
Facing his interrogation, Bronya slowly lowered her head. "I'm sorry..." she whispered. "Bronya will not try to be clever again. The changes in the plot are my responsibility. Please forgive me, Lord."
In truth, someone as smart as her already knew this. she had only been trying to shift the blame onto Luo Hong to force him to help her. But she hadn't expected him to call her out so directly and counter-attack. She had no choice but to admit her mistake. Knowing the "happy ending" while watching the path toward it change because of her was a heavy burden; if the final outcome changed for the worse, she would be an irredeemable sinner.
"Tsk." Luo Hong clicked his tongue as the stubborn Bronya finally softened.
Now that she was submissive, she only had to think about how to apologize, but he had to think about how to "punish" her.
"As the price for my forgiveness, let's reduce the number on your belly to 50 tonight."
"Huh?" The previously submissive Bronya's eyes snapped open, her beautiful gray orbs filled with pure terror. "I... I'm going to die, aren't I?"
"Don't worry," Luo Hong said with a grin as he pressed her down onto the bed. "When you're about to reach your limit, I'll refresh your status. I guarantee you'll pull through!"
"Y-You! Stay away from me—!"
Despite her protest, Bronya could only retreat until her back hit the headboard.
By the time everything settled, very little time was left of the night.
"Phew..." Luo Hong exhaled in satisfaction and summoned Wendy.
"Now then, this is the real business for today."
Compared to the messy plot outside, he cared more about Wendy. He wasn't going to warn Bronya to stop Wendy from participating in the Desire Gem experiments. Quite the opposite.
"Tomorrow, remember to contact Theresa. Recommend Wendy for the Desire Gem experiment ahead of time," Luo Hong said, holding a dazed Bronya while looking at Wendy by the bed. "Doing this should save several other Valkyries."
"If something goes wrong with Wendy's legs, don't be afraid. Once her consciousness enters my world, I will help her recover and master the Desire Gem completely."
He thought of Lin from the Moon Shadow manga. He wasn't sure if he could pull her—the name "Lin" tended to attract tragedy (and Uchiha Obito), and he wasn't particularly fond of her anyway, so he was just doing this as a side project.
"Yes... Bronya understands." Hearing him talk business, life returned to Bronya's eyes.
"Then—" she looked at Wendy with a look of surprise. "What is this girl's connection to Bronya?"
No matter how hard she searched her memories, she couldn't recall meeting such a girl. Yet the girl's appearance and aura were somewhat similar to Seele, just with different colors... Is she Seele's long-lost sister?
"She is your future regret."
Luo Hong snapped his fingers, playing the plot of Chapter 3: The Poem of the Wind. Once the projection ended, he smiled. "I intentionally told you this because I knew your weakness is that you can't stand by and watch a comrade die. So strictly speaking, I do share the responsibility for the plot changes. Don't worry, I will guide you toward the right path. After all... you are all my wives."
He looked at Bronya with a playful wink.
"How... how cunning..." Bronya, still reeling from the story of The Poem of the Wind, turned her face away and muttered under her breath. Yet, a tingly sensation began to spread throughout her body.