The memory erasure technique didn't succeed.
If it really came to a fight, Sylvia might not be able to catch Silver Wolf, who could edit reality with Aether Editing, but Silver Wolf's combat skills would also find it hard to deal with the current Sylvia.
The two chased each other around the room for several laps until Silver Wolf—who was halfway to being a physical weakling—got winded and had to stop the pursuit.
In the end, the promised kiss didn't actually happen either.
But who says an accidental kiss doesn't count as a pact?
Just ask—did we kiss in front of Harmony or not?
Of course we did.
When Sylvia said this to Silver Wolf, she got chased around two more laps with Prometheus in hand.
And even when they finally left the room, Silver Wolf's round little face was still puffed up with anger.
"Hmph!"
Pushing the door open, Silver Wolf stomped ahead with a mix of embarrassment and irritation on her face, while Sylvia followed behind with a cheerful grin, casually waving to the staff.
The employee who had assisted them covered her mouth with one hand, a knowing smile spreading across her face as she noticed the earrings now adorning their ears.
She couldn't help imagining the petite, adorable girl getting so flustered inside that she'd been driven to fury.
Once outside the hall, Sylvia sidled up to Silver Wolf and asked:
"Hey, Duckie, what're you planning to do later?"
"Go back, obviously. What else?"
Silver Wolf refused to even look at Sylvia. Just thinking about how they'd actually kissed inside that little room—and how she'd even gone and recorded it herself—made her wish she could hop in a time machine, go back, and knock some sense into her past self with two solid punches.
She must have lost her mind, getting so worked up over such a trivial matter.
Now, with her head a bit clearer, it finally dawned on her just how intimate blowing into someone's ear really was.
Especially since—
Most importantly!!
All of this happened because her plan had backfired!
It was supposed to be about recording Sylvia's embarrassing blackmail material, something to tease her about for a lifetime.
Instead, it turned into recording her own humiliating moment, something she'd remember for the rest of her life.
Just thinking about it made Silver Wolf sick to her stomach—'Might as well have killed me on the spot!'
If it had just been an ordinary kiss, Silver Wolf wouldn't have reacted this strongly.
But Silver Wolf, ever-proud and stubborn, simply couldn't calmly accept such a 'humiliating' way for her plan to crash and burn.
Right now, she couldn't even bring herself to glance at Sylvia. Just catching a whiff of her scent made Silver Wolf's mind flash back to the kiss, the feel of Sylvia's lips.
And, above all, the shame of her own plan blowing up in her face!
So all she wanted was to go back immediately and cool off.
"Not gonna play some games?"
"...No!"
Hearing the gaming invitation, Silver Wolf couldn't help pausing for a second, but in the end, she righteously refused.
Seeing Silver Wolf's flushed cheeks, Sylvia found it utterly adorable, and without even realizing it, a mischievous grin spread across her face.
If Silver Wolf had turned to look just then, she would've definitely given Sylvia a solid kick in the rear. Sadly, at that moment, Silver Wolf didn't dare glance her way at all.
But Sylvia truly hadn't expected Silver Wolf to get this embarrassed.
In a way, Sylvia had been pretty flustered too, but seeing Silver Wolf so shy ended up making Sylvia feel almost unaffected instead.
Though Sylvia wanted to keep watching Silver Wolf squirm, maybe even tease her a bit more to see what'd happen—
Remembering the scene of being 'chased down' by Silver Wolf in that little room made her hold back.
'Forget it, forget it. Gotta value my life. Don't wanna push her till she really boils over—if she stops gaming with me, that'd be a huge loss.'
'Better save it for next time. Shame I didn't record such a precious moment, though. Could've teased her about it for life.'
'Tried to steal a chicken but ended up losing the rice—what a solid piece of blackmail material.'
--+--
Silver Wolf was too preoccupied the whole way back to even notice Sylvia's inner musings. She even forgot she was still wearing the culprit—that blue earring—on her ear.
Once they reached the hideout, Silver Wolf didn't even want to talk to Sylvia. In one swift motion, she dashed over, grabbed her game console, opened a portal, and vanished.
If Sylvia hadn't had sharp eyes and noticed Silver Wolf's neck and ears were still flushed red, she might have thought Silver Wolf actually hated her.
But still...
"Hey, aren't you gonna worry about how I get back...?"
Sylvia sighed, looking around the empty room. How could she just run off and leave her here like this?
Pulling out her phone, she sent Silver Wolf a 'harassing' message:
[Sylvia: Duckie-baby~ Why so fast? Really no games? And how do I get back?]
The message was marked 'read' almost instantly, but Silver Wolf's reply didn't come right away.
After a good while, Sylvia finally got a response:
[Silver Wolf: Piss off!]
[Silver Wolf: So cringey!]
[Silver Wolf: [Link]]
[Silver Wolf: Just leave.]
[Silver Wolf: Call me that again, and I'll fight you to the death!]
Seeing this rapid-fire barrage of messages from Silver Wolf, Sylvia grinned wide.
'Would love to see her all worked up and throwing a fit.'
Too bad she couldn't.
Silver Wolf wasn't willing to take her to the Stellaron Hunters' hideout, and she couldn't portal herself there either.
"Forget it, forget it. There'll be chances later."
Comforting herself with that thought, Sylvia tapped the link. An identical portal unfolded on her phone, and she stepped through it, returning to the Xianzhou.
--+--
Meanwhile.
At the Stellaron Hunters' hideout.
Kafka held a cup, watching Silver Wolf—who had just portaled in—fling herself onto the sofa in a huff.
A curious smile touched her lips as she walked over and sat down beside Silver Wolf.
"Sweetie, back so soon? I thought you were going to game with Sylvia for a while?"
That morning, Silver Wolf had specifically left with her gaming gear tucked away—both Kafka and Firefly had seen it.
They'd assumed she'd be back late.
But it seemed things wrapped up faster than expected. Judging by the timing, she must have left right after registering, without playing at all.
"Don't mention her to me!"
Silver Wolf gritted her teeth, though her tone didn't carry any real disgust.
Kafka smiled, giving her a once-over. She noticed the sapphire earring on Silver Wolf's ear and the lingering blush.
"Is that earring the token she gave you? Looks quite valuable."
Kafka wasn't particularly fond of gems or accessories, but she had an eye for quality. The earring's design alone was exquisite, and the embedded gemstone was clearly top-tier at first glance.
"..."
Hearing Kafka's question, Silver Wolf visibly stiffened.
Then, somewhat awkwardly, she hugged the pillow under her head, burying her face into it and rubbing slightly as if nodding.
Kafka found it amusing. She was curious what Silver Wolf had done to end up this embarrassed.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 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.