Just as Kafka was feeling puzzled.
Silver Wolf's phone chimed.
That special notification tone—Kafka knew at once it was a message from Sylvia.
Silver Wolf visibly tensed up, fished out her phone, cautiously peeked her eyes out from the pillow, and opened the chat window.
But after reading just the first line, she instantly ducked her head back, mumbling something under her breath in a low voice.
Too bad Kafka couldn't make out what she said.
However, Silver Wolf was still holding her phone up, so Kafka caught a glimpse of the screen.
Seeing how Sylvia addressed Silver Wolf, the smile on Kafka's face widened a touch.
"Sweetie, how could you just leave her there all alone?"
Hearing Kafka's question, Silver Wolf immediately straightened her neck and blurted out without a second thought:
"She deserved it!"
But as soon as the words left her mouth, she flopped back down, slapped her phone face-down, and turned her head to shoot a wary look at the smiling Kafka.
"What, you're peeking now?"
"I'm just sitting here, aren't I?"
Kafka gestured at Silver Wolf's own posture—she was the one holding her phone up in Kafka's direction. How could she blame Kafka for seeing the screen?
"…"
Silver Wolf was left speechless. Then, hugging her pillow and phone, she wriggled like a caterpillar on the sofa, rolling over to escape Kafka's line of sight.
Only then did she start tapping away, replying to Sylvia's message.
Watching this, Kafka smiled even more brightly.
When she wasn't on a mission, Silver Wolf was almost completely immersed in the digital world. With a personality like a child's and a rather unique line of work…
This was the first time she'd taken a 'friend' so seriously.
Even though she had, not long ago, just entered into a bond of intimate commitment with this very friend on a distant planet.
But for outlaws like them, a written contract held less weight than a casual promise.
So before this, both Kafka and Silver Wolf had been rather indifferent about Elio's new task.
Firefly was a little more excited, but for that girl…
Any ordinary, fresh experience she could have under the name "Firefly" was something to look forward to.
But now…
Seeing Silver Wolf like this, Kafka couldn't help growing curious.
In just this short while, the usually unflappable Silver Wolf had turned all bashful.
Sure, that shyness was clearly mixed with a bunch of other emotions—like stubborn pride, regret, and whatnot.
But that didn't stop Kafka from being surprised at Silver Wolf's blushing display.
So Kafka took out her own phone and tapped on Sylvia's profile.
[Anonymous: Hey, Sylvia]
On the other side.
Sylvia had just touched down in the Exalting Sanctum and hadn't taken more than a few steps when she received a message from a new contact.
Any other time, Sylvia might have paused to think, but given the timing, it was probably Kafka.
[Sylvia: Kafka? What's up?]
[Anonymous: Yep, it's me. Impressed you guessed my identity right away.]
[Anonymous: [Photo]]
[Anonymous: As you can see, Silver Wolf's been face-planting like this since she got back. Any idea what happened?]
Kafka had sent a selfie. Half the frame showed Kafka in a button-up shirt, her chest straining against the fabric, along with a glimpse of her delicate chin and neck.
The other half of the picture captured Silver Wolf lying face-down on the sofa, hugging a pillow, her rear slightly raised.
If you zoomed in a little, you could just make out the side of Silver Wolf's face—still tinged with red.
Sylvia saw the photo and immediately hit save.
Only then did she reply:
[Sylvia: Just a little accident. I can tell you if you're curious, but don't let Silver Wolf know, or she'll definitely come charging after me.]
[Sylvia: (づ> v <)づ♡]
Back on the other side.
The moment she heard the camera shutter sound, Silver Wolf sensed something was off. She quickly put down her phone, propped herself up, and turned to stare suspiciously at Kafka.
"What did you just do?"
"Just took a photo, don't be so tense, sweetie. Your expression right now is truly amusing."
Kafka finished typing and sent her message, then looked back at Silver Wolf.
"So, what exactly happened between you two?"
Faced with the question, Silver Wolf immediately grew flustered.
"…It's just… just a little accident."
"Just a little? Really?"
Kafka wasn't buying it.
Silver Wolf clearly didn't want to answer. After all, who'd willingly spill their own embarrassing stories?
Her eyes darted around until she noticed Kafka glancing at her phone every so often. Alarm bells went off in her head!
"Hey, Kafka—don't tell me you're asking Sylvia about it?!"
"Of course. If you won't tell me, I'll ask the other party involved. This mission involves me too, after all. Intel is essential."
"You—"
Kafka's reasoning was perfectly sound, leaving Silver Wolf unable to muster a retort.
More importantly, even if Silver Wolf could stop her now, she couldn't stop her forever.
Everyone had Sylvia's contact info. If Kafka really wanted to ask, there was no way Silver Wolf could actually prevent it.
So Silver Wolf gave up.
She shot Kafka a glare, puffed her cheeks in anger, then got up and retreated to her room, deciding to go into temporary seclusion for a while.
Just then, Sam happened to walk by and caught sight of Silver Wolf's adorable, flustered, and sulky expression.
"Kafka, wasn't Silver Wolf supposed to be hanging out with Sylvia? What happened?"
Kafka sat on the sofa, legs crossed, and shrugged helplessly.
"No idea. She came back like this. Won't say a word, so I'm asking Sylvia."
"And what did Sylvia say?"
Firefly grew interested. It was the first time she'd seen Silver Wolf make such a face.
She found it cute, but curiosity was getting the better of her.
Of course, mainly because this involved Sylvia—after all, Firefly herself would be marrying Sylvia someday.
Might as well get a little preview.
"Not yet… Oh, a message just came."
Kafka was about to shake her head when she saw Sylvia's new message pop up.
It was fairly long. Sylvia gave a rough rundown of what happened, naturally omitting her own deliberately teasing remarks afterward.
And at the end, she earnestly asked Kafka to snap a few photos of Silver Wolf in a flustered rage for her.
Inside the room.
Silver Wolf hadn't been lounging in her chair for long before she heard Kafka's laughter drift in from outside, followed by Sam's surprised exclamation.
"Ughhh—it's all Sylvia's fault!"
Silver Wolf desperately wanted to charge straight to Xianzhou right now and bombard Sylvia with Sam's data streams.
But she didn't dare face Sylvia at all right now. Just thinking about her face made Silver Wolf blush and want to punch something.
"Damn it… I'll remember this grudge!"
--+--
The Xianzhou.
Sylvia didn't mind sharing these things with Kafka.
Partly because she and Kafka would also be tying the knot in the future, and partly because, honestly, the kiss with Silver Wolf didn't carry any deeper meaning.
The same went for the gemstone accessory she'd given her.
Plus, Silver Wolf's reaction had actually eased Sylvia's own shyness, making Sylvia find Silver Wolf rather endearing.
However, Kafka regretfully informed Sylvia that after Silver Wolf realized Kafka was asking for details…
She had holed up alone in her room. Sadly, there was no way to snap any photos of Silver Wolf for Sylvia now.
--+--
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.