A good while after Firefly sent her message, she still didn't see it marked as read.
She couldn't help feeling a bit restless.
Fortunately, there were other things to do.
Like going to tell Kafka and Silver Wolf what had happened.
This... wasn't in the script Elio had given. It hadn't mentioned anything like this.
Firefly had thought any turning point would only come when she reached Penacony.
Who could have imagined it would happen so quickly, granting her this chance to move about freely?
She deactivated the armor once more.
Amidst a shower of drifting sparks, Firefly landed softly back on the ground.
Though it wasn't technically her first time, this time, Firefly held a completely new and different mindset as she presented herself in her own form.
Because Firefly knew she now had plenty of time to spare.
After reverting, she didn't need to rush to complete an infiltration mission, nor did she need to hurry to taste the cake roll Sylvia had sent.
She could relax, sit on the sofa for a while, and watch some TV.
She could go to Silver Wolf's room and ask for tips on playing games. She could enjoy a nice, comfortable soak in the bathtub.
She could do so many, many things now, without silently counting down the seconds.
Quietly, she put away the transformation device and switched off the timer.
Firefly reached out, picked up the remaining half of the cake roll, and began taking small, delicate bites.
With her other hand, she picked up the two other, still-wrapped cake rolls and headed out of her room.
Right now, probably only Kafka and Silver Wolf were still around.
Pushing open the door, she walked into the living room.
Kafka, on the sofa, had already removed her makeup, and her coat and tall boots were nowhere in sight.
Her clear, gem-like amethyst eyes and her slightly weary expression made Kafka look like a lazy kitten.
Amethyst stockings sheathed her well-proportioned, lovely legs. Her feet lightly hooked her slippers, swaying gently along with a soft hum she was voicing.
Kafka at home clearly lacked the sharp edge of a Stellaron Hunter. Instead, she seemed more like a gentle older sister from next door.
She radiated an aura that made you want to get close.
At the moment, Kafka was killing time watching a movie on a streaming rotation.
Suddenly hearing footsteps behind her, she couldn't help but feel puzzled.
Those weren't Silver Wolf's heels. Sam's footsteps were heavier. And Blade didn't wear heels.
So, who else was in the house now?
Suspiciously, she turned her head, and then was startled to see Firefly walking over openly, head slightly bowed, taking small bites of a cake roll.
"Sa—Firefly? Why are you out like this? What are you eating?"
Since Firefly was usually in her armored state, Kafka had grown accustomed to calling her Sam.
For a moment, she didn't even manage to get out her usual term of endearment, 'Dear'.
Even Kafka was extremely surprised.
They all knew Firefly's condition. If nothing was going on, she simply wouldn't show herself like this. What was happening?
"Oak... Cake Roll. Sylvia sent it to us. The taste is strange, like eating sweetened wood. Do you want to try some?"
Kafka, who had already taken the proffered cake roll, let her hand drop to her lap after hearing this.
Then she turned to look at Firefly, who had sat down beside her.
"...Dear, if it doesn't taste good, you don't have to finish it all."
"No, that's not it."
Firefly shook her head cutely, her cheeks slightly puffed, then looked at Kafka earnestly.
"I actually quite like the flavor. And this cake roll... it's suppressing my Entropy Loss Syndrome. Though I don't know how long the effect will last."
"It's suppressing your Entropy Loss?"
Kafka's lips parted slightly, the surprise on her face deepening.
She glanced down at the unopened package in her hand, then reached over to place it back in Firefly's arms. She merely broke off a tiny piece from the one Firefly was holding and popped it into her own mouth before saying with a smile,
"If it helps with the Entropy Loss, you should keep it for yourself. Don't worry about shares for the others. You're probably the only one who'd fancy this taste anyway."
Kafka had tasted the cake roll that indeed felt no different from eating wood.
Silver Wolf and Elio went without saying. Blade would probably eat it expressionlessly, but that would be it—just eating it.
Blade wasn't one to savor flavors.
Since the cake roll was useful for Firefly, there was no need to share it with the others.
"No wonder you came out like this..."
At this point, Kafka suddenly gave Firefly a thoughtful look and said,
"Since you've finally got the chance to walk around without counting the seconds, how about going for a little outing?"
"An outing?"
Firefly looked at Kafka curiously. The other woman nodded with a smile.
"We can have Silver Wolf handle the teleport. How about finding a tourist planet to wander around?"
After speaking, Kafka lightly tapped her finger on her knee and added, "Oh, and let's invite Sylvia along. She suddenly gave our Firefly such a big gift. We should thank her properly, shouldn't we?"
"Ah, right... we should invite her. It's just, I sent her a message earlier, and it's still unread. She might be busy with something else."
Firefly had actually wanted to thank Sylvia, but she couldn't get in touch. Thinking the other girl might be busy, she felt awkward about just calling.
Seeing that Firefly still seemed a bit unaccustomed to it all, Kafka smiled and stood up. She gave a little wave over her shoulder to Firefly and headed towards Silver Wolf's room.
"I'll go get Silver Wolf. As for Sylvia, we can wait until she replies."
--+--
Meanwhile, on the Xianzhou.
Sylvia emerged from the bathroom leaning against the wall, her entire body flushed a deep red.
Naturally, she had changed into a clean nightgown.
Acheron followed her out of the bathroom and back to the bedroom, wearing an enigmatic smile.
Due to her exhaustion, during the bath, Sylvia had been almost entirely manipulated and washed by Acheron.
And because her limbs were too weak to resist at all, her sense of shame had exploded.
This led to a subsequent state of mental shutdown, and even after her body quickly recovered, she forgot to fight back.
By the time she came to her senses, Acheron had already rinsed all the suds off her body.
What's done was done.
Sylvia looked at Acheron, who was also damp from the splashing water, and found she could barely tear her eyes away, let alone muster the words to send her out of the bathroom.
By the time they were finished in the bathroom, half a system hour had passed.
Returning to the bedroom, she collapsed onto the bed. During their bath, the smart housekeeper had already changed the sheets for both of them.
Picking up her phone, she found several messages from Firefly and Kafka.
She initially thought Firefly had taken a liking to the taste and was asking for more cake rolls.
But upon opening them, Sylvia drew in a sharp breath.
Firefly first asked where she had gotten the cake rolls, then gave a detailed explanation of their effects and her own condition.
She had even attached a photo of herself and Kafka sitting together on the sofa.
So the cake rolls really did have a special effect??
Good grief, keeping something this big under wraps? You useless system, you really don't do anything properly!
--+--
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.