After several days of travel, Sylvia finally arrived at her destination—The Blue.
Naturally, Acheron was not at the port upon arrival.
She should still be on her way to Penacony at this time.
Ever since enjoying that massage a few days ago, Acheron had seemed to develop a bit of a taste for it lately.
Every night, she wanted Sylvia to give her a rub-down.
Only the location had shifted from the bed to the bathroom.
As for the reason… well, those who know, know.
As for Sylvia, though saying this might sound a bit perverted, watching Acheron let out those enticing sounds beneath her, completely unresisting, Sylvia truly found it quite thrilling, even feeling a sort of satisfying sense of having turned the tables.
And each time afterward, the slightly lazy yet utterly bewitching look Acheron displayed was genuinely alluring.
After just a few days of this, Sylvia even began to feel as if she were falling under Acheron's 'charm.'
Thankfully, the starship finally reached The Blue.
Otherwise, with just the two of them alone on the ship any longer, Sylvia was afraid she might truly lose her resolve.
--+--
With all her paperwork in order, Sylvia entered The Blue without a hitch.
During the approach, she also caught sight of Herta Space Station floating in orbit.
The station was quite sizable, with a fair number of starships coming and going.
Though most researchers inside rarely left the station, the supplies needed to keep it running never seemed to be in short supply.
Come to think of it, after all these days on the road, Kafka and Silver Wolf's operation wasn't far off now.
Who knew if they were currently on The Blue gathering intel, or waiting elsewhere to strike when the time came.
The signal-jamming device Sylvia had asked Silver Wolf to make still hadn't been delivered.
Every time she asked during their gaming sessions these past few days, Silver Wolf's reply was always 'soon, soon.'
Hard to tell if it was truly almost ready or not.
But just as Sylvia settled into the temporary lodging she'd arranged, a message came through from an unfamiliar account:
[Anonymous: Hey there, dear. You've reached The Blue?]
Sylvia raised an eyebrow and sent back a question mark.
[Sylvia: ?]
[Anonymous: It's me. Long time no see.]
[Anonymous: [Image]]
The other party sent a selfie. In the frame, taken in a modern-looking living room, Kafka held the camera while Silver Wolf lay sprawled on a sofa beside her.
Sylvia quietly tapped save, archiving the photo.
Only then did she reply:
[Sylvia: You're here too?]
[Anonymous: Yes. With the operation just days away, we thought we'd come early for a look around. After all, once things kick off, sightseeing here won't be so convenient for us, right?]
[Sylvia: …]
Kafka's reasoning left Sylvia at a loss for words.
The Stellaron Hunters were wanted by the Interastral Peace Corporation, with bounties sky-high.
But frankly, such warrants weren't planet-specific; individual planets wouldn't go to great lengths to screen for them.
The Blue wasn't a world under the IPC's control, so their warrants didn't carry as much weight here.
So with a simple change in appearance, entering The Blue and exploring around was still quite easy for Kafka and Silver Wolf.
But once they attacked the space station… that would be a different story.
Still…
That was probably Kafka's line of thinking, but Silver Wolf was another matter.
Silver Wolf likely wasn't fond of going out; it was probably just Kafka sightseeing alone.
[Anonymous: So, are you free now?]
[Sylvia: I am, but why?]
[Anonymous: Then may I invite you out? I'd like to do some shopping and could use some company.]
[Sylvia: What about Silver Wolf?]
[Anonymous: Busy. Gaming.]
[Anonymous: That last one was from Silver Wolf. She refuses to go out.]
Sylvia read the replies. She knew Silver Wolf was the type who wouldn't step out unless absolutely necessary.
Getting her to willingly leave the house would take a miracle.
But Kafka… Sylvia wondered what she wanted to buy.
She'd never gone out alone with Kafka before. In fact, among the Stellaron Hunters, aside from Blade, Kafka was the one she interacted with the least.
Silver Wolf was the most familiar—whenever Sylvia had free time, she'd game with her.
And they could speak openly about anything without reservation.
As for Firefly, after their earlier date, they'd grown much closer. Though not quite as tight as with Silver Wolf yet,
they could still chat about daily life, about what Firefly had been doing lately with her body, fulfilling long-held wishes.
But interactions with Kafka were sparse.
And the woman always used temporary accounts, deleting them after use.
Sylvia had no way to contact her proactively, and Kafka almost never reached out first.
So, truth be told, Sylvia and Kafka had almost no rapport to speak of.
That's why now, with Kafka initiating an invitation, Sylvia naturally wouldn't refuse.
[Sylvia: Sure. Where should I meet you?]
[Anonymous: [Location Pin]]
Looking at the location pin Kafka sent, Sylvia couldn't help but feel a sense of wonder.
She received a location pin from Kafka—now that was rare.
She'd half-expected a photo to identify the spot instead.
Opening the map for a glance, she saw it was in a neighboring city. The distance might seem a bit far, but with the ubiquitous small-scale flyers around, it wouldn't take long to get there.
[Sylvia: Alright. I'll head over to you now.]
The message had just been marked as read when the system showed the other account had gone offline—the account no longer existed.
Clearly, it had been deleted right after their exchange.
Though exasperated, Sylvia couldn't really complain.
If anything, it was more surprising that Silver Wolf and Firefly even maintained regular, fixed accounts.
That in itself was rather unusual.
Someone like Kafka was probably more representative of the typical Stellaron Hunter style.
Turning these thoughts over, Sylvia grabbed her phone and headed out, making her way to the meeting point.
--+--
And upon arriving, Sylvia understood why Kafka had wanted to come.
There, she saw what looked like a very high-end custom clothing boutique.
It was only then Sylvia remembered Kafka's fondness for collecting coats.
Probably there was something here that caught Kafka's interest—or perhaps she'd had something tailored here before.
Sylvia glanced around but didn't spot the familiar purple-haired figure, so she settled on a bench by the roadside.
Before long, a crisp, rhythmic sound of footsteps approached from a distance.
Sylvia turned her gaze and saw a pair of faintly purple high heels, along with slender, beautifully shaped calves.
Following the line upward, she took in a dark-hued dress that was hard to pin as either red or purple, perfectly complementing Kafka's loosely flowing hair.
"Hey there, dear. Sorry to keep you waiting."
Kafka, wearing exquisite gloves, raised a hand to her chest and offered Sylvia a gentle smile.
The semi-translucent silk fabric that swept from her chest up to her neck hinted at deep shadows beneath, subtly visible as she leaned forward slightly.
--+--
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.