Sylvia stepped into the isolated cabin.
Before long, she saw Kafka and Silver Wolf arrive one after another via teleportation.
And the tiny Silver Wolf figure that had been following her really did run straight into Sylvia's phone, turning into a Silver Wolf app icon.
"Darling, we meet again."
Kafka raised a hand and waved at Sylvia, smiling as she drew closer.
She stood together with Sylvia before the Stellaron.
"Interesting idea, but even more interesting is how you, darling, saw right through Herta's disguise."
Kafka looked Sylvia over with curiosity.
Just as Silver Wolf said, Sylvia was always full of mysteries—each discovery never failed to surprise.
"Alright, save the admiration for later. We have work to do."
Silver Wolf brushed right past Sylvia and began cracking the device sealing the Stellaron.
Sylvia didn't plan on leaving either. She'd stick around to witness this iconic opening scene firsthand.
Though mainly, she wanted to see whether it would be Stelle or Caelus who emerged.
Soon, the Stellaron containment device was unlocked.
Kafka reached out and picked up the object, no larger than a palm.
This was already the second Stellaron Sylvia had seen up close.
Just as she was studying it curiously, Silver Wolf suddenly swiped a screen over, floating it right in front of Sylvia.
"The vessel for the Stellaron—want to decide which one to pick?"
Sylvia looked at Kafka, who gave a slight nod, signaling that Sylvia could choose.
"It's fine. Elio said if you were willing, the choice could be yours."
Kafka's voice was reassuring. Sylvia nodded thoughtfully.
She raised her hand and selected Stelle.
A tall girl materialized out of thin air—or perhaps was teleported in.
Kafka approached, Stellaron in hand.
Just like the classic scene from the game, the golden-glowing Stellaron was effortlessly placed inside Stelle's body.
Sylvia turned toward Silver Wolf, who was monitoring the data, and asked:
"Is there anything special about this body?"
Back when she was playing the game, Sylvia had been curious about the protagonist. To house a Stellaron within oneself—clearly, the protagonist possessed some unique trait.
But unfortunately, Silver Wolf wasn't about to tell her.
"That's a secret."
"How stingy."
As she said this, Sylvia lifted her hand and gave Silver Wolf's backside a light smack.
Soft and tender, it felt like jelly.
Silver Wolf jolted in surprise, and even Stelle, who'd been dazed, couldn't help shifting her attention away from Kafka.
She glanced over at the exchange between Sylvia and Silver Wolf.
"Darling…"
Kafka smiled helplessly. She was in the middle of using her Spirit Whisper to instruct Stelle—couldn't you two read the room?
"It wasn't me—she started it!"
Silver Wolf's face flushed red. She lifted her foot and kicked Sylvia's backside in retaliation.
Acting like a grade-schooler.
"What's the big deal? It was just a little pat. You can pat me back if you want."
Sylvia turned and stuck her rear out toward Silver Wolf, who looked like she was about to pull out Prometheus any second now.
"Ahem… The Express crew will be here soon. You two, settle down."
Kafka sighed, rubbing her forehead, and decided to ignore them both. She turned back to the still-groggy Stelle.
"Listen to me…"
Silver Wolf, scolded by Kafka, glared at Sylvia indignantly.
But Sylvia was clearly immune to such reproach.
Instead, she leaned down and whispered near Silver Wolf's ear:
"Even when she's scolding someone, Kafka's still so gentle."
"…"
Hearing this, Silver Wolf looked at Sylvia with a mix of shock and horror.
Seriously, girl.
How did you manage to link Kafka with 'gentle'?
Kafka's specialty is sowing fear. Ask anyone out there—who isn't afraid of her name?
If you knew half the trouble she gets up to, would you still call her 'gentle'?
"What's with that look…"
"You… never mind. Suit yourself."
Silver Wolf opened her mouth, then closed it, then finally gave up altogether.
"???"
Sylvia was utterly confused. Was she trying to pull some cliffhanger nonsense here?
Right then, Kafka seemed to have finished relaying her instructions.
She walked over to Sylvia with a smile, raised her hand, and gently cupped Sylvia's cheek.
"Darling, thank you for the praise. I never knew you held me in such high regard."
Unlike during their last date, Kafka on a mission seemed far more dangerous—and yet, all the more alluring.
Enough to draw others in, tempting them to throw themselves willingly into the trap.
Under Kafka's intimate touch, Sylvia's cheeks grew warm. She even felt the urge to nuzzle into Kafka's hand like a kitten.
But remembering Silver Wolf was right there watching—probably recording on the sly—Sylvia fiercely suppressed the impulse.
"Still, it's time for us to go."
Kafka's fingers brushed softly against Sylvia's cheek before she leaned in closer, her voice tinged with a faint reluctance.
Sylvia's body pressed against Kafka's firm chest as Kafka brought her face nearly cheek-to-cheek.
She whispered gently into Sylvia's ear:
"Thank you for your affection, darling. Being liked by someone… it really does feel different."
As she spoke, Kafka's hand trailed slowly down Sylvia's side—from the rigid armor all the way to Sylvia's left hand.
Then, a ring slipped from Kafka's own left finger, guided by a crimson-purple thread, and slid onto Sylvia's left middle finger.
"Consider this ring a token of my gratitude."
Before she could finish, as Sylvia's face grew steadily redder, Silver Wolf cleared her throat loudly from the side.
"Ahem—! I'm still right here, you know. Keep it decent."
Hearing Silver Wolf's complaint, Kafka smiled and released Sylvia.
Sylvia instinctively lifted her left hand, examining the unassuming silver band.
"Alright, let's head out."
"…You're the one holding us up."
Kafka led the way out. Silver Wolf clicked her tongue, muttered under her breath, and followed.
"Ah? Oh…"
Sylvia trailed reflexively after Kafka, stepping out of the now-useless cabin.
Her gaze remained fixed on the ring. It was slightly thicker than a typical band.
And she recalled Kafka's fondness for using threads… Something told her this wasn't just an ordinary trinket.
"Alright, this is far enough, darling. You can't follow us back."
Kafka's voice pulled Sylvia's attention back. Only then did she realize she'd been walking along with them for quite a while.
"I see…"
Sylvia scratched her head. Watching them prepare to leave, she truly felt a pang of reluctance.
--+--
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.