What were they doing?
That question left Derek Su stumped.
He did not even know how long Imperial Scale had been standing behind them, or how much she had seen.
Also, was Imperial Scale part cat or something?
How did she walk without making any sound at all?
"Well, we were, uh…" Derek Su scratched his head.
"We were looking at the view by the lake. Imperial Scale, come look with us!" Stella picked up the conversation beside him with perfect ease. Nothing showed on her face. Even an Oscar winning actress would have admitted defeat.
Imperial Scale walked over to Derek Su and Stella, glanced at the lake, then looked back with confusion. "Is there anything to see here? And why were Master and Stella standing so close while looking at the view?"
Derek Su knew this one.
"Because it's cold!" he said with complete confidence. "It's late at night, and the temperature drops a lot. I'm not wearing much, so if I don't stay close to Stella, I'll freeze." As he spoke, he pressed a little closer to Stella.
That move left even Stella, the Oscar winning actress, stunned. She silently admired how quick witted her Master was.
Imperial Scale was silent for a moment.
Then she suddenly leaned in from the other side, sandwiching Derek Su between herself and Stella like two slices of bread around a hot dog.
Because Imperial Scale was rather impressive in build, she wrapped around him even more securely, giving Derek Su the illusion that half his body had sunk right in.
"Imperial Scale, you…" Derek Su was dumbfounded.
Stella's eyes widened too, her small mouth forming an O.
Could it be…
"Master said he was cold, didn't he?" Imperial Scale said as if it were only natural. "This way, you won't be cold."
Her eyes were clear and pure, without the slightest trace of anything else.
She only wanted to keep her "father" warm. If he caught a chill, that would be her failure.
Derek Su also realized that Imperial Scale really did seem to be keeping him warm, plain and simple, with no other meaning behind it. He could not help silently slapping himself.
He really deserved it.
Imperial Scale was obviously so innocent.
Yet he had let his thoughts wander somewhere strange.
Stella must have corrupted him!
But being squeezed from both sides like this was not exactly workable either. His face was getting squashed out of shape.
Taking a deep breath to calm his complicated emotions, Derek Su gave an awkward smile and said, "Well, I don't think there's much scenery left to see by the lake. Let's head back and see what everyone else is doing."
"Okay." Imperial Scale nodded, but showed no intention of letting go.
Stella naturally did not let go either.
The two Mecha Girls kept Derek Su trapped between them, shuffling toward the street like a giant crab.
"Uh, I don't think I'm that cold anymore…" Derek Su awkwardly shifted his shoulders, trying to break free.
His whole body was going numb.
This was not the kind of development he wanted.
It was already late, and there were not many people on the street.
But this was still a public place. He had his pride.
However…
Imperial Scale held him even tighter. Her face was expressionless, but her tone was serious. "Master is not allowed to catch a cold."
Derek Su: "…"
He glanced at Stella for help.
But Stella was covering her mouth, secretly laughing.
She had no intention of helping him out at all.
Fine. So be it.
Derek Su could only lower his head, bury himself in, and do his best to reduce his presence.
"Holy crap! Boss, boss lady, and Pineapple King, what kind of formation is that?!"
An exaggerated shout rang out from up ahead.
Derek Su knew from the voice alone that Tunbao was making trouble again.
Her voice was unbelievably loud, instantly drawing the attention of several Mecha Girls on the street.
Some were pilots and Mecha Girls out for a walk at night, while others were functional Mecha Girls from nearby shops.
Every gaze swept over at once.
In that instant, Derek Su felt like he was being roasted under the blazing sun.
Crunch.
He nearly ground his molars to pieces.
"Hey! Isn't that The Magician?"
"It really is. Tsk, tsk. Lucky guy, huh? As expected of The Magician!"
Coincidentally, the two pilots who had braved the haunted house with Derek Su earlier were there too.
Seeing Derek Su being carried along like a hot dog, they could not help whispering again.
"Quiet!" Imperial Scale shot Tunbao a glare.
Tunbao immediately stood straight, chest lifted, and did not dare say another word.
Stella blinked and noticed the injuries on Tunbao's face, partly hidden under bandages.
She asked in confusion, "Tunbao, why is your face all bruised? Did you lose in the ring?"
"Huh?" Tunbao froze, her expression shifting slightly. Then she scratched her head and laughed loudly. "Hahahaha! No way. Is there any ring match I, Tunbao, can't win? It's just a tiny scrape. I'll have the rich lady's medical team take care of it later."
Scratching her head was Tunbao's signature move whenever she tried to hide embarrassment or lie.
Everyone could see it.
Everyone except Tunbao herself.
Imperial Scale narrowed her eyes. "Tell the truth."
Those three short words made the surrounding air suddenly turn still.
Even the temperature seemed to drop several degrees.
Tunbao shuddered, shrank back, and obediently said,
"It's really not a big deal. During the ring match, I ran into that Gray Haired Gorilla from the ESW club from the day before yesterday. She's a combat type Mecha Girl, big and broad shouldered. I couldn't beat her, so she caught me and gave me a beating… It was a ring match, you know? There are wins and losses. The loser is bound to take a beating. What's so strange about that?"
As Tunbao said this, she did not dare look Imperial Scale in the eye.
Derek Su also looked doubtful. He had a feeling Tunbao still had not told them what really happened.
Just then,
"That's not what happened." Purple Lightning appeared behind Tunbao like a ghost. She glanced at Tunbao, then said coldly, "After Tunbao was thrown by Gray Castle, she tapped the floor to surrender. But Gray Castle deliberately blocked the referee's line of sight. She clearly knew Tunbao was from our Stella Club, so she used the match to settle a personal grudge!"
...
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