Chapter 111. Veliona's Debt, Paid by Seele
It was deep night in the Far East, while the sun over North America was already high in the sky.
Exhaustion had thrown his body clock completely out of order.
When Xander opened his eyes, bright sunlight was already casting the window's outline onto the curtains and sprinkling mottled patches across the floor.
He let out a small hum in his throat and tried to stretch, only to find he couldn't move at all.
His whole body felt sunk into a soft quagmire.
Apart from his back, warm, smooth softness pressed in on all sides.
When he looked down, Seele's still-sleeping, soft little face was right in front of him.
Her head rested on his shoulder, both arms holding him tightly, half her body draped over him.
Behind Seele, Bronya had one arm crossing over her to wrap around his waist, hugging so close that Seele was squeezed in the middle.
On the other side, Kaguya was much more well-behaved.
She simply curled up in the crook of his arm, both hands hugging his forearm against her chest, long black hair spilling loosely and revealing the exquisite profile beneath.
With his slight movement just now, the sheet slipped a little, revealing the tender shoulders of the three girls.
Before he could admire the view, a soft murmur drew his attention.
Seele slowly opened her eyes.
Her sky-blue gaze was still a bit unfocused, her thoughts not yet back, but that familiar warmth made her instinctively rub against Xander in comfort.
As her consciousness returned, Seele let out a tiny yawn.
She lifted her eyes and met her brother's gaze, and immediately smiled sweetly.
"Brother, good morning~"
"No, I'm not."
Memories of last night surfaced, and a faint grievance coiled in Xander's eyes.
He glanced at the bright window.
It was already well past morning.
They had clearly agreed yesterday that if the launch went smoothly, they would throw a party and play all night to celebrate.
The party did happen, but why did he end up as everyone's celebratory prop!!!
Seele seemed to remember too.
A flush rose on her face as she smiled bashfully.
She bit her lip, leaned in, and gave the corner of her brother's mouth a quick peck.
Noticing that his expression didn't change at all, Seele pitifully said, "But weren't you willing, Brother?"
At that, Xander's throat tightened.
Having his three favorite people together at the same time had indeed made him quite excited.
But still...
Xander opened and closed his mouth for a long while before finally muttering, a bit sulky, "At first, yes."
...
Pfft~
Bronya had woken up at some point.
Hearing the exchange between Seele and him, she couldn't help bursting into laughter.
That mocking laugh left Xander somewhat abashed and angry.
He turned his head and glared at Bronya.
But Bronya met his gaze without the slightest fear, even licking her lips, eyes hinting with sultry suggestion.
Not convinced—come handle me?
In the next moment, Xander withdrew his gaze.
Can't afford to provoke her.
Let it go.
I really don't have a single drop left...
Kaguya woke up then as well.
Affectionately, she leaned into Xander, extending a porcelain-smooth hand to gently caress her husband's face, her tone tender: "Don't be sad.
Husband, you were already amazing."
?
...Some things really don't need to be said aloud!
Hehe~
Sticking out her tongue playfully, Kaguya nuzzled upward and buried her cheek against her husband's neck, lightly inhaling that reassuring scent.
She thanked fate for bringing her to her husband's side.
With the smooth release of the AR glasses, they could finally take a few days off.
The rest could wait until more user feedback came in.
Naturally, the four of them lazed in bed all morning.
When afternoon came and everyone was hungry, Seele was jointly shooed downstairs to cook.
The remaining three still sprawled together lazily, which made Veliona so mad she took over the account and dumped a ton of chili powder into one of the finished dishes.
Sitting on the sofa, Xander fished out his phone and powered it on.
The screen immediately went ding ding ding ding with a string of messages popping up.
There was the group chat with Mei and Sirin, a photo from Elysia of her snuggled up with a bunch of Pokémon, and three close bros who, after receiving the AR glasses he'd mailed over, texted that they wanted to come over and excitedly call him godfather.
Aside from that, Pokémon news had basically dominated every social platform.
Wherever you looked, you could hear about Pokémon.
[A Game that Transcends an Era: Pokémon Officially Launches!]
[A Brief Take on the Surprises Brought by the New AR Glasses and Pokémon.]
[Shocking: A Woman Snatched Another's Daughter Right in Front of Her Mother, Then Even Flaunted It Before Hundreds of Thousands—Is This the Extinction of Humanity or the Collapse of Morality?]
The piece came with a photo of Sirin and Sprigatito together, which made Xander laugh to no end.
[Stunning: A Mythical Pokémon Appears!]
He scrolled through item after item.
Bronya and Kaguya sat on either side of him, holding a spoon and chopsticks, feeding him by turns.
Veliona, having already replaced Seele, sat to the side watching expectantly.
When Bronya's chopsticks picked up a bite from one of the dishes, Veliona immediately held her breath, eyes locked on those chopsticks as the morsel went into Xander's mouth.
Almost at once, after a bite, Xander sensed something off.
His calm expression flushed red in an instant.
He tossed his phone aside, clapped a hand over his mouth, and stared wide-eyed.
"Hot—hot—hot—so hot!!!!"
Blocked on both sides by Bronya and Kaguya, the totally unable-to-bear-it Xander flipped over the back of the sofa, scrambled to the fridge, yanked out yogurt, and glug-glug-glug started chugging.
Veliona fought hard to hold back her laughter.
Bronya and Kaguya stared blankly at the scene; reflexively, Bronya picked up another bite and put it into her own mouth.
Very quickly, face flushed red, she joined the ranks in front of the fridge.
The remaining Kaguya's eyes showed curiosity as she looked at the dish; those beautiful eyes seemed to be speaking.
Is it really that spicy?
I don't believe it!
Soon the space before the fridge was packed with three people.
Only after they had poured enough milk to fill their stomachs did they feel a bit better.
Veliona couldn't hold it in any longer and laughed happily.
Hmph.
Serves you right for bullying silly Seele—karma's here now!
She felt smug in her heart, not in the least considering the consequences.
But very soon, she couldn't keep laughing.
Having somewhat recovered, Xander, Bronya, and Kaguya surrounded Veliona, faces wearing "kind" smiles.
...
Veliona blinked.
She had intended to be tough, to meet their eyes without fear.
But when she noticed the rope in Bronya's hand and the strange gadget in Xander's, a shiver ran through her whole body at once.
"W-well, uh, I won't bother you then~"
As soon as she finished, "White Seele" was pushed out with a bewildered face.
Realizing the situation, she immediately tried to go back, only to find that Veliona had already slammed the door shut and even locked it.
?
Three shadows fell over the trembling Seele just like that.
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