Chapter 159. Bronya: Serves You Right for "Bond"!
"Man, I'm beat~"
After wrapping up the stream late at night, Xander Masato stood up, tilted his head back, and stretched hard.
"I told you there's no need to take what they say so seriously."
"A lot of them are just joking along."
"Don't wear yourself out over it."
Sirin shut down the PC and looked at him, her tone a mix of concern and mild scolding.
"It's rare to interact face-to-face with players like this."
"I can't dampen their mood."
"Yeah yeah, you've always got a reason."
Packing up, Sirin tugged at the hem of his shirt.
"Come here."
"Hm? What is it?"
"You've been sitting too long."
"Your waist must be uncomfortable."
"I'll give you a massage."
"No need, it wasn't that bad just now."
Seeing Sirin's unblinking stare, Xander couldn't help but chuckle.
"Just get over here~"
She puffed her cheeks, glared at him in mock anger, and pulled him toward the bed.
Sirin's strength would've been easy to break free from, but Xander's EQ wasn't that low.
He let her guide him and lay prone on the bed.
The soft bedding held the faint fragrance of a young girl.
Noticing Xander had swiped her pillow, burying his face in it with eyes closed in bliss, Sirin's face flushed scarlet.
She bent down in a hurry, yanked the pillow out from under him, and tossed it onto her chair.
"You… you…"
"Pervert."
The shy annoyance in her voice grew softer and softer, until the last two words were practically an inaudible mumble.
"What did you say?"
Xander turned his head, amusement in his gaze.
"Nothing."
"Lie down properly!"
"Okay~"
Seeing Xander obediently sprawled out and not moving, Sirin finally exhaled in relief.
She carefully sat on the bed, kicked off her slippers, reached to pull down her skirt hem to the edge of her white stockings—then thought better of it and drew her hand back.
Then, in her purple long dress and white stockings, she stood on the bed.
Her soft, milky-white feet wrapped in stockings lifted lightly and pressed down on Xander's back.
"H-How is it?"
With one foot on his back, Sirin swallowed.
Her mind, unbidden, started to wander.
"Too light."
"Use more force."
"Huh? Oh!"
Snapping back to herself, Sirin shook off the stray fantasies and increased the pressure.
This was just a massage for Xander.
Totally normal behavior.
Absolutely not some kind of special play!
"Phew~ now that's about right~"
"Mhm."
Through the stockings, the sensitive soles perceived the muscles and bones underfoot all too clearly.
If she could just hold him directly...
Sensing those thoughts sprouting again, Sirin hurriedly changed the subject.
"R-Right, Xander, you're going home tomorrow, aren't you?"
"Yeah, tomorrow's the ship."
"Why, Sirin—planning to come back with us?"
Hearing that, Xander teased her.
"W-Who wants to go back with you!"
No sooner had she blurted it out than Sirin felt she'd gone too far.
She quickly added, in a small voice, "I-It's too fast right now."
"I'm… not ready yet."
"And this year our family is going back to Italy for a bit..."
"That's a shame."
"I wanted to show the kids the new sister-in-law I found them~"
"W-What sister-in-law are you talking about—don't say nonsense!!!!"
The blush that hadn't faded flared deeper.
Her little heart pounded wildly.
After a moment of silence, she suddenly asked in a tiny voice, "Will it really..."
"Sirin!! Is the stream not over yet?!"
Thud—the door opened from outside, and Kiana rushed in, looking frazzled.
"Sirin, my luggage is getting away from me—come help me p—p—"
Seeing the decidedly R-rated scene on the bed, Kiana's voice died off.
She grinned awkwardly and backed her way out step by step.
"Uh, I won't disturb you."
"I'm leaving~"
With that, Kiana slammed the door and sprinted off.
Sirin froze for a second, then her expression instantly darkened.
"Kiana!!!!"
Their "special massage" had been busted.
Sirin's shame wouldn't allow her to continue.
To hide her embarrassment, she jumped off the bed, slipped into her slippers, and dashed out to chase down Kiana.
"Tut-tut."
"What a pity~"
In the quiet room, only Xander's sigh remained.
These days were destined to be a carnival for FPS players, and Xander quietly slipped back to Siberia amid the roaring tide.
Meanwhile, the Gensokyo Company's official accounts cooled back from honeymoon mode.
One fixed Legend PV per week and not a single extra word.
Players were ants on a hot plate, hopping in the comments every day.
In the orphanage yard.
The sun was perfect that day.
Pardofelis had just lugged a recliner to a corner to bask in the warmth, but the instant she set it down, the orphanage's resident tyrant—Xander—took it over.
Watching her little nest vanish, Pardofelis didn't dare say a word.
What could she do?
She was just a weak little cat, so she had to sulkily fetch another recliner and place it next to Xander.
On the open space not far away, the wild laughter of a certain boisterous big boy rang out.
"Charizard, use Crunch!!"
"Flamethrower!!"
"Dodge, then Fire Blast."
"That's it, close in and crush all your enemies!"
"Hahahahahaha!!!!!"
"Roooar!!!!"
Charizard roared, a Dragon Claw slamming the opposing Eevee to its knees, unable to rise again.
Even wilder laughter followed, accompanied by the crying of the orphanage kids.
"How many is that now?"
Rocking his chair, Xander asked lazily.
"Forgot."
"Think it's the thirteenth," Pardofelis replied languidly.
Once Pokémon launched, it naturally swept through the kids.
As the head, Cocolia had equipped every child with Anti-Entropy's latest AR glasses.
Pokémon battles became a daily routine.
Kalpas had scoffed at it at first, but after a bunch of little brats goaded him into trying, he couldn't stop.
With a Solar Power Charizard, he ruled the orphanage with no rivals.
Every day, unbelieving kids got beaten to tears, wiped their eyes, and came back to cry again the next day.
At first, when Kalpas saw the kids cry, he tried going easy.
But when he lost, they circled him and mocked him.
Furious, he loaded dinner with chilis, making their butts suffer terribly.
After that, making those brats cry became his daily amusement.
"Xander, Kalpas bullied us, boohoo~"
A pink-haired girl and a blue-haired girl ran over, each hugging one of his legs and bawling.
As for why they used a nickname only Cocolia would use, well, they'd tried calling him "big brother" before.
But after a single look from Seele, they never dared again.
Looking at Rosalia clinging to his leg with snot and tears, Xander felt black lines fill his forehead.
"You two got beaten to tears by Kalpas too?"
Kids crying was one thing, but you two are in high school and you're still crying?
Those two had wanted to come to the Far East during high school, but Cocolia, worried, changed the rules and kept them in Siberia.
In hindsight, pretty farsighted.
"Correction, Lilia did not cry."
"The one crying is the idiot Rosalia."
"But this humiliating defeat must be avenged!"
Even in high school, the twins hadn't grown much, still cute little lolis.
One on the left and one on the right, they climbed into his lap and tugged his arms, begging.
"Fine, fine."
"I'll go."
Shaking off Rosalia and picking Lilia up into his arms, Xander looked with distaste at the snot and tears smeared on his sleeve.
He'd need a change of clothes soon.
"Why drop me while Lilia gets carried?"
"That's not fair!!"
"Because idiot Rosalia is a crybaby."
"Xander doesn't like kids who cry."
Hearing that, Rosalia flushed and forced back tears, staring stubbornly up at him.
"Don't listen to Lilia's nonsense."
"I don't dislike you."
Ruffling Rosalia's hair, he set Lilia down and stood.
"Pardo~"
"Eh?"
Called suddenly, Pardofelis rolled over, scratching her tummy as she answered in confusion.
"Go warm me a bowl of wine... no, tea instead."
"I'll be right back!"
"Huh?"
Scratching her head, not really sure why, Pardofelis still lazily stood up and dutifully went to fetch the teapot.
Hands in pockets, Xander swaggered toward Kalpas at a pace that Kalpas found annoyingly cocky.
In the eyes of the little radishes—saviors at last—Xander walked up and locked eyes with Kalpas.
"Wanna go?"
"Love to!"
By the unwritten rule that Trainers duel after three seconds of eye contact, their gaze sealed the match.
They both stepped back a few paces.
Xander slipped on his glasses and glove, quickly pulled out a Poké Ball, and they threw at the same time.
"Is Xander playing again?"
By chance, Bronya and Seele had just finished chatting with "mom" Cocolia.
Hearing the ruckus, they came to take a look—arriving just as Xander and Kalpas faced off.
"Looks like Big Bro is having fun~"
Seele smiled and watched from the side.
Arms folded, Bronya watched with interest.
It'd been a while since she'd battled Pokémon with Xander, and her hands suddenly itched.
Just as she was thinking to pull Xander for a few rounds after this, a Caterpie emerged in the white glow and entered her view.
She froze at once, and a bad memory resurfaced.
Wait, no way...
That guy, Xander, surely wouldn't...
When she saw the Caterpie knocked out by Charizard in a single move, and Xander rush up to prattle about things like friendship and bond, the painful memory fully resurfaced.
Her little face twisted.
"Kalpas, let me show you the bond between me and Caterpie."
"Caterpie, Mega Evolve!!"
Seeing this perfect recreation of the classic routine, Bronya couldn't hold it in.
"Kalpas, this guy is cheating."
"Don't play with him!!"
"Cheating?"
"Hehe—hahahahahaha."
"Whatever."
"This clown show only brings me more fun... huh?"
In the AR view, the sky darkened with clouds.
A divine dragon with gilded whiskers slowly poked its head through.
"?"
"This is the bond between me and Caterpie, Kalpas."
"Take my 'Paint the Dragon, Dot the Eyes!'"
The dragon fell from the heavens, thundered, and vanished.
Kalpas's Charizard collapsed at once, while a Caterpie stood on its body, wriggling and preening.
"Heh, Kalpas, did you witness the—hey, gentlemen use words, not fists."
Kalpas said nothing, merely rolled up his sleeves.
Seeing him about to throw hands after losing, Xander of course turned and ran.
But he'd barely taken two steps when he crashed into a soft embrace.
Turning his head, he saw Bronya's not-so-kind smile.
His expression flipped to panic.
With a deft twist, Bronya shoved him right back toward Kalpas.
Facing the approaching white hair and black mask, Xander gave a sheepish smile and tried to retreat, but his arm was seized at once.
In his last moments, Xander roared one final time.
"Bronya, you set me up!!!!"
...
Of course, everyone was just horsing around.
Kalpas hadn't used much force—only a token lesson.
Back on the recliner, sipping warm tea, Xander noticed the blue-and-pink twins staring expectantly and grumbled, "What are you looking at?"
"I won."
Blinking at each other, Rosalia went for blunt honesty.
"But you got beat up."
Lilia had just opened her mouth when Rosalia's line made her pause.
Then she spun on her heel and ran without a word.
Thus, that day, Rosalia did not get to sit down for dinner.
That night, after Aponia finished checking the kids' rooms one by one and confirming they were sleeping soundly, she headed to her own room.
Passing Xander's room, she noticed the light still on at the window and paused at the door.
Knock, knock, knock.
She rapped lightly and slowly pushed the door open.
"Aponia?"
Bent over his desk, Xander looked up at the sound, puzzled at the nun-clad sister who somehow exuded a sultry vibe.
"Why are you up so late?"
"Aren't Seele and Bronya here?"
She came in, closing the door behind her, and walked in slowly.
"They hadn't had their fill of mother-daughter time."
"They decided to sleep over there."
With a helpless shrug, Xander set down his stylus.
Kaguya hadn't come back with them this time.
She said she'd use the New Year to visit old friends, and bring over her most trusted subordinate from the Moon Capital Group.
Naturally, he wasn't going to say much—nor expose Kaguya's little motives.
A "gift" sent out had unexpectedly turned into the hostess.
If Kaguya wanted to go back and do a little "the war god returns" act, that was understandable.
Now owning part of Gensokyo Company's shares, she could stand equal with the family elders and even the father she once feared.
The more old-fashioned might have to receive her as an honored guest.
Gensokyo's assets might not match the Moon Capital Group's, but its significance ran far deeper.
Elysia had also gone back to Europe to check on the orphanage she used to live in, now fully transferred into her name.
Little Griseo was put on a plane home to show Mom and Dad her six months of training, which made Xander break into a sweat.
Pointing at the screen, Xander continued, "I'm idle anyway, so I'm planning out the next steps."
After launch, he intended to host a carnival-style fun tourney, invite some big names, and stream it worldwide to draw more heat to the game.
"Since you're back, don't think about work."
"It's late."
"Go rest first."
Aponia gently patted Xander's hair, voice soft.
"It's not that I don't want to sleep."
"I just can't seem to."
He'd slept too much on the way, and wasn't sleepy now.
"Can't sleep?"
Aponia thought for a moment, walked to his bed, slipped off her shoes and sat.
Then she looked at him and patted her thigh.
"Do you want to lie down and rest for a bit?"
Deep in the night, a sultry nun invites you to the bed.
How strange.
But looking at those soft, full thighs, Xander still couldn't help but nod.
"Alright."
"Don't be angry."
"It's okay."
"It's okay."
In the office, Xander gently held Bronya, who bit her lip with reddened eyes, and whispered comfort in her ear.
"It was on their side..."
When people are alone, they can endure a lot.
But when they have someone they can fully trust, the grievance multiplies and bursts out.
It had been less than a month since he took over as Pokémon's lead game designer.
Frictions in a green team were natural.
Today, over a file issue, Bronya clashed with two senior members.
If it had stopped there, it would've been normal—work always has differing opinions.
But the problem came anyway.
Those two, prideful and unable to out-argue a "little girl," felt the eyes of colleagues on them, got mad with embarrassment, and one couldn't help but snipe, "You're just a connection hire."
"What do you even know!"
"And you?"
"Aren't you the same?"
"Besides throwing your seniority around, what else can you do?"
"Coast and collect a paycheck?!"
Bronya met his eyes without flinching, gaze hard.
The other one blinked and quickly tugged his colleague's sleeve.
The man also came to, opened his mouth, and said nothing.
They sat back down and flat-out ignored Bronya.
Bronya's face darkened.
She strode back to the office, and the moment the door shut, she walked silently to Xander's desk, grabbed his shirt, head down, not saying a word.
The stubbornness on her face outside vanished, revealing softness and hurt.
The sight startled Xander, and led to the scene at the start.
After soothing her for a while, once Bronya's expression softened, Xander signaled to Kaguya and Seele, who were watching with concern.
They hurried over, one on each side, gently holding Bronya's arms and settling her on the sofa.
Xander slipped out quietly.
Outside, he noticed most of the office sneaking glances.
They'd probably been watching since earlier, waiting to see what he'd do.
He gave a gentle smile, walked over to Sakura, and bowed his head to ask what had happened.
Sakura didn't hide anything, nor did she favor either side, and relayed the events exactly.
Xander kept smiling, not a hint of change on his face.
When Sakura finished, he asked, "In the dispute between Bronya and those two, who was right?"
Sakura hesitated, thought for a while, then said, "It was an implementation of a function."
"There are many ways to achieve it."
"Miss Bronya wanted to use the latest approach—faster and cleaner—but it needs a bit of learning."
"Those two wanted to use their old method."
"The program would be bloated and hard to maintain."
"If you compare them, Miss Bronya's method is better."
Hearing that, Xander understood everything.
Two old hands didn't want to learn new tools and tried to coast on seniority.
Simple on the surface—but mishandled, it turns serious.
"Thanks."
After thanking Sakura, Xander stood.
He didn't even look at the two tense veterans, but walked straight to their team's supervisor.
"Will, come with me."
His tone remained as usual.
The middle-aged man blinked, then smiled sheepishly and followed.
"Supervisor Masato, is there something you need?"
Xander said nothing, just walked ahead.
Will could only trail behind.
They reached the meeting room.
Xander sat on the sofa and gestured for Will to sit opposite.
Once seated, Will chuckled, "What's up, Supervisor Masato?"
"I've still got a lot on my plate."
"I can't delay the team's progress."
"Heh."
The line drew a little laugh from Xander.
He looked at the water dispenser by the wall and said slowly, "Want some water?"
Will shook his head.
"Mhm."
A flicker of disappointment crossed Xander's mind.
He made no move to rise.
Looking at Will still playing dumb, he said blandly, "About what happened in the office..."
"Ah, I forgot for a moment—my mistake, Supervisor Masato."
"Those two in my group are getting on in years and care about face."
"Being called out by a young lady made them lose their heads and blurt a line in anger."
Will put on an "oh right" face and hurriedly smiled.
He thumped his chest.
"Don't worry, Supervisor Masato."
"I'll dock all their bonuses this month and make sure they learn their lesson!"
He sounded every bit the iron-fisted enforcer.
"Adults take responsibility for what they say."
Xander smiled, voice gentle.
As Will began to relax, he heard Xander's next words.
"So, have those two pack up and leave."
"Back to wherever they came from."
"Huh?"
Will blinked.
His grin went stiff.
"Uh, Supervisor Masato, isn't that a bit too harsh?"
"They actually..."
"Do I need to repeat myself?"
The gentle look vanished in an instant.
Xander stared into his eyes, expressionless.
"..."
The always-jovial Supervisor Masato suddenly showing this face wrong-footed Will.
Soon, though, it clicked.
Kill the chicken to scare the monkeys?
Those two were veterans of his team.
If he stood by while they were shown the door, how would he lead going forward?
How would the team respect him?
A shadow flashed in his eyes, but Will kept his simple smile and let out a laugh.
"No need to go that far, Supervisor Masato."
"Don't worry—I'll have them apologize to Miss Bronya and put them on a one-month suspension so they truly reflect on their mistakes."
"Is that so?"
"Yes, yes, I absolutely—"
"If you're so protective of your men, I'll oblige you."
A calm smile tugged at Xander's mouth.
He spoke softly.
"Your entire team can withdraw together."
"I'll handle the paperwork."
"It'll go faster."
"Uh..."
Will hadn't expected it to come to this.
His face soured.
"T-That's against the rules."
"Here, I am the rules."
"You think this is still the old days of everyone playing nice house?"
"Have I been too mild and given you the illusion you can lock horns with me?"
"You think I'm young and easy to fool, and I can't see a thing?"
With a small laugh, Xander went on, watching Will's face grow uglier.
"I've already given you chances."
"Really."
"Not once or twice—but three times."
"If I did what you say and handed out a slap-on-the-wrist, what would everyone think of me?"
"Bronya is the closest person by my side."
Resting his chin in his hand, Xander's voice carried a smile.
"If even the person by my side gets bullied and I can only do that, what signal does that send to everyone else?"
"That I'm weak?"
"Easy to push?"
"That maybe you can trip me up here and there and slowly grab more say—so when Pokémon ships, will I still be the lead?"
"Even if Cocolia blames it, you can excuse it with 'he's young and can't control people,' right?"
"How amusing."
"This kind of disgusting play, and you try it on me?"
"Who gave you the confidence?"
"Don't you know I can replace your whole crew with one sentence?"
"..."
"What, cat got your tongue?"
"Is it hard to speak when the truth is laid bare, or..."
"Have you finally learned fear?"
Head bowed, Will's voice slowed to a murmur.
"I… I was placed here by the Sovereign... by Welt Yang..."
"Oh."
Calmly, Xander took out his phone and dialed in front of him.
The call connected quickly.
To Will's shock, Welt's voice came through.
"What is it?"
Glancing at the now-sweaty Will, Xander spoke evenly.
"Nothing big."
"It's about Will's team."
"I think they'll slow us down, so I'm having them leave."
"Just letting you know, Mr. Welt Yang."
Silence for a moment.
In Will's hopeful eyes, the next words crushed him.
"That team was assembled for you."
"You can decide on your own."
"Sovereign, I..."
"Is it your turn to speak?"
The cold voice shut him down.
Xander held the phone to his ear, tone returning to gentle.
"Then I'll hang up, Mr. Welt Yang."
"Let's have a meal next time."
"Mhm."
The call ended soon enough.
Xander looked at the dazed, ashen Will and said coolly, "Anything else to say?"
"..."
"Then why are you still sitting here?"
...
Will left without daring a single harsh word.
Good thing he didn't—otherwise the next summons wouldn't have come from Xander.
Alone in the meeting room, Xander sighed and rubbed his brow.
This damned office politics—disgusting enough to make him want to puke.
As a leader, he could be kind and close to the people, but he could not lose authority.
Once no one took you seriously, the team's heart scattered.
You couldn't lead, and work would fall apart.
For Pokémon to reach perfection smoothly, he was the one person who could not show weakness.
After a breather, Xander stepped out.
Will's team was already packing.
The office temperature dropped to freezing.
The remaining employees didn't even dare breathe when they saw him, eyes glued to their monitors.
He smiled and, expecting this atmosphere, returned to his own office without lingering in the bullpen.
Seeing him come back, the three—Seele, Bronya, and Kaguya—looked over at once.
Bronya seemed much better.
But the moment she saw him, she stood and walked to his side, whispering, "Sorry..."
"Why apologize to me?"
"You did nothing wrong."
"Also, don't say 'sorry' to me anymore."
"If you feel bad, just give me a kiss instead~"
He ruffled Bronya's hair.
At his side, Seele chimed in, "Yeah!"
"It wasn't Bronya-sis's fault at all!"
"How did you handle it?"
Kaguya came over, face serious.
"Don't worry."
"A new team will take over their work."
"Eh?"
Bronya and Seele blinked, while Kaguya's brows knit—then she relaxed with a soft breath.
"...That's fine too."
"Looks like your consort doesn't need a reminder."
"Don't think I'm that dumb."
He pinched Kaguya's cheek and got a pretty sultry glance for his trouble.
Seele and Bronya dragged Kaguya aside for the details, while Xander stretched and sank back into his chair.
There was still a lot of work.
No way to rest~
Late at night.
Lying in bed, Xander couldn't fall asleep.
Glancing at the already sleeping Seele and Bronya on either side, he carefully extricated his arm from their embrace, sat up, and slipped out of the bedroom alone.
The little nightlight in the living room flicked on automatically.
In the dim glow, Xander opened the fridge, took a low-alcohol drink and a cola, and—too lazy to measure—dumped both into one glass.
On the balcony recliner, gazing at the neon that never seemed to go out, he raised the glass for a sip now and then, staring blankly outside.
The cola made it go down easy.
Unknowingly, half the glass was gone.
The fizz draped a gauzy haze over his mind.
"Big Bro?"
A soft voice sounded behind him.
Xander blinked and turned, then smiled, speaking gently.
"Seele, did I wake you?"
Seele shook her head, came over, and sat beside him, leaning in to sniff near his lips.
Her little face instantly scrunched up.
"Big Bro, you've been drinking?"
"Just a little."
"It's fine."
"Mhm."
Seele nodded lightly.
"Huh?"
Her reaction surprised Xander.
Normally, wouldn't Seele get mad and stop him?
He'd even prepared for her to snatch the cup.
He looked to Seele.
She looked back, ocean-blue eyes brimming with tenderness.
Suddenly, Xander felt a small hand stroking his head.
"You must be tired."
"Tired?"
"Not really."
"I've just been thinking about today."
Since Seele didn't stop him, he raised the glass again and took a small sip of the remaining half.
Then, with a sigh toward the city lights, "I'm thinking maybe I went too far today."
"Am I just too tense and sensitive lately?"
"Mm..."
Seele, of course, knew all about it.
An entire team getting the boot was headline news.
The employees had spread it like wildfire.
Hearing the melancholy in his voice, Seele pondered, unsure what to say.
She didn't know this stuff well and feared saying the wrong thing.
Just then, a voice inside made her body pause a beat.
Seele closed her eyes.
Her silence puzzled Xander.
He turned—just in time to meet her reopened gaze.
Before he could speak, Seele lunged, snatched the glass from his hand.
A splash spattered his face.
She downed the remaining half in one go.
Thunk!
The empty glass left a trail of afterimage and slammed onto the table.
Seele propped herself up and raised her head.
Having never drunk before, her reaction came fast.
In seconds, blush flooded her cheeks.
"Seele, you..."
"Idiot!!!!"
She leaned in, very, very close.
Hot breath, heavy with boozy cola sweetness, rushed over him.
Her body was already swaying.
Seele climbed up the armrest, straddled his lap, and braced both hands on his shoulders.
Staring into his eyes, she paused, then said, a little impatient, "If something's wrong, don't bottle it up."
"If you feel wronged, cry."
"If it hurts, tell Seele."
"W-We... Seele won't hate you!"
"Uh… cry, or..."
"Shut up!"
Xander wisely shut up.
"If they bully you, don't endure it."
"If that bunch makes you unhappy, kick them out."
"Why think so much?"
"If you're still not happy, then let me go!"
She hiccupped a tiny hiccup and continued, "I-I'll go beat them up for you!"
"Alright, alright."
"If anyone bullies me again, I'll tell you, and we'll go beat them up together."
By now, Xander had realized Seele had switched.
He held the slightly tipsy Veliona, smiling tenderly.
The childlike vow somehow moved him.
"D-Don't hug me."
"I'm not as clingy as Seele is..."
In his arms, Veliona still tried to be stubborn, but only struggled a little before giving up.
Her woozy head burrowed against him.
"So cute."
"But don't think I'm that fragile."
He had indeed gone overboard today.
But done was done.
He wouldn't call that bunch back.
Whatever came next, he'd shoulder it.
Still, hearing Veliona say that made him quite happy.
"Praising me won't work!"
Veliona muttered, lifted her face, and pouted at him in protest.
"Doesn't work?"
"Then… how about this?"
In the moonlight, he lowered his head.
"Mm?"
Veliona's eyes flew wide.
The fog lifted a little.
Paper-thin defenses tore instantly.
Her teeth were pried open with ease.
The sensitive tip of her tongue was wrapped and drifted along, and soon Veliona melted limply against him.
Then, feeling the hand at her waist begin to move, a strange warmth started to erode her reason.
Instinctively, she wanted to flee.
But Xander lowered his head to her ear.
"Right now, I hope you'll stay with me."
"Can you, Veliona?"
"I really need you."
"!!!"
Veliona froze.
Her heartbeat quickened.
Her gaze turned hazy.
The defenses she'd built crumbled before a single sentence.
Not "need Seele," but "need her."
She closed her eyes and lifted her chin, surrendering her reason to the drink.
Let it be said she was drunk and had raised a white sail on stormy seas, tossed up and down until spent, sinking into a deep ocean that made her drunk with it.
...
Early next morning, Bronya woke to find the bed empty on both sides.
Up so early, both of them?
In a loose pajama top and slippers, she yawned her way out the door and soon found two figures asleep on the sofa, holding each other and breathing deep.
Smiles lingered at their lips.
Seemed like good dreams.
Hands on her hips, Bronya tilted her head, thought for a few seconds, and gave up thinking.
She yawned again, then imitated them—laying down to squeeze in beside them.
A moment later—thunk.
The sofa was too small.
It couldn't hold the three of them, and they all rolled onto the carpet together.
A new day began.
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