"In that case... we'll just have to work much harder."
Durandal let slip a comment that, to Elysia's ears, sounded wonderfully "wicked."
"Work harder? Haven't we been working hard enough lately?"
Elysia knew perfectly well that Durandal hadn't meant it that way—after all, they were both women—but she simply couldn't resist the urge to tease her.
Sure enough, upon hearing Elysia's retort, Durandal's expression stiffened. Her cheeks, already flushed from the slight buzz of the wine, deepened into a much darker shade of crimson.
She cast a helpless look at Elysia. "You know that's not what I meant."
Giving up the act, Durandal handed over the dessert she had picked out for Elysia. Without another word, she hurried off toward the bridge to notify the captain to steer the ship toward the island's shore.
This time, Elysia didn't follow. Instead, she set her wine glass aside and began to take small, dainty bites of the sweet treat.
Just as Elysia was basking in the delightful dopamine rush of the sugar, Mobius happened to step out onto the deck for a breath of fresh air.
At first, Mobius only spared Elysia a casual glance. She couldn't quite explain why, but her instinct told her to avoid too much contact with the woman; yet, every so often, she found herself unable to resist getting into a verbal sparring match with her.
She was in a decent mood today and hadn't intended to say anything.
However, as a titan in the field of biotechnology, Mobius saw every person as a collection of quantified data.
Thus, as her eyes swept over Elysia eating her dessert, she immediately noticed that Elysia's physical measurements had undergone a subtle shift compared to how she looked before the Third Honkai Eruption.
Specifically, Elysia's feminine features had become more pronounced. But in Mobius's unique "art of conversation," it came out as: "Elysia, have you noticed? You're fatter than you were a week ago."
Fat?
Elysia's hand froze mid-bite.
She looked down and pinched her waist, but didn't find any extra flab. If anything, she felt leaner and more toned.
However...
Lately, she had noticed that her old clothes didn't seem to fit quite right. The changes seemed concentrated in her bust and hips.
It was much the same for Durandal.
Elysia hadn't thought much of it before, but with Mobius's "reminder," a fairly logical theory formed in her mind.
Relieved that she hadn't actually gained weight, Elysia relaxed. She finished the last morsel of her dessert, set the small plate and fork aside, and walked over to Mobius with a meaningful smile.
"How should I explain this? Let's put it this way, Mobius: if you and Klein were like me and Durandal, you'd probably be going through similar changes too, wouldn't you?"
Having dropped that bombshell, Elysia saw Durandal returning from the bridge.
She picked up her glass, drained the remaining red wine in a single gulp, and went to meet her. She leaned in for a lingering kiss, letting Durandal taste the rich aftertaste of the wine still on her lips.
Watching this sequence of events play out right after those words, Mobius realized exactly what was being implied.
In an instant, Mobius's face turned a sickly shade of green.
For what felt like the hundredth time, she vowed to herself: she was absolutely taking Klein down tonight. No more delays.
Wrapping her arm around Elysia's slender waist after savoring the taste of the wine and the woman, Durandal asked with a doting tone, "What did you say to Mobius just now? She looks like she's about to blow a fuse."
Elysia shrugged with a look of pure innocence. "Mobius said I got fat, so I just explained why my body is changing. Then she ended up like that."
"The reason for the changes?" Durandal was puzzled.
However, now that Elysia mentioned it, she realized that both of their figures had indeed changed recently. But since her body fat percentage remained stable, Durandal hadn't paid it much mind.
Her only real grievance was that some of her clothes were becoming uncomfortable, and she had already made a pact with Elysia to go on a massive shopping spree soon.
Fortunately, she didn't have to worry about her Valkyrie armor. The Bright Knight: Excelsis armor could actively adapt to her physical changes—a standard feature for Fourth-Generation Valkyrie units.
Since many Valkyries were young and still growing, their height and measurements weren't fixed.
It would be incredibly inefficient to forge a new suit from precious materials every time a girl went through a growth spurt.
Aside from Bright Knight, she also used Dea Anchora and Palatinus Equinox. The former relied on the Holy Sword Durandal and the power of the bubble universe within her, while the latter stemmed from the two bloodlines in her body. As manifestations of pure power, fit was never an issue.
Seeing that Durandal was truly oblivious, Elysia leaned in and whispered the explanation into her ear.
After hearing the truth, Durandal—who had been boldly kissing on the deck just moments ago—suddenly began looking around like a guilty thief.
Only after confirming they were downwind, alone, and that Elysia's voice had been low enough to go unheard did she finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Elysia, watching Durandal's flustered reaction, doubled over with laughter, leaning her entire weight against the other woman.
As she thought, teasing the "Silly Goose" once she finally developed some awareness was one of life's greatest joys.
It was much better than before, when Durandal would have no reaction at all, leaving Elysia the one feeling frustrated.
Not far away, Mobius watched them laughing and hugging, feeling even more suffocated. She decided she needed a hug and a kiss from Klein to feel better.
Meanwhile, inside the cabin, another interesting scene was unfolding.
Hua was surrounded by Carole, Fuxi, Nuwa, and Himeko. For someone who already felt out of place at a lively masquerade, she looked more uncomfortable than ever.
Hua couldn't understand it. As someone with social anxiety, why did she keep attracting people who were social butterflies?
"Hua, listen, listen! I heard the arcades here in Nagazora City are awesome! They have crane games and everything. Can we take the speedboat back to the city tomorrow to play?"
That was the fun-loving Carole.
"Hua, this outfit makes you look just like an ancient warrior from Shenzhou! My sister and I love martial arts stories. Our favorite is... actually, Nuwa is great at crafts; how about she makes a figurine based on your current look?"
Those were the sisters, Fuxi and Nuwa, who were obsessed with stories and gossip.
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A/N: I've wanted to use the "Mobius telling Elysia she's fat" meme for a long time, and I finally did it.
Also, there's a reason I'm not letting Durandal and Elysia get pregnant yet. Part of the reason Cecilia died was that her strength hadn't fully recovered after childbirth. In the current situation, as the primary combatants, they definitely can't afford that.
Of course, if everyone really wants to see a pregnancy plot, I can arrange it after the crisis is completely over. It won't be an issue then.
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL