Outside the haunted house.
The pilots and Mecha Girls who had entered before Derek Su and Stella had already come out.
All four of them looked badly shaken.
Though maybe only two of them were truly scared.
The other two were obviously acting.
After all, acting a little helpless was the perfect way to grow closer to their pilots.
Thinking back on what had happened inside, both pilots were still rattled.
Those unpredictable NPCs had made them scream more times than they could count.
If they had not been determined to protect their own Mecha Girls and get them out safely, their legs would have given out long ago. Their pride as men and as pilots was the only thing that had carried them all the way to the exit.
"Now that you mention it, I didn't hear The Magician scream at all. Is he seriously not scared?" Pilot A pricked up his ears and listened. The haunted house was completely quiet, nothing like the commotion they had caused earlier.
"Of course not. He's The Magician. Why would he be afraid of NPCs played by a few Mecha Girls?" Pilot B smiled bitterly to himself, but his respect for Derek Su only deepened. "We're still a long way from The Magician's level. We have to keep working hard."
Thud, thud, thud!
The words had barely left his mouth when a rush of footsteps came from the pitch-black exit, mixed with the howls of the NPCs.
They had experienced this treatment too.
It happened after clearing the final stage and surviving the ghosts' sweep.
Once the ghosts left, they had to run out from the lockers. After leaving the changing room, they would see an indicator light pointing toward the exit, then all they had to do was sprint.
Of course, to heighten the atmosphere, those NPCs would "furiously" chase after them again.
They would just never catch up.
Even if the people in front were running slowly.
So now they knew The Magician and his Mecha Girl were about to rush out.
But what form would it take?
Would he be holding his Mecha Girl's hand, or romantically carrying her in his arms?
The two pilots' imaginations began to run wild.
But fantasies existed to be shattered.
The Magician and his Mecha Girl rushed out.
Only, the scene was a little hard to understand.
Because The Magician was actually being carried out by his Mecha Girl.
Seeing this, both pilots instinctively rubbed their eyes.
What was going on? Where was the brave, fearless Magician they had pictured?
When Stella saw the pilots and Mecha Girls standing near the exit in stunned silence, she immediately set Derek Su down. One hand supported his limp body while her petite frame squeezed into his arms. Her pretty face was pale, her lips trembling as she said in terror,
"Oh no, Master, that was so scary~"
"Wuu, wuu~ I was so scared I almost died~"
"Thank goodness Master protected me. You even fell down. Are you okay?"
Oh, so that was what happened.
The two pilots and their Mecha Girls understood.
So The Magician had only fallen.
Judging by his Mecha Girl's expression, she had clearly been scared out of her wits. They must have made it to the exit only because of The Magician's encouragement and guidance along the way.
As expected, The Magician was still The Magician.
Brave and fearless.
A mere haunted house was no challenge at all.
They repented for misunderstanding Derek Su.
Derek Su was still dazed.
Just now, before he could even properly savor Stella's soft, sweet lips, Stella had already pulled away. Then she punched the locker door. With a loud bang, the door burst open, spun through the air, and even embedded itself in the wall.
After that, Stella, who was somehow extremely excited, scooped him up around the waist and tore all the way to the exit like a gust of wind. As for the NPCs chasing after them, they no longer felt frightening at all.
"The Magician! Give us an autograph!" The two pilots crowded around him, one holding paper and a marker, the other tugging at his racing suit.
"Oh… okay." Still muddleheaded, Derek Su signed autographs for the two enthusiastic pilots.
Only after Stella pushed him out onto the street by the haunted house entrance did the cool breeze hit his face. He shivered and finally came back to his senses.
"Stella, you… just now…" He stared blankly at the girl beside him.
The two of them stood on the walkway beside the artificial lake.
An ambiguous mood quietly deepened on the chilly street.
The evening wind lifted Stella's snow-white hair, and she instinctively brushed the messy strands by her ear.
She lowered her head, her gaze dropping as two patches of red appeared on her pretty face.
Her blue eyes shifted uneasily to the side. "Why are you suddenly calling me…"
"Just now, did you…" Derek Su stammered.
Even he was not completely sure, but the soft warmth on his lips was still fresh in his memory.
"Yeah." Stella blinked, pouting as she tilted her head slightly, hands behind her back. "Master looked so pitiful, all scared like that. To keep Master from making any noise, I had no choice but to use that method."
"Ah…" Derek Su scratched his head awkwardly, forcing an embarrassed smile. "Sorry. I'm really not good with scary, intense stuff like that."
Thinking back on his performance in the haunted house, he wanted to crawl into a hole.
Other pilots had protected their Mecha Girls on the way out. As for him, Stella had protected him the entire time. It was honestly pathetic.
Stella must be disappointed in him too, right?
But then…
"It's okay." Stella's gentle voice reached him.
The girl walked up to him, took his hand, and shook it lightly. "Master screaming while being chased by ghosts was very cute too~"
Derek Su: "…"
What did she mean, screaming while being chased?
Hadn't he only screamed once when he ran into the female corpse?
After that, he had not screamed again.
He had kept his head buried the whole time.
Buried where, exactly?
Derek Su froze, and his face instantly turned red.
He had actually buried his face in Stella's chest the whole way.
"What are you thinking about, Master?" Seeing Derek Su blush, Stella felt her own heart start pounding for some reason. Almost as if something had come over her, she suddenly rose onto her tiptoes.
"Mwah~"
Unfortunately, she was not tall enough and only managed to kiss Derek Su's chin.
Derek Su's pupils trembled. A surge of impulse made him instinctively grip Stella's shoulders.
"Mm…" Stella stared at him blankly with wide eyes.
She looked timidly at Derek Su, who was breathing hard, suddenly unsure what to do. This was the first time she had ever seen her Master look at her like this, as if he wanted to swallow her whole.
Derek Su's gaze fell on Stella's pink lips.
He could not take it anymore.
This little rascal Stella had teased him again and again.
No matter what, he had to teach her a lesson today.
He bent down.
Stella seemed frozen in place, showing no sign of resisting no matter how close he got.
It was as though she had understood what he wanted.
She even narrowed her eyes slightly and puckered her red lips.
Her long lashes fluttered.
He could even hear her shy, unsteady breathing.
Damn it.
Derek Su felt provoked all over again.
But just as he was about to succeed...
"Master."
A cool voice suddenly came from behind him.
"What… are you two doing?"
Derek Su stiffened from head to toe.
He turned around instinctively.
Imperial Scale was standing not far away.
She held a dozen stuffed toys in her arms, her long black hair and dress swaying in the night wind. Her expression was calm, but her eyes were full of curiosity.
...
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