Penta Kill~ Rampage~ You are Unstoppable~
The complex game voice lines echoed as the glowing screen illuminated the dim room, along with Bronya's flushed, excited little face. Pleasant green numbers, soothing to the eye, replaced the infuriating red ones. Bronya felt utterly brilliant for dragging Jiang Qiao into her room to play games with her.
With the highly skilled Jiang someone backing her up, her previous frustrations vanished—it was the first time she experienced the satisfaction of being carried and supported so well simultaneously, like a perfectly fitted part during machine maintenance, hitting just the right spot every time.
However, noticing Jiang Qiao's gaze, Bronya snapped back to reality, feeling a bit shy. She coughed twice, "Ahem, you played... not bad~ Though not as good as Bronya, much better than those feeder teammates." Speaking somewhat against her true feelings, Bronya maintained her stubborn expression—MetalGearBronya never admits defeat.
Besides, she had already fallen far behind regarding 'Bronya' and Seele; if she lost to this guy in games, her area of expertise and pride, wouldn't that be too humiliating?
"Just barely okay, I guess~"
This seemingly modest reply grated on Bronya's ears. What does that mean—this guy's skill level is almost... almost on par with mine, yet when Bronya praises you, you say 'barely okay'? Do you know how much Bronya didn't want to praise you?! Who are you looking down on!
"Let's play a fighting game!" Her competitive spirit ignited, Bronya's face instantly turned frosty as she dragged Jiang Qiao into a 'competitive' PVP game.
A moment later.
K.O!
Staring at the tragic screen where she was just a sliver of health away from victory, only to be caught during a pause and comboed to death, Bronya froze.
"Again! Bronya lagged just now!"
K.O!
"...." Impossible! A mistake, definitely a mistake! Just that tiny bit of health left! Just one hit, just one more hit! One more time, and I'll definitely beat this guy! Biting her lip, Bronya looked fierce, though combined with her youthful appearance, it came across as more adorably fierce.
"This controller isn't working right...! Let's switch!"
"Eh... Aren't you the Herrscher of Reason? Can't you just adjust it?"
Unexpectedly, hearing this made Bronya bristle, her milky voice carrying a 'domineering' tone: "Bronya wants to switch! Are you switching or not!" Was she supposed to admit—I can't make adjustments at such a fine level yet?
While Bronya could construct something from scratch easily, fine-tuning details required a deep understanding and mastery of the power of deconstruction.
"Alright, alright..." Jiang Qiao handed over the controller, feeling amused and helpless.
Unfortunately, even switching controllers seemed to yield the same result. The sliver of health remained just a sliver; every move felt predicted, leaving her unable to exert any real force.
Bronya glanced at her controller, puffed out her cheeks... Damn it, seems like I really can't beat this guy... Humiliation! This is a disgrace to MetalGearBronya!
But ending without a single win felt too frustrating... No, gotta think of a way...
Her clever little brain whirring at high speed, Bronya's eyes lit up; she'd finally thought of a brilliant idea.
"I want to switch seats!"
"...What good will that do?" Jiang Qiao didn't mind Bronya's sore loser antics, treating it like playing with a child. But this request still puzzled him slightly.
If she asked him to play one-handed, that would be understandable. But switching seats... could that really affect the outcome of the game?
Amidst his confusion—Bronya sat directly in front of Jiang Qiao, leaning back against his body.
"Alright, let's start~ Bronya will definitely win this time!"
A moment later, feeling something constantly rubbing against him, Jiang Qiao looked at the silver-haired girl concentrating intensely in front of him and finally made a compromise—
K.O.
This time, Bronya won.
"Hmph, now you know Bronya's strength, right?" Her cheeks flushed, unclear if from shyness or exertion, or perhaps both, Bronya, having won the game using special tactics, looked quite pleased.
As for whether this tactic was a bit despicable... What despicable? This is called tactics! Fully utilizing physical advantages to gain an edge! Since it's tactics, it's definitely legitimate! This was experiential knowledge Bronya accumulated back when she was a child soldier as the Silver Wolf of the Urals!
Although this move rarely saw use back then, wasn't it useful now? As for whether Jiang Qiao had objections—That's clearly your lack of willpower, it has nothing to do with Bronya!
"Again." Like a cat in heat during spring, the victorious Bronya, face flushed and excited, wanted to seize this opportunity to thoroughly 'humiliate' Jiang Qiao, aiming to reclaim her lost pride in the gaming arena and seize dominance.
And in terms of results—she indeed got her wish. Not only did she 'defeat' Jiang Qiao in the game, but even on a physical level... Oh, at least Bronya herself had a very satisfy... very fun time.
"Mmm... Mmm... Watch Bronya's... hmph... ngh..." As if opening the door to a new world, Bronya, sitting on Jiang someone, hummed and whimpered, cheeks flushed, seemingly trying to cover something up, yet her movements seemed to expose something else.
Immersed in this process, Bronya felt immensely satisfied—previously, whether playing alone or with Seele, it mostly offered only mental comfort. Especially the latter; although they were incredibly close, Seele's gaming skills were truly abysmal.
Given Bronya's attitude towards Seele, she couldn't possibly flame her, resulting in their two-player games, meant for mental comfort, often escalating Bronya's mental exhaustion instead.
Bronya suffers from losing, and still has to comfort someone else?! If it weren't Seele, she absolutely couldn't stand it. If it were Kiana, the angry Bronya might have just thrown a slipper at her.
But now, Jiang Qiao's superb gaming skills and compatibility allowed Bronya to perfectly enjoy the mental solace provided by the game.
Simultaneously, she had found another excellent method for both mental and physical solace—a method that could even be used to distract this guy Jiang Qiao... Bronya felt thoroughly gratified.
Regarding this, Mr. Jiang Qiao felt somewhat helpless. But seeing Bronya happily rubbing against him, he didn't mind.
Meanwhile, next door.
Seele, back in her room and lying in bed, couldn't sleep. She really wanted to sleep, but the thought of Jiang Qiao-Nii chan being taken back to Bronya-neechan's room sent her mind into turmoil.
Her trust in Bronya told Seele—You shouldn't doubt Bronya-neechan. How could Bronya-neechan possibly hog him all to herself?
In the past, whenever there was something delicious, she always shared a portion with her... Besides, this couldn't really be called 'hogging,' right? It wasn't that kind of relationship.
Yet, Bronya's actions made Seele suspicious. Previously, Bronya-neechan always asked Seele to play games. Why did she ask Jiang Qiao-Nii chan as soon as he arrived? Thinking this, it felt like being 'abandoned.'
From being the interloper to being the one left under the bed, Miss Blue Seele grew increasingly agitated.
"Hmm, are you worried about your Bronya-neechan?"
"That makes sense. Bad me didn't even let me come along, hmph! Excluding Fairy Ely is absolutely unacceptable... So, hey, wanna listen in?" the sweet, youthful voice asked. Fairy Ely, holding her wand, spoke thusly, then waved it.
The special observation module installed within her amplified the sounds from the other side of the well-soundproofed wall.
Seele hesitated for a moment, then, unable to resist the temptation, leaned closer. —Sorry! Bronya-neechan, it's not that Seele doesn't trust you, Seele is just curious...
"Hmph hmph, Bronya wins!" A series of cheerful shouts, thick with the scent of milk powder, reached her ears, making Seele pause, then breathe a sigh of relief. Phew, isn't this perfectly normal?
Looks like I was overthinking things. How could Bronya-neechan possibly be doing anything strange with Jiang Qiao-Nii chan? I must apologize to Bronya-neechan tomorrow for misunderstanding her...
The next moment...
"Hah... hmph... mmm... mmm..." Slightly rough panting sounds.
"There... Yes... Right there! A little deeper... Ngh... Good..."
"..."
Hearing those strange sounds, Seele fell silent. Seele trusted you so much, yet Bronya-neechan, you actually did this kind of thing with 'Bronya'... Jiang Qiao-Nii chan behind Seele's back! Most importantly, you deliberately avoided Seele... Was it because you thought Seele would be in the way?!
She thought: Bronya-neechan really isn't trustworthy.
The next day, despite staying up late, Bronya was exceptionally energetic—perhaps due to her Herrscher constitution? Probably. Miss Blue Seele, however, had slept very restlessly.
Furthermore, when they met in the cafeteria, although their relationship seemed as close as ever, Miss Seele's gaze towards Bronya held a subtle nuance, which the latter completely missed.
Bronya even enthusiastically shared her gaming insights—without revealing her despicable tactics, of course.
Seele responded with a smile, still appearing like the adorable fangirl, but harboring some resentment deep inside. Doing such outrageous things with Jiang Qiao-Nii chan last night... yet not saying a word... Bronya-neechan is really too much... Since that's the case, Seele can't just keep giving way...
Of course, it wasn't because she had improper thoughts about Jiang Qiao-Nii chan. It was simply because, this kind of thing was 'inappropriate.'
And if she needed a legitimate reason for action... Got it! She'd use the pretext of needing to 'protect Bronya-neechan,' so she must stop her!
What was strange, however, was that after morning, they didn't see Jiang Qiao again. Kiana also said she hadn't seen him in the training grounds.
The reason for this was simple—
"BAD—JIANG—QIAO—!!!" The 'furious' pink-haired girl wore a smile, but her tone held a hint of gritted teeth.
Undoubtedly, appearing before Jiang Qiao was Miss Elysia, who had arrived by initiating a visit request.
"Shouldn't you explain to me what exactly is going on with that world~ Hmm?" Sitting on a park bench, the Pink Fatso Miss wrapped an arm around his neck, resembling a long-suppressed volcano, questioning Jiang someone's criminal record with a smile that didn't reach her eyes.
"...Hmm? You went to Teyvat?" Jiang Qiao asked, surprised. "How come I didn't see you?"
Hearing this made Elysia's eyes widen. She exclaimed, both angry and aggrieved, "You dare bring that up! I went to Sumeru looking for you, and the moment I entered Sumeru City, I was arrested by the guards! Thankfully, that child named Nahida helped... Then when I got to Fontaine, Ely was directly sent to the Fortress of Meropide by the Court of Fontaine's Gardes! What on earth did you do?! If you don't explain clearly, I'm not finished with you!"
"?" Jiang Qiao looked bewildered and confused. True, he had used Elysia's appearance to barge into Sumeru's Sanctuary of Surasthana, but after Nahida regained control, there shouldn't have been any problems.
As for Fontaine, even less so. With Furina there, how could something like this possibly happen?
——Chat Group.
Jiang Qiao: @Furina, what's the situation with Elysia? She said she went to Fontaine and was arrested by the Court people and thrown into Meropide.
Furina: How magical, so this is that chat group... Wait, what?
Furina: ...She came?
In the garden atop the Palais Mermonia, Furina, enjoying a small cake, paused mid-bite as she saw the message, a piece of caramel pudding halfway to her mouth.
She froze, looking utterly guilty. Then she hastily called out: "Clorinde! Clorinde! Check the recent admission records for the Fortress of Meropide!"
After the Greater Lord's main body [the giant tree] was planted, the device known as the Akasha began operating in the Fontaine region.
This instantly made many previously inconvenient paperwork tasks in Fontaine extremely efficient, especially communication with the Fortress of Meropide, which became far better than before.
As for Clorinde, the Champion Duelist, after the Court of Fontaine abolished the somewhat inappropriate and archaic law of 'dueling,' she transferred departments from the court to the Maison Gardiennage.
Since the Maison Gardiennage worked most closely with Neuvillette, and Neuvillette trusted Clorinde considerably, following Focalors's suggestion, he gradually transferred management authority of the Maison Gardiennage to Clorinde.
While serving as a Garde, Clorinde also concurrently held the duty of the Hydro Archon's bodyguard. Of course, this was mainly symbolic. Although Furina was no longer as weak as before after Focalors's return, the Hydro Archon was still the symbol of Fontaine. Both for safety and status considerations, a qualified personal guard was necessary.
(Incidentally—Apep the Dendro Dragon, following Neuvillette's suggestion, went to the court.)
A moment later, looking at the records, Furina instantly blushed, feeling awkward. Oh no... Looks like they really caught the real one! It was just an impulsive order given in a fit of pique; she never thought it would actually be carried out. Yet it actually happened...
Furina: Mistake! It was a mistake! My subordinates messed up!
Miss Furina hastily started shifting blame. Admitting the truth would be way too embarrassing!
"That's what she said," Jiang Qiao shrugged, looking at Elysia.
"...." An accident? You think you can fool Ely with just 'an accident'?! Dream on! Ely finally squeezed out some vacation time, only to have it wasted like this! If I don't get payback, how can I swallow this anger!
Before Elysia could say anything more, Jiang Qiao looked puzzled, "By the way, why didn't you just contact me directly?"
Now, it was Elysia's turn to feel awkward. Was she supposed to admit—she wanted to 'ambush' Jiang Qiao, give him a 'surprise,' so she deliberately didn't go through Furina, instead taking the Liyue route via Hu Tao?
While saying it might not matter much, failing the 'ambush' and ending up in jail repeatedly... just thinking about it made Elysia blush... How could she say something so embarrassing? If she said it, wouldn't it just make Ely look stupid?!
Thinking back now, the plan did seem flawed. But Elysia, fiercely protective of her 'ice-queen smart beautiful girl' persona, definitely wouldn't tear down her own image.
"Ahem, I just went to see Hu Tao first, that's all. What? Is that not allowed?"
"Doesn't really matter. As long as you're happy," Jiang Qiao replied easily. "But since you're here, it's good timing. I happen to need to enter the Sea of Quanta..."
Hearing this, Elysia looked confused, then seemed to realize something. She eyed him warily, hugging her chest and taking a few steps back, "Huh? Why go in there?"
"Wait, what are you planning to do?"