Chapter 141. Kiana: What's Going On—This Vibe Where I'm the Only One Who Can't?
At dawn, the faint light filtering through the window woke Xander's biological clock.
He slowly opened his eyes.
Feeling the weight pressing on his body, his still-groggy brain guided his gaze downward.
A head sleeping soundly was pillowed against his chest, and the drool at the corner of that mouth had soaked half of his shirt.
Seeing this, he immediately showed a disgusted expression, but soon noticed something off.
Looking closely, that white hair—who else could it be but Kiana?
He shifted his eyes and noticed a hand tugging at the hem of his shirt.
Raiden Mei was curled up and fast asleep.
Xander covered his face with his hand in helplessness.
Last night's memories began to surface.
…
"Brother, hurry up…"
They had barely returned to the bedroom when Seele, teased until her clothes were half-undone and her eyes were hazy, clung to him and urged in a soft, sticky voice.
Just then, the bedroom door suddenly flew open.
Bronya and Kaguya rushed in, startling Seele so badly she hugged herself and froze.
Xander wasn't any better off.
Still confused, he was dragged downstairs by Bronya and Kaguya—plus Kiana and Mei peeking in at the door—and pressed into the middle of a floor mattress that had somehow appeared.
After a while, he finally understood the reason and could only smile wryly.
After he'd told those scary stories, the four girls were too frightened to sleep.
Only having a boy—Xander—keep them company could bring a bit of security.
Bronya and Kaguya originally thought about squeezing onto the bed, but then Kiana and Mei would be left alone in the living room.
With no other option, they resorted to this plan.
Also, with everyone together, Kiana and Mei wouldn't feel so awkward.
Thinking of this, Xander sighed.
Forget it.
Since he woke up early, he should get up quickly to avoid the coming awkwardness.
He carefully slipped his arm out from Seele's embrace and freed the hem of his shirt from Mei's fingers.
He gently moved Kiana to the side.
Then he pulled his legs out from the embrace of Kaguya and Bronya.
After finally undoing all the restraints with great effort, he tiptoed away and quietly slipped into the bathroom to wash up.
At that moment, Mei and Kiana—faces slightly flushed—opened their eyes.
They looked at each other.
Then they feigned nonchalance and closed their eyes again.
…
"Tastes really good~"
At a breakfast table livelier than usual, Xander ate the meal Mei had cooked and praised her with a smile.
"Of course! Mei's cooking is the best!"
Though the praise was for Mei, Kiana puffed up with pride first.
"It's not like you made it."
Mei shot Kiana, who was making a fuss, a look of disdain.
Kiana stuck out her tongue playfully, then her eyes rolled.
She glanced at Seele beside Xander, then at Mei, and finally looked at him.
Her voice carried mischievous teasing.
"Xander , tell us, which tastes better—Mei's cooking or Seele's?"
Hearing this, the chopsticks in Seele's hand paused.
She turned to look at her brother with a smile, putting on a face of "no matter what you say, I won't mind."
Mei immediately glared at Kiana in reproach.
Holding the middle of her chopsticks, she tapped Kiana's head with the tips and warned, "Eat your food. Don't talk nonsense."
"It's fine. Seele won't mind."
Not mind? Like heck.
Knowing Seele inside and out, Xander griped inwardly, then said aloud, feigning casualness, "They both taste great."
"Ehh~ Isn't that just dodging the question?"
This fence-sitting answer obviously didn't satisfy Kiana.
Ignoring Mei's warning, she muttered again.
Xander shot Kiana a faint glance.
Noticing Seele's gaze still darting over, he could only continue, "But purely for flavor, I still prefer Seele's."
Sorry, Mei.
He could tell the difference between a one-off feast and everyday meals, and phrasing it this way wouldn't make Mei mind too much.
Hearing this, satisfaction flashed in Seele's eyes, and her smile turned even sweeter.
After breakfast, Kiana and Mei were in no hurry to leave.
They had already earned enough high-school credits, and St. Freya University's admission letters had arrived.
They would just need to go to the test site at the end of term.
Like Xander, they had entered a pre-enrollment vacation.
As for how they could receive St. Freya admission this early?
Those who know, know. Those who don't, don't need to ask.
With nothing pressing to do, they sat in the living room and chatted.
Xander lay on Seele's lap, stretching comfortably.
Under Kiana and Mei's straightforward stares, Seele's face turned a bit red.
She gave her brother's cheek a gentle pinch as punishment, then let it slide.
Everyone already knew about their relationship.
A lap pillow was nothing to be shy about.
"So nice~"
Kiana sighed with envy at Xander.
The moment her gaze shifted to Mei, she got a glare and a bonk on the head.
"If you won't give me one, fine, but why hit me too? Mei, bad!"
Holding her head, Kiana puffed up in anger.
Kaguya came over with a plate of sliced fruit.
Sitting beside Seele, Bronya picked up a portion, speared pieces with a toothpick, and occasionally fed Xander a bite.
"Speaking of which."
Chewing on a tart-sweet apple cube, Xander looked to Mei and asked, "Mei, what work do you plan to do after you graduate from university?"
"Hmm? Me?"
Mei, also nibbling fruit, froze for a moment.
She furrowed her brows in thought, then slowly shook her head.
"I'm not too sure yet, but in the end I'll probably inherit my father's company."
She was an only child.
ME Corp naturally needed her or her future husband to take over.
"So at first you don't know what to do, right?"
"Mm. When the time comes, I'll see if there's a suitable opportunity to train."
Hearing that, Bronya smiled and teased, "Stop speaking in riddles. If you want to invite Mei to our company, just say it."
"Your company—Gensokyo?"
Mei's eyes lit up slightly, clearly intrigued.
"I was just getting to it. What are you in such a rush for?"
Xander pinched Bronya's soft thigh and retorted, then looked back at Mei.
"Yeah, Gensokyo. Mei, you know that Bronya, Kaguya, and I all want to focus on game development, and Seele acts as our secretary supporting us. So on the management side, we're missing someone we can trust."
"So you chose me?"
"Don't make it sound so cold. It's an invitation. Got it~?"
He waggled a finger with a grin and took another bite of the apple Bronya handed over.
"As ME Corp's sole heir, the education you've received since childhood probably makes you better than all of us at managing a company. And Gensokyo was just founded. From Pokémon alone you can see its future. For you, Mei, wouldn't this be a great opportunity to learn and train?"
Mei didn't deny Xander's words.
She smiled helplessly, then looked at the four across from her, eyes gentle.
"Honestly, the way you put it makes me feel a lot of pressure."
"So that means you agree?"
"What you said is tempting enough. And I get to work with my dearest friends. I can't think of any reason to refuse."
Xander blinked.
He glanced at Kaguya, Seele, and Bronya.
Then the four of them spoke in unison.
"Then—welcome aboard~"
"Aiya, how about a small luncheon to celebrate?" Seele clapped her hands, delighted.
They had actually discussed inviting Mei long ago.
Today just happened to be the right time to bring it up.
Excellent grades, a gentle personality, patience, and a responsible attitude—among all the people they knew, they really couldn't think of a more suitable candidate than Mei.
"We do need to celebrate. Seele, would you like to go grocery shopping with me right now?"
"Okay~"
"No need to make it so formal."
Scratching her cheek, Mei felt a bit embarrassed.
"No, this definitely calls for celebration. Before this we worried you might look down on our little temple and turn us down. Now we can finally relax."
Hearing Xander say that, Mei grew even more bashful.
She puffed her cheeks and scolded, "You were going to invite me anyway. How could I possibly say no?"
"Don't listen to him. He's just teasing you."
Bronya pinched Xander's face and smiled, then stretched and let out a lazy sound.
"But you joining really helps a lot. We can finally stop handling all that stuff and focus on making games."
"Bronya, you were managing things before?"
Mei asked curiously.
"Who else?"
Thinking of it, Bronya tugged Xander's cheeks as if angry.
"Some people just want to be a hands-off boss. What can I do?"
"Don't blame me! Seele told me in secret that if I got tired I should dump the work on you!"
"Hm?"
Bronya immediately turned a glare on Seele, whose smile vanished.
"Brother!!!"
Betrayed, Seele cried out in outrage and pounced on Xander's head with her little hands for a good round of kneading.
Seeing the sudden hubbub, Mei couldn't help but laugh.
Would she be working with them from now on?
Thinking about it like that sounded pretty nice.
Of course, where there's joy, there's also gloom.
Watching the others getting rowdy, Kiana sat in silence for a long while and found she couldn't get a word in.
What's going on with this vibe where I'm the only one who can't?
Seeing their noise level climb, Kiana finally couldn't stand it.
She stood up and shouted, "Hold it, hold it, I said hold it!"
Her voice drowned out all others, and everyone's attention turned to her.
Just as she was about to speak, Xander's puzzled words suddenly sounded.
"Why are you still here?"
Pfft!
Kiana suddenly felt an arrow strike her heart.
Clutching her chest, she collapsed onto the sofa.
This is bullying taken too far!!!
She "glared viciously" at Xander, then swept her eyes around.
Dissatisfied, she complained, "You already invited Mei. What about me?!!"
"…"
Bronya picked up a new fruit plate and focused on it.
Seele forced a smile and looked away.
Kaguya froze for a second, glanced at Bronya and Seele, then hurriedly bowed her head and started fiddling with her suddenly oh-so-fun fingers.
"You… you all!!!"
Kiana's little face flushed bright red.
Her pointing finger at the group trembled.
She was going to cry. She was really going to cry!
Then Xander's quiet voice drifted in again.
"But our Security Department isn't short on people."
"I'm not here to be a guard!!! With a girl as smart and clever as me, is there really no position that fits me?!!"
"No."
"Nope~"
"None."
"I do not know."
"…"
The light went out in Kiana's eyes.
She slumped onto the sofa, her gaze turning vacant.
I'm so useless. I'm really sorry, everyone… Uuuuu…
"Pff~ Hahahahaha!!!!"
Xander was the first to burst out laughing.
Bronya and Seele followed, while Kaguya watched the three "kids" fool around with a fond look.
Soon, the sound of their laughter snapped Kiana back to her senses.
Seeing the others, she knew she'd been tricked.
In an instant, hot blood rushed to her head and her reason flew out the window.
"I—I'm taking you all on!!!"
Seeing Kiana charge over, face red, Bronya, Seele, and Kaguya immediately executed evasive maneuvers.
They left Xander lying there—who, on top of that, got a stealthy revenge squeeze from Seele—and he didn't escape in time.
"Hey, hey, hey, don't just hit me! They all ran!!"
"Don't hit the face!!"
"You little punk, I'm fighting back!"
…
After a noisy scuffle, the four—everyone except Kiana—sat back on the sofa rubbing their sore butts.
Kiana had hit Xander.
And then, out of spite, Xander hit the other three.
Mei sat on the other side, choosing to stay out of it, smiling as she watched.
"All right, all right, back to business. Kiana, what do you want to do?"
Since they invited Mei, of course they wouldn't leave Kiana out.
They had just, without discussing it, wanted to tease her a little.
Who knew she'd swing first?
What a bruiser. Xander wants no part of that.
Having walloped Xander, Kiana was no longer mad.
She returned to her seat and thought for a while.
Only after a long pause did she answer seriously.
"Is there a job where I only need to play games?"
After saying that, Kiana scratched her head in embarrassment.
"As expected, there's no such job…"
"There is. Are you sure you want it?"
Xander's sudden line stunned Kiana.
No way—there really is?
Before she could rejoice, Xander quickly explained.
"That's generally the role of a game tester. They test the finished game, look at the same maps every day, do the same tasks, fight the same enemies over and over, and hunt for possible bugs."
"Eh? What's the fun in playing like that?"
"Fun? By then, not throwing up at the sight of the game would be an achievement. Where would any fun be?"
Imagining the scene, Kiana shivered.
"Nope, nope, I can't do that. Xander , do you have any recommendations?"
Looking at Kiana, Xander rubbed his chin and thought aloud.
"In that case, Kiana, how about trying character voice acting and motion-capture acting?"
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