"Um… thank you for your concern, I… huh?"
Kafka felt a surprising warmth spread over her. She looked at Stelle, who was draping her own large coat over her shoulders. For a moment, all the words she had planned to say caught in her throat.
"Put this on, or you'll catch a cold."
Stelle said with great seriousness.
"…"
"Mm… thank you."
Kafka's words came from the heart. For some reason… this coat felt even warmer than the expensive one she had worn before.
With that one action from Stelle, the awkward, tense atmosphere that had surrounded them shattered instantly. Stelle and Kafka began to open up, chatting freely.
Watching Stelle discreetly give him a thumbs-up from behind her back, Wende suddenly felt like he was helping his own kid pick up a girl.
The strange feelings were piling up.
"Huh? Wh-what is she doing! Why is her coat on that woman! And why are they talking and laughing so happily!!"
March 7th's eyes were wide with rage as she stared at the scene before her, which looked for all the world like a mother and daughter sharing secrets. A gentle smile graced Stelle's serene face, while Kafka's expression was filled with tenderness, her eyes fixed solely on Stelle.
"Shh… March, let them talk. Stelle has many unanswered questions that only Kafka can explain. And we still need Stelle to get answers from Kafka for the road ahead."
Welt walked up silently behind March, his calm voice suppressing her frantic energy.
Although she was still fuming, seeing that Welt himself had spoken, she could only wait until their little chat was over to give Stelle a piece of her mind! Stelle had clearly promised her… not to be fooled by a gentle, pretty big sister.
"Alright, alright, don't be angry. Stelle has her own reasons. How about I bake you some cookies tonight?"
Wende coaxed little March.
"Really?"
March crossed her arms, glancing sideways at Wende, her expression full of disbelief.
"Mhm… what flavor do you want?"
Wende watched March with a gentle gaze.
"Hmm… I want orange! No, wait, vanilla is good too. But strawberry is also delicious…"
March hesitated, her thoughts racing. Damn it, my decision paralysis is acting up!
"Then how about we have a little of each?"
Wende suggested with a smile, seeing her struggle.
"Can we? Really? Yay! Wende, you're the best!"
March cheered. Who cares about Stelle? If she gets tricked out of a coat by some bad woman, so be it. She had several identical ones in her closet anyway. At this point, delicious cookies were the priority!
"I want milk tea, too!"
"Aren't you afraid of getting fat?"
"Nope! We get ordered around all day, every day. That little bit of calories is nothing, okay? Besides, if I drink it iced, doesn't that mean it has no calories?"
"Alright, alright, anything you want."
"…"
Welt observed the interaction between Wende and March, then glanced at Kafka in the center of the Matrix of Prescience. He couldn't help but push up his glasses and slowly shake his head.
Sigh… I'm really getting old.
He walked to the edge of the Matrix and slowly sat down, gazing up at the mottled aurora in the sky. A cloud on the horizon gradually took the form of the person he missed so dearly.
"Welt! You xxxxx! Get your ass back here right now!"
A petite, red-haired figure… what a nostalgic memory.
Sigh… this inexplicable feeling of loneliness…
Hiding in a corner somewhere nearby, Blade remained silent.
"YES, YES, YES! A huge thanks to my dad, Wende, for the assist! He's the best! I'm crying my eyes out!"
Watching Wende help her strategize, Dogzi began to shake with excitement again.
[Look, our dad is helping us capture our mom (lmao)]
[It feels weird, but let's just roll with the weirdness!]
[Damn, just finished being a rebellious daughter going after her father, and now I have to go after my mother… (sad)]
[It's all about having a complete family with both parents!]
[Batman: sheds tears of envy]
[You people are a little too perverted.]
[So, you wanna be sandwiched in the middle?]
[YES!]
[This user has been muted.]
[Anyone else?]
[You… that's getting crushed to death, right? (lmao)]
Wende's move—helping his daughter win over her mother—instantly won the approval of netizens everywhere. The previous controversy, stirred up by fans shipping Wende x Kafka, was completely reversed, catching the instigators who were just there for the drama completely off guard.
[Waaaah, Dad not only gave himself to you, but he's also helping you fleece a mom!]
[Stelle: I didn't come here to break up this family; I came here because this family would fall apart without me.]
[You get an achievement, "A Warm Home," when you put the Trailblazer, Wende, and Kafka in the same party.]
[I know, you put Stelle between Wende and Kafka, right?]
[You'd better mean just putting her in the middle.]
[Holy shit, I originally thought this was a beautiful two-person ship, but now I see it's an even more beautiful threesome!]
[Something's not right, something's not right… whether the protagonist is Stelle or Caelus, it just doesn't feel right.]
[No, it's very right. Whether the protagonist is Stelle or Caelus, now it's perfectly right!]
[I suspect you're driving a car, but I can't find the evidence.]
[Motherfucker, you got hit by a car all the way into the 2D world and you still can't find the evidence? Why don't you lift up your shirt and see if the car's logo is imprinted on you?]
[Ahem, in LoL, I, playing Galio, got a K/D of xx/xx in xx minutes.]
[And you, you are a true hero!]
[Whoa! So fast!]
Driven by this new wave of content, the fan creators who had previously been hesitant raised their heads once more. This time, their cause was righteous. No matter who it was, she was their wife; no matter who it was, he was their husband. They were all theirs!
And thus…
Wende and Caelus, clad in wedding dresses, walked onto the stage with uneasy expressions. On the other side of the stage, Kafka and Stelle, wearing handsome smiles, waited quietly for their arrival.
Stelle took Wende's hand, while Caelus took Kafka's.
[NB!!! In the end, I (the player) get to have them both!]
[Is the artist's liver okay?]
[I heard their pen was smoking from drawing so much yesterday. And the artist was just muttering to themself with a foolish grin.]
[Alright, alright… that checks out.]
[All XP systems, activate, activate, activate! And this! Take my triple-like!]
[The way Wende and Caelus are blushing~ Ah! Bricked up.]
[Kafka and Stelle are so handsome! I love them so much!]
[Wait, aren't your gender focuses reversed?]
[Are they? I think any combination works.]