Anyway.
Since Wendy had promised Elysia not to use her powers, this outing was just that—a simple, casual trip out.
Because of that, her luminous wings were gone, and the asymmetrical patterns on her arms and calves had vanished too.
Looking at her now, she was still in her Herrscher attire, but it was almost excessively plain.
It even looked a bit… breezy.
It somewhat resembled Wendy's post-molt outfit from GGZ, but there were clear differences.
Kiana quietly admired the view.
Even though hardly any skin was showing, and the hem of her dress fell almost to her knees—styled like a cute sundress—it held an indescribable charm.
Innocent, yet alluring.
Paired with her childlike, unworldly eyes, it gave off a pure kind of seduction.
But then again, Wendy genuinely didn't know any better.
She wasn't like Miss Herrscher of Heavenly Punishment.
Even though Miss Herrscher of Heavenly Punishment was supposed to be a replica of Dr. MEI, it seemed like she only inherited Dr. MEI's appearance—and none of the brains.
A bit of an idiot, and not that skilled with her authority either.
She might have been passable before, but compared to Wendy now? There's just no contest.
At least Wendy was born without any prior knowledge, so her naivety was understandable.
A little simple-minded, perhaps, but it made sense.
Still, she did bring with her the knowledge to wield her authority, and she knew her own mental capacity was limited, so she focused on boosting her combat abilities.
Wasn't that pretty self-aware?
Kiana watched Wendy standing beside Elysia.
And silently added in her mind:
'And… probably easier to trick, too.'
"Elysia… what's that?"
Right then, Wendy, for some reason, had her eyes fixed on something in the distance, looking genuinely curious as she asked Elysia in that adorable tone.
"That?~"
Elysia glanced over, "That's a bubble tea shop~"
"Bubble tea?" Wendy tilted her head.
"It's a place that sells milk tea~"
Elysia held up a finger, "But not just milk tea—they have juice, regular cold drinks, all sorts of things."
"And the shops always come up with new combinations and seasonal specials. It's pretty fun~"
She took Wendy's hand and led her toward the shop.
She was happy—this was the first time Wendy had asked about something on her own. If she was curious, it meant she was interested.
That was a good thing!
"Looks like they're running a promotion! Let's go check it out!"
"Okay~"
Kiana clicked her tongue softly.
She'd noticed another thing about Wendy.
She could really eat!
Anything edible, she'd eat it.
This food street was the biggest in Nagazora and these two had been eating their way from one end to the other.
They still hadn't stopped.
Elysia, with her foresight, only took small bites each time, but even she was starting to struggle.
Yet Wendy looked completely unfazed.
Her flat stomach hadn't bulged in the slightest.
If she also had one of those 'eat-anything-and-never-gain-weight' metabolisms, Elysia was going to cry.
Don't think Herrschers can't gain weight.
It's just not easy.
Otherwise, Elysia wouldn't be so mindful of her figure.
"I'll~ have a mango pomelo sago drink~"
Elysia placed her order, and got one for Kiana too—she knew Kiana's preferences.
Then, she turned to Wendy.
"Wendy, have you decided?"
"I'll have this one."
Wendy pointed to a bubble tea topped with a layer of ice cream.
She seemed especially curious about the ice cream.
That made Kiana raise an eyebrow, a bit surprised.
She remembered that Wendy the Herrscher of Wind in GGZ also really liked ice cream—aside from that, she was into little birds and movies.
Maybe… that's something to consider?
"Want to go see a movie?" Kiana asked.
"What's a movie?" Wendy sat obediently.
"Movies are really fun… How about we go see one together later!" Elysia didn't bother explaining—she'd learned by now that it was better to just let Wendy experience things firsthand.
Wendy naturally had no objections.
Her drink arrived.
She picked up the spoon and started on the ice cream.
With the first bite, she paused, her eyes lighting up just a little. Then, unhurriedly, she took a second bite, a third…
The cool, sweet sensation of the ice cream—she really did like it.
Confirmed.
This was definitely the Wendy template.
Probably just a 'lite' version, though.
Since she wouldn't undergo molting, and there'd be no Death Mark.
"Speaking of which, Ellie…" Kiana looked at Elysia, took a sip of her milk tea, and spoke softly.
"Hmm?"
"You'll have to do sit-ups when we get back."
Kiana paused, "Otherwise, a lot of your clothes probably won't fit anymore."
"My dear Ki-a-na!"
Elysia's expression froze, her gaze sharp as a dagger, "I am not fat!"
She fell silent for a long moment.
"Alright… I did eat a bit much today…"
"But!"
Her eyes shifted mischievously, looking Kiana over.
"If my dear wifey is willing to hold my legs down, I'll do one sit-up for every kiss you reward me with—and I'll keep it up every day~"
"No way!"
Kiana refused without a second thought, though her cheeks flushed slightly.
She and Elysia were always calling each other 'wifey' this and 'wifey' that, but most of it was just playful talk.
After all, Elysia was all bark and no bite.
Even though Kiana had adored her since her past life, now that they were face to face in this one, she didn't know how to handle it.
So, she just… let it be.
Both of them were cowards, and things had just been dragging on like this.
"Mmm…" Elysia pouted, displeased.
'Am I really that unappealing?'
Even if Kiana agreed, she'd probably back off herself—but Kiana saying no still stung.
"You've slept with Eden before, but you never come to sleep with me."
Elysia's tone was full of melancholy, half-teasing, half-genuine.
"I'd really worked up the courage to accept this fate, you know…"
She mumbled, her voice a mix of complaint and sorrow.
Miss Wendy quietly ate her ice cream.
Watching the drama? No, she had no idea what these two were talking about.
If she couldn't figure it out, she wouldn't bother trying.
It didn't matter to her.
"And Ellie never even knows what you're up to all day."
Elysia gently stirred her milk tea with the straw.
She didn't know what came over her, but—since they'd already gone this far, she might as well speak more plainly.
"Even though the Sky Screen exposed it all—that I… we… are all going to be your wives in the future."
"All of us, no matter our personalities, no matter what we say… or even what we do in reality…"
"Haven't we all gathered by your side?"
She kept her eyes down, avoiding Kiana's gaze.
"Whether watching, accepting… silently agreeing. Or facing it head-on in their own way…"
"If they're all willing to come to your side, isn't that a sign?"
"But you?"
"Always off doing who-knows-what every day, never once thinking about moving things forward with us."
"Maybe we don't have to follow the future exactly as the Sky Screen showed us."
"But I… I'm willing to give it a try… What about you?"
"Do you… really dislike me that much?"
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
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