Deep beneath Belobog, in a place no soul could ever hope to find… was where Sparkle currently resided.
Tap, tap…
The sound of heels clicking against the metal floor accompanied the faint, almost musical, gasps echoing in the air.
A faint smile touched the lips of the gray-haired girl with crimson eyes.
It seemed her dear little 'bratty' sister Sparkle had, quite predictably, been effortlessly defeated by Lynelle, resulting in a classic 'game over' scene.
But listening to those suppressed, ragged breaths… it sounded like… she was actually enjoying herself? What a shame.
How did she get to have all the fun, especially when she hadn't seen Lynelle in so long…
A wave of frustration washed over Vita's face.
Well, what could you do? Her unique status came with these complications.
As one of the last Venusian remnants to join Earth's fold, and blessed—or cursed—with such peculiar abilities, if Lynelle hadn't stood firm and accepted her against all odds, who knows where little Vita would be wandering now.
The real kicker was during the execution of Lynelle's grand plan.
Poor, helpless Vita couldn't compete with heavyweights like Kiana and Elysia for a 'customer service' role. And due to her own… singular nature, having her memories altered wasn't an option.
So, she was stuck in this agonizing limbo: remembering Lynelle clearly, yet unable to see her for the foreseeable future.
"No, that's not it… Who cares about her anyway! Ugh, I originally wanted to take advantage of Lynelle's memory loss to experience her super soft and sweet original self. Who knew she'd retain some memories?"
"Now look, our scout, dear Sparkle, has already been defeated. Even if poor janitor Vita gets to see Lynelle now, she'll just be dominated…"
"Must you be so blunt right in front of me! What's this 'defeated CG' nonsense! Lady Sparkle merely had a momentary lapse!"
Sparkle's face was flushed crimson, her silver teeth gritted.
She supposed she should be thankful Lynelle hadn't gagged her, or her humiliation would be even more complete.
"Besides, have you just dropped all pretense now?! So your adorable little Sparkle sister is just a disposable tool to test how much Lynelle remembers, is that it?!"
"Perish the thought, my dear Sparkle~"
Vita glided forward, an inscrutable smile playing on her lips as she approached the bound girl.
"The moment I heard the tragic news of your crushing defeat, I rushed right over to rescue you."
"Your definition of 'rushing' means arriving with just half a system hour left on the twelve-hour timer Lynelle set?"
It was hard to tell if Sparkle's face was red from anger or something else. "My dear sister Vita… just you wait for my payback~"
"Alright, alright… But first things first, let's get you down from there…"
A faint blush dusted Vita's cheeks as her eyes skimmed over the girl's exquisitely restrained form before decisively locating the release mechanism.
Pop~
With a soft, cork-like sound, Sparkle's body shuddered violently.
"How utterly pathetic you look, little Sparkle~"
"Shut it…"
With Vita's help, Sparkle, now fully dressed, finally felt solid ground under her feet again after nearly twelve hours of suspension.
The only notable change was the pair of ultra-opaque, thick black tights now sheathing her once-bare, snow-white legs.
Why the sudden change in attire? Well, the pen Lynelle had used to tally those 'marks' was practically a relic-grade artifact. If it said the ink would last a week, it lasted a week.
If Sparkle had worn her usual outfit… let's just say she'd be radiating a bit too much 'righteous energy'.
"So…" Vita giggled, toying with the restraints that had just 'tormented' Sparkle. "What's the plan now, little Sparkle? Planning to get back at Lynelle? If so…"
"What, you want in?"
"No." Vita shook her head. "I'd just insist on watching the full, uncut version of 'Sparkle's Defeat CG'."
"Such a vile personality, sister Vita…" Sparkle pouted.
"This time was a fluke! I rushed over, and it wasn't my home turf… Just you wait until Lynelle gets to Penacony! I'll make her pay!"
"Wow—" Vita played along, clapping enthusiastically. "How amazing, Lady Sparkle!"
"Tch, you…" Sparkle grumbled, stretching her sore and stiff limbs. "As for right now… I'm not stupid enough to bother Lynelle again when she's on guard."
"Really? No fun at all? I thought it looked quite entertaining~"
"You can be the one locked up for twelve hours next time."
Sparkle snorted lightly. "But, even if I can't teach Lynelle a lesson directly, I can certainly make things… inconvenient for her."
"Oh? You have another ace up your sleeve?"
Vita immediately leaned back in a tactical recoil.
"Of course. I didn't come here just for Lynelle. My main objective was to meet a certain… 'client'."
"The Stellaron Hunter—Miss Silver Wolf. She wants to strike a deal with me regarding the upcoming events on Penacony."
"Are you sure the Stellaron Hunters will help you mess with Lynelle?" Vita asked curiously. "If I recall correctly, that Stellaron-possessed girl beside Lynelle used to be the Hunters' precious mascot, didn't she?"
"Heheh… No problem." Sparkle was instantly brimming with confidence again. She almost looked reliable, if you ignored the overwhelming 'righteous energy' her current outfit projected.
"They won't actively target Lynelle? Fine. We just make it passive. I've already thought of a brilliant plan."
--+--
"Lynelle, Lynelle, have you heard?"
A day later, Lynelle, freshly roused from sleep by March 7th, rubbed her eyes and let out a yawn.
"What is it, March… I was gaming last night, just catching up on sleep…"
"What's so fun about virtual games? Come play a real one with us!"
March clung to Lynelle's arm, trying to pry the pink-haired burrito sealed within her bed and blankets. "Stelle and I have been waiting forever! We need a third player, hurry up!"
"So… what game are we even talking about?"
"Well, that's a bit of a story…" March scratched her head. "You remember what I told you yesterday about Topaz and Bronya's tour, right?"
"According to Bronya, they talked a lot afterward. Especially after Bronya took Topaz to see the repairs on the Engine of Creation. Topaz's attitude suddenly became a lot friendlier."
"Hmm… Not exactly friendlier, but she definitely dropped a lot of the formal, business-like tone. You know what I mean?"
"Mhmm, so her impression of Belobog changed, right?" Lynelle nodded.
"Topaz probably initially thought this was just some lucky planet the genius took a shine to. This shift in attitude was kinda expected."
"So… what happened next?"
"Next, Topaz actively helped Bronya sift through the contracts and even secured a new investment."
"And that investment is…?"
"The Interastral Tournament Festival for Aetherium Wars?"
Lynelle tilted her head.
"Yes, yes! So you've played this game before?"
"Absolutely." Lynelle gave a thumbs-up. "I'm a veteran Bunnyhead player!"
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.