---o---
"Nat, are you there?"
Seele's voice came from outside the clinic. Natasha, who had been staring blankly at the ceiling, felt the influence of her memories gradually recede. She slowly returned to her senses from the state of overwhelming sorrow and finally registered the voice at her door.
She glanced at the clinic's main entrance. To ensure she wouldn't be disturbed during this simulation, she had taken the rare step of hanging a "Closed" sign outside and locking the door from the inside. She had wanted to play through this round of the Life Simulation Game completely uninterrupted.
Although, in the end, she had handed control over to the AI so she could carefully formulate plans for a new game, and hadn't personally seen the simulation through to its conclusion...
She gently patted her cheeks, forcing her mind, muddled by the flood of memories, to clear. The memories from this simulation were simply too heavy. Natasha had completed the game's settlement screen the moment the simulation ended.
The rewards offered to her were exceptionally rich. Even now, Natasha could recall how her heart had skipped a beat when she saw the options on the light screen—
[You have successfully completed a simulation. Please choose—]
[1. Obtain Legendary Item "Blessed Berries" x10]
[2. Obtain Legendary Trait "The Apothecary's Notice" x1]
[3. Obtain the full power of the Path you walked in this simulation (excluding the Apothecary's blessings).]
The first and second options were both red, a clear testament to their legendary quality...
But Natasha didn't dare to choose either of them.
Both the Blessed Berries and the legendary trait were things she desperately needed right now.
The Blessed Berries could grant complete "Snowstorm Immunity." The Jarilo-VI Second Empire's success in expanding across the entire planet in the last simulation could be attributed at least half to this very immunity.
As for the legendary trait "The Apothecary's Notice," its value was self-evident. It signified that she had caught the attention of Yaoshi, The Abundance. If she wished, choosing this trait would allow her to pray to Yaoshi and receive Its blessings.
She had obtained the Blessed Berries in the last simulation by praying to the Apothecary, and the power of The Abundance was unfathomable. The berries were merely its weakest blessing; Natasha was fully capable of asking for much more...
But she couldn't do it.
Because both the first and second options represented failure. Although Ron hadn't said much to her at the end, Natasha knew with certainty that he must have prayed to The Abundance to have ended up in that state.
Natasha had no intention of repeating the demonstrably unsuccessful path of the last simulation, of watching Ron leave Jarilo-VI to become an azure dragon in the dead silence of space... These blessings from The Abundance were the first things she had to abandon.
So, despite it being a lackluster option compared to the first two, she had unhesitatingly chosen the third option, gaining the progress she had made on the Path of Abundance through years of profound medical research in the simulation.
As Natasha replayed these recent events in her mind, she also began to ponder her plan for the next simulation, a problem for which she still had no solution...
Knock, knock, knock!
The knocking from outside the clinic grew louder.
"Nat? Nat! Are you in there?"
Seele's voice sounded strangely urgent, tinged with an inexplicable suspicion that made her tone heavy.
Hearing Seele again, Natasha was forced out of her thoughts. She stood up with a sigh of resignation, stumbling slightly as she took a couple of steps.
Although the weighty memories from the simulation had fully integrated into her mind and her thoughts had mostly settled, the long time that had passed in the simulation meant that the habits she'd formed there didn't quite match her physical body in reality. This slight mismatch caused her to falter.
But that was all. A full night had passed since the simulation ended. No matter how fragile Natasha's mind was, she had had enough time to digest these memories.
So, after a brief moment of awkwardness, her movements became normal again. She walked calmly to the clinic door and unlocked it.
Click.
With a crisp sound, the lock disengaged. The clinic door was immediately pushed open, revealing two young women standing on either side, looking like a pair of door guardians...
"What are you doing, Seele?"
Natasha looked at the stern-faced Seele with a mix of amusement and exasperation, then turned her gaze to the equally serious Bronya standing beside her, feeling a bit puzzled.
"You're... Bronya, right? What can I help you with?"
But in response to Natasha's question, Bronya, looking strangely puffed up with anger, simply pulled Seele into the clinic and slammed the door shut with a bang.
"You know very well... what you did."
She stared at Natasha with a hint of hostility. It was impossible not to be hostile. In the last simulation, Natasha had inexplicably and secretly lured Ron away. Bronya had worked herself to the bone for an entire simulation, pouring her efforts into supporting Ron, only to be betrayed by him in the end. He had then turned around and become Natasha's powerful aide. Who could stand that?
It was only because of Bronya's milder temperament and her ability to distinguish between simulation and reality that she wasn't wearing an even darker expression right now.
But Natasha had no idea what was going on. Seeing their aggressive demeanor, she was completely bewildered.
She looked at them quizzically, led them to a nearby table to sit, and asked calmly:
"So... what did I do?"
Natasha spread her hands. "If I recall correctly, we just met two days ago. You wanted me to show you the state of the Underworld, and I had Seele take you on a tour to get you acquainted... I didn't do anything wrong, did I?"
She offered a gentle smile.
"Of course, if Seele has offended you in some way, then I apologize on her behalf. This child has always been very direct. Interacting with her can be a bit uncomfortable at times, but she truly means no harm, you can rest assured..."
But Seele cut her off.
Seele rubbed her temples wearily and sighed, complaining slightly.
"Nat, stop nagging about things like that. I've told you, I'm not a child anymore... But that's not what's important."
Bronya nudged her with an elbow. Realizing her slip of the tongue, Seele coughed lightly to stop her subconscious complaint.
She sat up straight, looked at Natasha seriously, and confessed:
"We are also players of the Life Simulation Game, Nat."
Seele and Bronya are players too?
Natasha was slightly taken aback, but she wasn't shocked by the revelation, merely a little surprised.
She had always known one thing—she was not some uniquely special person in this world. There were far too many people more outstanding and luckier than her. It stood to reason that she wouldn't be the only player of the Life Simulation Game.
Thinking about Seele's recent changes, and how at the beginning of the last simulation Seele had inexplicably sought out Bronya only for both of them to be knocked out by her tranquilizer darts, it was clearly a situation that could only have arisen because of the game.
At this thought, Natasha's face grew a little warm with embarrassment.
At the start of the last simulation, in order to ensure Ron wasn't tied down and to complete her plan of recruiting him as her assistant, she had knocked out both Bronya and Seele with tranquilizer darts...
If it had just been a game, it would be fine. But Seele and Bronya were actual players, and they were now here, confronting her. There was no way Natasha could pretend it never happened.
She scratched her cheek, somewhat sheepishly, and apologized.
"I didn't realize you were also players. I'm truly sorry for knocking you out with tranquilizers in the last simulation..."
Before she could finish, Bronya, still fuming, continued:
"We know everything you did in the simulation. There's no need to waste time with lies..."
Bronya slapped the table and looked at Natasha intently.
"Tell us honestly—where have you hidden Ron?"
"Huh?"
Natasha was completely lost. If this were a comic, her head would be sprouting countless question marks.
"Hidden... where?"
She repeated Bronya's words to herself, mulling them over for a long time, but she couldn't make any sense of what Bronya was saying.
After a long silence, she could only manage to squeeze out a single sentence:
"I have no complaints against Ron. He is definitely not in the clinic's medicine refrigerator..."
"What are you even talking about?"
Seele, unable to watch Bronya and Natasha's cross-channel communication any longer, finally cut in.
"Ron is missing... We just want to ask if you know where he is right now."
"Ron is missing?"
Natasha finally understood what Bronya was so angry about. She shook her head.
"Ron isn't with me... Until I find a perfect, flawless plan to save this world, I won't do anything to Ron in reality."
She said this with a soft smile.
"Because I don't know which choice might lead everything to ruin... Saving the world is no easy task. I must be absolutely certain of success before I would even consider approaching Ron in the real world..."
Hearing this, Bronya's puffed-up anger immediately deflated a little. She could see the serious expression on Natasha's face and knew she wasn't lying.
She really hadn't hidden Ron, nor did she have any intention of finding him... It seemed Natasha's only focus right now was trying to achieve a perfect ending in the simulation, with no mind for anything else...
But if that was the case, why had Ron disappeared?
As she pondered this, she looked at Seele, only to find Seele looking back at her.
In each other's eyes, they both saw the same thought.
They both had a conclusion in their hearts, one they had been unwilling to consider, unwilling to accept as truth...
But now that Natasha, the only one likely to have spirited Ron away, had so sincerely denied her involvement, there was no reason to deceive themselves any longer...
They both suspected that Ron was a player in the Life Simulation Game.
And if he was a player, he would do the same as them... to avoid a miserable future, he would find ways in reality to evade the troubles that led to that tragic ending.
Ron's sudden disappearance was clearly because he discovered something in the last simulation—he knew that staying where he was would lead to the same tragic outcome...
But as for what exactly had caused that outcome, neither of them knew. Anything in the Underworld could have been the cause. They weren't Ron; it was impossible for them to know what he was thinking.
It was even possible that they themselves were the cause. This realization made both of them hesitate, wondering if they should continue searching for Ron in reality...
After a moment of thought, they both gave up on the idea of finding him.
Because neither of them wanted to see Ron become a mindless dragon, a lonely guardian of Jarilo-VI in the vastness of space, as he had in the last simulation... They didn't want to bring danger to him.
It's better to run another simulation, see what's really going on...
Bronya thought to herself. She looked at Natasha, and after a moment's hesitation, she seriously declared her claim, warning her:
"Natasha... I will not give up on Ron."
"I need his help. I need Ron to help me save this world, to fulfill my wish of saving Belobog..."
"I know you will never give up on him either. So I hope that in the next simulation, you won't use those... those..."
Bronya struggled for a moment, unable to find the right adjective. Seele, beside her, immediately picked up the thread:
"Those completely unreasonable, [Underworld curse], underhanded, [Belobog curse], despicable methods."
She spat out the highly aggressive words without hesitation, stunning Bronya, who never used foul language, into shocked silence.
Natasha, slightly angered, reached out and pinched Seele's cheek.
"Don't use dirty words... What have I taught you?"
The fiery momentum Seele had just built up was instantly extinguished by Natasha, and she subconsciously submitted to the lecture. Seeing this, Bronya sighed and interrupted the mother-daughter educational moment, saying seriously:
"Anyway, don't use those methods again. We will compete fairly. Whoever can win Ron's heart gets him. The others will not interfere..."
Hearing Bronya's words, Natasha paused and began to study her carefully.
Being scrutinized so intently by Natasha made Bronya feel a little creeped out. Her imposing manner immediately faltered, and she shrank back slightly.
"Wh-what is it? Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Hmm... I'm just curious about what you're thinking."
Natasha's voice was tinged with confusion.
"I don't quite understand what you two are thinking... 'Interfere'? 'Compete'? Is Ron some kind of object whose ownership can be fought over?"
She looked at Seele and Bronya and said seriously:
"According to you, you want Ron's help to save Belobog and fulfill your wishes... correct?"
Hearing this, Bronya and Seele paused, looking slightly puzzled.
"Isn't that obvious? What's the point of stating that? What are you trying to say?"
Natasha smiled and spread her hands.
"What I have to say is very simple... Since you only want Ron's help, that means you are different from me..."
"You don't want to establish any kind of deep, romantic relationship with Ron, do you?"
Natasha's smile was radiant.
"Then what is there to struggle over? You harbor no improper feelings for Ron; you merely want his assistance..."
"If that's all it is, then I can help you, together with Ron."
"We can share Ron, can't we?"