---o---
"Share Ron? No, no, no, how could we..."
Hearing Natasha's words, Bronya instinctively objected, only to be met with Natasha's puzzled gaze.
"Why not? If you just want Ron's help, and you ask him sincerely, is there any chance he'd refuse?"
"It's just asking for help. Is there really a need to monopolize him?"
As Natasha spoke, her tone became slightly ambiguous, her words carrying a hidden meaning.
"Or could it be that's not what you're really thinking? You have other designs on Ron...?"
"What kind of designs could I have on Ron?"
Bronya retorted subconsciously, but her denial was met with the faint curl of a smile on Natasha's lips.
Natasha smiled lightly and continued, "For example... you actually like Ron? The reason you're acting this way is simply because you like him, so you subconsciously want him all to yourself..."
But before Natasha could finish, a slightly flustered Bronya, who seemed to be trying to hide something, cut her off.
"Impossible, absolutely not! I only have respect for Ron, nothing else!"
She turned her head away, her speech faltering slightly as if she were subconsciously trying to justify herself.
"Ron has always been like a guide to me, a reliable teacher and senior. I respect him so much, how could I possibly have such thoughts!"
Beside her, Seele watched Bronya in silence, seemingly lost in thought.
Natasha continued to look at Bronya with a radiant smile, which made Bronya feel a little creeped out and antsy.
Finally, Bronya couldn't stand Natasha's playful grin any longer. She grabbed the preoccupied Seele and hurried away, not forgetting to leave Natasha with a parting shot.
"A-Anyway, don't use those kinds of tricks in the next simulation. We'll compete fairly... If you hear any news about Ron, don't forget to let us know. See you later!"
Watching the somewhat disheveled Bronya and silent Seele depart, the smile on Natasha's face gradually faded as she fell into deep thought.
In truth, she had seen it long ago. Both Bronya and Seele held unusual feelings for Ron...
Perhaps it was an attachment born from long companionship, or perhaps a stirring in their hearts after being moved by him. They definitely harbored the budding emotions unique to a young girl's heart, which they would one day confess to Ron.
...But Natasha had no desire to see that happen.
Although there was nothing overly romantic between her and Ron in the last simulation, their long period of companionship and mutual support had already made Ron an inseparable, family-like presence in her memory.
Perhaps the feelings between them in the last simulation wouldn't be written into storybooks as an epic, undying love, but it was absolutely the kind of companionship that could only mature over a long, shared journey...
She could never truly share Ron with anyone.
When it comes to matters of the heart, everyone desires complete and utter possession, and even the gentlest, most generous Natasha was no exception.
"Girls of this age are so easy to read..."
Recalling the expression Bronya had just shown, a small, mischievous smile for a successful scheme graced Natasha's lips.
She had said those strange things earlier on purpose.
It was rare for girls of Bronya and Seele's age to be able to look directly at the feelings in their own hearts. Once someone pointed it out, they would subconsciously become defensive and forcefully conceal their truest emotions.
The moment you start hiding, you've already lost at the starting line... a person who isn't honest with themselves can never win.
She gracefully closed the clinic door, sat back down in her chair, and once again fell into contemplation, beginning to think about how to face the next simulation and which choices to avoid...
---o---
Meanwhile, elsewhere.
Bronya had just parted ways with the silent, preoccupied Seele and returned to her room at the Goethe Grand Hotel.
She dejectedly pulled off her hair tie, letting herself fall onto the bed. Lying on her spread-out silver hair, she stared blankly at the empty ceiling, her mind already deep in thought.
"What... are my feelings for Ron?"
She murmured to herself. An answer seemed to exist in her heart, but she couldn't bring herself to say it.
"Could it really be like what Natasha said..."
She spoke subconsciously in her confusion, but then immediately jolted awake. She patted her cheeks to clear her head and shook her head vigorously.
"No, no, no, no... In every simulation, Ron has been like a teacher, guiding me forward, and like a senior I must learn from. No matter the capacity, I shouldn't harbor these kinds of feelings. No, no, no..."
She muttered to herself, her small face flushing bright red. Finally, she squeezed out a dejected sentence:
"You're so shameless, Bronya..."
She stared at the blank ceiling, emptying her mind for a long time to let her slightly overheated brain cool down. Then, she gently patted her cheeks, bringing herself back to a clear and normal state.
She took a deep breath, pushing the matter aside for now, burying it deep in her mind so she wouldn't think about it. She focused her energy on the important task at hand—
"The next simulation, what should I do?"
She couldn't help but fall into deep thought. In the last simulation, she had no room to maneuver at all, constantly acting as a cog in the empire, handling all sorts of tedious official duties but unable to intervene in any major decisions.
She absolutely refused to let that happen again... But thinking about it was one thing; figuring out how to do it was another.
"Considering only the factors in reality, there seems to be no way. I'll have to find a solution among the rewards from the past few simulations..."
Bronya thought with some frustration, pondering the rewards she had received from each simulation.
In the first simulation, she got the key to the armory.
The second was the "One-Punch Guard Training Method" Ron used to train his troops. With it, Ron had trained a valiant army that successfully resisted the tide of Fragmentum creatures.
The third was the Lance of Preservation, an item that should have belonged exclusively to the Supreme Guardians of Belobog. It had once been the lance of Alisa Rand, the first Supreme Guardian, and was a symbol of the will of [Preservation].
And the fourth, the most recent simulation, she had chosen the experience of commanding the Pioneer Groups from three not-so-great options...
Although she had spent most of her time in the last simulation handling paperwork, she had also led the Pioneer Groups onto the battlefield multiple times.
The reason was simply that Belobog was short on talent. Soldiers who could become generals were extremely rare, and even if they appeared, they had trouble commanding respect. With the empire in a state of chaos during its founding, only someone like Bronya, the legitimate heir to the Supreme Guardian, could command the willing obedience of the Silvermane Guards and lead the Pioneer Groups deep into the Fragmentum.
"But what's the use of just these things..."
Bronya tapped her little head in frustration, arranging and rearranging these rewards in her mind. Suddenly, a spark of inspiration flashed, and a thought escaped her lips:
"Ron wants to save Belobog. No matter what, he needs to completely rule and control Belobog, right?"
"In that case, if I were the Supreme Guardian, just like my mother who abdicated the throne to Ron in the last simulation, I could stay close to him no matter what and force my way into the decision-making process for all sorts of matters..."
"As long as I become the Supreme Guardian..."
Bronya murmured to herself, a change coming over her eyes.
Although she would never do such a thing in reality, if it was just in a simulation, just in a simulation...
Just in a simulation... she could afford to be a little more extreme.
These rewards... they were already enough for her to gather the foundation for a coup within a month or two...
At this thought, Bronya couldn't help but sink deep into contemplation.
---o---
At the same time, elsewhere...
Ron had just stretched his arms, let out a big yawn, and scratched his messy hair as he sat up from his soft bed.
He sat there in a daze, his eyes hazy. It took a long while for him to gradually come to his senses and for his brain to officially boot up.
Ron had always been this lazy. Unlike his desperate self in the simulations, in reality, he did everything at an unhurried pace. He loved to slack off and loaf around. Even after waking up, he would let his mind wander for a long time before he was willing to think, happily wasting time every day...
Except today, he didn't feel much like wasting time.
Ron quickly washed up, rummaged through his meager food supplies, and simply boiled a portion of emergency rations. He sliced up some Belobogian red sausage to haphazardly make a breakfast, then opened the simulation screen and began to ponder.
This next simulation was very important to him, and there was no time to waste. It had to start now.
The reason was simple... Although he had distanced himself from key figures in Sampo's script like Bronya, no one knew exactly when Sampo had started watching him. It was possible he had been written into the script the moment he became Bronya's personal guard.
He had to run a simulation first to test whether his actions were correct, to see if the Astral Express was still parked in orbit outside Jarilo-VI, and whether the crew would come to open up a Path on the planet...
If not, Ron still had time to react, to avoid being truly dragged into Sampo's script in reality and falling into the schemes of the Masked Fools and under the gaze of Aha, The Elation.
However, besides that, there was another reason...
This simulation would be the last time Ron was willing to wholeheartedly help Belobog. The experiences of the past few simulations had left him somewhat disheartened. He could accept risking his life to be a hero, but he could absolutely not accept being met with scorn and backstabbing after risking his life.
Even if it was just a game, that kind of situation was infuriating to the extreme... He would only give Belobog one more chance, and it had to be soon.
If he dragged it out for a few more days, replaying the events of the previous simulations in his mind, Ron estimated he would completely lose that last shred of enthusiasm and have no interest in trying to save this world again. He would let Belobog fend for itself and just wait for the Express Crew to show up so he could hop on the train and leave.
He wasn't going to coddle these troublesome citizens of Belobog any longer.
With these thoughts, Ron had already planned his actions for the next simulation.
This time, he decided to walk a new path, one he had never taken in the previous simulations—he decided to leave the center of power, to no longer demand that Belobog follow his orders.
The reason for this choice was simple—if he established the Jarilo Empire again and became its emperor, there was no reason for Sampo not to notice him. He would undoubtedly be written into the Masked Fools' script...
Besides, he was sick and tired of Belobog's troublesome citizens. Out of sight, out of mind. Let someone else deal with them.
In this simulation, he planned to become a researcher, madly grinding manufacturing experience and intelligence. It would be best if he could also step onto the Path of [The Erudition] and try to save the world with technology...
Although the probability of success was slim, as Jarilo-VI's resources were scarce and the research environment was terrible, Ron really didn't want to deal with those people anymore.
Just thinking about the infected from the last simulation made his stomach turn. He just wanted to be a shut-in, holed up in a lab researching technology, and never have any contact with those troublesome citizens again.
"Even though I've never tried it and it sounds incredibly difficult, it feels like a good challenge..."
"Maybe I can turn it into a tech-tree resource management game? That sounds pretty interesting..."
Ron muttered to himself and clicked "Start Game."
"Whatever happens, let's just start a new run!"
The light screen rippled, and new text emerged:
[Fortification Era, Year 700. As Bronya's personal guard, you feel a sense of emptiness in your life.]
[In order to find your purpose, you resolutely decide to resign from your post as a personal guard, which pays 1.5 million credits a month. You return to Belobog's Overworld overnight to find your own path in life...]
[You have a wonderful night's sleep in your old apartment. The next morning, after carelessly slapping together some breakfast, you leave home. Following the plan you've long had in your heart, you spend half your savings at a bookstore, purchasing a full set of Belobog University textbooks and cutting-edge technical reports on mechanical design.]
[On the same day, you arrive at the Administrative District of Belobog and knock on the door of the "Perpetual Motion" Mechanical House.]