Acheron sighed inwardly.
As if being noticed by so many Aeons was a good thing.
And on top of that, there was that rather… abstract Aha. Who knew what they'd do next?
That whole Simulated Universe business just didn't sound right. Could a simulated Aha really have that kind of power?
While Acheron was still fretting, Sylvia beside her remained blissfully grinning, looking utterly carefree.
Acheron couldn't take it anymore. She reached out and pinched Sylvia's still-beaming cheek.
And gave it a good, firm tug.
Was this kid just a bit too simple-minded?
"Ow, hey! What's the big idea…"
Sylvia, her face suddenly assaulted, swatted Acheron's hands away with a huff.
In just that brief moment, Sylvia's cheek had been pinched bright red. Acheron really hadn't held back at all.
Shooting a reproachful glare at Acheron, Sylvia raised her hands to rub her sore face.
Acheron, however, showed no sign of apology. Instead, she looked right at Sylvia and said, "I never noticed before how utterly clueless you are."
"What kind of talk is that? Clueless? How am I clueless?"
Seeing Sylvia completely lacking any self-awareness, Acheron was almost amused in her frustration.
In one swift motion, Acheron stood up, turned, and pinned Sylvia firmly against the sofa, leaving her unable to move.
Then, looking down at her, Acheron stated, "Didn't I tell you before not to provoke characters like Emanators?"
"I didn't! I'm being framed, I swear! The strongest thing from the Antimatter Legion that showed up, that Doomsday Beast, is still lying outside our place. Where would an Emanator even come from?"
"…"
Acheron was truly at a loss for words.
'You're a master of selective hearing, aren't you? I told you not to pick fights with enemies like that Emanator last time.'
So instead, you went and attracted the attention of an Aeon, is that it?
And a particularly troublesome, 'amusement'-seeking one at that.
"So you went and drew the gaze of the Aeon of Elation instead? Skipping a grade, were we?"
"Uh, well…"
Seeing she couldn't talk her way out of it, Sylvia curled her lips into a brilliant, dazzling smile.
"Owowow—stop pinching, stop pinching!"
And thus, Sylvia faced Acheron's merciless judgment.
Since Sylvia was no match for Acheron in a fight, she couldn't even break free.
"Don't make me get serious, ow ow ow—!"
Sylvia's face flushed red with pain, her features contorted, but she still managed to raise her hands in a threatening gesture.
Acheron paid it no mind whatsoever.
Seeing soft tactics weren't working, Sylvia decided to get serious.
Massage Technique—Activate!
Her hands went straight for Acheron's waist and abdomen, going full throttle!!
Just that one move made Acheron's body shudder quite noticeably.
'If I had to draw my blade, my hand wouldn't shake even if my body did… but how could I ever raise it against Sylvia?'
Effectively having neutralized her own greatest weapon, Acheron lost her main means of resistance in an instant.
The hands pinching Sylvia's cheeks went slack.
Seizing the opportunity, Sylvia shook her head free from Acheron's grip and staged her revolt!
With a quick flip, she reversed their positions, pinning Acheron down on the sofa instead.
Straddling Acheron, Sylvia let out a triumphant, "Heheh—"
"Told you I'd turn the tables!"
Though, with her cheeks still slightly swollen and red from the pinching, giving her a round, rosy face…
She didn't look very intimidating at all.
She'd have been better off not smiling; that grin just made her look like she was pouting.
Acheron couldn't help but let a corner of her mouth quirk up, though she quickly suppressed it.
Sylvia knew her limits too. After all, Acheron was just worried about her. She couldn't actually take it too far.
So, Sylvia got up, pulling Acheron up with her by the arm.
"Alright, alright, don't be mad. I'll be more careful from now on. Who could've known the Simulated Universe project would lead to something like this? What normal Aeon would pay any attention to that thing?"
As she spoke, Sylvia led Acheron by the hand towards the bathroom.
"You've been running around outside for ages again. Let me help you wash up, then we can get a good night's rest, hehe."
"If only you'd actually learn your lesson."
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"
Sylvia chuckled and retorted.
Meanwhile, a Herta puppet dutifully went about its housework.
What smart home robot could compare to a puppet directly controlled by Sylvia?
--+--
The next day.
After a peaceful night's sleep, Acheron set out early.
Sylvia, who had risen early too, found photos sent last night from March 7th and Stelle.
They seemed to have taken pictures of some snowy plains and exotic-looking cityscapes.
Clearly, it was Jarilo-VI.
According to March 7th's message, they had just arrived on Jarilo-VI yesterday and were even treated to a stay in the fanciest hotel.
Sylvia checked the timestamp. March had sent the messages last night.
Around that time last night, Sylvia had been learning vocal techniques from Robin.
After the lesson, she went straight to bed without even glancing at her phone.
Lately, Sylvia had been setting aside some time each day to practice. That self-buffing skill might be socially catastrophic, but it was useful.
She might not use it ordinarily, but it could work wonders at a critical moment.
Once she met up with Robin in Penacony, she could try recording a song. It would also be a chance to see how much audio editing the system would tolerate before declaring it 'invalid'.
Sylvia looked at the message time again.
Doing a quick calculation… right about now, March 7th and the others were probably being chased all over the city by Silvermane Guards, weren't they?
The thought made Sylvia crack a smile.
Then, with a healthy dose of schadenfreude, she replied to March 7th:
[Sylvia: Try not to get branded as fugitives by the locals, end up in the slums, and join the resistance, okay?]
[Sylvia: (و •̀ ᴗ•́ )و]
After sending that, Sylvia opened Stelle's chat and sent her a message too:
[Sylvia: Remember to shower extra after dumpster diving.]
[Sylvia: ദ്ദി(ᵔᗜᵔ)]
The messages went through, but she waited for a while without a reply.
They really must be on the run.
Sylvia put her phone away, a thoroughly mischievous grin on her face.
Who knew when those two would remember to check their messages.
Sylvia had no fixed plans for the day. No word from Kafka yet.
And her new clothes had only been ordered a few days ago; probably not ready.
So, Sylvia thought, maybe she should make a trip back to the Xianzhou and pay a visit to the Artisanship Commission.
Her teleportation was simple and convenient, but because most of the process was pre-packaged for one-button activation…
It came with a drawback: she couldn't bring other people along with her.
Her personal pocket dimension wasn't excluded from the rules, though. She figured if she could put Bella inside it, she might be able to bring her along that way.
Better to try than wonder.
So, after giving Bella a mental heads-up, Sylvia opened a portal back to her residence on the Xianzhou.
And headed straight for the Artisanship Commission.
She had barely arrived, not yet having had the chance to look for someone to assist her when she spotted an unexpected green figure—someone who, for some reason, wasn't at the Divination Commission but was here instead.
"Well, if it isn't Qingque! What are you doing here?"
"Eep—?! S-Sylvia?! You… what are you doing here?"
Hearing her name, Qingque jolted, whipping her head around to stare at Sylvia with wide, startled eyes.
--+--
T/N: 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.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.