Watching a puffed-cheek Qingque who was about to snatch the bubble tea right out of Sylvia's mouth.
Sylvia cheerfully dodged her outstretched hand. "Hey now, just kidding, just kidding!"
Although the target audiences for online and offline activities were clearly different, considering the long lifespans of the Xianzhou natives and the natural conservatism that came with longevity, Qingque's somewhat awkward idea might actually have some market potential after all.
"Hmph!"
Seeing that she couldn't reach the drink at all due to her height, Qingque let out an indignant huff.
"I specifically prepared this for you! Didn't you say before that there was no one to play Celestial Jade with outside?"
"Oh, uh…"
Sylvia's heart sank at Qingque's words.
Oh no, I put my foot in my mouth.
"Ehehe, Qingque, my dear, have some tea—" Sylvia instantly plastered a smile on her face and held her half-finished bubble tea up to Qingque's lips.
"Eww—gross!"
Qingque wasn't really angry, but she still pushed away Sylvia's shameless gesture. Sylvia didn't mind, bringing the drink back to her own mouth.
"I didn't think you'd actually remember that topic we just casually chatted about. Thanks for the gift, I really like it."
"Ugh, I don't like this mushy talk, it's so awkward."
Qingque immediately raised a hand in protest, her face flushing a little.
She'd simply wanted to make Sylvia a gift so they could play together later—she couldn't handle this sort of sentimentality.
But to Sylvia, the sight was utterly adorable.
It was rare to see Qingque blush over a few words, making Sylvia want to tease her a bit more. Unfortunately, Qingque gave her no chance.
Just as Sylvia was about to speak, Qingque grabbed her hand and pulled her outside.
"Come on, come on, let's go play! You must be itching to play after holding back for so many days!"
"The table, we haven't grabbed the table!"
Sylvia wanted to take the gaming table with them, but Qingque said, "It's not finished yet. Master Gongshu said it needs another two days for final touches. You can pick it up later; right now, just come play with me."
--+--
And so, yet another day was spent playing Celestial Jade.
By the time Sylvia returned to her residence, it was already evening. Acheron hadn't mentioned coming back today—she was probably still on the road.
Just as Sylvia thought there was nothing else to do, she remembered the last time she ran off with Silver Wolf. She hadn't had time to play games with Silver Wolf before the girl took off.
Thinking of this, Sylvia tapped on Silver Wolf's avatar, planning to ask if she was free.
[Sylvia: You there? Wanna come play games?]
[Silver Wolf: ?]
[Silver Wolf: Come where?]
[Sylvia: To my place. We haven't played games offline yet. You ran off so fast last time.]
[Silver Wolf: …]
[Silver Wolf: Busy today. I'm grinding a leaderboard. Maybe tomorrow.]
Seeing the reply, Sylvia pouted helplessly.
Alright, she was probably climbing the ranks in some brutally difficult game.
Sylvia wasn't particularly fond of those punishingly hard games. But Silver Wolf was the type who played everything, so at times like these, they didn't disturb each other.
Just then, another message popped up from Silver Wolf's avatar:
[Silver Wolf: This is Firefly. Can I come play with you? Though I'm not very good at games.]
[Sylvia: Of course! I'd love that. And with games, having fun is what matters. Are you with Silver Wolf?]
[Silver Wolf: Silver Wolf and I are both resting on the couch in the living room. Kafka went out.]
[Sylvia: I see. So, you wanna come over?]
[Silver Wolf: Mhm mhm]
[Silver Wolf: (˶ᵔᗜᵔ˶)ﾉﾞ]
--+--
At the Stellaron Hunter residence.
The large screen in the room played a news program from the Interastral Peace Corporation.
Slouched on the sofa, Silver Wolf's fingers flew over her controller without pause. The blue earring on her ear shimmered brightly today, accentuating her pretty face.
Amid her intense gameplay, Silver Wolf couldn't help but glance at Firefly, who was using her phone to chat with Sylvia.
For the Stellaron Hunters, phones weren't particularly private; they rarely stored much personal information. So, Silver Wolf didn't mind Firefly borrowing it to chat.
"What? You're going over to play?"
"Mhm. You recommended some games to me last time, so I thought, why not go play with Sylvia?"
"…Oh."
Silver Wolf replied with a completely flat 'oh,' but the rapid click-clack of her controller suddenly stopped. She raised a hand somewhat restlessly, touching the earring on her ear.
"Did Sylvia agree?"
Even Silver Wolf was startled by her own tone—it sounded strangely like she was blaming someone.
Luckily, Firefly was busy rummaging for a gaming console and didn't seem to notice the change in Silver Wolf's voice.
"Yeah, she said she's looking forward to it. Hehe, I'll go change."
After finding the console, Firefly got up and hurried to her room.
Kafka had given her another outfit yesterday, which would be perfect to wear today.
Firefly and Kafka had discussed fashion and styling many times, though Firefly rarely had chances to dress up before.
Now that she had the opportunity, Kafka would bring back an outfit or two for her almost every time she went out, helping to fill Miss Firefly's once-empty wardrobe.
Lately, Firefly hadn't worn the same outfit twice.
Since she was going to Sylvia's place to hang out, Firefly didn't plan to dress too formally. She decided on a casual long dress.
Silver Wolf pursed her lips, watching Firefly's retreating figure with a complicated look in her eyes.
Why does it feel like I've been replaced? Since when did Firefly get so interested in games?
Silver Wolf thought, picking up her own phone to glance at the chat log, and couldn't help but let out a soft hmph.
If she hadn't already made plans for today, she'd definitely make Sylvia see who the real 'gaming legend' was.
Although she mentally noted another mark against Sylvia, Silver Wolf still created a portal and sent it to Firefly. Then, somewhat distractedly, she dove back into the game in her hands.
--+--
On the other side, about ten minutes after the chat.
A familiar portal swirled open, and Firefly appeared beside Sylvia with a gentle smile.
Perhaps because her need for everyday outfits had increased since gaining more freedom to move around, today Firefly wore a shoulder-baring dress.
A belt cinched her slender waist, accentuating her lovely figure. Only the hair ribbon in her hair remained unchanged.
"Hi, good evening." Firefly walked over to Sylvia in her flats, waving lightly. She placed the console from her bag on the coffee table.
Sylvia stood up to pour Firefly a glass of juice, gesturing for her to sit while asking, "Good evening, Firefly. How have you been feeling lately?"
"Thanks to your cake, I've been really happy recently."
At the mention of this, the smile on Firefly's face instantly brightened. Her gaze toward Sylvia softened with warmth.
--+--
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.