Night fell. Otto lay on a sun lounger on the balcony, swirling a glass of red wine in his hand.
He gazed at the night sky, dotted with a multitude of stars. It was hard to imagine that one could actually see the stars in the city.
According to the weather forecast, this period would be clear and sunny, but before long, this place would likely be filled with lightning and thunder.
Evacuating the entire city in a short time was impossible. If Schicksal were to make any major moves and Cocolia caught wind of it, it would only create more variables.
He took a sip of wine and placed the glass on the small table beside him, but his gaze fell upon a pen resting on that same table.
He let out a quiet sigh.
There was nothing to be done, for he had once again underestimated the System's lack of a bottom line.
[Daily Mission]
[Write on any Valkyrie's leg. Mission Reward: 100 Crystals. Mission Status: Incomplete.]
It was simply outrageous.
Otto and Kiana had only arrived in Nagazora City in the morning. Back on the plane, when Otto woke up and saw this updated daily mission, his composure had nearly cracked.
Could Kiana even be used to complete this mission?
Normally, while Kiana was asleep, she was the best tool for completing missions. But she was wearing the White Comet battlesuit!
He would have to take off the armor first before he could write on her leg. The difficulty level was simply too high.
So, throughout the day, Otto had been staring at Kiana's legs, trying to figure out a plan, but he never found an opportunity to act.
And this time at the hotel, Kiana wasn't even sharing a room with him. He had no way of launching a night raid because he didn't have her room key.
He could, of course, ask the hotel for a master key, but that would be crossing a line.
Forget it. I'll just give up on these 100 crystals.
Otto closed his eyes, his thoughts turning to Raiden Mei. What kind of identity and image should he use to approach her? Raiden Ryoma was a trump card, but if he played it too easily, the effect might not be optimal.
Ding-dong.
The doorbell rang.
Could it be that little Kiana couldn't stand the loneliness and wants to come sleep with me?
As if.
The absurd thought flashed through his mind for only a second. Otto stood up and walked to the door.
He didn't open it immediately but observed the situation outside through the peephole.
Otto was always careful. He couldn't be sure that if he died, the one who revived in another of Otto's bodies...
...would be which Otto.
However, his eyes narrowed slightly, for he saw an unexpected figure—an eighteen-year-old girl in a wheelchair.
"Bronya Zaychik."
He spoke the girl's name aloud.
In the wheelchair, Bronya wore an elegant, simple white dress. A few crystalline, thread-like decorations were wound around the garment, making her look like a beautifully wrapped gift.
She wore no shoes; her slender legs, clad in white stockings, rested on the wheelchair's footrests.
A waterfall of light gray hair with a slight curve cascaded down her back. Beneath silk-soft bangs that resembled a beaded curtain were beautiful light gray eyes matching her hair. Her nose was fine and shapely, and her slightly pursed cherry lips were a glossy pink. Her exquisitely beautiful, youthful face was already a masterpiece without a trace of makeup.
However, her face was devoid of expression, like a porcelain doll.
Although the girl no longer wore her hair in the spiral twin-drills he remembered, Otto still recognized her in a single glance.
It was a joke to think a Captain wouldn't recognize Bronya. His own System was currently using a cutesy, duck-flavored voice pack!
Otto subconsciously opened the door.
No one would be on guard against a woman they had 'played with' from the very beginning.
But the moment the door opened, Otto regretted it. In a flash, he realized this wasn't a game.
For him, this was genuine reality.
He was the Schicksal Overseer, and Bronya should still be a member of Anti-Entropy right now. As for her reason for appearing before him, Otto immediately thought of one possibility.
She's here to... assassinate me!
Otto tried to slam the door shut, but a small hand slipped through the gap, grabbing the edge of the door.
Looking at those five slender, jade-white fingers, Otto hesitated. In the end, he couldn't bring himself to ruthlessly slam the door on the girl's hand.
Otto's hand left the doorknob. The door was slowly pushed open, revealing the girl in the wheelchair looking at him with a placid expression.
"Sir, do you require service? This is my first time..."
"My mother passed away. I need... money."
Bronya tried her best to make her expression look mournful, but her emotional circuits were damaged, making it difficult to achieve the best effect.
She could only grip the hem of her dress tightly, as if hiding all her sorrow within her heart.
It's starting, it's starting.
Bronya's performance has begun.
Otto, who knew Bronya's true nature, watched her act quietly. This was a ruthless woman who could strangle someone with a single stocking. However, his reason for letting her in was simple.
Normal methods could not kill Otto.
Whether it was strangulation, poison, stabbing, or shooting, all were ineffective against his Soul Steel body.
However, he mentally asked the System a question.
"System, if I write on Bronya's leg, does it count as completing the mission?"
[It counts.]
Receiving the affirmative answer, Otto's gaze shifted to Bronya's white-stockinged feet. Noticing his line of sight, Bronya pretended to be shy and lowered her head.
Her disabled legs could inspire a man's pity, but they could also inspire a man's ugly desires.
But she couldn't make her move at the door, because there was another person in the room next door.
As long as she got inside the room, she could immediately overpower this man and use torture to extract his purpose for finding Raiden Mei.
But she would never have imagined it.
Otto, because of his Soul Steel body, had been forcibly deprived of worldly desires.
Therefore, he could look at Bronya's seduction with perfect rationality.
"Come in, cute little lady."
Otto said with a smile. He turned and walked into the room. Bronya stared intently at his back; she could tell this man had no defenses against her.
Perhaps this man was still thinking about how he would savor the dessert that had just delivered itself to his door tonight.
The wheelchair moved into the room. The moment it had completely entered, Bronya's eyes narrowed.
Bronya erupted from the wheelchair. The Ural Silver Wolf pounced on the defenseless Otto.
Although her legs were disabled, she was still incredibly agile.
Locking her elbow around the man's neck, Bronya prepared to choke him unconscious and then get ready for interrogation.
She squeezed with all her might.
And then, Bronya's expression froze.
Even many years later, when she recalled this incident, she would still feel that she had been incredibly foolish.
I actually tried to choke out a piece of steel?
After exerting her strength, Bronya was shocked to find that the man's neck was like solid iron; she couldn't constrict it at all.
And in that split second of her distraction, a hand viciously punched her in the abdomen.
Her consciousness cut out. Bronya's eyes rolled back as Otto's iron fist knocked her out cold.
Otto caught her falling body and tossed the unconscious Bronya onto the bed.
Then, he walked to the door.
And closed it.