Little did Silver Wolf know how much damage her little joke could do to a child like Zāwù.
Though, calling it "damage" might be a bit of an overstatement. Zāwù's spirit wasn't as fragile as others imagined; otherwise, he couldn't have endured pain a hundred times greater than an ordinary person's and persevered to this day.
But the boy's spirit needed a crucial pillar of support.
Currently, Zāwù's pillar was perhaps the first woman he saw when he opened his eyes in that snowy land, Kafka. As long as Kafka didn't abandon him, didn't deny him, his spirit would never collapse and head towards destruction.
So his true feelings right now...
Should be described as shock, desolation, and utter bewilderment.
When did Big Sis Kafka...
And with whom...
So I'm not the only child...
Am I the superfluous one...?
Should I try to win over my big sister...?
Ask her to share Mom Kafka with me...
A fifty-fifty split of Mom Kafka, is that not okay?
Then just a little...
I only need a little bit...
Zāwù couldn't control himself. He knew he shouldn't be calling her "Mom" in his heart without Kafka's permission. But it was a good thing Silver Wolf couldn't read minds. Otherwise, if she heard the boy's inner thoughts, she'd be breaking out in a cold sweat on the spot.
Silver Wolf: Zāwù! You're being a little too extreme!
The girl successfully broke through the special protection system that the genius Herta had set up for the Stellaron. This undoubtedly proved that even Herta, a genius who had been visited by an Aeon twice, was no match for Silver Wolf in the field of hacking.
"Phew..."
But before she could even finish her sigh of relief, Silver Wolf noticed the ominous, dark aura radiating from Zāwù beside her.
"Whoa!"
Even she was startled.
Silver Wolf was the one in the Stellaron Hunters who had the closest private relationship with Zāwù, spent the most time with him, and was his best female friend. She knew very well what a gentle person he was. In her heart, Zāwù could truly be described as an angel.
But now—he looked like he was about to become a fallen angel!!
Silver Wolf could guess that his reaction was all her fault because of the joke she had just made. So, to remedy the situation, she quickly cupped Zāwù's handsome face and made him face her.
"Stupid! What are you thinking!?"
"I didn't say she was really Kafka's daughter!"
"...?"
"Honestly, never mind a daughter, if that woman Kafka could fall in love with anyone, I'd think the sun had risen from the west!"
Of course, in the universe, there were countless planets where you could witness the sun rising from the west. Here, Silver Wolf was using the common meaning of the idiom, referring to something that was absolutely impossible.
But then Silver Wolf thought again.
Maybe it wasn't impossible. Zāwù's charm made her have to consider the possibility that Kafka wasn't faking or lying, but genuinely liked this child.
Hearing Silver Wolf's words, Zāwù's spirit finally returned from the brink of collapse and corruption.
"Then who is she?"
"Her name is Stelle. I don't know much either. Kafka just took care of her for a while."
"If you really want to know more, you'll probably have to ask that riddle-cat, Elio."
Zāwù lowered his eyes. "But Elio never tells me anything."
"Isn't that a good thing!? That jinx, the future he sees is unchangeable. One time I secretly touched his tail, and he turned around and just said—'Your account's gone!'"
"And then all my game accounts really got banned!"
"Pfft!"
Zāwù couldn't help but chuckle. But he knew very well how important those game accounts were to Silver Wolf. So in the end... the unlucky one was the game company?
Seeing Zāwù's mood lighten, Silver Wolf couldn't help but smile dotingly.
Originally, she was the youngest child among the Stellaron Hunters, spoiled and indulged. When Zāwù first arrived, Silver Wolf had quite a few complaints and even thought about pranking him. So why was she the one who fell for him the fastest? She gradually became unable to ignore his emotions, became concerned about his inner world, became... not as cool and dashing as before. But surprisingly, Silver Wolf didn't regret it.
She raised her hand and, like a real big sister, ruffled Zāwù's soft white hair.
"Zāwù, you can believe in yourself more than anyone else."
"Believe in... myself?"
"Mm, believe in how important you are to us."
Zāwù's face quickly turned red at these direct words, like a plum blossom swaying in the snow.
"We've found the Stellaron, so it's time to move on to the next step."
"If you're still so curious about Stelle, then right now, I can create an opportunity for you to meet~"
"Really!?"
"Of course, who do you think your big sis is~"
Silver Wolf gave Zāwù a wink, and it felt as if pink hearts were flying towards him, making the boy's heart beat faster.
Then, to prove her strength, Silver Wolf summoned the Aether Editing system. The girl's slender fingertips flew across it at a dazzling speed, writing something. One by one, the parameters of reality were temporarily altered, and a portal emerged from a fictional space. The girl, Stelle, who had been in a sleeping state in a life-support pod on the Stellaron Hunter's ship, was now floating before Zāwù, her right hand extended as if trying to touch something.
The boy was shocked by this surreal scene and couldn't help but hold his breath. At the same time, Stelle's image was deeply imprinted in his mind.
Big Sis Stelle... is so tall. She seems even taller than Big Sis Kafka. Her gray, medium-length hair floats gently as if weightless. Her facial features are androgynous, not as deep-set as a Westerner's, nor as reserved as an Easterner's. She wears a wide-collared trench coat-style top, and the left side of her short skirt is slit for better movement, revealing a hint of blue from the garter on her thigh.
She seems... very cool. And maybe very reliable.
It was completely different from what Zāwù had originally imagined.
Silver Wolf patted his shoulder from behind.
"Alright then, the ceremonial moment of waking up Stelle is all yours, Zāwù!"
"Eh, me!?"
"Mm-hmm." Silver Wolf placed the golden, glowing Stellaron into Zāwù's palm with great care.
"Just, stuff it in. It's that simple~"
"No, stuff it in where!?" Zāwù felt like he was holding a hot potato. He was pushed by Silver Wolf until he was right in front of Stelle. Now he had no choice but to do it.
"Forgive the intrusion, Big Sis Stelle!"
With that, Zāwù squeezed his eyes shut, raised the Stellaron in his right palm, and pressed it towards Stelle's chest! The moment the Stellaron touched the girl, it seemed to turn into an intangible energy mass and instantly flowed into her body! At the same time, Zāwù, having lost the object in his palm, couldn't retract his strength in time.
And thus, he inevitably touched—
In the moment before his mind went blank, Zāwù had only one thought.
So soft...
-------
Enjoying the story? Support the author and get access to early chapters by joining my Patreon!
Find me at My : pat*eon*com/RuneA
I, Herta's Fiancé, the Universe's Number One Male Fist (114 Chapter (Simulpub-Full) )
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Succubus in Sixth Street (250 Chapter)
Reborn in Type-Moon, My Sister is Aoko Aozaki (225 Chapter)
MyGO!! A Story Voiced by Me (90 Chapter)
BLEACH: Blade of Purification (100 Chapter)
Konoha: Starting the Game as Yoriichi (270 Chapter)
My Real Job is Spying on Konoha, but I'm Also its Hokage (98 Chapter)
The Pinnacle of the Navy! Starting from Being Captured by Garp (120 Chapter)
Watching Yu-Gi-Oh! short videos is making the veteran players lose...(59 Chapter)
Uma Musume : The Trainer Who Just Wants to Live (160 Chapter)
Zenless Zone Zero The Random Kamen Rider (120 Chapter)
Genshin Impact: It All Began With Me Being Stepped On by Arlecchino (80 Chapter)
Naruto: I Can Synthesize Summoning Beasts (50 Chapter)
Demon Slayer: The Great Swordsman's System, Disciple of Yoriichi (80 Chapter)
My Wife is a General, but I'm an Emanator of Abundance! (90 Chapter)
Type-Moon: My Nine-Fold Path (80 Chapter)
Uma Musume: They're Peeking at My Diary, and All of Tracen is Panickin (65 Chapter)
The Wild History of Type-Moon world (50 Chapter)
Reborn in Conan, But I Refuse to Be the Bad Guy (60 Chapter)
Ruan Mei is begging me to go back? But there's no going back anymore (60 Chapter)
Just a Slacker at Tracen Academy (50 Chapter)
If there's a particular novel you're enjoying on Patron, please give it a 'like' so I know to focus on it.