Even after finishing the milk pudding Seele had prepared for her and leaving the bedroom, Bronya's heart was still pounding with lingering fear.
It was wonderful that Seele hadn't genuinely gone full yandere, but seeing her truly angry was utterly terrifying.
The thought that if she genuinely stayed up late every single night, she might actually push Seele into becoming that, made Bronya realize her gaming habits could very well lead to a tragic end for her.
Moving like a reanimated corpse, Bronya stumbled into the living room. Seele trailed behind her, casually tinkering with Bronya's phone, setting up the exact same Anti-Addiction minor lock that Mei had inflicted on Kiana.
Seele knew full well that a simple Anti-Addiction system couldn't actually stop Bronya. Bronya could easily bypass or completely rewrite something so primitive in a dozen different ways.
But it was about the principle.
The system was a physical reminder that staying up all night playing games was wrong. If Bronya chose to actively break past the system to satisfy her desires despite that reminder...
Then it would be entirely Sister Bronya's fault.
And she would be punished!
Naturally, Bronya understood this perfectly. The issue wasn't whether she could bypass the lock; the issue was whether she dared to.
Did she dare?
She absolutely did not!
Seele had been far too terrifying just now!
The sheer terror of being completely dominated, the helpless sensation of trembling beneath Seele's fingertips... those feelings were still deeply etched into her nerve endings.
"Being alive... is so wonderful..." Bronya muttered, her voice so weak she sounded like she was delivering her own eulogy.
She dragged herself over to the sofa, intending to grab some fruit from the bowl to soothe her nerves, only to bump straight into another wandering ghost.
It was Kiana.
Kiana's signature, vibrant white hair was a chaotic mess, with only a few strands stubbornly sticking up in random directions.
Her pajamas were crooked, the buttons clearly misaligned, and her entire being exuded a distinct aura of having her soul forcibly extracted.
The two locked eyes.
One look was all it took to recognize a fellow comrade in suffering.
Is this the price of defying our biological clocks?
Two of the mightiest, most highly decorated veterans of the Fire Moth's First Pioneer Squad, ruthlessly suppressed and single-handedly neutralized by a mere Anti-Addiction minor lock.
Neither of them even entertained the thought of resisting. If this were a certain other universe, they would have probably had their boarding passes revoked and been kicked off the train...
So bitter. This reality is simply too bitter.
Sighing heavily, the two girls sat side-by-side on the sofa, feeling utterly devoid of hope for the future.
Meanwhile, next door.
"Yaaawwn—"
Shu sat up in bed, stretching comfortably. A satisfying series of pops echoed from his joints, followed by a wave of relaxing exhaustion that felt incredibly refreshing.
He opened his eyes and stared at the familiar ceiling. Habitually, he mentally reviewed his schedule for the immediate past and future, and realized there was absolutely nothing he needed to worry about.
This feels so nice...
"Wow... it's been a long time since I had such a good sleep..." Clearly in an excellent mood, Shu mumbled to himself, a rare occurrence.
He rubbed the back of his neck, feeling completely rejuvenated.
As a Herrscher, sleep wasn't biologically necessary for him. But on a peaceful, quiet afternoon like this, being able to take a nap just like a normal person was a rare luxury in and of itself.
Even if it was technically catching up on sleep he had missed.
Glancing at the time, he realized it was almost the "lunch" time Mei had mentioned. After a brief moment of thought, Shu decided he was going to shamelessly head next door and mooch some food.
Actually... should I wait for Kiana to climb through my window and invite me? If I just show up uninvited, will it seem a bit...
Smack.
Shu chuckled softly and lightly slapped his own cheek.
Sigh. Old habits die hard. Guess I can't shake them off that easily.
Why am I overthinking this? I'm just going over to mooch some food. If they don't want me there, they'll kick me out. Fretting over every little detail is just going to make everyone uncomfortable.
Shu casually straightened himself out, washed his face, and walked out his front door. He took a left and knocked on the door of the neighboring villa.
A few moments later, footsteps approached, and the door opened, revealing a familiar face.
"Big Brother Shu." Seeing who it was, Seele opened the door wide, inviting him in.
Shu greeted Seele politely. As he stepped inside, the first thing he saw was two heads poking out from behind the back of the sofa.
Two world-weary, emotionless faces staring blankly at him with dead-fish eyes. That expression was standard for Bronya, but seeing Kiana look exactly the same cast a bizarre, depressing aura over the entire living room.
However, that aura was instantly shattered by Shu's arrival.
Shu was practically glowing. He looked so energized and refreshed, he looked like he had just flawlessly soloed a Herrscher-class threat without taking a single hit.
His radiant appearance formed a stark, hilarious contrast with the two drained husks slumped on the sofa. They looked like they belonged in entirely different art styles.
He even had the audacity to greet them cheerfully.
"Good morning."
Both girls instantly turned pale, lowered their heads, and guiltily ducked back behind the sofa.
Morning?!
It was 2:00 PM. Mei was currently in the kitchen preparing a very late lunch. But for the two of them, who had just woken up from "catching up on sleep," it technically was their morning. That part was undeniable.
But bringing up the "morning" immediately forced them to acknowledge why they were waking up so late.
And the reason they were waking up so late... was because they had pulled an all-nighter.
The two girls felt exactly like the Jade Emperor being relentlessly mocked with, "You got beaten up by a monkey!" They were completely defenseless, having their greatest weakness aggressively leveraged against them.
Worse, neither of them dared to talk back or offer an excuse. If they did, the other party might just pull out an even more devastating trump card, like, "Your sister has a crush on a mortal!"
They knew exactly what kind of cards they held in their own hands, and Kiana, in particular, was intimately familiar with the feeling of being ruthlessly pursued when she was in the wrong.
It felt absolutely terrible.
"G-Good morning..." Kiana's voice was as quiet as a mosquito's, sounding exactly as if she were greeting a tyrant holding the power of life and death over her.
Bronya was even more direct. She simply buried her face into a throw pillow, presenting Shu with the back of her head, which practically radiated the word "Despair." She was employing the classic ostrich maneuver to escape reality.
Seeing their reactions, the smile on Shu's face deepened.
But he decided to end the teasing there. If he pushed any further, the two of them were going to start hissing at him.
However, he did feel the need to point out Kiana's wardrobe malfunction. "Kiana, your buttons are misaligned."
Kiana froze. She looked down at her chest, shot Bronya a furious glare, and immediately spun around, presenting her back to Shu. After a few seconds of frantic rustling, she turned back around and sat up perfectly straight.
As she did, Seele walked over carrying several glasses of juice, handing one to each of them.
As Bronya took her glass, she could have sworn she saw a dangerous glint flash across Seele's eyes.