The Aldecaldo Family's two ice cream transport vehicles successfully arrived at the Hive Tower without obstruction.
The arrival of the Aldecaldos was welcomed by the Hive personnel who had received prior notice.
The two sides met smoothly in the parking lot.
"Welcome, welcome, Mitch, Panam Palmer. You must be tired from the journey."
Berry shook hands with Mitch and Panam Palmer, the two leaders, her face filled with warmth and excitement.
"Oh, it wasn't hard, not hard at all. The journey was quite smooth."
Mitch was fine, as the old geezer is shrewd and highly adaptable, but Panam Palmer was slightly overwhelmed by Berry's high-level enthusiasm, wearing an embarrassed smile.
"Not at all, not at all, you're too humble. Since you're here, consider this home. Please come into the private room quickly to eat and drink."
"Uh... okay, okay..."
Her hand was being held and shaken non-stop, making her head slightly dizzy, so Panam Palmer could only nod repeatedly in agreement.
However, she quickly reacted and noticed that someone seemed to be missing from the scene.
"Uh, Mitsuhide, where is he? Why isn't he here?"
After looking around for a moment and confirming Mitsuhide was absent, Panam Palmer reluctantly asked in a quiet voice.
"Ah, Mitsuhide, he..."
Berry stopped mid-sentence, realizing something was amiss. She immediately grew alert and looked at Panam Palmer suspiciously.
Why are you looking for Mitsuhide?
Uncomfortable under Berry's suspicious gaze, Panam Palmer avoided eye contact, nervously scraped her foot on the floor, and hastily stumbled to change the subject.
"It's fine, it doesn't matter if he's not here. I was just curious."
"Oh, is that so..."
Berry seemed relieved and nodded.
But deep down, she didn't believe it was that simple.
Good heavens, when Panam Palmer mentioned Mitsuhide, she was nervous like a startled deer, and her wheat-colored face was flushed crimson. There was no way this was simple.
Oh no, don't tell me... Staring at Panam Palmer's face, Berry's heart sank, and a very bad suspicion surfaced in her mind.
Could it be that this girl, Panam Palmer, has fallen for Mitsuhide?
As soon as this thought emerged, Berry quickly confirmed that it was definitely more than just a suspicion.
Judging by Panam Palmer's appearance, there was no mistake—she had definitely fallen for Mitsuhide.
This is simply... After the shock subsided, regret flooded Berry's heart.
This won't do, this is a mistake!
There can be nothing between a human and a machine. What's worse, Panam Palmer, the Mitsuhide you see is actually me!
Berry was filled with immense regret.
Judging by her expression just now, Panam Palmer wasn't just experiencing a simple crush; she was clearly completely smitten.
Come to think of it.
In the game, if the player is Male V, Panam Palmer is usually the romance option.
And how did the two of them get together? Wasn't it a natural progression after a series of "you help me, I help you" scenarios?
And now, guess who did that work?
Her Mitsuhide.
In this light, it's normal for Panam Palmer to fall for Mitsuhide.
After all, putting herself in Panam Palmer's shoes: when she was in her most difficult time, a member of the opposite sex swiftly rescued her from her predicament and repeatedly helped her without asking for anything in return.
Which leader could withstand such a trial?
What's worse, that night in the Abandoned Shack, Berry, in a moment of rashness, touched Panam Palmer's leg out of fear that her thigh would get cold.
Berry knew it was an impulse, but in Panam Palmer's eyes, didn't that count as reciprocating her feelings?
Only now did Berry realize that she had made one mistake after another, plunging herself into an abyss.
What should she do now? She definitely couldn't let Mitsuhide and Panam Palmer get together. Should she reject her outright?
But wouldn't that be too heartbreaking? Delivering such a harsh blow face-to-face, Berry worried Panam Palmer's heart couldn't take it.
But if she did nothing, and things continued at this pace... that wouldn't work either.
She certainly didn't want to become Panam Palmer's Cyber Husband.
Besides, wasn't this toying with someone's feelings? Mitsuhide isn't real; he's just a Chassis she operates. The "Mitsuhide" that Panam Palmer likes doesn't exist in this world at all.
This is fundamentally unworkable.
Berry froze momentarily, her mind stuck like a bugged program, unable to sort out a clear thought for a long time... A person walked over from a nearby passage: Mitsuhide, who had taken off his armor and was wearing black tactical clothing.
Panam Palmer, whose eyes had been searching everywhere, immediately spotted the figure she longed for but dared not approach. Suppressing the urge to instinctively shout his name in surprise, she tried hard to sound nonchalant as she greeted him.
"Ah, it's Mitsuhide. What a coincidence."
Panam Palmer walked toward him, failing to notice Berry's defeated, ashen face nearby.
Oh my god, this is screwed.
Panam Palmer, oh Panam Palmer, do you know what you've fallen for? It's a Chassis!
Berry shook her head and left, disheartened.
There was no other choice now; Berry had to brace herself.
Direct refusal wouldn't work, and letting nature take its course wouldn't work either.
So, the only method Berry could think of to extinguish Panam Palmer's feelings was the Cold Treatment.
Yes, the Cold Treatment.
As long as Mitsuhide acted coldly toward Panam Palmer and slowly faded out of her sight in the coming days, Panam Palmer's feelings, which had only just begun, would surely disappear gradually.
The specific approach was to refuse Panam Palmer whenever she asked Mitsuhide for help, gradually become distant in conversation, and ideally, make Mitsuhide's speech and actions disagreeable to her.
Just like teenage infatuation, it comes quickly and goes quickly.
Berry believed that before long, Panam Palmer, realizing that Mitsuhide wasn't such a great person after all, would snap out of it and become sober.
Of course, what Berry failed to notice was that her stance of "not initiating, not refusing" essentially made her a Scumbag.
Vaguely, as if sensing a warning, Berry could feel what kind of massive bomb she had just planted.
But she had no choice. What else could she do?
She could only rely on the wisdom of future generations... "Hi, Mitsuhide, how have you been lately."
Panam Palmer suppressed her emotions, trying hard to sound casual so Mitsuhide wouldn't notice anything unusual about her.
She wasn't sure if Mitsuhide felt the same way, so she dared not express her feelings easily.
Even the outspoken her was afraid of rejection; she definitely wouldn't be able to handle it.
But what Panam Palmer didn't know was that her flimsy disguise, as a novice in romance, was like a child lying to an adult—she might as well have written her nervousness on her face.
A silly girl like this, Berry could trick into bed five times in one night.
But seeing Panam Palmer like this only made Mitsuhide feel worse, making him sigh repeatedly about the silly girl.
But there was no alternative. To prevent this unrequited feeling from causing a greater mistake, Mitsuhide had to be firm.
In the subsequent conversation with Panam Palmer, Mitsuhide adhered to the "Three Nots Principle"—not initiating, not supporting, and not encouraging—answering Panam Palmer's questions as coldly as a robot.
As the flavorless conversation continued, Panam Palmer seemed to realize something was wrong. She frowned while staring at Mitsuhide's face, looking distressed.
Coming all this way and preparing for so long, only to be treated like this, a pang of bitterness rose in Panam Palmer's heart, and her hands and feet felt cold.
"Mitsuhide, are you... reluctant to talk to me?"
Panam Palmer crossed her arms and looked away, her difficult words carrying a hint of sadness.
Not good, I overdid it.
Hearing her words and seeing the expression on Panam Palmer's face, Mitsuhide felt he had been too obvious. He quickly spoke, trying to reel it back in slightly.
"I'm sorry, Panam Palmer, I'm just... dealing with too many things lately, and my mood isn't great."
Having received an explanation, Panam Palmer, whose imagination had been running wild with negative thoughts, instantly felt her heart drop back into place. She let out a huge sigh of relief, and a smile reappeared on her face.
Not only did she ignore Mitsuhide's previous cold shoulder, but she instead asked what difficulties he was facing and if he needed help.
Seeing Panam Palmer's feelings not only fail to diminish but actually grow warmer, Mitsuhide felt truly miserable.
This back-and-forth hot and Cold Treatment—damn it, wasn't he essentially PUAing her?
This is making things worse!
------------------------
I've posted 70+ chapters in advance on Patreon.
Webnovel updates will still be daily, as usual.
It might not seem tempting right now but who knows what the future holds?
[email protected]/SolyuraMT
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"