"Alright now, wipe that frown off your face~♪"
Elysia reached out, her fingers smoothing the habitual knit of Durandal's brow.
Her hands lingered, sliding down to rest playfully on the other girl's shoulders. "Now then... shouldn't we get down to business?♪"
Looking at Elysia's mischievous, glowing smile, Durandal suddenly pinned her down onto the sofa. She let out a helpless sigh. "If I were a man, I'd surely meet my end at your hands."
"If you were a man, I wouldn't have fallen for you in the first place! After all—even I have my preferences~ I much prefer beautiful girls~♪" Elysia giggled.
It was true; Elysia truly did love beautiful girls. Back when Durandal had spent so much effort to unlock her and place her on the bridge, Elysia had marveled that the Hyperion, filled with so many lovely ladies, was absolute paradise.
That night, naturally, was another bout of intimate tenderness.
As the night grew deep, the faint sound of heavy breathing could still be heard drifting from the second-floor bedroom.
Suddenly, the pitter-patter of rain began to drum against the window outside. The sound prompted Elysia and Durandal to call a temporary "ceasefire."
In a coastal city during the summer, a sudden midnight rain shower was the most ordinary thing in the world.
Elysia cradled her head in the crook of Durandal's arm and whispered, "The soft tapping of the rain against the glass... doesn't it sound like me whispering secrets in your ear?♪"
"I'd prefer it if you were a bit louder."
With that, Durandal leaned back down, cutting short Elysia's brief moment to catch her breath.
The two of them carried on until the horizon turned the pale grey of a fish's belly, only then falling into a deep sleep.
By the time they woke again, it was already lunchtime.
Since they had planned to go out clothes shopping anyway, they didn't bother cooking at the villa. Instead, they headed straight to the island's edge, took the speedboat back to Nagazora City, and made a beeline for the commercial district.
Inside a fitting room of a boutique, Durandal and Elysia were busy trying on new outfits.
They were being quite well-behaved; aside from changing clothes, they weren't getting up to any mischief.
"I really didn't expect that I'd have another growth spurt at my age~♪" Elysia said, her voice a mix of wonder and mock-distress.
Durandal nodded in solemn agreement.
The changes in their busts and hips weren't simply the result of being "kneaded."
It was primarily because they had been so exceptionally intimate lately that their hormone levels had remained at a consistent high, triggering a secondary development of their feminine traits.
Fortunately, this "second blooming" seemed to have stabilized.
At least Durandal didn't have to worry that this shopping trip would be rendered useless by her clothes becoming too small again in a few days.
As for Elysia... regardless of any growth spurts, shopping for clothes was her greatest passion. The only difference was that while she usually just added a few pieces to her collection, this time she needed to replace her entire wardrobe.
Amusingly enough, while in the district, they spotted Hua and Carole heading toward the arcade together. They didn't go over to say hello, choosing instead to watch them silently, sighing at the simple beauty of youth.
Unlike Cecilia, the mother of this body, Durandal had zero talent for video games.
As for Elysia, she was the ultimate "social butterfly"—video games weren't even worth mentioning for her.
And so, time slipped away during the Schicksal members' seven days of leisure.
Once the vacation ended, Durandal didn't have Dystopia bring Kevyn and Sakura back to Sapphire City, as there was no longer a need.
Having survived the crisis of the Third Honkai Eruption, the world would remain relatively safe until the signs of the Fourth Eruption appeared.
Furthermore, Durandal received good news after speaking with Miyuki, who was currently adapting to the powers of the Third Herrscher.
As a Herrscher, Miyuki was incredibly sensitive to fluctuations in Honkai energy; her sensory range and precision far exceeded that of the most advanced modern Honkai detectors.
According to Miyuki, she could feel that the next Eruption would likely break out somewhere to the south.
This helped Durandal narrow down the search area for Kosma—who served as a living coordinate to pinpoint the exact location of the Fourth Eruption—saving her a massive amount of legwork.
Of course, once Schicksal "reopened for business," social obligations were inevitable.
The first to arrive upon hearing the news were, naturally, representatives from the Nagazora City government. After Durandal met them alongside Connie and Elysia, she handed the rest of the reception duties over to Connie.
After all, Hayato was among the visitors. To prevent Elysia from getting jealous, it was better to keep her distance.
However, before Durandal could start preparing for the upcoming trip to Lowlight Alley, she was forced to make another appearance.
This time, the visitors were the group from Fire Moth. They had been waiting in Nagazora City for seven days, finally catching sight of life at the Schicksal headquarters.
If nothing else, their attire alone was pompous, carrying a much heavier air of "bureaucracy" than Hayato's group.
To be honest, Durandal didn't much care for dealing with these people—the so-called "high brass" of Fire Moth who were little more than parasites. The previous negotiations regarding their trade had shown her the true face of the organization.
But in her position, she couldn't afford to be so temperamental.
Besides, Connie was currently tied up with Hayato and his people; Durandal couldn't very well leave Elysia to face the Fire Moth delegation alone, could she?
Knowing her "original" fate from the simulation, Elysia's impression of Fire Moth was likely even worse than Durandal's.
However, Durandal noticed someone slightly different among the new arrivals.
She turned her gaze toward the man leading the group—Chairman Eren, whose silver hair was combed back with meticulous precision and who seemed far more energetic than the average elderly man.
"Chairman Eren, and who might that be?"
Chairman Eren felt a surge of secret delight. He had been waiting for Durandal to notice. He gestured subtly. "The original owner of this place."
Upon hearing Eren's words, the forced smile on Durandal's face vanished completely.
She gave Chairman Eren a long, hard look. Seeing that he wasn't intimidated by her cooling expression—remaining as unruffled as a calm pond—she cursed him inwardly as a "sly old fox."
It was no wonder this man could become the Chairman of the Council in a place like Fire Moth; he certainly had a few tricks up his sleeve.
With this single move, Eren had both extended a "favor" to Durandal and used it to test her character, allowing him to formulate Fire Moth's future strategy for dealing with her.
As for handing over one of his own council members to be dealt with? That was trivial. Who told that councilman to go looking for trouble in the first place?
As long as they published the evidence of said member's crimes, Fire Moth wouldn't be blamed for failing to protect its own; instead, they would be praised for their integrity and sense of justice.
In contrast, wouldn't Schicksal look a bit... overbearing?
This was a hidden landmine Chairman Eren had planted for Schicksal and Durandal.
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T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL