The Vibe of This Chat Group Is a Little Different Chapter 21

Kiana and Artoria couldn't hold it in and burst out laughing one after another. Even Sakiko bit her lip to stifle a chuckle, struggling to maintain her cool, serious persona.

Talulah, meanwhile, visibly reddened. Her tolerance had hit its limit. Unable to bear the humiliation any longer, she abandoned all pretense of dignity, let out a roar, and lunged at Qianyi.

"Damn it, I'm taking you down with me!"

"Calm down, Talulah. I'm advising you to be nice!" Qianyi had no intention of turning into any Magical Girl.

"It's too late for that now!" Talulah gripped the Magical Girl Henshin Device and charged at Qianyi.

"Thinking that taking my Persona Summoner and Ksitigarbha would be enough to beat me—big mistake! Heavenly Wind Usurper!"

"Crap!" Talulah suddenly realized the danger. The only clothes she had left were the bandage wrap around her chest and her pants. No matter which one got taken, she'd end up half-exposed. Sensing the threat, she shouted, "Kiana!"

"I've got your back!" Kiana pointed a finger, and a Space Gate teleported in front of Talulah, blocking the usurpation for her.

She felt her chest go loose.

A quick glance confirmed it—her bra had ended up in Qianyi's hands.

Staring at the soft lace glinting faintly in the moonlight within Qianyi's grip, Kiana thought to herself, "At least he didn't take back his coat."

"Uh..." Sakiko watched the three-way brawl from the sidelines and couldn't help asking, "Why does it feel like Qianyi's skill keeps targeting girls' private items?"

"Children, this isn't my fault. The Noble Phantasm's targeting is off."

Qianyi was puzzled too. The Noble Phantasm could steal other Noble Phantasms—that was great—but its targeting was absolute garbage. He couldn't figure out why, so he blamed Heracles: "It must be Heracles's fault. In the original myth, he loved stripping the Amazon queen's belt. A Noble Phantasm sublimated from that myth would naturally carry some of his influence."

"Still daring to get distracted against the two of us!" Talulah and Kiana said in unison, attacking Qianyi from both sides like Naruto and Sasuke ganging up on Kaguya.

"Still not giving up?" Qianyi couldn't understand. "Next time, no matter what I steal from you, you'll risk half your body being exposed to the air. Is that really worth it?"

"Naive! Whether it's my panties or your coat, you can't take anything else now!" Kiana roared, spreading her arms wide. The transformation star given by classmate Wutina began to glow on her chest: "Magical Girl! Henshin!"

"Henshin!" Talulah copied Kiana's pose and transformed.

In an instant, the Dragon Girl in a military uniform and cap, and the Moon Princess with a skirt long enough to drag on the ground, descended.

Fully restored, no longer clad in just a few scraps of cloth, Kiana cackled, "Now our HP bars are thicker! Let's see how many times you can steal!"

"You've got nowhere to run!" Talulah, equally confident, stepped toward Qianyi, a Magical Girl Henshin Device lying in her palm—one she'd prepared just for him.

Seeing the two striding toward him so arrogantly, Qianyi raised his hands and spread them. "Coming at me willingly, walking right up to a thief who can steal anything? Brave, I'll give you that. But your courage is like challenging a full deck of Tearlaments with a budget deck in an unrestricted tournament—like Marys. Still, I don't hate hot-blooded types like you. So, sink into an abyss of unfathomable despair!"

Secret Technique: Heavenly Wind Usurper + Hundred Head Slayer!

Hundred Head Slayer wasn't so much a weapon as a style—a bow-wielding Hundred Head Slayer, a sword-wielding Hundred Head Slayer, a shield-wielding Hundred Head Slayer. So if you could use it with a bow, sword, or shield, why couldn't you use it with the "Heavenly Wind Usurper"?!

What Heracles couldn't do, I'll do now! Surpass the original myth, break free from its shackles, and achieve the feat only the legendary Unified God "Soubi" could accomplish!

Here and now, transcend the myth's origin!

In an instant, clothes, accessories, and underwear of all kinds scattered through the air, mixed with a clump of black, snake-like mist.

Black Serpent: "?"

How the hell did I get stolen out?!

Qianyi looked at Kiana and Talulah lying in the snow, unable to rise, buried under the mess of scattered clothes, and a victorious smile spread across his face. "What a delight, Kiana, Talulah. I'll probably never forget you two for the rest of my life."

This battle was his victory!

Chapter 42: A Relationship Already Nearing the Point of No Return

Heavenly Wind Usurper.

Rank: EX

Type: Unknown

Range: Unknown

Max Effect: -Suspected ability to steal an opponent's Noble Phantasm (including those sublimated from stories). Origin unknown.

Powerful Noble Phantasms often come with heavy costs and side effects. Just like the Star Holy Sword requires the approval of at least six Knights of the Round Table for full release, the Heavenly Wind Usurper also has prerequisites.

First, abundant magical energy. Second, the need to "see" and "understand." Third, precise targeting aimed at a single object.

Only by meeting these conditions can one accurately claim an opponent's Noble Phantasm or other items.

Though Qianyi lacked magical energy, he had powerful spiritual energy and divine energy from his divinity to substitute for consumption. But the latter two conditions were a bit beyond his grasp as a first-time user.

Simply put, the Heavenly Wind Usurper was like a claw machine—you aimed, pressed a button, and launched a claw to grab something. But Qianyi had no training in magic systems, so he couldn't press a button to activate the precise, complex magical circuits of the claw machine for accurate grabs. Instead, he had to smash the machine open and toss the claw out to catch things.

Accuracy? Naturally, it was terrible.

But did that matter? No! As long as he grabbed enough times, accuracy wouldn't be an issue!

That said, pulling off nine simultaneous Heavenly Wind Usurpers in an instant with the help of Hundred Head Slayer came with a massive drain. His stamina bottomed out in a flash. Luckily, Kiana and Talulah's HP bars (clothes) were completely emptied. This battle was his victory—they had no strength left to fight.

I'm the champion!

But the battlefield was ever-changing. Just as he thought they were completely incapacitated, two figures burst out from the pile of scattered clothes and lunged at Qianyi.

What?!

Are they insane?!

He'd already stolen all their clothes. If they attacked now, that meant they were charging in completely naked, right?

Should I close my eyes?

No! If you think I'd shut my eyes out of shame and let you sneak-attack me, you're dead wrong!

If it were Shoko and Artoria doing this, I'd naturally close my eyes. But you two—one Husky Qi, one Ta Dummy—in my eyes, you're no different from pets and men!

There's nothing to close my eyes for!

You're the ones who should be dodging my gaze!

But when he looked closely, he realized the problem. Kiana and Talulah weren't fully naked—just like at the start, one wore her own pants with a bandage wrap over her chest, and the other wore her own top.

"I clearly stole all your clothes!" Qianyi was shocked. He'd even pulled out Koschei, so how were there still clothes left?

"The clothes you get when transforming into a Magical Girl are a separate set from your pre-transformation ones! Even if you strip off all our transformed outfits, when we detransform, we still have a full set!" Kiana explained considerately. "Without becoming a Magical Girl yourself, how could you understand the power of this strength?"

"So it's a noble extra health bar?!"

"Exactly!"

"I really lose to you guys."

Qianyi exhaled all his breath and closed his eyes. His stamina was spent; he couldn't use the Heavenly Wind Usurper anymore. Without the ability to deal noble true damage, relying on just his body, he couldn't beat the Red Dragon and the Herrscher of the Void.

This fight, you win.

"Got you!" Talulah's hand pressed deep into Qianyi's chest.

The next moment, a surge of power erupted from Qianyi.

Seeing this, Talulah's face broke into a knowing smile and a look of anticipation.

You mock my taste, call me a tomboy—let's see what your taste is!

The pitch-black light faded at that moment.

Talulah finally saw Qianyi's transformed appearance. A long dress, like a modified school uniform skirt in dark gray and black, draped over him, with wing-like designs on the back hem. Gloves in bright contrasting red, black high-heeled boots, black stockings on his legs, and a mask like a white spirit bird concealing his peerless face. His silver, short, side-swept hair had become silver twin braids.

Toyokawa Shoko stared, dazed: "So, so stylish, and it suits him perfectly."

Kiana's gaze went straight: "Bro, you smell nice."

Artoria's eyes sparkled: "It's like a female phantom thief from a fairy tale, robbing the rich to help the poor."

"How to put it, there's a strange feeling." Qianyi touched the mask on his face. It should have been mortifying, but with this mask, the shame was mostly dulled.

It felt like hiding the real self and showing another face to the world.

A phantom thief... huh? Feels pretty stylish?

Talulah: "?"

What's going on, this feeling that only I don't fit in?

Now, among the five on the field, Qianyi was a phantom thief, Kiana a queen, Artoria a princess in a blue-and-white elegant dress, and Toyokawa Shoko was... well, what do you call someone with black lace panties as a mask on her face?

A pervert?

Though Shoko's mask looked weird, her clothes were genuinely full of feminine charm. In contrast, she herself wore a military uniform, wrapped up especially tight, even with a military cap on her head.

It looked like a hardcore 18+ macho man had suddenly barged into a Magical Girl set—completely different art styles.

She was hurt.

Just then, Qianyi put a hand on her shoulder and comforted her: "Ata, everyone has a bratty kid inside they can't accept, or another side of themselves. These are parts of you that can't be separated or denied. You might not be able to accept your other side right now, but don't fret over it. As a friend, as a member of the same community bound by fate, before your soil blooms and bears fruit, I'll do my utmost to till the ground you stand on."

"I don't really care about having feminine charm," Talulah said.

"I know. But change, resistance, and revolution can start with changing yourself. That outfit of yours has faded from wear. Later, Shoko and I can help design a new uniform for you, and try switching up your style," Qianyi suggested. "Like a phantom thief outfit similar to mine."

"Forget it," Talulah refused. "Your ultra-wide-eyed Flounder Glasses are hard to take seriously."

"Looks like you're asking for Tens of Thousands of Proverbs. /(^v^)"

Talulah smiled back.

At that moment, she felt some strange emotion spreading inside her.

???

I am thou, thou art I.

Thou hast acquired a new vow.

It shall become the wings of rebellion that break thy cage of chains.

Thou art I, and I am thou, the first of the Chariot mask, blessed with the wind of rebirth, to aid thee in soaring toward freedom.

The Chariot VII Talulah.

Affection with Qianyi has greatly increased???

???

This trip to Ursus, though the assets were temporarily frozen for verification after racking up points, at least the distributed Heracles parts were considered part of each individual, and the chat group couldn't reclaim them, so every member came back with a full haul.

Most in the group didn't care about money, since supplies and power were what mattered. If worst came to worst, they could keep squeezing Koschei the Black Serpent to cough up more of the Duke's assets.

Black Serpent: Stop hitting me, bro, I've got nothing left?

Back in her own world, Sakiko said goodbye to Qianyi. Since she'd been exhausted these past few days, cleaning up would have to wait until tomorrow at the earliest.

Listening to the train's rumble and the clatter of wheels on the tracks weaving a familiar melody, along with the occasional murmur of passengers nearby, Sakiko's mood lightened. Sure enough, her own world was the best.

Peaceful, warm, and calm.

"Ah, this—I forgot to give it back?"

When she got off the train and pulled out her phone to scan the metro code, Sakiko noticed a silver pistol lying in her bag. It was unmistakably Qianyi's Persona Summoner.

The gun was so compact—nothing like the bulky Ksitigarbha—that it was easy to overlook and forget.

But she'd already reached her stop. There was no time to go back and return it to Qianyi now. She could only send an apology on LINE, telling him the thing was with her. Only after receiving a smiley emoji from Qianyi, saying it was fine, did she breathe a sigh of relief.

She hadn't felt this happy in a long time. The last time was back at CRYCHIC.

But as the distance to her home shrank step by step, her light footsteps and smile faded away.

Pushing open the door, she was hit by the pungent stench of alcohol, mingled with the smell of tobacco in the air.

Under the dim yellow light, she quietly stared at the scattered bottles on the floor—half-empty glasses, empty bottles, and the slovenly man lying among them. After a long pause, she finally forced the words from her throat:

"I'm home, Stinky Dad."

Chapter 43: Otto, Spit Out the Gold Coins!

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