Cocolia would stoop to any dirty trick to get what she wanted!
At this point, Su Moqian could only comfort himself with the thought that this was all part of a simulation. Something like this would never happen in real life.
"Ugh... Patience, Su Moqian. Be patient. I'll get my revenge on Cocolia..."
Once he'd calmed down, he needed to review what he'd gained from this simulation, then decide what to do next.
To sum up this timeline:
He and Kiana had made their relationship public, and when Bronya learned her mission had failed, she reported it to Cocolia.
Cocolia then got personally involved, kidnapping him and Mei, before making Bronya do it right in front of Raiden Mei...
Ahem. There was no need to go into detail about what happened after that.
The important thing was that he needed to keep Bronya on his side.
He wasn't prepared yet. If Cocolia got directly involved, he wouldn't stand a chance.
"Ugh, looks like I can't confirm my relationship with Kiana just yet. The chain reaction that followed would be way too terrifying."
Of all the simulations he'd experienced, this one had been the hardest for Su Moqian to accept.
Even harder to accept than becoming the husband of a yandere girl!
"Sorry, Kiana. Once I've dealt with what's happening in Changkong City, I'll officially start dating you!" Su Moqian silently made up his mind.
For some reason, though, after saying that, Su Moqian felt a strange sense of déjà vu.
Oh, well. He'd review what he'd gained from this simulation, then decide on a course of action.
"Hmm, after all the progress from these simulations, my Honkai Energy adaptability has reached Rank B. That's pretty good."
"Lightning Affinity makes sense, too. It just means I'm more attuned to the power of lightning and won't be hurt by it as easily."
"But what the heck is this new talent?"
Su Moqian looked at the new talent he'd acquired, feeling that something about it wasn't right.
He lightly tapped it with his mind, and its details appeared:
[Lovable: As a puppy-like blond boy, you have extra appeal to women with dominant personalities, and their desire to bully you will increase significantly!]
Su Moqian: "...I knew it. Not one of this stupid system's talents is any good!"
He shook his head helplessly, then cautiously asked:
"System, can I just not take this talent?"
[Nope. Unlike skills, talents are innate. They take effect as soon as you acquire them, and there's no stopping them.]
"Fine."
Su Moqian quickly thought about which women around him had "dominant" personalities.
But after considering it for a while, he still had no idea.
"Hmm, probably... no one, right?"
After thinking it over carefully, the only ones he could think of were the Herrscher of Thunder residing inside Raiden Mei and the Herrscher of the Void within Kiana. They might have dominant personalities.
Fortunately, though, the Herrschers inside them were asleep and couldn't manifest.
So he didn't need to worry about any of them suddenly waking up and pinning him to the ground or anything.
Thinking of that reassured Su Moqian, though he couldn't help letting out a wry laugh.
"Both women around me have Herrschers living inside them. What did I do to deserve this..."
There'd been so much information in this simulation that it had taken him quite a while to process it all.
"I wonder what Kiana's doing now."
As he spoke, Su Moqian closed the system and opened his eyes.
The TV was still on, but Kiana, who'd been holding him, had closed her eyes and fallen fast asleep.
She must not have slept well the night before, since she was getting drowsy just before noon.
Seeing that Kiana had fallen asleep, Su Moqian exclaimed to himself:
"Perfect!"
He slowly began to move against Kiana, trying to wriggle out of her embrace.
But the moment he moved, Kiana shifted with him in her sleep.
When Su Moqian moved down a little, she moved down too. When he tried moving up instead, Kiana followed him up.
Clearly, she wasn't about to let him go, even in her sleep.
Su Moqian: "...Fine."
Kiana (waking up).jpg
By noon, Su Moqian had finally managed to make it home.
Kiana, however, was right on his heels.
He could escape Kiana's home, but he couldn't escape Kiana.
"Ugh, I wonder how long Kiana's clingy phase is going to last." Su Moqian shook his head helplessly.
He had something important to do at ME Corp. using the Blondie Simulator. If Kiana kept following him around, he wouldn't be able to let loose.
As soon as he opened the door, Bronya's voice rang out.
"Oh, so you do remember how to come home. You left Bronya waiting here alone for a whole day and night. Brother Moqian, how could you be so heartless?"
Bronya still wore her usual expressionless look, but today she seemed even colder than usual.
Clearly, Su Moqian's long absence had made her feel a little upset.
Like a resentful wife whose husband never came home.
Su Moqian glanced at Kiana beside him, then laughed as he stepped inside.
"Haha, something unexpected came up. But I'm back now, aren't I?"
With that, Su Moqian beckoned Kiana over.
"Come on in, Kiana."
"Okay." Kiana nodded gently and walked inside.
Unlike last time, when she'd barged straight in without a care, Kiana now seemed more reserved. Her feelings about her relationship with Su Moqian had changed, and it showed in her manner.
"Is your mother home?" Kiana asked softly.
"She's busy with Shenzhou Headquarters. Mom doesn't have much time to come home."
Su Moqian waved a hand, then pointed to Bronya, who was watching TV on the sofa.
"This is Bronya. You've met before. She's staying at my house for now, so I guess you could say she's... my little sister?"
As he said that, Su Moqian suddenly realized:
He now had a sister and a house, while both his parents were busy.
"So Bronya's staying at your house..." Kiana mused.
She'd heard about it before, but hearing it again now made her wonder:
"Come to think of it, should I move in with Moqian, too? It'd be easier for me to protect him that way."
"His mother seems nice. She'd probably agree, right?"
Just as Kiana was starting to feel conflicted, Su Moqian pulled her into the living room.
"Don't just stand there. Sit down first."
"Oh."
At Su Moqian's words, Kiana obediently sat on the sofa without even thinking about it.
Apart from a few important matters, Kiana had gotten into the habit of doing whatever Su Moqian said. It was as if she'd made him her external brain.
After sitting down, Kiana took an interest in what was playing on the TV and turned to Bronya.
"Bronya, are you watching Honkai Academy? I like that one, too!"
"Mm."
Bronya gave a quiet response and said nothing more.
She'd already mentally labeled Kiana an idiot.
So, subconsciously, she wasn't wary of Kiana at all.
Compared to the idiot Kiana, Raiden Mei, who'd come by yesterday, seemed far more threatening. Besides, her mission was to target Mei.
By then, Su Moqian had poured two cups of barley tea and set them on the coffee table in front of the two girls.
Then he asked, "By the way, Bronya, did Mei go home?"
"Thanks." Bronya took a sip of the barley tea, then replied:
"Mei went home this morning. She said she'd come see you again tonight."
"I see." Su Moqian nodded thoughtfully.
Only then did he remember that Mei had gotten angry with him over something.
He'd meant to go find her and sort things out last night, but then Kiana had called him first.
So he'd gone to see Kiana and completely forgotten about Mei.
But since she'd be coming by again tonight, he could wait until then to clear things up.
With that in mind, Su Moqian said to the two of them, "I'm going back to my room for a bit."
The moment he finished speaking, Kiana, who'd been absorbed in the TV, sprang to her feet and came over to him.
Su Moqian was taken aback. "Kiana, what's wrong?"
"If you're going back to your room, shouldn't I come with you?" Kiana tilted her head.
Su Moqian: "?"
Bronya: "?"
Hearing that, Bronya suddenly sensed something was off.
Noticing the atmosphere had abruptly gone stiff, Su Moqian gave an awkward laugh and patted Kiana on the head.
"Come on, I just want to spend some time alone in my room. You two can watch TV here."
"Okay, but you're not allowed to sneak out. You promised me!" Kiana puffed out her cheeks.
"Don't worry. I definitely won't sneak out today." Su Moqian reached out and gave the tip of Kiana's nose a playful tap.
Watching the two of them interact only made Bronya feel that something was even more off.
Usually cautious, she found herself studying Kiana more closely.
At the same time, she couldn't help thinking, Is this idiot going to steal my family?
But she looks so stupid. Surely she wouldn't do something like that?
At that moment, Bronya had begun to suspect Kiana, but the other girl looked so foolish that it was hard to take her seriously as a threat.
In the end, Bronya still didn't see her as an enemy. She just decided to keep a slightly closer eye on her than usual.
Back in his room, Su Moqian lay down on his bed and started thinking.
He'd managed to keep Bronya on his side, so Cocolia probably wouldn't get involved for now.
But nobody could guarantee when Cocolia might suddenly decide to come to Changkong City and make a move.
So he had to hurry.
He needed to save tomorrow's free simulation for infiltrating ME Corp., but before he started, he had to learn more about the company.
Before you continue