After leaving Svarog, Stelle and the others returned to the hotel to rest, while Bronya and Seele once again visited the Orphanage where they had lived as children.
"Look over there. See it? The roughest neighborhood in all of Rivet Town. It's also where I grew up." Seele raised a hand and pointed toward a long-abandoned street.
"I ran around there with the older kids. All I thought about was where to scrounge up my next meal." Nostalgia crept into her voice. "Until Leader Oleg hauled me out of there and sent me to the Orphanage."
"Then I learned to read and write with Natasha. When I turned ten, I started patrolling the Mining Area with Oleg. I even faced off against the local thugs..."
At that, Bronya averted her eyes and sighed. "That sounds so nice..."
"Heh, nice? Are you mocking me?" Seele looked taken aback.
Hearing the emotion in her voice, Bronya hastily said, "I'm sorry. Life in the Underworld is hard. I shouldn't have spoken so lightly of it."
But Bronya's sincere apology left Seele feeling a little embarrassed, and she turned her head away.
"Why are you being so serious about it... That's the most unbearable thing about you."
"What I mean, Seele, is that I'm a little envious of you." Bronya lowered her gaze, then continued after a moment's thought.
"For as long as I can remember, my days have been an endless cycle of studying, etiquette, and training." She complained, letting the words in her heart spill out.
"Every day, someone would remind me: remember your station, Bronya. That goes against the Architects' teachings, Bronya. A lady must never use such vulgar language, Bronya..."
"Vulgar language? Ha! What exactly did you say?" Seele raised an eyebrow, curiosity flickering in her eyes as she looked at Bronya.
After giving it some serious thought, Bronya first let out a heavy breath. "In the name of the Architects' will, I'll shove the tip of my gun up your nostril!"
"Pfft, hahahaha! That's it? That's like trying to scratch an itch through your shoe. No bite at all. How about I teach you some proper street talk before you head back?"
Thinking of how Seele usually spoke, Bronya felt a little flustered. "No, no, thank you."
Their gazes entwined, each seeking comfort in the other's eyes. When they finally realized what they were doing, both turned their flushed faces aside.
Meanwhile, on the roof of the Orphanage behind them, Zhang Xiu and Yaoshi lay on their stomachs, watching the two through binoculars.
"Seele's the top."
"No, no. Bronya may appear gentle, but her heart is strong. Bronya is the top."
"Darling, that's where you're wrong. Look how dominant Seele is! How could she possibly be the bottom?" Zhang Xiu kept his voice low, but his tone was utterly firm.
"You are mistaken, husband. As I see it, Seele still has a delicate side to her heart and needs to be cherished. If Bronya follows her nature, she will surely be the top."
Just as their argument reached a stalemate, something else happened between the pair of old acquaintances below.
An assertive determination shone in Seele's eyes as she stared straight into Bronya's silver gaze.
"If you ever find yourself in danger, I'll risk my life to save you."
Bronya froze for a moment. Then, with all the tenderness she could muster, she let these words slip from her rosy lips.
"Then I'll wait for you."
The sight made Zhang Xiu raise two fingers in triumph. This was an absolute victory for the Seele-top camp! Congratulations to the pair of old acquaintances!
Yaoshi, meanwhile, looked down at Bronya with disappointment at her failure to rise to the occasion, but there was nothing she could do.
Early the next morning, Dan Heng and March 7th stepped out of the hotel and spotted Zhang Xiu and Yaoshi looking thoroughly content.
"Wow~ Did you two sneak off on a date last night?"
"Hehe, you could say that. After plenty of effort on my part, my wife finally accepted the couple I ship."
"The couple you ship? Who is it? Come on, tell me!" March 7th's sleepy eyes widened, her interest clearly piqued.
"Bronya and Seele. Don't you think there's something going on between those two?"
"Oh, come on, Zhang Xiu. Playing matchmaker for your own amusement isn't a good habit." She shook her head with an air of worldly experience.
"Don't worry. Unless they officially announce it themselves, I won't shove it in their faces." Zhang Xiu patted his chest, striking a reassuring pose.
"Alas, it was my first attempt, and yet I misjudged..." Yaoshi sighed, raising her right hand to her forehead.
"Oh, right, I've got another pair, too. Mei the top and Kiana the bottom."
Unable to join in the three's conversation, Dan Heng could only stand quietly to one side with his arms folded.
While their discussion was in full swing, Stelle emerged from the hotel with a stretch and walked over to them, curiosity on her face.
"Ahem. All right, we should get going. It's time to head to the Overworld and rewrite Belobog's misguided future."
With the joking over, Zhang Xiu snapped his fingers. "Let's go!"
Before heading to the Overworld, however, the group decided to discuss their subsequent plans with Wildfire first, at Dan Heng's suggestion.
"Ha! Look who's here!" Oleg's face lit up at the sight of the five approaching.
Sampo immediately finished the thought for him. "Svarog's nemeses! The great heroes of the Underworld!"
"Oh, keep calling us great heroes. I like the sound of that." Zhang Xiu nodded in satisfaction, approving of Sampo's flattery.
"Where's Natasha? Is she not here?" Dan Heng looked toward Oleg.
"She still has plenty of loose ends to tie up. Just talk to this old man instead. Whatever I say goes for her, too." Oleg's gaze swept across their faces.
"Speaking of which, I really owe you all an apology. I kept it from you that I was only acting on Natasha's behalf. Hahaha."
Stelle waved a hand, putting on a gloomy expression. "Alas, whatever happened to trust between people?"
"Hahahaha! Sorry, sorry. Natasha has always been cautious, but she means no harm. I'm sure you've noticed that yourselves."
"She told me to make absolutely sure you get back to the Overworld safely." Oleg looked at Sampo beside him. "After weighing everything up, I figured the safest option was to ask this lad for help."
Zhang Xiu stretched, his bones letting out a series of cracks.
After watching that entertaining scene last night, he had already decided what to do next.
The plot was now proceeding in an orderly fashion, without any major changes caused by Zhang Xiu and Yaoshi's arrival.
But they would personally rewrite the tragedies tucked away in the corners of the original story. For example...
"Oh, right! Something happened to Scott, the owner of the Fight Club, last night. Have you heard?"
March 7th thought for a moment. "Scott? Never heard of him. Oh, but I do know the Fight Club. What happened to him?"
"Just last night, someone found him hanging dead from a streetlamp!" Sampo suddenly raised his voice, making March 7th shudder.
"D-dead? And don't suddenly scare me like that!"
Seele picked up where Sampo had left off. "Yeah. Our people found his body about ten hours ago. But Scott did plenty of evil things while he was alive. It was probably a revenge killing."
"Bronya's already gone back ahead of us. You know her relationship with the Supreme Guardian. There are some things she has to deal with herself."
"She also asked me to give you this." As she spoke, Seele took a letter from inside her clothes and handed it to Zhang Xiu.
In it, Bronya laid out her plan to face Cocolia alone, and mentioned that they could give the letter to Gepard and his sister to obtain their help.
"Then it's time to head to the next battlefield, everyone."
Before you continue