Arknightcraft Modpack
Chapter 622: You're Right
"Don't listen to her nonsense. JK uniforms are a treasure bestowed upon humanity by the heavens. How could anyone simply give up on them? No amount of androgynous fashion can compare."
Now that was where Steven drew the line.
Sure, his tastes could be a little questionable at times, but he still knew what looked good and what didn't. An androgynous style suited Irene well enough, but that wasn't the point. The appeal here was the contrast gap—the unexpected charm.
"Is that really the point here?"
Irene's hand instinctively moved toward her waist.
Only for her to realize that, because she had gone out on a date with Steven today, the hand cannon that normally never left her side was currently being kept by Steven's for safekeeping. Not only the handgun—even her sword was resting peacefully in his backpack.
Suppressing the urge to stab Steven three times through and through, Irene raised her head and met Centaurea's provocative gaze.
The hostility in the other girl's eyes mirrored her own.
At that moment, Irene understood exactly where Centaurea stood.
There was no need for explanations.
The girl had openly challenged her. There was no chance of sitting down for a friendly heart-to-heart now.
"Well then, if you two want to keep discussing which outfit looks better, maybe I should leave first? You can call me back after you've finished arguing, okay?"
For perhaps the first time in his life, Steven felt two overwhelming pressures bearing down on him from opposite sides.
He had always known this day might come.
He just hadn't expected it to arrive so soon.
Talulah and Yelena usually did little more than trade verbal jabs. Irene and Centaurea, on the other hand, looked fully prepared to grab each other by the hair and start a war right there in the store.
This was far beyond Steven's area of expertise.
His first instinct?
Run like hell.
Unfortunately, expecting Irene and Centaurea to be as considerate as Alina was pure fantasy.
More importantly, Steven himself was the central figure responsible for this disaster. The flames of war had started because of him.
There was no escaping the battlefield that easily.
""You think you can get away?""
The two girls spoke in perfect unison.
Each grabbed one of Steven's arms, left and right, before turning identical stares upon him.
Starting a mess and then trying to walk away?
Not happening.
"What do you mean, 'get away'? Whether I can leave or not depends entirely on whether you two allow it."
Pressing his lips together, Steven forced out a smile that looked more painful than cheerful.
If it came down to pure strength, of course nobody here could stop him.
But strength wasn't the issue.
What good would fighting ability do in a situation like this?
Was he supposed to knock both girls flat on the floor and somehow turn them into his loyal followers through brute force?
"You already know we won't allow it, so shouldn't you at least explain yourself?" Irene snapped. "Or maybe introduce us properly? Let us get to know each other?"
Just looking at Steven's expression irritated her.
The way he said it almost sounded proud.
What exactly was there to be proud of?
Only moments ago, after Steven had helped remove her scars, Irene's heart had been overflowing with gratitude.
Now that gratitude had transformed into pure fury.
The more she liked him before, the more she wanted to bite him alive right now.
Of course, she couldn't actually do that.
For one thing, they were in public. Making a scene would affect more than just Steven.
And besides...
She still wanted an explanation.
What if this was all some misunderstanding?
Meanwhile, the clothing store employees walked right past the group with the practiced indifference of veterans.
To them, this was just another case of a cheating boyfriend getting caught red-handed.
It's hardly a rare sight.
"Exactly."
Centaurea narrowed her eyes and smiled sweetly—a smile far more dangerous than any frown.
"I'd also like to know where you found such a cute little girl. Aren't you worried she might be underage? If I remember correctly, Lungmen has laws regarding that sort of thing."
Though she was speaking to Steven, every word felt like an attack aimed directly at Irene.
"..."
Steven fell silent.
After taking a deep breath, he finally spoke.
"Alright. I'll just be honest."
"The situation is exactly what it looks like. I'm not going to make excuses."
"If you want to get acquainted, do it. If you want to fight, go do it outside."
Taking a deep breath, Steven finally threw out a statement that sounded like he had completely given up.
"Why does it sound like you're the one suffering here?" Irene puffed out her cheeks. "Is explaining yourself really that difficult?"
He felt wronged?
She felt even more wronged!
She had come out happily to spend the day with him. Then, while she was simply trying on some clothes, another girl suddenly appeared out of nowhere and started competing with her.
"Honestly, there isn't much to explain."
Compared to Irene, Centaurea was far more relaxed about the situation.
She casually twirled a strand of hair around her finger.
"I guess you could say I'm his kept secretary?"
She paused and thought about it.
"The more I think about it, the more fitting that title sounds."
A man like Steven—strong, capable, charismatic in his own way—being popular with women was the most natural thing imaginable.
Besides, anyone who knew him could tell what kind of person he was.
Freedom always came first.
Expecting him to devote himself wholeheartedly to a single person?
Whether such a thing was even possible was another matter entirely, but Centaurea knew one thing for sure:
If there really was a position for "the one and only," it certainly wouldn't be hers.
Thanks to countless hours spent watching melodramatic romance dramas whenever she got bored at home, Centaurea quickly arrived at her own conclusion.
Whether it was correct or not hardly mattered.
After all, it wouldn't change the reality standing before them.
"As for you..." Centaurea looked Irene up and down. "Let me guess. You're another secretary he's keeping in some other country?"
She smiled brightly.
"In that case, we're actually pretty equal. Neither of us is really in a position to look down on the other."
After observing Irene for a moment, Centaurea was fairly certain she wasn't from Lungmen.
And while Irene clearly had a close relationship with Steven, she didn't look like someone who had fully secured the position of official girlfriend either.
At least, not yet.
The confidence was there.
The title wasn't.
"What secretary?!"
Irene nearly jumped.
"He and I are just coworkers! Like-minded coworkers!"
Then she pointed accusingly at Centaurea.
"And unlike you, you're obviously the culprit behind all his laziness and indulgence in women!"
Unfortunately, Centaurea's guess had hit uncomfortably close to the truth.
Irene really did handle a great deal of Steven's Iberia affairs, so calling her a secretary wasn't entirely wrong.
The only difference was that her duties remained strictly professional, unlike the Kuranta standing before her.
A Kuranta who was currently holding an utterly shameless outfit in her hands.
One look was enough for Irene to conclude that this woman was absolutely the type who wouldn't stop until every last drop of Steven's energy had been drained away.
If Steven followed her home...
He looked like the kind of man who might not survive to see the next sunrise.
"You're not wrong."
Centaurea shrugged lightly.
"But he likes it."
Her smile widened.
"What am I supposed to do about that?"
She didn't find the accusation embarrassing in the slightest.
Why would she?
If Steven liked that side of her, then it was simply one of her strengths.
Beside her, Steven nodded in perfect agreement.
That part was absolutely true.
He couldn't exactly betray his own heart.
"You two are impossible!"
Irene grabbed at her hair in frustration.
She genuinely felt like she was losing her mind.
Steven's shamelessness had already exceeded anything she had ever witnessed.
Who could have guessed there was another one just like him waiting around the corner?
And unlike them, Irene happened to possess an abundance of common sense and embarrassment.
How was she supposed to compete with opponents like these?
"Please don't include me in that."
Steven finally couldn't help speaking up.
He had been trying his best to minimize his presence and leave the stage to the two girls, yet somehow the splash damage had still landed squarely on him.
"I haven't even done anything. How am I shameless too?"
""You shut up!""
The two girls shouted at exactly the same time.
Twin murderous glares instantly locked onto Steven.
The effect was immediate.
Steven closed his mouth.
"..."
A wise man knew when to retreat.
Besides, staying quiet wouldn't cost him a piece of flesh.
So for now, silence seemed like the safest option.
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Note: Character Illustration is in this Google Drive:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1iuyfwNVFHzIi9H4rWNT_lAm7jTSiah_M
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Tn: I updated the story daily, but if you want to see more chapter of this story ahead of time, please go to my Patreon.
Latest Chapter: Chapter 689: Impossible to Refute[1]
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[1] https://www.patreon.com/Thatsnakegirl/posts/arknightcraft-169789182?collection=55713
[2] https://www.patreon.com/Thatsnakegirl/posts/arknightcraft-169789182?collection=55713