Arknightcraft Modpack
Chapter 636: Well, Isn't This a Coincidence?
After secretly taking advantage of the opportunity to enjoy a little intimate teasing with Yelena behind Talulah and Alina's backs, Steven finally agreed to her request. He reached out to support the girl, whose legs had already gone weak, practically helping her along as they caught up with Talulah and Alina.
Perhaps because of her unique constitution, Yelena's body was even more sensitive than Steven had imagined. All he had done was gently stroke and knead her slender waist, yet she was already so weak she could barely stand.
If he had touched somewhere else… wouldn't she have been completely at his mercy?
Before long, however, Talulah—who had been happily browsing stuffed dolls at a roadside stall with Alina—suddenly froze in place.
Then, as if she had just spotted some terrifying monster, she hurriedly hid behind Steven and tugged at him, trying to pull him away.
Everyone else stood there in confusion, completely unable to understand what had suddenly gotten into her.
"What happened?"
Even Alina, who knew Talulah better than anyone, was utterly baffled.
Talulah's reaction was simply too unusual.
It was nothing like the proud little dragon she normally was. After all, she was the sort of person who could bicker with Steven without backing down. Running away so readily just wasn't like her.
"Don't ask... I just suddenly don't feel like shopping here anymore. How about we go somewhere else?"
Keeping her head lowered so no one could see her expression, Talulah tried to sound casual, but the panic in her voice was impossible to hide.
It was as though she had seen something she absolutely did not want to face.
There was even a faint note of pleading in her tone.
Naturally, that only made Steven even more curious.
What on earth could possibly make someone as strong-willed as Talulah react like this?
His curiosity instantly kicked into overdrive.
Activating his "drama radar," Steven subconsciously expanded his mini-map to its maximum range and looked in the direction where Talulah had frozen.
It didn't take long before he found something unusual.
More precisely, he found two familiar faces.
A young woman dressed casually in denim shorts, a plain white T-shirt, and a baseball cap was browsing a nearby stall alongside a tall Oni girl wearing a kimono that looked completely out of place on her imposing physique.
The unusual pairing naturally attracted plenty of attention.
Combined with the fact that both were exceptionally beautiful, they drew an extraordinary number of glances from passersby.
Steven, however, wasn't interested in their odd combination.
His gaze settled on the dragon girl in the baseball cap, who looked as though she'd been dragged here against her will, her reluctance written all over her face.
He had to admit that Hoshiguma looked stunning in a kimono.
Her curvaceous figure was impossible to hide even beneath the traditional clothing, and her long, slender legs, only partially visible beneath the hem, were enough to make anyone steal a second glance.
But that wasn't the issue.
Talulah wasn't someone like Steven—she certainly wasn't the type to avoid someone just because they looked attractive.
That left only one possibility.
The simply dressed dragon girl standing beside Hoshiguma.
The distinctive dragon horns atop her head, along with the tail behind her, left no doubt about her identity.
Ch'en Hui-chieh.
Thinking about it, since arriving in this world, Steven had only encountered three dragonkin.
Ebony didn't count—that pure ancient dragon showed no signs whatsoever of turning into a humanoid being.
Among the remaining three, aside from Talulah—the Western fire-breathing dragon—the only others were Wei Yenwu and Ch'en, both of whom possessed the traits of Eastern dragons.
Could it be... Talulah actually had some kind of history with Ch'en?
But Western dragons and Eastern dragons were completely different creatures.
Still...
Once every impossible explanation had been ruled out, no matter how absurd the remaining answer seemed, it had to be the truth.
"Tell me..." Steven lowered his head to look at Talulah, who no longer even dared to meet his eyes.
"You're hiding from Ch'en... aren't you?"
The moment he spoke Ch'en's name, he clearly felt the girl pressed against his side tremble unnaturally.
It was obvious that the name alone had provoked an enormous reaction from her.
Judging by her reaction alone, even Yelena—who didn't know Talulah nearly as well as Steven did—could tell he had probably guessed correctly.
There was hardly any need for Talulah to confirm it.
"So let me make another bold guess." Steven stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"She and you are probably related. Distant cousins? Or maybe she's your older cousin?"
Since they were both dragons, having some blood relation seemed perfectly reasonable. Most likely distant relatives or something along those lines.
By now, Talulah had long grown accustomed to Steven's absurd deductive leaps.
His imagination had always been limitless, and his intuition was frighteningly accurate.
She had expected him to figure something like this out eventually.
But this time...
Even Steven had underestimated just how unbelievable the truth really was.
Talulah slowly lifted her head. It seemed she had resigned herself to the situation.
After letting out a quiet sigh and shaking her head, she forced a helpless smile.
"She... is my younger sister."
"Huh?!"
Steven's eyes widened in shock.
Isn't the biological difference between them a little too ridiculous?
How could these two possibly come from the same bloodline?
He might not have been an expert in biology, but he certainly hadn't forgotten everything he'd ever learned.
"My half-sister," Talulah corrected. "Same mother, different fathers. To be honest... we were actually quite close when we were children."
Apparently not wanting Steven's imagination to wander into even stranger territory, Talulah simply revealed her relationship with the police inspector standing ahead, who still hadn't noticed them.
A trace of nostalgia appeared on her face.
"But isn't that perfect?" Steven scratched his head in confusion.
"Wouldn't this be the ideal chance for a touching sisterly reunion? Why are you running away?"
"...Because..." Talulah lowered her gaze.
"I don't know what kind of identity I'm supposed to face her with."
"After all... I'm the leader of the Infected now..."
"Well, isn't that convenient?"
Steven grinned.
"She happens to be an Infected now too."
"Huh?"
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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]
Link: https://www.patreon.com/Thatsnakegirl/posts/arknightcraft-169789182?collection=55713[2]
[1] https://www.patreon.com/Thatsnakegirl/posts/arknightcraft-169789182?collection=55713
[2] https://www.patreon.com/Thatsnakegirl/posts/arknightcraft-169789182?collection=55713