Arknightcraft Modpack
Chapter 637: Leave It to Me
Talulah, who had just been agonizing over how she should face the younger sister she'd been separated from for so many years, suddenly lifted her head and stared at Steven in complete disbelief.
What he had just said struck her like a bolt of lightning.
Unlike Talulah, who had spent years surviving in the harsh environment of Ursus, Ch'en had grown up in Lungmen, where the living conditions were practically luxurious by comparison. There shouldn't have been much chance for her to contract Oripathy.
On top of that, Ch'en's race gave her a naturally strong constitution, making infection even less likely.
Even Talulah herself had only become infected after deliberately coming into contact with Originium.
So how could someone like Ch'en, who had lived in the relative safety of Lungmen all these years, possibly end up infected?
"Don't look at me like that. I'm not some omniscient god," Steven said helplessly.
"I don't know everything. But I have no reason to lie to you about her having Oripathy."
"Besides, if you think about it, she's my little sister-in-law."
Seeing the confusion written all over Talulah's face, Steven could only tell her what he knew.
As for how Ch'en had become infected...
He had no idea.
"If you're really that curious, why not just go ask her yourself?"
He pointed toward Ch'en, who still hadn't noticed their group.
"She's your sister. That's all the more reason not to keep avoiding her."
"If you don't talk to each other, how can either of you ever understand the other?"
Steven's words were meant as encouragement.
Since Talulah clearly cared so much about Ch'en's situation, there was no point in running away.
Running away wouldn't solve anything.
Only by talking openly could they ever hope to find a solution.
"I..."
Yet after hearing him, Talulah visibly shrank back again.
It was obvious that she still wasn't mentally prepared to face the younger sister who had long since become a stranger.
"If I were you," another voice suddenly said, "I'd walk right up to her."
"She's your family."
"I don't know what hardships you've been through."
"But none of that is a reason to avoid your own family."
It was Yelena.
Normally, she wouldn't have involved herself in something so personal.
But when she thought of the Yeti Squadron—the brothers and sisters she considered her own family—she felt she had to say something.
At least from her perspective, she simply couldn't understand why Talulah would hesitate over something like this.
"I'm... not trying to run away."
Talulah rarely showed such vulnerability in front of Yelena.
Lowering her head in embarrassment, she quietly confessed what was truly on her mind.
"I just... honestly don't know how to face her."
"I don't even know whether she still remembers me."
"Well, that's easy enough."
Steven flashed a broad grin.
The instant Talulah saw that smile, she had a very bad feeling about what he was planning.
Before she could stop him, Steven had already turned toward Ch'en and called out loudly.
"Good evening, Inspector Ch'en!"
He shouted without the slightest concern that they were standing in the middle of a crowded festival street—or that the girl beside him was still struggling to work up the courage to greet her sister.
His voice was loud enough that, unless Ch'en had somehow gone deaf, there was no way she could miss it.
Confused, Ch'en turned around.
The first thing she saw… was someone she really hadn't wanted to run into.
Steven.
She had already gone to Wei Yenwu to confirm his identity.
Officially speaking, he could indeed be considered a friend of Lungmen.
But somehow, that only made Ch'en even less sure how to deal with him.
His personality simply wasn't the type that respected rules.
And if there was one thing Ch'en wanted most, it was for everyone to follow the rules a little more faithfully.
Besides, she had finally managed to use her vacation to enjoy the Sauin Pilgrimage.
Why did she have to run into this unlucky guy of all people?
It wasn't that she deliberately held a grudge against Steven.
It was simply an undeniable fact that almost every single encounter she'd had with him had ended in some kind of disaster.
Saying that the two of them were natural jinxes for one another wouldn't have been much of an exaggeration.
Ch'en's first instinct was to pretend she hadn't heard him and quickly drag Hoshiguma away.
Unfortunately for her, unlike Ch'en, Hoshiguma actually had a rather favorable impression of Steven.
After all, Steven was actually quite an interesting person.
He had also helped her solve quite a few problems.
More importantly, if Steven hadn't warned her about the serious matter Ch'en had been hiding, she never would have discovered it so early.
Knowing about it sooner meant taking precautions sooner.
At the very least, with Hoshiguma keeping an eye on her now, Ch'en's condition had shown no signs of getting worse.
"Yo! Steven, isn't it? What a coincidence! You all came shopping too?"
Pulling Ch'en along, Hoshiguma walked over on her wooden geta sandals, the clack-clack of each step echoing across the street.
Although kimono were usually meant to emphasize a woman's elegance and grace, somehow, when worn by the towering Oni woman, they instead gave off an unexpectedly wild aura.
She looked every bit like a classic yakuza boss lady.
It was hard to imagine that she was actually an officer of the Lungmen Guard Department.
"More or less," Steven replied.
"I mainly called you over because I saw you two and wanted to say hello."
"Besides... one of my friends happens to be especially interested in Inspector Ch'en."
Steven stated his intentions with complete honesty, making absolutely no effort to hide anything on Talulah's behalf.
After all, now that he'd already called Ch'en over, surely Talulah wouldn't keep hiding behind him forever?
Ch'en was her little sister, not her enemy.
Even if the two recognized each other, there was no reason for things to end in conflict.
"Hm? Your friend?"
Hoshiguma grinned teasingly.
"Your girlfriend?"
But the moment she noticed the beautiful girls hanging onto Steven from both sides, her smile froze slightly.
She had only been joking.
So why did all three girls seem to be looking at Steven with unmistakably affectionate eyes?
More importantly...
Why hadn't they started fighting each other?
What is this? Some harem protagonist treatment?
If Lungmen actually had laws against polygamy, Hoshiguma would have seriously wanted to drag him in for questioning.
Compared to Hoshiguma, however, Ch'en—who had also been about to make some sarcastic remark about Steven's chaotic relationships with women—completely froze the instant she saw the girl trying her best to hide behind Steven's back.
Using Steven's body as a shield, the girl clearly hoped Ch'en wouldn't notice her.
Ch'en stood there, stunned.
"T-Ta... Talulah?"
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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