The two of them ate their pizza in silence.
Patty suddenly pointed toward the mechanical dolls in the center of the pizza parlor, appearing a bit uneasy. "Sephirot, were their heads just facing us a second ago?"
Sephirot wiped his mouth and glanced in the direction she was pointing, his tone completely flat. "Yeah, you aren't seeing things. Looks like we've already been targeted."
He paused, taking a sip of the Cola at the edge of the table. "But don't be nervous. Word has it that as long as you sit still and pretend to be a pizza yourself, they won't attack you."
"Do you take me for an idiot?!"
Patty was so annoyed she nearly threw her fork at him.
Ding-ling...
The bell above the main door chimed.
Four young women dressed in breezy, revealing clothes walked through the door, their figures striking.
"How's the packing for the trip coming along?"
"Jeans, flats..."
"..."
They chatted incessantly about their upcoming itinerary, bringing a splash of color to the desolate pizza parlor.
The owner, who had been dozing off behind the counter, immediately rushed out with a beaming smile the moment he saw the four hotties.
His service, serving tea and wiping down tables, was a complete 180-degree turn from the attitude he'd shown Sephirot while taking his order earlier.
Among the group, a woman with long blonde hair scanned the restaurant, her gaze quickly locking onto Sephirot.
Sephirot had a classic mixed-race Chinese look with sharp, defined features.
Having just come from a battle, he still carried a sharp, aggressive edge, which, combined with the lock of silver-white hair falling over his forehead, gave him an aura of fatal attraction.
The blonde's eyes lit up slightly. She detached herself from her group and circled around the center stage to Sephirot and Patty's table.
"Hi, handsome."
Axelle swayed as she walked up behind Sephirot, her hands resting naturally on the back of his chair as she leaned down slightly.
The posture put her curves on full display, her chest nearly pressing against the back of Sephirot's head.
She tilted her head, and the beauty mark beneath the corner of her mouth became even more seductive as her red lips curved into a smile.
Axelle brushed her long hair behind her ear, sending a strong waft of perfume drifting into Sephirot's nose. "Looking at your ages, are you two out on spring break as well?"
"Yeah, just survived a pretty thrilling road trip."
Sephirot turned his head and gave her a slight smile.
"Oh? Sounds like you have quite a story."
Axelle clearly misinterpreted him, assuming the "road trip" Sephirot mentioned referred to some kind of wild party.
Her eyes rippled with intent as she flaunted her seductive curves without reservation, completely ignoring Patty sitting across from him to focus on flirting with Sephirot.
Sephirot didn't reject the temptation dropped at his doorstep; instead, he handled the conversation with ease.
The two talked merrily, and Sephirot's occasional humorous remarks even had Axelle covering her mouth as she giggled. Sitting opposite them, Patty watched the scene unfold, her cheeks puffing out in fury.
Using her knife and fork with unnecessary force, she stabbed and sawed at the pizza scraps on her plate, her eyes locked onto the blonde woman as if she were trying to bore holes through her with her gaze.
That absolute bastard Sephirot! Just a moment ago, he was negotiating terms with her, claiming he was broke and making her cover all his expenses.
And now, the second he sees a blonde with a large chest, he can't even move his legs?!
*Is mine not big enough?!*
Indignant, she lowered her head and took a disgruntled peek at her own chest.
*Well...*
There was nothing obstructing her view; she could see her feet perfectly clearly.
She got even angrier.
Was she, a young girl, seriously going to have to foot the bill for their hotel room while this guy hooked up with some bombshell?
Watching Sephirot chat and smile with the woman, Patty's temper flared. She reached under the table and gave him a sharp kick.
"Sss—"
Sephirot rubbed his leg, his expression unchanged. Looking at Patty, who was currently resembling a pufferfish, he turned back to Axelle with a helpless smile.
"It seems my young lady is a bit upset, Ms. Axelle."
Axelle glanced at Patty, whose face was practically screaming "I'm angry," but rather than taking offense, she teased:
"Having a fiery little sister tagging along is certain to be a headache."
Before leaving, she seemed to suddenly remember something and extended an invitation to Sephirot:
"By the way, I know of a very fun place nearby, a small town with a tiny population that you can't even find on a map."
"It was established by a small group of fallen Eastern European nobles who were tired of war. Even after all these years, it still retains an ancient, exotic Eastern European charm, complete with natural hot springs and parties."
At this, the look she gave Sephirot turned seductive as she ran a hand over his shoulder. "The hot springs there are clothing-optional... perhaps I'll finally get a chance to admire the abs you're hiding under those clothes..."
Faced with such an unambiguous invitation from a beautiful woman who had clearly taken a liking to him, Sephirot nodded decisively, completely ignoring Patty's murderous glare beside him.
"That sounds wonderful, but our car has had a bit of an accident. I'm afraid we'll have to trouble you for a lift."
"No problem at all. There's plenty of room in our car; you're more than welcome anytime."
Axelle winked at Sephirot, left him with a glamorous smile, and turned to walk back to her friends' table.
Once Axelle was out of earshot, Patty finally exploded.
She hissed through gritted teeth, "You've fallen low, Sephirot!"
"You're actually going to leave with them for some woman, without even knowing who they really are? Are you that into her? Just because her chest is big?!"
Sephirot smiled as he looked at Patty's slightly heaving chest. "Maybe?"
Before Patty could lose it, he pulled back his smile and said seriously, "Don't worry, I haven't reached the point where I lose my head over a woman."
"That woman is a bit off. Didn't you say I was in charge of the itinerary? I promise, this spring break will definitely be exciting."
Patty snorted and looked at him warily. "Stop making excuses! I'm warning you, my card only covers reasonable hotel expenses. If you dare go to those hot springs with that woman behind my back, don't even think of getting a single cent out of me for your room!"
Sephirot: "...?"
Where exactly was her train of thought going?
On the other side, Axelle returned to her seat and told the other three girls about Sephirot.
After hearing the story, a long-haired girl who seemed quite uninhibited stood up excitedly and shouted toward Sephirot.
When Sephirot looked over, she boldly blew him a kiss.
He merely responded with a polite smile.
Of the other two girls at the table, one with a slight overbite was busy writing something down with a pen, stealing glances at Sephirot from time to time.
The final girl, whose hair was tied up and who possessed a relatively composed aura, gave Sephirot a slight smile and a nod.
Sephirot found himself staring at this woman for a moment longer.
That face, sharply defined yet carrying a hint of wildness and cold elegance, felt strangely familiar.
She looked remarkably like the protagonist of the Resident Evil films he had seen in his previous life, the battle goddess Alice.
However, on closer inspection, it was just a strong resemblance in her temperament and the shape of her eyes.
(Translated by yourtl.app)
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TL NOTES — CROSSOVER GUIDE
Some references in this chapter come from source universes that may be unfamiliar to some readers. The notes below are here to help readers unfamiliar with these universes follow along more easily.
CHARACTERS
Alice — The protagonist of the Resident Evil film series. A former high-ranking Umbrella security operative, she was exposed to the T-virus and bonded with it, gaining superhuman strength, speed, agility, accelerated healing, and telekinetic abilities. She becomes Umbrella's most dangerous enemy and one of the last lines of defense against the global zombie outbreak. The girl at the table in this chapter is not Alice; Sephirot simply notes a strong physical resemblance.