Chapter 196: The Logic Is Sound, But The Words Are A Bit Crude
A sudden pfft of suppressed laughter escaped from nearby. Serval, who had been relegated to a support role, clapped a hand over her mouth, but it was too late.
In a clash between titans of the Emanator level, her role was necessarily limited to providing support from the rear. When Phantylia had unleashed her last area-of-effect attack, it was Leon who had casually stepped in front of her, shielding her from the blast. They weren't standing far apart, so March 7th's rather… shocking declaration had carried over to her, clear as day.
An indescribably complex expression crossed Leon's face.
'Good grief,'he thought, a wry smirk threatening to break through his composure.'After hunting geese all day, I finally get pecked by one.' Was this what they meant by walking by the river so often that your shoes were bound to get wet?
"Who are you?! What do you want, possessing March 7th's body?!" Leon seized her by the shoulders, his expression a mask of theatrical horror as he began to shake her. "March 7th would never say something like that!"
"What do you mean I wouldn't say that?!" Not to be outdone, March 7th grabbed his shoulders in turn, shaking him right back. "You're the one who said you 'took a fancy to Phantylia's body' first!" she practically shrieked. "I won't have any weird rumors spreading on the Astral Express!"
"Huh?" Leon pulled back, his face a perfect picture of innocent confusion. "Little March, where on earth is your mind wandering?"
He adopted a look that clearly said, 'There's something wrong with you.'
"Phantylia's current body is a precious material forged from the Ambrosial Arbor and blessed by the Abundance," he explained, ticking off the points on his fingers. "Whether it's handed over to Ruan Mei for her research or dismantled to craft weapons and armor, it's a top-tier resource…" He paused, tilting his head. "What does any of that have to do with me being too repressed and needing a girlfriend?"
"Is… is that what you meant?"
March 7th froze. A beat of silence passed. Then, she subconsciously fished a handkerchief from her pocket and began dabbing at her forehead, a bead of sweat she hadn't realized was there suddenly feeling very prominent. The gesture was an almost perfect replica of one of her iconic stickers; the real-life version was, admittedly, utterly adorable.
In that single instant, the full weight of her misunderstanding crashed down on her, and a furious blush bloomed across her face.
"Um… of course that's what I meant," Leon said, his eyes practically dancing with mirth, though his expression remained one of pure, unadulterated bewilderment. "Could there possibly be any other meaning?"
"Right, right, right," March 7th stammered, her face growing even redder. "That's what I meant, too. Absolutely no other meaning."
'Oh my god,'she wailed internally.'I actually thought Leon was so repressed he was having fantasies about Phantylia's body.'
How could she even think that? March 7th began a deep, soul-searching reflection. When had her mind become so… polluted?
Hmm… Her eyes darted sideways, landing on Leon's smugly innocent face.
'Isn't it all because of you?!'she silently accused, instantly locking onto the'culprit.'
Wait a second. Did he just… play her for a fool again?
March 7th's eyebrow shot up, her gaze turning sharp with suspicion. It couldn't be helped; after spending so much time with this guy, Little March had 'grown' a bit wiser to his ways.
"So, in Little March's eyes… I'm actually such a 'repressed' person?" Leon clutched his chest, putting on a look of utter despair.
Hearing him frame it like that, March 7th awkwardly wiped her brow again.
It seemed… that was true, wasn't it? Aside from some over-the-top theatrics when he first encountered a beautiful woman, Leon's usual behavior was actually quite normal. She had been overthinking things…
"And if I were really that 'repressed'…" Leon added, leaning in conspiratorially. "Aren't you attractive, Little March? Isn't Serval attractive? Isn't Himeko attractive? Isn't Stelle attractive? Why on earth would I fixate on Phantylia?"
March 7th fell silent for two long seconds as the blush, which had been concentrated on her cheeks, spread all the way to the tips of her ears.
That… also seemed right. Which one of them wasn't a hundred times better looking than Phantylia's monstrous form?
So she really had misunderstood him?
How… how mortifying… She had even told him to 'find a girlfriend'… Could a crack please open in the ground right now so she could crawl in and never come out?
"Hey, Leon, say what you want, but why are you dragging me into this?" Serval protested from the side, though a wide smile played on her lips.
"Don't be modest, Serval. You're very charming to begin with," Leon replied with a grin of his own.
"I'm not being modest," Serval shot back, arching a perfectly sculpted eyebrow. "I know I'm very charming, okay?"
Was that really the point she was trying to make?
"March, don't overthink it," Serval added, the corners of her mouth curling into a beautiful arc. "I think Leon did it on purpose."
"Exactly, exactly! You definitely did it on purpose!" March 7th's confidence surged back in an instant. She puffed out her chest, striking a pose that screamed, 'I've seen through your little game!'
It was as if deciding Leon had done it intentionally could somehow lessen the mortifying embarrassment she had just felt.
"I really didn't… You're the one whose thoughts went down the wrong path first," Leon shrugged, but then his smile deepened into something far more mischievous. "But I don't care. Since Little March told me to 'find a girlfriend'—you have to take responsibility."
"Ta-take what responsibility…" March 7th's bravado deflated like a popped balloon. "Fine, fine, I apologize. It was my fault…"
"Nope, no apologies." Leon's gaze locked onto hers, a playful light shining in his eyes. "Either you help me find a girlfriend, or…"
Sensing the direction of his gaze, March 7th's face ignited once more.
'So cute,'Leon thought.'I really want to pinch her cheeks.'
"Stop bullying March 7th," Serval chuckled, shaking her head at the scene. The sight of March getting flustered was just too precious.
"Actually, Serval, you… wouldn't be a bad choice either?" Leon mused, turning his attention to her and raising an eyebrow.
"Is that so?" Serval's eyebrow shot up to match his, a daring glint in her eyes. Her next words were nothing short of shocking. "I've always treated you like a brother, and you actually want to get with me?"
Hearing Serval's incredibly bold retort, March 7th's eyes widened into saucers. As the saying goes, the logic is sound even if the words are crude, but wasn't this a little too crude?
A series of silent, phantom messages seemed to flash through Leon's mind.
[Aha: Suppressing laughter… Record it! Record all of it!]
[System Notice: A new Light Cone concept has been proposed by an anonymous entity—'Serval: I Treated You Like a Brother, But You Want to Get With Me?']
[Leon: Delete it. Delete it all.]
[Anonymous Entity: Heehee…]
'Fuli, you've really learned some bad habits from Aha…' Leon grumbled internally.
"I say, is it really okay for us to be so leisurely over here?"
Bailu, who had been standing quietly beside Leon, finally decided she couldn't listen anymore and chimed in softly. Were these things really appropriate for a 'child' like her to hear? Of course, if one were to count the years, Bailu suspected she might be older than Leon and the others combined. But she was a Vidyadhara, a long-lived species, and in her current form, she was just a child.
"Over there… the fight is turning the world upside down," Bailu added, pointing a small finger toward the heart of the battlefield.
"Don't worry, it's not a big problem," Leon chuckled, his confidence unwavering.
The lineup currently facing Phantylia was far more formidable than the one from the original game's plot. It was plain to see that after only a short exchange, they had already forced Phantylia into her second phase., several combatants in this battle had yet to unleash their full power; they were still holding back.
Of course, Phantylia was blissfully unaware of this.
From her perspective, she held an overwhelming advantage.
"To crush ants… nothing is more fitting than dropping a 'star'."
A contemptuous smile twisted Phantylia's lips. She raised her massive right arm, and a ball of chaotic light began to condense in her palm. The vibrant vitality of Abundance and the chilling silence of Destruction twisted and merged within the sphere, emitting fluctuations that made the heart palpitate with dread.
In the next moment, Phantylia crushed the sphere of light in her hand.
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