Chapter 197. The Moonlight Is So Beautiful
"Beep—beep—beep~"
As the busy tone droned after the call dropped, Elysia's smile froze on her face.
Xander Masato: "..."
Bronya: "...."
"So this is what you call a good relationship?"
Even without speakerphone, Xander could hear the voice on the other end dripping with malice.
"Ahem, Mobius is still as tsundere as ever~"
Elysia coughed twice; under Xander and Bronya's odd looks, her cheeks warmed, and she hurriedly dialed Mobius again.
The call connected almost at once.
"I told you I don't have time. Why are you calling again?"
"Don't use that tone with a cute girl. I might cry, you know~"
"Whether you cry has nothing to do with me. If you've got business, spit it out."
Hearing the impatience in Mobius's voice, Elysia didn't get angry. Smiling, she said, "Eden's hosting a soiree this weekend. It's been ages since everyone got together—I'm inviting you, of course."
"Eden's soiree... you're going too?"
"Mm-hmm~"
"Tsk."
Clicking her tongue, Mobius said, "Fine. I'll go when the time comes. If there's nothing else, I'm hanging up."
"Wait, wait."
"What now?"
Twining a lock of hair around a finger, Elysia leaned into Xander and relaxed. "It's been forever since we talked. Don't you want to chat with me a little?"
"Sorry. No."
"Ah, I'm so heartbroken~"
"Cut the chatter. If there's something else, say it."
"Hehe, remember what I told you when we picked you and Eden up at the airport? I've got a few friends I want to introduce to you."
Elysia shifted, took Xander's hand, and pressed it to her cheek, closing her eyes to savor the familiar warmth.
"Last time... that unlucky fellow you set your sights on?"
Xander Masato: "?"
Hey, how did he catch a stray bullet here? And isn't being fancied by Elysia supposed to be good luck?
"What 'unlucky'? Don't talk nonsense, Mobius. Xander and I are mutually in love."
"All right, all right, I get it. I'll be there when the time comes."
"Great~ Same place I mentioned before—where Eden's staying now. Do you know the way, or should I come get you?"
"No need. I know the address."
With that, Mobius hung up.
In the lab, Klein's eyes—so tired she could barely keep them open—suddenly widened.
What did she just see? Dr. Mobius... smiled?
"Doctor, you seem... happy?"
Taking the phone Mobius handed back, Klein asked softly.
"Am I that obvious?"
The corner of Mobius's mouth quirked; as if she'd discovered something amusing, she narrowed her eyes.
"Mm."
"Just thought of someone who piqued my interest. If that pink-haired one likes him, I'm very curious~"
She licked her lips like a snake finding its prey.
Then Mobius went on: "Klein, I'm going out this weekend. You... actually, never mind—you can take the day off."
"Mm?"
For a second, Klein wondered if she'd misheard. A little dazed, she said, "A day off... no work to do?"
Seeing the near-permanent dark circles under Klein's eyes, Mobius suddenly felt she might have pushed the kid too hard.
"Mm. Take a day off. Work can wait until I'm back."
"Is it true? I can finally rest? Thank you, Doctor."
A genuine smile bloomed on Klein's face, pricking Mobius with a small pang of guilt.
Just as Mobius was considering whether to give Klein one day off every month, over at St. Freya, Elysia dialed Eden again.
"Eden, Eden, I've already set it up with Mobius~"
"Mm. I've ordered the supplies."
Hearing the gentle, pleasant voice through the phone, Elysia went on, "Then let's decorate together on Saturday."
"Do you need my help?"
Xander spoke up then.
"If it's Saturday, I should be free too."
Lounging on Xander's lap and lazily listening to Elysia's call, Bronya chimed in, "Count me in."
"Of course! The more, the merrier."
They kept chatting with Eden until dinner time; at last, the aroma from the kitchen managed to shut the fairy lady's mouth.
When everyone sat down, they realized someone was missing.
"Where's Kiana?"
Mei glanced at the empty seat beside her, puzzled.
That didn't make sense. Usually, Kiana was the most enthusiastic eater in the house.
" 'If you're not eager to eat, your brain's got problems'—that was Kiana's life creed, after all."
"I remember she came downstairs earlier but went straight back to her room," Xander said.
A moment ago, while Elysia was on the phone, he'd watched Kiana hurry down the stairs and then hurry back to her room; she still hadn't come out.
"Is that so? Then I'll—"
"I'll go."
Before Mei could finish, Sirin stood up.
Kiana had just told her a whole string of baffling things, leaving Sirin confused; naturally, she wanted to see for herself.
No one objected. Sirin headed for the far end of the hallway.
Knock, knock, knock.
"Kiana~"
She knocked and called Kiana's name, and soon a reply came from inside.
"P-please, come in!"
For some reason, the voice was flustered. Sirin opened the door and saw Kiana by the desk facing the door—body tense—back pressed to the desk, her butt firmly pinning a drawer shut.
"W-what's up? Did you need something, Sirin?"
Sirin's gaze slid to the drawer Kiana was blocking. "Nothing. Dinner's ready—it's time to eat."
"I-I see."
Kiana exhaled.
"So what were you doing just now? You even forgot dinner."
Kiana tensed again. "N-nothing! J-just jotting something down."
"Is that so? Then let's go. We should eat."
Since Kiana didn't want to say, Sirin wouldn't pry. She turned to head back to the living room.
Kiana suddenly called after her.
"W-wait, Sirin!"
"?"
Turning back, Sirin saw Kiana's cheeks flush. One hand, scratching her face in embarrassment. After a moment's wavering, she said, "Um, after dinner, I—I want to ask your advice on a few things."
Ask her advice?
So polite?
Sirin was puzzled, but she nodded anyway.
"Okay."
...
Dinner passed quickly. During it, Elysia mentioned Sunday's gathering at Eden's; no one declined.
It was Eden's party—how could they not go?
During the break afterward, Bronya dragged Kaguya Houraisan and Seele into Apex Legends trios; bringing Seele was to give the other two a bit of weight—otherwise steamrolling would be boring. Elysia ran next door to Eden's, saying they needed to hash out a few details.
After dinner, Kiana and Sirin slunk off to Kiana's room. No one knew what the two planned to discuss. Thus, in the living room, Xander and Mei sat on the sofa, looking at each other.
"Not going to play with Bronya and the others?"
Mei asked gently.
Normally, if Elysia wasn't dragging Xander off, Bronya and Seele were hanging off him. He was always surrounded by girls; sitting alone in the living room like this felt new to Mei.
"Forget it. With the three of us together, there wouldn't be much game left for anyone else."
Checking the time, Xander said, "Since we're idle anyway, the weather's nice tonight. Want to go for a walk?"
By late April, the temperature had turned mild. Even at night, the breeze carried only a faint coolness.
In a short-sleeve shirt under a jacket, fitted trousers, and white walking sneakers, Mei stretched as she walked, loosening up.
Xander glanced at the line of her chest, made even more prominent by the stretch, and quickly looked away.
The residential area was quite large. Outside the gate, diagonally across, lay a big garden. Along the quiet path, warm streetlights lit the way.
The vast garden held only the two of them. Their soft footsteps harmonized with faint insect song. Late cherry blossoms hung pink along the branches. Breathing in the light fragrance, Mei basked in the peaceful comfort.
After a while, a voice broke the quiet.
"It feels like... I rarely spend time alone with you like this, Mei."
A serene smile graced the girl's cheeks; just looking at it, Xander's heart settled.
"Well, you're a busy man~"
Teasing him, Mei's calm expression suddenly took on the buoyant joy of a schoolgirl. The shift left Xander a little dazed.
He came back to himself with a soft laugh and a show of helplessness. "Can't be helped. Being too popular isn't my fault, right?"
Mei shot him a look of disdain but said nothing. They kept walking, savoring the night's calm.
Partway along, the streetlights went out for some reason. Silvery gauze spilled from the sky, taking their place to light the path. Sharing a glance, they walked on.
Without the lamps, the silver moon shone even brighter. The sky was cloudless. For the first time in a while, he saw a brilliant river of stars.
He lifted his head, slowed a little, and murmured, almost in a sigh, "The moonlight is so beautiful..."
"Eh?"
Mei stopped where she was. She'd been a step behind; hearing that, she looked up at the boy ahead.
Straight-backed and easy, his upturned face caught the silver glow, sketching the faint curve of his smile.
Her heartbeat quickened at once.
Wait—wait—what did Xander mean by that?
Was that a confession? A bit sudden, isn't it?
So he's finally going to make a move? Surprising, but not exactly unexpected.
On paper, he had it all: gentle, capable—he'd built a company like Fantasyland—family-minded, decent looks, and she had a good impression of him. Xander Masato was a strong candidate. If it were him, even her father would probably be supportive.
Her father loved her and supported her freedom to choose a partner, but if it were Xander, it would likely help on her father's side, too.
A pity.
He was far too much of a flirt. And sharing a boyfriend with her friends? Way too awkward.
She would never betray her friends.
Palming her warm cheeks—she'd gone to a girls' school, and this was the first "confession" from a boy—Mei struggled to calm the turbulence inside.
Just as she'd settled her thoughts and was weighing how to decline, Xander said, "Mei, what's wrong? Not feeling well?"
"Mm?"
What do you mean, what's wrong with her—weren't you the one confessing?
"Y-you—what you just said..."
"What did I say?"
Blinking, Xander looked puzzled. "I just said the moonlight's beautiful. It's like nights I saw when I was a kid. That's not a problem, is it?"
"Ah? W-when you were a kid?"
"Yeah. The weather's really nice tonight. These days it's rare to see a night sky as brilliant as when I was little."
"Hehe, y-yeah."
Mei's mouth twitched. She lowered her head, wishing she could dig a hole and crawl in.
She'd only heard half a sentence and started daydreaming—what was she, some kind of lovestruck fool?!!!
Her toes curled in her shoes. Right now, she was nothing but embarrassed—mortified.
The only mercy was that she hadn't blurted out a rejection. Otherwise, she might have died on the spot.
Bzz—bzz—bzz~
Xander's phone vibrated. With a pleasant ringtone, he answered.
"Elysia?"
"Mm, Mei and I are out for a stroll. We'll head back now."
"Got it, got it. Strawberry's fine? Don't eat too much—you'll get a stomachache."
"Since when does a hug cure stomachaches? Did modern medicine stop existing?"
"Okay. See you in a sec."
With a beep, the call ended.
Xander pocketed his phone and looked at Mei. "Come on, we should get back."
"Mm."
Mei nodded and fell in step behind him.
"Oh, right—I'm going to swing by the supermarket. Elysia's craving ice cream. We're out at home, so I'll grab some. Want to come with, Mei?"
"Ah? Mm."
At the mention of Elysia, the unguarded happiness on Xander's face left Mei a little absent-minded. After a brief daze, she nodded.
She couldn't help wondering:
Why had she so naturally assumed Xander was confessing?
...
Elsewhere, Kiana tugged Sirin onto the bed and, nerves taut, handed her a notebook.
Seeing the flyleaf with four big words—"Strategy Plan"—Sirin fell into deep silence.
Enjoyed the story? Support me and get access to early chapters by joining my Patreon!
Find me at: Patr*eon*.com/Resium
Free members can read 10+ chapters ahead of webnovel
Paid member can read 150+ chapters ahead of webnovel
Stories Available
Honkai? No, This Is Daily Life
Hogwarts Pet Master
Pokémon: Who Let Him Leave Pallet Town!
Scrolling Yu-Gi-Oh! Shorts