"Hnnngg— Sister Bronya, there's no way I can become like that!" Seele huffed as she swatted Bronya's hand away. "Hmph, if Sister says that, then I want the big Sister Bronya from the Celestial Screen too!"
Bronya stared incredulously at Seele in the Celestial Screen. The difference was just too... Well, it wasn't that she couldn't understand, but it was still hard to accept all at once.
Seele loved all kinds of little dresses, but sexy shorts were something she would absolutely never wear normally. Around Bronya, Seele was usually like a little cake—soft and sweet... Only when facing enemies would she show her sharp side.
But her alternate self—
[At the sight of Seele, the miners immediately scattered.]
[Sampo let out a long sigh: "Miss Seele! Whew, thank goodness you showed up in time. I owe you one~"]
["Shut it, Sampo. You're not getting off the hook either. [Wildfire] has enough problems to deal with without you adding to them." Seele snorted in annoyance before turning to Bronya: "I heard a Silvermane Guard came down to the Underworld... That you?"]
[Bronya's gaze sharpened: "You're the ones who kidnapped me and brought me underground. What exactly are you plotting?"]
["Hah, 'what exactly are you plotting'... She still thinks she's the little princess from up above." Seele's face was full of disdain and disgust as she crossed her arms and coldly demanded: "Comfy up there, huh? Do you even know what's become of the Underworld? Do you care if the people down here live or die?"]
["The Silvermane Guards aren't just 'comfortably' staying aboveground!" Bronya retorted heatedly. "The Guards have been fighting enemies, protecting Belobog from monsters... protecting everyone, above and below."]
["Oh, that's rich. What exactly have you protected?" Seele sneered. "Pulling all the Guards up top and sealing the passage between the two layers, let's be honest, wasn't that just to protect your precious [Architects]?"]
[Faced with Seele's full-force aggression, Bronya had no rebuttal, her momentum weakening considerably: "The Guardian has her considerations..."]
Bronya stared dumbfounded at the Seele in the Celestial Screen, no, her alternate self, who wouldn't stop talking.
She couldn't even imagine this being Seele. At the orphanage, they had lived together, undergone experiments together... The Seele she knew...
Probably wouldn't say this much in an entire day!
"So you can be this sharp... Seele." Bronya giggled, nuzzling her cheek against Seele's thigh as if savoring the moment. Seeing such contrasting versions of Seele, she couldn't help but marvel at how fascinating this alternate world was.
Meanwhile, Seele had completely frozen.
This...
This this this...!
She would never speak to Sister Bronya like that, leaving her speechless. In her heart, Sister Bronya was everything to her. But the scenes in the Celestial Screen were just... just... Seele lowered her head, her face burning with embarrassment.
"Seele." Bronya smiled softly, slowly rising to stand behind her. Her slender fingers lifted the girl's chin: "If your alternate self talks like that, you'll have to be punished too, Seele."
"Sister Bronya... you're being unreasonable." Seele raised her head, feeling Bronya's breath against her ear. Instead of turning away, she instinctively looked up and asked: "What kind of punishment?"
Bronya didn't answer.
But Seele could already feel her sister's hand slowly trailing down from her jaw, moving to her neck, then to her snow-white collarbone...
Seele heard her own heart pounding, her face instantly flushing a deep red, hot and feverish.
The girl's voice carried a hint of temptation: "Seele, your punishment is—"
"Ahem, ahem, ahem!!"
A sharp cough interrupted Bronya's actions. She turned to see Kiana and Mei, their faces just as red, deliberately looking away as if avoiding the awkwardness.
Meanwhile, Miss Himeko nearby wore an expression of pure disappointment, as if she'd just missed out on something good.
"Maybe... save it for the dorm tonight..." Kiana trailed off, leaving the rest unsaid.
After all, they were still in the classroom. If this went any further... well.
——
["Anyway, you're coming with me. Chief Oleg wants to see you, seems like he's got a lot of questions."]
[Upon hearing that Bronya was to be taken to Wildfire's leader, Sampo immediately insisted on joining the meeting.]
[Seele shot Sampo a sidelong glance of disdain, saying that if he really wanted to see Oleg now, he'd have to follow her to the Great Mine, where Wildfire was currently dealing with trouble.]
[Stelle didn't hesitate either, immediately tagging along.]
[Along the way, Stelle asked Seele what exactly was happening underground, as the situation seemed dire.]
[Mentioning this, Seele's gaze darkened, her expression turning solemn.]
["There used to be many mines underground, but in recent years, a phenomenon called the Fragmentum has been spreading, corroding the depths. Many mining sites have been lost, no longer viable for extraction."]
["The mine we're heading to is one of the relatively intact ones, still clean. A group of vagrants whose homes were swallowed by the Fragmentum have settled here, but with more people comes trouble, some troublemakers mixed in, constantly picking fights with the miners."]
["What started as minor scuffles escalated into large-scale clashes in recent days. To quell the unrest, Oleg led [Wildfire] into the mines, leaving me in charge of security. Now I have to go support them..."]
[Entering the mining area, they could see Natasha from afar, treating injured miners. The large crowd around her made it clear the situation was critical.]
[From Natasha, they learned the root of the conflict: the first mining team had discovered a [Geomarrow] vein, the largest deposit in thirty years. The miners wanted to keep it quiet, but word got out to the vagrants. These thugs tried to extort hush money, crossing a line for the miners, and the two sides clashed violently.]
[Natasha studied the group behind Seele: "Did you come here to help resolve the mining dispute?"]
"Why go through all this trouble? Just blow up all the troublemakers—problem solved!" Jinx fiddled with the safety pin of her grenade, a crimson glint flashing in her eyes. "Permanent solution!"
"Heh... Jinx, killing everyone won't settle things in a situation like this." Silco mused. "You'd need to divide the factions among the vagrants, weaken them gradually. Of course, making an example out of someone can work... but you'd have to pick the right target."
"Still, I'm curious what this 'Oleg' leader will choose to do in this situation..."