Chapter 258 Don't I Have One...

The screen lit up with a crisp glow.

Silver Wolf was curled up on a plush sofa, her attention entirely absorbed by the handheld console in her grip. On the floating holographic display beside her, Kafka's incoming messages began popping up in rapid succession.

[Kafka]: Darling, you there?

[Kafka (Megaphone)]: You there? You there? You there? You there? You there? You there?

Silver Wolf raised a single eyebrow, her fingers never stopping their frantic dance across the buttons. She casually tapped out a two-word reply on her floating keyboard.

[Silver Wolf]: Not here.

[Kafka (Chuckling)]: You're going to lose. Elio said so.

Over in the real world, the bullet chat in Guinaifen's livestream instantly exploded into a chaotic waterfall of text.

"Ahhh, the emoji Kafka used when messaging is just too cute!"

"Both of them are so adorable! Silver Wolf is acting exactly like a rebellious teenager, and Mommy is just like a doting mother checking in!"

"Hahaha, is the HSR community's Mommy meme never going to end?"

On the screen, Silver Wolf completely ignored the older woman's teasing message, her eyes locked onto her game. Her thumbs moved in a blur of practiced maneuvering, but a moment later, a bright red 'GAME OVER' flashed across her screen. She had lost.

"Missions and stuff like that..."

She let out a long stretch, popping her shoulders with a lazy, drawn-out sigh.

"Isn't it fine to just finish it in a few moves? Ah, let's make it quick."

As the words left her lips, her physical figure began to glitch. She dissipated into a stream of glowing digital data, instantly reassembling herself inside the metallic corridors of the Herta Space Station the very next second.

"Antimatter Legion?"

She reached up and pulled her signature sunglasses down over her eyes. The moment the tinted lenses slipped into place, the entire physical world shifted. The environment instantly transformed into a retro game interface. To her, those towering, hideous Void Rangers were nothing more than low-resolution monster icons hovering on a screen.

"Just a few small fry. Nothing special..."

She casually blew a bubble with her chewing gum, her tone dripping with absolute disdain.

"Still, if it's treated as a novice tutorial, it's not unplayable."

A heavy, synthesized electronic beat dropped, and the background music suddenly became intense.

Silver Wolf's battle commenced. It was a stark contrast to Kafka's elegant, deadly waltz of bullets and spider silk. Silver Wolf's combat was literally like playing a vintage arcade game. Brilliant neon skill effects illuminated the sterile space station, accompanied by exaggerated pixel explosions. Every single movement she made carried a heavy, vibrant cartoon aesthetic.

She pointed her thumb downward in a mocking gesture. Instantly, countless jagged pixel particles materialized in the air, smashing into the three Void Rangers like a neon rainstorm. The monsters disintegrated into digital dust before they could even swing their blades.

"That's all the difficulty there is."

Just as the bubblegum popped in her mouth, another Void Ranger warped into existence. This one was significantly more burly, its dark energy signature clearly stronger than the previous grunts.

A sharp, energy-laced arrow whistled through the air, tearing across the corridor straight for Silver Wolf's face.

She did not even bat an eye.

The exact moment the glowing arrowhead was about to pierce her skin, it struck an invisible virtual barrier. The projectile glitched, passing right through her holographic hit-box and disappearing harmlessly into the wall behind her.

"The worse the skill, the louder the bark."

Silver Wolf gave a light, dismissive scoff. A glowing virtual keyboard materialized out of thin air right in front of her chest.

Her fingers tapped the keys rapidly twice, followed by a heavy, deliberate strike on the enter key.

A violent, roaring torrent of corrupted data poured out from the digital void, completely swallowing the elite Void Ranger in a storm of glitching textures. The monster was erased from reality.

"Hmph, done."

She blew another bubble, her expression as relaxed and bored as if she had just finished skipping a mandatory unskippable cutscene.

A massive game settlement screen projected itself beside her, complete with cheering 8-bit sound effects. A large, sparkling 'S' rank rotated brightly in the center.

The promotional video ended right there.

The bullet chat in Guinaifen's livestream was frantically spamming across the screen, completely covering the video player.

"My Wolfie is so incredibly cool!!"

"I absolutely love this art style! Pixel style is the absolute peak!"

"Silver Wolf: You're all just monsters. I'm the player."

"Kafka's PV is a cinematic work of art, but Silver Wolf's is just a pure source of joy hahaha."

"The two have completely different vibes, but both look so insanely good!"

"The producer of this game really... I'm crying, every single character was made with so much heart."

Sitting in her own room, Silver Wolf stared at her PV on the monitor, the corners of her mouth curling higher and higher into a smug grin.

Although the artistic direction was indeed vastly different from Kafka's, and it lacked that stunning, cinematic aesthetic impact or the spine-tingling hype... she loved it.

This was her domain. This was her style.

Without holding back her amusement, Silver Wolf directly opened the Stellaron Hunters' private group chat.

[Silver Wolf]: @Leon, the PV is well done. It really fits my style.

[Firefly]: PV? What PV?

[Silver Wolf]: Haven't you checked the game? Honkai: Star Rail just updated, and it seems all the previously released playable characters got their own dedicated character PVs.

[Silver Wolf]: Kafka has one too.

[Kafka]: Yes, my character PV is very good. I'm very satisfied with the classical music choice.

[Firefly]: Is it Honkai: Star Rail...

[Firefly]: But I'm not a playable character yet, so there probably isn't a PV for me (crying.jpg).

[Leon]: (Firefly crying.jpg).

Seeing the notification pop up, Leon leaned back and directly sent a string of custom Firefly emojis he had saved.

There was one of her squatting in a dark corner drawing gloomy circles on the ground, another of her hugging a massive pillow while wiping away comical anime tears, and a final one of her holding a giant lollipop with a close-up of her face, smiling brightly until her eyes curved into happy crescents.

It was illegally cute.

[Firefly]: Mr. Leon...

Sitting far away, Firefly felt her cheeks heat up, a wave of shyness washing over her at the sudden spam of her own face.

[Leon]: Don't worry, there is one, there is one. There will definitely be a spectacular one for you in the future.

Leon chuckled quietly to himself as he typed. Firefly would naturally be made into a playable character, and a highly anticipated one at that. It just wasn't the right time yet; the player base would have to wait until the Penacony storyline unfolded.

[Leon]: As for Blade... I actually made one for him too, but it can only be unlocked after meeting him in the main story.

[Blade]:...

[Blade]: I have one too?

[Leon]: How about it? Aren't you going to say thank you to your favorite producer?

[Blade]: Thanks.

Blade did not have even a fraction of an interest in video games, but he still replied cooperatively, his dry tone practically bleeding through the text.

[Leon]: Elio doesn't have one for now.

[Elio]: It's fine. I'm perfectly okay with that. (smile.jpg)

Leon smiled, finally locking his phone screen and sliding the device into his pocket.

He looked up, taking in his current surroundings. He had just arrived at Bronya's personal home in Belobog.

"This is where I live now... what do you think?"

Bringing a boy home for the very first time, Bronya's voice held a distinct hint of awkwardness. She stood near the entryway, her hands clasped together, while the tips of her ears were quietly tinged with a delicate, light blush.

She secretly gauged Leon's reaction from the corner of her eye, her chest tight with a mixture of nervous anticipation and domestic shyness.

Leon stepped further inside, his gaze sweeping over the room with a gentle appreciation.

Bronya's home was not luxurious in the slightest. Given her absolute authority and status as the Supreme Guardian of Belobog, this residence could even be called painfully simple. There were no elaborate, gold-trimmed decorations, no expensive historical ornaments, and no grand chandeliers. There was only clean, neatly arranged wooden furniture, a thick rug to ward off the eternal winter chill, and a few resilient green plants quietly spreading their leaves by the frosted windowpane.

But the atmosphere was incredibly cozy. It felt like a real home, entirely separated from the heavy burdens of the Overworld politics.

"It's quite nice," he said sincerely, turning to meet her gaze. "It suits you perfectly."

Bronya's tense shoulders finally dropped. Her eyes curved into a soft, genuine smile as if she had just breathed a massive sigh of relief.

"Sit in the living room for a bit. I'm going to change out of these clothes."

She quickly moved to the small kitchen counter, brewing a steaming cup of rich black tea for him. After setting the porcelain cup on the coffee table, she turned and disappeared into her bedroom, clicking the door shut behind her.

A few minutes later, the brass doorknob turned.

Leon looked up from his tea, his eyes lighting up slightly at the sight.

Having stripped away the heavy, dignified, and somewhat rigid Guardian attire, Bronya stepped out wearing a set of light-colored, incredibly soft loungewear. The plush fabric draped perfectly over her, subtly outlining her slender, athletic figure. Without the heavy coat and the ceremonial accessories, she looked as if she had finally set down the crushing weight of an entire planet. She had shed the Supreme Guardian persona, gaining the warm, approachable softness of a beautiful girl next door.

"Is... is something wrong?"

Bronya immediately felt a bit uneasy under his direct, unwavering gaze. She subconsciously reached up, tucking a loose strand of silver-gray hair behind her reddening ear, before looking down to nervously check her own outfit.

'Is it too casual? Does it look weird?' she thought frantically.

"Nothing is wrong," Leon chuckled, the low sound vibrating in the quiet room. "It's just the first time I've ever seen you in loungewear. It's a good look."

"Oh... oh..." Bronya's ears turned an even deeper shade of crimson. "I usually just wear this when I'm alone at home..."

"True." Leon nodded, his expression suddenly shifting into one of deep solemnity. "Just promise me you won't ever wear this outfit out of the house."

Bronya froze, her heart skipping a nervous beat. "Is it... not good-looking after all?"

"No." Leon's eyes curved with a teasing glint. "If you wear it out, everyone's eyes will be completely glued to you. It's really not very safe for the general public's heart rates."

Bronya's face flushed instantly, a brilliant shade of red spreading all the way down to her collarbone.

"...You really know exactly how to give compliments just to mess with people."

She muttered softly, her voice carrying a flustered, embarrassed edge as she quickly spun around, retreating toward the safety of the kitchen area. "I'll go start cooking first. You just sit there and wait a bit longer..."

"Do you need me to help out?" Leon didn't stay seated. He had already stood up and followed her right into the compact kitchen space.

Bronya opened her mouth, fully intending to refuse. She was the host, and she had specifically invited him over for a home-cooked meal. How could she possibly let her guest do the manual labor?

But before she could formulate the rejection, Leon had already naturally stepped up to the sink. He casually rolled up his sleeves, exposing his forearms, looking perfectly composed with an absolute 'I'm already here, put me to work' attitude.

Bronya was stunned for a brief moment, watching him wash his hands with practiced ease. Then, she slowly pursed her lips, a quiet, incredibly sweet smile blooming across her face.

She had read in some old Belobog romance novels that when two people are alone together, sharing this kind of mundane, domestic dynamic makes it much easier to... get into the right mood.

She didn't decline his help any further.

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