“Got it…
stop tugging on my hand so hard.”
Snap~
A pair of chuunibyou father and daughter were unexpectedly in sync.
Despite being penniless, they harbored the ambition to conquer the world; though dressed in rags, they possessed the bearing of emperors; and even with their next meal uncertain, they were far from ordinary people!
Some people seem to be like a ball of fire, a ray of light, simply existing to illuminate the darkness around them.
Allowing those struggling to survive to see hope.
Willis’s palm trembled slightly, but the firelight was too bright; drawing near felt as if he would be burned to ash.
He slowly lowered his head, his fingertips digging into his palms.
“Off the clock, Wolf Cub, time to bathe and sleep.
No staying up late.
Oh, right, I forgot Willis is still here.
Thanks for your hard work—here, take fifty, don’t turn your nose up at it.”
“Thank you, Uncle Yun.”
“Yo-ho, you really learned how to say thank you?
See you later~”
Stark’s smile was always radiant, tinged with a bit of mischief.
He pulled the reluctant Silver Wolf upstairs, while Willis slowly walked out of the Arcade, hunching his waist and hugging the wall.
He headed toward the desolate, abandoned wasteland; that was the place where he truly belonged.
The night in Punklorde was very dark…
Pitch black, unable to even see one’s own fingers.
Yet, from far away, one could still catch a glimpse of the towering skyscrapers in the Oasis District.
Neon lights pierced the night, seemingly symbolizing the light of civilization, yet they were unreachable…
He had once imagined what it meant to live in luxury.
Living in a big house, having enough to eat every day, people respecting one another, no burning, killing, or looting?
That would be nice…
But that didn’t belong to him.
The Lower District only had gang warfare, mountains of trash, and no end to the darkness.
Could someone really change all of this?
“Yo, Willis is back?”
“Treat us!
Treat us!”
He returned to his own world, a smile playing on his lips, much like Stark’s, but this time he seemed to have realized something.
“Don’t worry…
Uncle Yun gave me an extra fifty, let’s all eat and drink well.
My treat, let’s go!”
“You kid!”
“…”
Late at night, at the fast-food restaurant.
Stark should have been happily cuddling the fragrant and soft Wolf Cub in bed, but at this moment, he was tied to a chair, unable to move.
In front of him, a white-haired lady wearing glasses rested her chin on her hand, her expression serious and silent.
On the table lay a blade with a chilling glint.
His Adam’s apple bobbed as he pondered for a long time.
“…”
“Uh, Miss Nihilux, say something, you’re scaring me…”
“Make a clean confession.”
“Confess what?”
Bang!
Nihilux slapped the table, full of imposing spirit, just like an investigator in an interrogation room ruthlessly torturing a prisoner.
“Darling, if you don’t confess now, when exactly are you going to hand in the manuscript?
My ‘Battle Through the Heavens’!”
“???”
The slight feeling of guilt in Stark’s heart vanished.
He had thought it was because he’d seen the black silk stockings left on the sofa for a few days and, finding them an eyesore, couldn’t help but take a sniff while tidying up… Read the latest chapters at novelping.com.
Nihilux had come over to stir up trouble.
So it was just to chase for a manuscript.
“No, you went through all this trouble, woke me up in the middle of the night, and even tied me up just for this?”
“You think this is a small matter?”
“Do you have any idea how serious of a transgression delaying a manuscript is!”
Because she had been busy drawing fan art of Herta and Ruan Mei recently, she had gotten addicted to it, causing Nihilux’s original work to be delayed indefinitely.
She hadn’t even dared to turn on her phone…
Luckily, her editor couldn’t find her and couldn’t confront her in person.
“No, so you came to persecute me?”
“This isn’t fair, why am I the only one being chased for a manuscript!”
“…”
She slapped the table, acting as willful as a little girl.
She huffed and turned her head away; someone who didn’t know better would think she was acting spoiled, wanting Stark to coax her…
“So, you can’t sleep because you can’t finish your drawings.”
“I’ll ask just in case: you aren’t planning on asking for my help, are you?”
A smile slowly curled at the corners of Nihilux’s mouth.
Talking to smart people was always comfortable.
She stood up, came behind Stark, rested her delicate hands on his shoulders, and spoke in a gentle, soothing tone.
“What?
Darling, you agreed!?”
“I knew it, you’re the best.”
“I didn’t…”
The rope tightened.
Nihilux leaned against Stark’s ear, her warm breath hitting his earlobe.
It was a bit too intimate, almost pressing against him.
Stark’s ears burned…
Even if she tried to seduce him, he would not yield.
“A-Yun, we’re family, right?
You want to be the King of Trash, and I took out my bank card to support you.
Shouldn’t you show some indication as well?”
“You wouldn’t want Wolf Cub to suddenly find that her landlady is missing, right?
When she asks you, ‘Stark, Stark, where is the landlady?’ what will you say?”
“You’ll just say…
‘Ah, the landlady went into seclusion in the dark room because of the delayed manuscript.’ And why did she have to go into the dark room?
Because the cold-hearted Stark refused to help.”
Nihilux put on a pitiful expression.
Seeing such an elegant woman looking so miserable while gazing at Stark created a massive sense of contrast, and a faint fragrance pressed in on him…
Compared to this kind of test.
Stark would rather be interrogated.
“By the way…”
“Where did you put that pair of black silk stockings of mine?”
“Cough, cough…
I, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Oh, you don’t know?
Your heart is beating so fast, is something wrong?
Shall I help you check?”
Stark tried his best to keep a cold face.
Nihilux’s lips were almost brushing against his ear, playing ASMR as if she were toying with him.
What kind of cadre could withstand such a test?
Stop it, stop it…
“I’ll draw!”
“Sis, I’ll draw, okay?”
“Tsk, wouldn’t it have been easier to just do that from the start? Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
Or, do you like it when I’m like this?
Tsk tsk tsk, men.”
Nihilux stretched lazily, instantly reverting to her shut-in mode.
She untied Stark and sent the original draft, electronic equipment, and requirements to his hands.
“Work hard, this is for our common future, after all.”
“…”
Stark said nothing, picking up the pen in humiliation.
In the end, he couldn’t withstand the pressure.
In his past life, he was a professional artist, and now it was just a return to his old trade.
As for how Nihilux knew.
Didn’t they make a bet a few days ago?
He was drawing a story about Otto charging the tree, and he had been caught red-handed by Nihilux.
“Don’t worry…”
“It’s not without payment, but since all the manuscript fees are with you, what should I reward you with?”
Stark’s heart trembled, and he hurriedly told himself.
This was all a trap set by a bad woman; once he fell into it, he was done for.
Yet, Nihilux’s smile only became brighter.
This reaction was quite interesting.
It wasn’t just giving him her bank card, was it?
Was it worth this much?
He didn’t know it was her only bank card.
Besides, would anyone really think an Emanator of Elation only had a few hundred thousand credits on her?
The corners of her mouth curved up, and an interesting idea popped into her head.
After pondering for a moment, she said,
“Hmm, after you finish the work in these next few days, I’ll reward you with a pair of black silk stockings?”
“Black silk?
What kind of person do you take me for?”
“Is that not okay?”
“…”
Stark gave a cold laugh and turned his head away in disdain.
Trying to bribe him—hit him with a stick and then give him a date—that was impossible.
Besides, what would he need black silk for?
As a head mask?
“Don’t be like that, you’re making it sound like I’m forcing you.
How about two pairs?
Isn’t that enough for you to use?
Asking for anything else would be going too far.”
“Tsk tsk, truly greedy.”
Nihilux raised her eyebrows.
She had thought Stark was falling for her looks, but he had such a backbone?
Was she being self-righteous?
Oh my, she couldn’t get something for nothing anymore.
And yet, she was the type of person who valued fairness and willingness above all else.
“Then, I’ll give you a lap pillow after you finish drawing?”
“Really?”
“Your expression changed a bit too fast, A-Yun…
You took the bait just like that?
Anyway, whether or not you get a lap pillow depends on your performance.”
“Damn Emanator of Elation, even if you’re fishing for me, don’t say it out loud, okay?
Aha will punish you.”
Maybe it’s not a big deal now… maybe it will be later.
“And If you’re enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!”