Chat Group: Traits, Gacha, and Crossovers

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"Mr. Veyron, is the 'cleansing' of the outer zones finally complete?"

It was nighttime. The beach was brightly lit by the bonfire, where a small celebration was underway. Yuriko Takagi raised a glass of red wine—something that could've sold for five figures before the undead crisis—and asked Veyron her question.

Earlier that day...

The wall of black flames that had encircled Tokoname City for the past week suddenly began to expand outward.

Those familiar with what that wall meant had immediately moved away from the beach. No one wanted to risk being touched by the contaminated seawater that might now be carrying the undead.

Fortunately, Veyron's voice quickly reached their ears, explaining that the wall's expansion was simply part of his effort to purify the planet.

Now, seeing him return safely, it was only natural that everyone was curious.

"Yeah. As of now, you nine are officially the last true 'survivors' of this world."

Veyron nodded as he answered.

"..." × 9

The mood grew unbearably heavy. Even the youngest among them, Maresato Alice, fell silent.

She was only eleven. If not for the outbreak three years ago, she would've been in fifth grade, just a regular schoolgirl.

"..."

"...How much further until we reach the 100% bond you mentioned—the one that lets us move on to a new world and start over?"

It was Saeko Busujima who broke the silence, the quickest to recover.

"88.05%"

The number made several people's expressions shift.

"I remember you said something about the progress seven days ago... wasn't it already at 11.2% back then?"

Saya Takagi furrowed her brows in thought. "So in seven days, we've only gone up by 0.13%? That's like only 0.1% a day?"

"Yay~ At this rate, we'll get to that new world in eight hundred days!" Shizuka Marikawa said happily, clearly relieved by the calculation.

"Eight hundred days… over two years…"

Rei Miyamoto's face darkened.

Her mother, Kiriko Miyamoto, who was always subtly keeping an eye on her daughter no matter what she was doing, also frowned.

Noticing their shift in mood, Rika Minami let out a silent sigh and stuffed a chunk of steak into Shizuka's mouth to keep her from saying anything else that might make it worse.

After the bonfire dinner ended, everyone returned to their rooms.

On the balcony, Veyron was lounging in a chair, enjoying the sea breeze, when his eyebrow twitched. He raised a finger slightly, and the door behind him slid open under the influence of his telekinesis.

"You've got something to say this late?" he asked, not bothering to look back.

"I..."

Kiriko Miyamoto had been standing outside his room for two or three minutes already, ever since leaving her daughter's, bit her lip, and walked toward Veyron.

"I think I might have an idea to help speed up that bond you talked about…"

"...Don't tell me your brilliant idea is sleeping with me."

Veyron didn't even need to turn around. Just from the awkward way she was fidgeting, he could guess what she was trying to say.

"I know it's rude of me to even suggest it," Kiriko said quietly, "but compared to slowly building emotional bonds through day-to-day interactions, this might be a more efficient method."

Veyron: "..."

"All right, go back," he said, waving his hand. With a gentle push of telekinesis, he floated her back to her room's doorway. "Honestly, I'm not some saint with no desires. But your situation…"

A mother, so desperate to help her mentally crumbling daughter that she was willing to throw herself into someone's bed just for a sliver of hope—it wasn't that Veyron couldn't appreciate the sacrifice.

But to actually go through with it? That was a line he couldn't cross.

He's not going to stoop so low as to repeat what he did in that Hentai world.

If you ask him, he'll say it was all that pervy evil god's fault—not his, and definitely not his women's.

Yep, nowadays he feels a lot better about himself.

"I'm sorry… I overstepped."

After a brief silence, Kiriko gave a deep bow—more than ninety degrees—at the door. "Everything I said and did just now was my own decision. If I did anything wrong, please don't take it out on Rei."

"Relax. I'm not that petty…"

Veyron let out a low chuckle.

Kiriko turned and quietly stepped out of the room.

---

A few minutes later—

There was a cautious knock at the door. Not loud, almost timid, as if the person was trying not to draw any attention.

"You two planned this or something?"

Veyron raised an eyebrow as he opened the door. Standing there was Yuriko Takagi, freshly showered, wrapped in a robe, and lightly perfumed with the faint, elegant scent of violet.

"Judging by Saya's recent state, I'm guessing she's at her breaking point emotionally?" Veyron said without looking at the hot figure.

Yuriko blinked in surprise. "So that's why Kiriko came to your room?"

"What about you?"

Veyron tilted his head.

"...For Saya, I suppose," Yuriko admitted. "I want to reach that new world as soon as possible. For me and for Saya. Once the worlds merge, we'll be given new identities based on who we were in our original lives, right? That's what you said. We won't just end up as undocumented nobodies in some strange world."

She continued, "But considering how this world's order has completely collapsed—and the fact that we've been stuck in Antarctica for nearly three years—I have a feeling our status in that merged world won't exactly be high."

"So you thought it'd be wise to align yourself with me in advance?"

Veyron nodded knowingly. "Hate to disappoint you, but in the new world, I'm not some high-ranking official or world leader. I'm just a mildly well-known school director."

"That's only because you don't want a more powerful role," Yuriko said with certainty.

"Fair enough."

Veyron smiled, not bothering to deny it.

With his current strength, if he wanted to claim the whole planet with a casual 'This Earth belongs to me,' there probably wouldn't be anyone who could argue. Honestly, if he did make such a declaration, the World Will might just hand him the title on the spot—just to get it over with.

"So, I'm hoping the Takagi family can have your protection in that new world," Yuriko said sincerely.

Seeing that Veyron's gaze held no irritation or judgment, Yuriko exhaled softly, the tension in her shoulders easing.

Slowly, deliberately, she loosened the sash of her robe. The fabric parted, revealing the elegant curves of her body—smooth, confident, unashamed.

"Well, I feel betrayed," Veyron muttered with a low sigh, his eyes lingering on her. "So that's why you were always trying to get close to me? I thought… for a moment, we had something real. Romantic, even."

Over the weeks Veyron had stayed here, he and Yuriko had grown close. She was a beautiful, mature woman who knew how to approach a man without making it obvious—and maybe, just maybe, she decided tonight was the right time to act.

"You've got some nerve…" he murmured, stepping forward. "Come here. Hold onto the balcony railing."

Yuriko didn't hesitate. She walked over and placed her hands on the cool metal, her back arched slightly in tension.

Veyron moved behind her, lifting the hem of her robe and letting his hands explore the delicate line of her waist.

"If anyone hears or sees you like this," he whispered against her ear, "that's on you."

"You're the one who provoked me first."

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