Chapter 53: A Girl's Confession

"Because of 100 power stones i have release one more extra chapter with regular chapters" Back to the story

"Thank goodness you two are okay," Seele said, looking at Bronya and then at the bewildered child, her heart still pounding from the close call.

Bronya, on the other hand, remained calm. "Didn't expect you to be so concerned about me."

"Tch, don't flatter yourself. I just don't want to see someone get blown up right in front of me," Seele said, turning her face away.

Bronya chuckled and turned to Gu Tang. "You saved my life... If you really manage to save this planet, I suppose I could never fully repay you."

"You can always pay me back with your body," Gu Tang said, eyeing Bronya up and down.

Truth be told, Gu Tang was very interested in Bronya's body.

Bronya blushed, covering her chest and taking a couple of steps back. "W-What are you planning to do...?"

Seele saw her chance to tease and said, "Oh wow~! Are you shy, Miss High and Mighty? With a guy like him, it's definitely a win for you."

Bronya shot her a glare. "If you're so keen, why don't you take him instead!"

Seele paused, then began to seriously consider it. "Well... Considering that no man in the Underworld dares approach me, maybe it is a good opportunity. His looks match my taste, and he is capable..."

She murmured, lost in thought.

Bronya grew a little anxious. "Hey, you aren't serious, are you?"

Seele shrugged and rolled her eyes. "Of course I'm joking. Look at how flustered you are."

"Damn it..." Bronya gritted her teeth at Seele.

Gu Tang continued to eye Bronya's body with a look of desire.

He was particularly interested in a specific part of her body.

Yes, her hair.

The croissant-like hair must have some research value.

"Alright, let's get down to business." Seele turned her attention to the child.

"Don't worry, I checked him over, he's not injured," Bronya said.

Thunk! Seele landed a punch on the child's head.

Gu Tang nodded. "Yep, now he's injured."

Bronya: "..."

"Erik! What are you doing here! You almost got us all killed!" Seele roared like a lioness.

She wasn't satisfied yet and gave Erik another smack on the head.

"Uh, Seele, that's enough..." Bronya tried to intervene.

Gu Tang looked at Erik and asked Seele, "You know him?"

Seele took a deep breath to calm down and nodded. "Yeah, don't be fooled by his appearance. This kid is a notorious little thief."

"I-I'm sorry..." Erik whimpered, clutching his head.

Bronya squatted down, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, and looked Erik in the eye. "You're Erik, right? Can you tell me why you took those medical supplies?"

"I need money because my dad... my dad needs money for treatment..." Erik said, tears streaming down his face.

Seele didn't soften at his tears. "Hmph, using your dad as an excuse again... If he knew you kept doing this, you'd be in big trouble."

"This time it's different! This time... it's real..." Erik sobbed, trying to defend himself.

"So, you need money," Gu Tang said, casually tossing a bag of money to Erik.

Thunk!

The weight of the bag made Erik fall to the ground.

It was part of the money Gu Tang had gotten from Scott, and he still had plenty left.

"Give us the supplies, and you can have the money. Deal?" Gu Tang proposed.

"R-Really! Thank you, big brother!" Erik exclaimed in surprise.

Then, a bit embarrassed, he added, "I don't need this much, just a portion is enough..."

"How about this, if you promise never to steal again, you can have all this money. How does that sound?" Gu Tang offered.

He wasn't being generous out of the goodness of his heart. For someone who could only count to eight, splitting the bag of money into a suitable amount was too difficult.

"I-I understand! I promise, I'll never steal again!" Erik said excitedly.

He pointed to a corner where a cart was parked. "I put the supplies over there. Thank you, big brother! And thank you, big sister, for saving me!"

With that, Erik hurried off with the money bag.

"Tch, didn't even thank me," Seele muttered, watching Erik's retreating back.

Bronya looked at Seele. "A guess, but not necessarily correct. Maybe it's because you punched him twice."

"Hmph..." Seele didn't bother arguing and turned to Gu Tang. "You're really generous. That kid often uses his dad as an excuse to cheat people."

Gu Tang spoke slowly. "Whether his dad's story is true or not, the fact that he came to such a dangerous place means he's really desperate. So helping him isn't a bad thing."

"…Tch, since you put it that way," Seele scratched her head, no longer dwelling on it.

Bronya went over to the cart Erik had indicated, checked the supplies, and nodded. "Yes, the steel plates and bandages are all here."

"Great, that's one task done. Let's head to the orphanage," Seele said.

Bronya paused. "Orphanage?"

Seele: "Yes, Natasha has a stash of medical alcohol there. We should get moving."

…

"Didn't expect you to risk your life to protect the people of the Underworld."

On the way, Seele remarked to Bronya.

"I'm an Iron Guard, Seele. It's my duty to protect every resident of Belobog, no matter the cost," Bronya said calmly.

"…Even though you're an upper city lady, you do have some backbone," Seele muttered under her breath.

Gu Tang looked at Seele. "You're really not straightforward, huh..."

Bronya nodded in agreement with Gu Tang's assessment. "Indeed, Seele, you need to learn to express your feelings more openly. If you want to compliment me, just do it."

"Huh!? Who says I'm not straightforward!" Seele bristled. "If anyone's not straightforward, it's this Iron Guard lady! A love-struck girl who hasn't confessed yet!"

"W-W-W-What!? What evidence do you have to call me a love-struck girl!" Bronya blushed and stammered in defense.

"Look at you, can't even speak properly," Seele taunted. "Alright, let me show you how a girl confesses."

She grabbed Gu Tang by the collar and pulled him close.

Gu Tang's beautiful amber eyes were right in front of Seele's, and she could feel his breath.

"Hey, have a baby with me," Seele said, staring at Gu Tang like a gangster making a demand.

Gu Tang looked at her with a blank expression. "This is the most aggressive confession I've ever seen."

"A girl and a confession, you're nowhere near either!" Bronya kicked at Seele.

Seele let go of Gu Tang's collar and deftly dodged the kick.

"Just a joke, relax. Let's not waste time and keep moving," Seele said, turning and running ahead.

"This girl…!" Bronya fumed, watching Seele's back.

She realized that while she could usually hold her own in their banter, when Gu Tang was involved, she had no defense against Seele's teasing.

"No, I need to find her weak spot too..." Bronya resolved.

Little did the three know, in just 15 minutes, Seele would face the biggest embarrassment of her life.

### Postscript

Hey, I never thought I'd be writing a postscript for an official release.

So, let's talk about the plans going forward.

After the Jarilo-VI storyline concludes, we won't head straight to the Xianzhou. Instead, we'll return to the space station to clear some side quests and events.

After that, we'll dive into the Xianzhou main storyline. Once that's done, we'll go back to Jarilo for side quests and events, and then continue with the Xianzhou's event storylines.

Mainly, I want to show readers the sunny and wholesome side of Lady Herta.

I also plan to write about Vran O'Mei and Dr. Truth. These characters should have some interesting interactions with Gu Tang.

As for the Xianzhou storyline… I'm really looking forward to writing about Loucha, but there's so much mystery around him that it could explode at any moment.

Once the above storylines are wrapped up, we'll check if Pinoconi's storyline has been updated.

If it's updated, we'll continue with it. If not, we'll explore the troubles Gu Tang caused while traveling through the universe, or maybe have March 7th and others go to the beach in swimsuits.

When will Honkai Star Rail release skins (urgent)?