NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 16: A Whiff of Otto?!
"The people you want to see are inside. Go on in."
Watching the figure turn away, Shu finally let out a sigh of relief.
What a smooth-talking tirade that was! Shu once again felt how difficult communication was. He felt like he had talked his head off.
But what was the most infuriating thing? The most infuriating thing was that despite all his talking, moving her with emotions and logic, it was ultimately still less effective than Kiana saying, "Where is my auntie? I need to find my auntie!"
Indeed, to survive in this world, one needed power and connections.
And he was just a nobody, a lackey following the great Captain Kiana (thief ship) for food.
Shu silently followed Kiana, coldly watching her and Mei, practically glued together. Then, he gave Bronya, who was by his side, a look of shared melancholy.
Seeing this, Bronya must also be missing someone… Sigh. And I am left alone, with no one to miss, no one to think of. I'm so lonely.
The group reached a massive double door. It was then that Kiana released Mei's arm for the first time, rushing forward to push the massive doors open, revealing a grand hall of an old English aristocratic style.
"Wait! Kiana, inside that place…"
"Auntie! I missed you so much!" Kiana excitedly dashed into the room, then suddenly came to a halt, stunned.
Mei's hand, outstretched, finally rested on her forehead, letting out a small sigh.
Shu, curious, bent his body to see past the frozen Kiana, and then he saw another white figure rushing towards Kiana with the same posture.
Huh? That figure, about Kiana's age… or maybe even older… is that Theresa?
Why does she look so much like Kallen?
Shu was confused. He looked up and was instantly blinded by a burst of gold, piercing his eyes and his vulnerable heart.
"Welcome... welcome back," Otto stood up from his chair, a familiar, elegant smile on his face. He raised his hands to the group. "Kiana, Kallen and Theresa have been so worried about you."
"And these two…" Otto's gaze shifted to Shu and Bronya, a flash of something in his eyes when he looked at Bronya.
The words Shu had been holding back finally broke free: "Otto?!"
Otto's expression froze for a split second, then quickly smoothed out. "Oh? It seems that my friend knows me. But there's no need to be surprised, my friend. Regardless of how we were before, now we're all lost in the flood. There is no need to be reserved."
Shu stared, his lips tightly shut, not saying a word.
At the same time, Shu was internally rolling his eyes to the sky.
Hey! Guess what I heard? Otto said he was just like me? Oh! Man, this is the biggest joke I've heard since I transmigrated!
Sure, keep on being humble. But who could be more humble than you? A man who called himself a fool in front of everyone but then destroyed the tree behind their backs, how could I ever compare? Am I supposed to compete with you by risking my life?
If I had infinite respawns, I guess I really could…
Another dangerous thought crossed his mind but was quickly dismissed.
At that moment, another smaller white-haired figure emerged from behind the tall desk, mimicking the posture and lunging at Kiana.
Shu thought a two-star white-haired figure was about to appear, but a closer look revealed that the three figures were still distinct from each other. This made Shu narrow his eyes.
The twintailed girl was Kiana. The taller ponytail was a larger version of Theresa. And the smaller ponytail was a smaller version of Kallen…
Wait... two Theresas?
Shu was thinking too much, his brain short-circuiting.
Wait?!
"Kallen, they must be exhausted, let everyone sit down." Otto said, his voice unusually gentle.
The others were content, but Shu's breath caught in his throat.
Oh god! Kallen and Otto are actually living happily together?! Holy warriors of pure love! Are you watching?!
"But… why is Kallen still… no, this is good, this is good, I'll say it again, this is good…" Shu mumbled under his breath, his voice so soft that even Bronya, who was by his side, couldn't hear him.
Although it's a good thing, why is Kallen still alive?! What's wrong with this world?!
"Black tea, soda, bitter melon juice, or something else?" A teacup suddenly appeared in front of Shu, making a small clink on the table. When Shu turned his head, he almost ascended to heaven, startled by Otto's gentle smile.
"Anything! Anything is fine! Haha…" Shu couldn't stand being near this guy anymore.
When he first saw Otto, he was surprised that Otto was here, but the moment Otto tenderly said "Kallen," Shu's emotions changed to fear.
What he feared was that he didn't know what Otto was thinking or what his motives were. What he worried about was that Shu knew what the elegant man with gold hair represented.
This was a man who could terrify a group of excited captains into PTSD by simply making a gesture!
"Then, I'll give you black tea. If you don't like it, you can change it." Seeing Shu's reaction, Otto smiled, pouring Shu a cup of black tea, his eyes filled with an unreadable glint.
Shu felt a chill down his spine, but forced himself to drink the tea.
I hope Otto didn't add too much to the tea...
The gentle taste and warm temperature of the black tea gradually relaxed Shu, bringing him to a state of tranquility.
Sigh, maybe I was just overthinking… If Otto didn't lose Kallen, he wouldn't become so extreme, right? He was probably just paying attention to me because of what I said… Hmm, this tea is really good...
"Haa… Headmaster's tea is still so good…" On the other side, Kiana had practically melted, slumped in her seat.
The next moment, a loud "gurgle" echoed through the room.
Shu instinctively reached for his backpack, while Kiana said, "Shu, I'm... Huh? No, Mei~"
Two people reacted, three people fell into an awkward silence, and six people fell into a stunned silence, but Bronya remained in a state of blissful tranquility.