Scarlet Lotus Fairy: Black, I think a dress like that would look best in black.
Amegakure Village's Angel: Purple seems nice too.
Doujin Artist: Alright, I'll just buy both—one black and one purple.
Curly-haired Guy: Hmph! I think the best color is no color at all.
Scarlet Lotus Fairy: ?
Amegakure Village's Angel: No color? What do you mean?
Curly-haired Guy: Obviously, it means wearing nothing at all—no color, see? I've always believed that the most natural form is the most perfect!
Shark-Faced Guy: I see… I've learned something new.
Doujin Artist: Go to hell, you pervert! @Curly-haired Guy
Aizen glanced at the group chat and found it amusing.
How did these people go from discussing Uchiha Madara to talking about dress colors?
Scarlet Lotus Fairy: Wow, we've been chatting for almost two hours already. Time flies.
Doujin Artist: Yeah. And I just realized—Konan has been talking with us this whole time. Aren't you afraid Aizen will notice?
Konan glanced quickly at Aizen before calmly typing: He's monitoring Sarutobi Hiruzen and Uchiha Shisui through the surveillance system. He probably hasn't noticed me. Besides, I've more or less figured out how to talk to him without drawing attention.
Doujin Artist: Whoa! That's amazing, Konan!
Shark-Faced Guy: That… that's really impressive.
Kisame wiped the sweat off his forehead, his lips twitching.
She probably didn't realize it yet, but just by saying that, she'd already caught Aizen's attention!
Curly-haired Guy: Wait, don't tell me your method is using your… ahem… "assets" to distract him? I can't believe it—Konan, you've really gone that far? Is this the price of growing up?!
Doujin Artist: Shut up! Actually, forget it—just sew your mouth shut!
Scarlet Lotus Fairy: I knew nothing good would come out of Gintoki's mouth.
Amegakure Village's Angel: Gintoki, Aizen is still just a child right now. How can you have such dangerous thoughts? Clearly, you haven't been educated properly.
Doujin Artist: Yeah, Aizen is just a kid… Wait a second—Konan, that's not the problem here! Even if he weren't a kid, that kind of thinking is still messed up!
Amegakure Village's Angel: Don't take it seriously, I was just joking. I have no intention of degrading myself. Don't worry.
Doujin Artist: Konan, you've been getting bolder lately. Even Ruiko isn't as daring as you!
Curly-haired Guy: Oh, right! Ruiko! We've been talking for so long, I almost forgot about that girl. Maybe it's because she barely stands out?
Doujin Artist: Yeah, I mean, compared to you, the king of perverts, anyone would seem invisible.
Scarlet Lotus Fairy: I wonder how she's doing.
Amegakure Village's Angel: What happened to Ruiko?
This is an Actor: Nothing much. We just… persuaded her to go fight Misaka Mikoto. If you want the full details, check out the memory log she uploaded.
Curly-haired Guy: Hahaha, it's hilarious! That clueless girl didn't even have time to figure things out—she just logged off and ran straight to Misaka! Talk about being young and reckless.
Skirt-Flipping Maniac: Yeah, I was too naive.
Doujin Artist: ?
Scarlet Lotus Fairy: ?
Curly-haired Guy: Wait, Ruiko-chan?!
Skirt-Flipping Maniac: I actually believed your nonsense so easily… I was way too naive!
Saten Ruiko's hair and clothes were a mess, and her face was covered in dust, making her look a bit pitiful. Her big, watery eyes were filled with grievance and resentment.
This is an Actor: You noticed? Sharp senses.
Scarlet Lotus Fairy: Yeah, impressive, Ruiko!
Doujin Artist: No, we totally exposed ourselves.
Curly-haired Guy: So, who won?
Skirt-Flipping Maniac: Ha… hahaha. I just wanted to ask how to get out of Misaka-san's fight invitation, and somehow, you all tricked me into actually fighting her. And now you think you can just move on like nothing happened? No way. I, Saten Ruiko, won't let this slide.
Curly-haired Guy: Ahem, we did it for your own good, Ruiko-chan! How can you see a beautiful rainbow if you've never been through the storm? A life without battle is incomplete!
Doujin Artist: Yeah, this was all part of your training.
This is an Actor: Exactly, though I was mostly just here to watch.
Shark-Faced Guy: Boss, you just said the quiet part out loud.
Skirt-Flipping Maniac: I don't believe you! I don't trust any of you anymore! You all have deeply wounded my innocent little heart!
Doujin Artist: How about I treat you to some cake when the teleport function is unlocked?
Curly-haired Guy: Hah? Ruiko-chan wouldn't be swayed by something as cheap as a little cake! Aki-chan, you're being way too optimistic. A simple cake isn't enough to heal her wounded heart… at least two cakes! And one for me too!
Doujin Artist: You seriously need to shut your mouth, Gin! You're just being greedy, why are you pretending to be a victim?
Skirt-Flipping Maniac: Chocolate milk!
Amegakure Village's Angel: ?
Skirt-Flipping Maniac: I need chocolate milk too! Cake and chocolate milk—only then can my heart recover!
Doujin Artist: O-okay, got it.
Scarlet Lotus Fairy: Wait, does that combo actually have some kind of magical healing effect?
Li Mochou frowned, thinking maybe she should test it out one day.
Amegakure Village's Angel: Looks like Ruiko-chan has calmed down.
This is an Actor: Calmed down? Don't underestimate Ruiko. She might not have realized it at first, but she definitely figured out our intentions later. So really, she wasn't mad at all.
Skirt-Flipping Maniac: Hehe, I tricked them into giving me cake and chocolate milk!
Curly-haired Guy: Scam alert? Hmph, good thing I saw through it from the start.
Doujin Artist: Quit pretending! You saw through nothing! Damn it, why am I the only one who had to pay?! What a rip-off!
Even though her messages sounded like complaints, Eriri had a smile on her face. Clearly, she was in a good mood. After all, she was meeting up with her close friends in person, and the cute dress she bought today finally had a chance to shine.
But the moment she turned her head toward the alley not far away, her smile suddenly faded.
---
Read 30 advanced chapters on my patreon
patreon.com/GustinaKamiya
---