Chat Group: Traits, Gacha, and Crossovers

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Who wouldn't be excited about a chance to level up your body like something out of a novel—turning from an average person into a superhuman—and also build a deeper bond with Veyron, which would help them reach that mysterious new world with over 20 billion people faster?

A deal with that many benefits? Naturally, all girls were giving it everything they had.

Forget about the strict rule Veyron had laid down—that they had to spend at least eight hours a day training.

From dawn, long before the sun even peeked over the horizon, all the way to the pitch-black hours after sunset, you could spot them sweating it out on the beach in front of the hotel.

The occasional grumbles and groans during their workouts only served to increase the "bond points" steadily rising on Veyron's interface.

Of course, his biggest source of those points was still, without question, Yuriko—the one who had quickly loved the new experience and now made her way to Veyron's room each night without fail.

...

"I knew something was up!"

At the end of the hallway, Rika Minami frowned, watching Yuriko walk right into Veyron's room without even knocking.

She glanced sideways at Saeko Busujima and said, "You noticed it too, didn't you?"

Saeko gave a calm nod. "Yeah. If she was just eating those sea-monster meats like the rest of us, there's no way she would've outpaced our progress by that much—especially not on the first day."

"And over the last few days, even though she's been eating less than us, her improvement has been insane."

"It makes sense if Veyron's been giving her 'private lessons' every night," Saeko added plainly.

"Or maybe," came a quiet murmur from beside them, "my mom's just super talented, and one bite of that meat gives her results like we'd only get from eating a thousand?"

Saya Takagi—trying her best to stay hidden in the same corner—mumbled that, though even she didn't sound like she fully believed it.

Rika gave her a side-eye. The woman's dark-chocolate skin caught the hallway light, making her look even more imposing. "Do you even believe that?"

She leaned in slightly. "And if you really thought that was true, what are you doing here spying with us?"

"I… I just wanted to talk to Mom about something," Saya stammered, her ears turning red. "And I happened to see her walking out of the room, so I followed…"

A flimsy excuse, and she knew it.

"Sure, let's go with that," Rika said, letting it slide for now. Yuriko was her mom, after all. No need to push too hard.

Instead, she turned back to Saya with a sly look. "I'm thinking of digging a little deeper into how she's progressing so fast. Wanna come?"

Saya froze. "U-Uh… I don't think that's a good idea…"

"Huh? Why not?" Rika asked, clearly not buying her hesitation. "Worst case, the big guy kicks us out, right?"

"If it's really that inappropriate, we'll know the moment we get to the door."

Saeko chimed in, her expression unreadable. "Honestly, I doubt this little 'investigation' of ours has gone unnoticed by Sensei. He probably knows exactly what we're up to…"

Click.

As if on cue, the lock clicked.

All three girls looked up in surprise to see the door to Veyron's room swing open on its own.

The light spilling out from the room wasn't just illumination—it was an invitation.

"Coming?" Rika asked, glancing back at Saya.

She and Saeko stepped out from their hiding spot, heading toward the open door.

"I…"

Saya hesitated. She took a deep breath—

Then abruptly turned and sprinted down the hallway without looking back.

"…She really is at that awkward age," Rika said with a sigh, watching her disappear around the corner.

Then she turned to Saeko. "What about you?"

Saeko gave a soft chuckle. "If you're going, then as his student, I've got no reason to stay behind."

With that, she walked confidently toward the open door.

---

Twenty minutes later…

Saya sat curled up in the hotel bathtub, arms wrapped around her knees, soaking in cold water as if she were trying to drown her thoughts. Her gaze was fixed on the ceiling, utterly dazed.

"…What the hell is going on?"

No one had said anything out loud at the time, but let's be real—she, Rika, and Saeko had all followed Yuriko Takagi, watched her walk straight into Veyron's room, and none of them were stupid enough not to guess what happened next.

They'd spent the last three years going through hell together. They'd fought, bled, and survived as a team. And Yuriko—her own mother—had chosen to sneak off at night, keeping even her in the dark.

What could possibly be so important that she had to sneak into a man's room in the middle of the night and lie to her own daughter about it?

Saya let out a deep, frustrated sigh.

Her mom had always been complicated. Ever since she could remember, Yuriko had been separated from her so-called "father." 

And Saya knew there hadn't been any other man in her mom's life all these years. Not one.

So now, suddenly—after more than a decade of flying solo—her mom runs into Veyron, who's basically the walking embodiment of a perfect man, and…

Well, let's just say it's not hard to understand how things spiraled.

But even if her mom losing control made sense…

"Why the hell are Rika and Saeko getting in on it too?!"

Saya slapped the water with both palms in a burst of frustration, sending a small wave sloshing over the edge of the tub.

The more she tried not to think about it, the worse it got. The images in her head kept getting clearer—and hotter.

After soaking for a good ten minutes in cold water to cool herself down—literally and mentally—Saya finally climbed out, dried off, and dropped onto her bed.

She tossed and turned for a while, but sleep just wouldn't come.

"Nope. This isn't working."

"I have to know what's going on in that room."

Pumped up with a fresh wave of resolve, she stormed out—straight into the room next to Veyron's.

This hotel's top floor had only two ultra-luxury suites. One belonged to Veyron. The other one had been left empty, even though he'd offered it to the girls. They all agreed to each pick their own rooms downstairs instead.

Which worked out perfectly for Saya—because now, she could sneak into the empty suite and press her ear to the wall.

She tiptoed from the room to the living area, then to the balcony, listening at every corner she could.

"…Damn. The soundproofing in this place is insane."

Not a single creak. Not a whisper. Nothing.

She pouted. Of course, what did she expect? Suites like this cost more per night than an average family's monthly expenses. If they didn't have good soundproofing, the hotel wouldn't have survived the first zombie crisis.

Just as she was about to give up, though—

"Ahh~~"

A familiar female voice slipped through the wall. Light and breathy, with that unmistakable tone—

"Wait… that's Mom?!"

Moments later, the voice changed—it was Rika now. Then Saeko.

Each voice taking its turn, like they were rotating.

Saya's whole body started heating up again.

And then—

Her eyes flew wide open.

Wait… they are taking turns?! What the hell kind of arrangement is that?!

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