"..."
Lana and Haru had been staring each other down for quite some time now.
But even now, neither of them had chosen to speak first.
It was almost like they were playing some strange game—one where the first to surrender would be considered the loser. And in this game, it was usually the man who lost to the woman.
The surroundings grew increasingly silent. In the end, only the distant chirping of the Kricketune from the speakers, the occasional meow of a Litten, and the sound of their breathing remained.
Finally, just before both Lana and the hidden Lillie began to grow restless, Haru opened his mouth first.
"I know what you're planning, but I hope you'll keep it a secret from Lillie."
The moment he said this, Lillie, who was hiding in the corner, immediately perked up her ears.
What?!
Her ever-loyal Mr. Haru actually had something he was keeping from her?
How could this be? Hadn't Mr. Haru always loved her? Why would he do such a thing now?
In that single instant, Lillie's mind spun out a thousand dramatic scenarios.
Maybe this blue-haired woman had discovered one of Haru's weaknesses or secrets, and was now blackmailing him into doing this or that...
Meanwhile, Lana didn't immediately refuse nor agree. Instead, she simply asked Haru in return:
"Why? Shouldn't she be told? Isn't this something that concerns her too?"
As she recalled that outrageous situation between Lusamine and Haru, Lana's cheeks flushed with an unnatural red.
She wasn't even sure anymore if she'd been left with some kind of strange mental scar.
Now, whenever she saw Haru, all she could think of was that incident and her own defiled face in its aftermath.
An innately wicked man! How dare he shatter my spiritual purity!
Just days ago, she'd still been an innocent girl—far removed from any of those filthy things.
Of course... deep down she knew that Haru wasn't truly to blame. After all, it had really been an accident.
If she hadn't barged into Lusamine's house, none of that would've happened.
Putting morality aside, what Haru had been doing—having an "Onix vs. Clamperl" battle in private—hadn't really concerned anyone else.
But now... what was she supposed to do? Having seen the man's body, and having had all those things done to her—how could she still hope to marry anyone else?
Even worse, this man had clearly gotten close to Lusamine of Aether Paradise as well.
If he used Lusamine's influence to come after her...
No! If this keeps going, I...
And if she really did end up falling into this damn man's hands, what would they even name the future child?!
Of course, Haru had no idea what strange and chaotic thoughts were swirling through the blue-haired girl's mind. He was merely answering her question seriously.
"Telling Lillie directly would be easy, of course. But it would definitely hurt her—and that's the last thing I want to see."
"When the time is right, I'll tell her everything myself, in a way she can accept. But not now."
Hurt me? What kind of thing could hurt me?!
Hidden in the corner, Lillie's curiosity burned even brighter. She desperately wanted to hear the answer from their mouths—but they just wouldn't get to the point.
No! Mr. Haru is still thinking of me! His heart is with me!
Lana's expression, however, grew stranger still upon hearing Haru's reply.
"You're not seriously thinking of keeping this from her forever, are you?"
"Then... what about us?"
"If you want... I can take responsibility for that. If you're willing to accept the mess that comes with me..."
She said it!
With barely any buildup and next to no affection established, Haru shamelessly spoke those words!
But right after, he abruptly shifted tone again and tried to persuade Lana:
"But... is that really what you want? You know as well as I do—it was just an accident..."
"You really only think about yourself, don't you?"
"Talking all noble, but in the end, aren't you just trying to..."
Huh?
At this point, Lillie could no longer follow the conversation.
If earlier she could still make some sense of what Haru and Lana were talking about, now she was completely lost.
What do they mean by 'things between us'?
Could it be... had something really happened between Mr. Haru and this blue-haired woman?!
How dare she!
What's so great about her?!
Isn't she just a washed-up loser?!
No, surely there was still some misunderstanding here. Surely they hadn't... gone that far.
No matter what, Lillie absolutely would not lose!
As the heiress of Aether Paradise, she had every reason not to lose!
---
While Haru, Lana, and Lillie were about to enact their own chaotic drama, another interesting scene was brewing elsewhere in Aether Foundation.
Its leads? Lusamine—and Wicke.
One was the president of Aether Paradise, the other the branch head. Both were powerful figures.
But at the same time, one was subordinate to the other.
Lusamine set down her wine glass and fixed Wicke with a piercing gaze sharper than even a Cacturne's spines.
"When Haru and I were... doing those things earlier—you were watching, weren't you?"
No beating around the bush. Lusamine confronted Wicke head-on.
Though she might act quite unseemly in front of Haru, when she was serious, Lusamine still radiated her natural aura of queenly authority.
Thus, the usually timid, bespectacled Wicke was immediately overwhelmed by her presence—rendered speechless.
She'd originally intended to calmly persuade Lusamine to reconsider her relationship with Haru.
And also to find out whether Lillie knew anything about it yet...
Having watched Lillie grow up, Wicke genuinely cared about her.
If Lillie still didn't know—then surely this was too tragic for her.
For the person she loved and her closest family member to be entangled like this... that would be far worse than facing ten thousand Amoonguss head-on.
But somehow, the situation had flipped—Lusamine was now interrogating her instead.
And the balance of power was entirely in Lusamine's hands.
"Why aren't you answering? Don't tell me you don't even know whether you saw anything."
"Ah, well, um... we weren't exactly... I mean..."
Recalling those explosive scenes, Wicke felt like she had an Onix stuck in her throat—unable to speak clearly.
Honestly, though she wasn't that young anymore, she'd never married... having devoted her life to Pokémon.
So that earlier scene had shocked her nearly as much as it had shocked Lana.
Even now, just remembering it made Wicke's ample Blissey-sized chest rise and fall with deep emotion.
"You just need to answer: yes or no!"
"Y-yes, President!"
The instant Lusamine barked the command, Wicke responded reflexively—almost like Lusamine's well-trained body.
Lusamine nodded in satisfaction.
"Good. That was your biggest mistake today."
"Huh? M-my mistake?"
Wicke was stunned. Pointing at herself, her face full of confusion.
Wasn't this between Lusamine and Haru? How had it become her mistake?
"Of course it was your mistake!"
***************************
Read advanced chapters ahead of everyone else on my P@treon.
P@treon/GodDragcell