Gacha Kingdom Building-Chapter 299: System Break (01)

--This Chapter is written in Piper’s POV--

I had stayed up until late, distracting myself with anything I could get my hands on. I found tracks I had never listened to. I almost finished reading the book I’d started last week, and I made solid progress on a certain game’s campaign.

It was a productive night, all of my own.

But perhaps I distracted myself a little too much.

I completely forgot that I had deadlines to meet and woke up extra late, even by my standards.

When I noticed it, almost everyone had already left.

Since Marcus had recovered, there was a mountain of paperwork and boring tasks waiting for him. James felt bad and offered his help, so the two had probably left early in the morning.

Alex disappeared even earlier, during the night. I noticed him leaving, but I didn’t even think about asking him what he was gonna do. I thought he’d be back in a couple of minutes, but no.

That left me with only one lackey available...

Miwen, the little rascal who dared to go on a mission with everyone else before me!

I know everyone asked him to join in the first place, but that wasn’t really my style, and he knew it. He should’ve come and begged to see me in action.

It felt like he was avoiding me. Even though I had always treated him so nicely...

This demanded punishment. I headed to his room, determined to make him pay for his crimes.

Since I couldn’t enjoy this government-sponsored luxurious life without doing a mission or two, I’d at least bring him with me, even if I had to tie him up!

I walked up to his room and stood before the door, but before I could knock, a couple of voices began to leak out.

I recognized his. I didn’t recognize the other. But I knew it belonged to a woman.

She was panting heavily.

I’d already seen something like this before, when I happened to pass by the bathroom while Miwen and a few of his friends were bathing. However, just in case something else was happening, I peeped through the keyhole.

Unfortunately, it was exactly as I had imagined. The woman was different. Instead of a petite fox-girl, it was a stunning beauty with long, dark purple hair.

The act was still the same, though.

Miwen and the woman were talking about control, reward, and betrayal... I didn’t really understand much since I caught their talk midway, and it was hard to decipher exactly what they were saying between the constant moaning and the bed creaking. They’d also lean close to each other’s ears to whisper...

Despite the heavy themes, both seemed to enjoy provoking each other. Or at least, that was the impression I got from their smiles.

It seemed like roleplay, but without any experience with that kind of relationship, I couldn’t really tell...

If I were to knock on the door looking flustered, they’d realize I knew what was happening, and that would be too embarrassing and bothersome for me to handle. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

So, just like last time, I stood by the door, unable to take my eyes off it.

Other than cheering for his happiness, I had nothing to do with Miwen’s love life.

However, it was such a strong whiplash to see him being a man.

The memories I had of him and his sister as kids were still fresh in my mind.

In particular, there was this summer when their parents returned home for a couple of days.

My reputation always caused trouble wherever I went. I couldn’t stay in a single place for too long.

But that time, Miwen and Maya were about to change schools because of their parents’ work, so it was the perfect opportunity for me to hang around as much as I wanted.

They never complained about me intruding in their lives. Neither the siblings nor their parents.

I wished I could’ve stayed longer.

But I couldn’t.

I’d never forgive myself for giving the kids more problems to deal with.

Besides, I thought that when they grew up, we’d have more opportunities to hang out.

I kinda wished I could show them the ropes of adulthood, despite not being that great at it either.

If they depended on me a lot, it would only be fair that I caused them a few problems.

It’d be nice...

These thoughts circled in my mind while I waited outside. Enough time had passed for the woman to dress herself and disappear.

In her goodbye, she said something that made Miwen audibly sigh.

This was finally my opportunity.

Ready or not, I forced the door open.

Piper: "Heya! You busy today, boy?"

I pretended not to notice the strong fragrance the woman left, and the smell that lingered in the air after their play.

Miwen: "...Why?"

He looked straight in my eyes, without an ounce of shame.

Maybe he thought I hadn’t seen anything, maybe he knew I had and used his confidence as a mask.

His expression had always been hard to read, and unlike Maya, he was neither trusting nor trustworthy.

Piper: "I’ve got work for you."

Or at least, I’ve got work. And I couldn’t be bothered to do it alone.

Miwen: "Sure... Just let me take a bath first."

He looked at me with suspicion, but years of hammering home the fact that his aunt was too great for him to oppose had paid off. The cheeky brat didn’t even think about rejecting me.

It was a little disappointing, though.

Maya had her father’s honesty.

Miwen had his mother’s edge.

I liked his attitude a lot. The way he always did everything he could to stay on top of any situation was cool.

Still, I couldn’t complain about my own success. I got a partner in crime to do most of my bidding, and that was all that I needed.

That, and pick one of the missions I had left on hold.

There were many options, but I was feeling merciful, so I chose the one that seemed most exciting.

Despite coming out of his bath with yet another woman, this one wearing a maid’s outfit, Miwen had finished surprisingly early.

I tried not to think about it too deeply, but it was strange as hell.

The girl had a body as developed as the previous woman’s, which, considering they both looked younger than me, was deeply insulting.

But a boy of his age being captivated by things like that was normal.

Yet, if that girl wasn’t good enough for him, well...

It kinda infuriated me, for some reason.

Piper: "C’mon, hop on!"

Whatever. It was not my business anyway.

Miwen: "...You’re not bringing out one of your toys this time?"

Oh... Now that was more like it.

The kid got a lift from a cool beauty in a sports car. It should be a dream come true for any boy, yet he still had the gall to ask for more.

Such a punk.

I was glad to see this side of him hadn’t changed.

Piper: "Y’know... Gotta save mana. In case you get your ass handed to you."

Besides, I had already shown off with the sci-fi ship once.

I wanted to show off with something different this time.

Miwen: "Pfft. As if!"

We hit the road, and from nowhere, Miwen summoned a pair of sunglasses for himself.

They didn’t suit him at all. He looked goofy more than cool.

However, I got what he was going for and summoned a pair for myself, too.

We stopped at a signal on our way, and I pointed to some girls on the street.

Piper: "Heya! If you’re lost, I can take you home~"

Blonde Girl: "Fuck off, douche!"

While I got mad thinking she had called me a dude, Miwen laughed his ass off.

I honked at them a few times and drove off.

We didn’t find any cute girls on the street before leaving the city, so I couldn’t get to laugh at Miwen getting flipped off.

It was a nice ride, though.

I blasted the radio with the songs I liked, and thanks to inheriting a few action heroes’ expertise, I drove at top speed without breaking a sweat.

Because of the war, there weren’t that many cars in the road to begin with, and in most places, the cops were too busy to bother about stopping a dangerous, speeding driver.

Kinda.

We did get stopped once, but the moment I was recognized, we were let go. Not even a scolding. Not even a warning.

Miwen: "So... Mind telling me where we are going?"

Piper: "You’ll see when we get there."

The missions I received were almost universally deep within AOTG-controlled territory.

Most of them were simple stuff. I just had to destroy something or another and then head back home.

This time, however, I chose something slightly more complex.

I had another pair of hands to work with, so I was definitely going to use them.

Miwen: "I’m not gonna like it, am I?"

Piper: "I know I will~"

After stopping at a restaurant for lunch, we camped by the road.

I had him put up our tents while I enjoyed the starry night.

Miwen seemed to know a lot about stars, so I ended up getting lectured.

At first, I thought it was annoying, but...

For once, the topic had nothing to do with me, or my reputation, or my responsibilities.

He was just like a kid telling his mother about random trivia he learned.

Despite it being a quieter night, I enjoyed it much more than yesterday’s.