Yarra's Adventure Notes-Chapter 1319 - 105: Apology

"I think, since you’ve followed me here, it might be time for us to have a proper talk," Pannis sighed after a moment of silence, sensing the stifling atmosphere in the conference room. However, no one answered; the five girls all sat quietly in their chairs, looking at him with a special kind of sorrowful gaze, as if they hadn’t heard him at all. Tension lingered for tens of seconds, until finally Pannis could no longer withstand those gazes. He made a gesture of surrender, lowering his head and murmuring, "Alright, alright, I understand. I apologize. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have left you behind without saying goodbye in person before running off here by myself. I admit I was wrong, that I hurt you, and I am very sorry. I hope you can forgive me."

"That’s it?" Catherine asked with an expressionless face, her voice seemingly devoid of emotion. "Just an apology? I thought you were going to explain."

"An apology is an apology," Pannis replied with a wry smile. "It means recognizing one’s mistakes. Mixing explanations with apologies isn’t right; otherwise, it’s not an apology but an attempt to shirk responsibility. Regardless of the reason, slipping away quietly and leaving you all was indeed my mistake, and I owe you an apology for that. As for explaining, I’ll definitely do it, but that comes after the apology, after I’ve been forgiven."

Catherine bit her lip and turned her head away, not allowing Pannis to see her eyes. Although her eyes were hidden, the slight trembling of her shoulders was visible, indicating her unsettled emotions. And it wasn’t just her; the other girls were equally disturbed. Lina wasn’t her usual self at all, sitting slouched with one leg over the other, like a rude, lazy man in an armchair, supporting her chin and sizing up Pannis with a teasing but sharp gaze. Apparently, the priest girl had left her body in her friend’s control; Vivian’s head hung low as if she were lost in thought, but her fingers kept unconsciously playing with the magic staff resting on the edge of the table, occasionally lifting her eyes to sweep the room, revealing she was far from spaced out; blonde Ava held a pristine ivory comb, winding her hair around it as if absent-mindedly, but a careful observation of her eyes would reveal the shadow of rapidly swirling data, as if she were intently calculating; Freya alone sat with crossed arms, an unconcerned spectator, leisurely as always. But knowing Freya’s personality, she probably didn’t let on what she was thinking or feeling, if she even cared at all.

After a moment, Catherine’s shoulders ceased trembling, and she turned her head back, no longer with reddened eyes, but her voice still held a hint of strangeness as she clenched her teeth and spat, "You damn jerk."

Scratching his head and touching his nose, Pannis continued with a bitter smile. Other than smiling wryly, he really didn’t know what else to do. He was well aware that in such a situation, any explanation would be feeble and ineffective, likely exacerbating the other party’s emotions. Thus, the best course of action was to give them a chance to vent. Only after they successfully released their inner turmoil could the girls return to their senses and truly sit down for a serious talk. So Pannis said nothing and just waited patiently.

Fortunately, the girls were not ordinary women. They were beings far stronger than normal people, a strength evident not only in power but also in heart. Within a very short time, the girls’ composure gradually returned. Except for Lina, who maintained her initial posture, the other girls slowly reverted to their usual demeanor. After swearing at him, Catherine fiercely waved her fist at Pannis and said to the others, "Sisters, shall we forgive him?"

"Tch, lucky guy." As soon as Catherine asked, ’Lina’ knew there probably wasn’t going to be any more excitement. Discontent, she pouted and pointed at Pannis, "You’re just too lucky. I think I should have a talk with Lina and let her smash you to death with a hammer."

"Er, Miss Katerina, Lina is violent enough as it is," Pannis said helplessly. "Please, don’t stir up more trouble."

"Hmph, don’t think that just because you recognized me, I’d be happy," Katerina snorted coldly, "You made that child so sad, I remember you now. I’ll settle my account with you later."

Watching Lina’s eyes flicker open and close before quickly adjusting her sitting posture with the dignity of a clergy member, Pannis knew that Lina had finally returned. However, the first thing the priestess did upon her return was to bare her teeth at Pannis in a threatening expression and, with a heavy harrumph, turned her head away, ignoring him. Pannis rubbed his temples in pain and looked pleadingly at Catherine with a pained expression on his face,

"Hmph, you deserve it," Catherine rolled her eyes and tapped the table, "Alright, I’ve heard everyone’s thoughts. So, for the time being, we’ll reluctantly forgive him this time. Since we’ve forgiven him, let’s not be awkward with each other anymore. Regarding the issue at hand, I think it’s time for us to have a serious talk."

"Whew," Pannis let out a breath, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead. He felt that the pressure he had faced when confronted by two moribund attackers previously was never as great as this, and perhaps the only thing comparable to the present pressure was when he had faced the Divine Soul of Danacus years ago. Maybe this proved that, in some ways, women were as terrifying as evil gods? Of course, for the sake of his own life, Pannis would never voice such a foolish speculation out loud. Pannis let his thoughts wander internally but outwardly showed a relieved expression, laughing dryly, "Since I’ve acknowledged my mistake, I’d like to explain my actions and my thoughts, I..."

"Wait," Catherine raised her hand to interrupt Pannis’s explanation, shaking the envelope in her hand, "You remember the farewell letter you left for us, don’t you?" freēnovelkiss.com

"Uh, of course," Pannis nodded, "I remember the letter I wrote."

"Hiss," as Pannis watched in astonishment, Catherine slowly tore the envelope and the letter inside in half, then repeatedly tore it into pieces, and casually handed it to Vivian. Vivian gently blew on her palm, and the pieces of the farewell letter burst into flames, burning fiercely, and in an instant, turned into a pile of ashes.

"I have not read this letter, none of us have," Catherine said seriously, "Now, I will speak first."