Chapter 14: The Struggle between the Fox and the Duck
Mo Chen and Bronya were each handcuffed to an iron window.
After being caught by Sakura, who appeared out of nowhere, they were successfully detained on charges of driving without a license and imprisoned here.
Mo Chen was purely innocent throughout the whole process. He was labeled as an accomplice just for sitting in the back seat.
It can be said that it was extremely unlucky.
Fortunately, he has always behaved like an ordinary person in this world line, without carrying any weapons and without any dark history or stains; otherwise, he would have considered escaping from prison.
"Sorry, Mo Chen, I'm sorry for getting you into trouble this time," Bronya sighed, seeming very regretful.
"If you regret it, don't drive without a license in the future," Mo Chen reminded her.
"No, I do regret it, but what I regret is that I didn't increase the power of the motorcycle to its maximum immediately," Bronya gritted her teeth bitterly. "If I had known that there was such a perverted policeman in Nagazora, I would have shown my invincible driving skills and never been caught..."
"…"
Faced with Miss Bronya, who was obsessed with motorcycles, Mo Chen was speechless.
Just then, he saw Miss Sakura, the girl with pink hair and a pair of fox ears, walking toward him from a distance.
"It has been verified. There is no problem with the identities of both of you." The pink-haired girl's expression was serious. "Your name is Mo Chen, right? You can leave after making a statement."
"Is that all?" Mo Chen asked in surprise.
Sakura nodded slightly and said, "Yes, I investigated and found that you have no problem, so I exempted you."
"Exemption?" Mo Chen was surprised that she would help him like this. "Why are you helping me?"
"There's no special reason, I just don't think you're a bad person..."
Sakura shook her head, pretending to be calm. But when facing Mo Chen, she inexplicably felt a strange liking for him.
It was as if the two had met countless times and shared unforgettable experiences.
This made her instinctively want to help, even though it was against her responsibilities.
But she had no memory of this.
It was a weird feeling, like waking up from a dream but unable to recall anything.
'Could it be that I'm at the age where I yearn for love, like my sister said?'
'But I wouldn't fall for a man I just met. His appearance is ordinary, nothing extraordinary...'
'Do I like this type?'
Sakura's face flushed slightly at the thought.
Mo Chen looked at the shy woman and suddenly asked, "Is your name Yae Sakura?"
"Yae? Why do you think that?" Sakura shook her head. "My situation is special. I only have one name—Sakura."
"I see."
A smile appeared on Mo Chen's lips.
From the ability she had used earlier Mo Chen had vaguely guessed her identity. He was just confirming it.
'Flame Chaser Sakura, in this world line, is your sister, who became the twelfth Divine Key, successfully returned to being an ordinary person?'
Mo Chen guessed in his heart but didn't ask further, fearing the other party would get suspicious...
As Sakura became more aware of the strange feeling Mo Chen gave her, she quickly changed the subject, looking at Bronya suspiciously:
"Um, you are the game producer of Anti-Entropy, Ms. Bronya, right? For driving without a license, you'll be detained for three days."
"Why?!" Bronya exclaimed, her chest heaving with frustration, catching Sakura's sharp glance.
"Because you're a repeat offender of driving without a license. Schicksal's database has numerous records of you driving without a license and fleeing globally." Sakura's expression was stern—or at least she tried to be. "You're lucky it's just three days."
"Really?!"
Bronya let out a cry of frustration.
"It's okay, I'll stay with you," Mo Chen said with a smile, seeing her pitiful look. "I have nothing to do recently anyway, so it doesn't matter if I stay here for a while."
"Mo Chen!?"
Bronya's eyes lit up.
She didn't expect him to offer to stay with her.
Mo Chen smiled.
It wasn't just a side effect of playing strategy games, trying to conquer beautiful girls whenever he saw them... Well, maybe a little.
But the main reason was that he was worried about Raiden Mei.
If the video leak was discovered by Schicksal, they'd likely send people to search for him.
Raiden Mei had met him once before. Though she might not remember him, if she did and came looking, the risk would be too great.
Staying at the police station for a few days would minimize that risk.
All of this was to protect his peaceful life...
"You want to stay here with Bronya?" Sakura asked, surprised, a hint of jealousy in her voice.
"Is that a problem?" Mo Chen asked.
"No problem." Sakura hesitated. "If you want to stay, I'll make a room for you. But Miss Bronya will stay here. There are no extra cells, so I'll guard her personally."
Sakura unlocked Mo Chen's handcuffs but tightened Bronya's.
"Is this personal revenge?" Bronya asked, feeling targeted.
"This is a reasonable use of authority," Sakura said calmly, her gaze occasionally drifting to Bronya's chest.
"…"
Mo Chen stayed silent, witnessing the tension between the two.
He spent the whole night at the police station with Bronya.
The next morning, Mo Chen woke up from his spot on the floor and got ready to buy breakfast.
Bronya, still handcuffed, had endured a sleepless night.
Suddenly, Bronya's phone vibrated.
"Help me get it," Bronya said anxiously, unable to move her hands.
"Uh..." Mo Chen hesitated but eventually retrieved the phone from her chest.
It wasn't a call but a notification from Bilibili.
The account she followed—[Void Archives]—had just updated [The Stars That Never Disappeared] series.
The second part of the Second Eruption had been released!
(TL: If you want to read more chapters early, check out my Patreon for more advanced updates~
link: patreon.com/Elysia_Husband)