"Damn it, Sis, let go of me right now!"
"No way! Besides, I'm the older sister, and I found the treasure chest first!"
Stelle yanked Caelus's arm, forcefully throwing him back.
"Do you even know what a treasure chest is? Do you know what's inside? And you're trying to snatch it?"
His arm felt like it was caught in a vise as he was flung backward. Caelus adopted the tone of an older brother, trying to scold his mischievous, clueless little sister.
At the same time, he surged forward, tackling Stelle from behind, wrapping his arms around her slim yet strong waist, using his entire body weight as an anchor to stop her.
Even through the barrier of her white T-shirt, he could feel the perfect lines of her toned waist, but Caelus wasn't distracted.
Compared to a treasure chest, what did one little gray raccoon matter?
"You annoying little brother! Who are you to boss me around?"
Dragging Caelus's body forward, Stelle's fine legs, adorned with blue leg rings, struck the ground like pile drivers with every step as she arduously advanced.
Stelle raised her slender, delicate hands and began prying Caelus's fingers—crossed over her stomach—off, one by one.
"I don't care what's inside, the shiny treasure chest is mine!" Stelle retorted righteously.
"Are you some dragon straight out of a mountain cave? See treasure, claim treasure?" Caelus shot back, though his expression soured.
Damn it, aren't we supposed to be two sides of the same coin? How is her strength so much greater than mine?
Theoretically, Stelle and Caelus were essentially the same person from a higher dimension, artificial bodies created to host a Stellaron. Their physical abilities shouldn't just be comparable; they should be identical.
However, at this moment, Stelle's body truly housed a Stellaron, like a fully charged battery.
Caelus's body, on the other hand, was empty—cleaner than his wallet.
Although a peculiar connection existed between them, allowing the Stellaron's Imaginary power to be transmitted to Caelus from another dimension, it was like a tiny stream overflowing from the ocean. Scaled down, it was nothing more than a dribble from a toy water gun.
It couldn't compare to Stelle, who contained the entire Stellaron, the very vessel and essence of the Stellaron itself.
"Heh."
Sensing the power gap between them, a mocking curve formed on Stelle's lips, her expression looking utterly smug.
"My foolish otouto, do you see? This is the difference in our capacity."
After saying this, Stelle's expression flickered for a moment, a hint of confusion in her eyes. What does 'otouto' mean?
Her 'subconscious' provided the answer: the word meant 'little brother'.
Ah, understanding dawned on her face.
Stelle gripped the hands she had pried off her waist, tilted her head with an air of superiority, her gaze lofty.
"Annoying little brother trying to cause trouble? You're facing someone higher up your biological food chain. You're far from ready to challenge me."
"Little Caelus, give up now. I don't want us siblings to fight."
Stelle's expression softened instantly, like a gentle, kind older sister watching her unreasonable younger brother.
Caelus's face darkened.
Hey, what's with this Stellaron spirit? How did she become such a drama queen? Did she really hypnotize herself into thinking she's the older sister?
Seeing Caelus remain unmoved, the gentle smile on Stelle's face gradually turned sharp.
"Otherwise, today, there will be no place for you in this family~!"
Stelle shouted, her small hands controlling Caelus's grip lifted high. She spun around, brought her arms down, crossing Caelus's hands.
A classic Ultraman move against monsters: the Hammer Throw!
Gripping Caelus's hands, Stelle swung his body around in a full 720-degree rotation and violently hurled him towards March 7th.
"Off you go!"
Watching Caelus's stunned expression, Stelle flashed a victor's smile. The moment he was airborne, she turned and dashed towards the treasure chest.
March 7th, still completely bewildered and failing to grasp the situation, had no time to dodge. She acted as a human cushion, directly catching the flying Caelus.
"Eh? Eh~ Oww!"
Stumbling back two steps, she lost her balance and tumbled to the ground. Her ample, perky 'front armor' was squashed into the shape of two tempting persimmons.
Though Caelus could clearly feel the soft, yielding deformation against his side and arm, along with the girl's cool, lotus-like scent, he had no time to linger—that would be disrespectful to the treasure chest!
Using the springy, jelly-like cushion to quickly regain his footing, Caelus watched Stelle's figure racing towards the chest, his gaze sharpening:
"Stelle, you forced my hand!"
Caelus raised his hand and forcefully grabbed his own chest muscle.
First Strike: Crouching Dragon Emerges!
"Ah!"
Stelle jolted, hastily covering her chest.
Caelus formed his fingers into a sword-hand and jabbed his own soft flank.
Double Hit: Fame in One Battle!
"Ya!"
As if sneak-attacked on her side waist, Stelle shot bolt upright like a startled cat, hands braced on her sides, waist arched forward, her entire body bending a good 30 degrees.
A glint appeared in Caelus's eyes. The hand on his chest pinched, two fingers forcefully tweaking a protrusion.
Triple Combo: Shocking the World!
Stelle trembled, clutching her chest.
Finally, Caelus reached his hand down between his legs, fiercely pinching the flesh high on his inner thigh.
Quadra Strike: Unrivaled Under Heaven!
"Eek~!"
The strange sensation spreading from the root of her thigh completely overwhelmed the already unsteady Stelle.
She tripped as if her legs were swept out from under her, tumbling head over heels just like Qingque in her character PV.
A cruel case of 'chest-braking' agony.
Stelle's outstretched left hand was merely a foot away from the treasure chest, yet it felt like an insurmountable chasm.
Enduring the referred pain, Caelus continued to knead and tickle his own ticklish and sensitive spots.
"Ya! Ah!"
Stelle writhed like a fish stranded on shore, twisting, rolling, leaping up, convulsing sporadically.
One pervert engaged in self-manipulation.
One Star-fish flopping on the ground.
Watching this scene, rich with the air of performance art, March 7th was utterly dumbfounded, her head buzzing.
Who am I?
Where am I?
What are they doing?
Are they insane?! These two are definitely insane!
"Despicable!"
The bizarre sensations flooding her body brought a flush to Stelle's face. She bit her lower lip hard to suppress the moans rising to her throat, but her head tilted up towards the prize, staring at the treasure chest just inches away as she pounded the floor.
Why! Why doesn't she have Caelus's sensitive spots!
"My foolish imouto, do you see? This is the true difference in our capacity."
Caelus glanced down at the collapsed Stelle. She was still fighting back. She didn't share his sensitive spots, but she did have ticklish areas. Stelle was now counter-attacking by tickling her own armpits.
The resulting itchiness made Caelus clamp his arms tightly to his sides, but his steps towards the treasure chest didn't falter.
"Guh, I haven't lost yet!"
Opening the chest required hands. Seizing the moment Caelus stopped his self-inflicted assault, Stelle lunged like a starving tiger.
The two immediately crashed to the floor and began wrestling.
All rules and semblance of technique forgotten, their coats were half-pulled off, hanging loosely. Caelus even managed to wrench off one of Stelle's short boots. Now, she was furiously kicking her smooth, jade-like bare foot at Caelus's face, trying to push him away.
"Suppressed by one foot, kid!" Stelle declared triumphantly, stamping Caelus's face repeatedly with her cute, crystal-like toes.
"Why must you? Why must you? Why force me to get serious?"
Caelus, at a clear disadvantage in strength, had to rely on technique.
"Behold! Hamster on a Wheel! Black Tiger Snatches the Heart! Twin Dragons Play with Pearls! Tiger Claw Eats Pudding!"
Against anyone else, even the current Caelus might have hesitated to abandon all decorum... probably. But against Stelle, it was a different matter entirely.
No hesitation needed!
Black Tiger Caelus attacked, aiming once again for sensitive spots.
This time, it was direct contact!
He tickled the sole of her foot, and as Stelle momentarily lost control due to the sensation, he lunged straight for her chest.
"You—! You absolute—!"
Stelle's pretty face flushed crimson, partly from anger, partly from embarrassment.
Even among actual siblings, you don't just touch that area directly, right?!
March 7th, who had been about to intervene, witnessed this, and her pupils quaked violently.
Could this pair of siblings (identities still tentative) actually have... a taboo relationship?
Caelus was ruthlessly suppressed by Stelle's monstrous strength, while Stelle had to endure the strange physical sensations. They remained locked in a stalemate for a long while.
"How about... we open it together? Split it fifty-fifty?" Caelus finally suggested.
"...Agreed."
Continuing to tear at each other was pointless.
Stelle removed her foot from Caelus's face, released his wrist, and freed his pinned elbow.
After putting her boot back on and straightening her clothes, Stelle winced and shook her wrist.
If she had gone all out, she could have pinned Caelus completely still. But she couldn't use too much force—wrenching Caelus's wrist hurt her too!
Damn it! What is this physical synchronicity? It only seems to work against her!
Caelus stretched his limbs, numb from being pinned, and snorted lightly.
The outcome of this battle was decided from the start. She was merely a nascent Stellaron spirit, just beginning to take human form. How could she compare to him, a peerless general walking the Path of Elation?
Having composed themselves, Stelle and Caelus knelt before the treasure chest. They exchanged glances, nodded, and each placed a hand on the lid.
A tantalizing, brilliant light shimmered faintly from the seam between the lid and the box.
With perfectly synchronized movements, they took a deep breath. Stelle and Caelus each extended a hand and pulled the treasure chest open together.
Light bloomed.
Two gray-haired figures, expressions intent, peered inside like curious kittens, their heads bumping together.
"Wow! Are these crystals?"
Stelle's eyes suddenly shone with intense light, her face full of surprise, and she let out a cheerful laugh.
Caelus's hand, holding a crystal, trembled slightly—not from excitement, but from rage.
[Hey, buddy, what is this?]
Inside the chest lay neat rows of translucent blue crystals, but there were only four.
Four!
What does four even mean?
Even getting one star on a Honkai Impact 3rd stage gives ten crystals as a reward!
[Eh? Did I not mention it earlier? The value of items or the number of crystals in a treasure chest is related to the difficulty of obtaining it.] The System cautiously asked back.
[Did you say that?]
[Did I... not say that?]
This is such a rip-off!
(╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻
After taking his share—two crystals—Caelus immediately kicked the treasure chest over.
All that effort, fighting with Stelle for so long, just for two crystals?
Stelle burst into laughter, while Caelus sighed heavily.
People's joys and sorrows are rarely shared; March 7th just found them noisy.
But more than noisy, March 7th felt a bone-chilling coldness crawl up her spine from her feet.
In her eyes, there was no treasure chest there at all. Stelle and Caelus were reacting with joy and anger towards an empty corner.
"March, look! Such pretty crystals! Here, I'll give you one!"
Holding her two crystals, Stelle bounced over to March 7th, generously offering her one of the sparkling blue gems.
To Stelle's surprise, March 7th didn't show the expected delight of someone receiving a gift, nor did she reach out to take it.
Instead, she stared at Stelle with incomprehensible, incredulous, and slightly terrified eyes.
"March, what's wrong?" Stelle tilted her head, puzzled.
"Crystals? What crystals?" March 7th gazed at the object Stelle was presenting like a precious treasure, her expression utterly baffled.
"In your hand... that's just a wad of waste paper, isn't it?"
Watching Stelle beaming happily while clutching a ball of trash paper, March 7th's expression gradually shifted. It was like watching someone dangerously detached from reality, someone holding shards of a broken lightbulb and claiming it was an immortal elixir.
The arc lamps had long since gone out due to the Antimatter Legion's invasion, leaving the dim cabin lit only by the flashing red emergency lights.
This backdrop, combined with Stelle's bizarre behavior, made March 7th feel like a scholar in a desolate, ancient mountain village. Hearing a knock on a night of pouring rain, he opens the door to find only a pair of women's red embroidered shoes sitting on the threshold.
It was the essence of Chinese-style psychological horror!
Instantly, March 7th felt an eerie, terrifying sensation wash over her. Coldness enveloped her body, and her scalp prickled.
These... these two really have problems. They're crazy!
They're sick!
They're actually mentally ill!
________________________________________
I have a little challenge for you! For every 100 POWER STONES, I'll release ONE EXTRA CHAPTER!