Chapter 158: Lorelei?? (Membership Extra - )
[VIP Chat Group]
[Bianca]: Aaaah, I want to go see Raina so badly!!
[Iris]: Me too, but I don’t have any reason to visit...
[May]: +1.
[Dawn]: +1.
[Lance]: +1.
[Wallace]: ??? Did something strange sneak into that group?
[Diantha]: Has Lance finally lost his mind too? If so, the League really is doomed.
[Lance]: ...I merely pressed the plus sign beside the message without thinking.
[Lorelei]: Although Raina’s arrival is part of the system’s reward, she is still someone from the future. Her existence has tremendous significance to our world. Honestly, I would also like to visit her.
[Bruno]: Indeed.
[Steven]: @Asher @Asher @Asher @Asher
[Wallace]: Steven, your mute only just ended and you’re already spamming again? Was five minutes not long enough for you?
[Steven]: This is important! Brother Asher! Niece Raina has arrived! As her uncle, I absolutely must pay her a visit!
[Lance]: @Asher, provided it isn’t inconvenient, I would also like to meet her. I won’t take up too much of her time.
[Diantha]: @Asher, I’d like to have a chat with Raina too~
[Valerie]: I want to go as well!
[Asher]: @Everyone, Raina has seen every message you’ve sent, so I’ll let her decide for herself. I have no objections, but there shouldn’t be too many visitors.
[Steven]: Choose me, Niece Raina! Uncle Steven brought you a present!
[Wallace]: Stop causing trouble and let her choose for herself.
[Raina]: Thank you for being so enthusiastic! But after thinking about it, I’d prefer to invite only people I’m familiar with. Lorelei?? Um... Aunt Lorelei, Aunt Diantha, and Uncle Steven—you’re welcome to visit if you’re free!
[Steven]: I’m coming! I’m coming!
[Lorelei]: It seems the League’s work will be falling on me again this time...
[Diantha]: I’ll quickly get ready and head over.
[Iris]: Waaah, I want to go too...
[Dawn]: Could you ask her for an autograph on my behalf? ( ˃⌓˂ ）
In the real world.
By the time the doorbell rang, Asher and the others had nearly finished preparing all the ingredients.
Misty walked over and opened the door.
Lorelei, Diantha, and Steven stood neatly side by side outside.
"Good evening."
Lorelei was the first to speak.
"Thank you for having us."
Diantha gave a slight bow, her coat swaying gently with the movement.
"Hello, Sister-in-law!"
Steven leaned forward and peered inside.
"Where’s Brother Asher?"
Misty stepped aside to clear the entrance.
"Everyone is in the courtyard. Did the three of you come together?"
"We didn’t plan it. We simply happened to meet outside."
Diantha shrugged.
The moment the three entered the courtyard, they encountered Asher and Raina carrying plates from the house.
"Niece Raina!"
Steven waved enthusiastically.
"It’s wonderful to meet you! Although that doesn’t sound quite right—anyway, this is the first time I’ve met you in this world!"
Raina placed the empty plates on the sideboard and waved at him with a smile.
"Hello, Uncle Steven."
Steven handed her a wooden box.
"Here. This is a welcome gift from your uncle."
Six Evolution stones had been arranged neatly inside the box. Each one was as large as a fist, and their surfaces gleamed with distinctive colors beneath the living-room lights.
A brilliant smile blossomed across Raina’s face.
"Thank you, Uncle Steven! These stones are beautiful. This Water Stone in particular is even finer than the one I own."
"Of course! When it comes to selecting minerals, no one is more skilled than—"
Lorelei walked over to Raina, bent down slightly, and extended her hand.
"Hello, Raina."
Raina took her hand, her eyes curving into crescents.
"Hello, Aunt Lorelei."
"I understand why you call me your aunt, but what did that ’Lorelei??’ in the chat mean?"
Lorelei raised an eyebrow.
"Ahem. That was only a typo."
Raina scratched her head.
"Anyway, you’ll be my aunt in the future."
Diantha placed two paper bags beside the coffee table and nodded to Asher.
In truth, her main reason for coming was to see Cynthia. Ever since Cynthia moved here, Diantha could no longer visit as casually as she had before.
"Aunt Diantha," Raina greeted first.
"You call me your aunt too?"
Diantha blinked.
"Very well. I certainly won’t complain."
"Aunt Diantha looks a little different from how I remember her."
Raina tilted her head and carefully examined her.
"Maybe it’s because the future Aunt Diantha is always working on film sets until late at night, so the dark circles beneath her eyes are especially noticeable."
"You even know about that?"
Diantha froze.
"That’s because you always bring us to your film sets in the future. I’ve acted in quite a few movies with you too."
Raina scratched her head.
Diantha laughed.
That certainly sounded like something she would do.
She removed an exquisite box from one of the paper bags and handed it over.
"This is for you. It’s a box of handmade chocolates from Kalos, made with Moomoo Milk and pieces of Oran Berry."
Misty’s voice came from the courtyard.
"Raina! Why is it taking you so long to bring out a few plates... Oh, everyone’s here?"
"The shrimp have arrived!"
Raina placed the plate on the folding table beside the grill.
"Mom, should I brush the shrimp with honey or garlic sauce?"
"Honey."
Misty waved her hand.
"Your father prefers the honey glaze."
"Understood."
Raina picked up a brush and began coating the shrimp with honey.
"How could you possibly have a barbecue without me?"
Steven rolled up his sleeves and started toward the grill.
Before he had taken more than a few steps, Asher grabbed him by the back of his collar.
"You should stay away from the grill."
Asher released him.
"Go cut the fruit over there."
Steven walked dejectedly toward the folding table and picked up a fruit knife.
He looked at the watermelon and cantaloupe laid out before him, then pulled a Poké Ball from his pocket.
"Metagross, come out and help me cut the fruit."
Misty handed a pair of tongs to Lorelei.
"Interested in helping?"
Lorelei accepted them and nodded.
"Certainly."
Diantha had also found Cynthia.
The two sat chatting on wicker chairs on the other side of the courtyard.
"You look much healthier since moving here."
Diantha took a sip of red wine and studied Cynthia.
"When you lived at the research institute, the dark circles beneath your eyes practically covered your face."
"It wasn’t that exaggerated."
Cynthia lifted her teacup and took a sip.
"I merely stayed up late rather often while researching."
"And you don’t stay up late anymore?"
"Diantha."
Cynthia interrupted her, the tips of her ears already completely red.
"Don’t ask questions like that."
Diantha looked at her reddened ears, the corner of her mouth curling upward.
"Fine. We can discuss that another time. But as your best friend, I should warn you in advance—when Tiana is born, I won’t be satisfied with merely becoming her godmother."
"What else do you intend to do?"
"At the very least, she’ll need to star in a movie."
Diantha gently swirled the wine in her glass.
"She’ll be the leading actress, the script will be written specifically for her, and I’ll guarantee her a nomination at the Kalos Film Festival."
Cynthia looked at her extraordinarily proactive best friend and finally smiled.
"You’ve already written the script?"
"Not yet, but I’ve chosen the title—The Birth of the Master of Space-Time."
"That sounds far too melodramatic."
"It would be a guaranteed box-office hit."
...
TL: Thanks, Raydolf Splifter, for the Tier 3 membership... My mind is blank—I have nothing to say. N-no muah for you!