Chapter 326: Chapter 325: March Meets Her Match
Elysia found herself in a silent stare-off with the suddenly appearing March 7th. Two girls who had never met before, with completely different personalities, now stood face-to-face in quiet observation of one another.
The silence didn't last long. Almost simultaneously, they both spoke:
"Hi, you can just call me March 7th!"
"Hello, I'm Elysia. It's so nice to meet you! Standing together like this, we could totally pass as sisters~"
Elysia's bright, sparkling eyes gleamed as she gazed at the equally pink-haired March 7th. She could tell that March 7th was a cheerful and adorable girl.
"Sisters? Now that you mention it, we do kind of look alike!" March 7th said with a nod.
Off to the side, Stelle turned to Pei Guang and asked, "Wait, are they really sisters?"
Pei Guang shrugged. "I have no idea."
While Pei Guang and Stelle exchanged their banter, Elysia gently grabbed March 7th's hands in a friendly gesture. March 7th smiled back at her with equal enthusiasm.
"Yep~ I have pink hair, and so do you," March 7th noted with amusement.
"Exactly~ If we swapped outfits and stood side by side, anyone would think we were sisters. Equally beautiful, equally cute~" Elysia replied, beaming.
March 7th puffed up her chest with pride. "That's right! After all, I am the most gorgeous girl in the universe!"
"That's wonderful~ Then I'll rely on you to take the role of big sister! You seem to have so much more experience than I do," Elysia said with a delighted giggle.
Being praised so openly, March 7th couldn't help but look a little smug, placing her hands on her hips. "Well, of course! This girl is the galaxy's number-one beauty! If anyone bullies you, I'll show them what it means to mess with the universe's most biased protector!"
March 7th raised her fist dramatically as if demonstrating her promise. Elysia, meanwhile, gave her a bright, grateful smile. The sight of the two pink-haired girls—each radiating their charm—was undeniably heartwarming.
March 7th then turned her gaze toward Pei Guang. "Ah Guang! You'd better not bully Elysia, okay? She's my little sister now. If you do, I'll be really mad~"
Elysia, standing by March 7th, blinked playfully at Pei Guang. "Ah Guang wouldn't bully me~ He said I could be his adjutant to help out with certain things. That sounds pretty nice, doesn't it?"
March 7th tilted her head, blinking in surprise. Huh? You two just met, and he's already won you over? Unbelievable! Ah Guang really knows how to charm girls, doesn't he?"
Elysia smiled gently and replied, "Won over? Not exactly. From what I can tell, everything he has said is true. Since Earth is Ah Guang's property, it's only natural for those of us who are part of that property to listen to him."
March 7th gasped dramatically. "What? Listen to him?"
But after a moment of thought, she nodded in agreement. "Actually, that makes perfect sense. Trust me, sticking with Ah Guang is super fun. Let me tell you, he's even more 'family-first' than I am."
Pei Guang smirked. "Family-first? Can 'family' pay me a single cent?"
Stelle added with a grin, "Exactly. Our crew has been officially endorsed by the universe's highest moral standards. Whatever we do is automatically the right thing."
Elysia quietly observed the trio with a warm smile. When she first encountered Pei Guang, her mind was filled with questions and concerns. But after meeting March 7th and Stelle, she was certain of one thing: Pei Guang was a good person.
After all, how could someone who was valued so highly by someone as kind and endearing as March 7th possibly be bad?
Though she seemed a little naive on the surface, Elysia could tell she had her own principles. Inside and out, March 7th was a kind, lovable girl, much like herself.
If Elysia had previously believed Pei Guang's words out of necessity and the reality of the situation, her trust solidified upon meeting March 7th. She now felt reassured that he was someone she could rely on.
The thought brought her back to something Pei Guang had said when they first met: "It feels like being invited to be Ah Guang's adjutant is a pretty lucky thing~"
March 7th then turned toward Pei Guang, elbowing him playfully in the side. "Hey, it's only been a few hours, and while Stelle was napping, you managed to charm another girl? I'd better keep an eye on you, or else my adorable sister Elysia might end up getting bullied by you."
Pei Guang patted his chest confidently. "Don't worry. I never bully my own people. You should know, back when I ran things in Stellaris, the regions I governed always had the highest happiness index."
He wasn't exaggerating. In simulation and management games, happiness stats often boost all kinds of productivity.
And even in real life, higher personal and collective happiness levels lead to significant improvements in efficiency and progress!
Because of this, he had been contemplating how to take full charge of this planet and raise its happiness index ever since he set foot on it.
At the very least, ensuring everyone had enough to eat, decent clothes, access to healthcare, and a roof over their heads didn't seem like an impossible task to him.
With connections in Xianzhou, he could easily obtain an entire medical system. Asta could help him secure construction machinery and resources—credits were no issue, and he could outright buy whatever was needed. Worst-case scenario, he still had his tech tree; following its progression step by step would do the trick.
He even set himself a long-term goal: while this Earth wasn't his Earth, it was still Earth. Controlling influence over a few hundred neighboring star systems didn't seem like too much of a stretch.
Meanwhile, Stelle, who had been content to watch the drama unfold, started to feel oddly like an outsider. She had been enjoying the "show," hoping to see March 7th clash with the pink-haired beauty. But to her surprise, the two had quickly bonded like sisters.
Realizing she couldn't just sit on the sidelines anymore, she decided it was time to make her presence felt.
Stelle: "Hey, everyone! How about we find a nice spot to eat and chat? I'm feeling a bit hungry."
March 7th gasped: "You stuffed yourself to the point of passing out, and now you're hungry again?"
Stelle replied matter-of-factly: "That was before I passed out. It's all digested now. I'm starving!"
Pei Guang: "You know, now that you mention it, I'm starting to feel a bit hungry myself. Let's go grab something to eat!"
March 7th: "Just don't join another eating competition, okay? And if you do, at least don't go all out—I'm seriously worried for you two."
She could never fully understand these two: passing out from overeating for the sake of a competition was something only Pei Guang and Stelle could pull off.
Then again, if they didn't occasionally do something completely absurd, she might actually start worrying they'd been replaced by someone else.
Pei Guang: "Relax. That was an accident. It probably won't happen again."
March 7th: "'Probably' isn't very reassuring."
As the trio bickered lightheartedly, Elysia smiled warmly.
Elysia: "Since everyone's hungry, follow me! I know just the place you'll love. Let me be your guide and show you around."
Though March 7th's words carried hidden meanings, Elysia's statement also had unspoken layers. After seeing March 7th, Elysia realized much of what she had observed in Pei Guang likely stemmed from this girl.
While she treated March 7th like an elder sister, there was also a subtle sense of rivalry between them—a uniquely feminine sort of competition. And deep down, Elysia couldn't help but feel that she had come out ahead.
This kind of friendly comparison wasn't limited to girls; boys had their own version of it too.