Chapter 854: The true condition for evolution?
"Uwuuuu...."
Astrea whimpered as if somebody just broke her.
"Uuuu... You're all mean bullies... Meanies..."
Astrea cried for more than 15 minutes now, the girls around her felt all sorts of guilt.
"Look, we..."
Mikoto scratched her cheeks with a red face.
"We might have gone a bit overboard..."
The others concurred as they lowered their heads in shame. They knew it was their fault too, of course, nobody stepped up to claim responsibility.
"You, you're the one who started this Misaka-san!"
Shokuhou Misaki is the first one to fire the shot at a very shocked Mikoto.
"Look, you made Astrea cry!"
"Don't make me out to be the primary culprit here!"
Mikoto blew up.
"You were happy to lend a hand, and that showed on your ecstatic face!"
"Misaka-san, you're the one with the happiest look just now, don't deny that!"
Shokuhou Misaki shirked her responsibility without an ounce of remorse. She sighed with disappointment.
"As expected, you have too much 'energy', without getting some 'workout' you just don't feel at home, huh..."
"You, stop fishing for arguments!"
She knew what kind of workout Shokuhou Misaki referred to sos he retorted with a blushing face. At this point, she's not making herself look any less guilty.
Mikoto pointed at another conspirator.
"Flan clearly had the most fun just now!"
Flan couldn't care less, she was spotting a satisfied smile of a killer kitten. Shokuhou Misaki's expression froze up for a second but she quickly laughed at Misaka again.
"Misaka-san, you should know better..."
Shokuhou Misaki talked to her in a very patronizing manner.
"Flan is just a kid, why are you comparing yourself to her?"
"Or maybe..."
She shifted her gaze downwards, settling it on a certain part of her torso.
"I guess you can only compete with kids, I mean..."
"Wh-where are you looking at?!"
Mikoto backed away while crossing her arms in shame. She leered holes into Shokuhou Misaki.
"Only someone like you would look at a place like that! Ugh, you're such a vile woman!"
"Ara, if you're gonna talk like that..."
Shokuhou Misaki snickered while covering her mouth with one hand.
"I guess Misaka-san, you don't mind it at all?"
"O-of course, not..."
Mikoto stuttered as she forced a smile onto her face. Anyone can tell she's not being honest, her tsundere mode is full-blown ON...
"Ah, is that so?"
Shokuhou Misaki pursed her lips, she jiggled her hooters like it was an accident, the turbulence on her voluptuously well-endowed figure immediately made eyes pop. For instance, Kotori and Hinagiku were looking with eyes of jealousy and admiration.
"I take great care of myself, I watch my diet and I eat the stuff that can maintain my current figure..."
Shokuhou Misaki continued throwing out verbal baits.
"I mean, a certain person digs my puppies very much..."
The girls immediately looked at a certain corner of this tent. The person who was indirectly mentioned sat there on his chair, he sipped his black tea while donning a 'don't-drag-me-into-this' look.
Mikoto, Kotori, Hinagiku, and Shokuhou Misaki weren't amused by his nonchalant attitude.
Kotori snorted as she turned her head the other way.
"Look at you, are you enjoying the scene of girls fighting over your affection? What a terrible taste you have there..."
Hinagiku snatched the cup of tea away from Wu Yan and she glared straight down his barrels. Of course, Wu Yan simply enjoyed her cute reactions like it was a moe anime.
"Look..."
Hinagiku used the meanest face she can muster.
"We are busting our backs thinking of ways to help Astrea-chan, can you please not sit back and sip tea like it's not your business?!"
Wu Yan flinched after having the tea he brewed robbed from him. He gave her a puzzled look.
"Are you girls done fooling around?"
"No, you!"
Mikoto scratched the sides of her head frantically as she raved.
"Didn't you listen to us? Were you drinking tea from the start or something?"
"My hands are tied..."
Wu Yan looked at Astrea who is still whimpering and his lips twitched.
"I am not the one giggling happily while testing your ideas out, I think I took this rather seriously relative to you girls..."
"No, we didn't play around!"
The girls retorted.
"We are earnestly trying to pitch in!"
"Yeah yeah, sure you were..."
Wu Yan rolled his eyes at them. He placed his arm on the table and he supported his chin while pointing his lips at Astrea.
"Then, mind explaining your findings after half a day of helping out?"
The girls sneaked a glance at Astrea and they lowered their heads apologetically.
"Ahaha..."
Wu Yan chortled and he riffed on them.
"Admit it, you guys changed gear into playing after a serious discussion."
The girls blushed like tomatoes. They looked cute even if they were bashful of their actions. The lewd wolf enjoyed teasing the girls as they bowed their heads toward him. He continued teasing them.
"Let me guess, no clues or ideas so far?"
"Argh, you're one annoying fellow..."
Mikoto bit at Wu Yan with an annoyed look.
"If you're so smart why don't you do something about this?"
"Hah?"
Wu Yan looked at Mikoto like he's looking at a jester. Mikoto almost went primal rage on the guy. Then, he went and set them off by running his mouth.
"If I can solve everything by myself why do I need wives?"
"Oh?..."
Shokuhou Misaki's eyes had a dangerous glint in them. She laughed although there wasn't a hint of amusement in it.
"Yan-kun, are you saying your wives are just convenient problem solvers for you?"
The other girls laughed coldly, releasing a terrifying amount of dark aura. If this guy doesn't come up with a proper answer, he won't live to see the next sunrise.
Gulp
Wu Yan shifted his butt, he recalled that it wasn't his fault this time and he puffed his chest outwards.
"Behind every great man is a great woman!"
Wu Yan preached.
"Look at the lot of you, I don't see any greatness here."
When he said great woman, Shokuhou Misaki & co's look changed for the better. Hinagiku and Mikoto blushed as their quips were locked back into their throats. Wu Yan wasn't sure how to vent his frustration with these girls.
He walked up to Astrea and he gave her a few pats on the head. Wu Yan's eyes flashed with light as he gave them an ambiguous hint.
"Astrea's Pandora evolution comes with a key and Astrea has it."
The girls stopped while Astrea also paused, they looked at Wu Yan in unison.
"What do you mean by that?"
Wu Yan clicked his tongue and he continued his know-it-all act.
"You girls must figure this out on your own..."
"Oh, come on..."
The girls complained when Wu Yan declared something.
"Let me make it clear!"
Wu Yan grinned like a sadist.
"If you girls don't come up with the answer to Astrea's Pandora evolution, I will enforce punishment as the man of this family!"
"Punishment?"
When his innuendo hit them, their cheeks immediately went up in smoke and heat. Only Kotori, Tohka, Flan, and Yoshino couldn't get his message.
The other girls who got the message swore silently to come up with an answer or they might spend the next few days recuperating from bed-activities related general lethargy.