Chapter 43: Squeezed Agendas

LOUD THUDDING KNOCKS!

The sharp, aggressive banging on the front door detonated through the quiet morning kitchen, causing the entire counter grid to practically vibrate. Nicole jumped a foot in the air, dropping her cooking spatula with a loud clatter as her violet eyes stretched wide with pure, absolute terror.

"Oh my god, oh my god!" Nicole whispered frantically, her hands flying to her red, blushing cheeks as she spun around in a complete circle. "They're back! My parents are home early from their weekend trip! Leo, you need to go right now! Jump out the kitchen window or crawl through the back door alleyway blocks before they see you!"

Leo remained standing completely still by the cupboards, his tall body thoroughly relaxed as he offered a calm, amused grin. "Nicky, calm down. Why should I run through the back door? It’s been years since I last saw your parents. I can just stay here, greet them casually, and explain that we were just catching up over breakfast."

"Are you completely insane?!" Nicole squeaked out, her face turning a white-hot shade of crimson. The sheer embarrassment of having her parents walk in on a tall, handsome guy inside her kitchen on a Monday morning was too much for her tsundere pride to bear. She aggressively placed her small hands against his broad chest, using every ounce of her strength to push his heavy frame backward toward the utility room exit door. "No way! Absolutely not! Get out, get out, get out!"

Leo let out a soft rumble of laughter, letting her push him all the way to the threshold. But just as her fingers reached for the back door handle, Leo suddenly moved with effortless speed. He caught both of her slender wrists, gently pulling her voluptuous hourglass body straight back into his personal space. Before she could even let out a flustered protest, he leaned down and planted a deep, lingering kiss straight onto her soft lips.

Nicole froze entirely, her mind going blank as her heart hammered violently against her ribs. Leo broke the kiss with a wink, pushed the back door open, and slipped out into the alleyway with a smooth, silent grin.

"Y-You giant, shameless dummy!" Nicole hissed into the empty utility room, stomping her foot in pure, frustrated shyness as she frantically patted down her messy chestnut-golden bangs.

Forcing her facial expressions into what she hoped was a completely normal look, she marched down the main hallway corridor and unlocked the heavy front door. Her mother and father were standing on the porch, surrounded by luggage, looking thoroughly confused.

"Nicole?" her mother asked, raising an eyebrow. "Why on earth did it take you nearly five whole minutes just to open the front gate? We could hear frantic scuffling noises all the way from the driveway block."

"I-I was in the bathroom!" Nicole blurted out fast, her voice pitching slightly too high as she aggressively grabbed their heavy suitcases to mask her shaking hands. "Yes! A major stomach emergency! The mid-term exam preparation stress is completely ruining my digestive system! Welcome home!"

.....

Meanwhile, Leo had taken the transit lines straight back to his side of the city. Entering his quiet studio apartment unit, he kicked off his boots and threw his body flat across the sheets of his twin mattress, letting out a long, exhausted sigh.

He stared up at the plain ceiling, his mind looping through the massive, reality-shattering changes that had taken over his life since the golden interface protocol had initialized. The wealth balance ledger, the physical metric upgrades, and the growing circle of gorgeous heroines... everything was moving at flash-speed. He looked sideways at the digital wall clock, noticing it was barely past nine in the morning.

"You know what? I'm officially taking a mental rest day," Leo muttered to the empty room. "I will just prepare mid-term exam from home today." He pulled the heavy grey blanket over his broad shoulders, closed his dark eyes, and fell into a deep, uninterrupted sleep that lasted for hours.

Ding-Dong!

The sharp buzz of his apartment doorbell violently woke him up. Leo groaned, rubbing his eyes as he noticed the window glass was already painted in a deep, amber evening twilight. It was past six in the evening. He stood up, smoothing down his casual shirt, and walked slowly to the entryway, pulling the door open with a lazy sigh.

Standing right on the concrete corridor walkway were Senior Cynthia and Chloe. But standing right behind them, holding a neat stack of university lecture folders, was Stella.

Leo's eyes instantly twitched in pure irritation, his eyebrows furrowing as his gaze locked onto the silver-haired transfer student. "Chloe. Cynthia. What is she doing here?"

"Don't look at me like that, Leo!" Chloe snapped out, her crimson eyes flashing with an intensely annoyed, yandere edge as she crossed her arms defensively. "Cynthia and I came over to bring you the weekend update and today's files, but this annoying girl literally tagged along with us because she told the professor that she would personally hand you the notes for your common morning lecture!"

Stella poked her head out from behind Cynthia's shoulder, her striking emerald eyes carrying a highly mischievous, teasing smile as she waved her hand playfully. "Good evening, Leo~! A good student never skips class logs without a proper backup layout!"

Leo let out an annoyed huff, but he stepped aside, welcoming the three voluptuous women inside his small room. Once they settled around the sofa, Leo walked toward the kitchenette block. "Do any of you want something to drink? I have water or coffee."

"No thank you, Leo," Cynthia offered with a warm, disciplined smile.

"I don't need anything either," Chloe muttered, still glaring at the silver-haired woman.

"Eeeh? But I want a large glass of fresh orange juice!" Stella chimed, raising her hand like an eager child.

Chloe’s jaw instantly tightened in absolute competitive pride. She bolted upright on the floor cushions. "Wait! If she is getting orange juice, then I want a glass of orange juice too, Leo!"

"Make it three glasses, please," Cynthia added softly, a rare, competitive blush coloring her cheeks.

Leo sighed in the kitchen, opening the refrigerator to grab the juice pitcher. Back in the main room, a sudden, high-voltage verbal argument violently exploded between the two women.

"Hey! You've already delivered the academic notes, Stella!" Chloe hissed aggressively, her yandere energy flaring as she leaned across the table space. "Your purpose here is entirely cleared! Why don't you pack up your little bag and go home?!"

"Hmph! Why should I leave?" Stella pouted comically, enjoying the friction immensely as she swung her legs back and forth. "This isn't your residential house, Chloe! Leo hasn't kicked me out, so I am completely free to enjoy my orange beverage!"

"You... you arrogant woman!" Chloe roared, her face turning bright red with furious annoyance as Stella offered a wide, goofy grin.

Inside the kitchen, Leo was busy pouring the juice into three glass cups when the soft rustle of fabric echoed behind his back. Before he could turn his heel, a pair of slender, gentle arms wrapped securely around his narrow waist, and a soft, full chest pressed firmly against his sturdy back.

It was Cynthia. She buried her face right against his shoulder blades, her strict student council voice completely melting into a fragile, soft whisper. "Leo... whatever happened that day... it felt like an absolute, terrifying nightmare. But... I want you to know that I trust you fully. I know you won't ever let anything bad happen to us."

Leo went silent, the casual warmth of her embrace filling his chest. He set the pitcher down, slowly turned his tall body around inside her arms, and wrapped his powerful hands around her back, pulling her close against his chest. "I don't completely know what is happening, Cynthia," Leo said softly, his deep baritone carrying an absolute, reassuring warmth. "But thank you. Thank you for trusting me."

Cynthia looked up, her beautiful amber eyes glistening with deep affection as her face painted itself in a deep pink blush. Drawn together by the quiet intimacy of the kitchen, their heads slowly tilted, their lips closing the tiny distance for a sweet embrace.

BANG!

"Get back here, you silver-haired demon!"

The kitchen doorway was violently breached as Stella came sprinting through the threshold, her face carrying a comically terrified grin. Right behind her was Chloe, her crimson eyes completely wide with unhinged rage, and in her hands, she was aggressively swinging a full-sized aluminum baseball bat!

Leo's jaw dropped, his hands instantly releasing Cynthia as he stared at the weapon. "Chloe?! Where the hell did you even get a baseball bat from inside my apartment?! What the hell are you both doing?!"

"She had it hidden behind your umbrella rack!" Stella screamed comically, ducking behind Leo’s tall body to use him as a physical shield while sticking her tongue out at the Chloe.

"Move out of the way, Leo!" Chloe roared, trying to swing around his flank.

Leo didn't waste a microsecond. He lunged forward, his powerful arms wrapping securely around Chloe's narrow waist from behind, lifting her slight body right off the tile floorboards to halt her momentum. Chloe thrashed her legs, trying to break his grip to run toward the giggling Stella. "Let me go, Leo! She is aggressively ruining my mental sanity!"

"Behave yourself, Chloe! Drop the bat right now!" Leo commanded firmly, his voice snapping with absolute authority.

Hearing his strict, commanding tone, Chloe’s resistance instantly vanished. Her body went completely soft inside his arms, a deep blush taking over her cheeks as she reluctantly let the aluminum bat clatter to the floor. She let out a small, cute pout, looking away. "Fine... I'm only letting it go because you're the one asking me, Leo."

.....

A few minutes later, the chaotic energy finally settled down. The girls finished their glasses of orange juice, gathered their university bags, and filed out into the open concrete exterior corridor to head home.

"Let's meet tomorrow, Leo," Chloe said softly, her possessive crimson eyes looking up at him with a sweet smile.

"Yes, make sure you don't miss the morning attendance," Cynthia added warmly.

Leo offered them a relaxed, tired smile. "I'll be there. See you tomorrow."

Chloe and Cynthia turned on their heels, walking down the concrete stairwell avenues together. But as Leo prepared to swing his apartment door shut, he realized Stella was still standing perfectly still right next to the iron railing corridor, her silver-white hair catching the amber glow of the courtyard streetlamps.

Leo let out a long, exhausted sigh, leaning his shoulder against the doorframe. "Stella, what's wrong now? If you're staying behind just to annoy me for another hour, please don't do it. I am completely worn out."

Stella didn't offer her usual loud whimper or goofy pout. Instead, she took two quiet, deliberate steps forward, closing the distance until her voluptuous silhouette was standing mere inches away from his tall body. Before Leo's sharp mind could even calculate her movement, she suddenly leaned upward on her tiptoes, her soft lips cleanly pressing a sweet, lingering kiss straight onto his right cheek.

Leo froze completely, his eyes widening in absolute, profound shock. The unexpected, intimate touch caught his defenses completely off guard, causing a visible, white-hot crimson blush to rapidly paint his face.

Stella pulled her face back, her striking emerald eyes looking down at the concrete floorboards with an intensely serious, vulnerable, and completely quiet expression that he had never seen on her face before.

"I'm... I'm really sorry, Leo," Stella whispered in a remarkably soft, fragile voice.

Before he could even open his mouth to demand why she was apologizing or what she meant, Stella abruptly turned around and sprinted down the dark corridor path at absolute flash-speed, her footsteps echoing rapidly down the stairs before disappearing.

Leo stood alone, his hand slowly rising to touch the warm skin of his cheek as his mind violently looped through her final words.