latelenovela Chapter 144 Keep Going
Chapter 144 Keep Going
Giving her sisters ice cream and then pizza just hours later... might not be the wisest move, but Sienna felt they all deserved some kind of reward.
And to be honest, she herself wanted a greasy and unhealthy pizza.
They carried the still-warm, fragrant pizza boxes into the subway network, to their little base, where Sienna placed the boxes on the large planning table in the middle carriage.
Paper plates were distributed to everyone, and there was a brief argument about who should take how many. Soon after, the table was filled with sounds of hearty eating and satisfied humming as everyone began to eat.
"So," Sienna put down the pizza slice in her hand, then gently wiped her lips with a crumpled napkin, and said, "Are you feeling alright?"
The question was directed at Aleja Iakta, who was sitting in his usual spot. He shrugged. "I think I'm doing alright."
“Yes, because you keep chatting with Gilgamesh,” Athena said.
“Ugh, that’s disgusting,” Trinity said in unison.
"Why do I feel nauseous? What's wrong?" Maple Leaf asked.
Teddy sniffed. “Alea wants to do something like a nature documentary with that hero who got tricked by the boss into working for us,” she explained.
"Is this disgusting?" Maple stopped what she was doing; the toppings on her pizza were starting to slip off the edge.
“Yeah, it’s disgusting. At least do that kind of thing with other villains, please,” Teddy said. Then she glared across the table, “But don’t do it with the boss. She’s way better than you.”
Aleya shook her head, while Sienna refrained from scolding Teddy.
To be honest, Sienna felt that she was already quite unlucky in terms of finding a boyfriend, not to mention that she had suddenly taken over a group of girlfriends and taken on the role of a single mother.
"Yes, I'm glad you're feeling alright. We need to think of a way to prevent something like this from happening again."
“Maybe he could be a bit tougher, less of a coward, then no one would want to kidnap him,” Teddy said. She stared at Aleia, her eyes narrowing. “Have you tried communism? It’ll make you build muscle.”
“How could communism make me gain muscle?” Aleya asked.
“Because carrying the burden of the proletariat is a tough job. You know, there’s a reason they use a bear as a symbol, and it’s not just because bears are the toughest,” Teddy said.
"Is there any place where owls are used to represent them?" Athena asked.
“I don’t think so,” Sam said. “I know owls are used as symbols in many places, either for wisdom or for evil, but I don’t think any political group uses an owl as its logo.”
Athena snorted. "Fine, that's fine too. Evil and wisdom suit me quite well."
Sam laughed. "Maple leaves are easy to deal with; our country often uses beavers as a symbol."
"Oh, that's good," Maple Leaf said softly.
"And what about raccoons? What do raccoons represent?" Trinity asked.
“Uh,” Sam said. She looked at Sienna for help.
"No one has dared to use a raccoon as their symbol yet, but I believe one day they will, so don't worry."
“Okay,” Trinity said. Then she reached for another slice of pizza and started arguing with her sisters about who had eaten the most.
Sienna turned to Sam. "And you? Were you in your car when it was hit?"
"Oh? Yes, I am, but it's not serious. A paramedic checked me out. There were no signs of a neck sprain or anything like that."
I didn't move much, and the van didn't have much time to accelerate, so it was just a slight bump.
"And what about your car?" Sienna asked.
“It’s a mess,” Sam said. She sighed. “I’ll have to buy another one. But the good thing is I got superinsurance last month, just in case.”
It cost a lot of money, but it should cover all the losses. I also got some documents from the emergency response team and the police. I even received praise for helping out.
“That’s good,” Sienna said.
Sam nodded. "I'm thinking of buying myself a bigger car. Maybe a small van?"
That would be great, Sienna thought. A car that could fit all her sisters would be a huge help.
Sienna nodded, then considered what to say next. She sat at the head of the table, which carried a certain expectation.
She decided to praise her sisters. They had performed unexpectedly well today, and they needed this encouragement.
What she least wanted to see was that because she hadn't given them the attention they deserved, they ended up becoming the real villains.
“Well then,” Sienna said, “I want to give a shout-out to everyone. Aleja, well done for getting back safely. Sam, thank you for your sacrifice. That was a quick response, and it really helped.”
“You’re welcome, boss,” Sam said.
Sienna turned to Teddy, who winked. "Teddy, you did a very good job tonight."
Teddy's cheeks flushed slightly. "Ah, I just did what I was supposed to do."
“I know, but you’re brave, and I’m proud of you,” Sienna said, trying to make her words as sincere as possible. And thankfully, they were genuine.
“I know it’s your ‘duty’ to protect your sisters, but that doesn’t mean I’m not proud of you just because you’ve done such a good job.”
"Yay!" Trinity cheered, "Even if your ass is too big!"
“Even with these little problems, it’s still great,” Sienna said.
Teddy puffed out her chest. "Yeah, I'm really good." As she said this, the blush on her face was hard to hide.
Sienna smiled, then turned to Athena. "You too. You're always incredibly important when we go out on missions. Not just because of your superpowers, but also because of your quick thinking."
Athena returned a bright smile. "Thank you. I'll continue to be the clever one, don't worry, big sister!"
“Hmm,” Sienna said, “Trinity, you did exceptionally well today too. You may have taken some… unnecessary risks, but everything turned out well in the end, and I’m glad to see you’re all right.”
“I’ll always be okay,” Trinity said.
“There’s no harm in being a little more careful,” Sienna said. Mainly, it would help alleviate her own anxiety. “Think about it, okay?”
“Okay!” Trinity replied.
Sienna estimated that Trinity would at most spend a tenth of a second longer next time considering whether to look at either side of the street, but that would still be a (small) step in the right direction.
"And Maple Leaf, without your tracker and the tools you made, we wouldn't have been able to rescue Alea at all. I know you're the newest little sister here, but your help has been incredibly important!"
Maple Leaf didn't reply, but her face turned red to her ears as she stared at the table, waiting for everyone's attention to shift away from her.
Sienna was happy to help her shy little darling in this regard. "So... I was thinking... how about a group hug as a reward?"
“Okay!” Teddy said.
"Hug!" Trinity cheered.
The sisters swarmed around Sienna, who coughed a few times. Even the shy Maple Leaf joined in, though she stood to the side.
“Okay, okay,” Sienna said. She patted this one’s head and that one’s back until the hugs ended.
She wouldn't admit it, because it was quite embarrassing, but she had gradually come to enjoy these simple acts of physical intimacy. It felt good, but she found it difficult to express in words.
“You did a great job too,” Athena said as soon as she was free. She half-turned around and slapped away Trinity’s hand that was reaching for her paper plate without even looking at her. “Breaking into the villain’s lair, beating up their henchmen, rescuing a kidnapped ally? That’s top-tier villain stuff!”
“Yeah!” Teddy added, “And you even convinced Sparkle to work for us. There’s going to be a super cool revelation coming up.”
“Oh, we need to find a big pit to do the unraveling,” Athena said, “or build a lava moat.”
“A junkyard,” Trinity suggested, “the biggest one. Then we’ll take a helicopter over the junkyard and do the unveiling.”
“I can build a floating platform,” Maple Leaf muttered to herself.
“Okay, girls,” Sienna said, noting that their enthusiasm was sometimes nice, but sometimes not so good. “I don’t think we need to, uh, worry about that kind of thing, okay?”
Athena nodded. "Yes, we know you're way better than any of us at doing bad things. That's why you're the best big sister."
Sam laughed heartily when he heard this.
“Yes, that’s right,” Sienna said. “Anyway, we still have a lot to do, including cleaning up the mess from today. So make sure there’s nothing left to eat, okay?”
This remark drew another round of cheers. She hoped that her sisters' current excitement was just a temporary burst of energy after the party, because if they were still this excited when they got back to the dorm, she wouldn't be able to handle it.
"What are the plans next?" Sam asked.
Sienna thought for a moment. "I think... well, let's continue as before. Make more money, build up more influence, try not to cause too much trouble, and maybe I can even find some time to do my homework and try to get good grades."