Joe found that once Kelly stopped showing off her merchandise at every opportunity, it became surprisingly easy to deal with her. Yes, she has a rotten, greedy, and selfish character, but that's exactly why it's so simple to appease her. All he and Maggie have to do is keep giving her something to consume, and she does the same without bothering them both. At first, they distracted her with the incredible amount and variety of food offered by the yacht restaurant. However, her insatiable appetite and bottomless pit stomach proved that this could not last until she got off the next leg of the cruise six days later. Not only did this reduce Maggie's savings, but there wasn't enough food on board for Kelly and the other passengers.

Thankfully, Joe thought of something else she could eat. That is, he has thousands of hours of media in his personal library. Unlike the last time he went to Lancaster, he remembered bringing a hard copy of all the TV series, soap operas, movies, and games he had at home. The yacht has its own local virtual reality network, and Kelly's owner is a British citizen with all the necessary implants, so it's easy for Joe to share his personal collection with her. Admittedly, not all of the randomly offered things were to her liking, but there were still enough to be there to appease the Devourer for a few months. Everyone said that from then on, things should be smooth sailing.

However, as usual, reality put a hindrance to this plan.

"But she's terrible!" Joe shouted. "She always treated Barry like a dog, and even betrayed him!"

"That's why she's so cool!" Kelly said. "She pursues what she wants, not being tied down by the past like a meat puppet!"

In Joe's virtual living room, the two of them sit at opposite ends of the couch. Both of their avatars are digital copies of their physical appearances, while the half-human, half-demon abomination of Maggie floats silently in the background. She clearly wanted to avoid the silly arguments about Crimson, the heroine of "Gone with the Wind." Dramas like these really appeal to this chaotic blonde because they are full of plot twists and turns. Unlike her sister, she doesn't care how forced, contrived, or illogical these sudden developments are, as long as they are unexpected. For Joe, these kinds of things aren't really his cup of tea, but that hasn't stopped him from appreciating this timeless masterpiece of storytelling. That's why his argument with Kelly has become so heated.

"But she's such a terrible person!" Joe insisted.

"Just by your crappy standards."

"It's not just me!" Maggie thinks so, right, Maggie?"

"Yes! Let's hear what this resident expert has to say about the infinite number of them!"

Although Kelly's comments were full of sarcasm, she looked at the girl in the corner of the digital space.

"I don't have strong feelings in any case," she replied neutrally.

"Come on, now," the blonde rolled her eyes. "You can't tell me you have no problem with this."

"I see no reason to treat completely fictional scenarios with any degree of harshness."

"Really? What if Joe decides to date another woman?"

"Hey! The man protested.

"I see no reason to treat completely fictional scenarios with any degree of harshness."

Maggie's unflinching confidence and sincerity as she repeated her words made her dance partner blush and her sister screamed. After the destruction of "Good Mood", Kelly somewhat bitterly dropped the argument of personal opinion and instead focused on the next digital media to devour. She plans to marathon "Love at Fi."

st Flight), which is unusual because she doesn't like watching soap operas very much. They drag on for too long and keep repeating the same tedious plot and characters. However, this particular TV series has Melinda Sparclister – the basis for Maggie's appearance. Kylie intends to pretend that her siblings are actually heroines, which is sure to bring a bit of spicy entertainment.

Thankfully, Devourer isn't as tech-savvy as The Observer, and it can't be viewed at super-high speeds. She has to experience every episode in real time. Or, well, in a 4-to-1 bloat, that's the standard for virtual reality. Of course, it's unlikely that she actually watched 1104 episodes, but she'll be binge-watching at least a few dozen episodes before she gets tired of the "taste" of soap operas. This gives Joe and Maggie a much-needed time away from their less welcoming guests. They can't leave virtual reality because the guy needs to log in to share content, but they can still fall back to the digital factory he built for her. And that's exactly what they did.

"Finally there is peace and order," Maggie said. "I don't think it's possible, but since we last met, Kylotselier has found a way to be more irritating."

"I don't know, I think I kind of like Kelly," Joe shrugged.

"Really?" The girl squinted vigorously.

"I mean as a human being. It's like she's one of the men, you know?"

"I remember you were saddened by my brother's visit."

"Well, yes, but she's not as bad as I thought she was."

"Watch out for the 'Devourer,' Joe. It is a chaotic creature that lies and cheats in order to get what it wants. ”

"Oh, stop. It's as if you're not hiding your motives behind technical details and flowery rhetoric. ”

"I have the right to keep it a secret when I think it's necessary, but that's not what I'm going to talk about now. You grossly underestimate Kylothril. ”

"It's too awkward," he complained. "Can you call her Kelly?"

"Nope. I won't," she was still determined. "Names have power, Joe Mulligan. For people like me and my siblings, they're more than just a label. You may have forgotten, but it means a lot to me that I allow you to call me Maggie. ”

"I ...... Well, okay. You're right, I'm a little carried away. ”

Indeed, it's easy for a simple guy like Joe to forget that "Kelly" is an extradimensional entity that can tear the ship in half with a single thought. If it weren't for the fact that its cosmic balance was controlling it, it might have done so entirely on a whim. At the same time, however, Joe can't help but want to insist that Kelly isn't as bad as Maggie says.

"Still, I think you're being too her." And he did. "I knew she came to us out of nowhere, but that was only because she was lonely and didn't want to admit it."

Maggie blinked in surprise. She hadn't thought about that possibility at all, and she didn't understand how Joe had come to this conclusion. However, she knows it's best not to ignore it. During their time together, she learns that the man she fell in love with is particularly gifted in interpersonal relationships. His situational awareness is extremely bad at times, but his insight into the personalities and feelings of others proves to be very accurate. It's a topic that Maggie has been struggling with, and she's desperate to improve on it, so she's curious to know how he came to this conclusion.

"How do you know?"

"Listen to me, okay? You've always told me she's a crazy woman who doesn't cherish anything. But since she came here, she hasn't broken or stolen anything, and she hasn't hurt anyone. Even those possessed by her will accept any arrangement between them, right?"

"Indeed."

If Kelogh 'the

The owner of YL is not entirely willing, then there will be clear signs of this, which will not escape the attention of the Observer.

"But whoever that woman is, as long as Kelly is there, she's going to be in a coma or something, right?"

"Essentially, yes."

"So, Kelly can't really talk to her. But I bet she wants to do the same. I guess she definitely wants to talk to a lot of people. She's against you, so there's no way she's going to be comfortable alone for weeks or months. The problem is that she's too aggressive by British standards, so she probably doesn't have many friends. Flirting, yes, but without a real partner. That's why she wants me. Or rather, not me, but the idea of me. For example, being alone with her and talking about small things for days on end. That's why she always gets into that stupid argument and why she's so disappointed when it's over. She envies the relationship between you and me, and she wants to have such intimacy with another person. But she doesn't maintain relationships, but consumes them, so she ...... You know what I mean. ”

The girl pondered Joe's rambling argument and how she could crush it instantly with some harsh reality about her sibling's past that he didn't know. However, it can also make Maggie look like a complete hypocrite. Objectively speaking, she has also done some terrible things, some of which she did recently. She took Azgod 'Kala

The experiment of throwing from a skyscraper is a prime example, but it is far from the only or most serious event in her long history. Since then, "The Observer" has learned to take care of the little snake, and "The Devourer" is equally able to experience similar feelings. After all, despite both of their reluctance to admit it, there are quite a few potential similarities between them despite their diametrically opposed personalities.

So, instead of destroying Joe's optimism with facts and logic, Maggie decides to go with the flow.

"You have a point," she nodded. "I admit I may have been too my siblings. I will try to understand others as much as possible in the future. ”

"Wait, really?"

"You seem surprised," she pouted.

"I mean, I thought you'd be a little bit more stubborn. That's how you approach certain things. ”

It's true. However, unlike some, I'm not afraid to admit and correct my shortcomings. ”

"Wow. That's what you call 'more understanding,' right?"

"Yes. I only indirectly mentioned the shortcomings of my siblings without mentioning them. ”

Joe's Maggie-English automatic translator interprets this sentence to mean that she is passive-aggressive, rather than active, which is technically friendlier.

"You know what, I bought it." He shrugged. "By the way, the way Kelly appears here has always bothered me. Like, how does she know we're on a cruise ship?"

"Because I told her," the girl confessed frankly.

"You did it? But, how? When?, why?"

“Kelogh 'the

Ily and I occasionally communicate through something that is essentially a cosmic message board. In our culture, it is a habit for siblings to stay connected, even if they never get along. And, I now think it was an unwise move, and I told her about our trip when my consciousness slipped back home before the triple wormhole jump. ”

She kept things simple, as usual, for Joe's sake.

"Hmm. In fact, you're just wonderful. ”

"What is this?"

"I mean, you and I had so much fun on the cruise, and you braged to someone you didn't like."

He gripped her hand tightly.

"I know exactly what it feels like."

Now it was her turn to blush. The couple then continued to silently enjoy each other's company while the digital factory around them continued to spin rhythmically, clicking, and tinking. They haven't had many opportunities to share such a moment of tranquility since Kelly came along, and they certainly won't waste this opportunity. In the end, the conversation lasted almost two hours, and they were inevitably interrupted, but not the insatiable blonde.

"Attention all passengers," an automated message invaded their virtual space. "We'll start the scheduled wormhole jump in ten minutes. In accordance with standard security procedures, our internal virtual reality network will soon be disabled. We apologize for the inconvenience. ”

The two of them were naturally a little annoyed by this turn of events, but it was only a temporary annoyance. Maggie had known it was going to happen and had nothing to complain about, and that cheesy apology at the end of the announcement was enough to appease Joe. Kelly, however, is far from being so empathetic.

"Fuuuuuuck !Why now?!Which bastard designed this broken system?!"

When the couple came out of their shared pod, the first thing they saw and heard was that the blonde was throwing a tantrum as she climbed out of another VR device in the room. Joe silently but accurately concluded that she was upset because her soap opera had been interrupted. This is not the first time she has lost her temper so immaturely because her "eating" has been interrupted. But this guy sympathizes with her in this matter. The first season of "First Love" did a great job of engaging the story of the general audience. That's why even after watching a thousand episodes, he still looks forward to each one.

"It's all right, Kelly," he shouted at her. "We can get you back to it right after the jump, just give it a few minutes."

"Ah," her anger vanished at once. "I know. We just saw the wonderful part. ”

"Oh, you mean the one with Brad?"

“…… Who?"

"You know, Brad, that doctor—"

Joe's words stuck in his throat as he felt the overwhelming hatred radiate from Kelly's glare. It is so severe that even a deaf, blind, and comatose frontal lobotomy patient can feel it.

"That's right. No spoilers," he whispered.

This seems to be another thing she and Maggie have in common, even though the man is clever enough to keep it to himself.

"Shall we assume the location of interstellar travel?" The pale girl suggested.

“…… Exercise. Of course, you can. ”

Instead of complaining about what she couldn't do, Kylie sat comfortably in one of the cabin's armchairs. She pressed a button on her right armrest, and several automatic belts wrapped around her ankles, wrists, chest, and waist.

"You...... Why don't you go back to your own cabin?" Joe asked cautiously.

"I mean, I can, but, you know......" The blonde hesitated. I want to go back as soon as I'm done, so I'm going to stay here. ”

Maggie squinted fiercely at her siblings, seeing that the statement was false. She was about to insist that Kylor Thlear leave their cabin immediately, but Jo patted him on the shoulder and nodded knowingly, which reminded her of their previous conversation. Between his "Kelly is just lonely, but doesn't admit it" theory and her promise, the brunette beauty decides to let it take its course. The boy breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of her relaxing gaze, because even he could see that she was not telling the truth. Discerning deception isn't one of his specialties, but his kind of female man's blatant behavior is almost impressive.

"That's good," he said on behalf of the couple. "It's not that we don't have extra space."

In fact, the double cabin has three more seats and the same function.

"It doesn't matter," Kelly scoffed.

Joe and Maggie fastened their seatbelts across from her, while she continued to stare disapprerovingly out the window. The view from the window is obscured by the hull of a freighter that will transport the yacht to the next leg of its interstellar journey. The boat is secured to the sides of this mountainous boat by a series of huge magnetic clips. This is more or less standard procedure, as cargo ships rarely have docks large enough to accommodate yacht-class vessels. Even if they do, it's often better to hitchhike outside. It is much simpler to connect and detach from a larger vessel than to a yacht sailing between a dock that is barely large enough. As long as the on-board computers of the two ships synchronize their artificial gravity fields, there are no safety concerns.

Joe, Maggie, and Kelly sat there, awkwardly silent, waiting for the various preparations to be completed. The man tried to start talking to him, but all he got from the blonde was a short one-word answer, which clearly indicated that she was not in the mood to talk. After the third attempt, he gave up completely, and as the minutes ticked by, his mental state became calm. Then, as planned, the ship's wormhole generator began to rotate. The familiar sound of "boo" enveloped Joe's consciousness, depriving him of all sensory input.

When he woke up, he saw Maggie's body functioning automatically as usual. However, Kelly had a more serious adverse reaction to the abandonment of her consciousness. Without the Devourer, the master had become a visibly old, horribly disfigured woman. She looked to be in her forties and had severe burn scars on most of the left side of her face. Whatever had left that mark on her body also scorched most of her scalp and made her unkempt ginger hair look very unbalanced as it tried to hide the huge baldness and failed. Her figure was also much more gentle, bordering on malnutrition, almost like Joe had when he first met Maggie. Her skin also looks unusually rough, especially her calloused hands. Her narrow figure doesn't match the sultry red knit dress she's wearing. Without any curves to support it, the clothes could slip off her if she stood up.

Luckily, Joe is not in such danger. The woman was tied up and unconscious, which is why he allowed himself to stare at her so unscrupulously. He didn't really think about who Kelly's owner was, but he felt terrible when he saw her usual terrible state. She looks like one of those forgotten people in those old colonies with millions of modern-day vagabonds. These people cannot afford anything but the most basic food and clothing, and live boring, monotonous, and perhaps even miserable lives. It is certainly not a mystery that she agrees to be the master of a powerful entity that can give her new life...... Even though she is unconscious most of the time. Of course, all this was just Joe's imagination, but he couldn't help it. One of his deepest fears was that he would one day become like that, so he had been desperate to find a partner.

The stranger's face twitched, interrupting his thoughts. She opened her eyes and found that the natural color of her eyes was dark green. They then quickly turned to the sky-blue hue of Kelly's iris. Soon after, other parts of "The Devourer" appeared, and it only took a few minutes for the host's face, hair, and body to transform into a blonde beauty. She gave Joe a toothy smile that sent shivers down his spine, and not in a good way. The bad feeling was further amplified as she casually got up from her seat, and she immediately twisted all the straps that were tied to her. Then, slowly, emotionally, she walked towards him.

Joe looked at the girl on her left who hadn't woken up, then looked down at her own handcuffs. He needed to touch her to wake her up, but his wrists were tied to the chair and he couldn't. Unfortunately, no matter how many times he presses the button, this stupid thing just doesn't release him. Because he wasn't going anywhere—and even if he could, he wouldn't go far—the man considered his situation and quickly came to a conclusion.

“…… Guy. ”

"We'll get to that in due course, dear," Kelly grunted, "but I'm going to take my time now." I really want to, um, savor you. ”

"Kelly, no," he tried to say firmly.

"Kelly, yes!"

She almost jumped on his legs, threw her hand at his head and choked him in her cleavage while rubbing her lower end against him. She cooed excitedly as she felt the completely natural reaction in his pants.

"Kelly! He managed to float up for a breath. "Stop!"

"Why would I do that?"

"You promised Maggie!"

"I said I wouldn't seduce you into sleeping with me anymore. And guess what?"

She leaned forward, close enough to him, so he could feel her heat blowing in his ears.

"I won't ask again."

The whisper made Joe's heart pound, though not very pleasant. The strange sense of fear he felt was almost as bad as when Maggie was shot, and maybe even worse. He glanced at the girl in horror, but she was still delirious. Her soulless vessel could only stare blankly at him, which only made things worse. Then, his eyes were drawn to Azgodh Carral. The little snake snaked out somewhere behind Maggie's neck. As its name suggests, it calmly glides over her shoulder, then over her right arm, right next to Joe. The man stared intently at the little guy, though it was mostly a desperate attempt to avoid noticing the soft hands of his upper body.

At first, Kelly was overwhelmed by too much anticipation and didn't notice what was happening. However, seeing that her "rice" was focused on something else, she immediately perked up. She followed Joe's gaze and saw the Azgodkala snake snake snag its way through Maggie's forearm and crawl onto her hand. Upon reaching its destination, the ball python looked back at her. Its little tongue beeped, and then its tail pressed the button behind the girl's finger firmly and steadily. Under normal circumstances, this would only free the ignorant passenger in the armchair from the safety restraints.

However, it was not the shoulder straps that were lifted, but something completely different. There was a loud "plop" sound from the window. This was followed by a whistling air current, and the reinforced glass plane was sucked into the vacuum along with everything in the cabin that was not fixed. Joe and Maggie are fine because they are tied to the seats that are firmly anchored to the floor. Azgodkala wrapped its lithe body around its owner's slender wrist like a bracelet, equally unscathed. However, Kelly didn't get back in time and was catapulted into space along with several pieces of furniture. She may have screamed so badly, but Joe didn't know because he couldn't even hear his own voice.

After a while, a metal shutter closed the crack in the hull, after which the atmospheric system in the cabin filled the air in a matter of seconds. Faced with the sudden turn of violence, Joe could only breathe. He was overcome by a completely different kind of panic, and his astrophobia was back in full swing. It took him almost a minute to regain consciousness enough to try to unbuckle his seat belt again. This time the button worked, letting him out. Joe was still shaking too much to stand up, but he had enough strength to reach out and shake Maggie's shoulders hard.

Sure enough, he felt something rush into his chest, through his fingertips into her body, and then the girl's empty eyes resumed their usual unbright spin.

"Kelly did something really stupid, didn't he?"

The only reaction Joe could have was to tremble madly and nod. Maggie stood up and helped him to his feet, then led him to the bed frame. The pillows and mattresses were gone, but the projection of new pillows and mattresses through her psychic remote sensing was pediatric. The couple sat on an invisible mat and the girl did her best to soothe her slightly traumatized partner. As her actions demonstrate, she knew it was all going to happen. That's why she prepared a small foolproof measure, hacked into several systems, ran through a few wires, implanted some instructions into her pet. She naturally wants to make sure that none of them are harmed, especially Joe. In fact, her tampering was the reason for his seat's initial refusal to release him.

"I'm so sorry for putting you in that situation," she said after explaining it all. "I just...... I want to give her a chance. ”

"No, no, I understand," the man said, still trembling. "I'm just, do you have to throw her into space?" I know she's a Level 3 criminal or something, but the woman she lives with has nothing to do with it. ”

"I assure you that my siblings are fully capable of keeping their hosts safe even in a vacuum."

"So she's floating there forever?!"

"Absolutely not. She can use telepathy to propel herself. Although it was not fast enough to catch up with the ship, it was enough to reach the nearest inhabited planet in twenty or thirty days. ”

Although unlikely, she hopes that the other person will use this time to reflect on their actions and learn from their mistakes. Especially the man she mistakenly thinks she can steal from Maggie. This attempt alone would have incurred harsher punishments, but the girl decided to spare her so much for the sake of her partner. This good-natured fool hates anyone getting hurt because of him, even if that person tries to attack him.

"Oh...... That...... That's good," Joe relaxed meaningfully. "What about the ship?" There's a passenger, uh, overboard, and they're not going to make a fuss, aren't they?"

"It doesn't matter. I am currently in the process of erasing my siblings from all onboard records and crew memories. ”

"What about our cabins?"

Joe wasn't an expert in technical magic, but he imagined that it would be a hassle to arrange new bedding and furniture without asking any questions.

"I ...... Still working on it. ”

"And what about our luggage?"

"I'm afraid it's a failure."

"Ah, man. My favorite shirt is in that box...... Anyway, do you mind if I pass out for a while?"

"Not at all."

Maggie patted her on the thigh and invited her, but Joe shook her head.

"I'm sorry, I need to be alone for a while. I'll wait for you in the lounge, okay?"

“…… I understand. ”

Maggie's heart sank as she watched Joe leave the cabin restlessly. She didn't know what was bothering him, and she hated the feeling. Was it the way she handled this that upset him? Did Kelly's betrayal of him affect him? Or was it after that extreme experience that his phobia reared his head? She felt responsible for all three possibilities, so her guilt weighed heavily on her. She couldn't stand it anymore, so she succumbed to curiosity and stole a glance at what was going on in his head. She usually avoids this because she hates "spoilers," but she thinks it's serious enough to deserve a sneak peek.

As it turned out, at that moment, Joe's main concern was something completely different. That is, his "natural reaction" to Kelly has not subsided, and he wants to solve this problem. Strangely embarrassed and ashamed of herself, Maggie completely detached herself from his mind and focused on fixing the space in the cabin. She also double-checked that Kelly's traces had all been erased from the logbook and crew. Some passengers may remember her and may wonder where she went afterward, but they just assume that she got off in this star system. Technically, this is indeed the case. Either way, she didn't think it was necessary to get into the minds of everyone on board. It's not that she can't do it, but after doing the same to Joe, she's embarrassed to have violated so much mental privacy.

It is because of this consideration that Otis Ba, a 64-year-old retired software engineer

ke

would forever wonder if he had actually seen a nearly naked blonde girl whizzing past his cabin window.