CHAPTER 169: CHAPTER 169: CHAMPION

"Are... you sure there are no cameras here?"

"Why... why are we stripping while Riley is here?!"

"Relax, he one of the boys."

"We’re girls!"

Somewhere within Bernard’s vast workshop, the Baby Crew settled on a single empty area. Well, it was empty. But now, there were several large pillows and a carpet laid on the ground for the Baby Crew to sit and lie down on.

V, Tomoe, and Gracey were the ones who were seated on the carpet, while Pauline, Bella, and Riley were in front of them, half-naked.

He wasn’t alone in that bareness, however, as Pauline and Bella were also in their undies—not for any other activity but to test out the clothes that would be the Baby Crew’s official uniform.

And right now, they were in the most crucial moment—deciding whether or not the clothes that Riley and the others were wearing right now would be their final outfit.

The three were wearing a mostly gray outfit, with silver and blue to complement the entire look. It looked skin-tight, but it was obvious from how thick the sleeves were that the suit was padded and armored.

The torso was gray, but lined to the side with silver, and then the shoulders and the front of the arms were lined with dark blue. And although they were calling it a uniform, they still allowed themselves to have some individuality.

Pauline, even with the full-body suit that covered most of her body, still opted to add a short, tiny two-layered dark blue skirt.

As for Bella, she opted out of the skirt, of course—instead, she had asked for a large set of metal boots and bracers.

"I still wanted them rings!" Bella said, examining her bracers while shaking her head.

"I told you! The Empress had the look trademarked!" Gracey explained.

"You and I both know that ain’t right!" Bella jabbed her finger toward her. "No one under god should be allowed to trademark a look! And we both black, can’t a sister get a break here?! I think the rings complete my look!"

"I do not believe so, Bella. The one you have now perfectly suits you."

"Y...y’think?" Bella cleared her throat, glancing to her side as she looked at Riley. "I guess this it, huh? You... you ain’t looking too bad yourself, little R."

As for Riley, he was wearing the same thing as the two—but unlike them, Riley did not put on anything extra at all.

Well, considering his incredibly white skin was already quite a contrast to the outfit, perhaps that was enough individuality by itself, especially in the neck part, where the collar covered the side and the back of his neck, leaving the front slightly open.

V had been staring at the part for a long time, now, somewhat... mesmerized at the view for some reason.

"I think I really like this..." Hannah whispered, placing her hand on her chin as she looked at the three one by one from head to toe. "...What about you guys?"

Hannah hasn’t even glanced at V, but she was already nodding her head. As for Gracey, she already jumped from the floor, unnecessarily spinning the air and landing right in front of Pauline.

"Let’s do this!" she shouted while raising her hand. "Albert! Print our suits!"

Albert, who had been quietly observing on the side, stared at Gracey in disbelief for a moment. He blinked several times before slowly turning his eyes on Hannah, who immediately nodded at him.

"Very well, young masters," Albert bowed back, moving away from his spot. "Printing out your suits would take approximately thirty minutes. May I suggest having breakfast first while waiting?"

"Heck no!" Gracey ran away. "I’m gonna pick up something to add to the suit! I want a cape! You hear me?! A cape!"

She rushed toward the igloo where Bella and Pauline got their accessories from, and the others were quick to follow her—even Bella and Pauline themselves.

How could they not... when the said igloo still had many things to offer?

Gadgets, trinkets, all sorts of random high-tech things. In fact, Pauline’s two-layered skirt wasn’t just a simple skirt, no.

It was actually some sort of floatation device—and not for water, no. It was a literal flotation device that allowed whoever wore it to float in the air.

How? Well, Bernard Ross.

"Why is nothing here categorized?!" Gracey complained, pushing away most of the gadgets in front of her to find what she wanted for herself. And she wasn’t alone—even Hannah was doing it too.

In fact, even Riley was digging through the stuff.

"My god... there’s even some sort of microwave here!" Gracey lifted up a... microwave. "Is your father Doraemon?!"

"...I think that’s an old 3D printer," Hannah said, squinting at the microwave. "I think it prints out bombs or something."

"W-what?!" Gracey very gently lowered the 3D printer.

"Relax, dummy. You actually need to put something inside it before it actually makes the bombs. Anyway, it’s old. I doubt it’s even working."

"B-but... this skirt is still working?" Pauline carefully took a step back.

"Eh, relax." Hannah, however, just completely shrugged them off.

"Why does your old man even have a flying magic skirt?" Bella asked.

"Eh, he made it for me when I was like eleven or something. But then we all found out that I could fly."

"E-eleven...?" Pauline blinked a couple of times, gazing down at her skirt, and then at herself, and then at Hannah. She stared at her waist, and then at her thighs, which were almost double the size of hers. "M...maybe I should get a longer version of this? It—"

"That’s fine..." V placed a hand on Pauline’s shoulder, looking her in the eyes with a smile on her face. "...Our body shape is the normal one. Hannah has... incredibly thick thighs for her age."

V consoled her. But she blinked a couple of times when the look on Pauline’s face turned worse.

"You’re... twelve, V." Pauline clasped her chest. "I’m fourteen. I... we shouldn’t even have the same shape."

"Oh..." V blinked, awkwardly smiling as she removed her hand from Pauline’s shoulder. "That... doesn’t change the fact that Hannah has an unusually... mature shape for her age. Come to think of it..."

V then glanced at the others.

"I just realized that you and the others are really... pretty. Like, all of you can be models or something."

"That’s..."

The Baby Crew continued to find what suited them in Bernard’s pile of abandoned gadgets. And after what seemed to be an hour or so, they were ready.

All of them went back up, carrying suitcases that contained their outfit.

Except for Riley, who excused himself and said that he still had something to do in the basement.

And of course, that something was trying to find something for the newest staff of the Guesthouse.

"I... guess you weren’t able to grab something for her, Boss?" Darkday One sighed, picking up something from the floor and then just throwing it away. "Is it her weight? She is sort of fat, isn’t she?"

"She is a little overweight, yes." Riley nodded, glancing at Champion as she walked behind Darkday One. "But that was not the reason why I could not find anything for her—I am afraid I did not get the chance to do so with all of the members of the Baby Crew present. And there was also the fact that I still do not know what else you excel in, Champion. I know you have a variant of body relocation and nigh-invulnerability. But what else?"

"Are you asking for my skill sets, R—Boss?" Champion blinked, and Riley only nodded in response.

"I am a black belt in Jiu-Jitsu. And—"

"Shall we test that out?" Riley did not let Champion finish her words. He took several steps back, gesturing to Albert and Darkday One to clear out the area around them—and they did, swiftly. Albert carried the tables away from there, and Darkday One pushed all the gadgets to the side.

Riley cracked his knuckles, stretching his limbs while letting out a tiny breath.

"Test... it out?" Champion tilted her head to the side. "You mean, you and I would spar?"

"Yes." Riley shrugged.

"That would not be a fair fight, Boss. My physical durability is a hundred times that of tungsten carbide without its brittleness," Champion explained. "To fight with me in close-quarters combat would not be ideal for a telekinetic like you."

"I know," Riley said. "That is why this will be fun, no?"

Champion squinted. She glanced at Darkday One and Albert, but the two were only clapping their hands and were seconds away from cheering.

"There is a possibility that I could kill you, Boss."

"Well..." A smile started to creep onto Riley’s face. "If that happens, then it would only prove that you belong in the Guesthouse as one of our staff. And also...

...I am hoping to see what would happen if you do manage to kill me, Champion."