Chapter 185: Gaslighting At It’s Finest
Yelena huffed, puffing her cheeks like a frustrated cat, before stomping closer to Mika. She grabbed him by the collar and pulled him low enough that she could hiss directly into his ear.
"What in the world are you doing, Mika!?" She whispered harshly, her voice cracking between anger and disbelief. "You’re supposed to be on my side—not hers! Why are you two teaming up just to bully me?"
Mika blinked innocently, lips twitching, while Yelena scowled harder, whispering faster.
"And why are you so damn nonchalant about this? You were terrified just a second ago, you literally tried to run away the moment you heard her voice!...And now look at you! Acting all casual, talking to her like she’s your best friend!"
"What’s with this sudden switch? And why is she talking to you so easily too? You probably haven’t even seen her in forever, right?"
Mika sighed, a smug little sound escaping his throat before he grinned.
"Yeah, at first I was scared." He admitted, almost fondly. "But then I realized...there’s no reason to be. No matter how long we’re apart, it’s always the same when we meet again. That’s just how it is with us."
He chuckled softly, glancing at Nadia’s serene image on the screen.
"You see, Yelena...Nadia and I? We don’t really need words. We’ve always understood each other perfectly."
And that was true—painfully true for Yelena.
When Mika had left the Battle Angels, choosing to distance himself from them after staying by their wife for so long, all of them had been devastated. They’d tried to reach out, to call him back, to convince him he still belonged with them.
But Nadia?...She hadn’t chased after him. She hadn’t cried or scolded or begged.
Not because she didn’t care. But because she trusted him completely.
She had known that, no matter how far Mika strayed, he’d still love her, still come back when the time was right. She didn’t need to chain him down or demand explanations. She’d simply let him go, like a mother watching her child take his first steps into the world, and never doubted that he’d return.
Even when he did visit occasionally, she didn’t smother him with affection the way Yelena did—no tearful hugs, no emotional speeches. She’d just smile faintly, offer him tea, and talk like they’d seen each other yesterday.
Their connection was that strong.
They were less like mentor and pupil, and more like two old friends who simply got each other, without effort, without misunderstanding.
"Fine, fine!" Yelena pouted, her cheeks puffing again as she crossed her arms. "You don’t need to rub it in my face about how close you two are. I’ve seen it enough times already."
She huffed, clearly jealous as she thought back on all those years. Even she and her other sisters, who’d fought beside Nadia for decades, struggled to talk with her sometimes. It was exhausting trying to guess what Nadia felt when her expression never changed.
But Mika?...He could just stroll into a room, sit beside her, talk for five minutes, and when he left, there would always be this tiny shift in Nadia’s face. The slightest curve of her lips, a soft gleam in her eyes, something no one else ever saw.
That alone was proof of how deep their bond ran.
Yelena sighed, rubbing her temples.
"But still, Mika." She muttered. "That doesn’t mean you can just escape this. You’re in my house right now, remember? If Nadia finds out you’re staying here..." She lowered her voice nervously. "She’ll drag you back to her place without hesitation. You know she will."
Her tone darkened, eyes darting toward the screen.
"And she probably already knows I lied just now. She always does. Nadia’s the best negotiator alive for a reason, you can’t fool her. She can read every lie, every half-truth, every nervous twitch. That’s why I’m scared, Mika. She’s already seen through me, I know it."
But Mika just chuckled again, patting her shoulder in that annoyingly calm way of his.
"Relax, Yelena." He said lightly. "You’re forgetting who you’re talking to. When it comes to Nadia, there’s no such thing as lying or telling the truth. To her, whatever I say becomes the truth."
He leaned in with a mischievous smirk. "And you know what? I’ll even prove it."
Yelena’s eyes widened. "Wait, Mika, don’t you dare—"
But it was too late.
Mika walked right up to the screen, his expression casual and unbothered.
"By the way..." He said conversationally. "...what Yelena said earlier about me being here because Charlotte brought me over, that’s a complete lie. No idea why she said that—but yeah, that was definitely a lie."
Yelena’s entire soul left her body. "MIKA—!" She gasped, her face going pale.
And in response, Nadia blinked once, then nodded calmly. "I thought so." She said in her usual even tone. "It was painfully obvious she was lying. I don’t even know why she tries, considering it’s always futile."
Yelena bit her lip so hard she nearly drew blood.
"I know, right? She really is hopeless sometimes." Mika smiled, clearly enjoying himself.
"Indeed." Nadia inclined her head slightly, her crimson eyes glinting.
Yelena’s jaw dropped, pointing at them both again. "YOU TWO—" She started, before cutting herself off as Mika went on smoothly.
"But the real reason I’m here..." Mika continued, voice steady. "...is because I was exploring this realm when I found a strange stone. Picked it up, and boom, suddenly I’m teleported here. No idea how, must’ve been a magic stone or something."
Yelena stared at him like he’d just said he’d tripped over a rainbow and landed in her living room.
’What, what kind of excuse even is that?’ She thought, her mind screaming. ’That’s not even a good lie!’
He didn’t even try to make it sound real! No dramatic backstory, no fabricated coordinates, not even fake scientific babble, just "I picked up a rock." And the worst part? He said it so casually while scratching his ear, like it was an unimportant anecdote about buying bread.
Yelena felt her stomach churn. There was no way Nadia would buy that. The woman was the most unflappable, sharp-minded diplomat in the world.
She could smell lies from a hundred dimensions away. There was no way she’d believe—
"Wow..." Nadia said, voice calm but strangely admiring. "...amazing."
Yelena blinked, as Nadia nodded thoughtfully, her expression perfectly stoic but her tone disturbingly earnest.
"That stone must be quite a rare treasure, an artifact capable of interdimensional transportation. It’s remarkable, really...You’re quite lucky, Mika. Luck always has a way of following you."
"Yeah, it really does, doesn’t it?" Mika smiled humbly.
Yelena’s jaw nearly hit the floor.
"She...She believed it?" She mouthed, utterly baffled.
Mika, catching her expression, smirked and decided to take it further.
He glanced around, spotted a paperweight shaped like a smooth gray pebble sitting on Yelena’s desk, and casually picked it up.
"Oh yeah, and this is actually the stone that brought me here."
"What?!" Yelena choked on her own breath.
Mika held the paperweight up to the screen like a proud archaeologist showing off a priceless relic. "Pretty cool, right? It’s not sharp or anything. Kind of looks like a puppy’s head from the side if you squint."
Nadia tilted her head slightly, analyzing it with the same grave focus she’d use in a diplomatic summit.
"It is fascinating. It doesn’t look naturally formed...man-made, perhaps. I want you to send it to me." She said, calm as ever. "I’ll have my team analyze it. Maybe it’s a prototype teleportation core. It could advance humanity’s technology if we study it properly."
Mika nodded obediently. "Of course, of course. I’ll pack it up and send it right away, Nadia."
Yelena felt faint. Her knees almost gave out. She wanted to slam her head into the nearest wall.
’She’s buying this?! She’s really buying this?!’
Nadia, meanwhile, was jotting notes into a holographic pad, completely serious. "We’ll need to label this as the ’Mika Lucky Stone’ for documentation." She murmured.
"Excellent choice." Mika said proudly. "I approve."
Yelena was ready to explode. ’You two are ridiculous!’ She mouthed silently, flailing her hands in the air.
But then Mika decided to push it even further.
He scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Oh, and about why I tried to leave earlier, Nadia...well, it’s actually kind of embarrassing."
"Oh?" Nadia’s voice softened ever so slightly.
"Yeah." He said, rubbing his neck. "I just...really needed to go to the bathroom."
"What—WHAT?!"
Yelena’s mouth fell open, while Mika continued with absolute confidence.
"I thought I’d run off for a quick minute before saying hi properly. Didn’t want to look all tense and jumpy, you know?"
"Ah, I understand. You poor thing." Nadia nodded sagely, completely serious. "You should have said so earlier, Mika. Never hold it in just because of me. Health comes first."
Mika shrugged, smiling smoothly. "It’s fine. Meeting you was more important."
Nadia’s eyes glimmered faintly. Her tone didn’t change, but there was the faintest warmth in it when she said. "You always know how to prioritize what matters."
By now, Yelena looked like she was on the verge of cardiac arrest.
Her hands trembled as she pointed from one to the other, muttering. "This, this can’t be happening. This can’t actually be happening."
Nadia blinked, noticing her expression. "Yelena, why do you look so pale? Are you feeling unwell?"
Yelena blinked back rapidly, her face twitching. "Unwell? Unwell?! I’m losing my mind!"
Nadia tilted her head. "You look like you’re about to faint. Is this...a bladder issue as well?"
Yelena froze. "I—what, excuse me?!"
Mika turned his head away, barely suppressing laughter.
Nadia continued calmly. "It’s perfectly normal, Yelena. If you need to go, go. Don’t hold it in. We can continue this conversation later. I’ll talk with Mika for now."
Yelena’s lips twitched crazily. "I—what—NO!" She yelled. "You are not talking to him alone!"
At this point, her frustration boiled over. She grabbed Mika’s wrist and held it tight, glaring between the two of them.
"Nadia, don’t believe him! He’s lying! He didn’t teleport here because of some stupid rock! He’s here because he’s staying in my house!"
The room fell silent. Even Nadia frowned once, an event rare enough to register as an earthquake.
Yelena pressed on recklessly, fueled by pure exasperation.
"He’s already spent the night here! And he’s staying again tonight! And probably tomorrow too! There, that’s the truth! Not this nonsense about rocks or teleportation stones!"
She knew this could trigger a tug-of-war for Mika between them, but at that point, she didn’t care anymore. She was tired of being bullied.
But instead of shock, Nadia’s serene frown deepened.
"Stop lying, Yelena." She said firmly. "Why are you making things worse? Mika already told me the truth. He teleported there by accident. You don’t need to make up wild stories just because you feel embarrassed."
Yelena’s eyes widened in disbelief. "Wha—you, you actually believe him over me?!"
Nadia’s tone didn’t waver. "Of course. You know Mika doesn’t lie. And you know you’re terrible at it."
Mika covered his mouth to hide a laugh, looking entirely too pleased with himself.
"Honestly, Yelena..." Nadia went on. "It’s ridiculous to even think Mika would stay overnight anywhere. With his personality? The fact that he’s in your home for even a few minutes is a miracle...But you’re saying he stayed for an entire day?"
She gave the tiniest shake of her head.
"Utterly implausible. Please stop."
Yelena looked seconds away from screaming as she exclaimed in protest saying, "I’m telling the truth! I can prove it! I’ll even bring Charlotte here! She saw it too!"
But once again, Nadia sighed audibly from the other side of the screen. "Yelena, you’re really reaching new lows today." She said flatly. "Trying to drag your daughter into your lies? That’s concerning."
"What...What do you—"
"Are you going through some kind of midlife crisis?" Nadia asked, completely serious. "If so, it’s fine. I can come over. We can talk. You don’t have to make up stories like this."
Yelena stood frozen, her mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water.
And that’s when it hit her, the realization that somehow, impossibly, she had lost completely.
She, the great Blade Maiden, savior of nations, was being tag-teamed and gaslit by the calmest woman alive who turned dumb whenever her son was involved and a smug brat who’d just gotten away with the most ridiculous lie in existence...