No, You're Going to Play

This generation's Lisi was, without a doubt, a younger sister full of shortcomings. Mainly, Diya hadn't met many people. Her personal database contained nothing but sorcerer manuals and fairy tales, and having been captured by the Four Pillar Cult right after transmigrating, she had no choice but to base her on the heroine of a fairy tale she had read, *The Little Witch*, hastily fashioning a younger sister whose age and appearance fit the bill. Thus, the Little Witch Lisi was born. In truth, "Lisi" and "Diya" were not names, but two "positions." Whoever was responsible for controlling the body in reality was "Lisi," while whoever took charge of acting in the Void Realm was "Diya." Their real names were actually Little Witch, Secret Princess, Black Butler, White Queen, Red Apostle, and so forth. Generally speaking, however, Void Realm expeditions were led primarily by the Secret Princess, so the name "Diya" belonged almost exclusively to her. Meanwhile, the name "Lisi" had once belonged exclusively to another sister, but now that the body had been cursed by the Bronze Dragon, she was no longer suited to serve in the position of "Lisi." Therefore, until they passed the Bronze Dragon's trial, "Lisi" would likely remain the exclusive title of the Little Witch. Although the current Lisi had her shortcomings, Diya had no intention of replacing her. After all, a new sister needed to grow. After experiencing a series of events firsthand, Lisi was bound to adapt better and better to the environment. Besides, even if she wanted to swap her out, Diya had no other candidates—at present, only the Little Witch fit the required age. In fact, the Little Witch had already done quite well. Had Diya handled things herself, she likely wouldn't even have survived the Four Pillar Cult, let alone matched wits with Annan. While reading her book, Diya kept her voice low as she chatted: "You want to go play? What's so fun about that? Isn't talking with your sisters fun enough? Be good. You can play once we enter the Void Realm. Time in reality is precious—it can't be wasted on fun and games." "You don't like Annan? That's normal; I don't like her either. She and the White Queen are cut from the same cloth..." "Mhm, Banjie really is dangerous, so you have to be careful around him. When it comes to defending Annan's interests, he will never show mercy..." "Then who do you like better? Igola Bogin?" "What, 'Daddy'?" "When it's just the two of us chatting, you don't need to use that title, do you?" "He's not being kind; he's just plain stupid, which is why he fell for your lines... Fine, fine, fine. You're the one in charge of daily interactions anyway, so whatever you like. Just don't go soft on him. Wrap Yaxiu around your finger as soon as possible—he's our best pawn for resisting Annan." A strange voice suddenly chimed in from the side: "Thirsty after talking for so long? Have a drink and take a rest." "Oh, thanks." Diya subconsciously took the cup and took a sip. Looking down, she saw an unknown strawberry-colored liquid. She turned her head—and her pupils dilated in shock! "How nice—siblings having a little chat." Dressed in a dark red trench coat, the Watcher sat atop the desk, resting his chin on his hand. "It's been so long since I've chatted with my brother, and just as long since I've smacked a mischievous nephew..." "Y-You—" "Witch, I advise you not to speak too loudly. The lady of the house probably installed surveillance equipment in here," the Watcher said with a smile. "Just speak in your mind. I can hear your thoughts." *Mind reading?!* Yet compared to the fact that the Watcher had actually appeared here, mind reading was merely a trivial detail. Truth be told, although she had encountered the Watcher in the tower before, Diya hadn't taken him very seriously. She had assumed the Watcher was looking for "Princess Lisdia," but after receiving the Bronze Dragon's Favor, "Princess Lisdia" had ceased to exist. All that remained was the little girl Lisi, who had been captured by the Four Pillar Cult. As such, Diya had never imagined the Watcher could track her down—when not even the Book of Gospel could capture her past, on what basis had the Watcher found her?! *What in the world do you want?* "Don't be so nervous. It's not like I'm a good person," the Watcher said leisurely. "Look, didn't you agree to become my teammate?" *I never agreed!* "Ah, but Witch, you don't have the right to refuse." Diya wanted to say more, but she suddenly recalled the Bronze Dragon's Favor. The timing of the Watcher's appearance had simply been too coincidental. Just as Diya decided to trigger "Bronze Dragon's Favor," he had abruptly materialized in the tower's bedroom. Neither the defensive miracles encompassing the imperial capital, nor the alert systems spanning every corner of the palace, nor even Sanctuary Sorcerers had been able to detect his presence. He seemed like a being beyond the mortal realm. Aside from the Bronze Dragon, Diya had never seen any being comparable to the Watcher. While her own limited experience was partly to blame, the pressure the Watcher exerted on her was truly terrifying. Diya found it hard to forget how they had been thoroughly beaten down by the Watcher inside her own mind world—indeed, aside from the Secret Princess, the Red Apostle and the Black Butler, their two strongest combatants, had joined forces, yet they had still been no match for him. Even though the Watcher claimed he was only a Two-Winged Sorcerer who had merely come to invite her to adventure in the Void Realm together, Diya didn't believe a single punctuation mark of it. She firmly believed he was simply traveling incognito, toying with the mortal world and deliberately playing the pig—though she had no idea which tiger he intended to eat. *So why does he insist on fixating on me...?* A thought suddenly crossed Diya's mind: *Could he also be influenced by the Bronze Dragon?* Yes! The trials orchestrated by the Bronze Dragon all shared this characteristic: the outcome was good, but the process was inevitably sheer torment. And without question, days spent alongside the Watcher would surely be agonizing enough. *I see. As expected, the Bronze Dragon is up to its tricks again.* Since that was the case, Diya had no need to keep refusing. *Fine, I agree to be your companion. What then?* "Since you're my companion, then naturally I have a responsibility to take care of you, right?" the Watcher asked. Diya sensed a trap in his words. *In theory... yes.* "And now that you've turned into a child, isn't it only natural that I become one of your guardians, obligated to look after your daily life?" *Of course... not!* Diya shook her head vehemently. *I don't need you to look after me. Get lost, and stop interrupting my reading!* "That is precisely why I came," the Watcher said. "First, finish the rest of that strawberry juice. It's a great tonic—don't let it go to waste." Before Diya could even react, her hands lifted the cup, and she gulped down the rest of that liquid of unknown origin. "Next, tidy up. Be a well-behaved child." To her horror, Diya discovered that her body was completely beyond her control, putting the book back onto the shelf of its own accord. *What are you doing? Why can you control my body? A mind miracle?!* *Let go of me! I still want to read!* "No," the Watcher wagged a finger. "You're going to play." *I'm not an actual child! What am I supposed to play?!* Diya was about to lose her mind. *Didn't you want me to be your teammate? Then you should be making me study and cultivate to grow stronger! How does me going out to play help you at all?!* "Ah, but you're a child right now. Children should balance work and play: play with vigor during the day, and brave death-defying adventures at night. That's what good kids do." The Watcher produced a pair of gloves. "Still, you have to wear gloves before you go play, so you don't get those little hands dirty..." *Watcher, have you gone mad?* "Witch, you really can be quite impolite sometimes." The Watcher tapped the gloves, and the adult-sized pair instantly transformed into pink, children's fingerless gloves. He handed them over for Diya to put on. *That's because you refuse to listen to reason!* Diya glared at him, puffing out her cheeks. Then, glancing sideways toward the mirror, her expression instantly softened into something sweet and adorable. *Hey, Big Brother Watcher, why are you treating me like this?* "Oh, is it the Little Witch?" the Watcher asked, unhurried. "It's like this: I'm currently controlling your body, so you can't read anymore." *Uh-huh!* "You can't investigate Big Sister Annan or Big Brother Banjie either, and you certainly can't incite Igola and Harvey to turn against them." *Ohh!* "Under my coercive control, you have no choice but to go find someone else to play games with. Isn't that so pitiful?" *It really is so pitiful!* "Then what are you waiting for? Go and play!" *Yay!*