You're Not Allowed to Date

Was even the Void Realm helping him? Looking around the empty laboratory, Sonia took a deep breath to calm the ripples in her heart. Before entering the Void Realm, she had already prepared for the worst. Reasonably speaking, the Watcher should have chosen her no matter what, but as early as their time in the Sea of Knowledge, Sonia had faintly sensed that he had a psychological defect. "...The whole of me feels as light as a balloon, tied to the ground by only a single thin string." He had never possessed any sense of belonging to this world. His utter disregard for death during adventures, his indifference to his own circumstances, and his yearning for affection all stemmed from this defect. Sonia was the luckiest, because she had appeared when Yaxiu was at his loneliest, becoming the person he needed most and tying a string to this balloon of his; but she was not lucky enough, because she was not by Yaxiu's side. Not only did she want to feel Yaxiu's warmth, but Yaxiu craved hers just as desperately. Whenever Yaxiu faced danger, the survival instinct that surged within him was overwhelmingly rooted in his attachment to the Sword Princess. Even if it was merely to see each other tonight in the Void Realm, that was reason enough for Yaxiu to stay alive. Yet in the end, she was not a harbor Yaxiu could reach out and touch. Sonia was confident that if she could meet the Watcher in reality, she could tame him completely—she would consider it her defeat if he dared so much as glance at another woman. The problem was that the distance between countries separated them. Sonia's life was indeed about more than love; she had her mother, her career, her aspirations, and even her nation. Yaxiu, however, had none of these things. He had nothing. He had not even stayed in one place for more than a month; he didn't even have a physical "home." If Sonia could not give him what he longed for, then even if he would not actively pursue it elsewhere, how could he possibly reject someone else's sincere heart? Sonia knew he was trying to find a way to reach the Starry Country, and she was searching for a path to Senluo herself. But travel between nations was exceptionally difficult in the first place. Even if they became Legends in the future and found a way to meet, before then, Yaxiu might already have been devoured whole by bad women in reality. The country girl had always thought before that she could endure until the day she met Yaxiu, which was why she had tentatively shared Yaxiu with the Witch. Because she knew she had to maintain the team's atmosphere, and because she didn't want to cause Yaxiu trouble. Wasn't it just sharing a lover? At the very beginning, Sonia had aimed to marry into nobility, prepared long ago for a husband who kept dozens of mistresses. Could she really not even tolerate a single Witch? She truly could not. When you genuinely love someone, you wish you were the only thing in their eyes. And it wasn't just the Witch—these past few days, the Watcher had been acting somewhat unusual. Even though he had yet to speak of it, Sonia could sense the guilt in his heart. Sometimes she even hated herself for being so sensitive. Yet it was precisely things like this—things she didn't know about at all and hadn't happened before her eyes—that could leave her aching for days on end. It was around this time that Sonia began rewatching Daidalos's films, searching for answers. Because she knew she could not go on like this. Her pride would not allow her to be dragged into the mud by romantic entanglements, wasting her time and energy on torment that only brought greater suffering. When watching films, one of the character tropes she hated most was the kind who was hurt by the person they loved yet still clung desperately without letting go, pinning all their hopes on the other person regretting and returning, viewing their own agony as a noble sacrifice and their utterly ruined relationship as some great love... Funniest of all, some films even lauded such relationships in a positive light, as if it were truly some epic, devoted romance. Yet whenever Sonia watched them, she only thought the people in them were foolish, so terribly weak. So when it came to her turn, she would never be the heroine of a tragic romance. That was why she had intentionally watched so many of Daidalos's films: to draw inspiration from Daidalos's characters. The independent confidence of the heroine in *Last Night in the Abyss*, the kind steadfastness of the heroine in *Dragon, Tiger, Phoenix*, the decisive pride of the heroine in *Upside Down World*... *those* were the heroines she wanted to be. Therefore... Gently stroking the hilt of her sword, Sonia murmured, "You can hide under the blanket and weep in secret, you can go drink, and you can even try smoking if you want... but you must never soften your heart toward him when you shouldn't." She took a deep breath. At that moment, the laboratory door was pushed open, and the 'Witch' walked in. The 'Witch' immediately displayed her iridescent collection. Seeing Sonia give no reaction, she gave a bitter smile. "Whether I am real or fake, do you want to kill me either way?" Sonia shook her head. "I just don't think the curse affix would have such an obvious loophole. The impostor would definitely have copied the collections too. "What's more, the fake will pretend to be the real thing—which means the things the real one wouldn't say aloud from their heart, the fake will say. Sometimes, running into an impostor isn't necessarily a bad thing." "You're right." The 'Witch' nodded and said, "Whether you're real or fake, I wanted to tell you... I give up." Sonia: "Oh?" "I only liked him; I never meant to hurt him." The 'Witch' walked over slowly, saying, "I originally thought you would tolerate me forever, that he would enjoy the sweet dilemma of being liked by two beautiful girls... I never imagined he would actually suffer because of it too. "And I know that the most important person in his heart is you. "Since he can't make a choice, let me do it." A relieved expression appeared on the 'Witch's' face. "If you backed out, he would definitely continue to suffer over you; but if I back out... you can definitely make him stop dwelling on me." Sonia was momentarily lost in thought. If the Witch stepped back of her own accord, could she keep holding on? Perhaps she could. After all, in reality, Yaxiu had no close women around him, and things like Annan and Silver Lantern wouldn't happen often. As long as she ensured that the Void Realm remained a paradise for her and the Watcher, as long as she ensured that the Watcher had eyes only for the Sword Princess... She remained silent for a moment, then asked, "Then, Witch, will you ever date anyone else in the future?" "Probably?" the 'Witch' said with feigned lightness. "It can't be that every time I offer my sincere heart, it gets trampled on, right?" *Clang!* Even though the 'Witch' immediately raised her Sanctuary and erupted with miracles, her head was severed clean from her body. Sonia withdrew the Secret Blade of the Hidden Hand and left the laboratory without expression. "Although I don't know why the Witch fell for the Watcher..." she said, "I can still tell whether someone's love is utterly devoted or not. "How could the Witch ever give up?" * After seeing through a false 'Weise' via a brief exchange, Sonia made her way to a new laboratory. Pushing the door open, she saw a 'Yaxiu' lost in thought. Without the slightest hesitation, she drew her sword and closed in on him. The 'Yaxiu' seemed to realize something, offering a bitter smile. "I'm sorry." "It only counts as an apology if you are as heartbroken as I am." Sonia drew back her hidden hand, stepping past the 'Yaxiu' who had dissolved into foam without even sparing him a glance. "He knows that I hate these kinds of verbal apologies most of all," the red-haired Sword Princess said softly. "An apology made of words alone is nothing more than a weapon to force the other person to forgive you." * Moments later, before Sonia had even left the laboratory, she saw 'Yaxiu' push the door open and enter. "Show the collection I equipped you with!" 'Yaxiu' said immediately. Sonia considered it and displayed her Frost Crystal Shoes after all. The 'Yaxiu' didn't seem much relieved, but still said, "All right, your turn to verify me." "Even if you are an impostor," Sonia asked, "what did you plan to say to deceive me?" The 'Yaxiu' seemed somewhat puzzled, as well as helpless. He sighed softly. "Fine. Whether you're real or fake, I wanted to tell you... "Let me go," he said. "You'll find someone better than me." Sonia shook her head and brought down the Secret Blade of the Hidden Hand with a smile. "But I will never treat anyone else this well again." Stepping past the illusion that had dissolved into foam, she murmured softly, "How could he ever bear to let me go?" * The President of the Paw-Stretching Club walked through several rooms and saw three more 'Yaxius', but she killed them the moment they met, not even bothering to ask a question. Until she pushed open the door to enter a laboratory and saw another Yaxiu walk in through the opposite door. The moment their eyes met, he didn't hesitate in the slightest. Striding quickly toward her without raising a Sanctuary or putting up any defenses, he reached out and hugged the red-haired Sword Princess tightly. "I thought the curse affix had separated us into completely different bubble reflections; otherwise, why couldn't I find any of you no matter how hard I looked?" He released her and chuckled sheepishly. "Though I know that with your strength there shouldn't be any problem, I still have to ask... you didn't accidentally kill them, did you?" Sonia looked at him calmly. The hidden hand her right hand had conjured was ultimately retracted. "Hard to say." Yaxiu scratched his head. "Then shall we go look for the Witch and Weise first? Or..." His expression darkened, though his tone remained light: "...continue our conversation from before?" The red-haired Sword Princess gazed at him, hand resting on her hilt. "When you rushed over just now, weren't you afraid I might kill you by mistake?" Yaxiu blinked. "If I say that I'd gladly die by your sword, would that seem especially...?" "Yes," Sonia nodded. "Even I wouldn't be that melodramatic and pretentious." Yaxiu tilted his head, thought for a moment, and said, "I actually didn't think too much about it back then. When I recognized you, my body just moved on instinct. By the time I came back to my senses, I was already holding you. If I really had to put it into words... "Just as I could recognize the real Sword Princess," he said, "you could definitely recognize the real Watcher." Sonia stared at him blankly, then shook her head with a look that said *you're hopeless*. Leaning back slightly, she catapulted forward like a slingshot, slamming her entire red-haired head violently into his chest. "You... you..." Sonia buried her head in his chest, her small fists beginning to thump lightly against his abdomen. Yet the Sword Princess's attack speed grew faster and faster until her hands blurred into afterimages, pummeling Yaxiu so hard that even his soul began to shudder. Yaxiu didn't dare raise his Sanctuary now, forced to endure the beating with a wry smile. He had to be thankful this was the Void Realm where the soul felt no pain; if this were reality, his duodenum and all twenty-four of his ribs would have shattered. Once Sonia finished venting, she finally lifted her head, wrapped her arms around Yaxiu's neck, and said, "Promise me three things." "Mm, I'm listening." "Can't you just agree first?" the President of the Paw-Stretching Club complained. "Wouldn't any normal person jump at the chance to say yes right here?" Yaxiu blinked. "I have psychological issues—certified by a mind sorcerer." Sonia sighed helplessly and said, "First thing: before you come see me in the Starry Country, you are not allowed to stop, you are not allowed to settle down and start a family, and you must search for a way to reach the Starry Country every waking moment!" Yaxiu nodded. "All right. That was my intention all along." Sonia arched an eyebrow. "Meaning you've been lusting after me since long ago?" Seeing Yaxiu blush red and not dare answer such a question, Sonia finally felt she had regained the upper hand. That was more like it—she was the Legendary Sorcerer of the romance faction! "Second thing," she said. "Before you come see me in the Starry Country— "You're not allowed to date."