Yaxiu was far from being as carefree as he appeared.
One could tell that much from the fact that he had dragged things out for five whole days.
Before entering the Void Realm tonight, he had even gone out of his way to find Igola, asking him for a mind miracle.
Back then, the swindler's expression had been utterly peculiar, like watching a Lalafell ask to test whether the frying pan was hot.
In truth, Yaxiu had merely hoped for a mind miracle to make himself braver, more decisive, kinder, and more confident.
Igola had understood, telling him to turn left out the door and find Harvey, who probably still had some Snow White brand candy brought from the Blood Moon—mind sorcerers did not provide drug-dealing services.
Only after Yaxiu begged repeatedly did Igola reluctantly cast a special miracle on him: using his fingers as a medium to directly touch the scalp, soothing the brain's nerves to bring peace to the mind... If Igola hadn't been a mind sorcerer, Yaxiu would have sworn it was just a scalp massage...
Yet this mind miracle proved remarkably effective. Yaxiu felt his heart calm down considerably, and he prepared himself mentally for the worst-case scenario. Only then could he face the Sword Princess and the Witch with equanimity.
No fleeing, no dodging—bringing the unspoken unease out into the open.
However, despite all the contingency plans he had prepared, when the Sword Princess declared, "You are forbidden from dating," Yaxiu was still left utterly bewildered.
He pondered for a moment and asked, "Do you mean I'm not allowed to date anyone at all?"
"Yes."
"Like Annan, whom I know in reality?"
"Forbidden."
"What about the Witch, whom I only meet in the Void Realm?"
"Forbidden."
"Then... what about you?"
Sonia gazed into his eyes and slowly shook her head. "Forbidden as well."
Hogging the latrine without taking a dump... That was Yaxiu's immediate thought.
"Don't think I just want to restrict you." Sonia reached out and pinched Yaxiu's cheek. "Though that's part of it... more importantly, this is the only outcome any of us can accept."
"The Witch won't give up on you, and you won't give up on us, but I can't bear you maintaining an intimate relationship with anyone else either." Feeling that one hand wasn't enough, the President of the Paw-Stretching Club cupped Yaxiu's face with both hands. "So there is only one answer. Since we cannot advance, let us retreat. Retreat to the point where you are merely friends with everyone. That way, you don't have to give anyone up, the Witch won't refuse, and I won't have to worry."
"Your condition comes with a prerequisite, doesn't it?" Yaxiu smiled, amusement touching his eyes. "'Before I reach the Starry Country and see you.'"
"That's right. As long as you see me in reality, you won't need to abide by this restriction anymore." Sonia gave a soft hum. "That's also why I'm willing to do this—because I know that no matter how inseparable or glued together we are in the Void Realm, it's all vain castles in the air, drifting weeds without roots. Dating you in the Void Realm is simply an option with terrible cost-effectiveness."
Yaxiu blinked. "Low cost-effectiveness, sure, but you like it."
"I do not!" Sonia stuck out her tongue and made a face, hesitating for a moment before continuing, "Besides, I have to consider the Witch's feelings too."
"Just as it hurts me to see you close to the Witch, wouldn't it hurt her to see you intimate with me?" she said softly. "In that case, let's all fall back into the safe zone. That way... at least we can keep being together."
"But this demand of yours only postpones our problem until the moment we meet," Yaxiu said. "When that time comes, we will still have to face it in the end."
"Don't worry, because by then, I'll already be by your side. And at that time, I will definitely be stronger than you, and I will definitely command greater power." The corners of Sonia's lips curved slightly upward into a smile that would make the stars lose their luster.
"I'll help you resolve this problem once and for all. And after that..."
And after that, what would happen?
Before Yaxiu could ask how she planned to solve it, Sonia continued, "Actually, this demand of mine is mainly aimed at your situation in reality! Can you promise you won't mess around in the real world?"
"I wasn't messing around at all!" Yaxiu defended himself self-righteously, then added feebly, "But if..."
"I know. I won't hold the incidents with Annan and the Silver Lantern against you, since you really were helpless back then." Sonia clasped both hands around Yaxiu's neck, gnashing her teeth as she spoke. "But you're a Sanctuary Sorcerer now. You won't be drowned by the Flowing Gold River every day, will you? You won't be enslaved by someone every single day, right?"
Yaxiu shook his head. "Not really, but you know I'm always adventuring. There's always a chance something could happen..."
"If you are truly controlled by someone again, I won't even blame you if you sleep with them!"
"Really?"
"Fake!" Sonia stomped hard on his foot, triggering the Ice Crystal Shoes to spread frost across the ground, sending a chill through Yaxiu's soul. Soon, however, she calmed down. "But it's also true—at least I can convince myself not to be angry with you. After all, you can't even guarantee your own safety right now, and later on you'll have to risk your neck finding a way into the Starry Country. I can't make greater demands of you."
Only not be angry with me...?
Yaxiu faintly understood Sonia's meaning. He ran his fingers through the Sword Princess's blood-red hair, gently caressing her cheek with the back of his fingers. "I understand. I promise you, I'll try my best not to make you angry."
Sonia said nonchalantly, "If you can lie well enough to keep it from me, so long as I don't know, naturally I won't be angry either."
"Girls are contradictory, aren't they?" She chuckled softly. "On one hand, they love hearing sweet, fake nothings; on the other, they hope for an honest confession, even if it hurts them."
"It's not contradictory," Yaxiu said. "The feeling of loving someone isn't something one can control. In the final analysis, it's all because I'm not good enough, yet not bad enough either."
"I'm not good enough to avoid hurting you, nor am I bad enough to deceive you."
Sonia shook her head. "I don't want to blame you this time, because I brought this on myself."
The red-haired Sword Princess raised her head, mist gathering in her eyes. Her glistening gaze fixed stubbornly upon Yaxiu, and the corners of her mouth lifted in a smile feigning nonchalance.
"Then let us continue tormenting each other like this."
Watching her like this, Yaxiu felt as if his heart had been struck by a heavy hammer. Heart-fluttering tenderness and guilt tangled into an unspeakable, complex emotion. He gazed back earnestly into Sonia's eyes, leaned down, and kissed her gently.
There was no deep entanglement, no lingering passion, only a light graze like a dragonfly skimming water. Yet both grew bashful, and Yaxiu, who had taken the initiative, even let his gaze wander evasively.
"Not counting the time you intentionally dragged me to Dark Miracle Paradise and took liberties with me," Sonia asked, "is this your first kiss?"
"That time I only meant to kiss your cheek. Who could have known you'd suddenly turn around..." Yaxiu weakly explained, then nodded. "Yes."
He actually didn't realize I had the exact same idea back then... This discovery put the country girl in a great mood. She chuckled softly. "Even though there was no body heat, no taste, and no biting each other, I am the first person you took the initiative with."
"That is my third condition."
Even though Sonia's tone remained steady, her face blushed crimson down to the tips of her ears as she said it. "Every single one of your first moves must be saved for me."
Yaxiu looked at her in surprise.
Even though she was so embarrassed she wished she could find a hole to crawl into, Sonia did not back down. She held Yaxiu's gaze, upholding her dignity as a Legendary Sorcerer of the Romance faction. It was just that a soul shifted slightly with surges of emotion—at this moment, her pupils had nearly turned into the shape of hearts.
Pfft.
Yaxiu couldn't help but burst into laughter, then looked at her seriously and shook his head.
"No."
Chapter 608