Could Anyone Who Likes Yaxiu Even Be a Good Woman?

"I'm not sure if she's an angel." By the time Yaxiu stepped out of the clothing boutique, he had been outfitted in a brand-new wardrobe from head to toe. His injuries had already healed back in the alley, but his clothes were stained with blood and grime. Conveniently, a boutique nearby happened to be endorsed by Heath. Glancing up at the giant street-facing video screen on the mall's exterior, they could all see Heath posing handsomely in those very outfits, so they simply walked in and picked out new clothes free of charge. Naturally, Igola didn't pass up this zero-cost shopping spree either—he even helped spruce Harvey up. As for the result, in Yaxiu's words: "Harvey, I almost didn't recognize you with clothes on." After all that running around, dinner was approaching, so the four of them went directly to an open-air terrace restaurant on the mall's third floor. Rose asked if anyone had dietary restrictions and immediately began ordering without consulting their opinions. When Igola suggested he wanted to pick his own dishes, she countered flatly, "Do you understand nutrition science and the top-rated dishes here over the past thirty days? Do you know how to properly pair appetizers, mains, and desserts?" Igola tried to push back, but Rose surveyed the terrace and pointed out several other diners, predicting that they would soon suffer from frequent urination, gastrointestinal discomfort, or extreme thirst due to improper food pairings. Left without an argument, he obediently relinquished ordering privileges. Yaxiu and Harvey watched in fascination; it was the first time they had ever seen anyone shut Igola down in a conversation. After all, the Swindler was a sophist monster capable of finding three points of justification even when entirely in the wrong. Not that he was merely contrarian—the moment he realized he made a mistake, he would use sleight of hand, slippery slopes, sacrificing a pawn to save the chariot, and every other maneuver to deflect to another subject entirely. Yet Rose was completely immune to his tricks, leaving Igola with no choice but to bow his head. Once settled in, Yaxiu recounted his chase through the alleys, admitting that he had helped Niya hide from the patrolmen. Rose asked immediately, "Do you remember what Niya was wearing?" "A gray hooded jacket and black sweatpants." "Was her red hair exposed?" "Probably not. I pulled the hood over her head to cover it." "Understood. I will go buy a jacket and sweatpants shortly, take a photo with you, and post it on social media," Rose said. "If the police suspect you, say that person was me." "I'm actually quite curious," Igola asked. "Just how far are you willing to go to help Yaxiu?" Rose blinked and looked at Yaxiu. "Do you know there is a very deep basement under the villa?" "No." "Good. Don't go looking for it either," Rose said. "However, if you kill anyone, remember to tell me promptly. It is best to lure them into the villa before killing them, preferably targets with few social ties—for instance, tricking vagrants from under the bridges or undocumented foreign cooks under the pretense of playing a role-playing game works quite well." "In short, no matter what you do, I should have a contingency plan ready to handle it for you." "Thank you, Rose," Yaxiu thanked her sincerely. "You make it sound so easy I almost want to go kill someone just to liven up the mood." Though they had only known each other for about six hours, Rose's stance of unconditionally aiding and abetting Yaxiu had thoroughly earned his trust. If Yaxiu were an emperor, Rose would be the treacherous minister who spoiled him into becoming a tyrant. Just then, the clockwork chimes on Rose's wristwatch rang crisply. She picked up her bag and headed for the restroom. The others had already noticed this pattern: every two hours on the dot, Rose went to the restroom to attend to her physiological needs. It was as though she intended to eliminate even the minor inconvenience of an unexpected bladder emergency from her life entirely. Watching Rose walk away, the Swindler murmured, "I'm starting to get curious about her true self in the Stars... How on earth did Heath stumble upon such a practical childhood friend?" "Don't be discouraged," Yaxiu comforted him. "You might be a step behind when it comes to daily life arrangements, but I have full faith that your talent for arson and murder far surpasses Rose's. In my heart, you're still the most practical one!" "What about me?" Harvey asked curiously. "Your appraisal falls outside the dimension of practicality. If I had to describe it, it's like keeping a naughty black dog." Yaxiu poked the choker on Harvey's neck. "The accessory Igola picked out for you has real character. Suits you perfectly." Igola added, "I suggest you dress like this in reality too. Add a leash to the collar and let Alice lead you around. That way, people will think Alice is the necromancer and you're just the corpse." The two had only meant to tease Harvey, but seeing the necromancer sink into deep contemplation, seriously considering the feasibility of the idea, they grew alarmed. Harvey's usual impression was perverse enough; if he started doing performance art as a pet, it wouldn't matter to him, but what would outsiders think of Yaxiu and Igola?! If they already had a black dog, could they still deny being a pampered golden-shaded cat and a stray alley cat? Igola hastily steered the conversation back on track. "If the angel's true self was pulled into the Country of All Stars only this month, then Dead Frenzy is indeed the top suspect. Twenty-seven homicides took place in the capital region of Jiashi this month. Fifteen of the culprits have already been apprehended, and aside from four still under investigation, the remaining eight were confirmed to be Dead Frenzy's handiwork—and that count has now risen to nine." "The Sword Princess in the Stars... shouldn't be some atrocious murderer, right?" Yaxiu shook his head. "She's a university student in the prime of her youth, enjoying a rosy campus life." "I see." Igola pondered. "A high-IQ criminal who excels at hiding her tracks, then." "No!" Yaxiu shook his head. "She has no criminal record whatsoever! She's a completely clean, innocent university student!" "Really?" "Can that be true? Or is it just that you don't know?" Both Harvey and Igola questioned him in unison, making Yaxiu bristle with annoyance. "Neither of you has ever even met her! Why are you so convinced she's a criminal?" The Swindler and the necromancer exchanged a glance, giving the exact same answer: "Because she likes you!" "Let's do the math," Igola said, ticking off fingers. "Annan liked you, and Annan's original goal was to destroy the Gospel system and plunge the Gospel Realm into an era of chaos. The Silver Lantern liked you, and the entirety of Senluo was destroyed by her." "Now you're telling us a law-abiding female college student likes you? That really isn't very convincing, is it?" Harvey voiced an opinion of his own for once. "I've always felt that Igola is poison to good women, while Yaxiu, you're a miracle cure for bad ones..." "Stop, stop, stop," Yaxiu said. "Whether you believe it or not, she is truly a kind, adorable, law-abiding girl who cares for her family, wouldn't hurt a fly, and would never commit a crime." "Until she met a wanted criminal, whereupon her life took a steep dive straight into the abyss of darkness and slaughter... Fine, joking aside." Igola picked up the files in his hands. "If her life trajectory in the Stars diverges this wildly from the one in the Country of All Stars, the likelihood of Niya being an angel is even higher." "We have no other leads right now. The only hope we can grasp is 'Dead Frenzy' Niya Sevier. If she truly is an angel, what we need to do is..." Igola shot a glance at Yaxiu. "...capture her, find a way to obtain the angel's power, and if that fails, use her as a bargaining chip to negotiate a trade with the Divine Lord of Stars or the Four Pillar Gods. At the very least, we must secure our safe exit from the Country of All Stars." "No objections, right?" Harvey looked at Yaxiu. Yaxiu closed his eyes, the final exchange of glances in the alley flashing through his mind. *"...You're not looking at me at all."* He slowly exhaled a breath of stale air and nodded. "No objections." "If you're worried about emotional backlash, I have a solution for that too," Igola said coolly. "Find a way to sever her senses, and I can attempt to scour her memories with a mind miracle, wiping her clean like a blank sheet of paper. That way, it most likely won't affect your real-world Sword Princess—" "Don't!" Igola frowned slightly. "Yaxiu, our goal will very likely involve erasing her existence, yet you're agonizing over whether to wipe her personality?" "I'm not saying we shouldn't deal with her." Yaxiu leaned against his chair and looked up at the sea of stars across the sky. "I'm saying... don't make me choose right now. What if it isn't her? What if there's another way? What if something unexpected happens?" "I'm sorry," he said softly, looking down at the table. "Just let me be indecisive until the very last second."