"Hey, if it isn't our campus celebrity, University Cup winner, Mr. Heath's intern assistant, the endlessly promising Miss Feili!"
Senior Liya breezed right through the door and into the bedroom. Spotting Feili applying eyeshadow, she asked curiously, "Where are you off to later?"
"The movies."
Feili picked out a lipstick to match her eyeshadow, then took pearl earrings from her jewelry box to go with her apricot pencil skirt. Though none of it was expensive, the overall look was clean, fresh, and accentuated the rosy youth of a college girl.
"Still doesn't look as good as when you dress like a guy," Liya critiqued.
Feili had to admit Liya had a point. She spent ten times as long putting together women's outfits as she did men's, yet when she dressed as a boy, it always came together effortlessly, completely transforming her girlish charm into that of a dashing youth. At Liya's insistent urging, Feili had accompanied her out in men's clothing a few times, and every single time she had been mistaken for an ultimate pretty boy. Someone had even snapped a photo of her in men's clothes and posted it to the campus confession wall, sparking a whole chain of replies professing their love—men and women alike.
"Don't you have classes this afternoon? Where are you going?"
"Mhm, my elective wrapped up for the term." Feili hesitated a moment before answering honestly, "I'm going to see a movie."
"Right now?"
"Mhm."
"Then let's go," Liya said.
Feili glanced at her. "Not with you."
"Then who are you going with? You're not one of those single, reclusive weirdos who'd watch a movie alone." Liya looked puzzled. "Aside from me, you don't really have any friends to go to the movies with... Don't tell me it's Dimi'er?!"
"It's not!" Feili said. "I'm just going with some new friends..."
"Setting your sights on Dimi'er while seducing others on the side?" Liya smacked Feili's back. "Impressive, Little Feili! In just one year, you've finally blossomed into a promiscuous, mature, bitchy college girl!"
"I am not!" Feili protested, flushed with indignation. "I'm on a mission!"
"A mission?"
Feili nodded, recalling her final conversation with Yaxiu the previous night.
***
Yesterday, although everyone had agreed to Vichy's rehearsal date, Yaxiu had secretly pulled Feili aside before they parted ways, sneering, "That demon has finally shown her foxy tail."
*A demon with a fox tail?*
Feili pictured the image for a moment before snapping back to reality. "What do you mean? Miss Vichy has a scheme?"
"Unless she draws her final breath, every breath she inhales is deceit, and every breath she exhales is the embers of a conspiracy," Yaxiu scoffed. "I bet she's scheming how to skin me alive and strip my bones even in her sleep.
"The Witch once told me that grief has five stages: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. But someone as rationally insane as Vichy will only rush straight into her sixth stage—revenge."
Now that even a "Witch" had entered the picture, Yaxiu fit Feili's mental image of a lunatic more and more. If he went on to claim he'd saved the world and countless lives, Feili would genuinely have to reconsider whether she was being scammed.
"Igola anticipated this long ago." Completely unaware of the blonde girl's growing skepticism, Yaxiu continued, "He said Vichy would first resist my rule—that was denial; then refuse to cooperate with my orders—that was anger; but soon she would try to negotiate a favorable superior-subordinate dynamic with me—that was bargaining; next, she would fall silent, saying nothing—that was depression; and finally, she would adapt to her new identity, buttering me up to secure better treatment."
Feili asked, "So Miss Vichy is in the fifth stage now?"
"No, she's already in the sixth stage."
A spark of wisdom shone in Yaxiu's eyes. "She pretends to have accepted the outcome and is steadily ramping up her overtures to me, but she has never given up on counter-controlling me. Proposing a date under the pretext of giving you advice is her clarion call to attack."
"Why?"
"She wants to make me fall in love with her." Yaxiu sneered coldly. "I slapped the chains of dominion onto her, so she wants to slap the chains of love onto me."
Feili blinked. "But Mr. Heath..."
"It's Yaxiu."
"Yaxiu, since you already know her scheme, it won't work, right? Besides, you hate her so much..."
Yaxiu fell silent for a moment before asking, "When she made that dirty joke about red and the bathroom earlier, didn't the corresponding image immediately pop into your head?"
Feili blinked, saying nothing, but nodded repeatedly.
"Same for me." Yaxiu rubbed his forehead. "That demon is a Soul Demigod. To put it simply, even in the supernatural realm, she's among the absolute strongest. Even though I've restricted all her power, her words naturally carry the power to bewitch the mind.
"Before, she was egging me on every single day to whip her, and for a moment my heart actually stirred. But when Rose came over to ask if she should prepare salt water and candles, I snapped awake—she doesn't even feel pain, so why engage in such futile effort? Purely to indulge my own desires?
"If I had actually done it, it would have meant succumbing to my own emotions and desires. For a Soul Demigod, that amounts to boring a hole straight into my psyche. I wouldn't have been far from total ruin."
Feili listened in stunned disbelief. "Even though you're the one hitting her, you'd end up the one conquered by her?"
"Uncontrollable, heart of iron, sea of desire, despicable, cruel, utterly devoid of bottom lines, and a master of escape," Yaxiu said with a bitter smile. "When she claimed earlier that she was murdered by a Divine Lord, I was skeptical. But the more I deal with her, the more I realize she truly had what it took—if I were them, I'd want to kill her too.
"Right now, I'm riding a tiger. Though I can dominate this monster, I constantly worry about the backlash. Her soul mastery and mental pollution are far beyond my comprehension.
"For now, I can still resist through my hatred for her, and in the outside world I'd have other means to cut her off. But as time drags on, I fear she truly might corrupt me in return."
Feili grew nervous from his words. "Then why did you agree to Miss Vichy's date suggestion? What if you end up falling for her?"
"Because I can't permanently kill her right now; I can only weaken her."
Yaxiu threw his hands up helplessly. "Killing her would be equivalent to setting her free, and I'd never sleep soundly again. Compared to that, keeping her by my side is safer.
"Besides, dominating a demigod yields endless benefits, which will be of great help in hunting angels. And..." Yaxiu's expression grew somewhat complicated. "She's also my operator."
"Operator?"
"Think of it as a high-tier personal relationship contract," Yaxiu explained. "In short, unless I truly can't withstand her corruption, I'll be moving with her from now on to keep this monster under control as best I can. Therefore, testing my mental resistance has become an urgent task.
"The date is an excellent trial. If I can fend off her offensive and familiarize myself with her playbook, I'll basically be confident in standing firm from now on."
Feili understood. "You want to see whether Miss Vichy can tempt you?"
"Exactly! But I need an insurance policy. When the demon whispers in my ear, the insurance policy must warn me in time."
The cult leader looked at the blonde girl. "Feili, I'm counting on you!"
"Why me? What about Miss Rose?"
"She can't tell," Yaxiu said, spreading his hands. "She doesn't grasp subtext in spoken words; she believes whatever anyone says at face value. If Vichy really flirts with me, she won't notice at all."
"Then Mr. Igola and Mr. Harvey..."
"Their resistance is even lower than mine. I've been doing my best to keep them from meeting her these past few days." Yaxiu sighed. "Vichy possesses knowledge they covet beyond measure.
"Tomorrow is up to you, Feili! You have nothing to gain from Vichy, and there is a mortal grudge between you two. Only you can rescue me from the demon's clutches in time!"
***
Thus, far from looking forward to this date, Feili felt the weight of a heavy responsibility.
Since Yaxiu was willing to help find her father, whether his words were true or false, Feili would fight to the end for him!
The enemy was Miss Vichy!
Defend Yaxiu, the best psychiatric patient, to the death!
High-spirited, Feili arrived at the movie theater meetup spot and spotted Yaxiu's group from afar.
Rose wore a deep-blue long skirt and a white button-up shirt, looking quiet and serene as she ate shaved ice with her head lowered. Yaxiu wore sunglasses and a hat, displaying full self-awareness as a celebrity. Vichy wore ordinary casual clothes, which paired with her slightly flamboyant pink hair to produce a surprisingly harmonious, soft beauty.
Just then, Vichy took a bucket of popcorn from the counter and naturally picked up a piece, holding it out to Yaxiu's lips. Before Yaxiu could react, Feili sprinted over, cut between them, snatched the popcorn out of Vichy's hand with her mouth, seized the entire bucket, and greeted them: "I'm not late, am I?"
"Right on time." Rose reached out and patted Feili's head. "Worthy of praise."
Yaxiu caught on as well, glaring at Vichy before secretly giving Feili a thumbs-up.
Feili asked casually, "Miss Vichy isn't wearing her maid uniform today?"
Yaxiu shrugged. "Having a maid following us around would be far too conspicuous after all."
Feili thought to herself that they were already conspicuous enough. With the three of them gathered together, they had drawn eighty percent of the surrounding gazes, some of which were envious stares directed at Yaxiu. But if Yaxiu's true identity were exposed, the object of everyone's jealousy would probably become the three women instead.
Vichy appeared completely unfazed, still smiling brightly. "Let's head in then. The movie's about to start. Here are four tickets; let's arrange our seats."
"Aren't we sitting together?" Yaxiu took them, took one look, and his face instantly darkened—the four tickets were split into two in front and two in back, separating the group.
He looked up at Vichy. She blinked innocently. "They're all the best seats. Master, are you trying to praise me?"
"Couldn't you buy seats next to each other?"
"None left! Even if we tried to buy new ones now, it'd be too late. Come on, Master, sit with me!"
*Sit with Vichy in a pitch-black movie theater?*
Yaxiu blinked and turned to Feili. Feili crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head furiously—*I will never sit with Miss Vichy! I'd die!*
"...Rose, please keep a close eye on the maid."
"No problem." Rose walked over, linked arms with Vichy, pulled a pair of handcuffs from her handbag, and cuffed herself to Vichy.
Both Yaxiu and Feili stared, dumbfounded. "Why do you carry handcuffs on you?"
"Because the maid says every day that you should handcuff and whip her. I thought you might need them, so I brought them along..."
Feili could feel everyone nearby pricking up their ears to eavesdrop, so she hurriedly shoved them forward. "Let's go, let's go, the movie's starting!"
Once they were seated, Feili realized a problem and turned to Yaxiu. "What movie are we watching?"
Yaxiu held up his hands. "No idea. Vichy picked it."
"You'll definitely love it," Vichy said leisurely. "It's called *Blood Moon Prison Break*."
The two paused, quickly realizing this was a commercial project left behind by Heath.
Yaxiu had little interest—he was an actual prison breaker, after all, and found it hard to get excited. Feili wasn't particularly interested either, since her job was to watch Vichy. She noticed that despite being handcuffed, the maid had slipped off her high heels to reveal feet clad in black stockings, seemingly planning a leg-based offensive...
One hundred minutes later.
"Don't leave yet, there seems to be a post-credits scene!" Yaxiu called everyone back. "Maybe the protagonist comes back to life!"
"He shouldn't be dead, right?" Feili was on the edge of her seat. "There were so many clues earlier, the protagonist has to survive! Especially during that escape scene—"
"Right, right, right! That practically spelled out that he only faked being gravely wounded to kill Micah!"
"And the protagonist's promise to Madam Adler—that foreshadowing definitely has to pay off, right?"
"Yes! The protagonist was so cool there!"
"There's definitely going to be a sequel, right?"
"I don't know either!"
"Aren't you the original author?"
"I already told you, I'm from a parallel world!"
Yaxiu and Feili were still excitedly debating the plot twists even as they walked out of the cinema. Vichy suddenly squeezed between them, took Yaxiu's arm, and said, "Alright, let's head to our next stop. It's right in this mall!"
Vichy led them into a boutique named Verdant Dream. Inside were accessory-like items, though not ordinary metal jewelry; instead, they were uniquely shaped, exquisite, or flashy ornaments.
If one had to describe it, the place looked like an accessory shop out of a fantasy game, with merchandise bearing wildly dramatic chuunibyou names like "Fire Emblem," "Seven-Star Gem," "Black Coffin Sigil," and "Death Breath."
"Master, I think this chain suits you quite well."
Vichy picked up a "Chain of Forbidden Sigils." Just as she was about to put it on Yaxiu, Feili stepped between them and took the chain. "I like it too. Let me see."
The demon maid didn't mind. Picking up an earring, she asked, "Master, do you think this suits me?"
Yaxiu saw right through her scheme. "Try it on yourself and you'll know."
"Master, our goal this time is to help Feili get used to dating." Vichy spread her hands. "We can't just walk through the route and call it a day, can we? We have to demonstrate some couple-like behavior for Feili to learn from! Coordinating accessories like this is the lowest tier of intimacy between couples."
"Uh..." Yaxiu had almost forgotten the cover objective of this trip.
"You're the only male here, so naturally you have to demonstrate as the boyfriend." Vichy puffed out her chest, resting her hands on her hips. "As for the female side, obviously it should be—"
"—Exactly! Rose is the most suitable!" Feili pulled Rose over. "Rose and Yaxiu look super like a couple!"
Vichy raised an eyebrow, the corners of her lips curling into a crooked smirk. "Oh? Really?"
Rose stood before Yaxiu. Yaxiu casually picked up a "Falling Stars Pendant." "Do you think this suits you?"
"It does not."
"Then does it suit me?"
"It does not."
"Then if we clip this into your hair..."
"Do not touch my hair."
"Then is there anything you like?"
"No." Rose shook her head. "My current outfit is already optimal. It requires no superfluous decoration."
Yaxiu blinked. "Not even a tiny change?"
"Yaxiu," the blue-haired assistant sighed, "I have prepared five perfect sets of outfits for myself, covering all seasons and temperatures. My hairstyle is also regularly trimmed to remain at the most comfortable and manageable length."
"Do you have enough clothes to change into?"
"For each set of clothes, I have ten backups."
Yaxiu was helpless. "Then could you demonstrate some intimate behavior between couples?"
Rose thought for a moment, raised her hand to pat Yaxiu's head, and pulled it back. "That is the absolute limit. Anything further exceeds the scope of my duties. Not even for extra pay."
Beside them, the maid could barely stifle her laughter, wearing an 'I knew it' look of triumph. She clapped her hands. "Alright, looks like Master can only do this with—"
"Yaxiu, do you think this suits me?!" Feili blocked her path, picking up a necklace and putting it on herself.
"Not bad. I think that one over there looks pretty good too."
"Do you like this? I think clipping it to your belt would look really sharp."
"Really? Let me try."
Vichy clicked her tongue, forced to stand aside and sulk. Rose walked over, casually cuffing herself to Vichy again, only to turn and catch an enigmatic smile curving across the maid's lips.
Chapter 808