Chapter 53: Perhaps I Can Never Leave Her Again
Although I said something that sounded cool and chuunibyou… specifically, what does it mean to protect this world?
“From our current perspective, it means protecting Xiao An well.”
“Protect Xiao An well.”
“Yes, if she truly is a god of this world, then Xiao An is the key to deciding the future.”
“Now that you mention it, that’s true.”
“However, Juncheng, you don’t actually need to do anything, because maintaining the status quo is the best. Why do you think Pure World Glazed Tile didn’t make a move against Xiao An? Because those people don’t know that Xiao An is the god of this world. This shows that Xiao An must have undergone some kind of change, vastly different from her initial form at the shrine, which is why they didn’t recognize her as the god they were searching for.”
“I see.”
Indeed, compared to the Xiao An I first met, the current Xiao An has grown a lot. In just about two years, she transformed from a toddler of around three years old into this loli who looks like a fifth-grader. She grew up instantly that night… and who knows if similar changes will happen, transforming from a loli to a young girl, then to an onee-san.
“Since that’s the case, we have an advantage with our current information superiority. We should continue to conceal ourselves and prepare for all-out war. However, as you said, this organization seems to have many highly skilled assassins. If they were to attack us all at once, we would be completely unable to resist. Concealment and evasion – that’s what you should and can do.”
“Ahaha… Although saying that makes me lose face, these are my specialties.”
“You’ve worked hard.”
Boko heard the hint of bitterness in my words, patted my shoulder, and gave me a sympathetic look.
Ugh, I really want to… Let me tell you, I’m truly miserable.
However, now is not the time to complain and vent my emotions. I suppressed the brewing sense of misery.
“Speaking of which, Boko, you actually believe in the existence of gods and such? I thought you’d definitely say it’s unscientific.”
“Everything in this world can be explained by science. There’s no such thing as unscientific. Even if there is, it’s just something that ‘cannot be explained at this stage.’ ”
If I could see Boko’s title, it would certainly be this: “Rational Monster.”
“What is that? My title? Heh – ‘Rational Monster,’ that’s quite fitting.”
Can an ordinary person really achieve this level? Even if they could, they would have to be mentally split to maintain such absolute rationality.
I seem to have entered a similar state once. But at that time, I had to obliterate my own emotions.
After that, there were some lingering after-effects, and it wasn’t until today that I finally recovered.
“Well, then, according to you, I just need to maintain the status quo from now on?”
“No, leave this place, Juncheng. Staying here will eventually lead to you being discovered. In fact, they’ve already sent assassins to find you, haven’t they? However, since the assassins they sent haven’t returned, they’ll be wary for a while. This is the best time to relocate.”
“Leave? Where to?”
“Go find Ji Lianbing. With the Ji Family’s influence, they can provide… um, they can protect you, and bringing Xiao An along shouldn’t be…”
You were about to say ‘support,’ weren’t you? I could hear the ‘ang’ sound at the end!
Although it seems to be the truth, being told directly like this shattered the last shred of my dignity into pieces.
“Alright, being supported by such a super beautiful woman is every man’s dream, including mine. This kind of impossible thing is happening to you, do you still have any complaints?”
“None at all. By the way, Boko, you have dreams like this too?”
“Of course. Then I wouldn’t have to waste extra time making money, and having a beautiful woman by my side would also boost my mood. It’s a win-win… Ah, but dealing with emotional issues is troublesome. Sometimes accompanying her is a waste of time, her unreasonable demands are also troublesome, and not being able to communicate is even more… Hmm, it would be perfect if the other party were a maid who obeyed my every word.”
Are you seriously treating women as tools to be used?
You want the woman supporting you to be your maid, how depraved are you!
And then, as a vulgar man, I briefly fantasized about Ruanruan in a maid outfit…
“Master, please tell me your requests~ Maid Ruanruan will fulfill all your demands, heh heh…”
…This, it’s really… my desire is about to erupt…
“Hey, hey, wake up from your daydream. Wipe your drool.”
Snapping back to reality, I quickly wiped the corner of my mouth with my sleeve, but there was no drool. Only Boko’s subtly mocking expression.
Damn it… This guy must be a sadist!
“Well, I can only help you this much. As a lowly strategist, with the current information, this is all I can analyze and propose.”
“If this is what you call a lowly strategist, then my IQ might not even be as good as a dog’s.”
Boko shrugged without a word. We returned to the dorm together, and Aji and A Bing had already come back.
That night, I couldn’t sleep.
I woke up before five in the morning. After washing up, I left the dorm as soon as the main door was unlocked at five.
Breathing in the fresh morning air, the muddled feeling in my mind couldn’t dissipate.
I was still hesitating.
“Do I really have to go find Ruanruan?”
“Yes? Do you need me for something? Heh heh heh~”
Woah!
She actually appeared!
The voice from behind me startled me, and I instinctively tried to turn around, but lost my balance and fell backward.
Then the soft softness behind my head cushioned my fall.
Ruanruan hugged me as I fell, then kissed my forehead and said with a smile.
“My dear Jun Jun, what can I do for you? Heh heh heh~”
“Why did you come out so early?”
And you even appeared this way, Ruanruan, you’re not Lan or Yu Hui.
“Jun Jun, didn’t you come out very early too?”
“…I just…”
After regaining my balance and standing firm, I turned to face Ruanruan, but didn’t know where to start.
Scratching my head, I avoided her gaze, my thoughts in a tangle.
In the end, I still didn’t want to rely on Ruanruan, or rather, I didn’t want to drag her into this.
In my view, I always believed that people important to me shouldn’t be in danger… Perhaps it’s a bit chauvinistic, but I always felt this was my responsibility.
However, as Boko said, Pure World Glazed Tile is no longer content to wait and see but has begun to participate in this competition to seize the god. Xiao An’s identity will eventually be discovered, so I can’t stay here any longer.
Leaving this place… taking Xiao An and Xue Qing… I can no longer stay by Ruanruan’s side. This is the best way to protect her.
Mustering my courage, I looked up and saw Ruanruan’s face devoid of a smile.
Ji Lianbing always wore a smile.
That smile carried different emotions, and it was also a way to hide her true feelings.
But Ruanruan always showed me a warm smile.
That smile was captivating.
Now, that smile had vanished.
“Juncheng, where are you going?”
I immediately noticed that something was wrong with Ruanruan, and a strange sense of fear welled up in my heart. However, my concern and feelings for Ruanruan suppressed the instinctive fear, allowing me to continue the conversation with her calmly.
“Ruan… that is, a lot has happened, so I must now…”
As I spoke, Ruanruan suddenly widened her eyes, ran up to me, and started to pull at my clothes.
I half-heartedly resisted, quickly asking.
“Uh, what are you doing, Ruanruan?”
“They’ve finally made their move, haven’t they! Jun Jun, are you hurt! Let me see!”
“Don’t worry, I’m fine, I’m not hurt.”
I placed my hands on her shoulders to calm her down, but Ruanruan was still so anxious that tears welled up in her eyes, as if they would spill out at any moment. Tears in her eyes, her lips slightly pouting, her expression pitiful.
…Seeing her anxious look, I actually felt relieved.
The chilling expressionless state from before was finally gone.
It was terrifying, Ruanruan, when did you become capable of such a terrifying expressionless face…
However, the next second, an even more terrifying change occurred.
“Scum… How dare you hurt my Juncheng…”
Scum? Vermin?
What?
The gentle, cute, shy, timid, soft-girl type Ruanruan said such words?
No, I’m not a petty man who believes girls should be careful with their words. And besides, these two words are too mild compared to actual curses.
What surprised me was that, given Ruanruan’s personality, she would never say such things.
But now, this expression…
Terrifying.
Unlike Lianbing, who exuded pressure with a smile, Ruanruan had lost her smile again, her eyes narrowed, emitting a chilling aura that made one tremble.
“Hehehe, I knew I should have dealt with this bunch of trash long ago.”
Even as she smiled, the corners of her mouth didn’t lift, and she emitted a toneless laugh.
“Don’t worry, Jun Jun, you don’t need to go anywhere. I’ll get rid of those troublemaking scums for you. They never should have existed in this world from the start.”
Her pupils lost their color, turning into darkness.
The color of her title became chaotic, unlike any known color on the normal spectrum. It was complex and ever-changing, mixing together but not forming a distinct color, instead becoming an indescribable, constantly shifting, extremely vibrant color.
Then the characters of her title no longer looked like characters. Unlike the previous method where they were blacked out, the characters spread outwards like overgrown branches.
“I’ll solve everything for you.”
The bizarre colors spread along with them.
“This is your world and my world, Jun Jun.”
She gently embraced me, and the colored characters wrapped around me like wings.
“I will create a perfect, wonderful world for you that you’ll never want to leave, heh heh…”
Her unfocused eyes looked back at me, her black pupils now dyed with extreme colors. Finally, a smile appeared on her face, full of love for me, and she kissed my lips.
The kiss carried a corrupting honey, slowly seeping into my body.
Although it was only an instant, it felt like a long time had passed.
Not just my body, but even the depths of my heart felt a stinging pain.
At this moment, I slowly closed my eyes, enjoying the peace she brought me, my heart slowly sinking…
Ah—perhaps I can never leave her again…
