Chapter 8: Who Will Be My Lifelong Partner? Part 5
“No way…”
To think that I have to go through this all over again. I suddenly felt so tired.
“I think they’ve probably left by now. After all, they’re allowed to leave the building after midnight. But we’re already on a plane, so they won’t be able to catch up anytime soon, right?”
“I see…”
This was why Li Nai hadn’t chosen a specific destination for our trip. Whatever she picked beforehand would be discovered, and there was a high chance of being ambushed. That’s why she chose to take a taxi to the airport on New Year’s Eve and buy tickets on the spot. Ah… I have to admit, this approach of Li Nai’s is quite clever. After all, there were several people skilled in tracking on the other side. If they weren’t careful, they could have been captured right at the start.
“But even doing this, it will only delay them for a little while, right? I’m sure they’ve already arrived at the airport and bought tickets for a flight one or two hours after ours,” Li Nai continued.
“Well, after all, your bet is marriage…” I still somewhat understand the bride complex within a girl’s heart. For them, that is where happiness lies.
“Are there any other specific rules? Please explain them in more detail. Lianbing told me there are ‘detailed rules’ or something, and you haven’t explained the winning conditions either.”
“Don’t rush, I’ll explain now,” Li Nai said, holding up one index finger and smiling.
“First, the way to win is to go home with Juncheng. ‘Home’ refers to the place we’re currently living. In other words, as long as I hold your hand and step through the door, I win.”
“Oh, the rules are similar to those in the Paradox World.” I’m just glad there’s no process of splitting me into pieces this time… Thank goodness, I don’t want to be ‘dismembered’ again.
“So Li Nai, are you a referee this time, like Miss Shirley?”
“No, I’m also a participant. Can’t you tell from my hairstyle and my earlier self-introduction?”
Eh… So that’s why she changed into that wife hairstyle.
“Since I proposed this time, I’m the organizer, so I’m also eligible to participate. This is the second point I want to make.” Li Nai held up her second finger and continued. “I can leave with Juncheng six hours in advance, but I cannot reveal anything about this ‘True Wife Contest’ to you before midnight.”
“I see…”
This SF Light Novel felt like it was getting complicated. It was because if I knew in advance, I might take actions that could influence the competition, which is why she kept it a secret until now. The reason they had been so well-behaved lately was partly because they couldn’t expose things and partly due to the constraints of the rules.
“I understand. You all agreed that no one can make a move on me before midnight. The contest officially begins only after the New Year starts, right?”
“Oh my, you’ve already figured it out? That’s right, no premature actions allowed!”
“Haaahhhhhh…” I couldn’t help but sigh. Is it really like this? To put it bluntly, was this period of limited peace bought by ‘selling my future’?
I suddenly flew into a rage, grabbing Li Nai’s cheeks on either side and shouting, “Li Nai, you damn ittttttt!!! I’m going to kill you!” I really wanted to beat her up.
The flight attendant who was on standby was startled.
“Wow~~ Juncheng, how bold of you. Are you starting already? Mhm~”
“Start your sister! You just sold me out!” I thought you used some brilliant method, but it turns out you achieved it by selling me out! I used to admire you so much, and recently I even ate a lot of delicious food you made… Now that I think about it, I was sold out and still counting your money.
After rubbing Li Nai’s cheeks, I still wasn’t satisfied. I even wanted to hang her up and spank her. But we were still on the plane, and the flight attendant was watching. I couldn’t do anything too drastic. So, I had to temporarily suppress my frustration and let go of Li Nai’s face.
“Ah~ My f-face is…”
“Get lost! Is there anything else?” I asked impatiently.
Li Nai rubbed her reddened cheeks and mumbled, “Mmm~ There are no limits on the methods or time. It ends whenever you and Juncheng go home together. There’s nothing else important, okay? Ah, right, the ‘Indoor Regulations’ are still effective. They were prepared for this contest anyway.”
“Indoor Regulations?”
“That’s right. Because we anticipate there might be another huge disturbance this time, to avoid affecting innocent bystanders, no competitive behavior is allowed when ‘indoors’.”
“Ho, so you’re being a bit more reasonable this time. So ‘indoors’ means inside a building?”
“Exactly, inside a building. To divide it more clearly, strictly speaking, it’s within the building itself. I’ve told you this before, haven’t I? Fighting all day is boring, isn’t it? So I’ve set up ‘rest stops’.”
“Rest stops…”
“Yes. Otherwise, I wouldn’t even be able to sleep peacefully. How uncomfortable would that be? But Juncheng, you can’t hide in buildings forever, because this marriage war won’t end until you go home.”
This is quite reasonable. I can’t believe this idiot could come up with such a compromise.
“However, while no one can make a move indoors, on the contrary, it’s not a violation if Juncheng initiates some dirty actions against someone! Feel free to go wild!”
“Go wild your sister. So, the participants this time are Lianbing and the others…”
“No, not just them.”
“Ah? Not just them?” Are there other women? How did I not remember opening up such a large harem…
“No matter who it is, as long as they can go home with Juncheng, they will gain the right to marry Juncheng first, that is, the title of ‘True Wife’.”
“…Is there a difference?”
“The difference is that this time, Juncheng also has a choice.”
“Hmm? I have a choice too?” I crossed my arms and thought carefully, but I still couldn’t grasp the meaning of Li Nai’s words.
“Moo, honestly, Juncheng, you’re becoming more and more obtuse. It’s true that scumbags who open harems are dense, as the trope goes.”
“Hey, is it that serious? I just can’t quite wrap my head around it.”
“I feel like the old Juncheng was quite sharp. He noticed many things immediately, but now it’s the opposite. Not only has his perceptiveness worsened, but he often spaces out and frequently forgets things, like an old man.”
… Being told this by Li Nai was a real blow to my pride.
This SF Light Novel was indeed the case… Even I was aware of it. That’s also… one of the bad habits developed over a long time.
“I deliberately forget things. Forgetting unnecessary things is the secret to happiness. Remembering too much only leads to confusion.”
“Hmmph~ Forget it. Then, big sister Li Nai will be merciful and tell you directly~ I said the way to win is to ‘go home with Juncheng,’ not to ‘take Juncheng home,’ right?”
“What’s the difference?” Going home with me, and taking me home…
I suddenly thought of something crucial and pointed at my face, asking, “Could it be that I’m also…?”
“That’s right. Juncheng, you yourself are also a ‘participant’ this time. Meaning, you can choose the one you like best and take her home to marry her.”
So that’s it. This time, I’m not just a prize, but I’m also involved in it? In other words, no matter who it is, as long as I take them home, they can be considered my wife. Even if I meet a new woman halfway and take her home, it’s the same.
“That’s right. It means that even if Juncheng finds a woman he doesn’t know and brings her home as his wife, no one will protest.”
“You can read minds now too.”
“Heh heh~”
While she said she gave me a choice, she actually pushed me into a corner. If I did nothing and just played the role of a prize, they would naturally be happy with that. But if I wanted to do something, I faced a choice. ‘Everyone likes me’ won’t work, and the excuse ‘I love everyone’ is no longer applicable. Even if I were to have a harem, I would have to pick the one I love the most and give her status. There was no more room for me to postpone or escape. Knowing I have trouble making decisions, she still forces me to choose… These… these are truly a bunch of evil women (laughs).
“And this is the content of the treaty. This is the paper version.” Li Nai took out a stack of papers from her backpack. The top one read ‘Marriage Contract,’ and the last page had everyone’s signatures.
“Uh, it’s actually printed out? Orz” I reached out to grab the paper, but my hand passed right through.
“Only I can touch this. It’s my ‘ability’.” So Li Nai also has an ability? I don’t even want to ask such questions. Based on previous deductions, it’s not strange for all the F witches to have these abilities.
“Juncheng, you’re not surprised at all.”
“There’s nothing to be surprised about. Although I am a bit surprised that even an idiot like you could awaken an ability.”
“Mmm! I’m not an idiot!”
“Anyway, my ability is that those who have signed this must abide by what is written. Otherwise—”
“Otherwise?”
“I don’t know. Ahahaha~”
… She doesn’t even understand her own ability! You really are an idiot! But Li Nai immediately turned serious and said, “But, something terrible might happen—hmm!” Unknowingly, my intuition told me it’s best not to violate the rules. Otherwise, something truly terrible might happen.
“… I thought it would be a relaxing trip, but it’s actually an escape. It’s really discouraging…”
“I agree~” Li Nai actually agreed.
“If you feel discouraged too, why did you organize this game?”
“I said it’s not a fake date, did I?” Li Nai said with a smile. “Forget everything I just said from now on, and let’s enjoy the trip together~”
“Didn’t you just say it yourself? Forgetting unnecessary things is the path to happiness… Let’s become happy together.”
