Watching the car drive into the high school he would be attending tomorrow, Ye Chang'an grew even more confused.
"Eden, are you already so eager to go to school? Classes haven't even started yet."
"...Please shut up." Eden, who was driving, did not want to talk. She drove straight into a detached little villa before pulling Ye Chang'an out of the car.
She entered the courtyard with the password, took out a key to unlock the front door, and brought Ye Chang'an inside in one smooth motion.
Then she pointed at the various instruments in the living room and said,
"You can use any of the instruments here. The room on the left upstairs is your bedroom, and the one on the right is mine."
So this was what house hunting meant. She knew Ye Chang'an would definitely forget about renting a place, so she had bought this house early and finished renovating it.
All that was left was for the two of them to move in with their bags.
Ye Chang'an was very satisfied with the setup, but when he heard that Eden also had a bedroom upstairs, his face filled with confusion.
"Eden, isn't it inappropriate for you to live here too?"
"What's inappropriate about living in my own house?"
She had bought the house and designed the renovations herself.
"You're really stupid. You're actually asking what's inappropriate about it."
Ye Chang'an pointed at himself, then at Eden.
"I'm a man, and you're a woman. If we both live here, wouldn't that mean we're cohabiting? That's dangerous."
"What danger? Who's in danger?" Eden questioned darkly, putting up a front like a guilty thief.
She thought Ye Chang'an had seen through her intentions. After all, they had been so obvious.
However, Ye Chang'an had not noticed, because the person he pointed at was her.
"You're in danger. In danger of being ambushed by me at night."
Chapter of Creation: Journey to a New World: 5. If Only This Little White-Haired Girl Were Willing to Keep Me
Ye Chang'an could swear to heaven—no, to the Cocoon of the End.
He, Ye Chang'an, was an absolutely normal man.
He had no strange, unusual fetishes, but he had every normal and legal one.
He was not some dense straight man who did not understand romance. He simply drew an exceptionally clear line when it came to whether he should date someone.
And in this simulated world, he should not fall in love.
He was merely a passerby here to fulfill a dream. Once Eden became a superstar and he had finished discussing music as an art with her, he would leave without hesitation.
Love would only become a regret after he left, so he did not date. He only discussed music.
Especially when it came to dating Eden, he respectfully declined.
This was indeed a simulated world, but it was a world created by the Parallel World Simulator. It might very well be a parallel world from another timeline.
Dating Eden, who would one day become both a superstar and a Flame-Chaser—wasn't that just asking for trouble?
Any interference in someone's life could lead to unforeseen changes and steer the ending into the unknown. He did not want that.
So from the very beginning, he had given himself a clear role—I'm just a fucking passerby. I won't leave feelings behind, won't leave offspring behind, and won't cause Honkai.
Once his goal was achieved, he would pull away and leave, preserving the world's original fate as much as possible.
That was why he kept himself exceptionally clean.
But no matter how clean he kept himself, he might not be able to resist the temptation of a seductive woman he lived with.
After all, men were sometimes ruled by their little brothers. He had to be on guard.
Thus, he clearly informed Eden of the risks of cohabitation, leaving her utterly bewildered.
—So you actually knew about that kind of thing.
For someone whose mind was full of music, Ye Chang'an actually knew about nighttime ambushes. Eden found it rather novel, and once she recovered, she smiled.
"You can try and see whether you succeed."
There was a hint of provocation in her tone, as though she was looking forward to that outcome.
Unfortunately, Ye Chang'an did not understand it that way. He assumed Eden must have prepared something, and immediately relaxed.
"Then I'll live here. You don't need to worry too much either. I'll try my best to restrain myself. Oh, and don't forget to put protective measures in place, in case I really do come ambush you one night."
The principle of guarding against thieves for a thousand days was not ideal. The best solution was obviously for Ye Chang'an to find somewhere else to live.
But he coveted the instruments in this house. He had every instrument he knew how to play, and he could already save up until graduation to buy brand-new models.
So he reminded Eden not to forget protective measures, though those words were rather suggestive.
Eden's face turned red. She had never expected Ye Chang'an to move at such a fast pace, so she directly threw him out and told him to come back tomorrow for school.
Then she returned to her own room, flopped onto her bed, and rolled around.
"Ahhhh! How is this guy this kind of person? How did I never notice before?"
"His nerve is way too big. He's already talking about protective measures."
"A closet pervert. He's definitely a closet pervert."
"Mm... protective measures..."
After rolling around, screaming, complaining, and muttering to herself, Eden eventually went out and drove off to buy something.
They were still young. They could not make a life.
"Is one box enough? Wait, how many are even in one box?"
Eden stared at the product, turning it over and over for a long time without making up her mind. In the end, she bought ten boxes.
The clerk in the store was already dumbfounded.
Eden remained completely unaware. After buying everything, she returned home at ease and stuffed the nightstand drawer full before going to sleep.
The next day was the start of school. She and Ye Chang'an were assigned to the same class again, and they were even desk mates.
Back in elementary school, the two of them had always been in the same class. There had been no behind-the-scenes manipulation.
But after they entered middle school, Eden had needed to pull some strings to stay in the same class as him.
It could not be helped. Ye Chang'an had won too many music awards in elementary school, and on his first day of middle school, he had performed in front of the entire school.
From then on, every female student became a fangirl. Each used her family background to pull little tricks in hopes of ending up in the same class as him.
Fortunately, Eden's family had the most influence. Getting into the same class, even becoming desk mates, was no problem.
Their homeroom teacher had made a fortune, all right.
"By the way, that's all you brought? Nothing else?"
Watching Ye Chang'an enter the house carrying just one bag, Eden asked in astonishment.
"No. This is enough. What else would I need?"
Ye Chang'an responded in confusion, then took out the things in his bag and showed them to her.
A real sword, forged at great expense, for practicing swordsmanship.
One uniform, issued by the school. The one he was wearing was also a uniform.
Two pairs of boxer briefs. Including the pair he was wearing, that made three—enough to rotate through.
The rest were toiletries: simple toothpaste, a toothbrush, and a towel. There was not a single skincare product in sight.
That was everything.
"You really are carefree." Eden complained weakly, but when she saw Ye Chang'an's delicate skin, she found the strength to complain again.
"You don't even use skincare products, yet you've dominated the school heartthrob title for three years. I really wonder whether you'd be handsome enough to kill people if you actually took care of yourself."
There was something Eden had always kept to herself—Ye Chang'an was handsome. Extremely handsome.
His handsomeness did not lie solely in his face. Men's appearances came in different types of attractiveness depending on personal taste, and Ye Chang'an was merely the sunny type among them.
Yet even those who did not like the sunny type still found him handsome, because the aura around him was too unique.
Even standing in a crowd could not conceal his presence. Anyone could always spot him at a glance.
He naturally drew attention, and he was sunny, cheerful, and completely free of scandal. It was only natural that he dominated the school heartthrob rankings.
He had even forcefully claimed the top spot on the school heartthrob list on his very first day here.
And this ridiculously handsome guy... had never deliberately taken care of himself.
He was just naturally handsome.
"Being handsome doesn't put food on the table. What's the use?" Ye Chang'an replied casually, carrying his bag into the room to make his bed.
Eden followed him over, leaned against the doorway, and reminded him, "Being handsome can put food on the table. There are loads of people who want to keep handsome guys."
A handsome man being kept could not just have a good face. His body had to look good too.
Did Ye Chang'an have a good body?
Don't ask. He had practiced swordsmanship for twelve years.
"Then I guess it is somewhat useful. If I can't afford food someday, I'll find someone to keep me."
Eden's heart trembled. Her eyes filled with anticipation as she was about to say, "Come to me. I'll keep you."
Unfortunately, before she could speak, Ye Chang'an had finished making his bed and turned to look at her.
"Eden, let's play together. Let me see how good the instruments here are."
Well, he had started talking about music again. If she refused, he would keep pestering her.
Eden wisely shut her mouth, turned around, and left.
"Come with me. I'll show you the practice room I specially prepared for performing."
In the basement, there was every kind of sound equipment, and the soundproofing was perfect.
Forget performing—even if they threw a party and danced all night, not a single sound would get out.
As the little love nest where Eden and Ye Chang'an lived together, Eden had put considerable thought into designing this place.
And of course, she had spent considerable money too.
"Wow, this is amazing."
Ye Chang'an exclaimed in amazement. He casually picked up an instrument, and a string of notes immediately rang out.
It was obvious that he was happy—happy enough to make his sword heart unstable.
Chapter of Creation: Journey to a New World: 6. After Listening to Me Spout Nonsense, Let Me Confess to You
Time flew by, and Ye Chang'an and Eden turned seventeen.
They entered their second year of high school and had already lived together for a year.
Eden opened the nightstand drawer and looked at the protective measures inside, still completely full and untouched. She took one out and checked the date.
"Mm, it's expired."
"Slap~ Ahhhh..."
She tossed it back into the drawer and flopped onto the bed, screaming in frustration.
It had been a year. She and Ye Chang'an had lived together for an entire year.
Yet the nighttime ambush risk he had mentioned on the night before moving in had never happened even once.
Forget nighttime ambushes. Not even anything ambiguous had happened.
Things had been the same after they moved in as they had been before, except now they could see each other every evening.
Before you continue