Arrogance in Itself

Sometimes, even when you know what's going to happen, you can't help but do it anyway.

If Yuuka and Zhao Yu were to say they didn't know their interactions had already crossed the line from friends, that would be a complete lie.

They both knew, and in reality, their interactions were already far too intimate, yet they couldn't help but continue.

Yuuka loved sweets. As the only daughter of the Ueno family, she had been instilled with the rule of not being greedy from a young age.

Even so, whenever she left home, Yuuka would tell herself that eating something just once or twice wouldn't matter.

Every time she ate her favorite sweets, the feeling of breaking the rules, coupled with the satisfaction, made Yuuka unable to stop.

Now, she felt the same way. She knew this was a bit too unreserved and went against her ladylike image, but she still said those words.

She didn't know what was happening to her, only that she felt like a cat that couldn't control its instincts when seeing a laser pointer.

After hearing Zhao Yu's confession of liking her, her heart felt as if she had eaten her favorite dessert, a blissful feeling as if she were floating on clouds.

Meanwhile, Zhao Yu's heart was pounding. He felt like he had fallen into a trap.

Just hearing Yuuka say she wanted to give it a try, and then immediately charging forward without hesitation – what was the difference between that and blowing the victory horn before the battle even began?

Yuuka had gone silent. Was she feeling a bit too frivolous? Or was it for some other reason?

Come to think of it, Yuuka attended an all-girls school. Boys probably didn't have many opportunities to say something like that to her, did they? He was probably the first?

Zhao Yu, struggling to breathe from nervousness, began to overthink uncontrollably.

Forget it! Since I've already said it, I have to see it through, right? Yuuka just said she wanted to give it a try, so she probably won't hate me. Even if she's not used to it, she'll probably say something.

Being indecisive wasn't Zhao Yu's style. He decided to take the initiative again.

"Yuuka? It should be your turn, right?" Zhao Yu forced down his nervousness and spoke.

"Oh, oh! Okay, okay..." Reminded by Zhao Yu, Yuuka finally snapped back to reality.

Hmm... It seems Lord Yu doesn't have any special reaction? Yuuka felt a slight disappointment.

Does he not have any special feelings for me? But then again, we've only known each other for a few days.

"Then, I, I, I li... like... Ugh! I really can't do it!"

Yuuka let out a cry of despair, as if she had bitten her tongue.

When she had only seen the suggestions in the bullet comments, Yuuka had thought this would be easy, but actually doing it was completely different.

The moment she opened her mouth, memories of their recent subtle interactions and that inexplicable handwritten note would flood her mind. How could she possibly say the words calmly!

[Not pure enough. Can't even speak.]

[Shy Yuuka is so cute.]

[Damn! Why isn't the person opposite me me!]

[I just want to see Yuuka looking shy like this, heh heh heh.]

[Where did the Soul Hall Elder come from?]

Not only the bullet comments, but even A Shui, who was secretly listening nearby, had a look of satisfaction on his face.

In the end, everyone actually had only one goal: to make the young girl in the livestream blush.

Although there was no camera, the audience could imagine Yuuka's appearance just by listening to her voice.

Of course, Yuuka's current appearance was indeed incredibly cute. Her cheeks were tinged with a faint blush, like the morning glow reflecting on pure jade.

The light in her eyes sparkled like a flower bud in the morning dew, her fingers unconsciously twisting together.

Her long eyelashes veiled her bright eyes, her lips parted and then closed again. The simple phrase "I like you" felt as heavy as a thousand pounds.

[IG Awesome: This won't do, Yuuka. If you're shy now, how will you respond when that girl asks about your boyfriend later?]

Li Qingwan continued to tempt Yuuka, wanting her to go on.

"Alright, I think maybe we should just drop it," Zhao Yu said, stopping Yuuka.

"Huh?" Yuuka was surprised.

"The word 'like' itself carries a meaning that makes it difficult to say. In reality, many people are too shy to express their feelings to someone they like, let alone pretend to be a couple," Zhao Yu said.

"Although this word has become somewhat overused nowadays, I think it's good to still hold some importance for it. So, Yuuka, you don't have to force yourself to practice this."

This was no longer the reserved era of the past, but if someone could still treat this word with such respect, Zhao Yu thought they were remarkable.

To force her any further would be his own fault. Zhao Yu didn't want to take advantage of Yuuka in this regard.

"Lord Yu, is that what you think?" Yuuka murmured, a warm current surging through her heart.

She saw something in Zhao Yu that she hadn't seen in a long time: respect.

This wasn't a filter caused by Yuuka's affection for Zhao Yu, but something she had genuinely felt from the very beginning.

Judging by the reactions of the livestream audience, their recent interaction was definitely full of entertainment value.

If it were anyone else, they might not have thought so deeply about it. After all, it was just saying "I like you," and there was no loss involved.

But Zhao Yu was different. He had perceived Yuuka's true feelings and respected her greatly.

He didn't let Yuuka continue speaking, instead stopping the practice.

[Why did you stop?]

[Yuuka's just shy and not used to it, right? Just keep practicing!]

Some people in the comments expressed confusion.

"Of course, we can continue practicing, but will this really help Yuuka get used to it? If possible, I'd rather Yuuka choose to continue herself, rather than us making the decision for her," Zhao Yu said seriously, looking at the comments.

"When you were all in school, didn't teachers also ask you to overcome shyness and perform on stage? Back then, did you really think you'd be happy just because you overcame your shyness?"

The comments paused for a moment.

It was clear that just going on stage made some people feel a little uneasy. Even if they managed to overcome their shyness, it wasn't due to the teacher's persuasion, but their own courage.

But was such courage always necessary? If it wasn't something you genuinely wanted to do, you wouldn't be happy even if you mustered the courage to overcome it.

This was precisely what Zhao Yu wanted to convey. Forcing someone to overcome a difficulty they didn't want to overcome was, in itself, a form of arrogance.

[IG Awesome sent Rocket x20]

[IG Awesome: Sorry Yuuka, I really didn't think of it that way]

Hearing Zhao Yu's words, Li Qingwan's face showed a hint of shame. She had indeed been too hasty.

Yuuka and Zhao Yu were living, breathing people, not her toys. Such pressure was inherently disrespectful to Yuuka.

"It's okay, I'm actually just a little shy. If we need to continue, I don't have any objections," Yuuka said.

If her previous hesitation was due to girlish reserve and shyness, Yuuka's willingness to continue now was solely because... Zhao Yu was worth it.

"I think it's fine as it is now. We've already gotten to know each other, right? It should be enough just to deal with classmates," Zhao Yu said.

"Is... is that so?" Yuuka's mood was complicated.

On one hand, she was happy that Zhao Yu could always respect her like this. On the other hand, she actually still wanted to see Zhao Yu's reaction after she said that one thing.

She wasn't sure if she could say it as naturally as Zhao Yu.

Thinking of this, Yuuka hesitated.

"Lord Yu..."

"Hmm? What is it?" Zhao Yu asked.

"No, it's nothing..."

The question, 'Then why can you say you like me so naturally?', was something Yuuka still couldn't bring herself to ask.