To a swordswoman like her, those words were already the most romantic confession in the world. And the person confessing was someone she had long grown accustomed to, someone as indispensable as eating, breathing, and practicing swordsmanship. How could she refuse? How could she possibly refuse?
A Person in the Bedroom, Unable to Get Out of Bed
Souji knew herself well. In swordsmanship, she was a genius swordswoman, the heavenly sword of the Bakumatsu who wielded the Sure-Hit Demonic Sword. But when it came to love, she had no experience at all.
She did not understand what love truly was, but she felt that if she had to choose someone to spend the rest of her life with, she would choose that man without hesitation.
So she had taken the initiative and held that man's hand.
Of course, she would never tell Yae Sakura—a pretty girl she had only known for a day and who might even be a romantic rival—about such things.
Thus, Souji's answer was simple and straightforward.
"Later, I held his hand, he caught Tuberculosis from me, and after that I fell seriously ill and died. I don't know what happened after that."
Souji was telling the truth, but she had not revealed everything about herself.
She had not mentioned that after her death, she had seen Ye Ming again in Chaldea. Though it felt as if countless dimensions separated them and her perception of Ye Ming was unclear, Souji was certain that the person on the other end was Ye Ming.
Souji still remembered how happy she had been when she first saw Ye Ming again. But that happiness did not last long. Not long after arriving in Chaldea, she was shocked to discover that she was not the only Heroic Spirit there who liked Ye Ming.
However, Souji was certain that she was the first Heroic Spirit to leave Chaldea and come to this world—though she had no idea how she had gotten here herself.
"Then why don't you go see him directly and tell him everything?"
Yae Sakura did not know what Souji was thinking and could not help asking.
Souji shook her head. She had been in this world for a long time, long enough to even obtain legal identification. Naturally, she had long since considered Yae Sakura's question.
"Back in the Bakumatsu, we were the Shinsengumi's most renowned swordsmen, executioners with blood-stained hands. That past is too heavy. I don't want him to bear that burden again."
"I want to silently remain by his side first, protect him, find the right chance to approach him, get to know him again, and start over. I want us to try creating a new future together—a warm daily life with no killing or responsibilities, only hope and happiness."
Souji's tone was calm.
For a swordswoman, patience was an indispensable virtue. Recklessness often meant losing the initiative and placing oneself in danger.
As an outstanding swordswoman, Souji had enough patience to wait silently for the best opportunity, then strike decisively and take down her target in one blow!
Everything could become a sword. Applying that experience in the way of the sword to romance would surely result in an unfailing finishing move!
This was the most basic trust a swordswoman had in the sword in her hand.
And Okita Souji was undoubtedly the finest swordswoman.
Yae Sakura rather envied that swordswoman's resolve and composure.
"If only I could be like you."
Yae Sakura sincerely admired Okita Souji's calm planning.
Souji glanced at Yae Sakura and asked in return, "What about you? You've been in this world for a long time too, haven't you? Why haven't you acknowledged each other?"
At those words, Yae Sakura's rabbit ears instantly drooped. "When I first arrived in this world, I really did plan to find him right away. But later, I..."
Yae Sakura said with a defeated expression, "I got scared. I was afraid he would despise me and drive me away."
"Why? From what you said, don't you like him? And he took good care of you too. Why are you afraid?" Souji asked curiously.
"Because..."
"Because later, I came across a game called Honkai Impact 3rd, and the relationship between the Commander and the Valkyrkies in it..."
Halfway through, Yae Sakura found herself unsure how to explain. After thinking for a moment, she simply took out her phone and opened an app called Bilibili. Then, after a brief pause, she opened another app called Tieba. "There has been a lot of controversy lately. You'll understand once you look at it."
"Honkai Impact 3rd? Is it a game like FGO?"
Souji became interested as soon as she heard that.
She took Yae Sakura's phone and had only glanced at it when her expression suddenly sharpened. She put the phone down and picked up her sword.
"Careful. Someone just opened the door upstairs at Ye Ming's place. They're an expert!"
An extremely, extremely formidable expert—so formidable that even a swordswoman like Souji could not help feeling grave.
"Let's go take a look together." Souji looked at Yae Sakura. "Whoever it is, they're strong. I need your help."
Yae Sakura, who had also noticed the disturbance, wore a solemn expression. Without speaking, she gave a slight nod, opened the living room window, and leaped straight up to the ninth floor, clinging to the outside of Ye Ming's bedroom window.
Souji followed closely behind with her sword in hand.
When the two girls outside the window saw the large and small figures hugging each other on the bed, their eyes widened in disbelief.
At the same time, Fu Hua in the living room recovered from her shock, pushed open the bedroom door, and strode inside.
"Ye Zi, get up!"
Fu Hua entered with a cold face and, without any hesitation, raised her hand and gave him a sharp knock on the head.
Ye Ming cried out in pain, opened his eyes, and looked at Fu Hua in surprise. "Eh? Fu Hua, you really dyed your hair? It looks pretty good."
As he spoke, he tried to sit up.
Laffey, the sleepy bug wrapped around him, unhappily wriggled on top of Ye Ming. The Ship-Girl's terrifying strength instantly pinned him down so thoroughly that he could not move.
"Commander's technique~ sucks~ hehehe!"
Still asleep, Laffey seemed to be dreaming about washing her hair last night. She mumbled hazily and smiled very happily.
Cold sweat instantly poured down Ye Ming's back.
A Proposal
This was bad!
What should he do after getting caught sleeping while hugging a little girl by his childhood friend?
Waiting online. Urgent.
If Ye Ming had only been a little anxious when he first woke up and saw Fu Hua, while still managing to remain calm on the surface, then Laffey's drowsy line—"Commander's technique sucks~"—made him panic completely.
What Fu Hua thought of him was secondary. Although they had been childhood friends, they had not stayed particularly close after growing up, and Ye Ming had no improper thoughts toward her. What he feared was Fu Hua telling his family about this.
His mother was quite open-minded and could say things like, "Mom fully supports you getting Fu Hua into bed as soon as possible," but if the target changed, no matter how open-minded a mother was, she could not possibly say, "Mom fully supports you getting a little girl into bed as soon as possible," right?
If this got out, his social life would be utterly over.
"Laffey, wake up! Wake up!"
Ye Ming reached out, trying to push Laffey off him. But the delicate, soft little girl was in truth a steel warship that sailed the oceans. How could Ye Ming, whose strength was only slightly greater than that of an ordinary person, possibly push away a destroyer weighing thousands of tons?
Thus, after struggling several times, Ye Ming not only failed to push Laffey away, but also messed up her hair and clothes. Laffey already tended to wear her clothes loosely, and now the right side of her pajamas had even slipped off her shoulder, exposing her fair, tender skin and making the scene even more suggestive.
Fu Hua, standing beside the bed, felt her brows twitch as her blood pressure soared.
She really wanted to grab Laffey, haul her aside, then give Ye Ming a fierce barrage of inch-force strikes before interrogating him.
But Fu Hua was not some simple-minded, self-centered little woman. She had once been an immortal who protected Shenzhou for a thousand years. Though detached from the mundane world, she had long witnessed every facet of human life and possessed a mature mind. She understood Ye Ming's personality well, and she knew that if she truly did that, she would only lose points in Ye Ming's eyes.
Besides, she did not believe Ye Ming was the kind of pervert who would lay hands on a little girl.
Of course, that was what reason told her. Emotionally, Fu Hua was still furious.
But she still had to keep smiling.
Fu Hua quietly clenched her fist, yet her face wore a peaceful expression, even carrying the faintest hint of a smile.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
Fu Hua looked at Ye Ming's panicked gaze and spoke with a faint smile. "Are you afraid I'll think you're the kind of pervert who would lay hands on a little girl? Afraid I'll tell your mother about this?"
"Come on, we grew up together. Don't I know what kind of person you are? Do you really think I'd be like some outsider, suspecting you of doing something awful and questioning your character just because I saw this scene, then making a huge fuss?"
With just a few words, Fu Hua subtly placed herself in the category of someone who was not an outsider. Looking at Ye Ming, her eyes held a little sadness and disappointment. "It seems that after not seeing each other for several years, we've really grown distant. We don't even have the tacit understanding and trust we used to."
Fu Hua's attitude made the somewhat flustered Ye Ming breathe a sigh of relief. Then, her words made him feel a little embarrassed.
"No, no. It's just that we haven't seen each other for years, and you've changed a lot. You're even prettier than before. You don't quite match the class monitor in my memories."
As Ye Ming spoke, he gave Laffey another push.
Perhaps Ye Ming's repeated shoving finally worked, or perhaps his conversation with Fu Hua had disturbed Laffey. In any case, the sleeping little girl gave a few dissatisfied hums, rolled off Ye Ming, grabbed a pillow and pulled it over her head, hiding herself beneath its softness to block out the noisy sounds.
Ye Ming breathed a sigh of relief, quickly tucked Laffey in, and got out of bed.
"I thought you wouldn't get here until this afternoon at the earliest. I didn't expect you to show up at my place at nine in the morning. I was planning to pick you up this afternoon."
Ye Ming spoke as he got dressed.
"My mom already told me about your situation. You don't need to rush too much over the apartment. I'm pretty close to the subway here, and the transportation is convenient. You can stay here for now and slowly look for a suitable place."
To be honest, because Laffey's situation was so unusual, Ye Ming had even considered finding Fu Hua an apartment as soon as possible last night so that she could move out quickly. But now, he felt too embarrassed to think that way.
"Have you eaten breakfast?"
By the time he said that, Ye Ming had already gotten dressed.
"No." Fu Hua shook her head.
"Then, shall we go downstairs and get something to eat?" Ye Ming suggested.
Before you continue