Resuming Interaction
Although she had indulged herself for a day, Yakushi Kiriko was still a doctor with professional ethics. After that, she returned to her normal routine.
Naturally, White Night and Bronya continued assisting Kiko as her aides, helping her share the workload.
Another two days passed in a flash.
"Kiko, you need to rest properly too. Don't exhaust yourself."
"Mm-hmm, I know."
Kiko stepped forward and hugged Bronya, gently rubbing against her delicate cheek. "You too, Bronya. You've been staying up all night for several days now, haven't you?"
"I know you're impressive, but you can't squander your health like that. You need to correct that from now on, understand?"
"Mm..."
Bronya's pretty face flushed slightly.
What else could it be? Although Yakushi Kiriko had restrained herself somewhat over the past two days, the sensations had not diminished in the slightest. "Bronya will remember that."
Then Bronya hurriedly ran off. How could she possibly bring herself to say something like that aloud?
"And Xiao Bai, did you make Bronya angry these past few days?" Kiko straightened White Night's collar for him.
"Well..."
White Night scratched his head and gave an awkward laugh.
Kiko knew about the secret of their two bodies. However... they were usually only half-connected, and their behavior differed somewhat. It would not be wrong to see them as two separate people.
So even Kiko did not know that, to a certain extent, the sensations felt by their two bodies could be transmitted.
"Forget it."
Seeing that White Night remained silent, Kiko stopped pressing him.
She patted White Night's shoulder and inspected his outfit, nodding in satisfaction. "Not bad. Big Sis knows—you're going to see Xiao Ai, right?"
"Do your best. Big Sis supports you. Don't be timid. Didn't Big Sis tell you before? You're worthy of anyone."
Then Kiko looked around before suddenly leaning in and giving him a fleeting kiss. Touching her lips with her index finger, she said, "This is Big Sis's blessing for you, Xiao Bai~"
"...Then I'll be going, Kiko." White Night brushed the damp mark on his cheek and bade Kiko farewell.
"Yo, Bronya, it's time to—"
An engine roared. Bronya ignored him and simply started her motorcycle.
Um...
"Looks like she really is angry."
With a sigh, Thunderlight flickered beneath White Night's feet as he quickly chased after her.
Bronya ignored White Night the entire way, until they reached the destination of this trip—Sword Peak Edelberg!
Estonia had abandoned this place, so this territory belonged solely to Edelweiss.
Of course, Edelweiss herself did not manage it, while neither The Alliance nor the Alliance could extend their reach this far. As a result... this place had instead become a lawless zone.
At the foot of Sword Peak Edelberg, a small village had gathered a great number of Blade Dancers, their Spirit Armor fully manifested.
—Although the wanted order had been abandoned, that was merely tacit acceptance. No official notice had been issued. After all, would that not amount to admitting they had backed down?
Since the wanted order still existed, in a world this large, there would always be some greedy and ignorant people who emerged.
Of course, there were even more swordsmen.
"World's Strongest Swordsman"—what sword user would not want that title? Even if the hope was faint, they would still come and try.
Besides challengers, some swordsmen had come to seek instruction. Unfortunately... if their strength was insufficient, they could not even reach the mountainside, much less face Edelweiss directly.
"There sure are a lot of people."
White Night paid them no mind. He walked through the crowd and calmly made his way onto the mountain path.
Bronya followed close behind, though... her beauty drew countless gazes.
Her steps paused slightly. A sharp streak of sword light flashed, instantly carving a sword mark into the ground. "Mind yourselves. Sometimes, you need to understand what 'manners' are."
Her silver hair flew freely behind her as Bronya strode after White Night with brisk, dashing steps.
As their altitude increased, the temperature steadily dropped, and the air grew a little thinner... stopping far too many people.
Yet this time, White Night and Bronya walked as though on level ground. None of the so-called hardships or dangers could hinder them in the slightest.
Not even the power of fate could. So-called fate could not reach them.
Even so, their climbing speed remained slow.
"White Night, are you feeling guilty?"
Walking ahead, Bronya turned back and looked down at White Night below. She had already slowed down, yet White Night still had not caught up. "Is it because of Kiko?"
"...I don't know."
White Night scratched his head and took several steps to catch up with Bronya. "Bronya, those playboys... when they keep whole harems, don't they feel any psychological burden?"
Um...
"Huh???"
Hearing that, Bronya tilted her head and practically sent several question marks flying. "Why would White Night think that? Since ancient times, hasn't having a harem been every man's dream?"
"Why is it... a matter of moral standards when it comes to White Night? White Night's moral standards are still too high."
—In the original world, life had been ordinary before the global awakening of psychic powers, so compulsory education had been unavoidable. Then there had been Hitori no Shita, where the Old Heavenly Master's education had definitely been thorough.
Even in the Qin world, he had never visited a brothel! And afterward, the Chivalry of a Failed Knight world had brought another wave of education.
Um... good lord, he had gone through three consecutive rounds of education! No one else had that happen to them.
"You absolutely can't go to school anymore. And moral boundaries—things like that should be more flexible."
"But isn't Bronya perfectly normal?" White Night did not think there was anything wrong with himself, so he asked in return.
"..."
After a moment of silence, White Night and Bronya each manifested their Spirit Armor, canceling their disguises.
"The division of Yin and Yang?"
The Yang Fish transformed into Myriad Phenomena. White Night performed his blade forms with precision, and his state of mind gradually settled into tranquility.
Let's reestablish the interaction.
A thought surfaced within White Night's heart, yet it had not been his own.
Um... (White)
Still hesitating? White Night has already felt it too. A half-disconnected link is not viable; it carries hidden risks. (Bronya)
...Let's only take the thoughts. (White)
Not reconnecting the physical sensations? (Bronya)
Not for now.
White Night rejected Bronya's suggestion.
Yin-Yang began to exert its power. It was a marvelous feeling, as though his entire being had become whole again. "It still seems to be lacking something. In the end, do we really need the physical sensations?"
"Also, we should still communicate with words most of the time, unless it's necessary."
Bronya added that point. Then her silver-pink eyes looked toward White Night. "So, White Night, do you still feel burdened now?"
"Isn't it normal for people to have desires? People should control their desires, not let their desires control them."
White Night shrugged. He could now face the thoughts in his heart directly. "In any case, I'll take responsibility. At worst, I'll just die a few more times."
"Let's go, Bronya."
With that, White Night walked past Bronya. Seeing that she was still standing where she was, he turned back. "Keep up. Xiao Ai is still waiting for us."
That Person Should Be You
In a silver-white world, a small house stood atop the mountain peak, facing the wind and snow.
In the courtyard before the house, Edelweiss stood with her hands behind her back, quietly leaning against the doorway in casual clothes. It seemed she had been waiting for quite some time.
When White Night and Bronya arrived, Edelweiss straightened up. Her snow-white hair drifted slightly with the movement, and the breathtaking scene was deeply imprinted in their hearts.
"You arrived later than I expected."
A tranquil smile hung on Edelweiss's face, and her entire being radiated a gentle, graceful air.
"We were delayed a little."
Bronya nodded slightly, yet did not mention what exactly had happened.
White Night immediately stepped forward, wrapping an arm around Bronya's shoulders as he greeted Xiao Ai. "You look beautiful, Xiao Ai. Did you dress up specially for us?"
Though it was subtle, White Night could tell... Edelweiss had put on light makeup. After all, he had Bronya as his other half, so he knew something about such matters.
"N-No..."
Edelweiss looked away, her slender fingers unconsciously winding around the ends of her hair. Her tone carried a faint trace of panic. "It's just... it's my first time receiving guests, so I wanted to be a little more formal..."
Perhaps knowing that her excuse was poor and that no one would believe it, Edelweiss's voice gradually softened.
Mm... wasn't that incredibly cute?
But now that they had established interaction and could consider things from two perspectives, was it inappropriate to say that?
"Xiao Ai, aren't you going to invite Bronya..."
After glancing at White Night, Bronya changed her words midway. "Aren't you going to invite us inside to sit?"
"Mm, s-sorry..."
Given the opening Bronya offered her, the shyness in Edelweiss's heart finally faded a little as she welcomed the two of them into the house.
Though she did not live there often, the cottage was exceptionally tidy, and its furnishings were very cozy.
"Sit here."
Once Edelweiss entered the house, her state of mind seemed to relax considerably. Her movements became more composed as she led White Night and Bronya to the small square table.
Then Edelweiss went to the side, took out the tea leaves she had specially prepared, and brewed tea for them. "Have some tea first. I still need to prepare a little more."
"It's fine. I'm not in a hurry." (White)
"Xiao Ai should go take care of things first." (Bronya)
Um...
White Night and Bronya both noticed... it was tea from China. His roots lay in that eastern land, so he naturally preferred Chinese tea.
Had she noticed even such small details of daily life? White Night could roughly grasp Xiao Ai's feelings now.
Or rather, from the moment Edelweiss had not refused, the ending had already been decided.
A sweet fruity fragrance wafted over, one that was very familiar. White Night looked toward the kitchen, smiling. "Apple Pie? As expected, Xiao Ai really likes sweets..."
"Bronya will go take a look."
In the kitchen, Edelweiss wore an apron and thick heat-resistant gloves as she opened the oven and pulled out a tray. "Mm, it baked perfectly."
"Click~"
A camera flashed.
Bronya leaned against the doorway, holding a dark-blue camera as she captured the beautiful moment:
—Edelweiss wore a faint smile, and paired with the somewhat girlish apron, she gave off a gentle, homemaking impression.
"I got something good." As she spoke, the camera in Bronya's hand dissolved into Magic Power and disappeared.
"...Mm..."
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