A Kiss, and I'll Let You Go

"Can you... kiss me!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Kachi's impossibly exquisite little face instantly flushed like a ripe apple.

She grabbed a cloud-shaped cushion beside her and buried her entire face in it, leaving only the tips of her reddened ears exposed to the air. Even her short silver hair seemed to be steaming.

Chu He found her ostrich-like shyness rather amusing.

Who would have thought that an incredibly powerful SSS-Class Anomaly would be like this in private?

The contrast was just too great.

To be honest, looking at the petite, delicately featured silver-haired loli before him, whose eyes seemed to hold the entire galaxy, acting so shy yet expectant, Chu He's heart skipped a beat.

Who could resist this!

But immediately, Xia Yao's domineering yet pure face surfaced in his mind.

The girl who would squint happily over a plate of shredded pork floss. The girl who would unreasonably cling to him to assert ownership. The girl who saw him as her entire world.

Here, Xia Yao had given him her unreserved trust and protection.

Chu He took a deep breath, suppressing the ripples in his heart.

He looked at Kachi, who was still pretending to be dead in the cushion, and said in a gentle but firm voice, "You're very cute, and honestly, I like you a lot."

Kachi, still buried in the cushion, stiffened almost imperceptibly, her ear tips turning even redder.

Chu He continued, "But, I'm a very devoted man."

"Xia Yao is very good to me, and I can't do anything to betray her."

As his words fell, Kachi tightened her grip on the pillow. The entire room fell silent, save for the slow, flowing starlight.

After a long moment, she finally lifted her head from the cushion. Her galaxy-like eyes held an obvious sense of loss and grievance, even a hint of moisture.

Chu He's heart tightened, thinking, This is bad.

The next second, Kachi got up from the large bed and crawled over to his side.

She tilted her adorable face, capable of evoking pity in anyone, up to Chu He. Tentatively, she reached out a small hand to touch his broad chest and whispered in an almost pleading tone, "Just one kiss, really just one, and I won't do anything else, okay?"

"Thump, thump, thump!"

Chu He felt his heart being squeezed by a small hand, tightening fiercely, then pounding wildly.

That incredibly cute expression was like a nuclear bomb to him!

Damn it!

Chu He almost impulsively leaned down and kissed her!

He silently congratulated himself for meeting the top-tier beauty Xia Yao first, developing a certain immunity to beautiful women.

If he had encountered Kachi first upon entering the dungeon, and she had looked at him with those eyes, touched him with those hands...

His mind would probably have gone blank, and all his principles and bottom lines would have been thrown to the wind!

Chu He bit the tip of his tongue sharply, forcing himself to calm down with the pain.

He reached out and gently took Kachi's small hand away. Then, he quickly stood up, took two steps back, and created a safe distance.

"Ahem."

He cleared his throat, feeling his pants becoming uncomfortably tight due to certain honest reactions from his body.

Such a disloyal body!

Chu He cursed himself inwardly, then forced a calm expression and said, "It's getting late, I need to go back. Xia Yao is probably waiting anxiously. If she gets worried and finds her way here, things could get messy."

This was no exaggeration.

Given Xia Yao's straightforward nature and possessive streak, if she saw him alone in a room with her best friend, and that best friend was being physically affectionate with him...

Chu He had no doubt that Xia Yao might very well tear down the entire library on the spot.

He definitely didn't want that to happen!

"Please let me go," he said finally.

However, Kachi seemed not to hear him and stubbornly shook her head.

"No."

She took a step forward, closing the distance again, her eyes filled with undeniable determination.

"Just one kiss, and after that, I'll let you go immediately!"

Chu He frowned, looking at her unyielding demeanor. His tone also grew serious.

"Woman, you're playing with fire!"

He stared into Kachi's eyes and said, word by word, "What I said earlier was not an exaggeration at all. My kiss is 'poisonous.' If you taste it, you'll be unable to stop yourself from...

"Falling in love with me!"

With that, he ignored Kachi and turned towards the small door he had come through.

All he wanted now was to leave this dangerous place, take a cold shower, and then find Xia Yao to "cool off."

However, when his hand grasped the doorknob and pushed the door open, he froze completely.

Outside the door was not the reception desk he had entered through before.

Instead, it was an identical, brilliant, and boundless starry sky!

He refused to believe it, so he stepped back, closed the door, and opened it again.

The scene before him was still that deep river of stars.

Chu He's heart sank, and he immediately activated the [Eye of Nirvana]!

However, those eyes, capable of seeing through illusion, were now as if covered by a layer of mist. Although the river of stars before him showed subtle distortions in his vision, he couldn't find any flaws or exits!

From behind him came Kachi's voice, tinged with a bit of smugness.

"Save it."

She had somehow sat up, her small legs dangling and swinging as she watched him with amusement.

"This is my bedroom, of course I used the highest-grade Spatial Secret Technique. It's not comparable to the low-level dreamscapes you humans use. Forget you, even if Xia Yao came, she wouldn't be able to get out easily without expending some effort."

She tilted her head, a hint of cunning flashing in her star-like pupils.

"With your current eyesight, you won't be able to see through it."

Chu He slowly turned around, his expression completely darkening.

He finally understood that he had been placed under house arrest.

"Today, it has to be a kiss?" he asked.

Kachi nodded heavily, her face filled with seriousness.

"That's right, it has to be a kiss!"

Chu He stared at her for a full three seconds before suddenly smiling.

It was a smile tinged with helplessness, amusement, and a hint of recklessness.

"Fine."

He uttered the word and then took a step, walking back towards the large bed, towards Kachi.

"I hope you don't regret this."

With that, he actually leaned down slightly in front of Kachi, towards her exquisite, delicate face that was just inches away, and slowly puckered his lips!