A Hypothesis

Chu He looked at Xia Yao, who was worried sick about him, and felt warmth spread through his heart.

He clasped her cold little hand and smiled. "Yeah, I'll do my best. And you should know, I'm not an ordinary human."

He said it with complete confidence.

At his words, the worry in Xia Yao's cool eyes slowly faded.

She gently patted Chu He's shoulder. Her fingertips brushed his firm arm, and as she felt his steady presence, a little more reassurance entered her gaze.

"I know you're not ordinary." She drew her hand back, her tone certain. "That bizarre lion head from noon—the energy in its flesh was too violent for ordinary people to absorb. And that bizarre five-headed lion was SS-Class, yet you absorbed every last bit of it, just like my kind. Your body has changed from the inside out."

Xia Yao's gaze settled on his face as she continued, "Your ability... is domineering. You can forcibly take—no, I should say copy—other people's abilities and make them your own."

Chu He's heart stirred. He hadn't expected her to be so observant.

Still, he hadn't planned to keep it secret from the start. Or rather, he wasn't capable of hiding it from these powerful people from another world!

He puffed out his chest, making the lines of his muscles stand out even more, and asked with a teasing smile, "So, do you like me all buff like this?"

"I do! I like it even more!"

Xia Yao blurted it out, wrapped both arms around Chu He's neck, and rubbed her little face against his chest like an adorable kitten.

Thinking of how fierce Chu He had been during their lunch break, she naturally tilted up her face and said, unable to hide her delight,

"With a brother as amazing as you, of course I like you even more!"

She tilted up her face, unable to hide her delight.

"Hahaha!"

Chu He burst out laughing.

This girl's frankness was exactly to his taste!

He cradled the back of Xia Yao's head and looked at her stunning face, flushed just inches from his own. In a low voice, he said, "With a mouth that sweet, I ought to give you a reward."

Then he lowered his head and kissed her hard.

Smooch!

Their lips met, and the familiar, sweet taste of strawberries enveloped him at once, more intense than ever before, as if it could melt his soul along with it.

After a long while, they finally parted.

Xia Yao's eyes were hazy, and rosy color spread across her fair cheeks. She gazed at him with a hint of shyness.

"Brother's reward..."

She looked at Chu He, her eyes carrying a trace of longing.

"Not enough."

Those two words were like a spark lighting a fuse. The air in the hall turned scorching in an instant.

A few hours later, the two of them nestled together in the lounge. Xia Yao dozed against Chu He's shoulder, while the air brimmed with quiet warmth.

Chu He lay on his side, watching Xia Yao sleep beside him.

Her beautiful face bore the signs of exhaustion and contentment. Her long lashes cast tiny shadows beneath her eyes, and her breathing was steady and deep.

Chu He could feel that something wondrous was happening to his body as he shared such intimate contact with Xia Yao.

His [Eye of Nirvana] seemed to have improved a little more. A cool, soothing sensation filled his eye sockets, as if he could perceive the flow of energy through the world more clearly.

He gently drew Xia Yao closer, letting her rest her head in the crook of his arm.

The movement roused the lightly sleeping girl.

"Hmm?" Xia Yao blinked groggily.

"It's nothing. Go back to sleep," Chu He said softly.

Watching Xia Yao snuggle against him, trusting and content, Chu He's heart stirred. He decided to use this delicate moment to deal with the ticking time bomb hanging over his head.

"Yao Yao, can I ask you something?"

"What?" Xia Yao's voice was thick with sleep. She was clearly nowhere near fully awake.

"If—just hypothetically," Chu He said, choosing his words carefully and making his tone sound like he was telling a silly bedtime joke, "if someday, someone else insisted on being with me and tried to steal me from you, what would you do?"

Xia Yao's eyes instantly opened a sliver. The light in that sliver was cold and dangerous.

"Who's bold enough to try that? Are they tired of living?"

"No one. I'm just asking hypothetically." Chu He quickly soothed her, gently patting her back like he was calming a bristling kitten.

Xia Yao seemed to accept his explanation. Closing her eyes again, she answered without a moment's thought, "Then I'd duel her. Whoever lost would die."

Just as he'd expected.

Chu He understood, and dangled the real bait. "Then... what if it was someone close to you? Say—I mean, just say—what if your best friend also fell for me? What would you do?"

"Kachi?" Xia Yao sounded incredulous, almost amused. "Absolutely impossible! She's a hopeless gossip, but she's not interested in men at all. I'd sooner believe she liked women!"

"Don't be so sure. Anything could happen." Chu He persistently steered her toward an answer.

His questions were starting to annoy Xia Yao. She just wanted to sleep, and couldn't be bothered to think. She mumbled, "Oh, baby's sleepy. I wanna sleep... Stop asking..."

She shifted, apparently looking for a more comfortable position, then said in a tone that was almost dreamlike and utterly casual,

"If that day really comes... I guess... I'll be the first wife, and she can be the second. There, happy?"

Chu He's heart stopped for a beat, then began pounding wildly!

He held his breath, afraid to disturb this hard-won "imperial decree," and cautiously pressed her. "Hey, hey, did you mean what you just said?"

"Yeah, yeah..." Xia Yao had already succumbed completely to sleepiness. She waved impatiently. "It's not going to happen anyway. I know my best friend better than anyone, okay? We grew up together! Even if she went blind and fell for you, she'd never steal you from me. We're as close as they come!"

"Go to sleep, go to sleep! I feel better now that you've said that." Chu He's voice carried a smile he didn't even notice. "Don't act surprised when the time comes."

"Relax, relax..."

After mumbling her last words, Xia Yao turned over and even pulled Chu He's arm to hold tightly against her.

She seemed to like sleeping this way.

As Chu He held her warm, fragrant body, his thoughts raced. A surge of joy and control welled up inside him. He'd done it! His biggest future problem had just been solved like that!

Xia Yao was probably a woman of her word—the complete opposite of Kachi.

But wait... They grew up together?

He suddenly remembered the test in the dorm room at the very beginning.

The memories inside that door had seemed to feature Xia Yao almost entirely on her own.

But today, she'd said they'd grown up together.

After turning it over in his mind, he could think of only one possibility: Xia Yao had deliberately hidden the other scenes and crafted an atmosphere of loneliness!

From the very beginning, she'd felt protective of him. She'd even been careful when designing the dungeon!

Meanwhile, elsewhere, at the library's information desk.

Several palm-sized little fairies were swarming around Kachi.

These little creatures weren't made of flesh and blood. Their bodies looked as if they'd been shaped from moonlight and stardust, translucent and glowing softly. Their wings weren't feathers, either, but two pairs of paper-thin membranes like ancient parchment, with tiny golden Runes shimmering across them.

They massaged Kachi's shoulders and pounded her legs.

Another held a budding Starlight Flower in both hands. A single glistening drop of nectar rested in its center, and the fairy carefully brought it to her lips.

Kachi listlessly opened her mouth and let the drop of nectar slide down her throat.

"Tasteless."

She frowned, her delicate little face full of disdain.

The little fairy holding the flower was so frightened that the Runes on its wings dimmed. It nearly fell out of the air.

How could it be tasteless? This was the sweetest nectar there was!

"Bring me something else." Kachi waved impatiently.

The little fairies didn't dare delay. They hurried off in a flock and returned moments later with a fruit burning with pale blue flames.

Kachi took a bite, then spat it out.

"Too bland."

The little fairies were about to cry.

This was a Lava Fruit found only in the Fiery Abyss! Its flavor was supposed to be intensely bold. How could it be bland?

They had no idea that after tasting Chu He's impossibly sweet, fragrant kiss, every delicacy in the world seemed insipid.

She irritably scratched her short silver hair, and a dangerous glint flashed in her galaxy-like eyes.

No, she really wanted to go take a look...