Volume Five: Return from the Other Shore, Chapter 496: Winnie

"You little brat! When did you find out I was pretending to be asleep?"

"At the beginning."

"Then, why did you treat Haoyue—"

"Don't misunderstand, I have no sexual interest in Miss Haoyue."

"Then what—"

"I just think this is the best way to get you to behave. Anyway, if I kiss you, you'll just pretend to be asleep while enjoying it, right? In fact, this trick really works."

Givinia smiled innocently, making it impossible to get angry.

"But you... you don't have to go this far... just to wake me up, you kissed Haoyue, whom you don't even like..."

"I know that Xiao Ye wouldn't be physiologically averse to me having kissed Miss Haoyue, and also—"

A hint of cunning suddenly appeared in her smile.

"--Me? I want to see A Ye get jealous, because A Ye is a heartless woman who doesn't take a girl's heart seriously, so she should just accept this as retribution." (Author's note: Winnie is a master at taming her husband! My wife is the best!)

"So the real you is actually an undisguised schemer?"

"Well..."

Givinia fell silent; the question seemed to have stumped her.

"Scheming...? It feels somewhat similar, but not quite the same... I'm sorry, A Ye, I've always been meticulous and cautious in my survival, so I'm really not sure which version of myself is most suitable."

"Your statement contains several grammatical errors."

Ignoring my nitpicking, she continued talking.

"So I'm trying, trying all sorts of things, to reveal my most authentic self."

"I think as long as you're comfortable, you don't need to worry too much about those issues."

"The prerequisite for a comfortable life is self-awareness... That's my opinion, to be honest, I don't even really own this name."

"Name?"

"Yes..." She frowned slightly, as if recalling something unpleasant. "I was sold to a human trafficking agency that was disguised as Orphanage. I was given the number 'G' and after being bought, I was given the name 'Givinia' based on the Number G '."

"The earliest?"

"My earliest name when I was the granddaughter of the Prime Minister... if I'm not mistaken, should be 'Onyxia'."

Roshan

Koopa' came here.

"..."

Onyxia, the Flesh Mountain, Bowser?

Good heavens, three bosses whose very essence is tragedy have teamed up?

"Givinia."

"?"

"You should really thank the person who changed your name back then."

"Huh?"

"If you keep carrying such a lousy name, you might not even know how you died one day."

"Honestly, I don't want to thank that One-eyed Dragon..."

"Look at what you're saying... huh?"

One-eyed Dragon?

That being said...

There's a big question I haven't been able to get cleared up yet.

Givinia, even if she's not two hundred years old, she must be over one hundred and ninety, right?

She said she was "indeed seventeen years old," although she "had indeed lived through nearly two hundred years."

How did you do that?

Time travel? But isn't Jili supposed to be the only time-manipulation ability user in this world? And shouldn't his ability be the reappearance of the deceased? Or... could it be that Givinia died a long time ago, but Jili used his ability to "recreate" her in the modern world?

But there's no reason for Jili to assist a young girl in her revenge, especially since Givinia's target is the organization's higher-ups.

Then, I thought of One-eyed Dragon...

"--!!!!!"

I suddenly felt a wave of dizziness, as if I had been struck on the back of the head with a blunt object! An indescribable fear spread through me, goosebumps covered my skin, and a sticky chill crept up my spine—and after a long time, I had that feeling again! Standing in the boundless darkness, an enormous eye peered at the earth from a vast hole in the sky, looking down at me, with nowhere to hide, nowhere to escape...

"A Ye?"

"Hey, um, Givinia, I have a question for you..."

"Go ahead and say it."

"Um... how did you spend those two hundred years? Did you have any special methods, or did you receive help from someone?"

"... Why do you ask that, A Ye?"

"Is that not allowed?"

"Well..."

Givinia's mood clearly dipped; her light brown eyes were downcast, and her hands were nervously twisting together. I knew Givinia was very good at controlling her emotions, and even she was showing such unease, so I felt pretty sure it was someone else's doing.

I tried my best to suppress my restless heart and waited patiently. After hesitating for a while, she finally spoke slowly.

"... First of all, A Ye, please don't misunderstand, I'm not intentionally holding back from you, but some things are more dangerous than you can imagine, so I don't want to involve you..."

After saying that, she turned to me apologetically, her gaze shifting.

I can understand her, so I won't press her further. If she 'Yusuo Zai, it's already a miracle that Givinia survived. Having a certain degree of close relationship with that thing, I know this very well.

But if I just give up asking, she'll definitely be confused by my decisive abandonment, and then become suspicious. So it's better to show some curiosity.

"I thought we could finally trust each other completely, Givinia."

As I spoke, I lowered my head in disappointment, my long, peach-colored hair conveniently obscuring my face so she couldn't see my expression.

"I'm sorry, A Ye. But I'll listen to whatever you say from now on, only please don't investigate this matter further. To be honest, I think... it sounds a bit absurd, but this is probably beyond the realm of human decency."

"..."

Areas that humans cannot enter?

You're so clever, Givinia, you've got almost everything right.

This confirms that it was Yusuo Zai.

We fell silent for a moment, and she seemed to shrink even smaller. After all, it was a celebratory moment after defeating the big boss, Givinia had only just managed to sort out her chaotic thoughts. I suddenly felt that I had gone a bit too far by forcing her to recall these things.

But all I want is to confirm that Yusuo Zai been in contact with her; nothing else... right?

"Well..."

I sighed in mock exasperation and said, "Alright then, you don't seem to be in a good mood right now. We can talk about it when you're in the mood later... or if you really don't want to, you don't have to."

"Ah, A Ye! Um... thanks."

"Hey, where did your cunning side go, the one that made me jealous by stealing a kiss from Haoyue and 'Wake Me Up'? You suddenly went soft?"

Don't even mention it...

"Alright then, to celebrate... to celebrate... to celebrate finally settling accounts with the past, let's do something meaningful."

"Meaningful?"

Givinia thought for a moment, then her face flushed slightly.

"You really are a scumbag, A Ye. We've only just officially become friends, right? Or does it mean that for you, once you reach the 'friend' level with a cute girl, it's okay to have sex?"

"What are you thinking about? It's your name, your name."

"Name?"

"You said your name... 'G' and 'Givinia' were given to you by someone else, right? Do you really like your current name?"

Besides, the name Givinia was given to her by someone surnamed Yu.

"Uh, now that you mention it, it is a bit... subtle."

She undoubtedly Yusuo Zai, a feeling that was somewhere between fear and disgust, yet she still used the name Yusuo Zai given her, which was almost like a curse.

"A Ye, are you willing to give me a new name? I'd be happy, but... I'm already used to being called Givinia, so it might be hard to adjust to a sudden change."

"You can take it as a nickname, my special name. Even Haoyue Sakura Dance doesn't get this treatment."

"Oh my? Really? Really?"

Givinia's eyes lit up, looking quite surprised.

"Let me think... From now on, your nickname will be --"

... Um...

What should we call it?

Holy crap, I blurted it out without thinking it through, now this is so awkward.

Think quickly, think quickly! Use that talent you have for randomly naming skills you come up with on the spot during battle, and come up with an amazing idea!

Hmm... G...

Givinia...

For nicknames, keep them short and cute...

... It's decided!

"This is it! From now on, I'll call you— Winnie!!!"

"..." "..."

"..."

"... Give me some thoughts?"

Was it just my imagination? Did she seem to have a look of utter despair on her face for a fleeting moment?

"Even if you want me to give my thoughts... 'Winnie' and all that, isn't it just a quick and easy product of 'Givinia' with the beginning and end cut off?"

"Oh, you're overthinking it! Back in my hometown, there used to be a super famous cartoon called Winnie the Pooh. Winnie, isn't that a homophone for Winnie? Doesn't it sound cute? Like a little bear!"

"So I'm some fat, stupid, hairy, howling, and hibernating large mammal? And just looking at your pack of Blood Beast, I know your definition of 'cute' is different from most people's!"

"Exposed flesh and nerves are a man's romance!"

"What kind of romance is this? And you're a woman!"

The previous heavy atmosphere dissipated amidst laughter and conversation.

Givinia's genuine laughter is truly beautiful.

But a lingering shadow still hangs in my heart.

Yusuo Zai.

Even more so than the demon, the pseudo-transcendent, the mastermind behind the game.

What was the point of his contact with Givinia, given his background?

From our previous interactions, I had come to understand that Yusuo Zai would not do anything pointless; every action he took and every word he uttered had its meaning.

Does he have any expectations of Givinia? Or did he deliberately arrange for her to become my ally? Could it be... just a momentary act of kindness? Don't be ridiculous...

Givinia... she is now my companion, my friend, and a comrade-in-arms who fights alongside me to defeat powerful enemies.

I want to walk alongside her; this feeling is no lie.

No one could stop them, not even Yusuo Zai.

Tiny droplets of water dripped from her long, gray-gold hair, tracing across her exquisitely beautiful skin, which was even whiter than mutton-fat jade, before finally landing in the pool, creating small ripples. Beneath the clear water was a slender and graceful body, with no visible muscle lines yet not appearing weak; every detail was almost perfect, and it would not be an exaggeration to call it a masterpiece of the Creator.

If you look closely, you'll notice that there's absolutely no steam rising from this pool of water; in fact, it has a chillingly clear feel to it.

Step, step, step--

Footsteps echoed hollowly in the spacious hall, making the temperature seem to drop even lower.

"You really like cold showers, don't you, Jili?"

"What business is it of yours what I like to do?"

"I take cold showers because I don't have money to go to public bathhouses, and the place I live in doesn't have a bathroom either. Sometimes I'll just run to any random building's restroom, fill a basin with water, and pour it over myself."

"I can't be bothered to listen to your so-called hardships. The only reason you're content with poverty is because your inner world is so rich that you don't care about material enjoyment, right?"

"Perhaps?"

"Enough with the small talk! What did you gain this time?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Gentlemen, after working myself to the bone, I've finished writing the fifth volume. I feel so relieved...

Volume 6 will feature many smaller battles, with the "Extra Weapon"—outcasts within the organization—being the main adversaries.

Do you all have names you'd like to suggest? Especially for Xiao Xi!

Yangzhuoran, ia, aniki, World's Sin, yydyz18, Xiongxiong Tongxue, Julia, Canyi Huan, Yu Xun, Yu Xun de Ni, Wanxia de Yao, Dove Beef Noodles, Flying Fall, Zhuanzhuan Xiaobai, Kamen, Shotaro, and many others who frequently appear in the comments section. Feel free to suggest names!