Defying his sovereign

Yuya's body stiffened.

Throughout Princess Kaguya's absence, he had kept numbing himself with training,

never daring to stop for even a moment.

He feared that if he stopped, her image would keep haunting his mind.

His worry for her,

his guilt over his own helplessness,

the crushing pressure of Princess Kaguya having only a year left-

all of it would bury him.

He feared that if he stopped, all his longing for her would come pouring out!

Although the calculations said there was a ninety percent chance she would return safely,

how could he truly rest easy?

He was afraid.

Afraid that, after finally learning everything Princess Kaguya had done for him all along,

after deciding to train and grow stronger at any cost,

she would already be gone.

Afraid this farewell would last forever.

And the last memory of their parting would remain...

his dislike of the clothes she had made for him...

But now...

she... had finally returned...

His long-suppressed emotions erupted at that moment.

A tear fell almost the instant he heard that voice.

"Your Highness... boohoo..."

And he was not the only one crying.

Countless innocent young women were crying too.

Having abruptly learned this "truth,"

they wept helplessly, their pretty faces drenched in tears.

It was as though the beautiful dream they had so painstakingly woven had suddenly shattered.

A few even fainted on the spot.

Qingyi, standing opposite him, was no different.

She had already dissolved into tears.

"Your Highness, I was wrong... boohoo... I didn't know you liked men..."

"Your Highness, why are you crying too? Is the man you love somewhere in the audience?"

As Qingyi cried, she caught sight of a clear tear rolling down the crown prince's cheek as well.

A flicker of jealousy flashed through her reddened eyes, and she scanned the men below the stage.

She wanted to see which lucky man had won the crown prince's affection.

Tuning out everyone's words,

Yuya could hear almost nothing but that voice in his mind.

But when he turned, he could not find that familiar figure.

If she were in the crowd, he would recognize her at a glance.

Yet she was not there.

But the voice he had just heard had been undeniably real.

Forcing down the excitement in his heart, Yuya barely hesitated.

He leaped into the air and rushed toward Princess Kaguya's hall.

"Whoa... His Highness... he flew away?"

"Heavens! His Highness can actually fly?"

"Good grief... I told you His Highness was an immortal! How could any mortal be that handsome?"

"Hiss... too bad he likes men."

[You selected option three: Say expressionlessly, "Sorry, I like men." Mission complete. Reward: Observation Haki]

Insights into Observation Haki flooded his mind.

Observation Haki, an incredible ability from One Piece, had several functions.

Not only could it sense attacks and predict an opponent's next move, it could also gauge the strength of living beings.

With further development, it could even sense their emotions and thoughts,

as well as the positions and numbers of objects outside the user's field of vision.

These were all basic abilities of Observation Haki, with their range and strength varying from person to person.

According to legend, pushing Observation Haki to its utmost limits could even reveal a glimpse of the future.

In Yuya's view, combining Observation Haki with the Sharingan

would make it an unparalleled Taijutsu ability, allowing him to evade ninety-nine percent of an enemy's attacks.

That was why Yuya had chosen it without hesitation when the skill appeared.

Even if it ruined his public image, what did it matter?

He did not live off his looks alone.

The Tianyu Xingye Second Pavilion

had long since taken control of the civilian economy and food supply.

Rumors like these could hardly cause any trouble.

In fact, he only needed to have paid commenters flood the discussion and repackage his image,

and the whole thing could easily be settled.

Right now, she was all he cared about!

But... she won't think I like men too, will she?

At that thought, another trace of worry crossed Yuya's heart.

He arrived outside Princess Kaguya's hall.

Yet now that he was here,

Yuya hesitated, almost afraid to step inside.

He feared that he would enter only to find the hall empty once again,

and that the voice he had heard had merely been an illusion born of longing.

He feared that if he really saw her, he would not know what to say.

Am I supposed to tell her it isn't men I like, but her?

After a moment's hesitation, he activated Observation Haki.

When he truly sensed that familiar presence,

his body could not help trembling.

Only after a long while

did he draw a deep breath and compose his expression.

He stepped inside as though everything were just as usual.

He had once felt an impulse to tell her everything.

But now that he had calmed down, that thought had faded...

Isshiki was possessing Princess Kaguya's body. He could not betray the slightest hint.

Princess Kaguya sat in her chair, just as she always did,

as though she had been sitting there all along and had never moved.

Her silver hair trailed across the floor, and the vertical eye on her forehead opened and closed more noticeably than before.

He could even faintly make out a glimmer of red light within it.

Her expression was as coldly beautiful and indifferent as ever.

But watching closely this time, Yuya could clearly see a deeply concealed trace of exhaustion beneath that cold beauty.

She had grown stronger, and her presence had become stranger too.

There was the presence of the God Tree, along with another, entirely unfamiliar one.

Yuya suspected... that it might belong to Ōtsutsuki Isshiki...

"Oh, you're back, Yuya. If you like men, why aren't you out looking for one? What have you come back for?"

Princess Kaguya gave a cold laugh and teased him as she always did.

Yet Yuya distinctly heard a trace of irritation in her words.

She really had heard him back then...

Let her hear it. As long as she's back...

The instant Yuya truly saw Princess Kaguya, his body trembled,

but he concealed it well.

[Option one: Shake your head regretfully and say, "Men may be wonderful, but a fine sword is hard to find." Reward: Wind Release: Rasenshuriken]

[Option two: Lightly brush back your hair and explain modestly, "Forgive me for making a spectacle of myself, Your Majesty. The women who like me are as numerous as the sands of the Ganges. I only resorted to this to spare myself some trouble." Reward: Physique +1]

[Option three: Give a wicked smile and defy your sovereign. Approach her step by step, tilt up her chin, and say, "What's wrong? You seem rather disappointed that I like men." Reward: Sage Body]

This fucking system.

He could figure out the Rasenshuriken himself, but he could not afford to miss out on the sage body.

Princess Kaguya's condition was clearly worse. Growing stronger quickly was his most urgent priority!

He had to get that sage body!

To hell with it!

Yuya hesitated only briefly before suddenly smiling.

His features were perfectly sculpted, as though God had poured painstaking effort into carving them.

His beauty was peerless, his bearing unmatched.

Now the corners of his exquisite lips lifted slightly into a wicked smile.

That smile was like a spring breeze, like a hundred flowers bursting into bloom.

It could make a young woman lose her footing, her heart pounding and fluttering wildly.

At that moment, he unleashed all his charm.

He did not answer Princess Kaguya.

His star-like eyes remained fixed on her without blinking.

He simply advanced toward Princess Kaguya, step by step, while the hall grew eerily quiet.

Tap! Tap! Tap!

Only Yuya's footsteps and Princess Kaguya's slightly heavy breathing could be heard.

Yuya's robes fluttered, his face radiant, as he displayed a startling splendor at that moment.

As he approached, Princess Kaguya instinctively recoiled a little, bewildered.

And just like that, Yuya walked straight up to her.

He tilted his strikingly, almost unnaturally handsome face upward,

gazing at Princess Kaguya's breathtaking, bewildered face from close range.

Before Princess Kaguya could react,

he reached out and tilted up her delicate chin.

"What's wrong, Your Majesty? You seem rather disappointed that I like men..."

"..."

Silence. The hall fell deathly silent.

Only then did Princess Kaguya seem to realize something. Her exquisite face reddened little by little, then flushed crimson, the color spreading to her ears and neck.

A flash of embarrassed anger crossed her face.

"Insolent!"

Princess Kaguya snapped, her voice cold.

Boom!

A repulsive force surged out, blasting Yuya away just as he had expected.

Lying on the floor, Yuya wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and shook his head with a bitter smile.

Princess Kaguya had held back. He had only suffered superficial injuries.

The reward was not the only reason he had chosen option three.

This was the first time he had done something he had always wanted to do but never dared.

This feeling...

[You selected option three: Give a wicked smile and defy your sovereign. Mission complete. Reward: Sage Body]

Warmth flowed through Yuya as his body was continually transformed.

But he paid it no mind and instead sighed.

"Looks like I still have a long way to go!"

Her affection is already at 99, so why is she still reacting like this?

And in the next instant,

A sword flew out, plunging straight into the ground beside Yuya's feet.

"I had nothing to do and happened to pick up a sword."

"I don't know where you learned that, but if you dare do it again, you'll regret it."

Princess Kaguya's cool voice rang out, though she still sounded distinctly flustered.

Yuya furrowed his brow as he looked at the sword.

Its blade gleamed silver, icy cold from end to end, exuding a bitter chill.

Yet Yuya sensed something familiar in the material of the blade.

He pondered for a moment.

An image flashed through his mind.

It was something he had seen while using Heavenly Secrets Calculation earlier.

Princess Kaguya had been fighting an exotic beast amid ice and snow.

And inside the beast's cave had been a piece of cold iron.

The blade had clearly been forged from that cold iron using Yin-Yang Release.

"Did she disappear because she was making me a sword?"

"Did she see me demonstrate my swordsmanship earlier and think I liked swords?"

Yuya shook his head with a chuckle, his heart stirring once more.

He carefully picked up the sword and cradled it in his arms.

"Looks like we aren't that far apart after all."

After hesitating for a moment, he ran back into Princess Kaguya's room and said with a cheeky grin:

"Your Majesty, I was only joking just now. I was just..."

"Get out!"

Yuya was blasted out again.