Kaisha: Just as Planned!

"Are you so sure he'll definitely help us?"

Hexi had already released Kaisha and was no longer pressing down on her, though she was still sitting on Kaisha's stomach.

With just a gentle push, Kaisha could have shoved Hexi away. But she did not. She merely lay lazily on the grass, as though basking in the sun—or perhaps because she felt her time was running out and wanted to savor that springy sensation a little longer while she still could.

"I believe in the charm of angels!"

Kaisha first gave a reason that even Hexi found convincing.

"From the information Yan sent back, that little guy is quite kind-hearted! The moment he discovered the fire and the demon squad, his first thought was not to run, but to save people!"

"Of course, aside from his own personality, there was another reason for that! They possessed power themselves! They weren't afraid of danger, so they dared to help the weak."

"But precisely because of that, I feel even more certain that this little guy will lend us a hand!"

"There are plenty of kind-hearted people! There are countless beings throughout the Known Universe! But when danger comes, how many truly dare to step forward and help?"

"There are also plenty of people with power. But how many can restrain their desires and choose kindness?"

"Carl had power, Morgana had power, and so did the Lieyang that once followed the Heavenly Way, as well as the militarily competitive De-Nuo... even the Heavenly Palace of those days! What did they do?"

"They created death, lured civilizations into depravity, waged war against the weak, provoked civil wars, and allowed royal families to monopolize power in order to oppress their own people..."

At that point, Kaisha fell silent. Suddenly, she wanted to laugh.

"Heh!"

There was a trace of mockery in her laugh. Hexi looked at her, unsure what Kaisha had thought of.

"Possessing power while restraining one's ambition and desires, being willing to help the weak, brave, righteous, and compassionate..."

"That was the expectation we placed upon the Angel gene fragment Kiran requested from us when we worked with the Super Seminary."

"Back then, we hoped that by combining angels with a Galaxy Power possessing such qualities, Merlot Heavenly Court could produce the male angels we had longed for, rather than those Heavenly Scum... But now, more than ten thousand years have passed since that collaboration. Our partnership with the Super Seminary ended long ago, and no Galaxy Power meeting those conditions ever appeared. There has been no sign of a new generation of male angels either. Yet an outsider from beyond the Known Universe perfectly fulfills everything we hoped for!!"

"Hexi, you asked why I think he'll help us?"

Kaisha wore a serious expression.

"I don't believe in him. I believe in who we were back then! I believe in our hopes for something beautiful! If that little guy truly possesses everything we once hoped to find in a man, then he definitely won't refuse! The premise is that we must treat him sincerely!"

Kaisha paused, her expression becoming even more serious.

"So, Hexi, if you agree to my proposal and get together with that little guy... I hope you can truly love him! Love him as a person, not for his genes! If you sincerely love him, he will sincerely treat you well too!"

"So, Hexi, can you accept that?"

Kaisha stared at Hexi without blinking, quietly awaiting her reaction. Though she already had a guess, it had yet to be confirmed.

Hexi did not look at Kaisha. Instead, she silently considered it herself.

Gradually, a faintly tempted expression appeared on Hexi's face; she had not managed her expression well enough. A smile quietly appeared at the corner of Kaisha's lips, but she soon withdrew it. Not because she feared Hexi would see it, but because Hexi silently shook her head. Kaisha knew her plan might fall through.

"Kaisha, I still can't agree to this!"

"Why?"

Kaisha had actually been mentally prepared for this before coming here, so Hexi's answer did not surprise her.

"Kaisha, I'm not young anymore!"

"What does being older matter? Compared to that near-endless lifespan, at thirty thousand years old, you can still be considered a young girl! Your figure, your face—they are as exquisite as those of any young maiden, aren't they?"

"But, Kaisha, my mind has matured! It has matured greatly—perhaps too greatly! Thirty thousand years have not changed my outward appearance, but they have changed what is inside me! Haven't they?"

"Thirty thousand years ago, I was inexperienced, ignorant, and innocent! I surely would have held hopes and fantasies about the true love you speak of!"

"But now, I am over thirty thousand years old! The innocent and ignorant Hexi from back then has experienced too much. My mind has matured. I have lived through war, and I have lived through betrayal! I no longer have those fantasies about so-called true love! You should understand that too, shouldn't you?"

"After all, though our faces remain unchanged, we are no longer those innocent and carefree girls we once were! When facing love, we naturally think more about it, don't we?"

Kaisha opened her mouth, intending to persuade her further.

"Hexi..."

Before she could finish, Hexi motioned for her to stop.

"Don't try to persuade me, Kaisha. If you insist on using the same words you use on those little angels with me..."

"Then first wipe off that makeup you deliberately wear to make yourself look mature. Go take a walk around Merlot Heavenly Court and let the angels see that girlishly innocent face beneath that mature makeup! If you can do that—if you can prove to me that you believe you still have the heart of a young girl—then I'll admit that I can do the same!"

Stung by Hexi's words, Kaisha ultimately did not refute her. She truly was unwilling to remove her makeup, and she truly felt that she was no longer young.

Kaisha sighed. Seeing that she could not persuade Hexi, she could only take a step back.

"Hexi, even if you say that, you are still the only one who can accept Merlot Heavenly Court in the end! After all, you don't want the angels of Amagi to be left wandering and displaced in the future, or for Angel Civilization to be destroyed by our hands, do you?"

"Don't threaten me with that strange tone. Even if you threaten me like that, my answer remains the same. I can't do it!"

"We are no longer young, Kaisha. You cannot impose standards that belong only to the young—those who still hold fantasies about love—upon me! Choose someone else! I can only promise that I will cooperate with the person you choose as much as possible!"

Hexi waved at Kaisha, climbed off her stomach, and walked to the side.

On the grass, Kaisha watched Hexi's departing back and sighed softly to herself. Hexi had never been her real target. She had only noticed that Hexi seemed somewhat tempted, so she decided to take a few swings and see if she got lucky. This result was regrettable, but Kaisha did not react too strongly.

"Hexi, since you're unwilling, then... I'll leave the responsibility of choosing a candidate to you!"

"Kaisha, are you playing rogue with me?"

Hexi turned around and glared at Kaisha.

"No, Hexi. I'm merely... handing over some authority in advance!"

Kaisha sat up from the grass and smiled at Hexi.

"Handing over what authority?"

"The authority of the Angel King!"

"Didn't I just refuse your arrangement?"

Hexi frowned as she looked at Kaisha.

"You only refused to approach that little guy. You didn't refuse to inherit the throne! Didn't I already say it? In the future that little guy takes part in, you are still the most suitable successor to the throne!"

"So... since you have refused the task of approaching him... then as the next Angel King, deciding who should recruit that little guy and enable him to sincerely help Angel Civilization naturally becomes your task!"

"This was what you had planned from the very beginning?!!!"

Hexi finally understood. She looked at Kaisha, anger flickering in her eyes.

"First, you provoked me with your words to make me angry. Then you acted pitiful, opened your heart to me, and used the opportunity to make me agree to inherit the throne—or even agree to marry that little guy..."

Hexi recalled everything that had happened, lightly grinding her pearly teeth as she stared at Kaisha. She suddenly felt that she had hit Kaisha far too lightly earlier!

"No, no, no, Hexi, you're wrong. I never intended to make you marry that little guy at first. I only wanted to tease your emotions a little. But then... I didn't expect you to actually seem somewhat tempted, so... I gave it a try! If it worked, things would have been even easier! It's just a pity it didn't... You were clearly tempted..."

The instant Kaisha finished speaking, a crimson beam of light struck the spot where she had been. Fortunately, Kaisha reacted quickly. Before Hexi could slash out that light with her sword, Kaisha had already fled!