Self-Conquest

Stelle: What should I do, Aha? How am I supposed to move someone like Dr. Ratio, a wealthy corporate executive? He probably doesn't care about anything, does he?

Aha: You came to the right god. Based on my experience as an Aeon... I don't think you need to win Dr. Ratio over at all.

Stelle: Huh? Why?

Aha: Because people like him...

As long as you give him the slightest hint, he can fill in the rest himself.

In other words, you don't need to win him over. He can conquer himself for you.

That's what they call "self-conquest."

Stelle listened to Aha's words with a strange expression.

At first, she thought this strategy sounded pretty easy.

But after thinking about it carefully, something felt off.

Wasn't this basically getting something for nothing?!

She wouldn't have to give anything, and Dr. Ratio would willingly take the bait.

What kind of joke was that?

She, the Trailblazer, wasn't the sort of person who freeloaded!

Still.

Thinking even more carefully.

It wasn't as if she had given anything when winning over Sampo, Gepard, or Jing Yuan before.

It seemed like she hadn't given anything then either.

"No..."

Stelle furrowed her brow and muttered to herself.

What did they mean, she hadn't given anything? Of course she had.

The Trailblazer had given the most important thing of all—her sincere heart!

That was right. Sincerity was priceless.

Although she had approached all those grown men with conquest missions in mind, deep down, she had long been harboring restless intentions, improper schemes, and delusional fantasies about them!

Aha: Are you seriously using all those words...?

In a sense, Stelle had carried out some self-conquest too, talking herself into it.

That was right. She wasn't freeloading.

Of course she liked Dr. Ratio too—she liked every character she set out to win over.

Otherwise, even if Aha held a knife to her throat, or Nanook threatened to grind her into dust, Stelle would never make a move on these men.

Every conquest she made came from her own heart. Things like obtaining scripts were merely incidental.

Having figured that out, the Trailblazer's conscience was clear.

How could she not know about Dr. Ratio's past?

If she wanted to, she believed that with a crook of her finger, Dr. Ratio would come running over with his tail wagging, begging for a little of her affection.

But the Trailblazer would never do that.

The love she gave had to be completely equal to the love every character she pursued gave her.

The air between them fell into a strange silence.

Both of them were brainwashing themselves and conquering themselves.

In the end, they reached a complete consensus.

Stelle/Dr. Ratio: Since the other person likes me so much, I can't let their feelings go to waste. I need to like them even more!

Having understood this, both of them had a flash of inspiration. They looked up and met each other's eyes at the same time.

"I have something to tell you!"

Their voices rang out in perfect unison.

Stelle/Dr. Ratio: You go first—no, I'll go first!

Hey, hey, what was with this four-hundred-percent synchronization rate?

Dr. Ratio blinked. In the Trailblazer's eyes, he saw a bright, radiant gleam. Her golden eyes were like Soolada bubbling in a glass—sweet, yet brimming with an invigorating charm.

"Then you go first, Stelle. What is it?"

A man's sixth sense could be surprisingly accurate sometimes.

Dr. Ratio could vaguely guess what the Trailblazer was about to say. Anticipation made him unconsciously clench his hands into fists, the light in his eyes flickering in and out.

"Dr. Ratio, I'll be good to you. Will you give me that chance?"

Thump.

Dr. Ratio knew that the ambiguous atmosphere had built to this point, and he could vaguely guess the Trailblazer's intentions.

But having an idea in his mind and facing the reality in person were completely different feelings.

Aha: Oh my, the Trailblazer can throw such a direct pitch so smoothly without being in a state of Elation? Even Aha has to admire how fast you've grown.

Even Aha couldn't help clicking Their tongue in admiration at the Trailblazer's progress.

From the perspective of an uninvolved god, They felt that the Trailblazer's words had become art at this point. It was truly ingenious.

From beginning to end, the Trailblazer never said she wanted to be Dr. Ratio's girlfriend. She only said she wanted to be good to him.

What a shameless substitution of concepts.

After all, the Trailblazer wanted to give every grown man and woman a home. Not dating a single person meant she could date everyone.

She wouldn't make things official with anyone. After all, if she dated more than a dozen people, wouldn't that mean she was two-timing multiple people at once?!

Aha: How is all this flirting around any different from two-timing multiple people...

Stelle: I'm not a scumbag. I just want to give every grown man and woman a home~

"Ahem..."

Manually muting Aha, who was mercilessly mocking her in her head, Stelle carefully observed Dr. Ratio's reaction.

The man was an elite executive of the Interstellar Peace Corporation. Business was a battlefield, and he had fought countless battles there long ago, never letting joy, anger, sorrow, or delight show on his face.

Yet now, Stelle could see cracks forming in the mask called composure that Dr. Ratio usually wore.

The Nameless who raced freely through the stars, the Galaxy Bat Knight who dominated the universe with a single bat, the Stelle who could only be admired from afar and never profaned.

She had made such a promise to him?

The star he desired, unattainable and hanging far away in the heavens—was it now right before him, within reach?

Dr. Ratio's gaze clung tightly to the Trailblazer's face, as though he wanted to find some sign that she was joking.

But there was none.

Stelle kept smiling at Dr. Ratio with complete confidence.

Dr. Ratio moved his lips, wanting to say something, but he could not utter a single word. The ease with which he normally negotiated contracts and drove down prices had utterly collapsed.

All he saw was the Trailblazer opening her arms and revealing a warm embrace.

Stelle approached step by step, slowly walking over.

She gently pulled Dr. Ratio into her arms.

Staring at his flushed earlobes, she playfully breathed a gentle puff of warm air against them. Feeling the subtle tremble of the person in her arms, she felt smug at having successfully teased him.

"Dr. Ratio, do you like me?"

Dr. Ratio slowly wrapped his arms around the Trailblazer's body and gently hugged her.

"I like you, Stelle."

The Trailblazer had completely immersed herself in the emotions of confessing her feelings.

She no longer felt any smugness over successfully winning him over.

All she could think was: I'm so lovable, and Dr. Ratio is so lovable too. We're a perfect match!

Dr. Ratio suddenly let go.

He took the exquisite jewelry gift box from his pocket, maintaining the calm expression he had forced himself to wear.

"Actually, I bought all of those things. Stelle, I don't know whether this necklace suits you, but let me put it on for you."

Stelle nodded with a beaming smile, lifting her soft gray shoulder-length hair to reveal her snow-white neck.

She turned around and faced away from Dr. Ratio, making it easier for him to move.

There were plenty of lovey-dovey young couples amid Penacony's crowds, and Stelle didn't think she and Dr. Ratio stood out.

Yet for some reason, she suddenly felt as though someone was watching every move she and Dr. Ratio made.

An unfriendly gaze swept over her, making Stelle feel very uncomfortable.

P.S. I updated a little extra content in the book discussion area yesterday. It covers the differences between this book's plot and outline, so interested readers can go take a look~