The reason was simple: Xiye figured that as long as she still had the old seal in her possession, if things really got dangerous, she could just secretly activate it.
There were still quite a few more uses left before Huang Xiaoyi would develop resistance anyway. While she was speaking, her hand was already resting on the old seal — the moment Huang Xiaoyi made any move, she would trigger it immediately.
Capsize? No way she was going to capsize. Not in this lifetime…
The very next second, both of her hands were pierced through from inside her body by two slimy, vibrant-green tentacles. They wrapped around her wrists, hoisted them high above her head, and bound them tightly together.
“Huh?”
The girl froze for a moment. The cherry-blossom pink in her eyes lost all luster.
Seeing her like this, Huang Xiaoyi gave a disdainful snort. She reached out, pinched the unbelievably soft and tender cheek of the girl, and said:
“You didn’t actually think you were hiding it well, did you? You’ve been fidgeting ever since earlier — I saw everything crystal clear.”
As she spoke, the space behind her split open with a crack. Another tentacle emerged and reached straight toward the pocket on Xiye’s chest.
“W-wait! Wait a second!”
Xiye cried out in panic, twisting her body desperately. But with both hands restrained, she could only manage a few feeble wiggles.
No — if it gets discovered—!
In that split second, Xiye felt as though she had lived through an entire lifetime’s worth of flashing memories: getting found out → being violated over and over by Huang Xiaoyi’s tentacles → eventually being turned into some kind of living firearm…
No way! Absolutely not!
Without any time to think, her tail lashed forward.
A dragon’s tail was covered in hard scales. When swung at high speed, its destructive power could rival firearms.
Wrapped in howling gusts of wind, cherry-pink flames instantly ignited, raising the temperature of the cramped space by several degrees.
Sorry, Huang Xiaoyi — this is going to hurt a bit—!
PA!
The blonde girl’s expression remained cold as she simply reached out and grabbed the blazing dragon tail in mid-swing. The flames hissed and crackled where they met her skin.
“Nyaaah!?”
Xiye let out a startled yelp. Being grabbed by her vital spot once again made even her proud little ahoge droop pitifully. She tried several times, but the tail wouldn’t budge an inch.
And yet Huang Xiaoyi’s hand, fully enveloped in cherry-pink flames, showed absolutely no change.
Snow Pear-form Xiye’s full-power strike dealt a grand total of 0 damage to Huang Xiaoyi!
“Uwaa…”
Xiye shrank her neck.
“C-can we… talk this out?”
Huang Xiaoyi stared at her for a few seconds, then sighed and lowered her gaze. She began stroking the dragon tail the way one might pet a puppy — running her hand slowly from the base all the way to the tip.
An electric, ticklish numbness spread from a certain previously nonexistent but extremely sensitive spot. Xiye’s face flushed crimson. Head bowed, she bit her soft lower lip hard, desperately trying to suppress the shameful little sounds leaking from deep in her throat:
“Mmm…”
She didn’t want to admit it, but… but…
The little cherry dragon’s cherry-pink eyes gradually turned hazy and unfocused.
It feels… so good… like even her bones were melting. Especially the base and the very tip — that pressure, that rhythm… haa…!
Instinct and primal wiring began to override reason. Her tense body slowly relaxed. The lips she had been biting parted slightly, revealing neat white teeth and a small, pink tongue.
Seeing Xiye’s resistance weaken and the flames along her tail stabilize, Huang Xiaoyi slowed her strokes and stepped closer.
She had fully expected this kind of reaction from Snow Pear. In order to gather material, she often spent hours in the library and had read many books — including ones that described the cherry dragon species in detail.
Among dragonkin, cherry dragons were the branch that loved peace the most. Adult cherry dragons possessed terrifying power, but juveniles were extremely fragile and usually needed the protection of family members to survive.
She had no idea why a cherry dragon this young was wandering alone, but with a perfectly good juvenile specimen right in front of her, Huang Xiaoyi saw no reason to let it go.
She knew that a dragon’s tail was an important organ — and for cherry dragons especially so. Their tails were not only used to channel magic, but also played a key role in intimate communication with partners. That was why the base and the tip were particularly sensitive.
Adult cherry dragons had thick scales protecting those areas, but juveniles took a very long time to fully develop them. In other words, at this stage, a cherry dragon’s entire body was one big weak point. Once you understood that, domesticating one was almost trivial…
“Good girl…”
Huang Xiaoyi admired her handiwork with satisfaction. She lifted her hand and lightly scratched under Snow Pear’s chin with a fingertip. The cherry dragon girl obediently lowered her head, eyes half-closing in clear contentment.
“Feels good?” she asked softly.
“Goo… so gooood…”
Snow Pear answered in a weak, melting voice. Her warm breath brushed against the tip of Huang Xiaoyi’s nose, leaving a damp, ticklish sensation.
Urged on by the desire rising inside her, Huang Xiaoyi slowly raised her hand, used her thumb to gently pull down the corner of the cherry dragon’s mouth, then pressed the pad of her finger against the small tongue inside.
Looking into those misty cherry-pink eyes, watching the girl forced to open her mouth, tongue pinned down, only able to let out soft, muffled whimpers — once again those images flashed through Huang Xiaoyi’s mind:
Every single panel depicted entanglement in different scenes, different times — total domination, sadistic torment… the complete opposite of the art and stories she pursued.
The evil god girl frowned and withdrew her pressing finger. A glistening silver thread stretched between them before snapping with a soft “pa”. She lightly licked the tip of her finger.
…A faint floral fragrance.
“Tch…”
Huang Xiaoyi clicked her tongue.
To think this little thing could actually shake her resolve to this degree. What a dangerous creature.
So earlier she was even willing to fight back just to keep her from getting close…
Huang Xiaoyi sent another tentacle toward the pocket on Snow Pear’s chest.
Just what exactly was inside?
She was very curious.
Right as the tentacle reached the edge of the pocket, the misty film over the cherry dragon girl’s eyes suddenly thawed — clarity returning at shocking speed.
Noticing the change, Huang Xiaoyi immediately hooked the object out.
And in the next instant, the girl took a sharp, shuddering breath:
“Haa—…!”
What just happened?
Her consciousness felt like it had sunk into the deep sea — impossible to wake up from.
She stared at Huang Xiaoyi, and instantly every hair on her body stood on end — Huang Xiaoyi was currently toying with the old seal. Its intricate patterns were reflected in her deep green pupils. Then she lifted her gaze, and Xiye saw her own terrified reflection in those eyes.
Huang Xiaoyi spoke in a thoughtful tone:
“I remember… this thing belongs to that person.”
Hey! How can you call Sensei “that person”?! So rude!
Xiye desperately wanted to lecture her, but no words would come out.
The blonde girl pinched the old seal between her index and middle fingers and held it right in front of Xiye’s eyes.
“…So why is this thing with you?”
Although Huang Xiaoyi’s face showed no emotion, Xiye could clearly see that every tentacle around her had turned toward her — like funnels floating beside a Gundam. If her answer wasn’t satisfactory, she’d probably be pumped full and turned into seafood foam on the spot.
W-what do I do… with this many… I’ll definitely break…
“I… I can explain…”
Just when she was completely out of ideas, Xiye suddenly activated the legendary investigator’s world-shaking wisdom and blurted:
“A-actually… I stole it from Xiye-sensei!”