‘Damn it, this is so frustrating…’
Xiye hid her eyes behind her arms. Even though she couldn’t see, she was perfectly aware of Huang Xiaoyi’s movements.
Although she had prepared herself mentally, when the moment actually arrived… though she didn’t want to admit it, the girl felt a faint surge of fear.
Even if the blonde girl before her was exceptionally cute, a terrifying core lay beneath that beautiful skin. No one knew what would happen if someone were invaded by such a monster.
No, perhaps some people did know, but they were no longer able to speak.
‘Wait, has this body even had that kind of experience? Since I became a girl, I’ve never done anything like that. It’s only natural to feel afraid, right?’
If the partner had to be an Evil God, she wished that person was…
That pure white, soft figure reflected in the shadows of the sunlight, causing her to bite her lip involuntarily.
Xiye couldn’t help but wonder what would happen if she confessed her true identity to her.
‘As long as I can accept Yukino’s identity as an Evil God, our feelings for each other should remain the same, right? Nothing would change between us… would it?’
The girl allowed herself to feel a flicker of hope.
‘Didn’t I accept this mission for Yukino in the first place? And yet now, to protect her, I have to do things that hurt her. How ironic.’
Xiye thought she still loved her, but whenever she thought about how the body carrying their beautiful memories was an Evil God—one with no essential difference from the Huang Xiaoyi before her—she simply couldn’t accept it.
An Evil God had stolen the person she loved most. Since then, she had walked the path of an Investigator. In every fearful, hopeless, and dark night, it was this resolve that supported her and kept her moving forward.
The girl recalled those inseparable parts of her past and secretly made up her mind.
If she was still herself after today, she would go to Yukino and confess. No matter the result, she would accept it—even if they became enemies from then on, and even if they had to face each other on the battlefield one day.
‘Ah… I really am scared to death…’
The girl felt a sting in her nose, and her eyes grew warm.
This time, she wasn’t acting.
This was the first time she had shed real tears since becoming a girl.
Xiye didn’t want this fragile side to be seen by Huang Xiaoyi, so she pressed her arms even harder against her face, her body trembling slightly from the effort.
Unable to sense the change in Xiye’s emotions, Huang Xiaoyi assumed the girl was trembling out of fear. She lightly licked the corner of her mouth, her index finger curving slightly before flicking upward—
*Snap!*
The round button suddenly popped out of the buttonhole like a cheerful fish. The tightened collar instantly became loose and slowly fell open, revealing a small patch of skin below the neck—pinkish-white like a mountain spring—along with two delicate, inviting collarbones.
‘No…!’
Xiye hunched her shoulders in despair, but she couldn’t block the aggressive gaze of the Evil God girl who seemed intent on seeing through her completely. At this moment, she felt like a toy to be played with at will, stripped of all dignity.
‘No, no, no!’
Being a Legendary Investigator felt like a laughable title right now. Even in her current state, the Evil God was someone she couldn’t contend with.
Just as Xiye could no longer suppress her internal breakdown, and just as Huang Xiaoyi was excitedly about to take the next step…
*Creak!*
A piercing sound echoed through the small third-floor space of the library.
Although the two were in the middle of an intense exchange, the loudest sounds had been the friction of clothing and their interlaced breathing. Therefore, the sound of someone stepping on the wooden floor was particularly obvious.
“Tch!”
Huang Xiaoyi clicked her tongue in annoyance, but she quickly withdrew her hand. The tentacles wrapped around the two of them retreated into the void. She nimbly jumped off the table and looked toward the stairs with a hint of vigilance.
Who could possibly be interrupting her creation at a time like this?
If it was someone unimportant, she would deal with them quickly and then continue.
On the table, Xiye froze as she felt the weight on her waist vanish. She slowly relaxed her arms, her large, red eyes peering through the gap toward the source of the sound.
‘Was I… saved?’
No, she wasn’t saved yet. It was just that the unfortunate soul who had barged in had bought her some time. Not only that, but that person would likely have to face the wrath of Huang Xiaoyi for ruining her fun.
At the thought of this, Xiye forced herself to climb up. She wiped away the remaining tears from the corners of her eyes, sniffled, and moved behind Huang Xiaoyi.
She had just seen Huang Xiaoyi put the Elder Sign in her right dress pocket. From this angle, it should be easy to grab.
Xiye’s gaze locked onto the pocket, but the sense of powerlessness in her heart refused to dissipate.
Her only means of contending with the Evil God girls was that Elder Sign. Aside from that, she only had a few low-level magic spells.
Using magic consumed mental energy; using just one or two would give her a headache. Thinking about it, she really didn’t have any trump cards to fall back on.
Ultimately, she was too weak. Without the help of the Bureau, she couldn’t do anything.
Her fists clenched gradually, and the girl’s heartbeat quickened along with the sound of the approaching footsteps.
The moment Huang Xiaoyi made a move, she would pounce, snatch the Elder Sign back from the pocket, and suppress her. It didn’t matter if she got hurt or suffered—she couldn’t let an innocent person get involved.
Xiye crouched slightly, her large tail pressed tight against the floor.
Huang Xiaoyi remained expressionless, but her arms were crossed over her chest, and her index finger tapped incessantly against her arm. She was likely impatient to the extreme.
The girl noticed that the space above the stairs was fluctuating unnaturally. A trap made of data-based tentacles had already been laid!
“Mmm-hmm~”
Along with the growing sound of footsteps came the sound of humming. The tune was cheerful, and the voice… felt a bit familiar?
Huang Xiaoyi, who noticed this at the same time as Xiye, frowned slightly, and her finger stopped tapping.
A second later, a flash of bright blue appeared in their sight, followed by a pair of lively, starry eyes.
The newcomer was undoubtedly—
“Susue?”
Huang Xiaoyi was the first to ask, and the spatial fluctuations quickly settled down. “What are you doing here?”
“Oh! Xiaoyi, so this is where you were!” Susue waved at her and walked over. “Eh? Xiye is here too?”
She looked at the calm Huang Xiaoyi, then at the disheveled Xiye with her red-rimmed eyes, and asked in confusion, “What are you two doing here?”
This question caught both of them off guard. Huang Xiaoyi fell silent for a moment before pulling a book from the shelf with a straight face.
“Reading. We’re reading.”
Susue tilted her head, her starry eyes filled with massive confusion. Even Xiye felt that Huang Xiaoyi’s excuse was far too forced—who reads so intensely that their clothes end up flying onto the floor?
Unexpectedly, after thinking for a moment, the girl said, “Oh—so you guys are that studious!”