The quiet room was filled only with the slightly hurried breaths of the two.
Eden stood with his back to the bed, clearly feeling the warmth and softness of Cerise’s body pressed against him from behind.
The girl’s rapid heartbeat seemed to beat against his spine through the thin fabric, while the softness at his chest was tightly pressed against him, creating a subtle feeling that made his mind wander and his blood flow quicken unconsciously.
Eden took a deep breath and quickly suppressed those tantalizing thoughts, calming himself down once more.
He gently pried Cerise’s arms away from his waist, then turned around to face her.
Seeing the faint mistiness and hidden anticipation in Cerise’s blue eyes, he hesitated for a moment but finally spoke with an apologetic tone.
“Sorry, Cerise.”
The hopeful light in Cerise’s pupils dimmed instantly, like clouds covering the stars.
“We both went through something so intense just now… physically and mentally, we’re both drained. What we really need now is to rest well and recover, isn’t that right?”
Eden’s hands pressed gently but firmly on Cerise’s slender shoulders, guiding her back onto the bed and carefully tucking the blanket around her.
“Can’t I rest properly… with you by my side?”
Cerise pouted a little in grievance, tugging the edge of the blanket up to cover most of her face, only leaving her big, flickering eyes visible, while murmuring softly.
“There’s only one bed here, right? I spent all last night on a chair, and I really don’t want to experience that backache again.”
Eden watched Cerise’s coquettish expression and scratched his cheek awkwardly, coming up with a seemingly reasonable excuse.
Of course, that was partly true.
Hearing this, Cerise’s cheeks flushed faintly.
In a voice so soft only she could hear it, she muttered indistinctly.
“Actually… you could sleep on the bed too…”
“Hm? What did you just say?”
Eden hadn’t caught it clearly and instinctively leaned in closer.
Cerise suddenly realized what bold and improper words she had just let slip.
Her face turned as red as a ripe apple.
(Oh no, what did I just say? Luckily, Eden didn’t hear it clearly. If he had, he’d definitely think I’m a shameless girl and hate me!)
“N-nothing!”
At that moment, alarms rang loudly in the girl’s heart.
She shook her head frantically to cover up, her voice tinged with a bit of self-reproach.
“I-it’s… my fault for being so willful… You also went through the battle and need to rest well too…”
“Don’t overthink it. Just rest well. Don’t worry, I’ll be in the living room outside. I won’t go far. Call me anytime if you need.”
Seeing her flustered and self-reproachful state, Eden’s heart softened.
He gave her a reassuring, gentle look.
After exchanging a slightly awkward
“good night,”
Eden went to the door and flipped off the light switch.
With a soft “click,” the room plunged into darkness, and he gently closed the door.
In the darkness, Cerise listened to Eden’s footsteps gradually fading away outside, staring at the closed door.
Recalling his promise when facing the Black God Akane —
“I will always stay by your side” —
her pretty face involuntarily puffed up like a little hamster hoarding food.
“Hmph… You promised you’d stay with me forever… but you broke your word that very day… You’re so… delightfully cruel, Eden…”
Her expression carried a touch of playful scolding as she muttered softly to herself — a mixture of disappointment and an indescribable intimacy.
“Whew—”
Eden collapsed onto the sofa in the living room, exhausted, and let out a long breath as if to exhale all the tension and pressure of the night.
[Master, seriously?! That was such a perfect opportunity just now, the atmosphere was totally set up, so why didn’t you make a move? Just a little more initiative and you’d have a story, you could have smoothly won over Cerise and significantly advanced the mission progress.]
Ruby immediately fluttered her little wings and flew before him, her delicate face full of big confusion and disbelief, her tone filled with frustrated reproach.
[Initiative? Are you kidding? Do you think I’m stupid? Don’t I understand what Cerise was implying just now?]
Eden rolled his eyes at Ruby with a look of helplessness.
He wasn’t foolish or slow.
On the contrary, he was well aware of the feelings behind Cerise’s dependence—feelings that went beyond friendship, filled with hope and expectation.
It was just that he couldn’t easily respond to such emotions.
His purpose in this world was solely to complete the system tasks.
Every action he took, whether helping Cerise or others, was ultimately to earn the Goddess’s Blessing and return to his original world.
So, he must return.
If he formed too many deep bonds in this world, especially emotional entanglements like this, it would shake or even shatter his determination to go back.
This would be a complete devastation for both Cerise, who would remain here, and himself, who must return to his world.
Therefore, this ambiguous relationship had to be kept in check.
The current mutual support as companions was fine, but it couldn’t advance further.
We are lifelong good comrades.
Above friendship, but not yet lovers.
I may enter your world, but not your body.
[But… Cerise clearly already has a lot of affection for you, Master? How do you intend to handle these feelings? You can’t just keep ignoring or avoiding them, right?]
[Then look at the system now—what’s Cerise’s overall affection level toward males?]
Eden shrugged indifferently, sounding very casual.
[Hmm… Cerise’s current overall affection level toward males is… -88.]
Hearing this, Ruby immediately pulled up the system panel to check.
[Then that settles it! The reason she’s developed any fondness toward me personally is largely because I’ve helped her out multiple times in dangerous moments, creating a kind of Path Dependence and gratitude.]
Eden spread his hands in a “see, that’s how it is” gesture.
[Besides, “misandry” is a core part of her system character settings. As long as her overall affection toward males doesn’t rise to zero or turn positive, I don’t have to worry too much.]
Because time will heal all.
Once the turmoil subsides and Cerise gradually adapts to a stable life, the intense dependence caused by certain events will naturally fade.
What he needs to do is help Cerise get safely through those critical points that triggered her darkening, and the mission will be almost complete.
Ruby sighed helplessly, placing her small hands on her forehead as she looked at Eden’s apparent disregard for the girl’s feelings.
Master… you really don’t understand girls’ hearts…
Some seeds, once sown, aren’t so easily washed away by time…
[Oh, right.]
Eden, who had already closed his eyes, preparing to rest on the sofa, suddenly sat upright as if recalling something extremely important, a bright and excited smile appearing on his face.
[I completed that Emergency Golden Task, and the reward is a self-select Golden Card, right? Hurry, show me what great stuff I can choose!]
[Master… aren’t you focusing on the wrong thing? There’s a beautiful girl in the next room trying to get close to you, but your attention is here?!]
[What’s so strange about that?]
Eden buried himself in the system interface, not even looking up, completely indifferent.
[Women only slow down my swordsmanship.]
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.