Seres walked beside Aiden, so close she could almost feel the breeze stirred by the swing of his arm.
Her heart fluttered wildly like a restless fawn, pounding so fast within her chest that it left her flustered.
She stole glances at Aiden’s calm profile from the corner of her eye, countless conversation starters flashing through her mind, yet every one of them felt awkward or inappropriate.
For a moment, she didn’t know how to begin, so she simply remained silent, quietly savoring this rare moment of walking side by side.
In truth, just being with Aiden—doing nothing at all—was enough to erase any awkwardness.
“By the way, Seres, after becoming one of the ‘Seven Stars,’ didn’t they hold a welcome party for you?”
Finally, Aiden broke the delicate silence first.
He turned his head casually and asked.
“They said they would… but I declined.”
Hearing his voice, Seres quickly pulled her wandering thoughts back.
“Why not attend? It’s a perfect chance to get closer to those ‘chosen ones’ and expand your connections. It should help you a lot later on at the academy.”
Aiden tilted his head slightly, surprised.
“Because for me… there’s something more important than a welcome party.”
Seres shook her head firmly, her voice gentle yet resolute.
“What could be so important?”
Aiden’s expression grew even more puzzled as he instinctively pressed for an answer.
Seres’s cheeks instantly flushed as if drenched in sunset light, the heat spreading rapidly all the way to her ears.
She lowered her head, fingers instinctively twisting the hem of her clothes, and with a voice as soft as a mosquito’s buzz yet clear and steady, she spoke with immense shyness and courage.
“To be with you, Aiden.”
When Seres uttered those words with that quiet yet firm voice, Aiden’s steps faltered slightly, a dazed look crossing his face.
It was as if he hadn’t quite heard correctly—or maybe he had, but didn’t know how to respond.
Beside him, Ruby immediately fluttered excitedly up and down before his eyes, pointing at Seres with her tiny hands and whispering in a voice only Aiden could hear.
[Master! Master! Did you hear that?! That’s a confession! It has to be a confession! Wow! The icy beauty made the first move!]
To Aiden, Ruby’s voice was noisy but served as an alarm bell, reminding him of what was happening right now.
Seres no longer seemed satisfied with the previous dependence and companionship; she wanted to take a step further and reveal the deeper feelings within her heart.
However, for Aiden, this was not exactly welcome news.
Because all along, he had been following the “companionship-first” approach.
His goal was to build good relationships with the heroines he needed to pursue, to become trustworthy “good friends,” and to forge strong Bonds.
But these Bonds were carefully controlled by him—of a kind that could effectively advance the mission while together, doubling efficiency, yet once separated in the future, would not cause too much impact or pain to either side.
A relatively “safe” distance.
After all, as a visitor from Another World, Aiden knew in his heart that he ultimately had to complete the system tasks and find a way back to his original world.
At the end of the day, from the purely systemic perspective of a deity-appointed envoy,
time would prove everything, and it would smooth away all unnecessary flutterings of the heart.
“Seres, you really don’t need to worry about me so much. Actually, I’m fine. Though I had more work before, it taught me a lot, and I understand the responsibilities of the disciplinary committee better now.”
So even though Aiden clearly sensed the unusual meaning behind Seres’s words, he still chose to be vague and avoid the core topic.
He smiled sheepishly, trying to steer the conversation toward a lighter mood.
“Aiden, you won’t have to worry about extra work anymore.”
The blush on Seres’s cheeks had not completely faded as she looked up, her eyes sparkling with a mix of pride and concern.
“What do you mean?”
Aiden blinked, momentarily caught off guard.
“Senior Heishen… won’t assign you those heavy extra tasks anymore. Your job from now on… is to just… keep an eye on me…”
Seres lowered her head slightly, fingers curling through her hair, her voice soft as a feather brushing past.
When she said the last few words, her voice dropped so low it was nearly inaudible.
The sentence itself carried an ambiguous, flirtatious undertone that embarrassed her deeply, but inside, she secretly hoped Aiden would understand and accept the hidden meaning behind it.
“Really? That’s great. Finally, I’m free.”
Aiden’s first reaction was a big sigh of relief, a bright smile lighting up his face.
His days as a corporate drone were finally over.
Seres watched Aiden’s genuinely relaxed and even slightly excited expression, and her lips curved into a gentle, satisfied smile.
It seemed all her efforts fighting for him and challenging Heishen Akane had been worth it.
Yet, fearing that Aiden—somewhat slow in certain matters—might miss the deeper meaning in her words, she took a deep breath, steadied her racing heart, and cautiously added a sentence to guide the conversation toward her desired path.
“Aiden… your main task from now on is to constantly monitor my condition, to prevent me from blackening again, right?”
“Yeah, that’s what Senior Heishen instructed.”
Aiden nodded, answering matter-of-factly.
Seres raised her eyelids, her clear blue eyes flashing a subtle mischievousness and anticipation as she stared at Aiden.
With a slightly teasing and seductive tone, she whispered,
“Then… does that mean you have to stay by my side all the time? After all… if I’m not careful, there might be reasons for me to blacken again, right?”