The speed at which the Schariac family gives themselves away is number one under heaven.
The boy, vaguely recalling that his mother-in-law had also completely surrendered to Siegfried within three days of meeting him, stared at the girl he had met less than half a day ago, speechless for a long time.
As Cecilia Schariac's junior, Ana's speed of surrender was even faster than Cecilia's.
"Please, may I have your reply?"
The girl with magnificent, gem-like pink eyes awaited his answer with anticipation.
"Ana, you are a very cute girl."
Under the girl's expectant gaze, the boy with vibrant red pupils thought for a moment before speaking.
"But, don't you think the time we've spent together is too short?"
Too short?
Miss Ana paused, and her gaze began to drift.
For her, the girl, to confess on the spot during their first meeting… it truly wasn't proper.
But her situation with Li Zihan was very special.
Li Zihan was destined to have ties with Herrschers, or rather, he was destined to be loved by Herrschers.
She was no exception.
Honestly, Ana also wanted to get to know him slowly, accept a confession, and then fall in love.
But…
The number of Artificial Herrschers was a bit high.
The known Artificial Herrschers were divided into two batches.
The first batch consisted of the Oceania Valkyrie Wendy, herself from the Snow Lotus Squad, and a boy from the Philippines.
The members of the second batch were unknown, but from the information revealed, they seemed to be all girls.
In the future, there might be a third batch, a fourth batch of Artificial Herrschers…
The Director was an outstanding man.
Putting aside the fact that he was very handsome, the Director's combat power was abnormally high, able to effortlessly catch an attack from her, a Valkyrie. His scientific research level was incredible, capable of organizing multiple super-experiments, and his status was terrifyingly high…
On top of all that, he was also very gentle.
His appeal to girls was, frankly, frighteningly high.
It feels hard to find any flaws in the boy beside me, the girl thought.
It was a known fact that the Director was a very charming man, and the test subjects of the Artificial Herrscher experiment would have their favorability increased by a percentage due to the influence of the Twelfth Divine Key…
There would definitely be many girls, or rather, future female Herrschers, who would be interested in the Director.
And… there was only one Director.
If she didn't take the initiative while the Director was still single, she might never have the chance to be proactive later.
Clearly not wanting to become a character like a certain anonymous blonde-haired loser dog, Ana, despite her unease, had mustered her courage and tried to confess.
"I think that for something like dating, it's better to talk about it after spending more time together."
The boy, looking impossibly proper, sighed and婉言 refused her.
He wasn't rejecting Ana because he had no favorable impression of her.
Rather…
His relationships with many girls were already super ambiguous.
If he were to officially get a girlfriend, what would follow would be an infinite kitchen knife crisis.
Moreover, the "no girlfriend" Ana imagined probably meant no romantic rumors whatsoever, not being ambiguous with many girls while simply not making things official.
Once she understood the full situation, she would probably turn dark as well.
Not wanting to spend the rest of his life dodging kitchen knives, Li Zihan thought for a moment, looked at the girl beside him, and spoke.
"Without sufficient understanding, is it really a good idea to make a decision that will affect the rest of your life?"
"Dating a cute and pure girl like you, no matter the outcome, I will be the one taking advantage. But what will you do, after being taken advantage of, only to find out that we're not suitable for each other?"
The boy, whom Durandal the Dull Goose had once said looked super similar to Rita when he smiled, imitated Durandal's expression as he spoke.
The Director's three views are so upright.
The boy's righteous and noble expression and words, while he was imitating Durandal, deeply shook Ana.
Perhaps only a person with such a sense of responsibility can bear the mission of guiding humanity to tear through the darkness.
"Besides, I said I was single in this world. That doesn't mean I'm single at other times," the boy sitting next to Ana added with a light chuckle, as if trying to lighten the somewhat serious atmosphere with a joke.
"The me who seems so perfect in your eyes might just be a scumbag in some aspects."
"Director, you are definitely not a scumbag," the girl blurted out, almost instinctively.
"Of course I'm not a complete scumbag, but I am very deplorable in many ways."
Self-deprecating words came from the mouth of the boy, whose expression was relaxed.
"Alright, now."
"When it comes to whether or not I'm a scumbag in certain aspects, my say in the matter carries a lot more weight than yours, Ana, since you're just an observer."
Rarely admitting he was a scumbag, the boy smiled.
"You also don't have to worry about the experiment the day after tomorrow affecting your future emotional state. I'm going to postpone your experiment to the second batch."
"Postpone the 'Artificial Herrscher' Project?"
Hearing the boy's words, Ana was completely stunned, and her expression became hesitant.
"But… isn't that a super important project?"
The Artificial Herrscher Project was one of Schicksal's two most important projects at this stage.
"Mhm. During this time, I'll have to ask you to sort out your feelings, Ana. Don't rush into a decision because of external factors."
The boy, who really didn't want to let Ana undergo Herrscherization the day after tomorrow, smiled and said.
He still hadn't figured out which mode of Jizo Mitama combined with which mode of Fenghuang Down could turn someone into a Herrscher while ensuring they didn't become a yandere.
According to the original plan, if Ana became a Herrscher the day after tomorrow, he would be typing 'GG' amidst cheers and laughter.
Hearing Li Zihan's words, Ana fell into a long silence.
This is the Director, analyzing the situation from my perspective, hoping that I'll calm down…
He doesn't want me to let external matters interfere with my thoughts, but to question my own heart and find the answer.
He really is such a gentle person.
After a long while, she finally raised her head and looked at the boy who had tactfully rejected her.
"I understand what you mean."
Her tone was a little calmer than before, but the emotion in her pink eyes had not changed in the slightest.
The Director is even gentler than I imagined.
Even more… worthy of admiration.
"It's good that you understand."
The boy, who was counting on that speech to buy him some time to make more preparations, chuckled lightly.
"For now, let's just focus on eating."
"Mhm, I understand."
The girl with magnificent pink eyes did not immediately pick up her utensils. Instead, she continued to gaze at the boy.
"Is there something on my face?"
Feeling that Miss Ana's gaze wasn't as calm as he had imagined, the corner of the boy's mouth twitched. He asked, his tone gentle.
"Excuse me, could you take me to the area where you live?"
The girl, having gotten the reaction she wanted, had clear anticipation in her eyes.
"I'd like to live nearby for a while… to get to know you better."
Author's Note:
PS: Have I written him as too much of a scumbag?
I should probably write some plot points about him turning over a new leaf next.