Ye Feng hugged Aponia from behind, pressing almost the entire weight of his body against her.
"Of course I'm pleased with myself," Ye Feng said. "To be able to resolve the turmoil in your heart and let you feel true pleasure."
Aponia always wore an expression of compassion and sorrow for the world, but over these past few days, Ye Feng had seen all sorts of different expressions from her.
Aponia grasped Ye Feng's hand and sighed softly. "I am truly an unworthy person."
"It doesn't matter. No matter what kind of person Aponia is, I will always be by your side."
Ye Feng's breath ghosted across Aponia's neck. Her snow-white, delicate skin took on a faint blush.
As if intoxicated, her expression grew languid, and a unique,幽香 (yōuxiāng) - deep, elegant fragrance, emanated from her, hazy like a butterfly fluttering into a dream.
Ye Feng's words, Ye Feng's touch, were like some kind of magic potion. With just a light brush, Aponia could feel her body grow hot once more...
...
...
The two of them were as thick as thieves every day.
Aponia had also completely let down all her defenses.
After all, Ye Feng had already seen her in her most humiliating state. What else was there to hide?
With Ye Feng, Aponia had found a fleeting moment of peace and salvation.
"However, Aponia, you haven't 'succumbed'," Ye Feng said. "You've just come to understand your own heart more clearly. Saving the world is your wish, but 'attaining your own happiness' is also the most primitive desire hidden in everyone's heart."
"So, this isn't anything to be ashamed of, nor do you need to blame yourself for it. What do you think?"
Aponia, who was kneeling in prayer, lifted her head and shot Ye Feng a look.
—Could you please take the thing out of my mouth before asking me to answer a question?
◇
The simulation finally came to an end.
After all, Ye Feng couldn't stay in the simulated world forever.
There was a much wider world outside, waiting for him to explore.
At the same time, due to the different flow of time, Ye Feng couldn't just leave Aponia alone in the simulation.
The time it took to "tutor" Kiana once outside was equivalent to several years inside the Simulator.
Although he could adjust the time flow of the Simulator, there was no need.
Ye Feng had already become Aponia's "harbor."
"Good night, Aponia."
"See you tomorrow, Little Feng."
Aponia closed her eyes here, and opened them in the Elysian Realm.
In the sanctuary suspended amidst the clouds, the nun stood gracefully.
Aponia placed her hands on her chest, where she could still feel a faint sensation of fullness.
"Little Feng..."
Aponia's gaze flickered between dazed and clear.
Those eighteen years in that world were, to her, a daily life she had truly lived, an absolutely real memory.
And yet, Aponia still felt a sense of unreality.
"Am I Zhuang Zhou dreaming I am a butterfly, or the butterfly dreaming it is Zhuang Zhou...?"
It no longer mattered.
She gazed out at the [Elysian Realm], and as if she had "foreseen" something, her pupils contracted slightly.
---o---
As one flower blooms on two branches, we now turn to the other.
In the Valkyrie cafeteria, Ye Feng picked up a steaming hot mantou.
Fresh from the steamer, the bun was too large to be held in one hand, so Ye Feng held it with both.
Kiana looked down at herself, then at the food in Ye Feng's hands, and felt a little awkward.
"If you have something to say, just say it."
"Huh? Say what?"
Then, Ye Feng noticed Kiana's line of sight, and he looked up in surprise. "Tuna! My dear Tuna, you've finally gotten enlightened! Mmm, we really do have the compatibility of a married couple, to even make the same connection."
Just a moment ago, Ye Feng had indeed been reminiscing about Aponia's nutritional meals and had been a bit distracted.
To think Kiana could see through him with a single glance.
"Sigh, your body may be pure as jade, but your mind has already degenerated to the level of a 30-year-old single otaku."
"Who's your Tuna! And my name is Kiana!"
The Tuna still hadn't given up on correcting Ye Feng's nickname for her.
It was clear she was a girl with great perseverance.
She snatched the mantou from Ye Feng's hand—this girl actually had the guts to snatch food from the tiger's mouth—and took a bite.
So good!
Mantou is this delicious?
She had never tried it before.
Kiana finally got back to the point. "You interrupted me, I almost forgot. Great-Auntie asked me to give you a message. She said she wants to come in too."
"?"
Ye Feng froze for a moment, then the corners of his mouth curved up slightly. "My good Tuna, you'd even relay a message like that?"
"I tried my best to talk her out of it. But Great-Auntie is stubborn and insisted on seeing 'this mysterious domain' for herself. What else could I say? That if she came in, she'd get bent over by you?"
There was no way she could say something like that out loud!
Otherwise, if Theresa were to ask in return, "How would you know that?", Kiana would want to find a hole to crawl into.
"However, I don't know how to pull people in. I've tried before, but it always failed."
"Is that so."
Kiana let out a sigh of relief.
It was unclear if she was relieved that her own reputation was safe, or if she was lamenting that her Great-Auntie's chastity had been preserved.
"So, you're saying there's no way?" Kiana confirmed again.
"Currently, I really don't know of any way."
"That's good."
Otherwise, if he managed to pull Mei in, the Tuna would really start crying.
"Question time is over, Tuna. Now, change into these clothes."
「Flamescion Swimsuit Skin」
It came with cat ears, too.
Not only that, but Ye Feng had also added a cat tail.
The set of clothes was neatly folded and placed beside Kiana.
"Why aren't you 'changing my outfit' for me?"
"I want to watch you change into it yourself."
"You have such a twisted sense of humor."
"Mmm, that look of disgust on your face is wonderful, Tuna."
"..."
Kiana's face returned to a cold mask. She was not his "seasoning"!
"Let's go to the dorm."
"No."
Kiana stiffened slightly. "You're not going to make me change here, are you?"
"This time, we're going to Theresa's office. Didn't she want to come in? She can get used to it in advance."
"..."
See? This guy's sense of humor was just plain twisted!
The two arrived at the office, which happened to be empty at the moment.
It was only then that Kiana realized something. To change into the cat swimsuit, she had to take off her current clothes first... Was she supposed to undress in front of him?
She could clearly feel the subtle difference between "wearing clothes in front of someone" and "undressing in front of someone."
But she was already here. One had to be true to their word.
Especially a Knight of the Kaslana house!
Ye Feng sat in Theresa's office chair, appreciating the Tuna's graceful movements.
"No matter what a beautiful girl does, it's always pleasing to the eye."
"Hmph, it's not like I'm doing it for you to watch. I'm just fulfilling my promise."
"Yes, yes. Well then, Kiana, this time it's your turn to get on top."
"..."
As if riding a horse, the Tuna skillfully straddled Ye Feng's lap.
"Hm?"
"What is it?"
Ye Feng looked toward the slightly ajar office door, an irrepressible smile in his eyes.
"One piece of good news, and one piece of bad news... although for me, they're both good news. Which do you want to hear first?"
"The bad news," the Tuna said without hesitation, her arms wrapped around Ye Feng's neck.
"I see. So the Tuna is the type to 'save her favorite food for last.' The bad news is, Mei is here. She'll reach the office in about five seconds."
Her bouncing ponytail went still. Kiana's entire body froze.
Her pupils were filled with shock and disbelief, along with a trace of fear and panic.
"Eh? Mei...?"
Translator's Notes:
Zhuang Zhou dreaming of a butterfly (周庄梦蝶 / Zhōu Zhuāng mèng dié): A famous philosophical anecdote from the ancient Chinese text Zhuangzi. It questions the nature of reality and consciousness.
As one flower blooms on two branches... (花开两头,各表一枝 / huā kāi liǎng tóu, gè biǎo yī zhī): A classic phrase from traditional Chinese vernacular storytelling used to transition between two different plotlines or character perspectives.
Great-Auntie (大姨妈 / dà yí mā): Kiana's nickname for Theresa. It literally means "maternal great-aunt," and is a teasing way to refer to an older female figure.