Restricted Fantasy I Chapter 235: Peach

"An Le..."

In the pitch-black darkness, Yan Huan blankly opened his eyes.

Lying in the warm bedding, a trembling murmur escaped his lips.

It was not until he heard that familiar voice in the dark that Yan Huan finally broke free from the terror of turning into a snake.

Even so, the lingering images from his nightmare refused to fade, leaving a breath caught in his chest that he could not exhale for a long ti.

Instead, a single murky tear slowly slid down from the corner of his eye.

He rembered...

In the very beginning, An Le had been incredibly withdrawn.

When she was little, she had been separated from her parents for a long ti, which inflicted deep psychological trauma upon her.

She had no other friends her age in the South Ward, and she would often sit all alone at the edge of the sandy ground.

It was him who had pitied her, using a promise of becoming husband and wife to guide her out from the shadows of her isolation...

And even now, she rembered every bit of it.

Yan Huan absentmindedly exhaled the pent-up tension in his chest breath by breath, adjusting to the air saturated with moonlight.

By the bed, the previously indistinguishable statue of a woman gradually ca into clearer focus.

However, Yan Huan failed to notice this, only feeling an intense thirst parching his throat.

He had just tried to sit up when he felt a slight tug.

Turning his head, he looked down at the person in his arms.

There, curled up against his chest, An Le huddled timidly while facing him.

She did not crowd him or take up too much space. It was as if she had rely found an unobtrusive corner to curl up her body, desperately trying to absorb his body heat, even if just a little.

At this mont, she was sleeping soundly, her features completely relaxed.

Her small face, still carrying a touch of baby fat, rested amidst a ssy halo of black hair, her brows and eyes exuding a gentle softness.

For once, she was not habitually pursing her lips as she did during the day; instead, her small mouth was slightly parted as she breathed silently.

One of her hands was subconsciously clenched into a small fist, lightly tugging at his clothes, reluctant to let go.

"..."

Yan Huan studied her tranquil sleeping face for a long ti. It felt as though, in this very instant, he was finally peeling back the layers to see her true self.

Yan Huan pondered to himself:

'Myau-chan said that Modifiers stem from desire.'

'But the initially withdrawn An Le possessed no such desire.'

'It was

who pulled her out of her isolation with a long-forgotten promise...'

'And thus, I beca her desire.'

'Did the Yan Huan from back then make a mistake?'

'Not necessarily.'

'It is just...'

Yan Huan felt increasingly parched.

He wanted to get up and pour himself a glass of water, but he worried he might wake An Le, who was still gripping his shirt.

Just as he was wracking his brain for a way to make her let go, he suddenly realized her grip was not tight to begin with.

It turned out this was no restraint at all.

With just a gentle pull, she would let go.

"Mnn..."

However, the mont he shifted back slightly and slipped from An Le's grasp, her sleeping form seed to sense the loss, letting out an adorable whimper.

Soon after, the serenity that had graced her face was gradually replaced by unease.

She subconsciously reached out toward Yan Huan, but with no sensation in her hands, she only managed to grope a tiny distance before timidly pulling back...

An Le remained right where she had been in Yan Huan's arms, lacking the courage to advance yet refusing to retreat.

She rely pursed her lips and curled up even tighter, resembling a tiny ball huddled under the bedding.

"..."

Lying on his side, Yan Huan silently watched An Le's sleeping face.

After observing her for a long ti, he relented, softly whispering to the slumbering girl,

"I will be right back..."

"..."

She was fast asleep and gave no response.

But as always, Yan Huan had never once heard her refuse anything he said.

So, even if she had been awake, she likely would have just offered a well-behaved nod and said she would wait right there for him.

"..."

Yan Huan silently stood up, carefully tucking the bedding around her to prevent any chill from seeping through the corners.

Click.

On their second night, Kamizato Village was incredibly peaceful.

Beneath the moonlight, the pink peach trees transford into a woman's elegant silk skirt, dancing gracefully in the luminous glow.

Yan Huan glanced at the clock in the corridor, realizing that not much ti had actually passed.

The night was still deep.

He made a trip to the restroom and then drank several cups of warm water in succession, finally washing away the persistent dryness in his throat.

Rustle... rustle...

He rinsed his cup and stepped out of the kitchen, intending to return to his room.

Under the cover of night, he cast a look at the distant peach trees.

Only then did he notice Shen Dai Popo leaning against one of the trunks, still awake.

"Shen Dai Popo, are you not asleep yet?" he called out.

"Oh my,"

Shen Dai Popo heard Yan Huan's voice and turned her head.

"Hehe, when you get old, sleep becos scarce. Sotis I toss and turn in bed for half the night without drifting off," she chuckled.

She examined the similarly sleepless Yan Huan before her. Without saying much on the matter, she seed to recall sothing and suddenly asked,

"By the way, would you like a peach?"

"A peach?"

Standing in the courtyard, Yan Huan looked at Shen Dai Popo with confusion, unsure why she would ask such a question.

Slowly approaching her, he saw that she was holding a moderately sized peach that still looked rather immature.

Seeing the seemingly unripe fruit, Yan Huan's lips stiffened slightly.

"Is it ripe, Popo?"

"It is, it is. This tree was originally an ornantal variety, so it barely bears a few peaches a year..."

"Hiss, then it must be really sour... Are you still going to eat it, Popo?"

"How should I put this,"

Shen Dai Popo held the peach, explaining helplessly,

"A few years before my husband passed away, he and I planted this tree together. I thought he grew it just to admire the flowers, so I never bothered to taste its fruit, assuming it would be incredibly sour."

"As it turns out, I only found out right before he died that he planted this tree specifically so I could taste its peaches. He just ended up buying the wrong variety by mistake."

Listening to the elderly woman's self-deprecating story, Yan Huan could not help but smile faintly.

However, as Shen Dai Popo gazed up at the blooming peach blossoms overhead, she let out a sigh.

"It's just that sotis I wonder, if this tree had a soul, would it bla ?"

"Bla you?"

"Yes. I planted it only to admire its beautiful flowers. It exhausted all its strength to produce these fruits, yet I spurned them and never gave them a single taste..."

Watching the remorseful elder before him, Yan Huan suddenly realized that her true regret was not over the peach tree, but her late husband.

After all, one could choose not to look at a peach tree's blossoms or eat its fruits.

But the fruits born of human emotion were entirely different...

As Yan Huan mulled this over, his expression abruptly froze.

He blankly raised his eyes toward the peach tree blooming in the night breeze, his gaze inevitably falling back onto the immature fruit in Shen Dai Popo's hands.

"..."

He remained silent for a long while, neither speaking nor looking away.

"What is wrong, young man?"

Yan Huan lowered his gaze and forced a faint smile.

"...It's nothing. I just suddenly thought that this peach tree is very beautiful, much like my... girlfriend."

"Is that so? She truly is a very lovely and beautiful child..."

Shen Dai Popo chuckled, but then she suddenly rembered sothing and reminded Yan Huan,

"By the way, young man, I forgot to ntion sothing to you today."

"Oh? Please go ahead."

"Today, while you were up the mountain playing with Aoi Ka and Kazuya, I saw a news broadcast on television."

As she spoke, Shen Dai Popo pulled out a tiny paper slip from her pocket, which seed to have a Sakura Country phone number jotted on it.

"The television broadcasted a rewarded missing persons notice for the two of you. The photos and information were a perfect match, and they left a contact number."

"It must be soone very powerful looking for you. A lot of television stations were airing it simultaneously..."

Yan Huan glanced at the paper slip held in Shen Dai Popo's wrinkled hand. There was a phone number written on it, followed by the contact person's title:

"Miss Sakuramiya."

With just one look, Yan Huan knew exactly who was searching for them.

"The person looking for you is incredibly resourceful. Today, even Tokyo TV rebroadcast this missing persons notice multiple tis, let alone the other television stations..."

"I figured, if you called her and let her know you are here, the town's seven-day process might just be solved by tomorrow..."

"That way, you might be able to leave tomorrow."

Yan Huan stared at the paper slip in Popo's hand, remaining silent for a long ti.

"..."

Only after quite a while did he gently reach out his hand...

But instead of taking the paper slip, he took the peach clutched in Popo's other hand.

Seeing the young man accept the peach, Shen Dai Popo was slightly taken aback.

"Thank you for the peach, Popo,"

Yan Huan ultimately said with a warm smile as he held the fruit.

"...Hehe, it is no trouble at all."

Looking at the youth holding the peach, Shen Dai Popo seed to understand his choice.

Shortly after, she shook her head and quietly put the paper slip away.

"Then good night, young man. I will sit here for a little while longer."

"Alright. Good night, Popo." Yan Huan nodded, turning around to head back to the room he shared with An Le.

Under the moonlight, he looked down at the slightly fuzzy peach in his hand.

Then, he opened his mouth and, without a mont of hesitation, took a bite into the peach's flesh.

Squish!

Instantly, the juices bursting from the peach's flesh splashed inside his mouth, dancing upon the tip of his tongue.

"..."

To Yan Huan's surprise—

It was sweet.

Chirp... chirp...

In the early morning, unknown birds perched on the branches of the peach trees in the shrine's courtyard.

Amidst the early spring pinks, they looked like leaping specks of vibrant green.

An Le was roused by the sound, her eyelashes fluttering like butterfly wings as she awakened from a wonderful dream she had been reluctant to leave.

It had been many days since she last slept this soundly.

Although she had lost all sensation in her limbs, the soul-piercing pain of her severed tentacles often lingered in her dreams, frequently causing her to suffer nightmares.

She dreamt of either being devoured by the tentacles or completely losing all her senses...

Becoming like a vegetable, completely oblivious no matter how much her Mama, Father, or Xiao Huan called out to her.

Yet for so reason, she had slept peacefully last night, enjoying a full night's rest for the first ti in ages.

"Mnn..."

She even managed an adorable whine as she stretched her body lazily.

She rubbed the corners of her eyes, wiping away the drowsiness.

Upon opening her eyes, she imdiately saw Xiao Huan, who was still soundly asleep and wrapping his arms around her, directly facing her.

His face was incredibly handso, especially while he slept.

It made one tempted to steal a kiss.

"Eh?"

Only at this mont did An Le suddenly recall that she had actually slept with Xiao Huan last night...

Her complexion instantly flushed slightly, and her heart began to race wildly.

However, her body remained utterly motionless, as if she were terrified the slightest movent might wake Yan Huan.

In doing so, she hoped to prolong the beauty of this mont, even if only for another minute or second.

Blinking rapidly, she closely inspected every detail of Yan Huan from up close.

His brows, lips, Adam's apple, collarbones, and...

Eh, eh?

So it is actually true. Boys really do get that way unconsciously in the morning...

An Le's face grew flushed as she remained stock-still, yet her bright and sparkling eyes misbehaved, subconsciously peeking under the bedding.

Does that not an that when Xiao Huan is asleep in the morning, I can also...

As long as I adjust myself to 'automatic gear'?

"..."

No, no, no... what... what are you thinking, An Le...

An Le was speechless at herself. She wished she could delete her own mory and flush out all this useless dirty refuse from her mind.

Just like how it is now...

This is perfect just the way it is.

Bang, bang, bang!

"Big brother, Big Sister!! Ti to wake up!!"

Just as An Le was smiling and savoring this tranquil mont, a frantic knocking abruptly rang out from outside the room, causing her expression to change instantly.

You...

You two! Honestly!!

An Le resentfully clenched her fists, but she had never been good at blaming others. She could only helplessly look back at Xiao Huan in front of her.

She saw him tiredly open his eyes. Seeing An Le, he couldn't help but smile faintly.

"Morning, An Le."

"Ah, m-morning, Xiao Huan..."

With a slightly flushed face, An Le clutched her chest and sat up slightly, turning to the door as she replied,

"W-we are getting up right now! You guys go wash up first..."

"Oh, got it! Let's go, Kazuya!"

"Ah..."

These two little brats were truly bursting with energy.

Yan Huan also rubbed his head and sat up, looking at An Le sitting beside him bare-legged with her hands covering her chest.

He narrowed his eyes and gently reached out to touch An Le's arm.

This ti, An Le saw him do it, so she imdiately reacted,

"What is it, Xiao Huan?"

Yan Huan observed her delayed reaction, then softly opened his arms and smiled at her,

"A good morning hug."

"Eh?"

"What is wrong? A morning hug between a boyfriend and girlfriend is perfectly normal."

'So Xiao Huan is the kind of boyfriend who does things like this?!'

'Then...'

'That makes

so happy.'

"Y-yes!"

An Le pursed her lips, and looking completely overwheld by favor, she shyly reached out her arms toward Yan Huan.

Yan Huan pulled her into an embrace, locking her tightly in his arms.

However, during the hug, his hands began wandering restlessly, quickly feeling across her body.

Arms...

No reaction.

Legs...

No reaction.

The more he probed, the deeper Yan Huan's brows furrowed.

Because he realized that her limbs exhibited absolutely no reaction to his touch.

It was only when his hand reached her back that An Le, held closely in his arms, shivered slightly.

"That tickles... Xiao Huan..."

'She has lost all sensation in her limbs, leaving only her torso with feeling?'

'Moreover, her torso is also gradually...'

Yan Huan noticed that the closer he got to her extremities, the duller her reactions beca.

He was not sure if it was just an illusion, but her responses were only distinct when he touched areas close to her heart and head.

Yan Huan narrowed his eyes, then finally released An Le. Stepping back a little, he smiled and said,

"Sorry, it is just because you are far too cute."

"Eh?"

An Le blushed, embarrassedly clutching her chest as she said,

"A-as long as Xiao Huan l-likes it..."

"..."

Yan Huan offered a helpless smile, but a phantom line of text flashed across his vision.

It was an item that had appeared when he refreshed the Demon's Shop last night, sothing he had simply committed to mory.

He had lain in bed and refreshed the list several tis in a row. As expected, his persistence paid off, and it had appeared right before him.

[Crab dicine * 0.5]

[Single-use consumable. Once a complete dose is ingested, the dicine will provide the following effects:]

[1. Eliminate all curses afflicting the body]

[2. Eradicate all side effects caused by using a Modifier (Modifier progress resets to zero)]

[3. Restore the body to full health]

[Price: Within 2 hours, without being influenced by any Modifier-related factors, initiate a one-minute French kiss with every other Modifier Host consecutively, excluding An Le]

[Consent from the target must be obtained prior to the kiss; forceful kissing is strictly prohibited]

[Additionally, seducing the target into initiating the kiss will not count towards completion]

Looking at the illusory interface floating before him, Yan Huan could not help but swallow a mouthful of saliva.

The good news: he finally had a way to save An Le from her dire straits.

The bad news: he was probably about to plunge himself right into a living hell.

"Xiao Huan, what is wrong?"

However, seeing An Le gazing at him with her tilted head right now, Yan Huan could not help but sigh, followed quickly by a smile.

He was not wearing his mask. Instead, he simply stood up, grabbed An Le's wrist, and declared,

"It's nothing. Co on, let's both go wash up."

"Ah, okay..."

Staring at her captured wrist—even though she felt absolutely nothing there—An Le's heart still steadily picked up its pace as a rush of warmth flooded her chest.

Consequently, she pursed her lips into a smile and stood up as well. She got out of bed with Yan Huan, changed her clothes, and followed him out the door into the quiet village.

"ow~"

Off to the side, the phantom-like Myau-chan sat elegantly on the edge of the bed and let out a massive yawn.

He stretched lazily, clawing at the tatami mat floor before using a paw to wash his feline face.

With a flick of his tail, he suddenly sensed sothing.

Turning his head, he glanced toward a corner beside the bed.

Resting there was a statue of Moonlight Bodhisattva, its previously blurry facial features now distinctly clear.

On the bottom of that Bodhisattva statue, a line of small, illegible characters had been crookedly carved:

"Yan Huan and An Le"

Perhaps, during their parting in the South Ward, Yan Huan was not the only one to gift a bookmark to An Le as a nto.

That young girl had also presented him with a divine statue she believed would answer all prayers.

Hoping that through the power of gods and buddhas, it would bless them and allow them to reunite one day.

It was just that...

Unlike An Le, Yan Huan had not carved anything like "together forever" onto the bottom text.

Furthermore, when he moved out of the orphanage, this statue had sohow gone missing.

That was exactly why he had found this faceless statue so familiar.

"ow..."

Myau-chan sighed with a touch of pity. Just as he was about to shake his tail and turn around to chase after Yan Huan and An Le, who were walking farther away outside...

At that very mont, he abruptly caught a glimpse of sothing.

Sitting right beside the statue was a single peach pit, stripped completely clean of its flesh.

Myau-chan stared at the peach pit for a long ti before finally breaking into a lively jog out the door.

In a room outside, a television set was repeatedly broadcasting a news report:

"It is reported that two high school students from Linn, Yan Huan and An Le, are currently missing."

"Citizens with any relevant information are urged to imdiately call the following number: Miss Sakuramiya, 0081..."