[Battle Defeat~]
When those words appeared, Yan Huan's field of vision was once again stripped away from the dark perspective of Ye Shiyu gripping his shoulders, returning to a god's-eye view.
Imdiately after, he watched as the scene representing the bad ending continued to flow, accompanied by introductory text identical to before appearing to the side.
[As you descend into madness amidst terror that leaves you terrified beyond asure, the you in reality rely sits with vacant eyes, leaning against the restaurant chair behind you like a doll.]
[Before your eyes, Ye Shiyu continues to hold your hand, staring straight at you.]
["Xiao Huan, do you like ?"]
["I don't."]
[t with your words, Ye Shiyu's expressionless face stiffens slightly.]
[Soon after, her expressionless face suddenly turns exceptionally cold, and even her eyes once again shift into a terrifying deep purple.]
["It seems Xiao Huan's true thoughts aren't necessarily that pleasant to hear... But, at least Xiao Huan told the truth this ti..."]
["It doesn't matter, Xiao Huan... People's thoughts change. Sooner or later, Xiao Huan's true thoughts will beco ones that like ..."]
[The current you no longer possesses the ability to tell lies; you have completely laid bare your thoughts to her.]
[Including your feelings for her...]
["Xiao Huan, you seem to have so reaction to my Hypnosis. Why?"]
[And also including everything you know about the Modifiers.]
["..."]
[Listening to your recount of the Modifiers, listening to how you have known about her actions all along, the coldness on Ye Shiyu's face thickens, and an imnse sense of oppression instantly sweeps over.]
[You can feel the Modifier on her rapidly expanding along with her Desire.]
[Until the next second, she takes a long breath, then tremblingly reaches out her hand toward you.]
["Xiao Huan... does anyone else know about this?"]
[You still answer with the truth.]
[...]
[...]
[On that day, the existence nad "Yan Huan" suddenly vanished without a trace, and no one knows where you went.]
[But this world is so large that missing one person's figure ans nothing at all. Perhaps those close to you will be heartbroken, but as ti passes, the world will sooner or later forget your existence.]
[But do not worry. Heaven and Earth are inhumane, treating all beings as straw dogs.]
[Very soon, when the download volu of Yezi AI reaches its peak, and scrolling displays of Yezi AI float even above the skies of the most impoverished continents...]
[The world will forget everyone's existence, returning to silence.]
[...]
[...]
[Battle Defeat CG Unlocked]
[Ending E: Being Too Clever for One's Own Good]
[You should tell fewer lies, young man.]
[Especially when soone asks a question already knowing the answer.]
[Especially when soone can constantly keep surveillance on your Goodwill System.]
[Especially when in front of Ye Shiyu.]
[GA OVER]
[Return to save point?]
"Hah!!"
The scene of the Battle Defeat CG suddenly shattered, refocusing before Yan Huan's eyes and making him feel as if he had just returned from a suffocating hell.
Right before him, Ye Shiyu's ice-cold hand still rested on the back of his hand.
He had returned to the mont Ye Shiyu held his hand and asked her question!
Yan Huan's eyes trembled slightly, and the muscles in his body tensed up considerably along with them.
As his senses refocused, he realized that his body temperature had long since grown icy cold.
"Gulp..."
'No way...'
'This is way too terrifying!'
Honestly, when Ye Shiyu saw right through Yan Huan's Perfect Expression Managent from inches away in the Battle Defeat CG, he genuinely wanted to call the police.
'Isn't this literally using a hack?!'
'And a Goodwill System?!'
'Could it be that the esteed Lady Ye Shiyu is the true female lead of this galga?!'
And that wasn't even the most terrifying part...
The most terrifying part was:
This was Yan Huan's last chance to trigger a Battle Defeat CG.
After this, if he didn't manage to make Ye Shiyu drop a Fragnt...
The fate shown in the CG would likely fall upon his own head in Reality!
'The pressure is insane...'
"..."
However, aside from the imrsive terror, Yan Huan couldn't help but feel puzzled as he recalled the details from just now.
The final scene of the Battle Defeat CG was clearly produced after he had been put under Hypnosis, but...
'Didn't I activate the Mask of Perfect Poise and successfully pull off a Counter-Parry?!'
Logically speaking, he should have maintained his Resistance to the Modifier's effects. How was he still hypnotized?
'Could it be that in the Battle Defeat CG, I was already under Hypnosis when I executed the Counter-Parry?'
'Was the so-called Counter-Parry just an illusion I created while running away within the hypnotic dreamscape?'
"What's wrong, ow, Yan Huan?!"
At that mont, Myau-chan's concerned voice sounded from the side, making Yan Huan suddenly freeze.
He turned his head to look at the green, plump Myau-chan on his shoulder, his eyes widening abruptly.
"Could it be that you triggered a Battle Defeat CG again, ow?!"
"Yeah."
"ow?"
"Huh? Wait a second..."
Yan Huan subconsciously nodded, but a second later, he suddenly realized a blind spot.
He hurriedly glanced at the ti on his phone, and then he realized:
The triggering of a Battle Defeat CG happened in the blink of an eye.
In other words, less than a second had passed in reality.
The problem was, even with an anomaly lasting less than a second, Myau-chan could detect it and appear to ask about it.
So why couldn't he see Myau-chan's figure in the Battle Defeat CGs?
Thinking about it carefully, Yan Huan hadn't seen Myau-chan in a single Battle Defeat CG, as if it didn't even exist.
Honestly, Yan Huan actually really wanted to see what kind of regretful expression this useless fat cat would show during a bad ending.
But it had never happened.
'Could it be because Myau-chan is a Deity, the Battle Defeat CG can't display its image?'
Both doubts had plausible explanations, but neither felt entirely certain, leaving Yan Huan montarily unable to make up his mind.
"Xiao Huan, I just want to know if you like ..."
"I an between a man and a woman, not toward an older sister... Even if it's just a little bit."
However, the very next second, Ye Shiyu, completely unaware of the intense internal conflict in Yan Huan's mind, spoke so softly, uttering the exact sa words as she did in the Battle Defeat CG.
'Here it cos!'
Yan Huan's heart instantly tightened. He looked at Ye Shiyu, who was tilting her head and seemingly asking earnestly, as if facing a formidable enemy.
According to the hints in the Battle Defeat CG, Ye Shiyu highly likely had an X-ray Hack.
Therefore, she knew he was lying.
If he said "I like you," she would use her Hypnosis on him, leading to a bad ending.
'Then...'
'What if I told her the truth?'
"..."
Yan Huan's eyes trembled slightly as he looked at the usual Ye Shiyu before him.
Now, he was out of Battle Defeat CG uses, so it was impossible to know her reaction if he told the truth.
But his instinct told Yan Huan that answering like that would also result in getting hit with Hypnosis and triggering a bad ending.
'This...'
'Choose one of two, and both choices lead to death?!'
Having reached this life or death mont of choice, Yan Huan remained silent, raising his eyes to look at Ye Shiyu.
Because they had spent so much ti together, Yan Huan could actually read her gaze to so extent.
At this mont, her eyes reflected Yan Huan's figure, carrying a faint trace of...
Unease? Sincerity?
It seed like she genuinely just wanted an answer, nothing more.
This look was identical to Ye Shiyu's right before she turned hostile in the Battle Defeat CG...
"Xiao Huan..."
Seeing Yan Huan not answering for a long ti, Ye Shiyu spoke again.
"Ah?"
"Xiao Huan, you... just tell
your true thoughts... It's okay."
As she said this, she pursed her lips.
"..."
'Don't panic, I still have a backup plan!'
Because of what happened with Sakuramiya Hitomi, he had vowed never to use this ability again...
The Devil's Mind-Reading!!
Previously, he had received a reward that guaranteed all three statents would be 100% true!
With this, he should be able to save his life, right?
"Hehehe..."
As Yan Huan stared directly into Ye Shiyu's eyes, an illusory demonic laughter suddenly echoed.
Soon after, the demon leaned close to Yan Huan's ear, its voice beginning to twist and distort bit by bit...
Until it transford into a voice identical to Ye Shiyu's.
"Deceit... Hypnosis..."
"Sakuramiya Hitomi... Aruiya... An Le..."
"Bai Yi... trash..."
Three sentences. All of them were intermittent and indistinct.
'What the heck...'
'Have you been hypnotized too, demon?!'
The only sowhat useful one might be the first sentence...
'If Xiao Huan continues to lie, then I will use Hypnosis on him.'
Yan Huan guessed the implied aning.
When this question popped into Yan Huan's mind, the demon's voice beside him shifted slightly in helplessness, turning into Yan Huan's own voice.
"Perhaps because of the Modifier's side effect, her inner voice is so faint that it can't be heard at all."
"..."
Hearing this, Yan Huan was rendered speechless, but then he rembered the description of the Devil's Mind-Reading:
[Devil's Mind-Reading]
[Three tis a week, by staring directly into the eyes of soone of the opposite gender and silently reciting their na three tis, a demon will listen to their thoughts and relay the three most restless inner voices in their heart at this mont.]
'Fine.'
The chanics were perfectly clear.
Having failed to get the answer he wanted, Yan Huan silently slapped the demon with the sa "Boiling Fog" label of uselessness he used for Myau-chan.
This way, he could only rely on his experience and intuition to make a judgnt.
Based on his impression of Ye Shiyu, choosing Option A "Lie and say I like her" or Option B "Tell the truth and say I don't like her" would both lead to Hypnosis. Therefore, he absolutely had to pull off a maneuver to avoid the bad ending.
'But...'
Yan Huan suddenly thought back to when he ran into Ye Shiyu while heading to the Principal's Office earlier.
At that ti, he also suspected Ye Shiyu would use a zero-fra activation Hypnosis on him. In the end, she didn't.
"..."
Hesitating for a second, Yan Huan still didn't dare to gamble. Or rather...
He didn't dare to trust Ye Shiyu.
The audio from the Battle Defeat CG still echoed in his ears.
If he truly perished, there would be no regret dicine to take.
Thinking of this, Yan Huan once again put on the Mask of Perfect Poise.
Outwardly, he paused slightly and murmured,
"Sister Shiyu, honestly... I don't know either."
"You don't know?"
"Yeah... I don't know if I view you as an older sister, or soone of the opposite gender, or perhaps both? Furthermore, it's not just that I don't know what I think; I feel that even you yourself don't know what you think of , Sister Shiyu."
"?"
"Mhm... Sister Shiyu, since we've already gotten to this point, I might as well be perfectly frank with you."
Yan Huan took a deep breath, looking rather nervous as he withdrew his hand from Ye Shiyu's grasp.
Imdiately after, he looked at Ye Shiyu and continued,
"Sotis, I can feel the charm radiating from you that attracts
as the opposite gender. But more often than not, what I feel from you is your affection for family..."
Hearing this, Ye Shiyu paused slightly.
"Affection for family? But..."
"Yes. Sister Shiyu, do you rember when Aunt Ye first brought
ho? Back then, you were worried I would steal Aunt Ye away, so you treated
coldly."
"...I'm very sorry about that, Xiao Huan. But now, I've turned over a new leaf. I won't act like that anymore."
However, Yan Huan shook his head.
"I don't an to bla you, Sister Shiyu. But... perhaps you haven't actually turned over a new leaf. At least, not toward others."
"...What do you an?"
"Sister Shiyu, haven't you realized that your current feelings for
are just like how you felt about Aunt Ye back then?"
"..."
Yan Huan smiled helplessly and intertwined his fingers.
"Although I've never ntioned this to you before, Sister Shiyu, I can actually feel it:
"Whether it's male or female friends I know around , you treat all of them coldly, Sister Shiyu.
"Isn't that exactly like how you were afraid I would steal Aunt Ye away? Now you're afraid they'll steal
away?
"Perhaps because you and Aunt Ye are mother and daughter, no one could replace the bond between you two, so Aunt Ye could accept it.
"But between lovers, I feel that's not right."
Hearing this, Ye Shiyu's pupils slowly contracted, but Yan Huan suddenly lowered his head and gently took hold of Ye Shiyu's hand again.
Only upon feeling Yan Huan's body temperature did the changes in her eyes gradually subside.
"I didn't..."
"Then why did you transfer away all the opposite gender mbers in the departnt, Sister Shiyu?"
"..."
Ye Shiyu was instantly struck speechless, but Yan Huan gave a helpless smile.
"Sister Xiaoting was transferred right in front of . Did you really think I couldn't guess you were the one who did it, Sister Shiyu?"
"..."
Ye Shiyu fell silent, but Yan Huan showed no intention of blaming her. Then, she heard him continue.
"But, Sister Shiyu, whether you believe it or not, back when you gave
flowers, or when we went to the manga shop together...
"At those tis, my heart really did skip a beat for you.
"It's just that every ti my heart fluttered, I would occasionally notice your attitude of treating
like a family possession, which cooled my heart back down...
"Especially when contrasted with the affections of other opposite genders placed before , I genuinely felt increasingly lost.
"Sister Shiyu, are your feelings for
truly those toward the opposite gender? And not toward a family mber, or a possession of so sort..."
The question had been thrown right back at her.
Hearing this, Ye Shiyu's lips parted slightly.
Yan Huan could even feel her grip on his hand tightening a bit.
"...That's not it, Xiao Huan."
However, before she could finish, Yan Huan similarly squeezed her hand tightly, then looked into her eyes.
"I believe you, Sister Shiyu.
"But what about you? Do you believe the feelings I just described?
"Everything I said is true. I really have felt that way about you, Sister Shiyu, I just feel lost.
"Sotis my heart might be racing one second, only to be doused with the cold water of this confusion the next.
"So, Sister Shiyu, can you give
so ti? Just like you said, let
carefully... think it over."
t with Yan Huan's absolutely flawless expression, Ye Shiyu pursed her lips and suddenly fell silent.
From the corner of her eye, she glanced at the mobile phone held in her other hand beneath the table.
[Detected Yan Huan's affection value towards you is: 1%]
[Only when this value reaches 50% can you claim the reward.]
Looking at the value that still hadn't changed at all, Ye Shiyu pursed her lips.
Amidst her hesitation, she felt Yan Huan pull her hand a bit tighter.
"Sister Shiyu, don't you believe ?"
"..."
Gazing at the sowhat sorrowful look in the young man's eyes before her, Ye Shiyu's breath caught slightly.
Crack
An illusory sound of shattering suddenly echoed.
"A Fragnt, ow! It's the sound of a Fragnt, ow!! Keep going, Yan Huan, keep it up! She might drop a Fragnt, ow!!"
"..."
Ignoring Myau-chan's voice on his shoulder, Yan Huan simply continued looking at Ye Shiyu without speaking further.
eting his gaze, Ye Shiyu suddenly felt deeply ashad.
Speaking of which, wasn't the reason she suddenly asked Xiao Huan this because she felt uneasy, wanted to confirm his true thoughts, and didn't want him to continue lying to her?
Now that she had clearly gotten an answer, why was she doubting it again?
She should trust Xiao Huan.
Otherwise, she shouldn't have asked in the first place.
She should have just stuck to the original plan: not exposing Xiao Huan's lies and slowly using Yezi AI in secret to supervise him until he turned over a new leaf.
"Xiao Huan, I... I believe you. I'll wait for you..."
Ye Shiyu finally said, and a happy expression finally appeared on Xiao Huan's face.
"That's wonderful, Sister Shiyu."
And thus, this lunch without any idol showing up concluded peacefully.
Ye Shiyu no longer ntioned suspecting Xiao Huan, nor did she continue to blindly trust the affection value from Yezi AI on her mobile phone.
She stopped using Hypnosis, and instead rely continued striving to turn over a new leaf, fully displaying her "opposite gender" side so that Yan Huan could think clearly:
That she viewed Xiao Huan as soone of the opposite gender, not as a family possession.
Aside from that, she just waited patiently.
She waited until sumr vacation ended and they returned to school; Xiao Huan still had no answer.
She waited until graduation. Whether they went on to higher education or stepped into society, Xiao Huan still had no answer.
Until one day, Ye Shiyu learned from a classmate that Xiao Huan was secretly holding a wedding:
"What? Student Ye, you didn't know about President Yan's wedding?"
"...With... with whom? With ?"
Ye Shiyu asked in confusion, still thinking it might be a proposal ceremony Xiao Huan had secretly prepared.
However, the mont those words left her mouth, the classmate who heard them almost couldn't hold back a laugh.
"Pfft—"
"Sorry, sorry, Senior Student Ye. But... uh, it's with Vice-President Sakuramiya."
'What?'
'Sakuramiya?'
Ye Shiyu couldn't believe it. Looking thoroughly devastated, she hurriedly went to find her mother.
However, her mother seed to have known about this for a long ti but simply hadn't told her.
"Shiyu, I told you long ago, as long as Xiao Huan is willing and you don't force it, I will agree to it... But clearly, even though you stopped forcing him, Xiao Huan wasn't willing... So... I'm sorry, Shiyu."
'What kind of joke is this?'
'Why?'
'Why did he lie to ...'
Ye Shiyu's eyes widened, instantly feeling an overwhelming sense of betrayal.
She imdiately ran to the entrance of Xiao Huan's ho, knocking on the door to find him.
Bang, bang, bang!!
"Xiao Huan, open the door!!"
"Xiao Huan!!"
After she knocked for a long ti, Xiao Huan finally walked out, looking sowhat irritated.
Seeing that it was her, he paused slightly, then lowered his eyes.
"Hitomi is pregnant. She just fell asleep, so keep your voice down, Sister Shiyu..."
"..."
Ye Shiyu's eyes widened, staring blankly at Yan Huan, who was now soone else's husband.
She grabbed Yan Huan's collar and demanded an answer,
"Xiao Huan... Didn't you say you had feelings for
and needed to think it over? Why did you suddenly... suddenly marry Sakuramiya Hitomi?!"
Getting annoyed by her pulling, Yan Huan gritted his teeth, roughly shoved her away, and shouted angrily,
"I lied to you! Okay?! I never had any feelings for you! Are you satisfied now?!"
Ye Shiyu didn't resist. She just slumped to the ground blankly, looking at the Yan Huan before her, who was gritting his teeth with a look full of disgust.
"..."
But a second later, looking down at Ye Shiyu sitting on the ground, Yan Huan suddenly paused.
Soon after, he swallowed a mouthful of saliva, crouched down, and said softly,
"Saying that might not be entirely true, Sister Shiyu... Actually, I still have Desire for you..."
"Desire?"
Ye Shiyu didn't understand what he ant, but Yan Huan gently reached out and tugged at her collar, which had been pulled open during the struggle.
Beneath it lay Ye Shiyu's fair collarbone.
After that, Yan Huan placed his hand on Ye Shiyu's thigh.
"Yeah... Sister Shiyu, if you want, I can co find you later...
"It just so happens that Hitomi is pregnant and already in poor health, and I'm getting a bit bored of playing with An Le lately...
"We can secretly be together like this forever, wouldn't that be nice?
"What do you say, Sister Shiyu?"
[Battle Defeat~]
[...]
[Battle Defeat CG Unlocked]
[Ending B: Lover]
[The price of trusting others is always so heavy. Only certainties are safe.]
[In truth, from the very beginning to the end, he has never truly looked at you.]
[Of course, perhaps when his lust acts up and he has nowhere else to vent, you will serve as a backup option.]
[GA OVER]
[Return to save point?]
The next second, as Ye Shiyu's eyes slowly ca into focus, the illusory sound of dropping a Fragnt from her body ca to an abrupt halt.
"ow?"
Seeing this, Myau-chan paused slightly, but Yan Huan revealed absolutely no flaws in his composure.
"Xiao Huan..."
Right after, Ye Shiyu, whose back was drenched in cold sweat, suddenly spoke so softly.
"Hmm?"
Yan Huan blinked and raised his eyes to look at Ye Shiyu before him.
However, what t his gaze were her eyes, completely turned purple out of a desire for absolute certainty...
It was Hypnosis!!
In the mont he raised his eyes, Yan Huan's pupils shrank slightly.
Clang!!!
But the next second, an illusory, tallic ringing, seemingly entirely expected, sounded beside Yan Huan's ear...
It was a fully prepared Counter-Parry from him, who had been equally on high alert.
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