LRAB Page 9
Page 9
"Zhou Ye, how many things are you still hiding from me?"
Her questions were like fine needles, piercing the delicate calm between the two.
"I had no idea about any of this."
Every word conveyed the grievance of being kept in the dark.
"Have you been paying attention to the mystical side all along, and want to become a member of it?"
This question hangs in the air, carrying an unavoidable weight.
Zhou Ye did not look away; he met Zhu Nai's probing gaze.
Without hesitation, it was as if the answer had been prepared long ago, or rather, that they had been prepared to face this moment.
He chose to open his heart, at least to most of them.
"To be honest, I didn't have any connections before."
His voice was calm, without much emotion, yet it carried a certain certainty in stating the facts.
"If it were available now, I would naturally want to make contact with it."
He paused for a moment, as if he were considering something, or perhaps recalling some long-held desire.
"Zhu Nai, you know I'm from China."
These four words seem to carry a special meaning, a kind of pride or constraint that is different from that of ordinary people.
There is a dream of wandering the world with a sword and seeing the splendor of the world.
The scene he depicted carried a classical romance, which seemed out of place against the backdrop of a modern city, yet strangely matched his expression at that moment.
The system's emergence was like a bolt of lightning piercing the gray sky.
It gave him a completely different possibility, an opportunity for him to break free from his predetermined fate.
Want to see the world's prosperity?
No, what he wanted to see was the hidden, deeper, more dangerous, and more fascinating side of this world.
He continued speaking, his tone carrying a barely perceptible hint of self-deprecation.
"Before, I lacked the ability, the qualifications, and even the ability to find the door. Even if I knew, I could only pretend not to know, because far too many naive cannon fodder like me died."
“Now,” he paused, as if emphasizing this shift, “I want to do it.”
These three words were spoken softly, yet they carried a powerful weight.
It was his confirmation of his inner desires and a direct response to Zhu Nai's questions.
He caught a fleeting glimpse of complex emotions in Zhu Nai's eyes—surprise, worry, and perhaps even a hint of...disappointment.
"Then why don't you want to become the minister's spouse?"
Faced with Zhu Nai's question, Zhou Ye looked up at the sky. Many fans of "High School DxD" have transmigrated to become Rias's familiar and then married her.
But as I said before, even ordinary people in reality still talk about social status and class, and powerful demons are no exception. Don't be fooled by the romanticized portrayals in novels and anime. Reality is reality, and anime is anime!
"Zhuno, I want to give it a try. Becoming Minister Gremory's dependent is certainly a shortcut, but if I'm not valuable, I'll be discarded. Even if I'm not discarded, I'll be sidelined. Rather than that, I might as well see how far I can go with my youth. At least if I lose, I won't regret it."
"I also have another dream."
He paused deliberately, observing Zhu Nai's reaction.
Her brows furrowed slightly, clearly her attention had been fully captured by his words. Zhu Nai had no objection to wanting to strive and work hard while she was young. There were plenty of such people among both demons in the underworld and humans in the human world. To put it bluntly, young people don't know their own limitations, but you can't refute their daring and fighting spirit. Everyone has been young and impulsive.
What other dreams do you have?
Zhu Nai asked almost subconsciously, her tone carrying a nervousness she herself was unaware of.
Zhou Ye laughed, this time with a hint of amusement and provocation.
He clearly uttered the words that were enough to ignite any childhood sweetheart.
"Three palaces, six courtyards, and seventy-two concubines!"
The voice just fell.
The air seemed to be sucked out instantly.
Zhu Nai's expression froze, leaving only an incredulous astonishment.
Immediately, the astonishment turned into anger.
It wasn't the kind of petty, petty anger, but genuine anger, filled with intense dissatisfaction and a sense of being offended.
Zhou Ye could even see the sparks dancing in her eyes—not a metaphor, but a premonition of some kind of energy materializing.
His heart skipped a beat, and he knew something was wrong.
Play off.
He probably just wanted to use this exaggerated statement to lighten the mood or test Zhu Nai's limits.
But clearly, he severely underestimated the impact of those words on Zhu Nai.
"Go to hell!"
These two words were almost squeezed out from between the teeth.
As she spoke, a soft "crack" sounded between Zhu Nai's fair fingers.
The pale purple electric current, like tiny serpents, leaped and gathered at her fingertips.
The next second, the electric current left her fingertips and struck Zhou Ye's body precisely.
A sharp, numbing sensation instantly spread throughout my body.
Zhou Ye felt his hair stand on end and his muscles twitching uncontrollably.
My teeth chattered involuntarily, making a soft "clucking" sound.
pain.
It wasn't the kind of intense pain, but a tingling, stinging sensation that went deep into his bones, causing him to instantly lose control of his body.
"hiss……"
He gasped, his body arching slightly from the pain.
Zhu Nai looked at his disheveled appearance, her face showing no sign of relief, only icy coldness.
She snorted coldly, her voice containing a multitude of complex emotions, all of which ultimately settled into a resolute tone.
She turned away and didn't look at Zhou Ye again.
The sound of the little leather shoes tapping the ground was crisp and firm.
Without turning her head, she walked straight toward the magnificent gates of Komao Academy.
His back turned resolutely, without the slightest hint of lingering affection.
Chapter 8 Small Workshop Summoning Character - Tohsaka Nami
Zhou Ye stood still, the numbing sensation from the electric current still coursing through his limbs.
He raised his hand and rubbed the spot where he had been electrocuted; a strange burning sensation still lingered there.
Watching Zhu Nai's figure disappear into the school gate, his expression was somewhat complicated.
The pain was real, and so was Zhu Nai's anger.
Did he really go too far?
maybe.
But that dream of "three palaces and six courtyards," though spoken in jest, was not entirely false.
With great power comes status, wealth, and women.
Aren't these worldly desires normal in the heart of a young person who is about to step into, or rather, yearns to step into, the extraordinary world?
He admitted that he was ambitious.
Acknowledge that you yearn to escape mediocrity.
Acknowledge that you want to seize this hard-won opportunity.
Zhu Nai's reaction was both unexpected and seemingly reasonable to him.
Is she angry because I hid it from her?
Or was it because the declaration of "three palaces and six courtyards" touched a nerve?
Or perhaps both?
Zhou Ye shook his head, trying to dispel the lingering numbness in his body and to clear his chaotic thoughts.
From this moment on, his relationship with Zhu Nai seemed to become more delicate and tense.
At lunchtime, the classroom was filled with the mixed smells of food.
"Zhou Ye, are you even capable? What happened today? Zhu Nai's loving care for you stopped?"
The boy next to Zhou Ye, his mouth full of bread, nudged Zhou Ye's arm, speaking incoherently.
Zhou Ye remained expressionless, munching on the dry, hard bread in his hand.
The taste was nowhere near as good as the bento boxes that Zhu Nai usually prepared.
He swallowed, and his throat felt a little dry.
"Maybe I accidentally stepped on a landmine today."
His voice was flat, revealing no emotion.
"Oh? What minefield? Tell me about it, let me have a laugh."
My buddy immediately got interested, leaned closer, and his eyes gleamed with gossip.