Dia energetically raised her hand, high-fived Ashe, and gave the Swordswoman a quick hug before leaping out of the carriage and charging straight into the curtain of rain.
"Finally, it's just the two of us," Ashe said, turning toward the back with a sigh of dissatisfaction. "Swordswoman, why did you have to stir things up like that in front of the Witch? You made me look like the villain on purpose. What if she actually ends up resenting me? That would be a real problem... Wait, what's wrong with you now?"
He had been rambling on before finally realizing something was off. Sonya sat in a palpable, heavy slump, staring out at the Ascending Golden Rain while puffing her cheeks in silent frustration. Her earlier gentleness toward the Witch had completely vanished. She wouldn't even spare him a glance, as if her attention were too precious to waste on him. She looked exactly like a warning sign that read, "Dangerous cat inside. Highly sensitive."
Ashe pressed a hand to his forehead. "How did we go from the Witch finally feeling better to you having issues? I'm not a therapist... Honestly, if we had a professional on the team, things would be so much easier."
Seeing that Sonya still refused to respond, Ashe used his Heart Pen to manifest a few floating lines of ink right in front of her face.
Do you like the deep sea or the starry sky?
For dinner, do you want vine-braised Lala Fat or bamboo-shoot stir-fried Lala Fat?
Do you prefer stockings or thigh-highs?
Gold Coins or Silver Coins?
Sonya snapped back irritably, "Gold Coins, obviously! I'm not an idiot!"
Ashe blinked, instantly pivoting back to his earlier grievance. "So why did you slander me like that in front of the Witch? I haven't even done anything to offend you recently."
Sonya shot him a deeply resentful glare. "We can talk normally on a day-to-day basis, but it's best if we pretend to be on opposing sides so the Witch lets her guard down around us," Sonya replied defensively. "Since I'm the one responsible for helping her, you naturally have to play the adversary who antagonizes her. That's the only way she'll quickly bond with me."
She paused, narrowing her eyes. "Besides, who says you haven't offended me recently?"
Ashe looked wronged. "How on earth did I offend you? I barely said more than a few words just now!"
In truth, Ashe hadn't actually offended her with words. What had truly set her off was the Witch.
The exact moment she heard that the Witch could just go back to reality to be hugged, kissed, and spoiled by someone, the Claw-Stretching Club President instantly broke down.
She had panicked. She had completely lost her composure. She realized, with agonizing clarity, that she was the clown in this scenario.
Originally, Sonya had been executing her plan flawlessly. By playing the benevolent savior while letting Ashe shoulder the role of the heartless villain, she was supposed to draw the Witch closer to herself and drive a wedge between her and Ashe. This would not only secure her position as the core of the team, but more importantly, it would prevent Ashe and the Witch from developing any mutual affection.
Her ambitions didn't stop there. Even if new teammates joined them in the future, Sonya fully intended to deploy the exact same strategy by uniting everyone to collectively isolate Ashe. How else could she keep him all to herself?
Yet, the Witch's casual revelation had landed like a devastating armor-shredding strike, dripping with psychological poison, leaving Sonya deeply unsettled. Meanwhile, Ashe just sat there looking completely innocent and bewildered. At this point, even the sound of his breathing irritated her.
Sonya took a deep breath, forcefully clearing her mind, and pointed at the lingering ink marks floating nearby. "When the Witch comes back, what are we going to do with all this?"
Ashe blinked. He tried to summon his Sword Scar spirit back, only to realize the ink couldn't be undone. The one-time strokes didn't consume his mana precisely because they had already detached from his control.
"Just chop them down with your sword," he suggested.
Sonya stared at him for a long, heavy moment before drawing her blade. Ashe briefly wondered if the strike was meant for the ink or his own neck.
Properly swinging a sword inside the cramped vehicle was impossible, and since the ink marks hovered just outside the door, merely stepping out would expose her to the elements. After a brief calculation, the country girl simply vaulted into the air from the frame, unleashed a swift Darklight Slash to vaporize the floating ink, and landed gracefully amidst the falling rain outside.
Ashe instantly rushed out, grabbed the Swordswoman, and hauled her back into the carriage. " Are you stupid?! ( #`O′)"
The moment he saw that her legs were already showing signs of aging, a surge of anger flared in his chest. "I already told you I've been driving along the edge of the River of Flowing Gold this whole time! If you jump out like that, you'll land directly inside it! With your affinity for time, couldn't you smell that thick, tea-like scent of time radiating from it?!"
As if realizing her own mistake, Sonya let out a soft, unusually submissive murmur. "Mm."
Hearing how well-behaved she was being, Ashe's tone softened. "Still, I was at fault too. I was so focused on bypassing this stretch of the river quickly that I didn't notice we were getting too close."
"Mmhmm."
"Has your leg recovered? Can you walk on your own now?"
"Not quite," the Claw-Stretching Club President said, tilting her head. "I feel like the River of Flowing Gold slightly corroded my waist, too. I don't have much strength. If you don't hold onto me tighter, I might fall over..."
Ashe found it bizarre. "How did your soul get so weak? Is it the curse from the Chaotic Shopping Guide of Blessings and Curses?"
"Maybe," Sonya replied, shifting around uneasily. "I purchased a stat reduction. Since your physical condition and your soul are closely connected, it's normal for them to influence each other."
Then, she looked up at him. "What about you? Did the luck reduction you bought affect your daily life?"
Ashe froze. He suddenly remembered the curse he had purchased: Out of Toilet Paper. When he returned to reality, the Gospel had literally used him like scrap paper. Looking back, he felt as though the Dramatic Poet had gone out of his way to play him for a fool.
"I think calling it an influence might be putting it too gently..."
Right then, Dia emerged from the curtain of rain. "I'm back!"
Seeing the Watcher silently staring at the perfectly seated Swordswoman in the back, she asked curiously, "Did something happen while I was gone?"
Sonya quickly replied, "No, Witch. Did you figure out what that special structure is?"
Dia nodded. "I did. It should be the Destiny Quiz you mentioned before, but the format seems a bit different."
Ashe and Sonya instantly snapped to alert. Destiny Quiz!
When they followed Dia inside, they found that it was indeed completely different from the Destiny Quiz they knew in the Sea of Knowledge.
Before them stood a round table with three chairs, three sheets of paper... and three pairs of over-ear headphones.
The three of them exchanged glances, sat down, and put on the headphones. Immediately, a voice recited the rules.
[The Destiny Quiz Listening Exam has officially begun. Answer the questions based on the dialogue. A wrong answer ends the challenge immediately, while a correct answer allows you to continue. Answering correctly at least once grants you the right to ask a question.]
Sonya exchanged wary looks with the others as the dialogue began to play through the headset.
「Witch, what do you think is the purpose of our lives?」
「Revenge.」
「No, I mean... since we were born into this world, there must be some mission that only we can accomplish. What do you think our true mission is?」
「Even if it means burning the entire world, we will still take our revenge.」
[Multiple Choice Question: Who exactly do "we" seek revenge against?]
① The World
② The Watcher
③ The Divine Lord
④ All of the above
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