CH 8

The scenery was bright and beautiful at noon, and a bird call outside the window pulled me back to my senses. I found that the porcelain cup in my hand had been crushed into dust.

Ye Tan, who was wearing a single layer of clothing, leaning at the bedside and flipping through a book, glanced at me indifferently, no longer surprised at these strange occurrences. At the beginning, he would anxiously check if I had been scratched by the porcelain, but the hearts of the people have been degenerated.*

*hearts of the people… = idiom, meaning “men are not how they used to be”

“…I can’t stay in this medicine hall any longer.” I sighed, shaking the dust off my sleeves. “From when I came back yesterday at noon until now, I’ve already crushed 37 cups from the doctor’s place. Doctor Ren is really going to curse at me.”

Last time I changed the data too much, and now I was unable to control the absurdly great power in my body. During this period, I was in a tense mental state to preserve my strength, but as long as I was a little bit distracted, my hands would create a dilapidated scene. My willpower was quickly dwindling, on the edge of falling apart at any moment.

What had caused the falling-apart the most was that I seriously didn’t remember how I entered the modifier last time, and now I couldn’t change it back no matter how much I tried.

“Ah Tan*, do you remember yesterday… in the moment just before my faked death, what exactly did we do?” I was unable to figure out the critical points in the situation, and feeling a little irritable, I knocked on the table gently.

*adding Ah in front of names is a form of endearment 

The entire rosewood table immediately collapsed, covering the ground with broken pieces.

Fuck.

“…Master, you could lie down and talk,” Ye Tan suggested cautiously.

“But I have already collapsed two beds,” I painfully refused. Cups and tables could perhaps be overlooked, but with things like beds, a broken one is a missing one. “But I really do have to think about this matter. I’ll go lie down in the courtyard.”

I softly and quietly opened the door and went out, and Ye Tan also put down his book and got up. “That is also good, this servant will accompany you to sunbathe for a while.”

I nodded, concentrated my attention, struck up one hundred thousand points of consciousness, and with fear and trepidation, like I was walking on thin ice, I carried the reclining chair from the inner room to the courtyard. Putting it on the ground gently, I cautiously backed away several steps before finally letting out a breath. “You can’t stand for a long time, lie and rest for a while.”

“Master, I can’t. How could this servant be so disrespectful?”

I was familiar with his hard to coax temperament, but I really didn’t have the energy to appease him. “Ah Tan, I’m really very tired, please spare me.”

He pursed his lips, and unexpectedly followed my advice and sat down immediately.

So effortless. I was astonished.

It turns out that, towards the Shadow Guard, acting miserable is much more effective than appeasing him. I firmly noted this in my heart.

I removed the weeds and lay down in the middle of the courtyard. The stone and bricks were not very level, and they pressed on me very uncomfortably, but it could still be considered finally being able to relax for a moment.

“Ah Tan.”

“Hm?“

“Being alive is really so hard.”

“……”

The condition for opening the plug-ins, what was it exactly? Object? Action? Ritual? Words?

I closed my eyes and recalled the situation carefully. I was beaten and thrown by Ze Que, rolled around a few times, and then was supported by Ye Tan. It didn’t seem that I encountered anything special, so the trigger condition shouldn’t be an object.

“Ah Tan, what did you say at the time? Can you say it again?” After thinking so hard to no avail, I had to ask for outside help.

Ye Tan kept silent, so I urged him again, and only then did he respond with a faint mosquito noise. “This servant said…  If I were still at my prime, I would never have let Master suffer this humiliation.”

“What was the other sentence?”

Ye Tan refused to say it in any way.

I turned over and got up, saying earnestly: “Ah Tan, can you still move? Is it possible for you to bear it and repeat your actions back then?”

I knew that this was not favorable for his injuries, but it probably wouldn’t change much. Without asking for further opinion, I carried him to the ground, arranging us into the posture from that time, and leaned into his arms.

Ye Tan’s movements were stiff, and his expression was even more amazing.

I thought about my own lines, and took the lead in the play: “I’m not your match, so I concede defeat. Okay, Ah Tan, it’s your turn.”

My expression was eager, but Ye Tan seemed a bit overwhelmed, turning his head away and speaking in a small voice: “…If only it was you that I met in the beginning, then it would be good…”

The sound of the birds was sweet, the warm wind blew by our ears, the quiet world was peaceful and good, and nothing at all changed.

No one spoke for a while, and all I saw was the tips of Ye Tan’s ears turning bright red in the sunlight.

I was greatly disappointed.

It seemed that launching the program wasn’t using words either.

What’s missing? Action? This situation seemed to be just the same as it was then, with nothing missing…

I was suddenly blessed with knowledge: “Ye Tan! Back then, did you kiss me?!”

Ye Tan was scared into shock, absolutely denying it. “There was no such thing!!”

“But there was, right?! Although afterwards I passed out and lost consciousness, I remember seeing your eyelashes extremely close to me,” I rejoiced. “Ah Tan, quick, kiss me again!!”

Ye Tan was in a panic, trying to push me away, but I naturally refused to let go, hugging him and grabbing him over. Seeing him with a flustered expression, I suddenly had a guilty feeling as if I was harassing a young maiden, so I quickly tried to calm him down, saying, “Don’t be afraid, I… Sigh, I have… No other alternative.”

My expression became sour, and after I started acting miserable, Ye Tan finally calmed down a bit. Seeing the opportunity, I aimed at that place and pecked him.

Hit! Yes!!

He was struggling desperately just before, but after I actually kissed him he instead stopped moving, probably scared into stupidity.

But the kiss was kissed, and yet I was still unable to launch the modifier. I wondered if the position was wrong, so I pressed against his lips again and tried a few different angles, but there was still no improvement.

Greatly disappointed ×2

I had already tried all the methods I could think of, and was finally at my wits’ end. Sad and heartbroken, I was like an eggplant beaten with frost* as I let go slowly, moving away from Ye Tan’s lips.

* eggplant beaten with frost = proverb, meaning someone with a wilted mentality

I didn’t even move a few inches before I could no longer move any further.

I didn’t realize Ye Tan had moved his hand to support the back of my neck, his fingers slipping into my hair, caressing upwards inch by inch.

“…I’m sorry, Master. I… This servant didn’t mean to refuse you.” He apologized in a low voice, closing his eyes and pressing up again. His thin lips were boiling hot and his breathing was soft.

“Please don’t show such an expression.”

……?????

No??

Brother, have you misunderstood something????