Chapter 63 of 100
Chapter 63
5 min read1,321 words
Chapter 62. Part 2. The Appearance of the Private Army Commander (1)
This was the very reason why Xiaoling asked without any prompting.
<Choose from the options below.>
To choose this very option.
However, the problem was the selection window with the options.
▶ Kiss (Possible)
How could he just kiss her without any lead-in?
What was different about him compared to those who had violated her?
▷ Hug (Possible)
‘Even so, I can’t choose a hug.’
He had imagined holding her in his arms before, but not now, when she had just barely escaped a crisis.
He couldn’t act like a madman and embrace her.
What if things went wrong and she looked at him with disdain? What would he do then?
‘Wait, could this be the right answer?’
▷ Kiss (Possible)
▷ Hug (Possible)
▶ ---- (Possible)
▷ /-//-- (Impossible)
▷ /=/!!## (Absolutely Impossible)
His eyes were drawn to the third option.
It could be the most dangerous, but it also seemed like it might not be.
The reason was that the first option was a kiss, and the second was a hug.
It was obvious that a hug was better than a kiss.
So, even by the order of the options, the third might be the best choice.
Even though the characters weren’t visible, he guessed it might mean something like ‘holding arms’ or ‘showing concern,’ which was a step lower than a hug.
‘Then why are the fourth and fifth options impossible?’
Choosing the third option to avoid a kiss and a hug seemed natural, but there was a reason he couldn’t act on it rashly.
If the third option was ‘holding arms’ or ‘showing concern,’ then the fourth should be an even lighter expression of affection.
But why was it marked as impossible?
Moreover, the fifth option, marked with ‘Absolutely,’ gave him an unpleasant feeling.
‘What? Why is time suddenly...!’
Xuehui’s eyes, which had been lost in thought, turned downward.
The selection window, which he thought would give him plenty of time to think, now showed a timer.
And the time was extremely short.
5... 4...
‘Aaaaah.’
He had to make a choice somehow.
A hug, except for the first option, or ‘---- (Possible)’?
‘I can’t possibly hug her, aaaaah!’
<You have chosen ‘----’.>
Xuehui quickly checked Xiaoling’s expression.
He had to see her reaction to know what he had chosen.
At first, Xiaoling’s body trembled slightly.
And her eyes gradually narrowed.
“What did you just say?”
“...”
Xuehui had no idea what he had said.
He could only look at her.
“Are you serious?”
Xiaoling’s expression as she asked again.
He couldn’t tell what emotion she was feeling.
What had he chosen?
Thud, thud.
Xiaoling approached.
When she stopped right in front of him, she looked at him silently.
‘Nothing will happen... huh? Huh!’
Smack!
Xuehui’s head was suddenly jerked back.
Xiaoling had slapped his cheek.
What?
What was going on?
“How could you say such a vulgar thing...”
Her tone had become sarcastic, and there was a hint of disgust and discomfort.
“I’m really disappointed.”
“Wait, just a moment.”
Xiaoling turned away.
“I’ll tell you what I said...”
Despite his repeated calls, she didn’t look back.
Just as he was about to follow her, who was moving away, the screen changed.
<Xiaoling’s affection has dropped by 76↓.>
<Unfortunately, Xiaoling’s affection has changed from ‘Admiration’ to ‘Discomfort’.>
He was speechless.
The affection he had built up had returned to the initial state before he intervened.
No, it had dropped even lower.
“I don’t know! I don’t know!”
No matter how much he shouted in anger, the result of his choice didn’t change.
<Xiaoling’s Affection>
66% [↓-10%], Admiration [↓Discomfort]
“Why did I say that!!! I don’t know either---!”
All that remained was the responsibility for his choice.
And now, what was left was...
[Which area would you like to go to?]
▶ Squad Leader Training Room
It was a task he had to do.
* * *
As the screen darkened and then brightened again, time began to speed up.
[Day 1. Teaching the advanced course of Yin Ying Sect’s representative martial art, Yi Yuan Xiao Ma Gong.]
He was lucky.
He had been worried about how to face Xiaoling, but the rapidly passing time helped him get through the crisis.
[Day 2. Teaching the advanced course of Yin Ying Sect’s representative martial art, Yi Yuan Xiao Ma Gong.]
[Day 3. Teaching the advanced course of Yin Ying Sect’s representative martial art, Yi Yuan Xiao Ma Gong.]
...
The expressions of some squad leaders gradually brightened, and Xiaoling’s occasional glare was etched in his mind, but it didn’t matter.
After all, time passed in a blink, and the awkward situation didn’t feel as troublesome.
...
...
[Day 30. Teaching the advanced course of Yin Ying Sect’s representative martial art, Yi Yuan Xiao Ma Gong.]
[Day 31. Teaching the advanced course of Yin Ying Sect’s representative martial art, Yi Yuan Xiao Ma Gong.]
[All the courses for this month have ended.]
<Monthly Achievements>
Yaolin’s affection has increased by 6%.
Jiesong’s affection has increased by 5%.
Yongjin’s affection has increased by 4%.
Xiaoling’s affection has increased by 15%.
‘Huh? Xiaoling’s affection increased by a whole 15%!’
As if to confirm Xuehui’s reaction, the following text also appeared.
<Affection of the Command Squad Leaders>
Yaolin 20% [Interest (↑)]
Jiesong 21% [Interest (↑)]
Yongjin 19% [Curiosity (-)]
Xiaoling 5% [Curiosity (↑)]
Then, before he could be happy, the screen went dark and bright again.
“What is this?”
Xuehui looked around.
This was the back gate of Xuanwu Hall.
The sky was filled with stars as the day was coming to an end.
He should have regained consciousness in his quarters after a month, so why was he here?
“I need to get back to my quarters quickly.”
Xuehui leaped onto the outer wall.
He realized that if he was caught by the private army while staggering around in his masked form, it would be a difficult situation.
So, after a few leaps over the walls, he jumped onto the roof and moved.
“Hold on.”
Xuehui paused in his movement.
The stars in the night sky tonight had captured his attention.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen them.”
His life had been hectic.
Since the text started appearing in front of his eyes, there hadn’t been a single peaceful day.
He had to somehow survive.
But recently, his life was a bit different.
He finally had some leisure time.
Of course, he knew a great crisis was coming soon.
Still, it felt good to live like this.
“My subordinates seem to be doing well.”
The best part of his recent life was the martial arts mission.
Walking around with the carpenter-turned-martial artist left a good memory.
“I should skip the classes next month and just do martial arts missions.”
The thought of taking on more missions made his head hurt, and he might die if he got involved unnecessarily.
He wanted to choose the martial arts mission and enjoy a month in the Central Plains.
“Soaking in warm water and relaxing a bit...”
“What are you doing here?”
“...Eek!!!”
Suddenly sensing someone nearby, Xuehui turned around with wide eyes in shock.
“X, Xiaoling? How did you get here?”
She had approached him without making a sound.
“I didn’t come here; the commander did. I was already here.”
“Oh.”
In his haste, he had forgotten to check his surroundings.
To be honest, he hadn’t expected anyone to be sitting on the roof.
“What’s a martial arts mission?”
“Ah, well, it’s... Ah! No, I can’t.”
“...Pardon?”
She looked puzzled, but Xuehui ignored it.
He couldn’t focus on such things now.
The text he didn’t want to see was appearing.
<Choose from the options below.>
“No, I can’t!”
The options were appearing.
▶ (´▽`)ﾉ (Possible)
▷ ˘◡˘ (Possible)
▷ Kiss (Possible)
▷ /-//-- (Impossible)
▷ /=/!!## (Absolutely Impossible)
The damn selection window.