The next morning.
"Sister Hua, from now on Griseo will cheer for you together with everyone. I hope you can win over Big Brother Elias soon—Griseo believes you can definitely do it!"
"Uh... thank you, Griseo..."
Fu Hua forced a smile as she looked at the little painter before her. At this moment, Griseo was resting her head against Aponia's magnificent I-class "slimes," her satisfied little face flushed with two faint blushes.
This child had come out of Elias' room this morning.
(Ah... so in the end, I'm still the last one...)
Clearly, Griseo had already made her move last night. The look of fulfillment on her face—like she had already achieved her wish and truly enjoyed it—left Fu Hua both wanting to cry and inexplicably envious.
The flat-chested immortal quietly clenched her fists, encouraging herself inwardly. So what if she was the last? At least it was better than never confessing and staying in love forever.
"Ahem! Everyone, eyes on me—I have an announcement~"
At the front of the group, Elysia was calling out while holding a small pink loudspeaker.
"We're going to slightly adjust our itinerary. Also, Griseo will be resting at the hotel today."
"Hm? Ely, this wasn't part of our plan, was it?"
Elias tilted his head. As one of the organizers of this team-building trip, he had no idea about this. Had his pink elf prepared another surprise behind the scenes?
"Oh my~ Eli, there's an old saying in Shenzhou: plans can't keep up with changes. Come on, let's draw lots!"
"Uh... draw lots for what?"
"We'll be traveling in groups from here on. Of course, drawing lots is to let fate decide our travel partners~"
As she spoke, Elysia somehow produced a large pink lottery box and shook it. Clearly, she had prepared this in advance.
"...Alright then."
After a brief hesitation, Elias nodded.
First, it was Elysia's proposal.
Second, given her seemingly carefree but actually meticulous personality, there was definitely a reason behind suddenly suggesting group travel.
Finally, traveling in groups was indeed a good idea. Although traveling all together sounded ideal, Elias knew very well that with everyone's distinct personalities, staying in one big group would actually be restrictive.
"Then I, Elysia, will draw first as a demonstration. Shake it, shake it~ I'm willing to sacrifice a year of Mobius' funding—let me draw Eli!"
"Elysia, why don't you just die!"
"Heave-ho, I draw! Uh... ah, this... why did I get Mobius?"
Elysia looked at the slip in her hand with Mobius' name and revealed a complicated expression.
Mobius had just been about to mock the pink elf, but upon realizing she'd be traveling together with Elysia, her face immediately darkened as she muttered about going home.
After that, Kevin drew his fifty-thousand-year best friend Su, and Kalpas drew the trembling Kosma.
Then something strange happened. MEI and Mei ended up in a group, Prometheus and Bronya were paired together, and Cecilia and Misteln were paired together.
Anyone who didn't know better might think they were three sets of twins.
It could only be said that counterparts across different timelines perhaps truly shared some kind of special connection.
"Hua, your turn... Eli's slip is stuck to the upper inner wall of the box."
Elysia handed the box to Fu Hua and whispered the latter part in an extremely low voice.
"Thank you, Elysia. I owe you one."
Fu Hua thanked her solemnly, then took a deep breath and drew the slip that, by her own luck alone, she would almost certainly never have obtained.
Clap clap clap clap clap! xN
A burst of applause erupted instantly. The girls all sent Fu Hua congratulatory looks... anyone unaware might think she had already succeeded.
"Hehe, everyone is exaggerating. It's just a slip. My turn now, right?"
"Mm-hmm~ Eli, go ahead."
Elysia handed the pink box to Elias while glancing around. Everyone nodded in response.
No matter who Elias drew, when the trip reached the midpoint, they would voluntarily withdraw to create the perfect two-person world for Fu Hua, making it easier for her to confess.
However...
"Hm? I got little Senti."
Elias looked at the slip he had drawn. On it were the words Herrscher of Sentience.
"Oh? Nice!!"
Senti blinked, then immediately cheered.
(This is bad!) xN
The girls' expressions changed instantly. The Herrscher of Sentience had been too exhausted yesterday and fell asleep as soon as she returned to the hotel, so she hadn't participated in the "Fu Hua × Elias Confession Operation."
Elysia had originally thought that with so many people, the probability was so small that Elias couldn't possibly draw her.
And yet... he had hit it in one shot. The only loophole had been drawn.
(What is this? Is fate really unwilling to let Hua succeed? Such a tiny probability still caused an accident?)
"Uh... what should we do now?"
"Should we tell Senti and have her cooperate?"
"Emmm... I don't think she will."
"Then we'll have to reason with her."
"Mm. The physical kind of reasoning—that's a good idea."
Looking at Senti, who had already thrown herself onto Elias and was overjoyed because she had been drawn, the girls were already thinking about how to "persuade" her.
However, at that moment, Fu Hua raised her hand to stop them.
"Everyone... leave this to me, alright?"
"Eh? Hua, you..."
"Thank you all for helping me so much. But if this is a trial given to me by fate, then I must overcome it myself. Senti... I will find a way to handle her."
A blazing determination ignited in Fu Hua's eyes, like a warrior about to step onto the battlefield.
The girls exchanged glances, understanding that there was no longer any need for them to interfere.
Because the Immortal Phoenix had already steeled herself—after fifty thousand years, she had finally decided to make her move!
Senti: "Hm? Strange... why do I suddenly feel a chill down my back? Like someone's staring at me..."
Fu Hua: "Herrscher of Sentience, I advise you to behave yourself!"
But even though she said that...
...One week later...
"Emmm... how exactly am I supposed to persuade the Herrscher of Sentience to leave? Will she understand me?"
In a certain city in Shenzhou, Fu Hua was still pondering this question, yet unable to come up with an answer.
Although, with her strength, she could simply knock Senti out with a single punch on a dark and windy night, then call Elysia and the others over to "handle the body"...
But this blockhead was just too honest—too principled. Not only would she never act that way, she hadn't even considered the idea.
It could only be said that she truly lived up to her reputation as the conscience of both the Previous Era and the Current Era. Fu Hua was simply too good of a person.
And precisely because she was such a good person, she always missed her chances, left behind time and time again. The only consolation, perhaps, was that the atmosphere of their three-person journey felt almost like a family.
Elias and Fu Hua were like the parents.
And the remaining Senti was their child.
Fu Hua: (Why am I the father... and also, can this child be replaced?)
But with such a third wheel around, Fu Hua had no opportunity to confess.
Still, perhaps good people were ultimately rewarded—on the eighth day, a turning point finally appeared.
...
"Ahhh, I've seriously had enough of you!"
The Herrscher of Sentience stomped her feet in frustration.
"Old relic, how can someone be this slow? We've only reached the first destination and you've already stayed here for an entire week! What, should I congratulate you on moving in permanently?!"
Since Fu Hua was more familiar with Shenzhou, she had taken on the role of tour guide.
However, her leisurely travel style clearly did not sit well with Senti.
"Uh... this is a rare chance to travel freely. Herrscher of Sentience, why rush so much? If you only skim the surface, how can you truly appreciate the beauty of the world? Isn't it better to take things slowly?"
"Better my foot! And what's wrong with skimming the surface? Are our clothes not fine enough or our horses not spirited enough? Why are you even slower outside than when you're at home?! Elias, you say something too!"
"Uh... actually, I'm fine with both fast-paced and slow-paced travel. After all, what matters most to me isn't the trip itself, but being together with all of you I like."
"..." x2
Seeing the bright, sun-like smile of the white-haired boy, both Fu Hua and Senti blushed at the same time, then simultaneously turned their heads aside and scratched their cheeks. Favorability increased.
"Sorry, Senti. It seems my travel style doesn't suit you. Our personalities are quite different, after all."
"Old relic, you... forget it! I'm done playing with you two. If we don't share the same path, we don't walk together. I'm leaving—going to have fun on my own. Don't worry about me."
As she spoke, Senti waved her hand, then summoned a longsword and prepared to leave by flying on it.
In truth, a Herrscher didn't need such a method to fly—but Senti insisted it looked cooler this way.
"Uh, Senti, you..."
Fu Hua's eyes widened slightly in surprise. Just moments ago, she had been struggling with how to persuade Senti to leave.
"Hmph~ old relic, you owe me one. I've already given you your chance—make good use of it yourself."
As Senti passed by Fu Hua, she spoke softly. Clearly, she had known everything all along—which made sense, as she was the Herrscher who controlled consciousness.
"...Mm. Thank you, Senti."
Fu Hua nodded firmly.
Now that it was finally just her and Elias, she knew her opportunity had come.
Today would be the day she ended this fifty-thousand-year-long secret crush—the day she finally stepped forward!
Fu Hua: (Phew... now no one should interfere anymore, right? I hope everything goes smoothly. Please don't let anything unexpected happen again.)
—
—
40 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon:
Patreon.com/DaoOfHeaven