Cynthia agreed to Li Yuan's request for a date, but her schedule was notoriously packed. Whether it was the appearance of a new Secret Realm that required her presence to stabilize the area, being invited as a special guest for major tournaments, or even assisting researchers with ancient Sinnoh myths, she was always in high demand.
Consequently, a specific time for their date was hard to pin down. She told him she would contact him whenever she found a spare moment. Li Yuan could only accept this; as the Champion, she enjoyed immense prestige and privilege, but she also carried the heavy burden of responsibility. Many of her obligations simply couldn't be ignored.
"Li Yuan, now that we've settled things, I need to get back on the road. Next time we meet, I'll bring my sister along. I'll be counting on you then," Cynthia said, checking her watch. Seeing her free time was almost up, she prepared to depart.
"Don't worry, Sister Cynthia. To make sure you go on that date with me willingly, I'll make sure you're more than satisfied with the results," Li Yuan promised, patting his chest.
"Heh, I'll be looking forward to it then."
"Besides looking forward to it, you should also be mentally prepared. Since it's a date, it's only fair that I'll want to hold your hand or something, right?"
"Well... that depends on how well you handle the task~," Cynthia replied with a soft smile, seemingly unbothered by his greed. As a Champion, if she made a promise, she wouldn't handle it half-heartedly. She viewed him as a bit of a "wicked little brother" she had picked up.
After a brief farewell, Cynthia set off on her return journey. With her departure, the pressure on Erika finally eased. The trainers gathered in the gym, perhaps feeling their chances of buying a "cheat" were slim or simply entranced by the Champion's retreating figure, began to filter out as well.
The once-crowded gym became silent in an instant. Erika stood there, witnessing the massive gap in popularity between herself and the Champion. She didn't know whether to feel relieved or bitter.
"Li Yuan, you didn't do anything disrespectful to the Champion in there, did you?" Erika asked, casting a resentful glance at her smug "brother." Seeing how happy he looked, she wondered if he had already gotten his way in the lounge.
"How could I? Didn't you see how happy she looked when she left? She was clearly satisfied with me," Li Yuan retorted, refusing to take the blame.
"You're certainly capable, attracting even the Champion. Are you feeling very proud of yourself?" Erika crossed her arms, her eyes narrowing with dissatisfaction.
"I wouldn't say proud. After all, the Champion doesn't feed me 'candied potatoes.' She's not nearly as sweet as my Sister Erika~," Li Yuan said. Recognizing the jealousy in her voice, he activated his "Central Air Conditioner" instincts—knowing exactly what to say to appease each woman.
Without giving her jealousy a chance to boil over, he pulled her soft, lithe body into his arms. His wandering hand even snuck down to squeeze her firm, elastic buttocks. Erika flushed with anger and immediately slapped his hand away.
"Stop trying to change the subject. What was that with Sapphire? She claimed to be your girlfriend," Erika demanded, finally bringing up the real issue. She could tolerate other things, but she couldn't ignore that.
While they called each other "brother and sister," their relationship was anything but platonic. They bathed together, slept together—often naked—and she had long ago given him her virginity. By all rights, the title of girlfriend belonged to her.
"She's just a new girlfriend. It's not like this is the first time you've seen this happen," Li Yuan replied shamelessly. It was the truth; his Aura naturally attracted women, and almost every female client who came to his shop for training ended up "tasting his spit" before leaving. Erika had walked in on him with other women many times. Usually, he used his Aura to soothe her, and eventually, she had grown somewhat accustomed to it.
"The others weren't 'official.' This Sapphire girl is clearly different," Erika countered.
"She is a bit different. She was my high school classmate. I was just feeling a bit nostalgic," Li Yuan explained. "Unless Sister Erika thinks someone could actually replace you in my heart?"
"Hmph!" Erika snorted, though her anger clearly softened.
"Relax. Even if I have a hundred girlfriends in the future, I'll never leave you. I'll just have my feet in a hundred boats at once~."
"Are you even human?" Erika's face darkened. She supposed she should be glad he was her "brother." If anyone else said that to her, she'd make sure they lost the ability to use their "lower half" forever. But she couldn't do that to him. If she did, what would she do when she felt lonely?
In the end, she had his promise. She was so used to seeing him surrounded by women that she had internalized it. She would rather share him with a hundred boats than lose him entirely.
"Fine. It's time for lunch. You'd better figure out how to convince your little 'girlfriend' to accept your hundred boats as well," Erika muttered, letting the matter drop for now.