Is the person you sculpt as cute as me?

Just like after finally graduating from elementary school, one looks ahead to junior high, high school, college... and the long, tedious life of society. These predetermined, ordinary things pile up in the future, waiting for me piece by piece.

However, Yu Man scratched its chin and said, "My buddy has made a lot of money, so you can become a human. Now it's my turn to support you. Sigh, I still remember the days when we were wandering in the rental house... The New Year snacks you picked up from the ground kept us alive..."

"Alas, hard times."

"Don't worry, Senior Cat, I'll give you half of the prize money."

"...That's not necessary. Half of it was earned by beating up my hard work, and the other half is earned by beating up the deer tomorrow. To be honest, I don't think either of these amounts of money are worth it."

Beat the deer...

Indeed, Yu Man still has a play-off match to play tomorrow, so this is like a dessert after the meal.

And——Yu Man doesn't plan to let him off the hook.

“——Then let tomorrow come sooner.” At this time, “Time” spoke like this.

Immediately afterwards——

She suddenly restored the flow of time.

The huge noise was deafening, and Yu Man was even scared and shrank his head.

But she soon realized that it was just people celebrating their victory.

……

The end of a long day -

Everyone at the "Snake Restaurant" dragged their tired bodies back to the yacht. This was their last day staying here. After the fight tomorrow they would fly home and would not stay any longer.

70 was the most enjoyable. Although I was tired, I still enjoyed the end of the journey.

Liu Tong Qi Hua was confused. When she finally arrived at such a future and had enough money to repay her debts and secure her future, she was left with endless confusion.

"Time" planned the name of the movie——

And the little deer was still lost in thought.

No one wanted to get together again to celebrate the victory that was well deserved, so after a friendly farewell, they went back to their own rooms to while away the days, without even thinking about returning to the old world.

Yu Man held her cat and played with it to her heart's content.

Who said this is the last time?

"Xiao Man, I don't mind you playing with my cute body. We're both used to it anyway, but there's one thing I want to make clear."

"Go ahead, Triple Crown Champion."

"When I turn back into a normal human, I hope you will still remember the memories of playing with my body. Just don't be shy then."

This... Yu Man stopped.

To be honest, it's a bit scary if you think about it carefully.

But this is a bit like overspending. Anyway, it’s fun now, and we can worry about the future later... So, Yu Man started to tickle its little belly again, which really felt the best.

The senior cat purred softly in enjoyment, subconsciously stretched out his paw, and instinctively placed it lightly on Yu Man's hand.

It tried to control itself, but it only triggered another instinct and began to lick its fur which was a little uncomfortable.

After playing with each other for a while, the senior cat put his paws in his pocket and gave the young man guidance like a wise man who had attained enlightenment.

"Xiao Man, compared to me—have you ever thought about your own affairs?"

"My own?" Yu Man tried to answer. "I don't plan to participate in the summer season. When I get back, I'm going to start improving my Enchanter level... Then I'll be grinding dungeons and maxing out my secondary profession. Then I'll try to advance to level ten and gain divine authority."

There are many things to do, and Yu Man feels that his schedule is already full.

but--

Senior Cat didn't want to talk about this.

"No, I mean—love."

"...love...what?"

"How long do you think I've lived? How long have I been traveling in this recurring world? It's longer than you think... much longer. But the story always has twists and turns and similar things happening, Xiaoman. I won't discuss other things, at least... Xiaolu."

Like a dilapidated spring, it broke in Yuman's heart.

A silent click echoed in her mind.

Yu Man's eyes wandered away, but soon returned: "What happened to my brother Xiaolu?"

"You can play dumb with the person involved, or anyone else, but you don't have to with me, Cat Senior. We're on the same side... I think now's a good time to sort this out."

The more relaxed Senior Cat's tone became, the less Yu Man knew how to respond.

She tried to speak several times, but the words that were brewing in her mouth would never take shape.

Trouble - this is a complete trouble for Man.

"You're a billionaire now, with a huge bonus in hand. You can freely buy a house and build your own home. You can leave Xiaolu's home with me. Xiaoman, you know this, right?"

"...I know." Yu Man nodded and continued, "If I want to stay, I need to find a reasonable excuse. Otherwise...we've exhausted all the reasons to stay - after all, we're no longer homeless and distraught."

Senior Cat looked at Yu Man with a look that was not unexpected but natural.

It saw it from the beginning—

Yu Man is a person——

"You know everything, as expected."

Probably—Yu Man looked away and just lay on the soft bed, hugging the feather-covered pillow.

The feather pierced through the cotton cloth, leaving a small mark on her arm, which was a little uncomfortable... but it was nothing.

"So, Xiaoman, is the brother game over? Is the game of pretending to be a statue also going to end?"

"...I'm not pretending, it's just...we who have passed the level—we must prioritize the future."

Yu Man finally spoke.

Senior Cat opened the floodgates for it, and gentle words flowed out naturally -

"Senior Cat, I'm a person who likes to play tricks and has a lot of tricks on my mind. I'm not a decent player... and I'm not a moral role model."

"Yeah, I can see that."

"My first priority is to complete the game, not to enjoy the ordinary story before the journey is complete, so I turn a blind eye to everything and play dumb as much as possible. There's nothing wrong with that... In fact, it's quite convenient."

All of this is Yu Man’s inner voice, a voice hidden deep within countless thoughts.

Of course she knew that she was unexpectedly attractive, and she also knew...that she would occasionally become someone's dream.

This kind of story happened many times last week.

The strange and distressing thing is that humans are actually extremely sensitive to love.

She always had to pretend that she didn't notice those gazes full of desire and love.

therefore--

Only those who are aware of all the expressions of love, only those who can understand the implicit love in every word——

Only then can you avoid everything accurately.

Regarding this point - from beginning to end, Yu Man felt that he had done a good job.

But even so, she could still sense it.

Especially – from Fawn.

She always deliberately avoided it, for example, every time she jokingly used "brother" or "buddy" to fool people.

"Did you respond to anyone's love last week?" Senior Cat asked curiously.

"No—Triple Crown... No, 'Go Against All Things', you're also a clearer, you know that."

Senior Cat's eyes met hers, and then both of them became cold.

The deeper they traveled into the Old World, the more they understood its mysteries.

One of them coldly revealed their fate.

If your journey isn't flawless and perfect, the best you can do is get another chance to play again, which is the key to unlock the second round.

The world will spend a huge amount of money to build a stage for you to dance again.

But this is extremely difficult and obscure - there is a high probability that the world will be disappointed and the stain will be removed.

then--

Worthless travelers will be redefined along with the world, repeatedly reset and defined as—

"Scrapped manuscript."

And all the stories in it will become dim, pale and shameful, and will no longer be remembered by anyone. Even the scenes that have happened will all be reset to zero.

mean--

"If I were to develop a romantic relationship with someone, our memories... our stories, everything beautiful... everything would be lost because of my failure. I can't afford that... Cat-senpai, I can't afford that."

Yu Man curled up her extremely petite and thin body and buried her face in the pillow.

Only a confused and lonely soul wandered from the deepest part of her eyes.

and so--

She knows, she chooses, she understands——

lonely.

"I really enjoy playing with others, but I know better than anyone the loneliness that follows the excitement and fun. I really hate it... I really hate that, so... I'd rather not experience it."

Yu Man kept muttering one by one——

"Like an ancient fire dragon capable of destroying the world, a foamy shadow willing to vanish for me, the composer behind the "Cathedral of Time," and perhaps... one of the "Three Secrets" who accompanied me through countless scraps. And... the deeply lonely girl who just happened to take me in during this playthrough... I really enjoy playing with others."

but--

"I can't finish it. I'm destined to lose the story I had with anyone. I don't want something that was once so brilliant to become a 'waste of time,' so... from the very beginning... I didn't want to accept all this... so I'm willing to walk alone."

therefore--

"I don't want to disappoint anyone's kindness, Senior Cat. What else can I do? Besides going on the road alone."

Yu Man was hit by the claws of the cat senior.

This guy was not tolerant of Man at all: "Humph, look at you crying like a little girl, is this still the legendary eel?"

"...Damn it! Aren't you the older sister I can talk to intimately? Why are you hitting me?"

But Senior Cat also has something to say from the bottom of his heart——

"Your senior cat is ultimately more carefree than you. Listen carefully! Go to bed with whoever you want, ditch any girl you want, kiss whoever you want, hug whoever you want, and be bold and confident. You're super cute, and you have a slippery nature. Everyone wants to make out with you and feel like they've made a killing. Believe me!"

"……no?"

"And then—don't worry about that level-clearing bullshit, don't be some lone wolf player... because... I'm fucking here! No tragedy will happen in your future!"

It is as proud as ever.

The night talk, which was only for those who had passed the level, ended in a terrifying atmosphere.

Yu Man was just about to respond properly, or ask Senior Cat in detail what kind of life she had led.

But——Yu Man had no chance.

Because, there was a knock on the door.

The strange thing is that, accompanied by the rhythm of the knocking on the door, someone whispered in the old world language:

"I'm here to challenge the outpost battle."

268: Off-the-board tactics and off-the-board tactics

enemy.

Yu Man looked at the door and knew that the person knocking on the door was an enemy... At least, it would be an enemy tomorrow.

Senior Cat glanced at Yu Man with a worried and amused look, and obediently closed his mouth that could speak human language, and just meowed.

Yu Man confirmed whether the bottle of mineral water on the bedside table was normal, then unscrewed the lid and took a sip, both to moisten her throat and lips, and also to calm the confusion in her heart so that things would go more normally next.