Only gentleness is the sole remedy.
Instead of directly confronting and mediating with a gentle tone, he chose to encourage and praise indirectly.
He reached out and placed a hand on his chest, mimicking the smile that always appeared on Aili Xiya's face, hoping to alleviate the terrible situation as usual.
"Since this outfit is designed for me, I won't disturb your work. Thank you so much for designing such a beautiful hat for me."
...—It was meaningless.
That comfort and gentleness, precisely at this moment, became utterly meaningless.
The girl's emotions were still on the verge of collapse; the feelings flickering in her silver-gray eyes had even surpassed the limits of human comprehension, with her supreme talent being used for such a pointless endeavor.
This incident was different from anything she had encountered before.
Even the worst past events were, at their core, merely problems stemming from the girl herself.
If there was no moving forward, no hope, then even encountering some disaster left no more room to fall further.
Now it was completely different; it wasn't a lack of confidence, a lack of ideas, or a belief that she couldn't succeed. It was simply a decision to move forward amidst resentment and anger, to undertake an action for which even she didn't believe there was a way back.
It was her first step forward, her first time asserting her will. She was so close to success, yet something went wrong at the very last moment.
This kind of emotion couldn't be alleviated by a simple smile, at least not a copied one.
It seems... I need to find common ground again.
In such a highly impactful situation, only by triggering the human herd mentality, making the girl realize she wasn't alone, could it work.
Even if one exhibited abnormal behavior, as long as there were other abnormals nearby, the mood wouldn't be so terrible, nor would it be so broken.
Allowing her emotions to continue collapsing could very likely lead to an undesirable outcome for the girl.
At this point, normal comfort could no longer alleviate the situation.
—The young man was actually a rather gentle person.
Living with Aili Xiya, it was impossible for his mind to be filled with filth and impurity. Even if he wanted to look at slightly suggestive things, after witnessing the existence of fairies with his own eyes, those 'little black dots' would become completely uninteresting.
But looking at the girl's helplessness, her collapse so severe that it seemed even her self was dissolving.
Let it be... falling together is better than being alone.
[—Anyway, you're already living with Vil-V.]
[If there are no major issues, you'll even dedicate your life to the girl. After all, even the current Vil-V might have a tendency to be unable to live without you. There's no need to guess what she'll become in a few years.]
[And you don't have to pretend to be well-behaved, quiet, and friendly in front of Aili Xiya. Why shackle your own personality?]
[To be fair, if Vil-V can take a big step for you, overcoming her emotional flaws, then what's wrong with you abandoning morality for the girl?]
[Option one: Yell at that large pair of panties, saying, 'Is that my hat? I want to try it on; this really, really suits your aesthetic!']
[Option two: Even Vil-V shouldn't do something so perverted. Stealing is absolutely forbidden. At the very least, you should exchange it with her.]
[Option three: Directly order the girl to apologize to you and state that if she wants something in the future, she can ask you directly for the freshest items, without resorting to such excessive methods. You are important friends, after all.]
"..."
"Uh..."
Jiang Cheng was silenced by these three absurd options.
Each one was more outrageous and preposterous than the last, things no one with an ounce of dignity or a shred of morality would ever do.
Was his morality entirely maintained by Aili Xiya?
How did it turn out like this immediately after he left her side?
Was his choice really correct?
He had just agreed, just chosen to leave. Not to mention success, he hadn't even fully entered the Spiral Workshop when he encountered such a thing.
Even if he couldn't truly experience the feelings of someone who self-loathed to the point of wishing for their own disappearance, in all fairness, he could feel the awkwardness and unwillingness.
Everything was so perfect, yet a small snag was left at the very end.
Especially something that could be minor or major depending on one's personality.
For some people with strict requirements for partners or cohabitants, those who can't stand slovenliness, they would probably feel their minds collapse at this scene.
—Although this item did indeed perfectly match his aesthetic.
—Although he didn't care about such sloppiness.
Rarely, the young man hesitated before the options, his finger suspended in the air, stiff as if its bones had been removed and replaced with cement.
No matter what it was before.
As long as he chose to refuse, he almost never regretted it.
After all, it was his own thought, no matter what.
Even without so-called empathy, even simply looking with his eyes, even completely removing the ability to fully empathize with this aspect.
This was what the young man experienced, and the thoughts that arose in his heart wouldn't change much.
How could he regret a choice he personally made?
Even if time could truly prove the correctness of the final choice, it would still take decades for a person to admit their mistake.
Only at this moment, only with these three options before him, did the young man feel as if he would lose something no matter which he chose.
Perhaps staying by Aili Xiya's side was the correct choice.
At least it wouldn't lead to such outrageous situations... —Perhaps this was the best choice after all.
When did I start... becoming a boring adult?
Since he had indulged himself once, abandoning his originally stable journey, knowing that simply accompanying Aili Xiya could change the world to the greatest extent, allowing him to meet more Flame-Chasers, more geniuses who could use the world as their canvas, and accepting the girl's invitation, which was practically a confession.
Why continue to hold onto the excessive seriousness cultivated during his past life with Aili Xiya?
The indifference between him and that flawless fairy.
Wasn't it precisely because he was too boring?
He neither diligently persisted in reading nor in studying, nor could he maintain that innocent, childlike mentality forever.
There is an accompanying image here, which can be viewed after the version update.
There is an accompanying image here, which can be viewed after the version update.
There is an accompanying image here, which can be viewed after the version update.
40. Refuse! Absolutely! Absolutely refuse!!
As long as he could cast aside some of the seriousness that shouldn't belong to a young man, and in return gain communication with the girl, it wouldn't be a bad thing, no matter what.
The young man's fingertips no longer hesitated, and he ultimately chose option one without a second thought.
[Since the girl exhibited anxiety, perhaps due to truly making a choice, or perhaps due to her inherent personality.]
[The girl's unrestrained emotions, under prolonged suppression that couldn't be released, transformed into somewhat abnormal behavior.]
[Then, as the girl's partner, the invited helper, and her only friend, why couldn't you also become abnormal?]
"Can I try on this hat?"
Jiang Cheng calmly pointed to the fabric in the distance.
His voice was clear.
His tone was calm.
If one ignored the direction the young man's finger was pointing, and ignored the girl whose eyes were already spinning beside him, anyone might think this was an ordinary conversation, merely asking about everyday trivialities.
—If the finger wasn't pointing at a pair of panties.
It was a pair of panties that, no matter how one looked at it, thought about it, stretched their imagination, or ignored their common sense, could not be reinterpreted.
"Eh..."
Perhaps because the young man's words were simply too outlandish.
Vil-V's mind hadn't even processed it yet, still stuck in her earlier self-isolation, merely her small mouth slightly agape, instinctively expressing surprise.
But within her silver-gray pupils, ripples had already formed as if a stone had struck a lake.
A genius's thoughts precede language, even precede the self.
Jiang Cheng... —What is he doing?
"Didn't you hear clearly?"
Looking at the girl whose eyes were gradually regaining clarity, the power called wisdom, belonging solely to humans, reappeared in this peerless genius. Jiang Cheng tried hard to suppress his expression, continuing to feign nonchalance.
"Excuse me..."
"This hat..."
"Can I wear it?"
...Hmm?
?
?
???
Too outrageous.
Even having heard clearly the second time, every word spoken by the young man was incredibly distinct, with no possibility of any ambiguity.
Unfathomable.
Incomprehensible.
But the young man had already leaned closer, his exhaled warmth gently touching her nose, and a strangely serious look was revealed in his dark eyes.
"Eh? Eek!" Miss Vil-V's face, after a brief moment of blankness, instantly showed an expression of horror, her arms crossed in front of her chest, "Refuse! Absolutely! Absolutely refuse! This, of all things, is absolutely not allowed!"
No, no, no, absolutely not!
Horror appeared on the girl's face for the first time!
Her pretty face was so red it looked like it was about to bleed.
Jiang Cheng actually treating that fabric as a hat or something, that scene, even just thinking about it slightly... No!
Can't even think about it!
Even if a fragment floated in her mind, Vil-V felt she would faint, completely so, wishing she could bury herself in the dirt.
If such a scene really occurred,
She and Jiang Cheng definitely wouldn't be able to survive in this world, right?
Definitely!
Certainly!
Fleeing the city was useless; leaving the city now wouldn't even take an hour. Fleeing the country was also useless; the Spiral Workshop was already world-famous...