"If you truly don't trust your own abilities, then you can try to trust my words."
"I'm not one to judge a book by its cover, you know."
"I would never lie to you."
"—My dear Vil-V."
…After this period of close proximity, the young man truly understood the reasons behind the young woman's actions—why she abandoned her dignity and rights, and why she always tried to do something.
These actions were not merely a matter of personal preference, nor did they indicate that she was inherently a masochist.
In fact, it could probably be condensed into one sentence:
—Please, ask something of me.
—Please, prove to me that I am indispensable.
Because she lacked a sense of security, because she experienced warmth for the first time in her life, and because she had grown accustomed to this warmth, she feared that this feeling would silently vanish like a bubble under the sun.
—Yes.
I will prove it to you, prove your importance, prove that as long as you find the root of any problem, solving it is only a matter of time.
As the second person in his life to garner such affection, and as a repayment for being saved and helped, the young man would not be disheartened, nor would he grow weary, nor would he choose to give up halfway, no matter how much time it took.
It was merely a matter of time, and time was precisely what the young man had in abundance.
He was only in his twenties; life was still very long.
[Under your prolonged efforts, the young woman was finally able to step out of the Room with you, not out of coercion, but naturally, to stroll together on streets where people were relatively sparse.]
[From this, you also started a new business: providing online assistance for construction—provided that the number of people present did not exceed thirty.]
[This was the young woman's stated bottom line; if the number exceeded this, she would be unable to perform any work.]
[—Strange.]
[Hadn't the young woman been able to walk normally on the streets before?]
[Your first encounter was on the street; her hat was blown away by a breeze carrying cherry blossoms and happened to be picked up by you on a downhill section.]
[Including every subsequent birthday of yours, she was never absent, and seemed to have never shown discomfort even at large gatherings of hundreds or thousands of people.]
[It couldn't be that after all this time you spent with her, her psychological issues not only weren't cured but had developed more severe problems, could it?]
[It must be that some other symptoms were triggered, or perhaps she was able to attend birthday parties back then by sheer force of will, relying on her feelings for you.]
[You didn't think too much; your attention was quickly drawn to the Moth Chasing Fire, who had ordered your new service.]
[That organization requested your help in constructing a building.]
[To design a defense system for the Engineering Department's headquarters.]
[For the Spiral Workshop's biggest client, a client who almost never made any demands, this not-so-difficult order was naturally accepted.]
[You also wanted to see what the base, reputed to be the most advanced in the world, looked like; perhaps it would perfectly match your imagination of science fiction novels.]
[Unfortunately, because you were not a core member, you couldn't view the overhead map of the Moth Chasing Fire base and were directly sent to the Engineering Department.]
[Even if the most critical building hadn't been completed, the straight, futuristic, sci-fi-like structure, towering like a sky-piercing spire, was indeed eye-catching enough.]
[At least in this regard, it didn't disappoint you.]
[Although those basic constructions were not as good as the Spiral Workshop's, far inferior to the young woman's talent.]
[This fairly good mood lasted until your official handover, when a large group of bald employees bowed to you, shouting "Senior."]
There is an illustration here, which can be viewed after the updated version.
There is an illustration here, which can be viewed after the updated version.
Unbelievable.jpg
There is an illustration here, which can be viewed after the updated version.
50. Does she really wish to become a little puppy?
[Although you are the ostensible owner of the Spiral Workshop, in reality, you have never seized even a shred of the young woman's credit or glory.]
[The Moth Chasing Fire, if they had even a slight understanding of you, should know that you are merely a mascot.]
[Something's not right…]
[Shouldn't the core engineer be Vil-V?]
[How could such a thing change so easily? And you are certainly not a talented person; how could you earn the title of 'Senior'?]
[Unless…]
The young man looked at the embarrassed young woman, who, perhaps realizing she had been seen through, lowered her head slightly, not daring to meet his dark, deep eyes. All that remained visible was the delicate earlobe, faintly warm and reddish, peeking out from her slightly combed brown hair.
I should have thought of it… shouldn't I?
…"Honestly, you have subjective initiative, so why can't you use it more on other things? You are clearly the truly talented genius."
"If I get exposed later and people point out that my skill isn't enough, the responsibility will all be on you, you know."
Seemingly somewhat harsh and displeased, the young man's lips didn't drop even a fraction. His night-sky-like eyes were filled with helpless warmth.
Her unique personality was highlighted every single minute, every single second.
—Does she really wish to become a little puppy?
"Sorry…"
The young woman could only lower her head further, gently biting her rosy lower lip. The self-imposed guilt was heavier than the full fruits on her chest, and her slender, soft fingertips were already itching to strip off her clothes.
—I'm truly sorry.
Such a gentle young man.
He could forgive her again and again.
Yet, she blackmailed him repeatedly, and wouldn't even listen to what he had said.
Ah… ah… how despicable, shameless, and filthy.
I'm sorry… but on this matter alone, the young woman would not obey.
Now, all the beauty was too dreamlike, so much so that even being on a large ship, with a home that provided shelter from wind and rain and warmth, no longer having to soak in seawater, feeling the biting cold, letting her body gradually sink into the deep sea, being helplessly enveloped by layers of pressure—the young woman still feared that one day she would be thrown off this warm ship.
Although she had once faced such fear, such thoughts, she ultimately chose to approach the young man.
It was just that at that time, she had only tasted warmth superficially, and ultimately could not experience how addictive this intense love truly was.
"This kind of thing is really more suitable for you to handle."
"Just let me be a normal engineer with peace of mind."
"My talents also have limits, which is why I need your help."
—This was a lie.
This talent, which surpassed human imagination, even when divided into insignificant small pieces, still possessed the level of a top genius.
Nothing could stump Vil-V; as long as she wanted to, she could achieve it… "Is it because you're not used to it?"
"In that case…"
Looking at the young woman's clearly abnormal emotions, her watery, soft eyes, and the way she immediately lowered her head in submission as soon as she spoke, no matter how strange the young man felt, he could only tacitly agree to this matter.
If it was truly because she was uncomfortable with interacting with him and wanted to avoid it… "—Alright."
"I can only try my best not to get exposed. You don't need to think too much; we are all members of the Spiral Workshop anyway, as long as the design is good, that's all that matters."
"We have already rejected their recruitment. They have no right to investigate the specifics; we just need to complete the task well together."
The young man's final voice still turned into gentle comfort, as he softly stroked the young woman's hanging hair.
It was incredibly smooth, almost unimaginably so, even more comfortable than the most perfect silk. From top to bottom, there was nothing about it that matched a shut-in.
"Mmm… no, it won't happen."
The comfortable sensation of being gently stroked on the head made Vil-V Can't help it raise her head, standing on tiptoe, wishing for that warmth to linger on her head a little longer. Her voice even stretched out as if she had eaten honey.
Until that warm palm finally withdrew, leaving only a lingering void. A gentle breeze rustled her coffee-colored cowlick, causing it to sway in the wind.
Such contact was completely insufficient.
Even hugging the young man's freshly removed clothes and burying her head in them was far from enough.
Even a full dogeza couldn't express the emotions in her heart.
—She was utterly unable to leave the young man now.
Just imagining that scene filled her with terror, as if every nerve in her body were being cut and severed, her soul and self subjected to slow torture.
No matter how many times she tried to guess, her body would ache to the core, and her heart would faintly feel a closing sensation, making the young woman genuinely want to stop breathing.
Even though she knew the young man wouldn't do that.
Even though she clearly knew the young man's love was equally fervent.
Even though reason reminded her countless times of the foolishness of this matter.
—The young woman was ultimately completely swept away by emotion, which she had never overcome, and her delicate heart was constantly wounded by the anxiety from the depths of her soul.
She had originally been barely surviving in the turbulent waves by sheer instinctual buoyancy, miraculously spitting out the water stuck in her lungs after countless suffocations. Her survival until now was entirely due to luck and exceptionally high talent.
She couldn't swim, nor did she even have a plank.
Yet, she was also a useless, incompetent, weak, and greedy good-for-nothing who, once touched by warmth, could no longer endure cold; once she saw light, she could no longer accept darkness; once she felt love, she could never continue to be alone.
She could no longer live as she once did.
She couldn't escape.
She couldn't be timid.
She couldn't be cowardly.
She was forever, eternally unable to leave. If the young man suddenly disappeared, she would absolutely, certainly, inevitably drown in the seawater with no hope of return.
This inferiority complex, like a maggot in the bone, even if that flawless fairy left, did not mean the young woman could acknowledge her own status.
She could accept, affirm, and 100% confirm that she had completely replaced Aili Xiya's position.
The young man would absolutely not suddenly vanish like a bubble.
If she were to continue her past desperate life, to continue her hopeless existence of rising and falling with the waves, battered by storms and heavy rain.
To continue sinking and falling into that deep sea, only able to watch herself gradually descend, the surrounding seawater pressing in, yet powerless—
—I can no longer accept such a life.
The young woman could no longer live a life like that.
Not even for a day.
Not even for a minute.
All these seemingly incomprehensible, seemingly foolish things were merely the young woman's instinctive self-preservation, using everything she had to coerce the young