Ayaka was dancing.
Standing in the crystal-clear river, the water flowing over her socks, she held a folding fan in her right hand and danced gracefully.
On the riverbank, Ye was admiring her dance.
Why was she dancing?
Ayaka's mind was a little fuzzy at the moment.
It felt like this scene was familiar.
As she danced, Ayaka tried to recall, and gradually her mind cleared. That's right, she had danced this dance for Ye and Lumine before. It was something she had always wanted to do but never had the chance. And her first time, she wanted to show it to her two friends.
For Ayaka, both Ye and Lumine were her friends.
Although Ye being the Supreme Bishop did make Ayaka somewhat wary, even with that wariness, she still wanted to consider him a friend.
After all, the joyful conversations she had with Ye were truly rare for her.
Or rather, before meeting Ye, Ayaka had never experienced such happiness.
That's why she had danced that dance.
And now… Ayaka was dancing again.
However, this time, Lumine and Paimon weren't there. It was just Ye.
Ayaka finally realized that she was in a dream.
The dream felt real, with both her physical sensations and the surroundings being so vivid that it was hard to distinguish from reality.
But Ayaka's mind was gradually clearing.
She could feel that she had regained full control of her body. If she wanted to stop, she could.
—But Ayaka didn't stop.
On the contrary, her face flushed slightly, her heartbeat quickened, and her body involuntarily softened.
As expected, during the dance, Ayaka saw Ye slowly removing his clothes, stepping into the river, and approaching her step by step.
Ayaka continued dancing, unable to help but turn her back, pretending not to see him, and continued swaying her fan and body.
It wasn't until a pair of hands wrapped around her that Ayaka was forced to stop dancing.
Her heartbeat was racing, and her face was burning red.
Even though she had experienced this many times in her dreams, Ayaka still blushed and her heart raced every time.
Lowering her head, Ayaka whispered softly, "Don't…"
"Don't what?"
The man behind her, pressing close, asked gently.
Ayaka couldn't answer.
The words "don't" were already the most she could muster with great effort.
In Ayaka's silence, she felt one hand leave her waist and move downward, touching her leg, then slowly lifting her skirt from behind.
With a soft "plop," Ayaka was caught off guard and pushed forward, her fair knees kneeling in the clear river water. Instinctively, she supported herself with her hands, her small and perfect palms sinking into the water, while her lifted skirt naturally fell onto her back…
—Ye had a pleasant night.
Oh no, he had another pleasant night.
Ever since he gained the "Nameless" cheat, Ye had never had an unpleasant night.
But today, because of the ample material, it was even more enjoyable than usual.
It must be admitted, Ayaka was truly beautiful!
After enjoying the beauty, it was time to get up and get to work.
First, Ye checked the online reactions to the legendary quest on Earth. It seemed his inclusion hadn't overly affected the players' evaluation of the story.
The "Dance of the Shirasagi Himegimi" still made a name for itself.
This was also thanks to Ye's own high popularity.
—Though it still somewhat stole the spotlight.
In Ayaka's legendary quest, Ye had two moments that sparked widespread discussion among players.
One was the "Supreme Bishop who's tough in both words and heart"—the part about Ye's inner thoughts.
It must be said, this part left Ye very dissatisfied. After all, he had made such a great sacrifice to clear his name, even allowing Kiana to reveal his inner thoughts. Yet, why was no one able to understand him?
Inner thoughts must be true!
What do you mean by "talking nonsense with his mouth and his heart"?
How can inner thoughts be called nonsense?
Extremely dissatisfied, but Ye had no choice. After all, he couldn't create a burner account to argue with the players. That would be too beneath him.
So, Ye turned his attention to another hot topic.
Also about Ye.
It was the final conversation between Ye and Ayaka.
「The Supreme Bishop is so warm!」
「Confirmed! Ayaka is trying to have her cake and eat it too!」
「Cheating Ayaka」
「Isn't it the Supreme Bishop who's cheating? He flirted with the Traveler so much in the story, and now he's turning around and flirting with Ayaka! That's the real cheating!」
「Cheating Ye」
「Cheating Ye」
「Cheating Ye」
「What exactly is "Truth"?」
「Does anyone know what "Truth" refers to?」
「I've gone through all the texts, and I can confidently say, I don't know.」
「Don't worry, this is clearly just foreshadowing. When the time comes, we'll naturally know what "Truth" is.」
「Can you guys keep the formation? Cheating Ye!」
「As you command, Cheating Ye」
「As you command, Cheating Ye」
「As you command, Cheating Ye」
That's about it.
As for the term "Cheating Ye," Ye's anger was understandable. After all, when had he ever been associated with the word "cheating"?
He had always been the most responsible man.
Was there anyone more responsible than him in this world?
Definitely not.
How could such a responsible man be described as "cheating"?
This is irresponsible!!
False accusations! Completely false!
But Ye couldn't argue with the players, so he had to endure the slander.
Fortunately, once he logged off, Ye no longer had to worry about being slandered.
"Baoyu, is the popularity enough now?"
Hearing Ye's question, Baoyu smiled and said, "It's enough, Master."
"Then, exchange it for me."
That's right, it was for Ye himself.
Up until now, Ye had been using his popularity on his alternate accounts. But this time, for the first time, Ye used all his popularity on himself.
He exchanged it for an ability.
This ability was called "Puppeteer."
Naturally, it was for the upcoming storyline.
Initially, Ye hadn't planned to be so aggressive, intending to reveal this setting during the Fontaine version. But now, some players had already guessed the true identity of Astrea and the other Knights of the Holy Church—Ye's setting for them as puppets.
Given that, Ye decided to be a bit more aggressive.
Since they've already guessed it, why not confirm their suspicions in this Inazuma version?
After all…
It doesn't make much of a difference, does it?