Chapter 375: Truth |
"Creak."
Inside the spacious Villa, the ceiling lights glowed softly.
The dazzling light emanating from the crystal chandelier cascaded downward, casting uneven shadows beneath the glasses and the dishes that still steamed with the heat of the wok.
Ye Shiyu looked at the table full of dishes before her. She paused for a second before gently pulling out the chair opposite Yan Huan and slowly sitting down.
At the same time, however, Ye Shiyu was also observing her surroundings for anything that might be out of place.
She had no idea what Yan Huan was plotting.
'Could it be...'
'Does Xiao Huan still want to escape?'
'No, absolutely not, otherwise...'
'Could it be...'
'In Xiao Huan's eyes, am I really such a terrifying, word-breaking Hypnosis demon?'
Watching Ye Shiyu sit down, Yan Huan also took his seat. He smiled faintly, interrupting her train of thought,
"Are you still worried I might run away, Sister Shiyu?"
"..."
Hearing this, Ye Shiyu paused in surprise.
She raised her eyes, only to see Yan Huan pointing at the security cameras under the Eaves outside the door, pointing out the obvious,
"Those cameras have everything under Surveillance at all times, covering any place I could use to leave the Villa. I imagine that the moment I take a single step outside, I'll immediately be subjected to Hypnosis and forced to return, right?"
"..."
Hearing these words, Ye Shiyu actually felt a bit curious.
'Xiao Huan seems to know exactly how I cast my Hypnosis...'
'How did he find out?'
'Could Xiao Huan's Superpower be related to gathering information?'
"Do not misunderstand, Sister Shiyu. Right now, I have no intention of running away, whether you believe it or not."
"After all, since you previously used Hypnosis on me and ambushed me at night, I probably won't apologize for lying to you before, or for the things I said that night."
"But I realize my words shouldn't have been so harsh. Because I might have misunderstood you in some ways too, Sister Shiyu."
As he spoke, Yan Huan looked at Ye Shiyu's face and said softly,
"You probably do not know this, Sister Shiyu, but I also have the Battle Defeat CG Ability. Its contents align with many facts, which made me convinced of its authenticity."
"For example, on the night you ambushed me and used Hypnosis, I saw a future where you locked me in the Basement and kept me as a captive pet forever."
"Besides that, there were all sorts of horrifying scenes that could top the charts of any Horror Film, leaving me convinced of your terrifying nature without a shadow of a doubt."
"But after the night I was locked in the Basement, I couldn't help but wonder:"
"Sister Shiyu, are you really that kind of person?"
Hearing this, Ye Shiyu opened her mouth and subconsciously shook her head.
But halfway through shaking her head, she stopped.
Immediately after, she raised her eyes and asked Yan Huan,
"Are you still trying to say that the Prediction made by my Superpower is fake, Xiao Huan?"
'She is so straightforward. None of my usual tricks are working at all...'
Looking at the scrutiny, wariness, and distrust in her eyes, Yan Huan secretly sighed.
Truly, compared to the other Modifier Hosts, Ye Shiyu undoubtedly deserved the title of the most perfect Host.
Yan Huan knew that her conclusion that "the Index Finger's Prediction is real" had its own internal logic, a logic that could not be easily unraveled when key information was missing.
Fortunately, Yan Huan had not expected to win Ye Shiyu's trust purely by playing the emotional card.
"Sister Shiyu, let's eat. I prepared a lot."
Thus, Yan Huan pointed at the dishes in front of them, then shook his head and said,
"It is fine if you believe that, Sister Shiyu. However, I just feel that we didn't really understand each other before. So... I want to understand you a little better."
"Conversely, if you want, you can also understand me better. Whether it's about my Superpower or absolutely anything else."
"Let's play a game, Sister Shiyu."
Ye Shiyu picked up her Chopsticks and asked,
"A game?"
"Yes, Truth or Dare."
"..."
As he spoke, Yan Huan pulled a few slips of paper from his pocket and explained,
"The rules are simple. We take turns asking each other a question, and the other person must answer honestly."
"If we encounter a question we don't want to answer, we must choose to complete a dare instead."
"I found some suitable dares online. We can just draw one at random from these."
Yan Huan set the papers down, raised his eyes to look straight at Ye Shiyu, and stated,
"But, I will only ever choose 'Truth'."
"..."
This rule was actually heavily in Ye Shiyu's favor.
It meant that whatever Ye Shiyu wanted to know, Yan Huan would answer.
Meanwhile, whatever Yan Huan asked, if Ye Shiyu didn't want to answer, she could simply refuse and choose a dare as an alternative.
But...
There might be a trap hidden within this.
Ye Shiyu narrowed her eyes and began to ponder.
First of all, she couldn't guarantee that Xiao Huan would tell the truth.
After all, she had used Hypnosis on Xiao Huan more than once before, using it to confirm his Good Intention.
It was exactly during those repeated Hypnosis sessions that Xiao Huan had stated he at least saw her as an Older Sister, making her increasingly Convinced of his feelings toward her.
Yet that night, he had completely overturned all of it at once.
This proved that even Hypnosis couldn't stop Xiao Huan from choosing To Lie.
'Then what is the point of such a rule?'
"..."
Seeing Ye Shiyu hesitate, Yan Huan's eyes immediately flickered.
In an Instant, an illusory interface appeared before Ye Shiyu's eyes.
[Task: Participate in the Game]
[Participate in the Truth or Dare game with Yan Huan. During this period, he will be afflicted with a Hypnosis suggestion possessing 100% Resistance penetration.]
[However, you must also abide by the game rules until the game ends.]
[Reward: Grants your Hypnosis stronger Resistance penetration. Against the Opposite Gender, it will reach 100% penetration!]
[Resistance: When using Hypnosis on a Host who also possesses a Superpower, your Hypnosis effects will be proportionally reduced.]
Upon seeing the illusory interface, Ye Shiyu's expression momentarily blanked.
'Resistance...'
'So that's how it is.'
'No wonder Xiao Huan was still able To Lie while under Hypnosis.'
'It was the same when I used Hypnosis on An Le and the others before. I could only control their bodies, and the effect varied in strength.'
'Against Spencer, Hypnosis had no effect whatsoever.'
'Oh, wait, that is incorrect...'
'Only when using Hypnosis on Sakuramiya Hitomi were both she and her clones completely hypnotized.'
'It turns out, it was because of differences in Resistance...'
"..."
Seeing the quest interface issued by her own Superpower, the suspicion in Ye Shiyu's eyes instantly diminished by several fractions.
Seeing this, Yan Huan, who had been carefully observing her expression, couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
His guess was correct!
The so-called "program" was actually an existence similar to a System.
His own "Assembler" displayed a similar interface when issuing tasks or triggering effects, and Ye Shiyu had one too!
It seemed the reason his own Modifier resembled a System was derived from the authority of the Index Finger!
"How about it? Do you agree, Sister Shiyu?"
"..."
Hearing this, Ye Shiyu remained silent.
She simply glanced at the cards in Yan Huan's hand, then took out her Mobile Phone and opened the Yezi AI.
Then, she propped the Mobile Phone vertically against the napkin Carton on the table.
'What is this...?'
Yan Huan was puzzled, but the next second, Ye Shiyu said softly,
"The dares will be drawn randomly by Yezi. It is an AI I customized, and it will provide the most suitable dares."
'She even considered the dares layer?!'
Even with the endorsement of the Index Finger's task, Ye Shiyu still couldn't firmly grasp Yan Huan's true intentions.
She didn't believe Yan Huan was just here to have a Heart-to-Heart Talk, so she suspected he might have tampered with the dare slips!?
'Like removing the cameras or refusing to sleep in the same room as her at night, or something like that...'
'Fine, fine, fine...'
"Hello, Master. How can I help you?"
On the Mobile Phone's App interface, a black-haired little girl tilted her head and made eye contact with Yan Huan.
She looked Harmless to Humans and Animals, but for some unknown reason, she gave Yan Huan a tingling sensation on his Scalp.
"Hiss!!"
Even Myau-chan on his shoulder felt that chilling intent, causing him to Get Angry or Ruffled and repeatedly Hiss at her.
"..."
But...
After looking at her Mobile Phone for a few seconds, Yan Huan actually smiled and tucked his prepared cards back away.
"Alright, Sister Shiyu, we'll do as you say."
Thus, with both Yan Huan and Ye Shiyu nodding in agreement...
Amidst the subtle Atmosphere at the dining table, their game of "Truth or Dare" officially began!
"Who goes first, Xiao Huan?"
"Earlier, I explained to you about my Battle Defeat CG, so why don't I ask the first question?"
"...Alright."
Yan Huan picked up some vegetables with his Chopsticks, looked at Ye Shiyu, and asked,
"During those previous times, why did you use Hypnosis on me, Sister Shiyu?"
Hearing this, Ye Shiyu Pursed Her Lips and said softly,
"...I am sorry."
"I just wanted to ask. After all, every time you used Hypnosis, it was a Zero-Frame Activation, and I never knew what you were actually thinking. So... if you don't want to answer, you don't have to."
Ye Shiyu hesitated for a moment, but ultimately didn't choose a dare. Instead, she spoke softly,
"The First Time... I simply wanted to drive Xiao Huan away, afraid that Xiao Huan would steal Mama. Another time, it was because... because Xiao Huan saw that..."
"That?"
Yan Huan paused slightly, looking at Ye Shiyu in front of him.
He saw that she maintained her Expressionless face, but a faint blush had crept onto her snow-white skin, and her gaze dodged slightly for a moment.
'Ah...'
"I remember now, it was that—"
"Thump."
Just as Yan Huan was about to speak, he felt his Ankle under the table get bumped.
Glancing down, he happened to see her small foot, clad in black stockings, retracting back into her slipper.
"..."
This table wasn't actually that large. Their knees were quite close, and extending a leg just a little was enough to easily reach the other person.
As such, the Chief Culprit was quite obvious.
Seeing this, Yan Huan smiled helplessly and stopped talking.
Ye Shiyu Pursed Her Lips and continued,
"Afterwards... the night ambushes and so on, were just because... I wanted to possess Xiao Huan, but I didn't know what method to use..."
Even bringing it up now, a hint of confusion lingered in her eyes.
Those words Yan Huan had said to her the night he voluntarily left the house...
That was the First Time Ye Shiyu had felt warmth and Brightness from someone other than her Mother.
She was almost immediately, irresistibly drawn to Yan Huan, wanting to get closer to that beauty.
However...
Her Experience in this area was simply too Barren.
She didn't know what to do, so she could only clumsily reference the contents of the 'materials' she had just studied...
"So that is why you... imitated what you saw in adult videos..."
Hearing this, Yan Huan's eyes widened, completely dumbfounded.
"..."
Meanwhile, Ye Shiyu was Lowering Her Head, her face practically buried in her bowl.
'It all connects. Everything connects...'
'From discovering her secretly watching those things, to her subsequent Hypnosis night ambushes...'
Yan Huan could finally understand why Ye Shiyu always had A Lot of Talk But Little Action.
Look at all the things she did—Hypnosis, night ambushes—it was horrifying!
But several times, whenever Yan Huan displayed just a bit of his divine Fertility power, she would immediately suffer a Defense Broken state, utterly unable to parry.
She could simply be called "high attack, paper defense"!
But Yan Huan had never imagined...
There were actually people who took those sorts of videos as Reality!?
"Before... I was indeed wrong, but after Mama scolded me and told me that true possession isn't like that... I decided to Turn Over a New Leaf..."
"..."
Yan Huan blinked and looked at Ye Shiyu, who had suddenly raised her head, choosing to Not Say a Word.
It was as if his expression was saying:
'What did you change?! Aren't you still using Hypnosis on me?!'
Perhaps Yan Huan's gaze was too direct, making Ye Shiyu lower her head again, not daring to speak.
Actually, aside from that, her later uses of Hypnosis on Yan Huan were entirely because she would Be Jealous.
She had fallen for the radiance Yan Huan exuded that night, but in her clumsiness, she didn't know how to obtain that beauty and heartbeat-inducing feeling again.
On the contrary, other girls got to experience it time and time again.
Whether it was Spencer, Sakuramiya Hitomi, or An Le...
Therefore, whenever that happened, she would become anxious.
And the more anxious she grew, the further away she was pushed. Until today, it was as if they were separated by an unbridgeable gulf.
"...Perhaps, Mama is right. I simply don't know... what true affection is.
"I merely thought I really liked Xiao Huan. In truth, I was simply being greedy.
"Greedy for the beauty Xiao Huan showed me that night, wanting to repeatedly take it from Xiao Huan... Yet, I haven't been able to bring Xiao Huan anything beautiful in return.
"Therefore... you don't need to apologize for what you said to me last night, Xiao Huan.
"I should be the one apologizing."
In front of him, Ye Shiyu set down her Chopsticks, doing her best to remain Calm as she spoke these words.
But, looking at her slightly trembling fingers, Yan Huan caught a glimpse of her current emotional state,
"Rest assured, I am not intentionally locking you up now, Xiao Huan... Just as I said before, you will be able to leave here very soon."
Indeed, just as he had thought...
Ye Shiyu was no innocent little lamb—or rather, it would be impossible for an innocent lamb to be chosen as a Modifier Host, right?
But... she also certainly wasn't entirely a Demon or Female Ghost like in the Battle Defeat CG.
She was highly prone to having a Stress Response.
Once Ye Shiyu fell into doubt, displeasure, or even just a minuscule Desire of 'wanting', she would unhesitatingly use her Modifier to achieve her goal directly.
From this perspective, she was indeed very suited to being a Modifier Host.
But from another perspective...
"..."
For some reason, Yan Huan suddenly recalled how she looked while sleeping last night.
She clutched a pillow tightly, her arms and legs firmly wrapping around it, before forcing herself To Curl Up into a tight ball just to fall asleep...
"...It's your turn to ask me, Sister Shiyu."
Yan Huan snapped back to reality, took a bite of food, and said.
"..."
Ye Shiyu also put down her Chopsticks and asked directly,
"Then, apart from me, do you know of anyone else who has a Superpower, Xiao Huan?"
'It's actually this question, huh...'
This was somewhat outside of Yan Huan's expectations.
However, regardless of what question Ye Shiyu asked, Yan Huan had already laid out a trap.
You see, he had imitated Ye Shiyu's Modifier and sent a message claiming that he had been subjected to a Hypnosis suggestion that forced him to tell the absolute truth and pierced through his Resistance.
But in Reality, Yan Huan hadn't been affected by it at all.
Of course, he would tell the truth as much as possible; continuing to lie was completely meaningless.
This was merely a safeguard against certain questions that he absolutely could not answer.
For instance: Myau-chan.
"...Ah, I do know."
Yan Huan nodded, admitting to this.
Ye Shiyu's pupils shrank as she Pursed Her Lips,
"Then all those previous times they used their Abilities on you..."
"...I knew about all of them."
Ye Shiyu opened her mouth, seeming to want to ask something else, but suddenly remembered that they were taking turns.
Asking so many questions in a row seemed to be overstepping the rules.
She didn't know if that counted as breaking the rules.
She needed that reward...
Do not misunderstand; it wasn't because she wanted to use Hypnosis on Xiao Huan.
It was because she knew the other Hosts wouldn't leave things be. They would definitely come, and she needed the Strength to stop them from taking Xiao Huan away...
Until that matter was finished.
"It is your turn, Xiao Huan."
"Right, my question is..."
Yan Huan took a deep breath, put down his Chopsticks, and said,
"What is the thing you mentioned wanting to do earlier, Sister Shiyu?"
"..."
Ye Shiyu, who was just about to pick up some food, froze slightly. Immediately, she retracted her Chopsticks, intending to directly ask Yezi for a dare.
Seeing this, Yan Huan quickly reached out to stop her,
"Then let me change my question!"
"..."
Left with no choice, Yan Huan rested his cheek on his hand and asked,
"Can you tell me what you saw in your Superpower's vision that made you refuse to let me leave?"
Ye Shiyu was somewhat surprised, not expecting Xiao Huan to guess the reason she wouldn't let him go.
But since Xiao Huan knew there was a reason, even if he didn't understand it, the likelihood of him leaving was undoubtedly much lower.
"..."
Ye Shiyu began to ponder.
She maintained an Expressionless face and stayed perfectly still, looking just like one of her Dolls.
It wasn't until several seconds later that she looked at Yezi again and said softly,
"Give me a suitable dare."
'She still...'
'Refuses to answer?'
Yan Huan let out a breath, somewhat Disappointed, but he had to accept it.
'I can't rush this. I can't be impatient...'
'Even just finding some clues would be fine...'
"Understood... The dare is as follows: Please Massage the other person with your feet for fifteen minutes."
'Huh?'
Hearing this, Yan Huan's pupils contracted, and he immediately looked at the Yezi App.
But all he saw was the black-haired little girl on the screen smiling kindly, looking incredibly sweet and cute.
Yan Huan knew perfectly well that this thing was definitely influenced by the Index Finger; it was basically the Index Finger itself!
He had originally thought the dare provided by the Index Finger would definitely make Ye Shiyu do something dangerous to harm him, but instead...
'There's actually such a good thing?!'
"..."
Turning his head to look at Ye Shiyu, he saw that she was also staring blankly at the Yezi App.
Soon after, feeling Yan Huan's gaze land upon her...
Her Expressionless face gradually took on a blush, and her eyes averted slightly...
"Okay..."
She took a deep breath and agreed softly.
"Rustle, rustle, rustle."
The next second, the sound of Stockings rubbing against Shoes came from beneath the table.
Yan Huan swallowed a mouthful of saliva and glanced down...
He saw that Ye Shiyu had already kicked off her slippers, her bare feet nervously intertwined.
Then, little by little, they reached out toward Yan Huan's legs.
"..."
For some unknown reason, the muscles in Yan Huan's legs tensed slightly.
It wasn't until the distinct outline of those Warm and Cozy small feet fully pressed against his muscles that Yan Huan woke up as if from a dream.
"Rustle, rustle, rustle."
A gentle treading sensation spread as Ye Shiyu gripped her Chopsticks tightly, her feet under the table repeatedly stepping lightly along Yan Huan's muscles.
Starting from his Calf, moving all the way up...
'H-Heaven... is this heaven...?'
'Index Finger, you did a great—'
"Yan Huan!! Don't fall for the Modifier's sugar-coated bullets, meow!!"
Just as Yan Huan was also gripping his Chopsticks tightly, savoring the feeling of Ye Shiyu's foot Massage, Myau-chan beside him suddenly smacked one of his Paw Pads right onto Yan Huan's face, making his expression darken,
"I've been working to Resolve the Modifier for so long, and I'm so exhausted. Can't I just enjoy myself for a bit?!"
'Come on, keep the music playing, keep the—'
"Meow?!"
However, in the very next second, right in front of Yan Huan, the illusory Myau-chan's eyes widened. Bizarrely defying common sense, he began to levitate upside down...
"Bam!"
Yan Huan was slightly startled. Before he could even realize what was happening, Myau-chan looked as if he had been punched, violently "barfing" out one of the Modifier Fragments from his stomach.
'A Fragment?'
Yan Huan watched helplessly as the Fragment was spat out by Myau-chan. It then slowly began to disintegrate and flew in Ye Shiyu's direction.
'This...'
"Wuu wuu wuu, Yan Huan!! It-it's the Index Finger! I-i-it's beating me up! And stealing my secretly stashed Fragment, meow!!"
"..."
Hearing this, Yan Huan immediately looked at the Mobile Phone Ye Shiyu had placed on the table.
He saw the Yezi inside giving a Forced Smile, looking as if she were practicing boxing in there...
'Love Cat TV is actually broadcasting live!!'
'So this was the Index Finger's calculation all along!!'
Yan Huan instantly burned with rage and wanted to stop it.
'Even though this cat is a Boiling Fog, considering his kind heart, he's a decent feline, and absolutely must not be silenced...'
'Ah, wait...'
As he thought about it, Yan Huan suddenly realized something. His face darker than coal, he turned his head and demanded,
"When the hell did you start hoarding Fragments behind my back?!"
"Meow?!"
Hearing this, Myau-chan instantly felt a profound Guilty Conscience and began To sweat like rain,
"W-well, about that, meow..."
"Bam!"
But the very next second, he seemed to suffer another heavy blow.
"Meow!!"
It seemed the Index Finger had unleashed the "Love Cat Second Form: Dragon Fruit Combo", beating Myau-chan so badly he could barely take care of himself,
"S-save me, meow! If it hits me again, I'll drop another Fragment, meow! If the Index Finger gets it, it'll really be gone forever, meow!"
"Don't let Ye Shiyu's feet stay in one spot, otherwise—"
Hearing this, Yan Huan's face remained pitch black.
But it was indeed true; the logic was sound.
Although this Boiling Fog was hoarding a 'secret stash', at least the stash was still with him.
And see? A good beating could still force him to spit it out.
But if it was given to the Index Finger, it would be like throwing meat buns at a dog—not only arming the enemy, but impossible to get back!
"..."
Thinking this, Yan Huan made a prompt decision, reaching out to grasp Ye Shiyu's feet that were currently performing a Massage on his thighs.
"Clack!"
"Wuu..."
In front of him, the Chopsticks Ye Shiyu had been gripping suddenly fell onto the table, making a crisp sound.
Not only that, Myau-chan finally dropped down and stopped spitting out Fragments.
It seemed the Love Cat TV broadcast had ended.
"I-I'm dying, meow..."
Inexplicably, Yan Huan felt it was somewhat of a pity.
If it wouldn't result in dropped Fragments, Yan Huan really wanted to let the Index Finger have at it a little more.
However...
At this moment, in Yan Huan's hands, the smooth sensation of the Stockings traced the movements of Ye Shiyu's feet...
Her toes had suddenly all curled up tightly together?
He had originally only intended to stop Ye Shiyu from using the Index Finger To Devour Myau-chan's Fragments, but...
Yan Huan had not anticipated that Ye Shiyu would have such a reaction.
"It tickles, Xiao Huan..."
'Hmm?'
'Could it be that Ye Shiyu is also ticklish?'
Looking at Ye Shiyu, who was bending slightly at the waist and struggling with her feet to break free, Yan Huan inexplicably felt a desire to play a prank.
Fortunately, he managed to hold back relying on his self-control.
"I apologize, I also found it a bit ticklish... Sister Shiyu, please continue with your questions."
"It is fine, as long as you are gentler..."
"..."
Hearing this, Yan Huan was slightly taken aback and couldn't help but look at Ye Shiyu across the table.
He saw her Purse Her Lips before abruptly asking again,
"An Le and Sakuramiya Hitomi used their Superpowers to... do those things to you... Are you still able to accept them, Xiao Huan?"
"..."
Even an idiot could hear the hidden meaning in those words, right?
It was basically asking:
'They did those things to you, yet you're still with them now.'
'Then, what about me?'
"..."
Holding the slightly curled feet in his hands, Yan Huan temporarily froze in place.
This action, this question, invisibly seemed to dye the Atmosphere at the dining table with an unusual flavor.
And the slight bob of Yan Huan's throat only sent ripples spreading through this Atmosphere.
"I..."
However, just as Yan Huan was about to answer...
"La la la, my love... Where are you now?
"You must be, thinking of me with all your heart... I know~"
From the Villa opposite them, the sound of music rang out...
Immediately following, the incredibly melodious sound of Bai Yi singing a love song drifted over.
"..."