The clock rewound to a few days prior.
“Hmph, I finally manifested, and a silent manifestation at that, only to find Shido isn’t even home!”
Ji Qianye sat idly on the rooftop, gazing up at the starry sky, seemingly lost in thought about her life.
“Ohohoho, it seems my adorable daughter is feeling romantic!”
Celia’s voice suddenly echoed in Ji Qianye’s mind once more.
“Who’s feeling romantic?” Ji Qianye immediately retorted. “I’m just wondering how to advance the plot when the protagonist isn’t here!”
“See, I knew you had no objections to being my good daughter!”
“Ugh, you tricked me!”
Ji Qianye realized she had fallen into Celia’s linguistic trap.
“It’s not that I intentionally misled you; it’s that your heart has slowly grown accustomed to your current identity!”
Celia’s voice resonated through Ji Qianye’s mind.
“Actually, you don’t need to get so involved in the main storyline here. Remember, I gave you a free mode; you can reach the ending no matter how you play, even without that boy!”
“Then… if I’ve already intervened in the plot, and now I’m not following the main story, wouldn’t all that effort be wasted?”
“What’s more, if I don’t accept being sealed, these days of not knowing when I’ll be able to manifest again will just continue!”
“Don’t forget one thing, my dear daughter. To be sealed, your affection rating needs to meet the standard. Really think about how you view that boy, Itsuka Shido.”
“Well, about that?”
Ji Qianye instinctively stroked her chin, adopting a thoughtful expression.
“It’s hard to say. I certainly wouldn’t call it ‘hate,’ as his personality isn’t bad at all; in fact, it’s quite good.”
“He’s gentle and kind-hearted, the very definition of ‘yasashii.’ He’s skilled at cooking, never stands idly by when others are in trouble, readily extends a helping hand to those in despair, and even prioritizes the lives of others above his own!”
“If he were gender-swapped, he’d likely be the most suitable candidate for the ‘main consort’ role in this world!”
Ji Qianye joked, knowing that in the future, there would even be an example like Itsuka Shiori. Itsuka Shido’s ‘girly power’ was remarkably high, surpassing most female characters in Date A Live.
“It’s just a pity that the gender-swapped character turned out to be me! Ah, what a shame!”
Ji Qianye sighed. If she had transmigrated into the Date A Live world as a man, she would have definitely taken Itsuka Shiori as her main consort.
However, not only was Ji Qianye currently in a female body, but she had also forced herself upon the male protagonist of this story.
Now, Ji Qianye could arguably be called a succubus knight adhering to the ‘chivalric code’.
“Wait a minute?”
A question suddenly popped into Ji Qianye’s mind.
“Given my personality, I shouldn’t be that impulsive. It’s impossible that I’d get so angry over a date rejection that I’d just force myself on Shido, right?”
“So what exactly happened? Did you tamper with my thoughts?”
“Oh my, oh my, what ever could you be talking about? I wouldn’t know!”
Celia feigned ignorance, yet it only made Ji Qianye even more convinced that she was indeed responsible.
“Looking at your overly dramatic act, it’s definitely something you did!”
“How mean! Don’t you trust your mother?”
“It’s not that I don’t want to believe you, but your behavior speaks for itself. I can’t help but feel you’re trying to accelerate my succubus transformation.”
“Oh, you know, do you?” Celia said, dropping her pretense. “Indeed. Aren’t you less resistant to your current situation now?”
“Ah, it can’t be helped!”
Ji Qianye sighed. What was done was done; the situation was irreversible.
“By the way, what happened to Shido? He’s not home, and neither is Kotori.”
“If I had to guess, he’ll probably be unconscious for nine or even ten days!”
“Huh? Nine days unconscious? Is Shido already in a coma?”
“That’s right!” Celia stated matter-of-factly. “Don’t forget, my dear daughter, you are a succubus. After being drained by you over a dozen times, nine days of unconsciousness is quite good. It’s thanks to his spiritual power that he’s still here; an ordinary person would have long since gone to heaven!”
“Uh, shouldn’t people drained by a succubus go to hell?”
“It’s all pretty much the same. Unlike in myths, heaven and hell are actually the same place; those so-called good gods just spread rumors to steal our business.”
“Uh, I suppose none of that really concerns me!”
“Right, there’s no point just chatting here. Why don’t I take this opportunity to practice with my Angel?”
A sudden idea sparked in Ji Qianye’s mind. She was idle anyway, and rather than engaging in meaningless conversation with Celia, she could practice with her Angel—Qianying Meiyin.
Up until now, she hadn’t quite mastered its use.
“You intend to practice now? Then I won’t disturb you.”
With that, Celia vanished from Ji Qianye’s mind.
“Huh, just like that? Celia? Mother! Are you there? If you are, please answer!”
Ji Qianye tried to call out to Celia, but received no response. It seemed she was truly gone.
“Never mind, this works too. Since I don’t need to sleep at night anyway, perhaps I’ll try delving into dreams first!”
Ji Qianye closed her eyes, appearing as if she had fallen asleep. After a moment, she opened them again, her formerly heterochromatic red and green pupils now completely replaced by an alluring pink. Tiny yet striking heart-shaped markings, like waves under the moonlight, began to silently spread outwards from her pink eyes, sweeping across the surrounding area.