The happy tis passed quickly, and before they knew it, it was already the wee hours. Under Serey's hosting, a round of "Night Journey" had ended. Aimou was a bit tired from playing and stepped down, replaced by Kemp.
Bologue still sat in the shadowy corner, with empty bottles on the round table in front of him, most of which had been consud by Kemp. After exchanging a few words, they each sunk into their own anxieties, with Bologue gnawing on one chip after another while Kemp was sowhat drunk.
"Your luck is crap!"
Kemp's voice of complaint rang out. His face was flushed, but his previously furrowed brows had relaxed quite a bit. The ga and alcohol were easing his stress.
"Shut up, trust my luck!"
Palr, feeling extrely tense from Kemp's comnt, began shaking as he held the dice. His next roll was crucial, directly deciding the fate of their team.
Taking a deep breath, he threw the dice. After the crisp sound of impact, Palr cheered and hugged Kemp.
"See? I told you!"
Palr raised his glass, and everyone cheered and clinked their glasses, with the pleasant sound of clinking resonating continuously.
Bologue picked up another chip and slowly chewed it down.
He liked this guy nad Kemp. When they first t, Kemp was a nervous newbie, but now he had beco much more composed. Through their small talks, Bologue found that they were quite similar in so respects. For instance, in work, both maintained an extrely ticulous attitude, truly experts in their fields.
If Kemp were his partner, Bologue believed his work efficiency would increase exponentially, but this was just a thought.
Bologue understood his own personality. Being alone was already cold and depressing enough; having another like himself would be a bit too dull.
So Bologue needed Palr, needed this guy who was like a catfish, to add more color to his calm and monotonous life... It felt like keeping a pet.
Bologue swore that Palr would never know what kind of status he held in Bologue's mind.
Maybe when he's about to die, he could tell Palr.
Sotis Bologue would imagine that scene, where the aged Palr lies on his deathbed, surrounded by his descendants, while he, still young, stands at his bedside, bidding him farewell, casually turning the story into Palr's last laugh of his life.
Bologue found this quite interesting.
"Are you okay?"
Aimou turned her head, suddenly entering his sight. Ever since she switched with Kemp, she had been sitting quietly beside him, and Bologue was used to this silent company, so he didn't say anything.
"Nothing much."
This was Bologue's most frequently used phrase, a response to others' concern for him, but he knew it couldn't fool Aimou; she was too perceptive.
Just as Bologue thought, Aimou squinted her eyes, as if Bologue had turned into a sneaky little thief in her eyes.
Such a Bologue was rare, so Aimou paid extra attention, not letting a single mont slip by.
Bologue interrupted, "Wanna go to the movies in a few days?"
"Huh? Movies?"
Aimou didn't understand why Bologue suddenly brought this up.
"The re-release of 'Night Hunter', I rember I ntioned this to you," Bologue picked up a napkin and wiped his hands, "Didn't we miss it last ti? If we book tickets in advance this ti, we'll definitely get seats."
Aimou's expression beca a bit complex. Conversations with Bologue were always like this, with ever-changing topics that often struck a chord in one's heart.
"I thought you forgot."
Bologue said, "No, is it easy to forget sothing like this?"
Aimou slightly opened her mouth in a surprised manner.
"No... It's just..."
"Hmm?"
Bologue wondered if his wording was problematic. Should he have invited Aimou more subtly?
Since the reality-shattering event, Bologue had been trying to change himself, just as Ewen suggested, to be a bit more humorous. But this humor was limited to small talk, as if sothing was restricting Bologue. Even if he wanted to do sothing, he would instinctively feel resistant.
"I just didn't expect you to care about such... details?"
"As an expert, being ticulous and detail-oriented is an important part of it."
"Hmm, hmm, hmm."
Aimou nodded; she was all too familiar with Bologue's expert rhetoric. Suddenly, she asked, "Bologue, are you a shy person?"
Bologue paused his action of holding the cup, feeling perplexed. "Why do you say that?"
"You could totally say you are a ticulous, detail-oriented person. Why do you always have to flaunt the expert banner?"
Aimou moved closer to Bologue, her gaze pursuing Bologue's, looking as if she was pressing him step by step.
Bologue, unfazed, replied, "I think it's a fitting description that helps you better understand my thoughts."
"You know, we have more efficient thods."
Aimou placed her hand on Bologue's shoulder, revealing a mischievous smile after a long absence.
Since the ti axis was distorted, Aimou always appeared sowhat reserved in front of Bologue, fearing that her actions might displease him. Over ti, and with Bologue becoming more humorous, this reservation gradually faded, and Aimou reverted to the way Bologue initially rembered her.
Bologue recalled their eting at the Alchemy Workshop, where Aimou's barrage of words caught him off guard.
Aimou gradually loosened up, returning to her quirky self, while Bologue remained icy, like a machine.
"Do you want to give so insight into your thoughts?"
Aimou's voice softened as she spoke, with a subtle expression.
Bologue firmly shook his head, genuinely unwilling to experience that sensation again if he could help it.
Aimou was promoted to a Prayer Believer, and her Secret Power·Shared Chord Body iterated into what is now known as the Deceitful Structure School Secret Ability - Heart Overlapping Shadow.
The Shared Chord Body allowed Aimou to enter a void state, overlaying with a target to obtain all of their senses and further enhance them. The Secret Energy·Heart Overlapping Shadow further strengthened this, adding the ability to delve into the spiritual consciousness.
After repeated tests, this ability inclined towards the Void Spirit School. Aimou could use it to protect a target's mind or, as she did with Gold, overlap part of her hand with a target to have a negative impact on their consciousness.
Aimou's secret energy finally acquired an offensive thod. Though sowhat superfluous, Bologue thought this ability could be well-utilized in interrogation and mory excavation, though he wasn't sure if Aimou herself could accept it.
Aimou was quite fond of this new secret energy. Previously, she could only sense vague, shared perceptions; now, this perception had beco sharper and clearer. Aimou even felt that with the aid of this secret energy, she could completely "understand" a person.
ntal overlap occurred.
After acquiring Heart Overlapping Shadow, Aimou had never fully deployed the power of the secret energy. Understanding a person completely was not an easy task; not to ntion whether the other party was willing to be understood, this process made Aimou and the other party transparent, as if standing naked under the sun.
Everyone harbors unspeakable secrets at their core, unable to completely reveal their true face.
Aimou understood, therefore, that her secret energy might never fully unfold, but partially unfolding was enough. Just beat the enemy half to death, and Aimou could reach into their mind to unearth hidden secrets.
Upon learning this, Ivan once wanted to trick Aimou into the Crow's Nest. Imagine the effect of Heart Overlapping Shadow and the benefits Aimou could bring—it was simply perfect.
However, it was just talk from Ivan. The Special Operations Group had limited mbers in the first place, and not requisitioning from other departnts was already good enough, yet he still wanted to poach soone.
Subsequently, with Bologue's consent, Aimou tested Heart Overlapping Shadow on him. As Aimou gradually overlapped with Bologue, she could feel many emotions from him. But once fully overlapped, as she delved into Bologue's mind, she encountered fierce resistance.
Afterwards, Bologue apologized to Aimou, admitting that forcefully ejecting her had quite an impact on her, but Aimou said she understood.
Bologue put down the cup. Even now, he could vividly rember the feeling of being observed by another gaze, under which he could hide nothing, shedding all pretense.
Instantly, a profound sense of anxiety nearly drove Bologue mad. It was like being stripped of all clothing, standing in a vast wilderness, with the breeze stimulating every nerve.
Apart from the intense ntal repulsion, Bologue also had many secrets in his mind that Aimou shouldn't know.
Since then, Aimou seed sowhat regretful, feeling it's a pity she can't fully showcase such an intriguing power, as everyone needs privacy.
After becoming human, Aimou began to understand the various facets of humanity, gradually realizing there might not be such a person...
No one dares to fully expose themselves to the sunlight, allowing others to scrutinize, with a steadfast gaze, without sha.
Aimou could hardly imagine the kind of courage it would require.
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