Ash skillfully gathered the Sword Maiden’s long hair. He didn’t dislike this task. Although he wasn’t obsessed with hair, the Sword Maiden’s silky, smooth hair felt like satin. Helping her tie her hair brought inexplicable joy, and the back of her neck, revealed by the gathered hair, was equally pleasant to look at. First, he tied a small ponytail with the front hair, leaving a loop, and then threaded the big ponytail through it, ensuring the hairline didn’t get too tight and the large ponytail in the back didn’t droop due to being lifted by the small ponytail.
"Nothing will change," Sonia suddenly said. "I will still hate you, but still don’t want to leave you."
Ash paused, finishing her hair.
Sonia turned to look at him and stated a question in a declarative tone: "Even though you apologized, you’re still not going to change, right?"
"Yes." Ash almost forced himself to say this word.
"Then that’s how it’s going to be," Sonia said softly. "This is the only way it can be."
"No."
"Hmm?"
"We can’t let it be like this." Ash said slowly and deliberately, "Anyone else in the world can hate , but I absolutely won’t allow it from you... It’s the one consequence I can’t bear."
Sonia looked at him blankly, her lips trembling slightly. She bit her lower lip and said, aggrieved, "This isn’t my fault..."
"I never blad you," Ash imdiately said. "Now’s not the ti to assign bla. Solving the problem is what matters!"
"Why have you beco so unreasonable?" Sonia, both angry and amused, retorted, "This is clearly all your fault!"
At that mont, a thought crossed her mind: Wait a minute, why does Ash’s thought process seem so much like—
"Did you forget that we’re still at Bonds level 5? Our personalities are intertwined," Ash said with a smile. "I’m learning to be unreasonable from you."
Sonia couldn’t help but punch him lightly on the chest. "How shaless of you to bla for your double standards!?"
"Perhaps I’m not learning your unreasonableness, but your way of facing your true feelings," Ash said softly. "In truth, I think this way... I want you to like , to tolerate all my flaws, and not to hate ... Isn’t that a bit too much?"
"Only a bit?" Sonia questioned.
"If you don’t agree, I’ll cling to you every night before sleep. If you don’t give a goodnight kiss, I’ll assu you’re mad. I’ll keep you awake, trying to please you — we don’t have to sleep anyway. I won’t let you carry any resentnt over to the next day; you have to vent it all the sa day."
Sonia stared at him, sowhere between tears and laughter, then said softly, "I can’t even hate you? Do you have to bully like this?"
"Yes, I’m bullying you, bullying you because you like , and I’ll bully you for a lifeti," Ash said. "But when you dislike , it’s your turn to bully . The rest of the ti, it’s always bullying you... Have you studied scissors? See, the two blades of scissors fight and clash every day, yet they don’t harm each other. After hundreds of clashes, they still fit perfectly together."
"We may not be the happiest couple," Ash said, "but at least we can be a couple like scissors."
This ti, Sonia was actually feeling sowhat vengeful... She knew Ash wouldn’t change, but she expected him to at least feel ashad, sad, or mortified. Who would have thought Ash would also be so stubbornly unreasonable? He was once a garbage bin but at least a conscientious one... Maybe he was right; Bonds level 5 not only made him empathize with her but also made him learn her way of thinking.
A mindset that clung tightly to what was hers.
Sonia took a deep breath, held Ash’s shoulders, her eyes glistening with tears: "What is the Six-winged Trial... you are my greatest trial."
Ash pulled her into his arms and said softly, "You are my Six-winged Trial, but it will take a lifeti to pass it."
Sonia retorted sarcastically, "You know it’s ’you all’? Isn’t it too many trials for you?"
Perhaps due to Bonds level 5, Ash understood exactly what Sonia wanted, and he lowered his head to kiss her. This kiss, unlike the previous one full of sha, sadness, and bitterness, was gentle, sweet, yet brimming with anger, as they desperately sought each other out, like the sound of clashing scissors.
When their lips parted, they rested in each other’s embrace for a mont. Ash suddenly asked, "So that’s it?"
"It can only be like this," Sonia replied softly.
Only then did Ash take the ti to appreciate the scenery before him. The sun was shining, a faint rainbow arched in the future sky, and the undeveloped forest looked like an ocean, with thousands of treetops swaying in the wind like rolling waves. After a heavy rain, the air was filled with a refreshing coolness, the sky was high, and the atmosphere was exhilarating.
"...Should we head back?" Sonia asked. "Silver Lamp and the others must be waiting for your news, but before we go back, let’s tell my mom first..."
"Yes," Ash said. "But even if we stay here and watch the scenery for a while, the world probably won’t end, right?"
Is the scenery here really nice? It’s just a patch of undeveloped woodland near a remote town... Though her heart pondered and couldn’t appreciate the sentint, Sonia’s lips curled into a slight smile. She lazily nestled against Ash, quietly enjoying the rare tranquility after their great battle.
...
...
Half a month later.
The fourth layer of Hell, Fantasy Hell.
As soon as Ash arrived, he imagined a snowy scene in his mind. When he opened his eyes, the surroundings indeed resembled a snowy country. The nature of Fantasy Hell was ’I am the world,’ aning the world everyone saw was subjective. Ash’s high inspiration allowed him to see into the Divine Domain straight away, so he had to imagine concrete scenes to lower his Spiritual Vision.
"You actually dare to co here?"
Ash turned to see Death Mad leaning against a withered tree, smoking. She coincidentally wore a winter outfit too: a fluffy jacket on top with a short skirt and long boots below. She always changed to different styles each ti, every ti giving Ash a refreshing surprise. Quietly, he made a ntal note to recomnd this outfit to Sonia next ti.
Seeing her gaze at him with a touch of hostility, Ash unhesitantly approached, held out his palms in front of her, with a look of ’burn if you must,’ facing his fate bravely.
Death Mad raised an eyebrow and sneered, "Oh? Why do you think I’d discipline you?"
"Is it because you made Sonia so upset? Or because you forced her to accept that unfair treaty? Or perhaps... because you stole a kiss from before you left last ti?"
Ash shifted his eyes, "Whatever you want!" Just from his tone, you’d think he was so noble martyr.
Death Mad let out a cold laugh, then held her cigarette over Ash’s palm, tapping off so Smoke Ash.
"Let’s go," she said. "We might just make it in ti for your two friends’ funeral."
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