"Aren't you going to say something?" B.B leaned in closer, sensing Jiang You's breathing had become ragged.
"You're trying to seduce me, aren't you?" Jiang You hadn't wanted to be so blunt, but at this point, he felt he had no choice but to say it.
"Is it that obvious?"
B.B looked deeply disappointed. "Senpai, if you can resist even this, I'm starting to doubt your... functionality in that department. And Senpai, you're not gay, are you?"
"I'm not that dense," Jiang You retorted, his mind still racing. "Seriously, don't you think this is too fast? We've only known each other for half a day."
"Do you really not believe in love at first sight?"
"All I know is that I'm lusting after your body. At first glance, you can only see someone's appearance. Can you really judge their character from that?"
A person isn't just their physical form; personality and other traits are crucial components.
"Shouldn't a girl be the one saying things like that?" B.B giggled, finding Jiang You's current state utterly amusing. "Instead, Senpai, you're acting like a naive little girl being seduced."
"It's because your qualifications are just too good. You're wealthy, stunningly beautiful, and physically fit—in terms of combat power, that is. You have almost no flaws—being too forward can't be called a flaw."
As mentioned before, in Reality, Jiang You believed in relationships between equals. A significant gap between partners could harm both sides. Differences in lifestyle and values grow with the disparity. While some couples might bridge these gaps through compromise, most relationships break down before reaching that point, as the process of adjustment is rarely pleasant.
"Besides, you don't seem to have any reason to lust after my body. The way you're coming on so strong is actually a bit scary, you know?"
"In that case, shouldn't you hold on even tighter?" B.B was still smiling. "Isn't there a saying, 'It's a man's shame not to eat the meat in his bowl'? Are you really willing to let someone else have me?"
"Are you from Japan or something?" Jiang You had heard that phrase before—it expressed a similar sentiment, but the cultural context and country were completely different.
"If it were just about 'getting' them, I'd have far too many girls I'm interested in. I do admit I'd want to collect every girl who catches my eye, but this isn't a game—it's Reality. I'm destined to love only one person, and so are you. We're all living, breathing people with our own thoughts, not collectibles for someone else's collection."
"Hahahahaha!" This time, B.B laughed with wild abandon. "What if you did have that power? The power to take everyone—even the entire world—into your grasp? What would you do then?"
"Anyone can say pretty words, but that's a hypothetical question. The answer is meaningless."
Jiang You's thoughts drifted to the game world. He had indeed reached a point where he was nearly omnipotent within its rules, making B.B's question eerily relevant. He was already collecting Servants, though he never forced them to stay by his side. Ibaraki and Melusine were special cases; everyone else had joined him willingly.
This gave him a bit more confidence. "I'm not one to force things, so I'd probably only seek out those who are willing. But who knows what the future holds? It's not impossible that my personality could change drastically one day."
"Hmm, I'll let you pass... for now." B.B removed her hand from Jiang You's chest. "But I won't be so lenient next time, you know."
"So you were just messing with me." Jiang You suspected she probably had a camera ready. The moment he lost control, three hundred axemen would burst out and chop him into mincemeat.
"Who knows?" B.B's little-devil personality was on full display. "Maybe I was, maybe I wasn't. Or maybe... I've actually started to fall for you?"
"Also," B.B added, "don't sell yourself short. You're actually much more outstanding than you think. Much, much more."
She took Jiang You's hand and led him to the dining table. The massive white table was laden with a vast array of dishes, yet there were only the two of them to eat. The sheer luxury surpassed even the victory banquet Jiang You had attended in the Seventh Singularity.
"Let's enjoy a nice meal today," B.B said. "I'll also teach you some Western dining etiquette. You've never learned it, have you? If you have, I'll have to start nitpicking."
"If possible, I'd prefer chopsticks." Jiang You had never gotten used to a knife and fork. He knew a little about formal Western etiquette, but only the basics. He'd eaten Western food with friends before, but that was just to fill their stomachs—who bothered with proper knife and fork etiquette then?
"No can do," B.B refused, enunciating each syllable. "Senpai and I will be seeing each other often from now on. You never know when this might come in handy, right? Come, give me your hand. Let your kouhai teach you, step by step."
The meal was relatively pleasant. B.B finally quieted down for a while. As for the taste, Jiang You could only conclude that you get what you pay for—he probably wouldn't be coming back a second time.
Afterward, Jiang You and B.B stood before the massive floor-to-ceiling windows, admiring the city's "river of red taillights." It was B.B who finally broke the silence.
"Well then, Senpai, see you tomorrow!"
"Sorry, I have tomorrow off. See you the day after tomorrow," Jiang You replied, mentally reviewing his flexible leave schedule. He wasn't sure if he needed to use it on Monday.
"Or maybe the day after that?"
"No," B.B said with a smile that convinced Jiang You she meant business. "We'll definitely see each other."
Great, Jiang You thought. I was planning to spend the weekend gaming. Now I'll have to clean the apartment.
When Jiang You returned to his apartment building, he saw his next-door neighbors—a family of three—had finished packing. Moving company workers were loading boxes and bags onto a truck. It turned out they weren't renovating; they were moving out.
"Brother Liu, where are you moving to?" Jiang You asked casually. He only knew a few people in the entire building, so he always made a point to chat when he ran into someone he recognized.
"Brother Jiang?"
The man surnamed Liu, who lived next door, recognized Jiang You. "Ah, it's you. My wife and I got transferred for work, and we couldn't just leave our kid here alone. So, we decided to move closer to our new jobs."
"Congratulations on the promotion, then," Jiang You said, though he had no idea if it was a promotion or a demotion. Still, offering a kind word was never a mistake.
"Looks like I'll be the only one left on this floor now," he added with a sigh.
"Worried about the place feeling empty?" Big Brother Liu chuckled. "Don't be. Someone else is moving in right away. I hear they're also here for work. They're from abroad, and they've brought their high-school-aged daughter with them."
"Moving internationally while still in high school?" Jiang You was baffled. How can anyone study properly with such a huge language barrier?
"That's not for me to worry about," Brother Liu said with another laugh. "Oh, look! The foreign girl is already here. Brother Jiang, seize this opportunity to win glory for the nation!"
"Is that really the kind of glory we should be fighting for?" Jiang You muttered, completely bewildered by the older man's logic.
"Hel...lo."
The slightly accented, broken Chinese sounded somewhat familiar. Jiang You turned to see a girl with snow-white hair and striking blue eyes. The combination gave her the ethereal look of a yuki-onna, a snow spirit. Her only flaw, if you could call it that, was her rather short stature.
"Hello," Jiang You replied out of politeness. My new neighbor is quite pretty, he thought.