A beautiful girl who transmigrates into a Herrscher of the Void is treated like an elf and conquered

As Chiin watched Tohka's figure, the nonchalant and tired look on his face quickly disappeared, replaced by a subtle expression that mixed with determination and "it's time to put on a show again."

He gently straightened his tattered, charred collar, though with little effect.

“So next…” he muttered to himself, a cryptic smile playing on his lips, “there’s only one thing left to do.”

Chapter 220 Worry

Following Yoshino's lively guidance and her rarely seen, slightly joyful steps, Shido and the others arrived at a relatively intact area inside the department store—an indoor children's playground.

Although the slides were covered in dust and the ball pit was dry, the brightly colored facilities still retained a dreamlike quality.

Yoshino seemed to be drawn to this place. With a light leap, her petite figure flew nimbly to the top of the combination slide as if it were weightless, and stood on the small observation platform.

She walked cautiously and curiously back and forth on the narrow platform a few steps, then hopped lightly twice, her tattered rabbit-ear cloak swaying slightly with her movements.

Looking down, one could see a faint, yet undeniably real, curve at the corners of her lips. This was the first time Shido had seen her express happiness so clearly.

That's great, it seems she likes it here...

Just as Shido was thinking this, Kotori's calm analysis came through the earpiece, like a bucket of cold water:

"Shido, pay attention. Yoshino's mood rating has increased, but it hasn't reached the level she's showing."

"The data suggests that she may be hiding some kind of unease or sadness, or something on her mind that she hasn't resolved. You need to find an opportunity to guide her to talk about it, or help her release that tension."

Just then, Yoshino stopped high up. She lowered her head, her azure eyes looking at Shido through the shadow of her cloak. Her gaze was clear, yet carried a hint of probing.

As if sensing her thoughts, the Yoshino in her left hand immediately asked the unresolved question in that comical voice:

"So? Shido-kun~"

Yoshina swayed her body. "We've talked and played for so long, can you tell us now? What's the difference between your 'plan' and that aggressive lady's 'military conquest'? I'm really curious~"

Although it was Yoshina who asked the question, and her tone was still light and cheerful, Shido felt an invisible pressure.

He understood that this was not just Yoshino's curiosity, but also the answer that Yoshino herself wanted to know deep down.

Yoshino herself may not care much about the specific methods, but Yoshina, who has always protected Yoshino and dealt with the outside world for her, cares a lot about it.

It wanted to know if the path Shido offered could truly allow Yoshino to obtain the stable and peaceful life it had always longed for.

Shido took a deep breath, knowing he couldn't avoid it any longer. He looked up at Yoshino and Yoshina above and said in as clear and sincere a tone as possible:

"Our plan... is 'sealing'."

He paused, observing the other person's reaction, and continued to explain: "Through some method, the power of the elves was sealed away."

"In this way, the elves will no longer unconsciously cause spacequakes, and naturally they will no longer attract the pursuit of the AST forces."

"To be able to live peacefully in this world like an ordinary person."

Upon hearing the word "seal," Yoshino's puppet visibly paused, and it exchanged a glance with Yoshino, though Yoshino immediately looked away shyly.

When Yoshina spoke again, her tone carried a clear hint of doubt:

“Sealing…power? Yoshina has never heard of such a thing before. It sounds a bit…unbelievable.”

"Furthermore, Shido, you only told us the result, but you haven't told us exactly how to 'seal' it. Is it some kind of dangerous or painful method?"

Faced with Yoshino's sharp questioning and the worried look she secretly cast his way, Shido was speechless, and his cheeks involuntarily began to burn.

The method of sealing it... is kissing.

In this atmosphere, how could he possibly say such a thing to the innocent and shy Yoshino?

His eyes darted around, and he stammered, "Uh... well... the specific method of sealing... requires... requires waiting for the right time. Now... not now..."

His predicament and embarrassment were obvious, which seemed to deepen Yoshino's suspicions.

The atmosphere at the scene became somewhat delicate and tense again because it touched on this core and sensitive issue.

Faced with Yoshina's relentless questioning, Shido felt unprecedented pressure.

Although Yoshino's words still carried a comical tone, the protectiveness she showed towards Yoshino and her insistence on not being fooled made Shido realize that ambiguity could no longer gain his trust.

"Shido, there's no other way!" Kotori's voice came through the earpiece with a desperate determination.

"Now we have no choice but to go all in! Let's lay our cards on the table! Reveal our methods, and success or failure hinges on this!"

Shido took a deep breath, as if he wanted to inhale all his courage into his lungs.

He looked up, his face still flushed with embarrassment, but his eyes remained sincere as he looked directly at Yoshino above and behind her, speaking in a clear, though slightly trembling, but utterly earnest voice:

“The method…the method is…it requires…me…kissing.” He barely managed to utter the word.

"As long as... I can seal most of the spirit's spiritual power through kissing. That way... it won't cause spacequakes anymore, and it won't be detected, so the AST... naturally won't come after me anymore."

The moment the words were spoken, time seemed to freeze.

Yoshina's hand puppet froze completely, the comical smile she had sewn onto her face seemingly solidified.

Yoshino behind him was struck as if by lightning, her whole body trembling violently, her azure eyes, which had been peeking at Shido through the gap in her hat brim, widened to their limit in an instant.

Immediately, her entire face was covered with a bright red blush at a visible speed, which spread all the way to her ears.

She let out a very faint whimper, like a kitten, and suddenly covered her burning face with her hands, shrinking back as if she wanted to disappear from the spot immediately.

A deathly silence lasted for several seconds.

"Pfft... Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!"

Yoshina suddenly burst into an extremely exaggerated laugh, almost to the point of suffocation (if it had any air left).

It danced wildly in Yoshino's hand, its body swaying violently back and forth, as if it had heard the funniest joke in the world.

"Hahaha! Shi... Shido-kun! What... what are you saying?! Hahahaha!"

Yoshino laughed as she spoke haltingly, "Even if... even if you really like our Yoshino, think she's cute, and want to get close to her."

"...You don't need to come up with such...such a lame excuse and lie! Ahahahahaha!"

It laughed so hard it could barely breathe: "Sealing an elf's power with a kiss?!"

"How could such a thing be possible! It's simply a fantasy! Hahaha! In all my years, Yoshino has never heard of such an outrageous claim before!"

"Shido, your imagination is just too vivid!"

Yoshino completely took Shido's honesty as a clumsy and ridiculous lie he made up to get closer to her, laughing so hard she almost fell over, and simply didn't believe this absurd claim.

Looking at Yoshino, who was laughing so hard she was practically shaking, and Yoshino next to her, who was so embarrassed she was practically fuming and completely unable to speak, Shido was also plunged into a deep sense of powerlessness.

The most truthful words were instead taken as the most absurd jokes.

Chapter 221 Between the Smallest Bits

Just as Yoshino was laughing so hard she was doubled over and gesturing wildly because she thought Shido's words were too absurd, her movements were so exaggerated that they seriously disrupted Yoshino's balance, who was already somewhat flustered and standing on a high place.

Yoshino's exclamation and Yoshina's faint scream rang out almost simultaneously.

The two (or rather, each with a puppet) frantically tried to adjust their balance, but the platform beneath their feet was narrow, and in their panic, Yoshino eventually lost her balance.

Her petite figure, like a blue kite with a broken string, plummeted straight down from the top of the slide!

"Yoshino!"

Upon seeing this, Shido's heart almost stopped. Without thinking, he rushed forward, opened his arms, and narrowly caught Yoshino in a perfect princess carry before she hit the ground!

The impact caused him to lose his balance and stagger backward a few steps before finally falling to the ground with Yoshino in his arms. Fortunately, he landed on his back, which acted as a cushion.

After the initial chaos subsided, Shido could clearly feel the weight and touch in his arms. Yoshino was as light as a feather, carrying a faint, cool scent, like ice and snow.

At this moment, their faces were extremely close, their noses almost touching.

Yoshino's eyes, as pure as the bluest sapphires, were misty with shock and extreme shyness. She gazed timidly at Shido, who was so close to her, her small nostrils twitching slightly, and her cherry-colored lips trembling with nervousness.

At this distance, where they could almost feel each other's breath, Yoshino asked timidly in a voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz, as if it might dissipate at any moment:

"Um... what does 'kiss' mean...? After we do it... will everything really be alright? Will I not be... attacked again...?"

Surprisingly, Yoshino, who is usually the spokesperson, was unusually quiet at this moment, as if she had completely handed over the power of expression and choice to her true owner, Yoshino.

Looking into the eyes of the girl in his arms, a mixture of fear, hope, and innocent confusion, Shido was deeply moved. He suppressed all his embarrassment and distracting thoughts, looking back at her with unwavering seriousness and determination, and promised her, word by word:

"Yes, it will. As long as the seal is completed through a kiss, you will no longer cause spacequakes, and the AST will have a hard time finding you. This... has already been tested, it's true."

He paused, his tone becoming even more profound, filled with an undeniable determination: "And even if... something unexpected happens, I will definitely protect you, protect all of you. I will, absolutely!"

Perhaps it was the pure sincerity in Shido's eyes and his resolute promise that had an effect; the fear in Yoshino's eyes seemed to dissipate somewhat, replaced by a cautious courage to try to believe.

She seemed to recall Shido's awkward explanation earlier, and though her voice was still soft, she clearly pressed for confirmation:

"A kiss...is it...just...touching your lips together...?"

As she spoke, she carefully and very slowly moved her face a little closer to Shido, as if putting her understanding into practice.

"……is that so?"

At this moment, their lips were so close they couldn't be closer, as if if either of them moved forward even a little more, they would inevitably touch.

This sudden, extremely close contact made Shido's heart pound like a drum, and his blood rushed to his head. But he suddenly recalled the various "tests" he had experienced during his "cohabitation training" with Tohka.

He forcibly suppressed the surging shame and tension, successfully feigning a superficial calm on his face, even though his ears were already bright red.

He swallowed, feeling his throat go dry, and replied in as steady a voice as possible, though with a slight, almost imperceptible tremor:

"Uh, ah, yes... that's right, that's it."

The air seemed to freeze, leaving only the sound of their intertwined, somewhat rapid breathing.

Yoshino stared intently at Shido with her large, watery eyes, as if confirming his resolve one last time, or perhaps gathering all the courage she had in her life.

Those slightly parted, cherry-blossom-colored lips, like tempting candy, were so close. The choice of fate hung on that thin line.

Just as Yoshino's cool, fragrant lips were about to completely overlap with Shido's, in the blink of an eye as the seal of destiny was about to be completed—

"Shido! Wait! No—!"

Kotori's urgent, almost distorted voice exploded in Shido's right ear like a thunderclap!

This sudden interruption caused Shido, who was already on edge and trying to appear calm, to shudder violently. His head involuntarily trembled slightly, but it was enough to change everything!

It was this slight tremor that caused the kiss, which should have landed precisely, to deviate and make an uncertain contact.

Their lips did touch, but the sensation was fleeting, like a dragonfly skimming the water, hardly a complete "kiss".

"Affection level! Yoshino's affection level for Shido hasn't reached the threshold for the seal to be established! Kissing now won't complete the seal! And—"

Kotori's anxious voice continued, but her next sentence was drowned out by an even more piercing alarm!

"Beep—!!! Beep—!!!"

A sharp, urgent alarm blared in Shido's ears—a warning that the spirit's affection level had dropped significantly!

Shido subconsciously looked at Yoshino in his arms. Yoshino's face was still flushed, but the determination and hope she had shown when she mustered her courage had disappeared from her azure eyes, replaced by a blank, helpless emptiness.

She seemed... to have experienced no particular sensations.

"Yoshino? How are you? How do you feel? Do you feel like your power... is sealed?" Yoshino asked immediately with concern, her puppet hand gently poking Yoshino's cheek.

Yoshino slowly and confusedly shook her head, answering honestly in a weak voice, "...I...I didn't feel anything...and...just like before..."

"what?!"

Yoshina's voice suddenly rose, filled with anger at being deceived. She turned sharply to Shido, her face still bearing a comical smile, but her tone had turned icy.

"Shido-kun! What's going on?! You really are lying to our Yoshino?! If it's really because you think Yoshino is too cute, then you're making up this ridiculous lie to take advantage of her."

"...Yoshino, I'm really angry! I will absolutely never forgive you!"

"No! No! I didn't lie to you!" Shido tried to explain frantically, sitting up from the ground and waving his hands in a panic.

"The seal is real! But... it's only possible... the conditions required to complete the seal... well... haven't been fully met yet! That's why just now..."

His words were once again interrupted by Kotori's desperate cry through the earpiece:

"Shido! An emergency! ...And it's the worst possible situation! It's over! It's all over!"

Kotori's uncharacteristically panicked tone sent Shido's heart sinking to the bottom. And as if to confirm Kotori's words—

"Sa——!"

A footstep, as if shattering the ground, carrying a chilling rage, came from behind Shido, causing his shoulders to tremble violently.

He turned his head slowly and cautiously, like a rusty robot.