Hate Me, Witch!-Chapter 103: But I Was Here First

Chapter 103: But I Was Here First

“Well then, see you on the Material Plane, Brother Xia Ya.”

A pleasant voice echoed in Xia Ya’s ears.

The next moment, all the scenery within the Mental World—

whether it was the crumbling ruins of the White Chalk Tower or the silent courtyard—vanished.

His consciousness turned into flickering bubbles, rising and bursting, again and again.

Eventually, he returned from the Spirit Realm.

When Xia Ya opened his eyes again, what greeted him was a familiar ceiling—the one in the first-floor living room of the Black Lily District manor.

I actually got sent home?

His spirit and body were whole again. That dizzy, out-of-body sensation gradually faded.

With it gone, Xia Ya began to notice more details—like the soft sensation behind his neck, and the slight itch from a few strands of hair brushing against the back of it.

He’d felt something like this before—not too long ago, in fact—but unlike Sylvia, Little Ai preferred sandalwood-scented shampoo.

“Xia Ya, did you sleep well?”

A cool, calm voice whispered by his ear, followed by the delicate and elegant face of a girl coming into view.

Ailora was quietly gazing down at Xia Ya. The icy reflection in her clear blue eyes reminded him of the Three Sages’ Snow Mountains in the Far North.

“Yeah, it was great. Super comfy. Just like when we were kids.”

Xia Ya yawned and offered a sincere compliment.

He still remembered how, when they’d first come to the Imperial Capital from Ceylan and had just started at Saint Roland Academy, he especially loved taking afternoon naps on Ailora’s stocking-clad thighs.

But as Little Ai grew older, she seemed to pick up some questionable ideas from magazines and romance guides—

like if a guy gets something too easily, he won’t treasure it...

So Xia Ya’s daily login bonus turned into a holiday-only limited reward.

He’d held a grudge for quite a while, silently cursing the dumb*ss writers of those “relationship guides” deep in his heart.

Turning login rewards into time-limited events—what kind of sick logic is that?

“Man, it’s been so long... So is it black or white this time?”

He muttered as he started to sit up.

But before he could, a pair of soft pale hands gently pushed his upper body back down.

“It’s black this time... because not long ago, you said you were getting bored of white and wanted to try something new. So I got it just for you.”

“I was actually planning to reward you properly after the banquet.”

As she spoke, her soft hands slid gently to the back of Xia Ya’s neck.

Her slender fingers glided upward, their cool touch tracing the contours of his face, finally resting at his temples, where she began to gently massage him.

“Your performance at the banquet made me really happy. I’m quite satisfied.”

“So, since you like it, Xia Ya, why not enjoy it a little longer?”

Xia Ya had no strength to resist. All he could do was silently count in his head.

Generally speaking, when this girlfriend of his called him by name, things were fine. But once she used the formal “Xia Ya” with that polite tone—

yeah, not good.

And now she’s dropped five straight “Xia Ya”s in a row? F*ck, that’s a combo kill.

It’s over. I’m dead.

So he just gave up fighting back and let those delicate, boneless hands knead his pressure points.

There was no helping it. That scene in the Hall of Oaths had been seen by Little Ai with her own eyes. No matter how smooth-talking he was, there was no way to talk his way out of it.

In moments like this, resistance and denial were meaningless.

Might as well go full dead-fish mode and enjoy the moment.

Worst case scenario, he could just admit fault in bed later, and everything would blow over.

Unfortunately for him, Ailora had no intention of letting him off that easy.

She leaned down slightly and whispered softly in his ear.

Her warm breath hit his skin, damp and slightly ticklish.

“That Sylvia... had you met her before?”

“Yeah.”

“She likes you too?”

“Yeah.”

“You two met somewhere I didn’t know about?”

“Yeah.”

“For a long time now?”

“Yeah.”

Ailora bit down on her silver-white teeth. “So what exactly... is the relationship between you two now?”

Her voice carried a hint of shyness and even a tremble. “Don’t tell me... you’ve already gone that far with her?”

“No—definitely not. We’ve only kissed, that’s all.”

Xia Ya immediately denied it.

He didn’t like lying to Little Ai, but there was no way he’d admit to something that hadn’t even happened.

“To be precise, Sylvia and I only just confirmed our feelings for each other—like, literally just a few dozen minutes ago.”

“So this is the ‘lap pillow’ Brother Xia Ya wrote about in his book?”

Soft golden text shimmered in the air.

The silver-haired, silver-eyed witch stood on the second floor of the manor, dressed in a flowing gown.

In her hands was a bound draft notebook. As she flipped through its pages, a faint smile tugged at her lips.

Had Fioren been here, she would’ve been utterly stunned. In all the time she’d followed the Argent Witch Sylvia, not once had she seen the Tower Master of the White Chalk Tower make that expression.

But at the moment, the Southern Inspector of the Empire was still busy handling the post-banquet fallout at the Hall of Oaths and hadn’t come by.

And upon noticing the glowing words in the air, the blonde girl’s expression—

which had only just begun to soften from Xia Ya’s responses—instantly collapsed again.

The next moment, as if making up her mind—

She leaned down once more and gave Xia Ya a quick kiss on the lips, as light as a dragonfly’s touch.

Only after doing that did Ailora straighten up again.

She looked up at Sylvia on the second floor and said coolly, “Sorry you had to see this side of our daily life, Your Excellency Sylvia.”

Oh, my sweet Little Ai...

Before saying something like that, could you please get a grip on your facial expressions?

Xia Ya finally escaped from his forced lap-pillow situation and sat up on the couch.

He glanced at the blonde girl in front of him, who, despite her icy tone, had a telltale blush blooming across her pale face.

He couldn’t help but sigh.

He was really grateful for the assist from Sylvia—

thanks to her, he got a double dose of Little Ai’s affection.

But even so, this was just too much.

Embarrassing. Seriously embarrassing.

Maybe there really was a reason the “tsundere” tag was so often associated with losers.

“Then Miss Ailora is really quite lucky.”

Noticing Ailora’s actions, the elegant, pale-gold script floating in the air seemed to brighten and take on a cheerful tone.

It was clear that Sylvia hadn’t been sure whether she had truly been Xia Ya’s first… but now, Ailora’s response gave her the answer.

The Argent Witch gracefully descended the stairs from the second floor. Her argent eyes swept across the furnishings of the manor, inspecting every detail with care.

Of course, she focused most intently on Xia Ya’s bedroom.

For a Throne-Tier Beastmaster, multitasking with spiritual energy was trivial. Earlier—before Ailora had returned to the manor—Sylvia had sat quietly beside that pristine white bed, memorizing every inch of the room while watching the sleeping boy’s face.

“What is Your Excellency Sylvia doing?”

Ailora couldn’t help but ask aloud.

Even knowing full well that the woman before her was a living legend, Ailora still saw this house in the Black Lily District as her and Xia Ya’s private space.

And now, seeing Sylvia look around like she owned the place... Ailora felt the sting of someone trespassing on something deeply personal.

Soft golden letters shimmered into existence in midair:

“Getting familiar with the house, of course.”

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“After all, I imagine I’ll be visiting quite a lot from now on.”

Xia Ya caught the hint in Sylvia’s words. “You’re going to be around more?”

“Mm. I’ll be stationed in Camelot permanently.”

“What’s wrong—”

The Argent Witch looked over at him, a subtle smile in her gaze.

“Am I not welcome, Brother Xia Ya?”

“Of course you’re welcome.”

Xia Ya shook his head firmly.

What kind of cosmic joke would that be?

Since Sylvia had already confessed her feelings back in the Spirit Realm, in Xia Ya’s eyes, she was now his.

The kind you’d want to keep glued to your side 24/7.

“But… there’ll be a lot of pushback, won’t there?”

Xia Ya thought for a moment. “What about the White Tower? You coming back to life won’t stay secret for long. Word will spread all across the Western Continent.”

“And on top of that, the Empire might not be too thrilled either. A legendary powerhouse—especially a Throne-tier one not affiliated with their own forces—that’s bound to raise some eyebrows.”

“Does that matter?”

Sylvia tilted her head slightly, soft silver hair cascading down.

“The original White Tower was nothing more than a tomb I built for myself.”

“Now, the White Tower in my heart has crumbled, but the one in reality still stands tall. Even I never imagined it would become a haven—something so many call home and place their hopes in.”

“But that has nothing to do with me. I’ve never had any ambition to lead a transcendent faction.”

“For me, the only reason I still remain in this world… is you, Brother Xia Ya.”

“As for the White Tower, I trust Iswida and the others to handle things just fine.”

Xia Ya was just about to respond when he suddenly sensed a wave of icy air emanating from the blonde girl beside him.

In an instant, the room’s temperature seemed to plummet. The very air froze solid, sealing the words he’d been about to speak in his throat.

Knock, knock, knock—

Just then, a knocking came from the manor’s front door, cutting through the frozen silence like a lifeline.

Xia Ya let out a breath of relief. “I’ll get it.”

He stood up from the sofa in a flash, practically bolting from the pressure cooker that was the living room.

Honestly, at this point, anyone at the door would be a blessing.

…or so he thought.

But when he opened it, he realized he might’ve been a little too optimistic.

Standing there was a girl dressed in a black-and-red military uniform.

What drew attention, however, wasn’t her appearance—it was her noble, commanding aura, a presence that made people forget her age or youthful face entirely.

Second Imperial Princess of the Fresta Empire—Isadella von Frestberg.

“So this is our first proper face-to-face meeting, isn’t it, my Swordbearer?”

When Xia Ya opened the door, a slight smile broke across Isadella’s otherwise expressionless face.

She waved a hand, dismissing the uniformed attendants behind her.

“Aren’t you going to invite me in?”

The roof of the manor released thick smoke from its black chimney.

From the brightly lit rooms, the mouthwatering scent of cooking wafted out.

Dinner had long passed, but thanks to the abrupt halt of the Borgia banquet earlier, nobody had really eaten properly.

This wasn’t a cultivation world where people could just go without food.

Below Legend-tier, everyone needed to eat.

Even Isadella—despite her power being on par with old-school legends like Guderian—technically hadn’t stepped fully into the Legendary Tier yet.

And though Sylvia was Throne-tier, she was actually the first to nod in agreement when Xia Ya suggested they eat.

Following Isadella’s orders, a stream of fresh ingredients—sourced from across the Western Continent and preserved in magitech food storage—were delivered straight to Xia Ya’s home.

Xia Ya and Ailora took on the role of head chefs, while Shiny, Silver, and Crimson followed their usual job of kitchen assistants.

Being soul-linked companions who understood Xia Ya on a deep level, they felt his pain over this battlefield of the heart… and so worked extra hard.

Dish after dish was brought to the table. The aroma and warmth of food gradually melted the icy tension in the room.

As expected—if you want to win a woman’s heart, you have to win her stomach first.

There hadn’t been a single moment today where Xia Ya felt more thankful for inheriting his past life’s cooking skills.

“Honestly, I’d already guessed something like this would happen with you, Xia Ya.”

While cooking, Ailora glanced over at him with a sigh. “I just didn’t expect that the first kiss I waited so long for… would get snatched away by Her Excellency Sylvia.”

She had always known how outstanding Xia Ya was—and that other women would eventually take notice.

She even understood Xia Ya’s dream of writing the Exotic Species Cultural Evaluation Guide.

What really hurt the most… was not being the first.

Whether it was knowing Xia Ya, hugging him, or giving lap pillows—

She’d been there first.

Ailora muttered gloomily, “So starting now… you’ll have to make it up to me. A lot.”

Xia Ya shrugged and tossed his kitchen knife to Crimson.

Then he reached out and pulled the blonde girl into his arms.

“Actually, there’s still one first no one’s taken yet. Want to help me with that tonight, Little Ai?”

At those words, he felt her soft body go rigid in his embrace.

A long moment passed.

She lowered her gaze, turned her head away, and mumbled so quietly it could’ve been a mosquito:

“…Wait until the wedding.”

Ah… tsundere.