[Swordswoman's Leave Request]

[I have an important match tonight. I'm taking leave. Don't make this difficult.]

[Effect · Paid Leave (1/15) (Bond Level 1): 30% of the mana you gain from Virtual World exploration is shared with the operator on leave.]

[Effect · Bonus Split (1/10) (Bond Level 2): 30% of the sorcery class progress you gain from Virtual World exploration is shared with the operator on leave.]

[Effect · Shared Prosperity (1/5) (Bond Level 3): Special mechanics you encounter in the Virtual World have a chance to be shared with the operator on leave.]

Can the operators even take leave?! If she actually dares to take time off now, I don't even want to imagine what she'll pull in the future! It's so unsettling... And on top of that... she takes leave but still gets a cut of my earnings and my progress!?

Is this really a game Aurora made? Shouldn't it be the kind where annual leave is meaningless, sick days count as absences, and personal leave hits your bonuses? And what's this (1/15) about? Fifteen days of paid leave? Fifteen days in a year... why does it feel like the game's exploiting me instead? Wait... does this quota reset every year or every month?

Ashe didn't dare dwell on it further. He knew he'd sink into the muddy memories of his working years, trapped in a slump he could never escape, like a reformed youth haunted by the torment of his past.

Still, he wasn't surprised that the Swordswoman had triggered her personal storyline. She had mentioned her university hosting some sort of high school league. Clearly, this was her destined path, a stage set for her rise. Her first main storyline would likely be to dominate the league, followed by trials in the abyss, noble conflicts, and other classic fantasy arcs, gradually leading her toward becoming a Legendary sorcerer.

Thinking it over, her storyline felt far more fantastical than his own. She began at a university, competing in tournaments. and it would form a complete, orthodox fantasy journey. Ashe, by contrast, had started with prison turmoil. Even in crime dramas, that was a rare opening.

Damn... I really want to see her show off...

Come to think of it, the Swordswoman often talked about her daily life, but Ashe never truly felt connected to it. To him, her life remained a pale story built only from words.

It wasn't until she suddenly sent that leave request for a match that Ashe realized she truly lived another life. Her world was vibrant, filled with family, friends, teachers, distant dreams, and small joys within reach. That was her reality. But just as she could not touch his world, he could not be there for hers. The Watcher of Doomsday and the Death Maniac Swordswoman were only friends in the Virtual World.

At that thought, a trace of loneliness surfaced in Ashe's heart. It was like a gaming partner perfectly in sync during raids, suddenly saying they had to spend the night with their girlfriend and couldn't join. It left him feeling a subtle sense of betrayal.

Ashe steadied himself and silently cheered for her.

If she won, she'd gain more resources and opportunities, pushing her personal storyline forward... but if she lost, would it stall, giving her more time to wander the Virtual World with me? Pfft.

Ashe sank into the bathtub and held his breath. Nearly a minute passed before he surfaced. He brushed his teeth, changed into his sleepwear, and cleared the pointless thoughts from his mind. Tonight's exploration will proceed without the Swordswoman. It will be just the Witch and me.

In the Virtual World interface, under Team Formation, Ashe added himself and the Witch to the party.

***

"Big sis, wash my hair for me!"

White Queen replied firmly, "No. It's already the third day. You need to learn to bathe on your own. You can't rely on us every time you dislike something."

"Waa... the foam got into my eyes! It hurts!"

Lys reached to adjust the shower, but her foot slipped. Just as she was about to land hard on her backside, she pushed off with one hand, flipped in place, and landed steadily on the wet wooden floor. Half of her white hair had turned red, and her expression had gone cold. She sat on a small stool and continued washing her hair.

White Queen in the mirror scolded irritably, "Little Red, you spoil her too much! What kind of child can't even wash her own hair? Look, she even bought herself a new shampoo."

Black Butler added calmly, "Knowing how to wash hair isn't that impressive. If she can't, she can't. We used to not know how either."

"That was in the past," White Queen said. "This is about building her independence. She can't run to us every time she encounters a problem. How is this any different from Secret Princess? Small things like this should be done on her own."

Secret Princess groaned, "Why drag me into this?"

During the time they were arguing, Red Death Apostle had already finished washing her hair and handed control of her body back to Little Witch. Sensing her sisters' irritation, Lys obediently finished her bath on her own. She dried every part of her body, put on her pajamas, and even brushed her teeth early. Only then did the White Queen's expression in the mirror soften.

Lys returned to her bedroom and sat at the dressing table to dry her hair. As she looked in the mirror, she saw herself lick her finger and write a few words on the glass. "Tonight, you open the Gate of Truth."

Lys froze. "Is that a message from Big Brother Watcher?"

Her sisters looked puzzled. "Hm? What happened?"

Lys recounted what had just occurred. The White Queen thought for a moment. "I almost forgot. Entering the Virtual World requires passing through the Gate of Truth. I thought the Watcher had some other method... So for the past two nights, they were the ones opening it?"

Black Butler asked, "Why do we have to open it tonight? Are they trying to harm us?"

Secret Princess suggested, "Maybe it's a rotation. Tonight it's us, tomorrow the Swordswoman, the day after the Watcher..."

They discussed it for a while but reached no conclusion. By the time Lys finished drying her hair, she yawned. Dia took over, summoned the Mask spirit, captured the Gate of Truth, immersed herself in her mind, and connected to the Virtual World.

When Dia opened her eyes, she found herself seated in the front of the sports car. The wreck that had looked fit only for a public toilet last night had now been fully restored. Among the three, Dia had worried the most that the car couldn't be repaired. The others had never faced the hardships of traversing the Virtual World, but she, who had once wandered it for over a month, knew how precious a car was on the Continent of Time.

She stretched comfortably in the seat, arching her neck in a curve that could cure a stiff spine. "Swordswoman, I—"

She stopped mid-sentence, standing on the seat to look around. "Where is the Swordswoman? Where did she go? Did she get lost in the Ascending Golden Rain?"

"She has a match tonight and took the day off," Ashe said. "It's just the two of us exploring tonight."

"What match?"

"Not sure. Probably a sorcerer duel."

"I really want to watch it."

"Me too."

After the brief exchange, Dia sat properly, lowered her head, and fidgeted with her fingers. Ashe opened the Virtual World map and shook his head. "Bad luck. We didn't land in a Star Hall region with map markers this time. We'll have to explore an unknown area."

"Mm-hmm."

The sports car tore through the Ascending Golden Rain, crushing grass and crashing through trees. Inside, silence hung between them. They felt like a driver and passenger following traffic rules. Neither spoke to the other. For some reason, both of them felt a little awkward.

They had been alone together before, but it had always been for a reason. Once the task was done, they would leave. Now, during downtime in the exploration, there was nothing urgent to discuss. They needed small talk to fill the silence.

Yet neither Ashe nor Dia engaged in idle chatter often.

In the past, Ashe usually talked with Sonya, while Dia clung to Sonya and acted spoiled. As the most socially adept of the three, Sonya had naturally become the core of the group. When speaking with Ashe, she would guide Dia into the conversation. When Dia clung to her, she would pretend to be annoyed and pull Ashe into the topic. She kept everyone involved and never let anyone feel excluded.

She didn't do it deliberately. Her social skills, honed over the past year, had become instinct. Every glance and every word flowed naturally, almost like a small Miracle.

With Sonya absent, the problem surfaced. Dia's situation was clear. As for Ashe, his social skills worked best with men. Put him among men, and he could quickly become familiar. With women... he did not know what to say.

If Iger had been beside him, Ashe would have launched into questions like, "Are you dating? Planning to have kids? If you could turn into a beautiful girl, would you choose a curvy type or a petite one?" He could keep that nonsense going until dawn.

Dia was similar. She could act spoiled naturally around Sonya. The only reason she had dared to curry favor with Ashe before was that Sonya had been present, like a child emboldened when a guardian stood nearby.

Damn it, she thought.

If she hadn't revealed her sisters yesterday, she could have let the White Queen take over now. But since the Watcher already knew about them, switching personalities would feel impolite and only make things more awkward.

"There's a sorcerer projection ahead," Ashe suddenly said.

"Oh. Run him over."

And thus, the quiet night began.