Chapter 34: You can call me Sakura too, Ye Hui!

It is true; he had never actually called Sakura by her first name. Whether it was Sakura or Tomoyo, he always added a suffix—"classmate." After all, for a transfer student who had just joined the class, calling a girl by her first name was far too impolite.

He had a mission to subvert and a main quest to complete, even though the system had designated him as Sakura's arch-nemesis. But being an arch-nemesis did not necessarily mean they had to fight to the death. One must realize that, often, it is your enemy who understands you best. If not for their opposing positions, an arch-nemesis might even become one's best friend.

As for Ye Hui... he had no fixed position. Therefore, he could adopt whichever position Sakura occupied. The system had never said he couldn't be an arch-nemesis while sharing the same side. On the contrary, the system would constantly issue both side quests and main quests, allowing him to reap many benefits. In just a few days, he had already gained spiritual roots, divine abilities, and several secondary occupations! Ye Hui was quite satisfied with this.

Even so, while his relationship with Tomoyo and Sakura seemed good, they had never addressed each other by their first names. Seeing him fail to win their banter, Kero-chan tilted his head, feeling smug.

[Cerberus emotion points +28]

This yellow rag is so full of himself! Ye Hui's eyelid twitched, and he took a few deep breaths. He was a cultivator; he should have the capacity to hold mountains and rivers, a heart vast enough to contain the sea of stars. Be magnanimous! Be magnanimous! Why should he bicker with a mascot like Kero-chan?

Tomoyo smiled and intervened to ease the tension for Ye Hui: "I think you can just call Sakura by her name, Ye Hui! We are already friends, aren't we?"

[Kinomoto Sakura emotion points +18]

Seeing the system notification pop up, Ye Hui was stunned. He hadn't expected Sakura to care about such a form of address.

At this moment, Sakura nodded repeatedly: "Tomoyo is right! We are good partners who fight together! Ye Hui-kun, you've always been so polite that I wasn't used to it. I thought you were just trying to be formal with me, ahahaha..."

[Kinomoto Sakura emotion points +9]

She scratched her hair and laughed with a guileless grin.

Ye Hui: Σ(°△°|||)︴

So, was it he who had been distancing himself all along? He hadn't even realized it!

Ye Hui paused and reached out his hand: "In that case, Sakura, please take care of me from now on!"

Sakura shook his hand hurriedly: "Ah... yes, Ye Hui-kun!"

Ye Hui smiled: "I think you and Tomoyo can also call me Ye-tongxue, Ye Hui-kun, Yezi-tongxue, or just call me by my full name if you like..."

Sakura blinked: "Yezi-tongxue?"

Ye Hui nodded: "Yes, my surname is Ye, and in our language, it also means 'leaf'."

Tomoyo smiled softly on the side: "It feels like Ye-tongxue has suddenly relaxed quite a bit!"

Sakura felt the same: "Really, Tomoyo-chan, I feel that too! I thought it was just my imagination..."

Relaxed? Ye Hui was taken aback. It seemed he had indeed been feeling much lighter lately.

"Perhaps it's because I have more peace of mind and fewer worries..." Ye Hui muttered to himself. Since completing the mission, the system had rewarded him with Water Spiritual Roots, and Ye Hui was finally able to begin his cultivation. With his Water Spiritual Roots combined with the "Rain Summoning" divine ability, plus the highly versatile "Water Control," Ye Hui had gained profound insights into the power of water and finally felt like a true cultivator.

The result was that he had managed to conjure a variety of basic water-based spells, updating his skill library. Compared to his previous state of emptiness where he only had money to rely on, this newfound strength gave him a sense of security. Ye Hui summarized his current mindset: with his cultivation on the right track and his strength surging, he felt he had the confidence to face any unexpected events in the future. Externally, this manifested as being a bit more "carefree and relaxed."

Time spent with Tomoyo and the others passed quickly. In the end, Ye Hui returned home loaded with what he called "spiritual herbs"—a collection of Chinese medicinal plants, wild vegetables, and mushrooms—along with the two girls... Oh, and a yellow rag.

This rag had been sulking ever since Sakura asked Ye Hui to call her by her name. However, its speed in eating hadn't slowed down in the slightest; if anything, it had increased. It felt as if it were trying to finish Ye Hui's share of the food too. What a stingy little thing. Since he had already gained plenty of emotion points from Kero-chan, Ye Hui let it be. He wasn't hungry anyway, and there was plenty of food waiting for him back home.

...

Days passed. His cultivation had gradually plateaued. His basic meditation technique had reached its limit, and now it only served to replenish his spiritual energy. As no new missions had been triggered recently, Ye Hui could only return to refining artifacts, cooking, and drawing talismans to grind for experience.

The idle campus routine slipped by day after day. In the blink of an eye, May arrived. It was Monday. As school ended at three in the afternoon, Ye Hui was just about to head home when Sakura, who was on her way to a club activity, called out to him. She told him that a new toy store had opened by Tomoeda Park.

She suggested he should go take a look if he had time, as it seemed like a very nice shop. However, Sakura only passed on the news; she wasn't planning on going with him. As for why... it was because Ye Hui didn't join any clubs. Every day after school, he would head home early to grind for skill experience.

Fortunately, primary school clubs in Japan were not mandatory. Of course, it was much the same in high school. In Ye Hui's memory, Yukito, even as a high school student, hadn't joined any clubs. For Japanese schools, clubs were just places for students to cultivate hobbies.

And Ye Hui had his own hobby: Cultivation! There were no cultivation clubs at school that could provide him with resources or a training ground. It was precisely because she saw Ye Hui preparing to go home that Sakura remembered to mention it. If Ye Hui liked toys, he could go see. After all, it was nearby and on his way.

"A toy store, huh." Ye Hui blinked, looking at Sakura who had come to share the treasure of information: "Forget it, I don't want to buy any toys."

How nice! Only at this age would one still enjoy playing with dolls and stuffed animals. Ye Hui, meanwhile, had already evolved to the age where he preferred adult collector's figures...

"Ah? Ye-tongxue, you don't buy toys usually either?"

"No, it's too childish..."

"Eh..."

[Kinomoto Sakura emotion points +32]

Was she really that shocked? Ye Hui glanced at Sakura. He saw the girl's eyes wide open, staring at him as if he were an alien.

Ye Hui paused, feeling a pang of regret for his bluntness. Had his quick tongue hurt the feelings of a little girl who loved dolls? Denying her hobby like that was indeed a bit harsh.

Ye Hui hurriedly tried to make amends: "I don't buy them because... I can make toys myself! So there's no need to buy them from others."

(๑・̀ㅂ・́)و✧

"Soga!"

Sakura was relieved. She thought as much—how could Ye Hui-kun, who was the same age as her, not like cute toys!