Chapter Nineteen: Phones and Chains (Second Update)

The train rumbled forward, but this time, Kotonoha realized she was no longer alone, no longer a solitary figure returning home. Everything felt eerily like a dream she once had—Dreamchao standing before her, shielding her from the chaos outside, while she simply watched him quietly.

Such happiness. A smile crept onto Kotonoha’s cheeks without warning.

“Is this... really okay...?” she asked, worriedly glancing at the four Chinese transfer students who stood at a distance, watching her with cold indifference.

“What’s wrong?” Dreamchao noticed her unease and smiled, asking gently.

“Ah...!” Her face flushed a deep red. She was still a little nervous. Kotonoha struggled to control her emotions, unwilling to tell Dreamchao about what happened during PE class today.

For some reason, during PE, Otome Kato and the other three girls kept whispering beside her, their voices low but audible.

“I heard Dreamchao isn’t a good person. Back in China, he got Weiwei Hua pregnant and then abandoned her.”

Dreamchao wasn’t that kind of person. He couldn’t be.

Kotonoha wanted to refute their words, but as usual, they acted as if she didn’t exist and walked right past her.

Dreamchao, of course, noticed Kotonoha’s distress. Coupled with the information he’d gotten from Makoto Ito that day, Dreamchao could easily deduce the source of the rumors—it must be Qingqing Zhang and her group.

“Did you hear rumors about me?” he asked.

“Mm...” Kotonoha lowered her head, feeling as though doubting Dreamchao was a kind of sin.

“Look into my eyes,” Dreamchao bent down so his gaze met hers. “He may lie sometimes, but in front of you, he’s always honest.”

“Mm!” Kotonoha nodded vigorously, convinced she should trust Dreamchao.

“Dreamchao... I... trust you...”

This was the longest sentence you’ve spoken to me since we met, Dreamchao thought, gazing at the girl before him, moved by her words.

All thanks to that damned psychology.

Yes, damned psychology.

Once you mastered it, it brought nothing but endless pain. Who would want to live in a world filled with lies and deceit, especially when you can see through every falsehood?

Dreamchao’s gaze slowly shifted to the source of the rumors—four figures standing at the other end of the carriage: Qingqing Zhang, Li Liu, Weiwei Hua, and Yang Li.

Ding!

The system suddenly notified him: Prize pool increased to 11,000.

Apparently, Makoto Ito had already reported Dreamchao’s behavior to them. And just by seeing his gaze, they grew tense and uneasy? Dreamchao knew this was only natural. Even before he became the proxy of the Main God, more than one person had feared and disliked him for his mastery of psychology.

No one likes their secrets laid bare. Especially in this hellish world of reincarnation. Fortunately, even the most unfortunate things have a brighter side.

Dreamchao knew Kotonoha’s words were sincere. She trusted him wholeheartedly, without a trace of deceit. It felt like heaven.

In hell, must one still look up to heaven? Dreamchao smiled silently, waiting, under Kotonoha’s puzzled gaze, for the four reincarnators to exit the train.

“Dreamchao-kun... aren’t you going with them?” Kotonoha asked.

“My stop hasn’t come yet,” he replied.

“Not yet?”

“Because you’re still here.”

Dreamchao smiled, enjoying the innocent, shy expression on the girl’s face.

Kotonoha’s home wasn’t far from school, just two stops further than where Dreamchao lived. To her, those two stops seemed to pass in the blink of an eye.

Lightly biting her lower lip, Kotonoha followed Dreamchao closely, like his shadow, as they got off the train.

“Um...” Kotonoha lowered her head, stepping on Dreamchao’s shadow. Come on, Kotonoha!

She gathered her courage and finally voiced her thoughts.

“Can we... go on a date...?”

As soon as she said it, a wave of dizziness swept over her, like a surging tide that threatened to drown her.

“Oh?” Dreamchao raised his brows, smiling in amusement.

“I won’t be taken away by anyone else, don’t worry.”

“That’s not it... I’m your girlfriend, so shouldn’t we... go on dates together...” Kotonoha murmured, staring at Dreamchao’s shadow.

A date?

Dreamchao frowned. He felt this was too soon—not because he doubted Kotonoha’s feelings, but because her androphobia had only barely eased.

Still, perhaps this was an opportunity. In NLP—Neuro-Linguistic Programming—communication is defined by the response it elicits. Kotonoha’s androphobia acted like a sturdy wall, separating her from half the world.

In her worldview, there were two kinds of people: women like herself, and men who constantly mocked and watched her.

Then, let him become the third kind—her lover.

“If we’re lovers, then I accept. But have you thought about where to go?” Dreamchao smiled, using a subtle psychological technique—listening to her thoughts before making a suggestion. Usually, the other person doesn’t have a firm idea, so this lets her feel respected and safe.

“Um...” As expected, Kotonoha stopped, unsure.

“Let’s go see a movie!” As Kotonoha hesitated, Dreamchao offered his suggestion.

“Mm!” Like a drowning person suddenly grasping a straw, Kotonoha nodded eagerly, freeing herself from her troubled feelings.

She suddenly found the evening sunset so beautiful.

“Ah!” Before Kotonoha could speak further, she realized she’d already arrived home. Reluctantly, she waved to Dreamchao and ran toward her house.

After a few steps, she seemed to remember something, spun around, and hurried back to Dreamchao.

“Um... Dreamchao-kun... what’s your phone number...?”

“My phone number?”

“Mm!”

Dreamchao unconsciously pursed his lips. “I never use a phone.” Seeing Kotonoha’s confused expression, he unexpectedly explained, “Don’t you think phones are like invisible chains around your neck, suffocating you?”

“...”

Not really—if you had a phone, I could call you. Kotonoha wanted to say this, but feared it might upset him.

“But, there’s always surprises,” Dreamchao noticed her expression and smiled reassuringly. “Maybe someday a girl will use that chain to bind me. I have high hopes for you.”

“Mm...”

But then, it’ll be hard to contact you... The words lingered on her lips, but Kotonoha didn’t dare voice them.

“Tomorrow morning, wait to leave your house until you see me. I’ll come pick you up, so remember to prepare breakfast for me.”

“Mm! I will!”

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Do you think I’ll update two more chapters tonight... Four chapters in one day, a ten-thousand-word update to celebrate the New Year? Absolutely not! If you want, ask aliens to roll across the keyboard with my face.

Alright... I’ll go write... Two more chapters tonight... My face really hurts.