"System Notification: The maid quest has been altered, and the following tasks are now available."
"① Kurosaki Satsuki's Gratitude: Participate in the maid quest, achieve first place, obtain Miss Sakurako's collectible, and give it to Kurosaki Satsuki. Upon completion, she will follow you for the rest of her life and never betray you. Reward: The complete manual of 'Shun Prison Sword Style' (only Kurosaki Satsuki can possess it)."
"② Kurosaki Satsuki's Burden: Participate in the maid quest, achieve first place, obtain Miss Sakurako's collectible, and destroy it in front of Kurosaki Satsuki, making her forget the past. However, this choice carries a 50% chance of sending Kurosaki Satsuki into berserk mode, with unknown consequences. Reward: Kurosaki Satsuki's ability 'At God's Side,' usable for three minutes without side effects."
"③ The Legacy of Shun Prison Sword Style: Participate in the maid quest, achieve first place, obtain Miss Sakurako's collectible, and dedicate it to the system. You will receive the inheritance of Shun Prison Sword Style. However, if you choose this option, Kurosaki Satsuki will become a stranger to you. Reward: The system's Dedication Ability will be unlocked early (if you do not choose this, the ability will be forcibly locked, and the date of its activation cannot be estimated)."
"Only one of the three tasks can be chosen. Once completed, the corresponding reward will be given, and the rewards of the other tasks will vanish forever. This choice will affect your future path—choose carefully."
After reading all the options, Chu Lian murmured, "This really is a difficult choice."
Indeed, as soon as she finished reading, she knew the third option was the one most beneficial to her. She had seen the power of Shun Prison Sword Style herself—the single move "Shun" alone had an S-level rating. With "Shun" and "Prison" combined, its rating would easily reach SS, perhaps even SSS.
If she herself acquired this unparalleled sword technique, it would be an enormous boost to her strength.
Moreover, a new system ability, "Dedication," would be unlocked early. The system's almost jubilant description made it clear how valuable this function was to it. Once refused, the ability might never be unlocked again.
This would be a tremendous loss—not only for her future growth but also for escaping her current predicament. An incomplete system… who knew what flaws it might hold?
But… sorry. Even if faced with ten thousand troops, even if she plunged alone into hell itself, she could not choose that path. She would rather tread a thorny road herself than push someone else into the abyss. Kurosaki Satsuki had already survived too long in the cracks of hell. Now she would pull her up and face the endless hardships together.
After all, in the dark forest where she herself could no longer see, what was a little more hardship?
In an instant, her mind spun with countless thoughts. Kurosaki Satsuki would never have guessed that in such a short moment, Chu Lian would make a decision that would forever shape not only her own life but Satsuki's as well.
"Though I know you want me to choose the third option, I'm sorry—I can't do that. So… I choose the first one."
Her illusory body floated in the system space as she looked at the giant screen before her, murmuring apologies even as her finger pressed firmly on the first option.
"Task Confirmed: Kurosaki Satsuki's Gratitude. Difficulty: Advanced. Reward: One white-haired, red-eyed flat-chested loli—host, your harem has gained another member."
"System Notification: You are truly hopelessly foolish, but your choice… is correct."
The previous task options dimmed and vanished, while the following system notification shone with an unusual brilliance, making Chu Lian both startled and aware of its meaning.
Meanwhile, in the Punishment Space, Ayase—dripping with fragrant sweat under Ghost Thunder's torment—opened her eyes. A faint, relieved smile touched her lips as she gazed upward, feeling the power of the chains binding her gradually fade. She whispered, "Little Lian'er, you chose well… It seems you've always followed the hint I gave you back then… We can't see what the future holds, but your extinction… it will come sooner…"
"Still trying to bind me? Today, I'll shatter your pitiful, laughable power. If you wish to suppress me—use more strength. But once you divide your power even a little, she will awaken for an instant… and then, you'll all die." With a strange smile, Ayase ignored the raging Ghost Thunder chains, crossing her arms over her shoulders and silently praying.
Violet lightning crackled through the darkness, and within it a seductive silhouette flickered—like the most beautiful mandrake blooming deep in hell, radiating both deadly allure and unmatched beauty.
"I'll get it back for you—don't worry." The white-haired girl could still hear Chu Lian's voice echoing by her ear. Yet in the instant Chu Lian opened and closed her eyes, something within them changed. Kurosaki Satsuki didn't know why, but at that moment, she thought Chu Lian was glowing with dazzling light.
"Um… may I sign up?" After a brief silence, Chu Lian asked the final question.
Her words startled the maid, who was still shaken by what had happened. The woman glanced at her and said, "Our lady's rule is that participants must be at least sixteen years old. You're too young."
Chu Lian's height—barely over 1.4 meters without heels—barely increased with her canvas sneakers. In truth, she was still just over 1.4. Combined with her early development and flat chest, even though she possessed exquisite beauty, her petite frame lacked the mature allure that could drive people mad. At most, she inspired the urge to scoop her up in one's arms.
"But… I really want to join…" Chu Lian pouted slightly, not expecting there to be an age limit. Still, it made sense—without one, the place would be full of little loli maids, and then the customers wouldn't remain so well-behaved.
"I'm very sorry, but that's truly not allowed." The maid shook her head firmly. Though she was still somewhat rattled from Kurosaki Satsuki's earlier outburst, her professionalism quickly steadied her.
"I see… so things lost aren't so easily reclaimed." The white-haired girl, listening nearby, smiled faintly—an expression as breathtaking as ice melting, yet laced with deep sorrow.
"No… there must be a way." Chu Lian placed her right hand on Satsuki's shoulder, meeting her blood-red eyes seriously.
"It's impossible… Aside from me and Inori, none of you qualify. And I don't even know how to begin. I'm sure Inori doesn't either," Kurosaki Satsuki murmured, her voice uncharacteristically soft and gentle, yet filled with despair.
The system would never issue an impossible quest. Since it had, there had to be a way to complete it—she just hadn't found it yet. And if all else failed, she would take it back by force.
Chu Lian had already made up her mind—she would help Kurosaki Satsuki reclaim the sword, the "Blade of the Last Head of Shun Prison Sword Style," and return it to her.
She knew this blade belonged to Satsuki's mother. The maid had said "the last head," not "the last current head." While the two phrases seemed similar, within a clan, the distinction mattered once a successor had been chosen.
"The last generation" referred to the previous master who perished before inheriting the title—Kurosaki Satsuki's mother—not the current master, her grandfather.
Just as Chu Lian was about to lose patience and rush in to negotiate directly with Miss Sakurako about obtaining the sword, a familiar melody drifted through the café.
"That's…" Chu Lian's pupils shrank. The song was none other than "Bird's Poem," the track she had just recorded before boarding the plane to Neon, uploaded to both Huaxia's M Station and Neon's N Station.
The enchanting melody filled the tranquil café. Before the prelude even faded, Chu Lian's ethereal, captivating voice began to echo throughout the room…
This song—unheard before, yet instantly lovable—brought the soft murmurs of the café to silence. One by one, everyone set down what they were doing and closed their eyes, listening quietly.
It was a poem sung by a young girl—a poem of youth, a poem that stirred countless memories, a poem that painted stories of adolescence, a poem that reached into the deepest part of the soul to cleanse its hidden impurities.
In just a few short minutes, listeners felt as though they had been living by the clearest lakeside for a long, long time. The gloom in their hearts lifted, and their unspoken emotions softened, as if in that instant, their spirits had ascended.
It wasn't merely the song's beauty. It was the combined brilliance of Chu Lian and Cai Ya's first-ever solo collaboration, blooming into the purest and most elegant alpine flower.
"This song… it's too beautiful…" Even the maid couldn't resist the enchantment of the melody. When she finally came back to herself, she muttered softly to no one in particular.
"This is my song. Why… are you playing it here?" Chu Lian wasn't truly angry—she knew no one was using her work for profit, and there was nothing wrong with others enjoying and sharing it.
But at this moment, she saw an opportunity—a possible way forward—so she lowered her voice, pretending to be upset.
"This is your song?" Though she spoke softly, she controlled her tone just enough for the maid to hear. As expected, the maid gasped in surprise.
That was the moment Chu Lian had been waiting for. Wrinkling her delicate nose, she asked with feigned displeasure, "What, you don't believe me? I recorded this song just before boarding the plane yesterday and uploaded it. It's called 'Bird's Poem'—a Japanese song. You can check the MV if you like. You'll see whether the people in it are us."
Chu Lian pointed toward herself, Inori, Chu Chu, and Xiu'er with her slender finger.
Without waiting for the maid's reaction, she took a small sip of coffee, then began to hum softly: "Kieru hikōkigumo, bokutachi wa miokutta, mabushikute nigeta itsudatte yowakute…"
Even though it was only an a cappella performance, her voice wasn't loud, yet in the quiet café, every note reached everyone's ears—including someone upstairs.
On the second floor, a long-haired woman with sleek black hair sat on a sofa, crossing her legs as she read and sipped coffee. The moment she heard Chu Lian's singing, she leapt up from the sofa, opened the door, and hurried downstairs…