After a long while, Li Yuan finally pulled his hand back from the flames. As always, his fair skin was untouched—no sign of a burn.
That was all thanks to the protection of Aura. This power could form a shield around the body or be molded into an Aura Sphere to blast targets—it was incredibly versatile.
At this moment, he had completely unlocked Blaziken's genetic lock, fully unleashing the potential of the Blaze ability.
The result? Her Blaze wasn't just active—it was burning even hotter than any regular version, and its power had clearly surpassed the norm.
"Spacing out? Were you so mesmerized by me that you couldn't look away?" Li Yuan finished the job and walked over to Haruka with a teasing smile.
Seeing the dazed expression on her face, he couldn't resist messing with her again.
"Don't flatter yourself. I was clearly mesmerized by my Zhi Zhi," Sophia replied, her cheeks turning pink.
She realized she couldn't react to his teasing the same way she used to—she wasn't disgusted anymore. In fact... her heart fluttered strangely.
Clearly, what he just did—reaching into literal fire to awaken a hidden ability—had left a deep impression on her. So much so that it had started to overwrite her old view of him as a playful, lecherous joker.
"Ohhh, so that's why you don't have a boyfriend. I get it now—you're into chicks," Li Yuan said with a mock-serious expression.
"Screw you! And who said I don't have a boyfriend?!" Sophia snapped, blushing furiously.
"Zhi Zhi, who's Haruka's boyfriend?" Li Yuan turned to Blaziken.
"Cha-moh? (How would I know?)" Blaziken replied absentmindedly, still immersed in the sensation of her awakened power—clearly not planning to help her trainer save face.
"Now now, Haruka, that's not fair," Li Yuan said seriously. "A Pokémon and their Trainer are a team. If you get married, your Pokémon gets married too. How could you hide your relationship from poor Zhi Zhi?"
"I...!"
God, I want to punch him!
Sophia was nearly fuming. Zhi Zhi, whose side are you even on?! So what if he just gave you an OP ability? You're already siding with the enemy?!
Forget it. Maybe she should just give this disloyal bird away...
"Alright, Zhi Zhi probably still needs time to adjust. Let's sit and wait for now." Li Yuan stopped teasing and, without warning, gently took her hand and led her to the seating area nearby.
Of course, even without asking, Li Yuan already knew she didn't have a boyfriend.
First, he could sense it through her aura. Second, his Aura vision was like having a god's-eye view—if he wanted to, nothing within a hundred meters could escape his perception.
If he really cared to check, every person nearby was basically naked in front of his eyes. So determining whether Haruka was still a virgin? A trivial matter.
Thanks to his Aura, he also knew exactly what she was feeling now. The signals she emitted were unmistakable—exactly what a girl would show when she was secretly falling for someone.
So of course he dared to hold her hand without hesitation—he knew she wouldn't get angry.
And sure enough, the moment Sophia felt his hand gently wrap around hers, her breath caught, her face blushed deeper, but she said nothing. She didn't pull away, didn't resist—just let him hold her, quietly, as if nothing had happened.
"Um… so does this mean Zhi Zhi has successfully learned the ability?" she finally asked, clearly flustered and trying to find a topic to distract herself.
"Not yet," Li Yuan replied. "Right now, I just helped her trigger the energy. Once it fades, we'll have to see if she can do it on her own. If not, she'll need more training."
As he explained, he shamelessly started playing with her fingers, eventually interlocking their fingers and tightening the grip—completely locking her hand in his.
"H-how long will that take...?" she asked, blushing harder at his increasingly bold gestures.
Though her face showed no outward reaction, her slender fingers couldn't help but tighten slightly in return—gently wrapping around his, as if answering his intent.
"That depends on Zhi Zhi's talent," he whispered with a mischievous smile, leaning in close to her ear. "Could be ten minutes… or several days. How long would you like it to take?"
They were still holding hands, fingers intertwined, and his question was unmistakable—he wasn't really talking about training. He was asking how long she wanted to stay alone with him like this.
"Whatever. As long as it takes," Sophia replied in her usual awkward sass—but the way she turned her head shyly gave away her true feelings.
"Well, just sitting here doing nothing feels boring. Why don't I sing you a song?" Li Yuan suggested, already plotting his next move.
"Sing if you want. I'm not stopping you," Sophia said, pouting.
"In that case—let me dedicate 'Deskmate, That Was You' to… my deskmate." He grinned, letting go of her hand (though she seemed reluctant) and pulled a finely crafted guitar from behind the couch.
As an Aura user, he had a natural affinity for music. Combined with his mental library of songs from his past life, if he ever joined the entertainment industry, today's pop stars wouldn't stand a chance.
Even Sophia was stunned when she saw the guitar. Her eyes were filled with disbelief.
She had thought he'd just hum something casually—not pull out actual instruments. And judging from how smoothly he handled the guitar, he clearly knew what he was doing.
Just how many skills did this guy have?
Was this really the same pervy classmate from high school?
Strum—
The moment his fingers touched the strings, a soft, melancholic tune flowed out—like a hand reaching through time, tugging at her memories.
As he began to sing, her thoughts drifted away… pulled back to those youthful, innocent days they'd spent together.
🎵 Will you remember tomorrowThe diary you wrote yesterday?...🎵 I found that photo by chanceAnd remembered the deskmate that was you...🎵 You always said graduation was still far awayBut in the blink of an eye, we went our separate ways🎵 Who comforted the you that cried so easily?🎵 Who read the letters I wrote to you?🎵 Who tossed them into the wind?🎵 Those days are long gone now🎵 I'll have a wife of my own someday🎵 I'll show her our old photos🎵 And tell her about my deskmate—you...
By the time the song ended, Sophia was completely lost in its emotions—whether it was the influence of the Aura or just the power of the lyrics, she didn't know.
It was strange… she didn't remember their school days being so sad. Why did her heart ache so much?
Was it the song's sorrowful message? Or the emotions hidden in the lyrics?
Especially that line:"I'll have a wife of my own someday."
That line hit her hard.
Because it meant she wasn't that wife. That thought… hurt more than she expected.
She didn't want him to have someone else. She didn't want anyone else tying up their hair with his hand.
When she snapped back to reality, she found her eyes full of tears.
She'd been moved to tears—by one song.
Not wanting him to see her like this, she didn't hold back anymore. She leaned in and buried her tear-streaked face in his chest.
Li Yuan quietly set down the guitar and gently stroked her hair, comforting her in silence.
But the corner of his mouth curled into a small smile.
While singing, he hadn't forgotten to adjust his aura—gently guiding her emotions toward sadness and longing. As expected, it worked perfectly.
Little Haruka, you really thought you could escape me after graduation?
Dream on~
After a long time, still nestled in his arms, Sophia finally spoke with a soft, almost pouty voice:
"Do you treat every pretty girl who trains here like this?"
Why else would he keep a guitar hidden behind the sofa? This had to be premeditated, right?
"Of course not! You're the only one I'd ever do this for," Li Yuan quickly denied.
"Really?" Sophia still looked skeptical.
"Obviously. Since I opened this shop, everyone else has paid full price. You're the only one who got a free ride. I had to find some way to get my investment back, didn't I?" he said with a look that clearly screamed: You're expensive.
"You jerk!" Sophia shoved him away, totally dumbfounded.
What the hell is wrong with this guy?!
The vibe had been perfect! Just a few more words and she'd have melted completely! But this?
Was he actually serious? Was this really just about breaking even?
If that was the case, shouldn't he have sealed the deal first? Once he had her, he could "break even" all he wanted!
Why blow the mood like that?!
Seriously, what is wrong with you?! Are you dumb or what?!