CHAPTER 37: CH 37: THE FUN PLACE

"Ai, get a hold of yourself....just what’s going on here?"

Cane asked as he watched Ai clutch her head and look down. Her eyes were shut in pain, and she was hunched over, almost as if she was trying to keep something from bothering her.

"No, I don’t want to forget—"

Cane felt a little helpless in front of her.

He did not know how to help her, but leaving her in pain was also not an option for him. Her current expression and her sorrow made Cane act.

"Ai, look at me. I promise you that everything will be just fine. Just take a deep breath and look at me."

Cane turned Ai’s face to look at him, and Ai finally felt like she could breathe again. Her eyes widened, and tears streamed down her pretty eyes.

At that moment, all she could see was Cane and his face. He was her anchor, keeping her connected to the present.

"It’s going to be fine, Ai. Whatever you are thinking or going through, let it pass."

Cane’s words sounded like an order, and his voice chased away the deepening gloom in her heart. Ai could... think once more, and she let out a wet gasp.

"That’s it. Do you feel better now?"

Ai opened her mouth to speak, but her words wouldn’t come out. Cane sighed before he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a comfortable hug.

His silent support was more than Ai could handle, and she went silent. The world seemed to narrow down around those two, and even Cane felt his mind go blank...

And then that silence was broken by a cough.

cough

"I see that you both do not need me anymore, so I will take my leave now. Ugh... good luck out there, I guess? Make sure you enjoy your time together."

The owner told Cane and tried to look at Ai as well. But she burrowed her face into Cane’s chest.

Cane also felt himself shielding her from the owner’s look, and the owner pouted as he watched that.

Thankfully, he quickly left, and Cane forced himself to relax and let go of Ai.

She still looked unstable, but her expression looked far better compared to before.

"Are you alright? If you need more time, then we can wait here. We don’t have to go in the mansion."

Cane really wanted to go in and accept the mission. But he was not a bastard.

Even if Ai was an NPC, she had shown her emotions to him clearly, and he wanted to respect them. He had also... crossed a few boundaries today by being so close to her, but that was a separate matter.

"I... want to go in. I am fine now. I promise I won’t be a burden to you anymore."

Ai told Cane with a determined look on her face. Cane reached out to ruffle her hair before he pulled back.

"Don’t worry. You will never be a burden to me. And if you do become one, I will tell you that to your face. Now, let’s head in, shall we?"

Cane extended his hand toward Ai, and she took it. Her green hair swirled in the air, obstructing her face.

She pushed them back down before breaking into a smile and reaching for Cane’s hand.

"You are right. We should head in now. I do want to discover the mansion with you."

Ai’s heart thundered in her chest as she reached for Cane’s hand. He had... just saved her right now.

She had no idea what had happened to her, but she had a feeling she was close to disappearing. But Cane had held on to her and pulled her back to safety, and that had sprouted something new in her.

Ai did not have a name for that feeling yet, but she wanted to cherish it even more.

The pair entered the mansion, and Cane finally started a surprise stream. He felt thankful that he had not started streaming earlier because that would tarnish Ai’s dignity.

NPC or not, she deserved to have some free time to herself where she could relax and let her emotions out.

People slowly began to pour into his stream, and he welcomed them all.

"Everyone, welcome to a new streaming session. I know it’s sudden, but I just got a new and exciting mission for you all. It’s uncovering the mystery of this haunted mansion."

Cane panned his camera all around, and he received a questioning look from Ai. She almost looked like she wanted to ask something, but decided not to in the end.

[HaremKingXXX: Oh-! That girl is still here? Isn’t there something... different about you both now? Did something happen between you?]

Cane pushed his blush down but chose not to answer. The audience could take his answer any way they wanted.

His first goal here was to make the situation entertaining for the people watching him.

"For this mission, we need to head to the last room in this mansion and get the key from there. Do you think there will be ghosts here?"

He asked the chat, and most of them tried to scare him off.

Cane took in all the answers, but he did not feel as scared as his audience expected him to. His tolerance for horror was quite high.

"Sorry, but I won’t get scared so easily—"

"Ahhh, there is a ghost here. Hurry, we need to run—"

Ai, on the other hand, seemed to have no tolerance for scary stuff in her code. She immediately rushed toward Cane and grabbed his hand before pulling him toward the deeper part of the mansion.

[HaremKingXXX: Yeah, nothing happened my ass. Something clearly happened. Streamer, are you finally going to abandon reality and turn a new leaf? If so, then congratulations. You have found your true self.]

Had Cane been able to see that, he would have raged hard. But right now, he was too busy trying to keep up with Ai and her speed.

For someone who was trembling, why was she so fast?