IdleYoungMaster
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Chapter 265: Sleep
🕑 Added 2025-04-21 04:36:38 +0000 UTC“Ugh…”
Seeing Aleph’s ELF body stretch was enough to make Kiana confused. The latter is currently undergoing her dreadful studying session.
“Aren’t you doing nothing?”
“Well? Teaching you is exhausting enough.”
“Huh? Aren’t I doing better now?”
“Objectively, yes. You are doing one percent better compared to before.”
Error did not suffice with Kiana’s abysmal learning ability. There was a reason why she flunked her Valkyrie exams a year after she was enrolled in St. Freya.
The loopholes Aleph could exert in his ELF body were limited. He could not magically do something like “Kiana understands everything with a single look”.
The current loopholes are “Kiana understands some things after ten confusions”. It guaranteed that repeated progress will allow her to ‘learn’. Knowledge will not be forgotten as much as before.
Fortunately, everything related to Kiana’s improved academic ability is considered an error in and of itself. The Error authority had more room for play.
“What a bummer. This takes more time compared to playing games!” Her limited patience in studying did not change. “Oh, that’s right! Can I buy the latest HOMU comic?”
“Finish your assignment first.”
“Yeah!”
Carrot and a stick.
‘If I live to see the day she becomes an honor student…’
…it would be an absolute cinema.
It has been a few weeks since Aleph’s influence descended into this parallel world. Kiana was not as distrustful towards him within this time.
Moreover…
‘Nobody’s making their move.’
It gave Aleph a deja vu. It was extremely similar to what the Aeons did to him. When they did take action, it was a big one.
If it weren’t for the absolute suppression of his eight-fold authority synergy, handling Voracity would be something else. Defusing tensions would have become more difficult.
Nevertheless, it gave him room for practical experimentation. The clash between him and Voracity, and then Finality’s traces, gave him enough data for his Error ability.
A plan was slowly put up.
“It’s done!”
Before Kiana could even react, Aleph finished grading her paper. She did not show any form of surprise when it came to his instant-checking.
“Hm. You surprisingly got eight of them right. It’s settled. The HOMU comic is yours. I’ll pitch in the limited edition plush they are about to release.”
“They will release one?! How did you know?”
“Study well. You will be able to do it too.”
Her twinkling eyes made him feel complicated. Others study for a great cause. Kiana studies to be the first person to know of HOMU’s exclusive releases.
‘...Is this better than… She already proved it once.’
The thought of Kiana’s ending in the original future gnawed in his mind. His time as an Aeon made him more aware of Aeons’ non-interference.
This parallel Earth’s development is enough to make him see that the Cocoon wants to make her the successful embrace. That meant going through the sorrows she went through in the original future.
That was, after all, the circumstances that made Kiana the dazzling person she is.
‘...Got it. Is this what they call being soft-hearted?’
Aleph understood what he needed to do now.
Just then, his entire body froze mid-air.
“...alright?”
Kiana curiously touched Aleph’s unresponsive face with her fingertip.
“Uh. I will go offline for a moment. Bring me along when you go to the comic store.”
He had bigger priorities to take care of now.
*****
Aleph had expectations when it came to the reward the identical women said. He first saw Hua sitting on one end of the couch.
With a bit of embarrassment, she gestured for a lap pillow.
‘Oh.’
It was quite incredulous to see Hu taking the initiative. A year and a half of cohabitation helped Aleph understand her character. She is someone who could spend two thousand years like nothing. Her perception of time was skewed. Kissing and holding hands is a ‘huge’ achievement for her.
Senti was affected by this attitude. The slow kind of romantic development suited them perfectly.
If it was Kurumi…
‘No, no, no. I am living up as a scumbag.’
After a hundred imaginary slaps to himself, Aleph got his feet together. He laid down on the couch facing Hua upwards. He immediately felt the firm yet elastic legs behind his back.
“No… Lie around.”
Hua almost stuttered while saying these words. His mind went blank before he understood it. In turn, she gestured to Senti who spawned out of nowhere.
“Massage. Have you never seen one?”
“...”
Aleph’s eyes blinked innocently as a reply. He could not say that he did experience one… just the different kind.
Senti saw his reaction and felt slightly suspicious.
Fortunately, Aleph knew how to react. He turned his entire body around. Hua’s legs greeted his sight. He laid his head down while feeling comfortable.
‘I see why some people like this. The more you learn…’
Suddenly, he felt a considerable weight on his waist. Senti climbed on his back before she started massaging his shoulders.
‘Oh?’
Aleph was surprised to feel it was very good. Her fingers managed to apply the perfect force. His physical body, to which he reduced everything to a MANTIS-standard, began to feel better.
It did not end there.
‘...She’s trembling.’
Hua began to pat the back of his head. He could feel every bit of her bashfulness with her reaction.
It was something he could watch all day.
‘I think… No. I will sleep.’
Throughout the entire time as an Aeon, Aleph never slept. Even his ‘sleep’ these past year and a half was him transferring his attention somewhere else.
Gods do not sleep.
Only when feeling this unprecedented comfort did the thought of him ‘sleeping’ came to Aleph’s mind. He would be unresponsive everywhere else, which could freeze his operations within this vast universe.
He could care less now.
His steady breathing soon brushed Hua’s lap. She could feel it was different from the other times he ‘slept’.
“Ultimately, he is pushed to become like this because of us.”
“You don’t need to say it. I’m glad we can let him rest like this.” Senti replied while continuing the massage. “His body is sleeping but his mind is not.”
She raised her right pinky finger interlaced with an illusory red string. One of its greatest functions is to feel the other side’s true state. It is the state without any secrets and obfuscations. Whatever the one side thinks, the other could perceive it.
It was just that the two did not want to trouble Aleph when he was anticipating the arrival of the other Aeons. Only when it occurred did they have the chance to pull this reward off.
“...Then. What about that?”
Hua’s proposal set off an unprecedented redness in Senti’s face.
*****
A/N: If anyone's wondering, Kevin and Mei did not end up even in the parallel Earth timeline. There'll be an explanation later as to how Kevin had a child.
