Daewi POV
In this Post Ragnorak world, I've become known to the world as a combat veteran. A terrorist from a bygone era where martial arts and genuine fighters were on the top of the food chain. Combine that with my unique combination of borrowed and godly powers, and I'm threatening only second to the "demon" Mori Jin and the Witch of the West. However, all that rigorous daily practice came at a cost that I didn't ever expect to experience.
And that is a lack of experience when it comes to women. Even with Seungtae Woo's influence back in high school, I got primarily seen as a horrifying delinquent with a "mean mug." Some girls would even run away from me upon locking eyes. Getting labeled the better half of the infamous Mad Cows didn't help things either.
As such, my encounters with the other sex weren't exactly common. Even when I did get those interactions, they never came at the right time (Ma Bora comes to mind). And unfortunately, Mira and I were never truly able to figure out the true depths of our relationship. A depressing fact that I'll probably spend my entire life wondering in my most private moments.
These past sixteen years have also proven so arduous that I never even had time to discuss any matter of the heart. Of course, I could ask my sister, but we haven't maintained close connections for a long time. Long story short, I had no friends or allies that could help me articulate how I felt about a certain woman in my life.
It's been about a week and a half now since Xioachen's destructive departure from our Nox base. A part of me was worried her outburst would make her unpopular with the other Nox members. However, all it took was an energetically ditzy apology from her to not only get forgiven entirely but lead to creating a gigantic uproar which spiraled into a party.
The resulting event was so grand that it left us no chance to talk to each other at all or process what happened earlier that day. Every day since then has pretty much left us in an emotional stalemate. Xiaochen's duties and the recovery of my wounds, plus strategizing on the next move, left us with our hands full.
Every time we saw each other, it was nothing but brief encounters full of simplified conversations and darted eyes. A dynamic I don't think I can keep up with anymore. After the talk we had in the forest, Xiaochen has been on my mind all the more now, and I can tell she feels the same way. It was clear that the dynamic we had had sixteen years prior wasn't going to work anymore, for better or worse.
So, right before I have to go back into the world as the Jade Emperor, Mad Cow, and Sage of the East, I intend to get to the bottom of this directly. Past trials have taught me that if I wait on these feelings any longer, I might leave something unsaid, and something bad might happen. Even with being the world's arguable strongest, my fights with both Mira and the gods of the heavenly realm have taught me that try as I might, my safety is far from guaranteed.
That goes double for my allies. And while I am not afraid to die, that doesn't mean that I don't want to waste my second chance idly, which is why I should probably take my advice and spend it doing the things that I love. Which, for me, is spending time with the people I care about, and Xiaochen more than any other friend has earned that emotion.
After searching aimlessly on the Internet for a couple of minutes, I started to realize that the world wide web wasn't going to help me. But, then again I was never known for my tricky tactics anyway. So I forwent virtually any form of subtly and decided to answer these mysterious feelings head-on.
To that end, I even decided to surprise her by wearing the outfit I was in when we met, my old school uniform, which was simply a white button collared shirt with the sleeves rolled up along with black pants and shoes. I also did away with the bandage since I didn't really need it and didn't want to feel restricted in any aspect.
So in the middle of the night, I trudged along the empty hallways of the Nox base. This time though, I wanted to get seen as I made my way towards Xiaochen's door and gave it a fateful knock. For a tense few seconds, I thought that Xiaochen was asleep. However, the rather loud off-tune and incoherent rambling from the other end beg to differ.
Even without this mystical eye of mine, I can now see little things about Xioachen that I didn't see before. Like how I could already see her enter her usual routine due to recent events. First, she was freaking out internally while still wondering who could possibly be at the other end of the door at this hour. Then another cavalcade of thunderous sounds took place as she unleashed her hundreds of luxury makeup kits that she thought I didn't know about.
From there, the air started to swish around violently, applying them all ideally to match the current occasion, carefully trying her best to look her best for the people that need her. The act alone reminded me of her thoughtfulness and kindness, aspects I have been taking advantage of far too often over dozens of months.
After half a minute of sounds on par with an enraged bull in an old china shop, my lovely Bishop made her "fabulous" appearance. She was keeping to the schoolgirl obsession she's had since her infiltration mission. She kept a formal school-like uniform dressed in Nox colors, addressing me with heavy makeup that made her look decades younger. I guess even with our talk, something never changes. However, instead of finding the usual trend cumbersome, a part of me found it very charming.
"Hello Daewi, what can I do for you tonight," she said in an awkward mix of forwardness and shyness.
A small blush almost escaped my face, though I was still able to remain strong. In fact, if anything, the "attack" only fueled me to return in kind. So I decided to give Xiaochen my outstretched right hand and asked solemnly.
"I know that we've both been busy lately but, if you would like, would you like to join me on a date?"
From there time seemed to stand still I was waited for Xiaochen's answer. I mean the worst she could say was no, right?