There it was—one of the most infamous lines in the world of adult games and Stinky doujinshi. And the one saying it was even a rich, ill-intentioned blond guy!
Even though nothing had happened yet, just combining these elements already gave off a strong NTR vibe...
But Twilight was no foolish adult game protagonist—she was a warrior of pure love!
After all, she was extremely pragmatic. For favorability and gold coins [emotional energy], she naturally had to choose the side with the most supporters.
And those people online who constantly proclaimed how great NTR was were mostly just like Duke Ye professing his love for dragons [idiom: loving something in theory but fearing it in reality]—the moment it actually happened to them, they'd likely just wail.
Only pure love was the white moonlight [idealized love] in everyone's hearts!
Therefore, facing Aventurine, this blond guy uttering the classic line, Twilight had only one response...
Eat her fist!
...
Aventurine swore that was the moment he felt closest to death. Even back in the days when he lived hand-to-mouth, death had never presented itself so concretely before him.
Neither the blessing of the Path of Preservation, nor his status as a high-ranking executive of the IPC, not even the safe barriers constructed by The Family using the power of Harmony within this dreamscape, could offer him the slightest sense of security at this moment.
The instant he saw that fist hurtling towards him, Aventurine seemed to envision himself turning into literal aventurine dust...
He did want to experience death once in Penacony's dreamscape, but only to reach the real Penacony, not because he was tired of living and actually wanted to die.
But he was certain this punch would kill him. Not even diamond could save him. When Topaz and Jade came to collect his remains, they'd need a shovel...
So, without hesitation, he threw his hands up and slid into a full kneel on the spot!
"Spare me, Miss! I have something your Express crew needs!"
Aventurine didn't close his eyes but stared directly at the fist. If it hadn't stopped, he might have seen his own brains splatter.
He wasn't sure if his words would work, but luckily... he had won his gamble again.
Twilight stopped her fist mere inches from his face. No sonic boom, no shockwave, Aventurine didn't even feel the slightest disturbance in the air, only the dreamscape behind him instantly dissolving into nothingness.
"Uncle Yang said that anyone who starts talking to me with the phrase '[You wouldn't want]' is the type that can be treated violently," Twilight stated calmly, looking at Aventurine.
"You have one sentence to explain yourself... Hmm, the money you gave before helped March buy things. She was very happy, so I'll give you one extra sentence."
"Haha, well thank you very much~"
"One sentence left."
"...The IPC can offer you the possibility of survival, Miss Twilight."
"Help me survive?"
Twilight tilted her head quizzically.
Seeing this, Aventurine breathed a sigh of relief internally. Whether Twilight could survive or not, at least he likely would—temporarily.
Otherwise, given this young lady's personality, she probably would have blasted him to smithereens the moment he finished that last sentence.
"Miss Twilight, according to my knowledge, your lifespan, if measured in normal stellar years, is only one year—ah, it should be about half a year now." Bringing the conversation back to his area of expertise, although the possibility of meeting his maker at any moment still loomed, Aventurine felt much more relaxed.
"No need to be too surprised. If the IPC specifically wants to find out something, there are few secrets in this world hidden from us... At least, your lifespan and the Stellaron within that Mr. Caelus's body are not among them. When that genius requested equipment for research related to you, she didn't hide her topic..."
"Skip."
"Miss Twilight, what did you say?" Aventurine was puzzled, suspecting he'd misheard.
"Too much nonsense. I want to skip," Twilight said seriously. "Just get to the point."
You can't just bring the skip button from games into real life... But then again, her fist is bigger.
Aventurine smiled somewhat helplessly. "Although we haven't been able to test it, our think tank has indeed found a method that might allow your life to continue... A genius like Herta might scoff at such a solution, but being able to live is what's most important, don't you agree?"
"I wish to propose a cooperation with you, Miss Twilight, in my personal capacity. I will inform you of this method, and you only need to do me a small favor."
Aventurine waited for her answer. Initially, he thought he might be able to persuade Twilight directly to retrieve his Cornerstone from Sunday, but now it seemed somewhat difficult. Although Twilight appeared thoughtful, she was surprisingly calm.
The prospect of survival didn't seem to hold that much appeal for her...
"What does my death have to do with everyone on the Express?"
"...?"
"You said the Express crew would be in danger, and that you could help them, but now you're only talking about whether I die or not."
Seeing the undisguised confusion in Twilight's eyes, Aventurine paused for a moment, then a flash of understanding crossed his face.
I see... Although she has the lifespan limitation of a short-life species, her cognition is no different from an ordinary person's. Despite her terrifying power, the Twilight before me is essentially still like a child.
What a cruel joke... But as a qualified businessman, perhaps I should use this to achieve my goal.
"...Miss Twilight, do you understand what death is?"
"Himeko said death is when the body stops moving, and then disappears," Twilight nodded. "But afterwards, you become a newly appeared star in the universe and continue to shine."
"Haha, the Astral Express navigator is indeed a gentle person... But unfortunately, Miss Twilight, those were just words to comfort you."
Aventurine shook his head, a rare weight entering his tone. "So-called death is the loneliest thing in this universe. You will leave everyone you love and everyone who loves you, with no choice and no room for negotiation... It is the beginning of your disappearance from this world, until finally, you are forgotten by everyone, until time erases all traces of you, as if you never existed."
"You won't become a star, nor will there be a heaven or hell... Death is the end of everything, Miss Twilight."
"It's an eternal farewell, and the pain isn't just yours, but also affects those around you. Because you're dead, no longer conscious, but the living must continue to suffer from losing you... until they forget you completely."
"Miss Twilight, everyone on the Astral Express should be quite gentle and value relationships, right? If you were to die so easily, they would undoubtedly be grief-stricken... Do you really want to see that happen?"
"Never... see them again?" Twilight's expression seemed dazed, and she hesitated. "But, but someone just died in front of Caelus, and I can still sense her presence—"
"That's because this is a dreamscape, Miss Twilight! She won't truly die; she can continue living after waking up. But what about you? After you wake from the dream, what you face is the imminent end of your real life, and after that comes the unbearable sorrow of everyone who values you!" Aventurine didn't give Twilight a chance to think, employing the classic anxiety-inducing tactics of a salesman.
"And now, the possibility to change all of this is right in front of you—Miss Twilight, do you really want to be separated from everyone on the Express? Can you truly bear... to make them weep inconsolably because of you?"
Aventurine spread his hands open, gambling everything on this sales pitch, far more desperately than his usual multi-trillion credit investments. "With just a simple effort, you can avoid all that tragedy and walk towards a farther future together with the Astral Express crew!"
"...What do you want?"
Plan successful—a smile bloomed in Aventurine's heart. Although exploiting an innocent young girl like this pricked his conscience slightly, isn't that just how business works?
Most importantly, he wasn't a scammer. What he offered was genuine, and what he asked for wasn't excessive.
That information held little practical value in the IPC's hands anyway. Exchanging it for his safe passage into the real Penacony, and possibly even gaining the friendship of the Astral Express... this deal was a guaranteed win.
"Just a grand death, Miss Twilight."