"After all, we did that occasionally a few times in middle school as well. So why are you suddenly shy now?"
Mikan said this in a teasing tone at that moment. Someone who didn't know could have thought she was deliberately seducing Shiro, but in reality, she knew very well that she was just causing trouble, because she knew he had limits.
Shiro also seriously suspected that she was doing it on purpose, thinking she had some kind of "get-out-of-jail card," planning to tease him before it came to that. Otherwise, there was no explanation for why she would do this.
"Mikan, you're really asking for trouble. Aren't you afraid I'll lose control?"
"You know, ever since you got drunk last time, you haven't dared to shower with me, and you've been quite averse."
"Or, more precisely, you're afraid I'll turn into a beast or something, so you avoid me. And now you're doing this, making it very difficult for me."
Shiro at that moment spoke the plain truth.
Mikan, hearing Shiro's complaint, tilted her head and spoke in a tone that clearly said, "I don't understand what you're talking about."
"Shiro, what are you talking about? There just wasn't an opportunity. What do you mean I was avoiding you?"
"Obviously, your mind is dirty and you overthink too much."
Damn it!
Shiro had never expected that she would learn to twist things like this.
And now you're even poking me in the chest with your finger. And sliding several times — are you serious?
Shiro now truly wanted to ask which scoundrel taught her these things. Surely he wouldn't have beaten him to death if he had asked.
"Mikan, just say what you want to say. I know you wouldn't do this without reason. And let me say this first, because of Lala's stimulation…"
"For someone like me, who at best just kisses people and has no experience, it's a huge stimulation."
"You'd better leave quickly now and not cause trouble here."
Mikan looked at Shiro's tortured expression, and her smile grew wider. She thought to herself, "Fine, when you constantly act foolish, now you know how it feels to be embarrassed." At the same time, she was doing this because she trusted Shiro's character.
Although to others his character seemed like something completely unknown, that only applied to strangers. She trusted him very much and was ready to rely on him.
"Don't worry, I trust Shiro very much."
Shiro was stunned when he heard this way of addressing him, then spoke with a touch of emotion:
"Honestly, I haven't heard you call me that for a long time."
"Since you got drunk that time, I haven't heard you call me that."
Mikan remembered that as well when she heard it. There was nothing to be done; this guy didn't understand girls' thoughts. She had been able to hide it before, but since she admitted her feelings and since they had some unspoken understanding, she felt it was no longer right to call him that.
"What? Or do you want me to call you that from now on?"
Shiro always felt that her words had a double meaning.
"Emmm. I don't mind you calling me that."
"Pervert!"
Mikan perfectly understood what this guy meant.
"Tell me, I suppose you have something you want to ask, right? And it's something very important to you, otherwise you wouldn't have barged in like this."
Shiro knew very well that this girl definitely had something she wanted to ask; otherwise, she wouldn't have risked it, relying on his character.
Of course, she actually hit the mark, because his character at this moment was really very good, at least toward her, absolutely good.
"Shiro, I won't hide anything. I want to ask — are you still you?"
Mikan at that moment looked at Shiro seriously, her eyes full of seriousness.
Shiro was stunned when he heard that, then it seemed as if he understood what she wanted to say.
"I've always heard you say you have power, which means you definitely didn't have it from childhood. And your changes in the last two years are quite significant, which means that power appeared around that time. Isn't that excessive?"
"To be able to see someone's entire original life, and to see things like worlds merging."
"And according to what you said, your own strength far surpasses this world. Too many mysteries, so I have to understand one thing: are you still you?"
Mikan at that moment stared motionless into Shiro's eyes.
Shiro also understood her concerns. After all, many things had not yet been clarified, so it was normal to doubt.
"Do you think my essence has changed, and that someone or something has possessed me?"
Shiro looked at her serious expression, while a playful smile appeared on his face as he returned the question to her.
"Is there anything wrong with doubting? After all, because of you, the novels I read all favor the Xia Kingdom side. What? Old monsters from higher worlds, who, after death, possess others and then exceed the upper limit of the world — I've read such novels."
"Don't you think your situation is very similar?"
Shiro, after hearing that, directly slapped her on the forehead.
"Again you!"
Mikan covered her forehead with both hands and protested.
"Isn't that ridiculous? If I don't hit you, then who will? What do you think about all day long? Don't you feel whether I'm me? To be blunt, if I hadn't discovered so many things, you wouldn't even have this doubt."
Mikan also, after hearing that, protested dissatisfied and retorted.
"Isn't it because of you? If you hadn't acted so strange and excessive, would I have had to think like this?"
Mikan expressed her disagreement. This guy acted so overwhelmingly that it would be strange not to doubt him. Even if she didn't want to, she couldn't help it.
Shiro couldn't help but sigh after hearing her words.
"I have to say that your doubt is quite reasonable, but what you have to understand is that if I were really some old monster, would I still be interested in a girl like you? And to be blunt, if I had such power, I would have done whatever I wanted a long time ago, why would I still be like this?"
"To go even further, if I had such power and was really interested in a girl like you, and I was still here talking to you, you would probably already be at home preparing for pregnancy, or already have one or two children."
Mikan couldn't help but give Shiro a sharp look because of his crude words, but she also felt that it made sense.
"And I also know what you're thinking, what you want to ask? I'll put it this way, more than two years ago, I was drawn into an attack."
"Uh, the target of the attack was Qiang Zi, who was kidnapped. I happened to be there, and the kidnappers were onmyōji and other supernatural beings."
Mikan at that moment listened carefully.
"And because of one accident, my head was hit a full 360 degrees by those people, or rather, that blow almost took my life. You can think of it as the power from my past life still existing in this life, just sealed. And that near-death experience allowed my power to return."
Shiro at this moment could only make up an excuse. He couldn't say that he directly awakened memories from his past life and got some system or something.
If she asked him whether this was Shiro from his past life or Golden Shiro, wouldn't that be awkward?
"And even though that power was very, very weak when I first regained it, it was enough to currently push me to the level of a universe, making me the strongest existence in this universe — not just one of them, but several levels above the rest."
"And because of that, some memories, experiences, and knowledge from my past life occasionally surfaced in my mind."
"That's why you think I've changed a lot. Mostly because I constantly mix those memories, and because I've learned many things. On top of that, my power is too strong, I simply don't dare to cultivate and become even stronger."
"You know? I could become stronger in a very short time, but because I know very well that if I accidentally released my aura or energy, this universe would explode. To that extent, I'm forced to suppress that feeling, something you cannot experience."