"—Just tell them the truth!" Bao emerged from thin air and threw Li Yang an aggravated look. The creature disappeared after they entered the Underworld Shrine of a certain Goddess in the spiritual plane.. but now it couldn't just stand by and simply act as some camera.

Li Yang, Narissa and the others were still within the bar and the latter were surprised by the man's desire to be alone. Taiga was immediately worried that she was being clingy, but Narissa on the other hand kept her gaze on him.

"You've barely been with us and you want to leave? May I remind you yet again that you've gone for the last months?" Narissa said. "Maybe you've been with other people—but the thing is.. Taiga wants to be with you. You just can't go and say you have important things to do and then leave us hanging."

"Er, Taiga thinks that Bossman can actually just do that." Taiga scratched her head and looked at Li Yang. "At least this time, Bossman actually knows how to say goodbye properly. Instead of disappearing—this is already an improvement for Bossman."

.

The way that Taiga said those words made him think that maybe he was being a little too selfish. He neglected to ponder about what went through their heads at a moment like this and assumed they'd be alright.

"Narissa is right, I did meet someone who told me that whatever happens—time doesn't stop pushing forward at all. I'm still surprised that either of you want to do anything with me at all." Li Yang admitted, remembering his conversation with Mitsuko as he gazed at the two of them. "I disappeared without a trace and it would have been fair for any of you to just leave."

"Hey, we're kind of attached by the hip at this point." Narissa crossed her arms. "Not because we're that close or anything, but I made a decision back then to be with you.. and that's not retractable isn't it? At least for my part, I knew what it was going to be and I still made the decision. I bet Taiga over here can just run away like some little scared puss if she wanted."

The tigress spirit chewed on her lip, before finally speaking. "Taiga did go.. er, didn't wait patiently or anything like that. Taiga went back to Shou Temple Sect after getting paid by the Shen Society—but when Taiga saw and heard that you were here, Taiga wanted to meet you so she did."

All three of them were very different people with wildly various backgrounds.

One left her home to pursue what they wanted, another lost everything on that fateful day and was tossed around by fate and the last but not the least poured his energy to what might have been the only thing that gave him purpose and what he was good at.

Now it was a little strange that they all found themselves together.

It wasn't as if everyone liked each other—and there were varying scales to one's emotions. But that moment of conversation over the loud music playing over the background and over the bright flashy lights on the dance area.. in this quieter and more calmer private balcony for visitors to dine and drink in—it was an actual effort put into understanding one another.

Bao grunted and wanted to insert itself into the conversation. Based on Li Yang's words earlier, this is what it said further. "Task number one for you: Get yourself the next woman on your main quest. You've already involved yourself with these women so call it a day."

The creature was aware that Li Yang initially wanted to have milk tea with Bo Lifen—despite the woman having melted strawberry alcohol just across from them, but it wasn't supposed to care about that—only the linear progression of the man in terms of the System operation and quests.

Narissa directly looked up at the creature. "You got yourself a little whiny bitch."

"What?" Taiga frowned at her words.

"Not you, sourpuss." Narissa rolled her eyes and then gave Li Yang a look. "I think I'm starting to get what you mean by curse."

Li Yang glanced at Bao who he had been ignoring and imperceptibly nodded. In another period, he would have heeded those words easily and made it a point to be done with what he already accomplished.

However, Bao seemed to have failed or refused to acknowledge that the people that Li Yang were with were people too. Compared to visual novel dating sim games, he couldn't easily just switch gears and then love targets. Each of the women could see each other, talk and have an actual conversation.

They simply didn't remove themselves from his life just because his current love target or object of affection wasn't them anymore. Or Li Yang liked someone else.

Taiga already knew there was something up from the moment that Li Yang excused himself from the hospital. They have just finished travelling to the spiritual plane to retrieve Luo Ju Di's soul and make Chunhua happy, but somehow, this 'Bai Minghua' woman was important.

Even if they didn't seem to be actually good friends.

Taiga distinctly remembered Ying Yue He proudly showing off and waving her tickets to Taiga in the office before—and saying she and Li Yang were going for a date at the zoo, without Taiga around.. but it also meant that was the time that they met Bai Minghua too.

So what happened in between those times?

Taiga hadn't been able to pry an answer out from Ying Yue He back then so it mustn't have been any good. Was it related to this woman herself? There was a secret ongoing and Taiga needed to know.

"What curse?" Taiga looked at him. "Is it something that made you go to another world to look for a cure? Why didn't you tell Taiga about it.. or Ying Yue He? How come this woman knows it? Was she able to help you?"historical

"I definitely helped him a lot.. but it seems like the curse is still active." Narissa eyed the floating creature on Li Yang's shoulder. Bao never bothered acknowledging the woman and instead kept an annoyed face.

It was his time to make a response for their queries.

Consternation was on Taiga's face and it made him hesitate. There was an answer that was in his mind and it was the very first decision he made when he got himself punched by the panda creature and into this mess in the first place.

"I'd prefer to have you and Miss Ying Yue He safe and away from harm—so it's a lot better for things to be this way. You don't need to worry about this curse, Taiga. It's not your burden to bear."

"But what about her—did you ask for her help because she could do it?" Taiga pointed at Narissa with a frown. She eventually just lowered her hand and walked up to him, proceeding to plop down on his lap.

Narissa herself wanted to object to that act—but then let it be. It was their conversation and not hers.

"Bossman, you didn't tell me or Ying Yue He about this because you wanted to protect us, didn't you?" Taiga rested her hands on his shoulders.

"The fewer people involved with me, it makes it better and easier to manage."

"You just wanted to handle this alone." Taiga pouted.

"Perhaps you're right."

Taiga started shaking his shoulders and rocked back and forth on his lap childishly. "Well, you could have asked our opinions about this first, Bossman! We could have left if we thought it was too dangerous, but you're not giving us a choice at all."

Li Yang sighed a little and looked at her face. "I didn't tell you any of this because—"

Taiga grabbed his face and leaned closer. "Bossman, you think you know what's good for us without even asking me or Ying Yue He. We're stronger than you think and I wouldn't have left you at all. You didn't need to be worried about that."

He stifled a chuckle. "Worrying and managing—that's what I do. It can't be helped when I do it for a living."

That he was always concerned? That it was better for him to be the one rejecting people than for it to happen the other way around? Even if he didn't say it aloud, his thoughts strayed into that direction sometimes.

"Well, this can't be helped too." Taiga stared at him and then leaned down for a kiss.

—-—-

Author's Note: Yes, please insert Aladdin's Genie, Disney Style, Robin William's line of the Genie trying to convince Aladdin to tell Jasmine the truth. I live for moments like these. xD