Chapter 40: Proposal & Denial
"So... is that a yes?"
"Of course, it’s a no."
"What? But why?"
Lima slowly stood up from her chair and walked toward the large window behind her desk.
"Zac, the world of Variants isn’t as simple as you think. And I..." She paused slightly. "I’m a very complicated person to be with."
"Is it because you’re from some huge family?"
"No."
"Then is it because I’m younger than you?"
"Will you stop that already?"
"Then give me one proper reason."
Lima closed her eyes briefly before speaking again. "I simply don’t know."
That answer caught him off guard.
She slowly turned toward him.
"I’ve never thought seriously about relationships before. It’s always been something distant to me. And just because the deed is already done, I can’t suddenly force myself to love you."
But Zac’s mind had already wandered somewhere else entirely.
His eyes widened slightly. "Wait. Hold on...Does that mean you really are a virgin?"
Instantly, Lima’s entire face turned red like a ripe tomato. "What the hell are you talking about?!"
"Well, you just said you never thought about love."
"That doesn’t automatically mean I’m a virgin!"
Zac scratched his cheek innocently. "I mean... you don’t exactly look like someone who casually has fun with random people."
"Get out."
"Huh?"
"Get out of my office, Zac."
"Okay, okay! I won’t mention it anymore."
Lima folded her arms tightly and turned her face away from him, clearly embarrassed beyond belief.
Meanwhile, the System nearly died laughing inside his head.
A few moments later, after the atmosphere settled down again, Zac suddenly remembered something.
"Oh right. Do you still remember our bet?"
Lima glanced back at him. "The exam results aren’t even out yet."
"I know," Zac said with a confident grin. "But you already watched the recordings, didn’t you? By now, you should know I’m definitely taking first place."
Lima stared at him for a second before letting out a quiet sigh. "Don’t be so pretentious."
"Pretentious? No. This is confidence."
"More like narcissism."
[For once, I support her.]
Ignoring both of them, Zac’s expression slowly became serious again. "There’s something else I wanted to ask. My father."
Lima remained silent for a few seconds before finally speaking.
"Honestly speaking, I don’t know much, and it’s not just me, most of the variants, even ’S’ level ones, may not know about him. It’s like he is a taboo existence from the past that no one should talk about."
"I don’t understand."
"Me neither. See, all that I know is he was one of the top-ranked variants in the Association, and back in the days, people used to call him... the slaughterer of Evil."
[That name alone will get the cringe of the year award. Where do they come up from the old Hollywood movies?]
"Honestly... I agree."
"He became famous among both Variants and cultists for one reason."
"Your father’s primary mission was tracking down cult members and rogue variants to eliminate them. At one point, nearly seventy percent of the cultists operating around the world had either been killed or captured because of him."
"For many years, cult organizations barely dared to show themselves openly while your father was active, but after his disappearance nine years ago... they slowly resurfaced. And you already saw what happened a few days ago."
Zac’s fists tightened unconsciously.
"Do you know what really happened to him?"
Lima shook her head. "No one knows."
"There are many rumors about his disappearance. Some say he was killed by the head of the cult, and some say he died on a super important mission."
"But the most famous one is..." Lima suddenly stopped mid-sentence, looking at Zac hesitantly.
"Go on. Why did you stop?" Zac frowned. "Let me guess it’s not something I’m going to like, is it?"
Lima took a small breath before continuing.
"Some people believe your father committed a terrible crime against humanity, and that’s why he was secretly killed by the top figures in the Association."
"What? How is that even possible? I know my father better than anyone, he is the most righteous man I have ever seen. He would never do something like that."
"Zac, calm down," Lima said quickly. "There’s no real proof behind that claim."
"Even so, how can people say things like that about him?" Zac clenched his fists. "He dedicated more of his life to the association than he ever did to his own family."
"I understand how you feel," Lima replied softly, "but you also have to think about it from their perspective. Why would the association erase his name from history? and blocking every piece of news about him and acting like he never existed?"
Zac’s eyes narrowed. "Are you implying my father was a traitor?"
"No, I’m not," she said firmly. "But until the Association finally comes clean on him, you can’t stop rumors like these from spreading."
"If you truly want answers about your father..." Her gaze sharpened. "Your only option is to speak with the Twelve Pillars or the Chairman himself."
"But with your current status...I doubt they’d tell you anything even if you asked."
Lima handed him his favorite tea, hoping it would calm him down.
"You really are my ideal woman," Zac said with a faint grin. "See? You even remembered my favorite tea and knew exactly how to calm me down."
"Please don’t start that again, Zac."
"Fine, fine." He raised his hands in surrender before taking a sip of his tea.
[Your mood swings are worse than a woman on her period. One second you are angry about your father getting wrongly accused the next second you are flirting with all smiles.]
[You must really see a doctor.]
"So," Zac said casually, leaning back in his chair, "why don’t we talk about you for a change?"
Lima raised an eyebrow. "Me?"
"Do you see anyone else here?"
"And why exactly do you want to know about me?"
"Nothing serious." Zac shrugged innocently. "I just thought I should know more about my girlfriend. I mean... future girlfriend."
"You won’t give up, will you?"
"No."
She let out a quiet sigh before crossing her arms. "I don’t usually share personal information with people."
"Well, lucky for you, I’m not ’people.’" Zac grinned shamelessly.
A faint smirk appeared on Lima’s lips.
"I was born with exceptional talent," she continued calmly. "Because of that, my father wanted me to inherit the family someday. As for the elders?" Zac guessed.
"They wanted to arrange a political marriage for the family’s benefit. You know the classic royal daughter scenario."
"So I left."
"After graduating from the academy, I joined the Variant Association. They offered me protection and support, so my family couldn’t force me back."
Zac quietly listened without interrupting.
"I worked hard, climbed the ranks step by step, and eventually became the vice chief of a branch association."
"And now I’m stuck here with you."
"Hey, it’s not that bad. At least I’m handsome."
"See? What did I tell you? You’re a narcissist."
The room fell silent again. Lima noticed Zac still staring at her strangely.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Nothing." Zac rested his chin on his hand. "I just realized you still haven’t told me the important stuff."
"...Important stuff?"
"Your favorites, likes, dislikes, and hobbies." He grinned. "You know, normal girlfriend application information."
A small flame suddenly ignited above Lima’s palm.
"If you don’t leave this office within the next five seconds," she said calmly, "I will fry you like a potato chip."
The fireball slowly expanded, radiating heat around the room.
Zac immediately shot to his feet. "Alright, alright, I’m leaving. I don’t want tomorrow’s headlines to read: Girlfriend Murders Boyfriend in Broad Daylight."
"Get out. Now!"
[What an inspiring romance. One threatens arson while the other keeps flirting. Truly marvelous.]
Just as Zac reached for the doorknob, a soft voice suddenly stopped him.
"Thank you."
He paused for a moment before turning around.
Lima stood near the window, no longer holding the fireball in her hand. A gentle smile appeared on Zac’s face. "Lovers don’t thank each other."
The moment those words left his mouth. "You...!"
Her face instantly turned bright red with anger as another burst of flames erupted around her. Zac reacted immediately, slamming the door shut behind him as he fled for his life.
A few seconds later, the furious expression on Lima’s face slowly faded, replaced by a small, helpless smile.
"That idiot..."
