Tsukika’s crimson eyes glinted with amusement and quiet pressure. She seemed to relish every moment of “training” Li Wei.

Outwardly silent, Li Wei’s mind remained clear and methodical.

He knew exactly what Tsukika was doing—slowly eroding his will.

Like training a puppy: start with simple obedience… until one day, without realizing it, you’re completely ensnared.

Perhaps in her scheme, the goal was for him to do *certain things* without even knowing to resist.

But unfortunately for her—

The moment Tsukika offered that candy, she’d already stepped into his trap.

The candy was clearly laced with something.

The note Li Wei gave Edith instructed her to treat the entire batch.

Soaked in a potion crafted specifically to target the Undying Authority—based on Li Wei’s past research on Tsukika.

Even while hunting the Annihilation Authority, he never stopped studying the other Demon Lords’ powers.

This candy contained the fruit of that labor.

Brewed from Undying Powder, Soul Blossoms, and other rare ingredients, the potion was meant to suppress the Undying Authority.

Li Wei had tested it on monsters infused with lower-tier Undying energy. The results? Far from disappointing—they were shockingly opposite.

After consuming it, the monsters’ regenerative abilities grew *closer* to true Undying power.

Their lower-tier Undying traits had been *enhanced*.

If that were all, Li Wei would’ve sealed the formula immediately. No way he’d slip it to Tsukika to “help her out.”

What he truly counted on was the side effect beyond enhancement:

Forced slumber.

To Tsukika, the candy was both a catalyst for the Undying Authority… and a potent sleeping draught.

Killing her? Li Wei held no illusions. After countless clashes, he knew the Undying Authority’s strength. Impossible for him now.

And with Yue Lin in the picture—and everything tangled between them—he’d genuinely lost the will to strike her down.

But making her sleep? That was enough. One full day of breathing room.

What happened after? Deal with it later. Rest today if you can!

Li Wei took the candy as if making a difficult choice. He peeled back the wrapper. A translucent pink treat gleamed—shimmering like Tsukika’s own soft lips.

He lifted it toward her mouth.

Tsukika didn’t open hers. She stared straight at him, lips curved in a faint, unreadable smile.

“Not eating it?” Li Wei asked, voice perfectly calm.

Tsukika sighed softly. “Why would the Chosen Hero think my ‘feeding’ would be so simple?”

She tapped the candy with a delicate finger, pushing it back. “I meant… with your mouth.”

Li Wei blinked. “?”

“Unwilling? Or incapable? Shall I demonstrate?” Her mocking laugh danced. “You were far more proactive when you ‘bullied’ me before. Now I offer the chance, and you grow shy?”

Li Wei hesitated. “…Weren’t we starting from the basics?”

“If we were truly beginning a romance, this wouldn’t be ‘basic.’ But…” That elusive smile never left her face. “Either way, you won’t escape tonight. I’ve already compromised—didn’t make you do this outside the bedroom.”

“Or… does the Chosen Hero prefer punishment over kindness?” Her tone sharpened with threat.

Li Wei stilled. No other choice.

Between two evils, choose the lesser.

Shameful? Strange? Yes. But better than being drained all night.

He placed the candy between his lips. Tsukika’s cheeks flushed pink with excitement as she pursed her own soft mouth.

Li Wei’s breath hitched.

Even knowing she was his fated enemy, watching that breathtakingly beautiful face draw near, feeling her sweet breath mingle with his—his resolve wavered.

He closed his eyes the moment their lips met.

For the first time while fully conscious, he felt Tsukika’s lips: soft as two delicate pink petals.

A soul-stirring current shot through him. He tried to pull back after transferring the candy—but arms suddenly wrapped around his neck.

Eyes flying open, he felt the candy melt into sweet warmth inside his own mouth.

At this breathless closeness, he saw it: in Tsukika’s crimson eyes, deep affection seemed to slowly melt.

That emotion struck his mind, leaving him dazed.

Was that love genuine… or masterfully feigned?

Before he could decide, the sweetness and softness withdrew.

Li Wei sat frozen on the bed, cradling her small, slender frame.

Tsukika could no longer maintain the act. In his arms, she’d reverted to her familiar childlike form.

So this was the forced slumber even a Demon Lord couldn’t resist.

*She kissed me first… testing if the candy trapped me too?* Li Wei realized. *Clever. But she didn’t know—the drug only affects the Undying.*

He gazed at the sleeping girl, heart tangled.

This was the enemy he once vowed to destroy with rage and blood.

Yet…

Soft.

Warm.

The Demon Lord in his arms wasn’t forged from steel or ice.

She was… alive.

He’d felt this confusion before—during their alliance after escaping the Demon King Citadel. Now it stirred again, stronger. With his mission lifted, the old fire dimmed.

Thinking of his daughter’s tsundere pouts… Tsukika’s ambiguous smiles…

Gently, he laid her on the bed and tucked the blanket over her delicate nightgown.

As he turned to leave—

A sleepy murmur drifted from the bed:

“Here I am, utterly defenseless… and the Chosen Hero does *nothing*?”

“Last time you performed quite well. Choosing to be less than human tonight?”

Li Wei froze. Spun around.

Tsukika sat up, silver hair framing her crimson eyes. One tiny hand propped her chin. She smiled sweetly.

“Curious why I’m awake? Simple. *That* candy wasn’t from your batch.”

“If I love sweets and no one buys them for me… of course I carry my own.”

Li Wei fell silent.

“You… knew?”

“Yue Lin told me.” Tsukika sighed. “That child worries herself sick trying to mend things between us. Hates you, yet told you I like candy. Came to me after: *‘Dad bought candy just for you.’*”

No anger rose in Li Wei. Only quiet ache. His daughter’s betrayal… born of hope.

“Chosen Hero,” Tsukika asked softly, “do you know why I love candy?”

“Should I?” he murmured, unnerved by her earnest gaze.

She made an × with her fingers. “Wrong answer.”

A sigh. “I’d planned to give you the antidote… but your reply displeased me. Now you’ll have to *work off* the effects yourself.”

Heat surged through Li Wei.

“You—”

“Can you drug me, but I can’t drug you?” She laughed, pinning him down.

“When you chose this path… didn’t you accept the consequences?”

Her sweet breath washed over him.

A tingling numbness crept through his soul.

He truly felt himself sinking—

Pulled into Tsukika’s uniquely pink-hued tenderness, unable to escape.

That night, Li Wei was thoroughly… teased.