With Ayato joining the conversation, there wasn't much left to talk about.
Although Ye really wanted to tease Ayaka by calling him "brother-in-law," unfortunately, his current troubles were still unresolved, so he wasn't in the mood to flirt with the young lady of the Kamisato clan.
After signing autographs for both of them, Ye soon excused himself and left.
Back to Watatsumi Island. Time to talk to Kokomi.
What to talk about?
Well, about proposing again.
Last time, there might have been some misunderstandings, so this time, he'd propose again and wait for her response.
If Kokomi agreed, that would be great. He could go back to being a good person.
If she refused… then it wasn't his problem anymore, right?
He'd have made his stance clear, and while he might feel a little guilty, he wouldn't have to worry about it anymore, right?
So, after returning to Watatsumi Island and meeting Kokomi, Ye immediately proposed.
"Want to have a quick one?"
Bang.
Kokomi, who had just opened the door at Ye's call, slammed it shut without hesitation.
She refused outright.
Well, that settled it. Time to sleep.
Ye turned around and went back to his room to sleep.
He planned to have a nice dream to soothe his frustration at being rejected… Oh, wait, no more dreaming.
Wait, no, he could still dream, as long as it wasn't a connected dream.
Ye lay down on the bed and closed his eyes.
"Nameless."
In the next moment, he fell asleep, and the dreamlike girl who called herself the embodiment of Ye's dreams appeared in his dream.
"What is it, Father?"
Ye looked at her and asked expressionlessly, "Were those dreams of mine connected?"
"Yes, Father."
"Why were they connected?"
The dreamlike girl tilted her head. "Didn't you like it, Father?"
"Well… if you ask me if I liked it, of course I did. But some things can't be done just because you like them."
"Why not? As long as it's not illegal, it's fine, right?"
"How is it not illegal? It's connected! The woman and I are sharing the same dream! How is that any different from doing it in real life?"
"It's just a mental connection, not a physical one. The body is still pure! Which country in Teyvat has a law that says dream-sharing is illegal?"
Nameless spoke confidently.
"If dreaming makes someone impure, then there are no pure girls in this world."
"Do you think such twisted logic can convince me? A girl's solo dream is completely different from a connected dream! One is like secretly comforting herself in her own room, while the other is like finding a random man to comfort her in a hotel—how are they the same?!"
If the woman had initiated the connection, that would be one thing. Ye didn't feel insulted by such things; he never refused.
But the problem was that he had initiated the connection! And it was a forced invitation, giving the woman no chance to refuse!
In short, he had been forcing himself on women every day. While their bodies remained pure, it was like a man doing everything with a woman except the final step. Even if the final barrier wasn't broken, could she still be considered pure?
A solo dream is self-comfort.
A connected dream is letting someone else comfort you.
They're not the same thing!!
To put it bluntly, his actions were essentially… Well, cough, it wasn't intentional. As long as no one knew, it was just a solo dream.
It was a solo dream.
"Anyway, no more connected dreams from now on. I'm only playing solo games now."
"Ahhh~"
Nameless yawned.
"Understood, Father. So, who do you want to dream about this time?"
"Kokomi."
Having just been rejected by Kokomi, Ye was heartbroken and only wanted to soothe his shattered soul in his dreams.
"Got it, Father."
Nameless snapped her fingers, and the scene changed. Ye saw Kokomi's back as she sat in front of a mirror, seemingly lost in thought.
Without hesitation, Ye walked over, picked her up, and prepared to use the dream version of Kokomi to heal the wounds inflicted by the real Kokomi.
"Ah? You? Didn't I already refuse? I'm not doing this with you without any commitment!"
The dream seamlessly continued from reality. As expected of Nameless—she really understood him.
Ye's interest grew, and he felt his shattered soul being healed.
Meanwhile, Nameless, who had earned Ye's praise, nodded in satisfaction as she watched the dream.
"I get it, Father. You want to have your cake and eat it too."
"Outwardly refusing, but inwardly craving it. After all, what man wouldn't like a connected dream?"
"Don't worry, Father. This is a solo dream. Just treat it as a solo dream."
"After all, as long as I don't say anything, who'll know it's connected?"
Clapping her hands, Nameless decided not to spy on her father's dream activities anymore. Instead, she returned to her little room and continued carefully flipping through her father's memories over the years.
Although she could finish it in one glance, since she had nothing better to do, she took her time.
"What a colorful life. As expected of Father. A mundane life was never an option."
However, even though it was impossible, the events he was involved in this time were truly extraordinary.
Facing such a group of extraordinary beings, even Nameless felt a headache coming on. Only Father could remain so carefree.
As she read, Nameless silently pondered how to help her father escape his current predicament… It really wasn't easy.
While Nameless was lamenting the difficulty, Kokomi, who had just woken up from her dream, buried her face in her bed, her body hot and weak, completely unwilling to move.
What is this?
She had outright rejected him, only to dream about him immediately afterward—didn't that mean she was secretly looking forward to it?
Her refusal had been so firm, yet in the dream, she couldn't muster any strength to resist. The moment he touched her, she melted… Only in this aspect could one tell the difference between dreams and reality.
Kokomi didn't know what to do.
She wanted to solve the problem decisively, but that scoundrel only wanted a fling, with no intention of taking responsibility. He just wanted to keep things ambiguous. How could that be acceptable?
Kokomi was a conservative woman. At the very least, she needed some form of commitment.
But since she had been the one to initiate things accidentally, she couldn't bring herself to bring it up again. If she were rejected… she might as well just kill herself.
If she were truly rejected, Kokomi wouldn't have the face to live on.
No, she still needed that commitment, but she had to plan this carefully.
Kokomi sat up, propping her chin with her hand, her expression serious. For the first time in her life, she was using her brain to think about such a ridiculous matter.
She treated it as a war.