CHAPTER 22: MY FRIENDS

Before long, the banquet came to an end and people began to leave after paying one more visit to the Head Table. It was also then that the children’s party came back from their endeavors.

Aegon was sleepy after running around so much and anyone could see that, but he still kept smiling and trying to keep up with others’ enthusiasm.

Xiu noticed it quickly and picked him up against his protests, "Shut up, Little Sun. I’m not letting you down."

Aegon rolled his eyes and dropped the protests, puffing his cheeks slightly. Indeed, if she decided something, then who could argue?

"Say bye to your new friends," Xiu said with a smile, her eyes curving warmly as she brushed a strand of hair away from his forehead.

"About that, Xiu. Can I play more with them in the future?" Aegon asked, tilting his head and peeking at her with hopeful eyes, even though he already knew the answer.

"Why, of course! They are your friends now, so treat them good, okay?" Xiu replied with a teasing smile, tapping his nose lightly.

"I will!" Aegon’s face brightened. "They are my friends!"

All of a sudden, all the guests stopped in their tracks as they began to look around in confusion mixed with... fear. Brows furrowed, shoulders tensed, and hushed murmurs filled the air.

Arnold raised his head, his expression unreadable as he muttered to himself . "She’s getting excited, huh."

The children couldn’t sense anything, so they didn’t understand the adults’ reactions, but since all of them had gotten permission from their parents, they were very happy, clapping their hands and bouncing with energy.

On the other hand, Aegon felt something warm in his chest and thought, ’Huh!? Did I eat something wrong?’ His brows knitted for a second before quickly loosening again.

However, something else made him forget the problem as he thought, ’Wait! I completely forgot about my second sign-in. I almost missed such an opportunity.’

He turned towards Elara, eyes sparkling with sudden excitement, and called out, "El! We have a deal."

"I remember!" Elara bobbed her head up and down cutely. "But I thought you were tired, so I didn’t say anything."

"Let’s do it!" Aegon said eagerly before turning towards Xiu, his hands already reaching forward as if to break free. "Can you let me down for this? I’ll return soon!"

’This rascal!’ Xiu chuckled, shaking her head, and placed Aegon back on the floor.

Then, the two kids ignored others and approached each other. Aegon was the first to speak, his eyes narrowing in mock seriousness, "You can squeeze my cheeks for ten seconds."

"Okay!" Elara’s lips curved into a wide smile, her eyes lighting up as if she had been waiting for this moment.

For some odd reason he couldn’t understand, Elara was too excited about pulling his cheeks. Why were her eyes sparkling so much?

He couldn’t understand, but he put his face forward, cheeks puffing slightly, and soon felt two soft hands caressing them lightly. Then, the fingers squished his cheeks softly as if afraid it would hurt him.

Even though Aegon said it would just be ten seconds, he ended up giving double of it to Elara, his gaze flickering with amusement as she focused intently.

After she withdrew, it was his turn, so Elara crouched down, her ears twitching faintly, so that he could feel them better.

As his fingers rubbed the soft skin of her ear, he thought, ’Wow! They are softer than mine and feel so good. I could do this for eternity.’ His expression softened, almost dazed with comfort.

He really didn’t think he would one day end up loving someone’s ears. Before he could fall in the comfort, he remembered his other goal and thought—

’Sign in!’

[Ding! Signing-in in the Hanging Lotus Pavilion!]

[Ding! High-Grade Wood Affinity Acquired!]

[Ding! 50x Reward Bonus Applied!]

[Ding! Passive Trait: Harmony Acquired!]

’The hell is that? Harmony? System, explain it when giving things.’

...

[Trait: Harmony]

A rare and passive trait that ensures perfect balance between body, soul, and all forms of energy.

- Contradicting affinities such as fire and ice no longer clash, but coexist in seamless equilibrium.

- Any newly acquired affinity, physique, bloodline, or anomalous power will be naturally assimilated into the host’s being without risk of rejection or self-destruction.

- Internal harmony extends to body and soul, allowing the host to cultivate multiple paths simultaneously without instability.

Effect: The host will always remain in a state of perfect harmony, no matter how bizarre, conflicting, or overwhelming the powers they obtain may be.

...

’What the... you can do this? Also, what is that description?’ Aegon was dumbfounded, his eyes widening as he unconsciously pinched Elara’s ears, earning a painful grunt from her.

He quickly came back to his senses, face paling, and said, his voice tinged with panic and worry, "I-I am sorry. I didn’t mean to..."

’Shit! Shit! Idiot! Aegon, you’re an idiot! You made your first friend cry on the first day! Stupid!’ His hands trembled slightly as his thoughts spiraled.

Aegon was really scared and began overthinking. Elara was his first friend, and he really didn’t want to hurt her. Seeing her pained look, he felt hurt and got scared that she might leave their friendship.

Shadows of his parents passed through his mind as they left him in the darkness of the hospital, never to come back. His lips trembled faintly.

"I’m fine!"

He heard the pleasant voice and found Elara hugging him, her cheeks brushing his shoulder as she whispered, "You didn’t hurt me. It was just a light pinch and it’s perfectly fine among friends."

She separated and smiled at Aegon, her expression soft, "So, don’t worry about it."

"Yes, if you want you can pinch me," Calista said with a giggle as the three kids also came over, her eyes curved playfully.

"Don’t cry, Little Gon!" Luna patted his head gently, her innocent eyes full of worry. "Elara said she’s fine."

"My mom says my ears are cute, so you can pinch mine if you want," Xavier offered with a proud grin, and hearing his words, Sansa smiled helplessly.

Aegon felt overwhelmed with their concerns, his eyes shimmering, and didn’t even realize when he ended up smiling.

Xiu patted his head and said softly, her gaze tender, "Nobody is leaving you, little guy. Mistakes like these aren’t enough to break bonds. And if they are, then those bonds were never worthy to begin with."

Aegon’s eyes shook as he looked down, his lashes trembling. He couldn’t understand how his aunt easily saw through him even though others thought otherwise.

"Stop overthinking and join them. They’re your friends, remember? It’s not good to make them worry."

Aegon took a deep breath, steadied his little fists, and said, "Yes. They’re my friends. My friends."

He smiled widely, eyes shining again, and shouted, "Let’s play all together again, guys!"