Hate Me, Witch!-Chapter 132 – Little Ai, My Little Ai!

Chapter 132 – Little Ai, My Little Ai!

Arcane City, Lokiah.

The magitech lamp on the bedside table cast a soft orange glow, illuminating the fluffy white sheets.

It lit up the faces of the boy and girl.

Ailora rested her chin in her hand, gazing at the sleeping boy beside her knee—just as she did every morning.

Xia Ya always carried a faint air of mystery. He was the same age as Ailora, yet his every word and action carried the maturity of an adult. He made all their plans with care and precision, as if everything was under control, impossible to see through.

But when he was asleep, he would reveal a childish side.

Like that innocent sleeping face.

And sometimes, when half-awake, Xia Ya would wrap his arms around her waist.

Then mumble things like, “Hehe, my Little Ai, hehe... my Little Ai,” or, “Little Ai, take me with you…” and, “Little Ai, let’s have a whole basketball team—no, a football team.”

Every time that happened, Ailora would barely contain her inner joy.

Then, without a word, she’d pull out a memory crystal and silently record Xia Ya’s... episodes.

Of course, Xia Ya could never know about these memory crystals.

They were Ailora’s personal secret—and precious material to hold onto during those long nights when Xia Ya left the Imperial Capital for archaeological expeditions, leaving her alone at home.

Still, accidents did happen.

Like when the subject of Xia Ya’s sleep talk suddenly changed.

To Suren... or, increasingly, Sylvia...

And so, when Xia Ya got up in the morning, he’d sometimes find the trash can filled with shards of broken memory crystals, never understanding where they came from.

Heat rolled in from the fireplace, spreading warmth through the room and leaving Ailora slightly dazed.

This kind of waiting left her a little unhappy.

It wasn’t like the usual nights they spent sleeping side by side.

Back then, Xia Ya was asleep too, but Ailora knew he was still by her side—just like that night on the snowfields of Ceylan, carrying her on his thin shoulders.

But right now, although Xia Ya’s body was still in the hotel room...

Ailora knew he was really in another world, experiencing something in another space and time she could never reach.

Maybe even fighting for another woman.

Just like that time, when he collapsed in the washroom for three whole days because of Miss Sylvia.

Sigh—

The girl’s long sigh drifted away with the flickering magitech light, fading into the night breeze.

Not long ago, when Suren left Lokiah,

Maybe out of some unspoken guilt, or maybe some plastic sisterhood, or perhaps just a warning to any woman who wasn’t Ailora—

In the end, the Saintess of Dawn still gave her dumb bestie a few words of advice.

“You can take the initiative when needed, Little Ai.”

“After all, it’s not just us competing anymore—there are other wolves sniffing around.”

“When it’s time to strike, don’t hesitate. Don’t let the fat water flow to outsiders.”

And so, with those little thoughts in her heart,

Ailora leaned forward slightly, letting her soft golden hair fall down, brushing both sides of Xia Ya’s face.

Then, she slowly moved closer to his sleeping face.

Their faces were so close, Ailora could even count Xia Ya’s eyelashes.

Awake Xia Ya was her love and her everything—someone she could trust and rely on unconditionally.

Sleeping Xia Ya was more like a child—triggering her affection and protective instincts.

But no matter which Xia Ya he was, she loved him all the same.

With that thought, the ring on her finger flashed with light.

Spatial ripples appeared, and a notebook silently materialized in her hand.

The Empire’s latest portable magitech storage devices had almost matured. As a Swordbearer, Xia Ya had gotten several prototype storage rings.

But since Xia Ya already had Shiny’s spatial pocket, those lower-grade rings were useless to him—so he gave them to Little Ai.

And this notebook from her storage ring was one of Ailora’s deepest secrets. Not even Xia Ya knew about it.

Xia Ya’s perviness was never really a secret.

Having been by his side the longest, Ailora obviously knew all his little kinks.

So, even though she knew nothing at first, over the years, Ailora had been quietly studying and building her own... skillset.

When helping Xia Ya manage luxury shops and clothing stores, she was always observing—

Watching those famous noble ladies, teachers, nurses, doctors—the kind of women who sparked male fantasies. She took notes on their outfits, gestures, postures, speech patterns, and personalities.

Then she practiced, figuring out how to roleplay those personas just for Xia Ya.

But Ailora had never had the chance to use those skills before.

Mainly because her relationship with Xia Ya was too close. They shared a bed every night—there was no excuse like Suren’s years of separation to launch an emotional ambush.

Also... she was shy.

And back then, she didn’t really have any rivals. People like President Diris couldn’t threaten her position at all, so Ailora kept her preparations careful and quiet.

She planned to save everything for after marriage—to add a little spice and novelty to their future life together.

That whole “three-year itch” thing after marriage... She’d read about it in Xia Ya’s books. Just thinking about it made her anxious. She wanted no part of it.

But now things were different.

New women kept appearing around her Xia Ya, each more threatening than the last.

And besides, Xia Ya had come of age last month, and in two more months, she herself would reach the Empire’s legal marriage age.

So, really—was it so wrong to sneak in a little taste of what was meant for after marriage before the big day?

With that in mind, her mental energy swept through the shield-emblem-shaped storage ring, hesitating between the teacher outfit and the nurse outfit.

Given how well she knew Xia Ya, Ailora obviously understood he preferred the teacher look.

He was into that power-reversal thrill.

But... there was also the matter of that golden elf teacher at the Black Tower—one of the Eight Pages, no less.

If she really wore the teacher outfit... would she just end up as a substitute for Miss Hathaway?

No white moonlight and substitute trope, please!

Just as the girl’s thoughts were spiraling and she finally settled on the nurse outfit, preparing to take the next step—

ahem ahem

A soft cough came from the shadows of the night.

The golden-haired girl sprang up from the bed like she’d been electrocuted, shielding Xia Ya behind her.

The Holy Spear’s radiance burst forth, and that starforged weapon, wrapped in ancient mystery, transformed into a blazing set of knightly armor that appeared and covered her body from head to toe.

A fierce surge of energy erupted, locking onto the source of the disturbance.

Only then did Ailora clearly see the face of the visitor.

It was a silver-blue figure in a long dress.

Frozen twilight bathed in the deep night; her long, dustless hair flowed like mercury.

“Miss Sylvia?”

...

Crackle—

Crackle—

The logs in the fireplace popped and snapped as they burned.

「Sorry, Little Ai.」

「Just finished handling matters at the White Chalk Tower. I came in a bit of a rush—looks like I disturbed your and Brother Xia Ya’s rest.」

The Argent Witch took a sip of the red tea on the table. Pale gold words appeared in the air.

That was a lie.

Sylvia’s true body had already arrived some time ago. She was originally waiting for a suitable moment to come by for a visit.

But after witnessing what had just happened... Sylvia couldn’t hold back from revealing herself.

Right in front of me? You think you can cheat on me like that?

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Like hell that’s happening.

Back when she was still just a cat, being the third wheel was one thing—but now that her true body was here, she absolutely would not allow this kind of wife-cheating behavior to slide.

“It’s fine.”

“But what guidance does Her Excellency the Tower Master have for visiting us so late at night?”

Ailora sat on her knees, Xia Ya still asleep with his head on her lap. She gently stroked his cheek with her pale fingers, speaking calmly.

Yet her words carried the self-assured tone of ownership—like a graceful, confident wife watching other women hopelessly vie for her man’s affection.

That queenly tone left Sylvia momentarily at a loss for words.

Sure, she was two whole tiers above Ailora in strength and held the lofty position of Tower Master of the White Chalk Tower. As someone seated on the Throne Tier, she could look down on all beings.

But love... wasn’t something power or status could decide.

Especially when Brother Xia Ya truly loved the girl in front of her more—deeply enough to make Sylvia, who came later, feel a tinge of sour envy.

Honestly, Xia Ya and Little Ai were already asleep, and here she was showing up in the dead of night. It was a little shameful.

Fortunately, she really did have important business this time.

Extremely important.

The Argent Witch’s flawless face turned solemn, and pale golden text slowly appeared in the air.

「Brother Xia Ya must have entered a Historical Echo again, right?」

「I don’t know what exactly he did in that Historical Echo...」

「But I clearly sensed a major disturbance in the upper stream of the River of Time at the current node.」

Her argent-blue eyes also landed on the sleeping Xia Ya on Ailora’s lap, a deep concern flashing through them.

「Brother Xia Ya’s true self... is still in that other time-space. He hasn’t returned.」

「And now, for reasons unknown, the flow of past history has been severely disrupted... it might be difficult for Brother Xia Ya to come back from the Historical Echo.」

「If he ends up lost in the temporal turbulence... then even if his physical body remains here in the present world, he’ll just be an empty shell. A vegetable.」

“Xia Ya… won’t wake up?”

Staring at the pale golden text floating in the air, Ailora lowered her eyes.

She couldn’t help but recall how Xia Ya had collapsed in the washroom not long ago—

That look of fear, like he’d been abandoned by the entire world.

「It’s only a very small probability event.」

「I don’t know how Brother Xia Ya pulled all this off... but since he managed to save me from the hopeless situation in the ruins of the Cangting Ancient Kingdom, I believe he’ll return this time too.」

「But if—just if.」

「If Brother Xia Ya doesn’t come back... what would you do?」

Ailora didn’t even hesitate: “I’ll stay by his body until I die of old age.”

“If his body decays and dies before then... I’ll end my life to go with him.”

As those words left her mouth, Sylvia saw a fleeting glimpse of death in Ailora’s sapphire eyes.

And in that moment, Sylvia became even more certain of Ailora’s feelings for Brother Xia Ya.

As much as she didn’t want to admit it... Ailora’s love was no less than hers.

But just then—

Sylvia’s mental energy stirred.

In the next instant, the space-time around her twisted in an instant.

A mark of the Legendary Tier is being able to perceive the flow of the River of Time.

And to be on the Throne—or a demi-god—is to leave an imprint upstream in that river, to be able to interfere with history itself.

Hence the saying: the older the Throne, the more powerful it is. Not necessarily in terms of raw power, but in scope—because the more history a Throne has lived through, the more of the timeline it can influence.

By that standard, Sylvia was still a newcomer... her personal history spanned only five hundred years. Compared to ancient beings born in the Old Era, or to ancient gods, she was still young.

That said, age wasn’t everything. As a newborn Throne who had devoured the authority of an ancient god, Sylvia could shred ordinary demi-gods to pieces in direct combat.

Yet at this moment, she clearly sensed a hidden presence drifting downstream along the River of Time.

So subtle that even she wouldn’t have noticed—if its exit point in the present world hadn’t been right beside her.

From it, Sylvia felt a familiar aura—one she had longed for during her five centuries of slumber in the White Tower.

“Brother Xia Ya?”

She sprang to her feet.

The frozen twilight surged again, and a shimmering stretch of the River of Time shimmered faintly in its midst.

A few breaths later...

“Little Ai, my Little Ai!”

“I almost couldn’t see you again—gimme a love-filled hug!”

From Ailora’s lap, Xia Ya’s body suddenly shot up—

And immediately threw his arms around Sylvia, who was sitting across from Ailora.

“Wait—Little Ai, why aren’t you flat anymore? You feel just like Xibao... wait a sec, don’t tell me you finally started growing?”