Chapter 385

Chapter 120: Offering the Ring

“What are you saying? Even if you say such flattering things, I can’t…”

Seeing Yuki hiding her anxious expression yet still stubbornly putting up a front, Ash’s fingers gently picked up his blue-streaked hair as he smiled at her.

“However, seeing you so concerned about me like this, although I’m very sorry for deceiving you, I’m actually very happy.”

At some point, Ash, wearing a pair of plain black-rimmed glasses and with a streak of blue hair on his forehead, spoke in a manner that seemed as skilled as a top host, dealing with Yuki in a light-hearted yet gentle tone. This was the first time Lily had been stared at by Ash with such playful yet sincere eyes, causing her cheeks to unconsciously flush an unhealthy red.

“What… What is happening? Could such heartwarming words really be coming from the mouth of that unreliable shop manager?”

Could traveling through time also improve one’s emotional intelligence? I haven’t heard of such a thing!

“I… Because I care about your reaction, I said that I was happy…” With that, Lily couldn’t even manage to scold him, getting entirely flustered by Ash’s few words.

“Does this mean that my words…”

“There’s no need to be surprised; my words were spoken to attract something beautiful. Whatever your wish is, I’ll listen; to me, you can pour out your heart freely.”

If there were a time traveler equipped with the “CWM Protagonist Strategy System V2.0” passing by, they might have seen the approval rating for Ash increase rapidly, despite Lily’s dazed expression.

“However, even without words, small Lily already seems to be pouring her heart out to me. Since you care so much about this ring…”

As Lily’s face grew more earnest, Ash took off the ring from his finger and gently raised Lily’s fingertips with his right hand.

Just as Lily was completely surprised, a blue spirit light was forced out from behind, with Ash, frozen with his gesture of lifting Lily’s finger, glaring at Urataros over his shoulder using his peripheral vision.

“To make life fun, sometimes a lie is better than a thousand truths,” the light orb said as Urataros pointed his finger at Ash. “It’s just returning a favor, no need to thank me.”

I thank you for nothing! Why didn’t I think about their feelings!?

Fortunately, now Lily’s attention was all on Ash’s actions, paying no heed to Urataros’s appearance.

“Always doing unnecessary things…”

Under his breath, the man shook his head; holding the ring, Ash decided not to hesitate any longer. Driven by the resolve that a true man doesn’t look back once he has started, he slipped the ring onto Lily’s middle finger.

Sighing inwardly, he thought, “This ring is special. It’s my favorite design and feels good to wear, but it can’t be helped. Since it’s just something I found, not bought with my money, there’s no reason not to put it somewhere.”

“!”

By the time Lily slowly lifted her hand in front of her, sunlight reflected through an angle on the ring, catching the intricate pattern and casting a distinctive shadow, beautiful and mesmerizing.

“Hmm, you wearing it suits you.”

Hearing Ash’s casual tone again, Lily finally snapped out of her daze, gingerly caressing the ring around her middle finger. Instead of the expected embarrassment, her face now held a truly blissful smile — a smile that only a girl could wear when genuinely happy.

“What am I feeling now?”

She couldn’t quite explain, but she felt warmth in her heart, as if a flower was blooming anew.

“Just a random trinket; you can do whatever you want with it.”

“Thank you. I’ll cherish this gift.”

Facing Lily’s genuine smile, Ash turned his head away, sighing inwardly. She had this effect on him. It was hard to resist with such a look.

Not only did Lily love the ring but Kuron in her arms also twitched its nose, sniffing the ring intently.

There was a sense of familiarity… so familiar?

“This might be…”

Intrigued, Kuron decided to test the ring by touching it. To everyone’s surprise, a visible energy pulse carrying information coursed through Kuron’s soft little hand the moment it made contact, knocking Kuron off its feet.

“Kuron—Kuron!”

Unexpected and alarming, Lily didn’t have time to question the ring but was frantic, calling out its name. Fortunately, Kuron quickly snapped back up.

“Kuron, are you alright? What happened?”

Before receiving a reply, Kuron looked up worriedly at the clouds. “Not good, Moonlight… No, Lily, the Heart Tree is in trouble.”

Looking at the two, the sprite added, “The Heart Tree is under attack. To save the future of Earth and humanity, we need your help!”

Shocked to hear these unexpected words from Kuron, Lily focused. With transformed powers, she had no way to reach the tree in the sky, let alone a regular person like the store manager…

“The store manager, could you possibly have a solution?”

Despite having no grounds, Lily suddenly asked.

“Sure, considering you disbelieved me before, now you’ll see. If I can cross time, such things should be easy,” surprised by Lily’s sharpness, Ash revealed his power. “Your store manager is formidable. Don’t miss this!”

Then, with utmost seriousness, Ash raised his hand and snapped his fingers.

“Here comes the DenLiner!”

A rainbow tunnel materialized above the signal tower. Sirens sounded, and the red and white time train whizzed past, leaving them behind.