The lengthy speech An Junlie had prepared was instantly choked back down his throat. He gave up saying anything, simply dragging her toward the exit. "Focusing on the same thing for too long is bad for the body. Come play a game of chess with me."

Chess? That was clearly an activity that demanded significant mental energy as well. Ziye thought this internally, but the moment she saw the board, all previous thoughts vanished. "This is the game?"

"Yep, Flying Chess," An Junlie said proudly, shaking the dice in his hand.

The game sheet was drawn directly onto the pristine white table, featuring four colors: red, blue, green, and purple. It included arc-shaped stargates and octagonal space stations—a clear signature of F430’s handiwork.

Positioned at each player's space station was a miniature mecha. The mecha parked at An Junlie's station closely resembled a micro version of An Junlie from a platformer game, while hers looked like herself.

She couldn't help but glance at Little Sprout. When had it defected to help An Junlie build these tiny toys? She reached out and poked Little Sprout; it was in standby mode and ignored her. She puffed out her cheeks in dissatisfaction, and when An Junlie wasn't looking, she snatched the dice, examined them, and saw he had manually etched the pips, carefully smoothing the edges so as not to scratch his hands.

She tossed them in her hand for a moment, then grinned. "Tell me the rules."

"Rolling a 6 lets you leave the station; you cruise according to the number rolled. Rolling a 6 lets you jump to a same-colored stargate; rolling a 1 means you can't move. If you land exactly on a space station, you must cruise in perfectly matching increments to count as a win."

Seemed simple enough.

Ziye sat up a little straighter, rubbing her hands together, prepared for a serious round. However, it seemed all her luck had deserted her; she rolled five or six times without getting a single 6, leaving her staring blankly in frustration.

An Junlie chuckled. "Since it's a competition, there must be winners and losers; and with winners and losers, there must be rewards and punishments, wouldn't you agree?"

Ziye suddenly suspected he had ulterior motives. She was currently at a disadvantage, and seeing him looking so certain of victory, she was unwilling to concede. "Tell me, what are the rewards and punishments?"

An Junlie tossed the dice and rolled a 6 again. He happily launched his miniature mecha forward. "Regardless of who wins or loses, we're going out tomorrow. If you lose, you come with me; if I lose, I come with you."

Ziye agreed immediately. "Deal!"

This time, Ziye mustered all her strength to win. She stopped rolling blindly, instead controlling the force and proceeding with calculated, patterned throws. Benefiting from the training she’d received from Little Sprout, she gradually started grasping the knack of it.

If An Junlie played based on raw, almost bestial intuition, Ziye’s specialty lay in scheming and complex thought.

She began to calculate her every move, precisely mapping out the necessary rolls. Consequently, even though An Junlie played with great seriousness and effort, he was ultimately defeated by her.

This wasn't to say An Junlie was less capable; rather, An Junlie was playing purely for amusement, while her mind had darkened, and she could no longer return to that feeling of simple play.

One round would decide the winner.

Ziye tossed the dice high into the air, exclaiming happily, "I won! We're going out tomorrow, and I choose the route!"

An Junlie naturally agreed. As long as Ziye was willing to go out and have fun, his goal was achieved; he didn't care where they went.

With the agreement settled, Ziye could finally play without pressure, tossing the dice randomly, relying entirely on luck—the result of which was another loss.

After losing several times in a row, Ziye resentfully reverted to the method she used to win the first time, meticulously calculating every point. To her surprise, she lost again! She had successfully predicted the path for the next three moves, only to have An Junlie intercept her plans. After several back-and-forths, she still lost.

Ziye watched as her piece was close to the finish line, but she accidentally rolled a 1, causing her to pout again. An Junlie couldn't help but laugh softly, reaching for the dice. Ziye, quick as a flash, snatched the dice first and tried to cheat. "No, that time doesn't count! I get to re-roll!"

"No way! If you play a game, you follow the rules!" An Junlie firmly stopped her from throwing, positioning his hands to catch the dice the moment she tossed them. Ziye was furious and glared at him. "Are you even a man? It's just one extra roll. It’s just rescinding a move."

An Junlie countered, "It is precisely because I am a man that I must hold myself to a man's standard. Though you haven't grown up yet, you must stand tall in the future, and that starts with the small things."

Ziye flung her arm out, tossing the dice into his lap. "Why do I have to be a man?"

An Junlie's expression changed drastically. Did Ziye seriously have thoughts of gender reassignment? He had to steer "him" back onto the right path. He began to probe indirectly. "You don't like being a man?"

Ziye raised an eyelid to glance at him. "Isn't that obvious?"

It was true! An Junlie felt both perplexed and surprised. He adopted a serious, heartfelt tone. "Ziye, this isn't something you decide whether you want to be or not. You are what you are born as; gender transition is ultimately not good."

Seeing his earnest expression, Ziye couldn't help but burst out laughing. She truly had never met anyone so blind. This guy was hopeless.

She nodded. "Right, you are what you are born as." In her heart, she seethed: Tomorrow's outing, she would choose the location; hmph, she would definitely teach him an unforgettable lesson!

Having made up her mind, she instructed the robot to prepare the necessary items for tomorrow’s excursion, washed up, and went to sleep.

Both of them looked forward to the trip with great anticipation. An Junlie hoped to spend time walking with Ziye, relaxing himself, and perhaps finding an opportunity to persuade her to leave Silver Rune Star with him. As for Ziye, she was extremely vengeful and dedicated herself entirely to avenging yesterday’s slight regarding the "man" comment!

The next day, they set out as soon as dawn broke. A robot piloted a skiff, carrying them toward the center of Silver Rune.

The central region of Silver Rune was the most sparsely populated area; there were few trees, and a dense purple hue blanketed the ground, a color so intense it stung the eyes.

Ziye retrieved two pairs of glasses from the locker, handed one to him, and opened hers, taking out a pair of sunglasses. Hers had creamy white frames with silver trim. When worn, they obscured the upper half of her face, leaving only her petite nose, pink lips, and soft chin visible. Paired with her delicate skin, at a quick glance, she looked no different from a girl.

An Junlie’s heart skipped a beat. Had she transitioned already? No, impossible! He told himself this internally; she simply hadn't had time for gender reassignment surgery.

Then, had she consumed too much estrogen? He managed her usual meals, and there was no way she could have consumed that much estrogen without him knowing.

Could the problem lie in his menu compositions? The menu featured roses most often: white, yellow, purple, and black roses. He knew the effects of the purple and black ones; white and yellow roses were commonly consumed. Where exactly was the issue? Was it eating too many roses?