Li Si froze for a few seconds.
When even the passing adventurers began to cast glances their way, she finally gave the figure clinging to her a gentle pat and said softly, “He Zi… are you… okay…?”
“Mm…”
He Zi answered in a quiet voice, her cat ears drooping on top of her head, her black hair spilling down her back, all her usual sharpness gone.
“I knew it… you would definitely come here…”
“I’ve been waiting for you here the whole time. After we cleared the lord, I stayed right here. I missed you so much. I missed you so much. I missed you so much.”
“Uh…”
The mood was a bit delicate.
Li Si quickly signaled for He Zi, who was practically suspended in the air, to let go.
“Um… I still need to go confirm the status of the Class Change Dungeon.”
“Ah… right, you still need to change classes.”
He Zi hurriedly released her grip, her amber eyes fixed on Li Si with reluctant attachment.
“Um… hello… I’m Lili Ya…”
Lili Ya cautiously extended her hand, but received no response.
She could see that He Zi’s eyes were full of nothing but Li Si.
Night had just fallen, and the magical streetlights were flickering on.
Many adventurers were returning home from their daily dungeon runs, people coming and going along the streets, yet somehow, Lili Ya felt that these two were unique among them all.
Li Si could clearly feel He Zi’s emotions.
As a naturally aloof and cold assassin, He Zi rarely showed her feelings in front of others, let alone such an intense hug.
According to the pacing of the story, the main party would face their first real growth in Soronwell.
Here, they would confront the crisis of losing the goddess’s power, and through fierce inner conflict, achieve growth of the mind.
Take Luo Qi, for example.
After losing her goddess power, her personality had become somewhat more restrained.
Before, she would have been even more arrogant.
As for He Zi, she was clearly on the verge of collapse after putting up a strong front.
If it were anyone else, Li Si probably wouldn’t care too much.
At most, she would offer some formulaic words of comfort.
But this was He Zi.
From the very beginning, He Zi had performed exceptionally, showing considerable recognition of Li Si’s commands and attitude.
The matter of the party unanimously quitting on her wasn’t solely He Zi’s fault either.
After quickly confirming the appearance time of the next Class Change Dungeon at the Dungeon Hall, Li Si didn’t go about her own business.
Instead, she handed the spoils of this adventure to Lili Ya and Liewata to exchange for gold coins, gave instructions on lodging arrangements, and then accompanied He Zi on a walk through Soronwell.
He Zi’s mood was deeply low.
Li Si could sense that her goddess power had vanished—a path every Chosen One must walk.
After all, the Holy Court was gone, the goddess was missing, so where would any power come from?
But the reason the female lead party was the female lead party was that they could reawaken, or rather, truly possess the goddess’s power.
Of course, that was on the condition that they could withstand the psychological gap and adjust their state.
Honestly, Li Si had originally thought the female leads could handle it.
After all, despite their nasty personalities, they came from privileged families.
Even without the goddess’s power, they were still formidable adventurers in their own right.
But she never expected He Zi to come looking for her.
Li Si walked with He Zi through Soronwell’s busiest Commercial Street.
Truthfully, she had no idea how to comfort He Zi, so she could only do what she did with Lili Ya—buy her food and casually say things that might raise emotional affection.
She thought this approach would be ineffective on an assassin family’s young lady who had seen and experienced it all.
But unexpectedly, she stumbled upon a certain switch.
Li Si looked at the corner of He Zi’s mouth, where a smear of ice cream cream lingered.
That smear of cream rested at the corner of cherry-colored lips, lightly sinking into the lip’s crease.
Li Si hesitated for a moment, then reached out to stop He Zi’s report-like chatter, her fingertip wiping across that smear of cream.
He Zi instantly froze, staring blankly at Li Si.
She watched as Li Si brought her fingertip to her lips, then gently closed her thin cherry lips around it.
“Mm, you got some on the corner of your mouth.”
Li Si continued walking as if nothing had happened, and then she saw a notification.
[He Zi Recognition +15%]
Sure enough, the switch for farming recognition had been found.
Just now, during that close contact with He Zi, the recognition had spiked a little.
Now it could be confirmed—He Zi’s recognition logic.
It was the complete opposite of Lili Ya’s.
Close contact added recognition.
As for affection, Li Si figured it was given when she performed better than He Zi.
After all, during that first month in the beginner zone, the power she displayed was enough to intimidate every rookie adventurer.
Only that could explain why He Zi had such high affection.
“Th… thanks…”
He Zi suddenly trotted up, the gloom on her face swept clean, revealing an ordinary girl’s smile never seen before.
She reached out and gently wiped the corner of Li Si’s mouth, then stuck out her little tongue and quickly licked her fingertip, saying happily, “You got some too~”
Seeing He Zi’s mood finally improve, Li Si couldn’t help but smile as well.
Except there was one thing that bothered her.
She turned her head and looked back at the street corner.
Although within the safe zone, her Strict Father perception would automatically retract, if it was a cultivation target, it would still automatically generate a reaction within a certain range.
“…..”
“Hey, I feel like we’ve been spotted.”
“Mei Fei Er, shut up! You’ll get us caught if you keep talking!”
“Huh? She just turned her head and looked this way!”
“Both of you, stop arguing. They’ve moved to the next street.”
Ao Li An Na stood behind a pillar, her expression deadly serious.
She never thought she’d be doing something so thief-like, but He Zi’s mood was too off—or rather, too normal.
These past few days, as the goddess’s power slowly faded, everyone was struggling.
Yet He Zi was completely normal, whether in combat or daily life.
Even this morning, He Zi was earnestly encouraging everyone.
But the moment the frontline raid ended and the goddess’s power completely disappeared, He Zi immediately became off.
Without a word, she left the party, and wouldn’t reply to any party messages.
They’d been worried she couldn’t handle the blow of losing her power, but after searching high and low, they found her and witnessed this scene.
“Dammit… that’s so unfair… coming to find Li Si all by herself!”
Wei Ya gripped her staff, puffing out her cheeks in frustration.
“Alright, let’s catch up.”
Mei Fei Er quickly resumed the tail.
Ao Li An Na hesitated, “So… why do we keep following…”
“Uh…”
Even Mei Fei Er, who never thought things through, paused to think for a moment.
She rubbed her smooth forehead, her long, slender Dragon Tail coiled deceptively around her waist, and muttered, “Isn’t this because we care about He Zi? What if something goes wrong with her? Besides, look over there.”
Mei Fei Er pointed across the street.
Behind a lamppost in front of a set shop on the opposite side, two girls were crouching suspiciously, quickly darting to the next lamppost the moment the people ahead turned a corner.
Ao Li An Na’s eyes sharpened.
She decisively resolved to continue the tail.
“Um… tonight, I don’t want to go back to the team…”
Li Si wandered around and finally made her way back to the Inn.
She’d thought that with He Zi’s mood improved, they could part ways.
Then she heard those words.
Li Si scratched her head, feeling a bit troubled.
This was awkward—should she book He Zi her own room, or bring her back to hers?
But lately, she’d been sleeping with Lili Ya.
Bringing someone back to the room wouldn’t be appropriate.
Even though they were all girls, she had once been a man, and there was an inexplicable sense of guilt.
“Um… tonight, I want to be with you… is that okay…”
He Zi didn’t leave much room for worry, stating her request outright.
Seeming to worry the request was too abrupt, she added softly, “Being by your side really is comfortable… like I don’t have to worry about anything in the future at all…”
With her saying that, what more could Li Si say?
Li Si sighed.
After all, He Zi was in a special situation.
A genius who suddenly realizes she’s just an ordinary person—if this disparity wasn’t handled properly, she truly feared He Zi might develop psychological issues.
This wasn’t a game after all.
There was no button to press that would solve everything.
Taking He Zi by the hand, Li Si entered the Inn, showed her ID at the Front Desk, and headed straight for the room she’d instructed Lili Ya to book earlier.
Originally, the room had double beds—she and Lili Ya shared one, while Liewata and Yadana shared the other.
Now she’d have to book another room and explain the situation to Lili Ya and the others.
When she arrived at Lili Ya’s room and opened the door, only Yadana was inside, watching a magical screen while eating buttered popcorn.
Li Si wasn’t surprised.
She turned to look at the two figures rushing out from the corridor corner.
She had no idea what those two were up to, tailing them for the whole way for no apparent reason.
If they wanted to shop together, why not just say so?
Li Si shook her head in exasperation and briefly explained the arrangements for tonight.
The two nodded eagerly.
He Zi, at this moment, finally looked at them directly and greeted them for the first time.
Throughout the entire evening of accompanying He Zi, Li Si hadn’t felt much of anything.
But in this moment, she suddenly felt a bit happy.
She could sense something inside He Zi beginning to melt.
It was something she had tried countless times to break through but could never find an opening in.
Now, unexpectedly, a crack was forming on its own.
After the greetings, Li Si decisively followed He Zi’s wishes and headed into the room to rest.
The door on this side had just closed when the door next door burst open with a bang.
A head with a magical hat removed, topped with a pair of fluffy dark red bear ears, popped out abruptly.
“Liewata… isn’t this… a bit much…”
Lili Ya hugged her staff and spoke cautiously.
“Lili Ya, we’re doing this for Lady Li Si! Haven’t you heard about Lady Li Si’s three legendary incidents?! That cat girl is someone who quit on Li Si before! She suddenly comes crying to her, and Li Si is so naive! What if she gets deceived?! Do you want to see Li Si get bullied and quit on again?!”
“I…”
Lili Ya stammered, but her body had already unconsciously followed Liewata to press against the crack of the door.
The moment she pressed against it, though, it became awkward, because from the other adjacent door, three heads had also popped out.
When the two sides’ eyes met, everyone felt a bit uncomfortable.
Only the red-haired dragon girl, being overly familiar, gestured for them to make room.
The Fire Mage, who had just been enumerating the sins of Li Si’s former teammates, silently made half the space.
Five ears—two on one side, three on the other—pressed neatly against the doors, nervously waiting for the reaction from within.