Layla nodded a little awkwardly. Although the compliment was somewhat blunt, just by watching the priestess’s actions, Alice could tell that Layla—who had always been confident in her figure—still appreciated this kind of praise.
Sylvia, standing nearby, didn’t offer any comment. Although she was always quiet, well… not opposing it was basically giving silent approval, right?
Because of this, the Twin-Tailed Blonde Loli grew proud. See? After all, she was the one who actually got things done.
Layla and Sylvia had been searching for Keti for so many days, completely wasting their time, while she had just casually performed in the Adventurers’ Guild and found such a perfect new teammate!
An 18-year-old delicate boy who looked way better than those stinky old men, right? And his magic talent was rated A!
When Alice heard his self-introduction this morning at the Adventurers’ Guild, she was ecstatic.
Hehe, this really made her happy—an A-rank talented alchemist!
Now their hero squad was truly a galactic battleship: three A-ranks and one S-rank. Such a lineup was ridiculously luxurious for adventurers!
The Twin-Tailed Blonde Loli was finally full of confidence. Hmph hmph hmph…
Stupid Keti, the A-rank alchemist has arrived, so… Alice thought, finally he’ll get anxious!
If he doesn’t get worried now… then wouldn’t that mean he’s forgotten the promise with me?
Hmm… impossible. The Twin-Tailed Blonde Loli shook her head. She and Keti had been childhood friends for over ten years; no matter what, that idiot would never abandon her!
As for herself… well… she was definitely stuck with him, unable to shake him off for life.
***
Yes, although Alice was perfectly satisfied with Jiaxia right in front of her—good-looking enough to substitute meals, high magic talent, so innocent and cute—she didn’t really intend to let him replace Keti.
After all, that idiot was her childhood friend.
So this teammate would be left for Layla and Sylvia, once she and Keti retired from the team—a little compensation for these two rivals-turned-comrades who had adventured together for so long.
As for herself… hehe, of course she would wait for Keti to come back, apologize to her, and then marry that idiot together with him back in their hometown~
Adventuring? She was already bored of it long ago, and this way she could also avoid the awkwardness of having two alchemists in the party when Keti returned.
Although that idiot was a D-rank talent dead weight, well… she wouldn’t let him be outdone by any other man either.
Back home, talent and all that wouldn’t matter.
If worst came to worst… if Keti still wanted to continue adventuring, she could just kick Jiaxia out again!
Hmm… although it might be a little rude to kick someone out immediately after they just arrived, whatever, he was still just a stranger.
Alice made up her mind, but she couldn’t say all this directly in front of Jiaxia. For now, the key goal was to quickly let Keti know that there was a newcomer in the team and make him feel threatened!
Speaking of which, Alice suddenly remembered something. She lifted her head again and looked at Layla with a subtle question:
“Ahem, since that’s settled, I guess everyone agrees on Jiaxia joining the team, right? Hmm… Layla, you two should put the search for Keti on hold for now. By the way… you still haven’t found Keti? There should be some clues, right?”
“Keti?”
Before Layla could answer, Jiaxia suddenly tilted his head, seeming curious about that name. Alice quickly gave an awkward smile, waved her hand, and explained:
“Keti was our previous alchemist in this team—also a silver-haired boy like you, but he had a bad temper and quit the team alone. Layla and Sylvia are too kindhearted, so they keep worrying about his whereabouts, haha…”
“Hmm… I see, no wonder Layla-nee and Sylvia-nee were a bit cold earlier.”
Upon hearing this additional context, the silver-haired beauty suddenly looked downcast. His large crimson eyes gazed pitifully at Layla and Sylvia, tears welling up in his pupils.
“They must really care about Keti, huh? If that’s the case, I won’t bother you anymore. Ugh… although I really want to adventure with everyone, I can’t put Layla-nee and Sylvia-nee in a difficult spot…”
The purple-haired big sister with jellyfish headed watched this scene and couldn’t help but feel sorry for the boy. Just as she wanted to comfort him and agree to his joining…
Suddenly, a vivid image of Keti flashed through the girl’s mind!
Tsk—
No, no!
Layla shook her head sharply and even angrily patted her own head. What was wrong with her just now? How could she almost agree to Alice’s mess just because a strange little boy acted cute!
No way! Hah… when it comes to cuteness, her Keti-kun was the cutest~
This little guy in front of her… hmm, he was okay, but for some reason, Layla felt his cuteness was a bit… fake?
Besides, Keti-kun was the one who had dragged her out of a hopeless life in the church… he was her destined salvation and true love~ Just for that alone, she would never give up on conquering him!
Hah… as for everyone else—regardless of status, wealth, fame, gender, or even living or dead things—none of them could shake her love for Keti! A mere pretty little boy like this, sorry, not even close~
With that thought, the priestess gave Jiaxia a smile, then reached out and ruffled the boy’s head. Seeing his face full of enjoyment, she said,
“You’re so well-behaved. That’s wonderful. Now, Jiaxia-kun, go home and eat dinner quickly. Your mom and dad will worry if you’re late~”
“Huh?!”
After the purple-haired big sister finished speaking, Jiaxia blinked in utter confusion, disbelief filling his eyes. Then his crimson pupils brightened a little.
But Layla simply let go of his head, sighed, and waved her hand:
“Sorry, you’re right. Keti-kun is a very important partner to Sylvia and me. Even Alice, who brought you here, secretly feels the same way. So… our team doesn’t need a new member. This spot will always be saved for Keti~”
After she said this, Sylvia, who had been expressionless the whole time, quietly nodded and added calmly from the side,
“Don’t be sad. You’ll meet better teammates in the future. But adventuring isn’t an easy thing. It requires deeper bonds between each other. Clearly, you don’t qualify yet. So, go home quickly and don’t stay out too late.”
“Huh?!”
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