“Dao, what apology?”
Hearing the three words spat out by Keti, the purple-haired jellyfish-headed elder sister instantly broke out in a cold sweat, completely unwilling to understand what Keti really meant.
She awkwardly laughed twice, then tilted her head and said,
“Wha… what do you mean? I don’t get it, um… Keti, please, don’t mess around, okay? Come back with us… everyone really misses you!”
“Everyone—”
After hearing Layla’s words, Keti seemed a little agitated, but… after a moment, she looked at the purple-haired jellyfish-headed elder sister in front of her, then glanced at the elven girl on the other side… and silently sighed.
Although most of her former teammates were already here, there was still one person who had been absent all along. Whether it was last night or today, Keti never saw her figure.
Alice.
After a long silence, the silver-haired beauty sighed and didn’t rush to explain anything, instead turning to ask Layla:
“How has Alice been recently? After I left… what has her situation been like during this time?”
“Uh… ah, well…”
Faced with this question, Layla looked a bit helpless. Keti was really sharp, instantly hitting the heart of the matter. To put it differently… it was like opening a can of worms.
The reason why it was only the two of them who came to find Keti, not the three of them, was obvious. As Alice’s rival, Layla had no intention of covering up anything.
Ahem… Sorry, sister, but… what I’m saying is all true, right?
Alice-chan…
She seems to be mad at you. She wouldn’t let us come find you, and she even said she wanted to find new teammates…
Ahahaha, but it’s okay. With us here, Keti, if you come back with us, Alice wouldn’t dare to chase you away again!
Layla took a deep breath, thinking that what she said might lower the favorability that this childhood friend held in Keti’s heart.
But unexpectedly… after those words, the atmosphere fell into silence.
Keti quietly lowered her head, then… after a while, her body started to tremble lightly.
The silver-haired beauty immediately felt a sting at the tip of her nose. After a moment, she murmured softly and shakily to herself:
“New… new teammates…”
The atmosphere grew unexpectedly heavy and quiet.
After a while, Layla seemed to realize something and hurriedly waved her hands, saying,
“Sylvia and I definitely don’t want new teammates, Keti. You are an extremely important partner to us! Ahaha… Actually, Alice might not really want new teammates. She might just be saying that. Keti, don’t take it to heart… Don’t worry, you’re the only teammate we have! So, please come back with us…”
Back with Layla and Sylvia… back?
After a while, Keti silently took two deep breaths, then shook her head helplessly…
Even if… even if she went back, many things wouldn’t change.
She was still that D-rank talent failure, and even more useless than before…
After all, now that she had become a girl, back when she had the body of a man in his twenties, Keti could handle everything inside and outside the base.
But now…
With her physical strength and stamina greatly reduced, Keti could barely take care of herself.
If she had three teammates, she would definitely feel even more powerless than before.
The old problems hadn’t been solved, and new ones had arisen.
What good would it do to go back?
She would still be the one who held everyone back, still the one gradually despised by her teammates.
If there really was a suitable new teammate to replace her original position, maybe…
It wouldn’t be a bad thing.
Alice and the others could solve the worries about the team’s logistics.
Although, just thinking about that, maybe the one replaced would not only be her position in the hero squad, but also the precious memories and bonds between herself and her teammates…
Keti still felt a little lost.
But…
She… was really tired.
Unconsciously, the answer seemed to have already formed in her heart, but during this time, she had been avoiding it, never daring to think about it.
Or rather… the girl never even expected that her former teammates would come back to find her and ask her to rejoin.
Why?
When she left the team, this was what she wanted most, but now, the girl no longer seemed so willing.
She even thought about her current life—although it was occasionally chaotic and troublesome, it was surprisingly much easier than the last period in the hero squad.
At least, when she encountered difficulties, there were still people to help her… people she could rely on.
This…
After a while, Keti’s face flushed, but the blush quickly faded.
She lowered her head and let out a sigh.
The answer was already there.
“Keti, although… Sylvia isn’t good at expressing her feelings, but… Sylvia really hopes you can come back…”
“Yeah, yeah, come back with us. Why do you want to live in a place like this? The base is so big; wouldn’t it be more comfortable to live there~”
“No need…”
***
The elven girl and the priestess continued to persuade the girl one after another.
They thought the victory was assured.
As long as they accepted Keti, the silver-haired beauty would definitely be willing to go with them.
However…
Suddenly, that simple “No need” froze Layla and Sylvia in place.
After a moment, the purple-haired jellyfish-headed elder sister tilted her head, then, in a somewhat dazed voice, asked,
“Keti, you… what did you say? What do you mean by ‘No need’…?”
“I mean… I’m sorry, you don’t have to say anymore… Sorry, Layla, Sylvia, you are all very good former teammates. I will always remember you, but… I won’t be going back to the hero squad anymore.”
“Just like Alice said, go find a suitable new teammate who can take care of your daily lives, ensure logistics and tactical planning, and has outstanding magical talent.
My path and everyone else’s will end here… and that’s enough.”
The atmosphere suddenly fell silent.
The two girls before her stared at her bitter smile in disbelief.
After a while, the priestess emitted a somewhat despairing hum.
Then! The purple-haired jellyfish-headed elder sister suddenly exploded, grabbing Keti’s shoulders.
Tears welled up in her eyes as she shouted, shaking Keti,
“Why, why? Ugh… I don’t understand. Weren’t we all happy before? The hero squad… isn’t it that bad! Why do you now say you will never come back? Did… did I do something wrong?!”