Loviki's breath hitched. “W-Who's feeling stung?!”
Her voice suddenly pitched half an octave higher, like a cat that had its tail stepped on.
“I-I'm just stating objective facts! What does how strong you are have to do with me? And what does Flora's level have to do with me either?” She spoke incredibly fast, her words slurring together in her haste.
“I'm not upset at all! I love living here! I eat well, sleep well, and even get to soak in the hot spring every day. Why on earth would I be upset?”
Chen Mian looked at her, remaining silent.
Loviki felt a prickle of unease under his gaze, her voice rising another half-octave. “What are you looking at? Everything I said is true!”
“Mm.”
“What does ‘mm’ mean? You don't believe me?”
“I believe you.”
“You say you believe me, but your face says otherwise!”
Chen Mian's expression indeed hadn't changed at all.
Loviki felt as if she were punching cotton—frustrated, anxious, and with the tips of her ears starting to burn.
She turned her head away, staring at a nearby tree trunk while pursing her lips tightly.
After a few seconds, she spoke again. Her voice was lower than before, but her pace was even faster. “Besides, why would I hate you? It's not like you owe me anything. You give me a place to live, feed me, and even spar with me... It's not like I don't know how to appreciate things.”
“I just feel like...”
“Feel like what?”
Chen Mian's voice drifted from behind her, calm and unhurried.
“Feel like you're just too—too!”
She spun around and jabbed a finger in his direction, though she didn't quite dare to actually touch his chest, stopping about a foot away. “Too pretentious!”
“Pretentious?”
“Yes! It's like you have no emotions and don't care about anything! You always have that nonchalant look on your face.”
The more Loviki spoke, the more energized she became, as if finding more and more excuses to justify herself. “And the things you do! You can clearly tame a griffin, yet you insisted on going into the sewers to hunt slimes. Your mana is ridiculously strong, yet you insisted on getting a Black Iron Rank adventurer badge!”
Her voice suddenly softened. “And you're not very honest either...”
“You clearly helped us, but you insisted on saying it was just for the fun of it.”
Loviki had completely veered off-topic by this point.
“Then what do you think I helped you for? Because I took a liking to you?”
As soon as those words left his mouth, the air suddenly fell dead silent.
She opened her mouth, wanting to say something to salvage the situation, but her mind went completely blank. “I-I didn't mean it like that!”
She began to panic. “I mean! What I meant was!”
In the end, she sputtered for a long time without making any sense.
Loviki's ears began to flush, the redness spreading from the tips all the way to the lobes, clearly visible under the moonlight.
Watching her reaction, the corner of Chen Mian's mouth twitched slightly.
“What are you laughing at?!”
“Nothing.”
“You clearly laughed!”
“You saw wrong.”
“My eyesight is perfectly fine!”
He turned around, took two steps toward a withered tree, and stopped.
“Loviki.”
“What!”
“You are very strong. The gap between us isn't because you're weak, but simply because I've been practicing magic for much longer than you.”
“Really?”
“Of course. Besides, there's no point in defeating me. I would never raise a hand against my tenants.”
Loviki opened her mouth and closed it again. After hesitating for a long time, she said, “But I can't help with anything here.”
“Could you please have some self-awareness as a customer? Who said tenants have to help the landlord? Even if you are strong, keeping the apartment safe is the landlord's responsibility,” Chen Mian said casually.
Loviki opened her mouth to argue, but finding nothing to refute, she could only mutter softly, “But I can't just live and eat here for free.”
“If you really feel bad, you could always offer yourself to me.”
“O-Offer myself...” Loviki stood frozen. The blush had already traveled from her neck to her forehead, her eyes filled with panic. She looked like a small animal trapped in a corner, wanting to flee but with legs that refused to move. “Y-You are a truly annoying person!”
“Really? It's been a long time since I've heard that description.”
“I...”
She wanted to say, “I don't really hate you,” but swallowed the words back down.
It was too embarrassing...
She, Loviki, had never been so thoroughly embarrassed.
Chen Mian walked up to her, closing the distance until she could smell his faint scent—a mix of laundry soap and Moonlight Grass tea.
Loviki subconsciously took half a step back. “W-What are you doing?”
Her heel caught on a dry twig, and she nearly stumbled.
Chen Mian reached out and caught her arm. Loviki was very light. “Steady.”
Loviki's brain completely short-circuited at that moment.
About three seconds passed—or maybe thirty, she couldn't tell.
She suddenly shook off Chen Mian's hand. “I'm perfectly steady!”
Then she spun around, quickly strode to the center of the clearing, and drew her sword.
“I'm not talking to you anymore! I'm practicing!”
A silvery-white blazing light flared to life, much brighter than usual, to the point of being slightly out of control.
Two swords of light materialized from the void, but she didn't aim them at any target, instead letting them spin wildly above her head.
Chen Mian leaned against the withered tree, watching her. “Hey.”
“What!”
“Your swords are crooked.”
“They are not!”
“The direction they're spinning is pointing right at me.”
Loviki snapped her head up and realized one of the light swords had indeed veered off course, its tip pointing straight at Chen Mian's face.
She hurriedly dispersed the swords in a flurry of panic. She used so much force that she nearly ruptured her own mana circuits. “I didn't do it on purpose!”
“Mm.”
“I really didn't mean to!”
“I know.”
Loviki bit her lip, completely dispelling the swords of light, and sheathed her rapier.
She stood in place, her head lowered, her breathing still uneven.
“Feeling any better?”
Loviki fell silent for a moment, then nodded.
“No more overthinking?” Chen Mian walked up to her. Loviki instinctively took half a step back again, but this time her back hit a tree trunk.
“Mm,” Loviki nodded again.
“Though we haven't known each other long, the apartment has become much more lively since you moved in. I quite like this change.”
Moonlight filtered through the canopy, illuminating her face. She was blushing furiously, the crimson flush reaching all the way down her neck. “Really?”
Chen Mian looked at her calmly, but the corners of his lips curled up slightly.
“You...” Her voice was tiny. “Say something.”
“It's true.”
She lowered her head, her hands tightly gripping the hilt of her sword. “Oh.”
Two seconds passed.
“...I see.”
Another two seconds passed.
“Thank you.” The last words were practically mumbled under her breath.
Chen Mian took a step back and turned toward the apartment. “Let's go. Time for bed.”
Loviki stood in place for a few seconds, reaching up to touch her cheek. It was burning hot.
She took a deep breath and jogged to catch up, the two of them walking side-by-side along the forest path.
Loviki walked to Chen Mian's left, deliberately keeping a person's width of space between them.
After a dozen steps, she quietly nudged a tiny bit to the right.
A few more steps, and she nudged a bit closer again.
In the end, there was barely a fist's width of distance between their shoulders.
She didn't move any further.
As they neared the apartment door, Loviki suddenly spoke up. “About tonight... don't tell Flora.”
“Mm.”
“Don't tell Luolin, either.”
“Mm.”
“Don't tell Miya.”
“Mm.”
“Don't tell anyone at all.”
“You're so repetitive.”
Loviki bit her lip and pushed open the apartment door.
The living room light was still set to its dimmest level.
Flora was not around.
The rabbit was curled up on the sofa. Hearing them enter, it fluttered its eyelids to take a glance before closing them again.
Loviki let out a sigh of relief and quickly headed upstairs.
At the foot of the stairs, she paused, turning back to say, “Good night.”
“Good night.”
Her footsteps faded down the hallway, followed by the sound of her door closing, a fraction heavier than usual.
Chen Mian stood in the living room and looked down at his system panel.
【Loviki's Sense of Belonging: Level 3 (Settled)】
【Sense of Belonging level has reached Level 3. Unlocked Tenant No. 002 Loviki's Inner Thoughts (Can be queried three times a week; only displays thoughts at the moment of query).】
【Loviki's Inner Thoughts: W-Was he standing too close just now? Why did I back away? Why on earth did I back away! And offering myself... No! What am I thinking... Why is my heart beating so fast? Oh no, oh no, oh no.】
Rate on N.U.
