The night grew deep, and most of the lights in the apartment had gone out, with the latest one being in Velyan's room.
A warm yellow light leaked through the crack of the door, and Velyan's hushed yet still noticeably excited voice could be faintly heard from within: “I hit him! Irena, did you see that?”
“...I saw. You hit the wooden box next to him.”
“That still counts as a hit!”
When Chen Mian walked past her door, he happened to hear Irena's helpless sigh and Velyan's self-righteous retort from inside.
The game console in Chen Mian's room had already been moved to Velyan's room yesterday. That girl's energy was simply too boundless.
After a while longer, the room finally fell quiet again.
Chen Mian made his way toward the rooftop.
Someone was standing by the edge of the rooftop railing.
“Can't sleep?” Chen Mian walked over to the railing and asked softly.
“Mhm,” Loviki replied softly. “Even though it's only been a month since I left the Royal Capital, it already feels a bit unfamiliar.”
“Nervous?”
“A little...” Loviki turned her head to look at him and said, “Everyone is heading to the Royal Capital just for my sake. If things end up getting really unpleasant, everyone will be disappointed, right?”
“Disappointed about what?” Chen Mian leaned against the railing and tilted his head to look at her. “Everyone is going to the Royal Capital to have fun, and they're just helping you call off an engagement along the way.”
Loviki opened her mouth, but in the end, she only managed to say, “...You make it sound so easy.”
“It is an easy thing,” Chen Mian said, turning his gaze back to the distant forest. “We don't even need to go to the Royal Capital. I could just go directly to the King of Hella and call off the engagement for you.”
Loviki shook her head gently. “It's better if I handle this matter myself. You guys just enjoy yourselves in the Royal Capital. I am a Diamond Rank expert, after all.”
“Sometimes, it's perfectly fine to rely on everyone a bit,” Chen Mian said softly.
“But I want to solve this problem on my own so I can stay by everyone's side.” Loviki turned her head, her eyes shining brightly. “That way, everyone will know that staying with you all was my own choice, and not because I chose to stay here just because you could solve my problems for me.”
“In the past, this was a very difficult issue for me to resolve, but now, I'm not afraid.”
“Even though I could just run away,” Loviki said earnestly, “my departure would only end up involving my family.”
“My initial plan was to go out and train, and then resolve the issue once I became strong enough.” Loviki gently brushed aside the hair ruffled by the night wind. “But if I hadn't met you, I probably wouldn't have even been able to hide my whereabouts, Chen Mian.”
“There are no ifs. We were bound to meet,” Chen Mian said casually, looking toward the forest.
“Why?”
“Because of fate.”
“But you clearly said that you and Flora were the ones destined by fate.” Loviki turned her head to look at the distant forest alongside him, her lips curving up slightly.
“I've changed my mind.” Chen Mian withdrew his gaze and reached out to gently ruffle Loviki's hair.
Loviki's body stiffened slightly. After a long pause, she turned her head, her ears turning red as she looked at him, her gaze darting away. “If you pat my head, I won't grow taller...”
“Then I won't pat it.”
“I've been a trouble to you for so long... so I'll let you pat it a bit longer!” Loviki held his hand in place on her head. Then, with a blushing face, she turned back to look at the forest, her eyes wavering visibly. Realizing her words might be misconstrued, she quickly added, “I-I'm only doing this to pay back my rent! Besides, even if you don't pat my head, I probably won't grow any taller anyway! If I could still grow, I definitely wouldn't let you pat it!”
“Alright~”
The surroundings fell quiet for a moment.
“Let me tell you, I actually own a house in the Royal Capital of Hella!” Loviki spoke up again, her voice soft but tinged with a bit of pride. “I didn't buy it using my family's wealth, you know! I saved up enough for it by taking on several Gold Rank commissions when I was eighteen! Whenever I felt unhappy, I would stay there all by myself to relax.”
“That's pretty impressive.”
“Of course! I'm a genius, after all!” Loviki turned her head to look at him again, smiling. “Once we arrive at the Royal Capital, we'll all stay there together. We are definitely not staying at my family's place.”
She seemed to think of something as she spoke, and the smile on her face grew even wider. “Once we're there, I'll be the landlord! I'm going to assign you to wash the dishes!”
When Loviki said this, her eyes shone with a pure sense of happiness—the joy of finally being able to share her own space.
Looking at her like that, Chen Mian couldn't help but chuckle. “Sure, I'll wash them.”
Seeing Chen Mian's reaction, Loviki turned her face away, feeling a bit embarrassed instead. “I-I'm just kidding! I should be the one to wash them... T-That's what a landlord is supposed to do.”
“Then why do you wash the dishes here?”
“T-This is to pay off my rent!”
“How many rooms does your little house have?”
“O... One.” Loviki's expression stiffened slightly. After hesitating for a long time, she said sheepishly, “When I bought it, I never thought I'd ever bring anyone there.”
“Can the room fit five people?”
“It can't,” Loviki said self-righteously. “But we can sleep on the floor. When I was in a bad mood in the past, I'd just lie on the floor, and it was actually quite comfortable.”
“You lying on the floor alone is a completely different story from five people lying on the floor.”
“It's not like you guys will mind the squeeze anyway.” After saying this, Loviki turned her gaze away first, looking a bit lacking in confidence.
Chen Mian withdrew his hand, putting it in his trouser pocket as he smiled. “If it really doesn't work out, we can just stay at an inn. It's not like we don't have the budget.”
The night wind blew her long hair, making it flutter gently. She opened her mouth, but in the end, she only let out a soft “Mhm.”
“But before we're absolutely sure we can't fit, we'll definitely squeeze into your house first to fulfill a certain someone's wish to be a landlord.”
Loviki looked up again, her ruby-like eyes holding a trace of indefinable emotion, and the corners of her mouth finally curved upward. “...You better not regret it then.”
“I won't.”
She turned her face away, her voice carrying a rare softness. “Then it's a promise. Once we arrive at the Royal Capital, we'll go to my place first to drop off our things, then go grab a bite, and then...”
“And then go call off the engagement.”
“Mhm.” She nodded, then let out a breath, her voice becoming much lighter. “And then go call off the engagement!”
“I'm going to take you guys to eat the charcoal-grilled lamb chops on North Street.”
“Sure.”
“And that dessert shop in South Alley.”
“Sure.”
“And that fruit wine shop next to the Central Square.”
“Are you going back to call off an engagement or just to eat?”
“The two aren't mutually exclusive.” She turned around and walked toward the stairs, her steps noticeably lighter than before. “I'm going to sleep now, or I won't have any energy for the journey tomorrow.”
“See you tomorrow, Chen Mian!”
“See you tomorrow.”
Rate on N.U.
