What? I, the young lady, like that Lin Da?

A while later, the large bathtub was filled with hot water, and steam was rising.

Lia leaned on the wall, extended a delicate foot, and dipped her toes to check the temperature before slowly lowering herself into the bathtub.

She used a floating wooden board as a table to rest her beer, curled up, hugged her knees, and her head was half submerged, blowing bubbles.

Having cleared the Ninth Layer Secret Realm, she felt somewhat surreal and didn't want to attend the celebration feast.

Lia couldn't figure out what was wrong with herself, feeling only irritation and confusion.

"Time for a bath~"

Shortly after, Klrona's noisy voice came from the hall.

The bathroom door burst open, and a nude little girl cheerfully jumped into the bathtub, splashing water everywhere, nearly knocking over the beer on the small table.

"—so really, can you be a bit more serious? You're not a child anymore!" Lia steadied her beer, already in a bad mood, and felt like cursing.

"There are no men in the villa now, I'm just happy," Klrona, a bit afraid of Lia, the hot-tempered team leader, shrugged her shoulders and muttered quietly without Da Lin to protect her.

Lia frowned, put one hand on her hip, ready to scold Klrona.

At that moment, another person entered.

The adventure team's mage, Aiko.

Aiko sat in a wheelchair, wearing a loose yellow dress, smiling gently with a mature aura, akin to a married woman.

Regrettably, the mage's abundant, long legs lay soft and powerless on the wheelchair's footrest.

One couldn't help but sigh in frustration, wondering why the Deity was so cruel to this woman, granting her a broad and ample bosom yet robbing her of the ability to walk freely.

Unlike her healthy appearance in the Secret Realm, Aiko's legs were afflicted by a strange disease in reality, devoid of any sensation. Only in the Secret Realm could she stand on her own by using the realm-specific skill "Healthy Body."

The well-endowed mage, resting her cheek in her hand, grinned and cooed like soothing a child, "Lia, it's better not to be angry, or your chest might shrink."

"Huh? It would be better if they did shrink, cumbersome things only hinder my sword-swinging speed!"

"But who was the one secretly measuring in front of the mirror, clearly caring so much?"

"Miss me didn't care at all, okay!"

Lia's face turned red as if a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

"Take this!" The mage suddenly reached out with a groping hand.

"Ah, no pinching, Aiko, you've annoyed me no end!"

"I want to join in too!"

Klrona grabbed Aiko from behind.

"Ahhhh?!"

After a while of frolicking in the bathtub, the girls' relationship seemed much relaxed.

Aiko leaned on the edge of the bathtub, holding the petite Klrona, who had her soft pink hair full of bubbles and gently scrubbed it with a brush.

Klrona's face was filled with bliss.

"That—"

Feeling that the atmosphere was right, maybe it was time to bring something up, Aiko glanced at Lia and hesitated, "Is it okay not to call Da Lin back?"

The air suddenly fell silent.

The seemingly taped-up harmonious facade was torn apart.

Aiko had a different opinion about driving Da Lin away.

"Why should I call him back? I didn't do anything wrong," Lia's voice suddenly rose by an octave and with a cold glare at Aiko, said, "Da Lin left on his own, didn't he? How is it my fault?"

"What does it have to do with you, are you kidding?"

Wasn't it you who drove him away?

Aiko questioned silently.

When she returned, she had heard rumors that Isa, the silver-haired beauty, had invited Da Lin to join her.

Next to Da Lin, there was also a golden-haired beauty whose bust was no smaller than hers.

If not for Lia's silliness, Da Lin would already be massaging her feet and preparing her post-battle desserts!

Dread filled Aiko; she tilted her head and feigned confusion:

"But don't you like him?"

No matter how Lia responded, Aiko had won.

If Lia denied it, she would be ruthless.

You didn't want him yourself, so there's definitely no problem if I take Da Lin, right?

As for admitting...

that would make me a total Joker!

At these words, Chloe, held in Aiko's arms, shrank into a small pill bug.

The bathroom seemed to be filled with a thick smell of gunpowder.

"Huh?"

"Huh?"

"Huh?!"

First, three exclamations of shock, annoyance, and disbelief, each uttered in a very high-pitched tone.

Lia immediately turned red.

"Aiko, what are you talking about? Me liking that utterly ordinary fool? Stop joking!"

"It's him who likes me, I've never liked him!"

Lia suddenly stood up from the bathtub.

The fierce Fire Series Battle Qi made Lia's long hair shimmer with a fiery glow, lightly dancing in the air.

At that moment, Lia looked like a pissed-off, bristling cat.

Now she was really getting agitated!

Aiko was laughing so hard inside.

Since Lia said so, she wouldn't hold back in the future.

Just wait until Da becomes her little puppy, Lia better not regret it.

And as if to prove her point, Lia, with a stern face, cited an example:

"At first, Da gave all the rewards to me, even blood brothers don't do that, do they? Every month when he received his salary, he first bought me new clothes and snacks, and he never talked back when I scolded him. Isn't that liking me?"

Aiko raised an eyebrow:

"Is it possible that Da is like this with all the girls?"

"It's just his promise to 'that girl,' right? A promise not to make other girls in the team sad again. It's just to keep his word to 'that girl,' so he's nice to everyone."

Aiko directly mocked Lia.

Only nice to you? Purely delusional!

Lia probably doesn't even know about Da massaging her feet every night.

It's the same for everyone, just that Lia gets a bit more attention.

These few sentences were like a bucket of cold water poured over Lia's head, she clenched her teeth, her mouth opening several times to say something, then stopping herself.

Lia looked down on Da, but held utmost respect for that girl.

She forcefully suppressed her anger and sat back down in the bathtub.

Picking up a beer, she guzzled down half of it, seemingly talking to herself but actually warning Aiko:

"From now on, I don't want to hear any news about Da, otherwise, don't blame me for not being nice!"

Aiko wisely didn't continue to provoke Lia.

Glancing at her iron-blue face, it seemed she had hit a nerve, infuriated and drinking sullenly.

Aiko was relieved.

All about saving face, right?

She deserves it!

Then, she absentmindedly brushed Chloe's hair, her thoughts wandering.

Really, Lia was becoming more and more annoying.

Even her patience was wearing thin.

A desire to leave crossed her mind.

Unlike Da and the others, Aiko hadn't joined the Snow Goose Adventure Team for some elusive dream of conquering the World Tree.

The compensation Lia provided was high enough, and moreover, the team had many girls and none of the men she despised the most.

That's why she joined the Snow Goose Adventure Team.

She wondered where Da, driven out by Lia, had gone and what he was up to.

Whether he had been bewitched by Isa, that Bitch.

Aiko squinted her eyes.

"Da, oh Da, I haven't settled the grudge from three years ago yet, how could I easily let you go."