Linda glanced down and saw that under Eko's white dress, she was wearing a pair of adventurer-style sneakers. The shoes were mainly white with some pink patterns, and the inside of the shoes were clean white socks, which looked very refreshing.

Ai Ke had a pitiful expression, as if she was afraid of being rejected by Linda, which made Linda involuntarily think of the stray cat that was thrown into the cardboard box.

"Never mind, I'll help you."

Linda sighed, bent down, and walked to Aiko's wheelchair.

"Thank you for your trouble." Ai Ke lowered her head, a smirk playing on her lips, like a fox who had succeeded in its scheme.

Linda grabbed Eike's calf with her left hand and pushed down on the back of the shoe with her right hand.

Suddenly, a delicate foot wearing white socks jumped out of the shoe.

A delicate fragrance then entered Linda's nose.

Unlike the low-class Lia who sweats profusely after training and likes to take off her boots, Eko is physically weak and spends most of her time in a wheelchair. Her feet are never sweaty and have a lavender-like fragrance.

Linda held it in both hands; it was just the right size, like warm jade. This kind of sacred and beautiful object would probably not look out of place placed next to a strawberry cake.

Looking at it any longer would make her seem like a pervert, so Linda quickly took off Ai Ke's other shoe, her fingers reluctantly leaving the "warm jade".

As if he had just dealt with a troublesome monster, Linda was drenched in sweat. He wiped it with the back of his hand and let out a long sigh of relief.

Why do I feel so much excitement when touching my own teammates' feet, but when it comes to touching someone of the opposite sex who isn't a teammate...?

It seems my cultivation is still too shallow; I must work harder in the future.

While reflecting on her own actions, Linda said, "Come in. It's a bit messy inside. I've been busy training with Lia and the others these past few days and haven't had time to tidy up. Please don't mind."

On the mattress were several large bottles of water, a notebook for writing battle notes, a [Sacred Cow] energy drink... a jumble of things, a bit like a homeless person's den.

If this tent were someone else's, Aiko would definitely change her expression and show a disgusted look, and she would have to apply shower gel three times when taking a shower.

But the moment Linda opened the tent flap, the distinctive stench of sweat from an adult male adventurer, along with Linda's own scent, wafted over, causing Eike's expression to change slightly and her heart to race.

"Thank you for helping me take off my shoes, but... I can't get in." Aiko lowered her head in shame. "It's all my fault for being so useless. If my legs were fine, I wouldn't have bothered you."

"Uh, I forgot." Linda gritted her teeth and, deciding to go all the way, said, "I'll help you."

"Thank you." A smile, brighter than the afternoon sun, graced Aiko's mature face.

After overcoming some difficulties, Linda finally managed to bring Aiko into the tent.

...

Due to the accidental contact just now, both sides fell silent, and the atmosphere became extremely awkward.

"Aiko, what's wrong? Tell me quickly, and I'll take you home." Linda forced a serious expression, preparing to cut to the chase.

"The 15th level of the Great Mythic+ opens tomorrow. You and Lia need to take care of yourselves. It seems that fire-type adventurers are all more fertile," Eko said sourly.

"Huh? What are you saying? I don't understand a word you're saying?"

Linda was completely bewildered. What did it have to do with her whether Leah was fertile or not?

Aiko: "Aren't you and Leah a couple? And you're at the cake shop...?"

When the topic came up, Linda laughed angrily: "Don't be misled by that unscrupulous reporter, Kami. What's on Leah's face is cream, not... cough cough. Anyway, this whole thing is completely fabricated. Everyone was fooled by Kami!"

"Huh? You and Lia didn't post anything?" Aiko said in disbelief.

“I have absolutely no interest in Leah.”

"So that's how it is..." Ai Ke saw that Linda's expression was serious and didn't seem to be faking it, and the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curl up.

After all that, Leah and Linda's relationship only went as far as holding hands.

So many opportunities, yet she couldn't seize even one. It seems the real loser is Leah!

Eko's red nose seemed to disappear and flew onto Leah.

She decided to press her advantage: "Since your fusion rare skill with Lia didn't work, why don't you try fusing with me? We're both back-row classes, so we're definitely a better match than Lia! Besides, I've heard that light mages and healing classes are a perfect match."

Linda was taken aback. "A rare skill? You've mastered it too?"

Ai Ke said modestly, "I don't know how I came to understand it. Maybe I'm just lucky."

Of course, Ai Ke wouldn't tell Linda that she had drunk seven cases of "Holy Cow" energy drinks in the past month.

The relentless, sleepless nights of cultivation, the acne and dark circles under my eyes from staying up all night covered with foundation, the kidney deficiency so I drank tons of chicken soup, and the daily chanting and spellcasting practiced until I was completely exhausted...

All of this was to get Linda's attention!

Eko hates competition, but if she can win Linda by competing, she's more motivated to compete than anyone else.

Right now, Leah is far ahead. If she doesn't give it her all, she'll be the one eating wedding candy in the audience.

"Aiko, you're a genius! We all struggled to master these rare skills," Linda exclaimed.

"No, I really just 'accidentally' grasped it." Aiko continued to cultivate her image as a genius mage. She raised her wrist, glanced at the delicate, small magical wristwatch, and exclaimed in surprise:

"It's so late, I need to go back. It won't look good if everyone sees us. Let's discuss the fusion later. Linda, remember to drink the chicken soup, the 15th floor raid must be tough, you need to replenish your energy."

Ai knew when to stop, and like a sensible wife, she told Linda to eat well and not to overwork herself.

Linda carried Aiko back to her wheelchair and took her to the lounge downstairs.

"It seems that Aiko really doesn't have any strange ideas. She's just a long-time teammate who cares about me."

Inside the tent, Linda held a bowl and sipped chicken soup.

It tasted sweet and delicious, and could even energize the body. After one bite, a happy smile appeared on his face. Compared to the toxic chicken soup from last time, Ai Ke's cooking skills had clearly improved.