But once he starts talking, his mouth just keeps opening like a dam bursting.
Everyone else doesn't care.
Aiko just wants Linda to know the real her.
"When I first joined Xueyan, I planned to suddenly stand up during a dinner party and scare everyone."
Aiko said in a low voice, "But seeing some idiot running around for me, buying all sorts of herbs, makes it increasingly difficult for me to tell the truth. Day after day, it drags on until I can't speak anymore."
"It's not too late now."
Linda scratched her head and said, "Although you're quite different from your usual self, well, I don't dislike Aiko for revealing her true nature. Actually, I have another blond guy by my side who's even lazier than you, has a worse personality, and has no adventurer's awareness whatsoever; he just wants to win without lifting a finger."
But even those kinds of people have a positive side; they will use skills that harm themselves for the sake of their teammates.
Rather than considering whether Ai Ke is a bad person, I'm more willing to believe in the bond Xue Yan has forged over the past three years.
Linda looked at Eko earnestly, "I am honored that you can tell me these things so frankly."
"But I'm a liar!" Aiko said incredulously.
"Lia and I weren't actually harmed. If we had to say, we wasted a lot of time searching for herbs." Linda shrugged helplessly. "You should remember this favor and repay Luanweihua when you have the chance."
Ai Ke pursed her lips and remained silent.
The girl's shoulders twitched slightly as she sniffed hard, trying to stop the glistening tears from falling.
What an idiot! This person is a complete idiot! She's a big liar who beat her mentor so badly he couldn't get out of bed and is full of lies.
Even if Linda left the coffee shop with a dark face and went to the Knights to report her, she would still think it was normal.
"What kind of 'old gentleman' is this?" Ai Ke thought to herself. "Old gentleman" refers to a character trope in comic books where the protagonist treats the female character very well, causing her to become mentally impaired and infatuated with the protagonist, a character trope that is despicable.
But Aiko discovered that she actually liked this flavor.
What's wrong with Old Assassin? Did you use your toilet paper?
"Thanks."
It took Ai Ke a while to calm down.
“Okay, when you get back you need to be honest with Leah and the others, don’t lie to them anymore.” Linda confirmed that Aiko had returned to normal, then stood up and said, “I’ll take my leave now, I need to go back to the fountain.”
"Wait." Ike grabbed him.
Linda chuckled: "Worried that Leah will hate you? Honestly, I don't think so. Leah is actually quite easygoing. If you're honest with her, she'll probably be happy and think that you're showing her respect."
“No.” Aiko’s expression was solemn: “If you hire me, a light mage, this will be my last journey as an adventurer.”
"What?"
Linda's eyelids twitched, and she stared at Aiko in astonishment.
What does "the last leg of the journey" mean?
"Huh? You're retiring!?"
Inside the Snow Goose Adventure Team's villa, on the third floor, in the combat conference room.
At the end of the long table, Leah slammed her hand on the table and stood up, her eyes wide with shock.
Kaine exclaimed in surprise, "Eiko, you're lying to everyone, right?"
Chrona said, "Ico will never retire!"
"Uh, am I the only one who noticed that her leg is better?" Orlu said in a muffled voice.
"Compared to that, Miss Eko's statement was more surprising, wasn't it?" Phyllis said with a look of reluctance.
A mage as excellent as Eko is hard to find.
If Aiko leaves the team, he wants to leave too. Phyllis's original plan was to curry favor with Leah and make his family business partners with the Mandala family.
After six months, Phyllis discovered that Leah was an outsider to the Mandala family and had no real influence whatsoever.
The only reason to stay with Xueyan is that this adventure team has good development potential, and Phyllis believes that it has the potential to become a sunrise-level adventure team.
However... without Ai Ke, Xueyan's "iron triangle" of warrior, mage, and tank will completely collapse.
"That's how it is. I'll temporarily join the Phoenix Flower to help Linda and the others conquer floors 16 and 17, and then I'll retire and go back to my hometown." Ai Ke said with a smile, "Thank you all for your company over the past three years."
“Mmmm—”
Lia's face was dark, and she gripped the table tightly with both hands, glaring angrily at Eiko.
"Hmph, you're about to get angry, aren't you? I'm not going to put up with you today." Ai Ke crossed her arms, assuming a retaliatory stance.
She thought Leah would say something like, "If you leave, how is Xueyan supposed to continue the mission? Leaving the team is fine, but at least until we recruit new members."
That way she could confidently retort: "What you do is none of your business. I'm just a loser, I can leave if I want, what can you do about it? Huh? Everyone's attacking me, fine, then I won't hold back in attacking you too."
The two sides parted on bad terms after a heated argument.
Anyway, the real her would definitely be hated, so ending this relationship that shouldn't have existed in the first place in this way is fine. Ai Ke thought that her goal from beginning to end was Linda, and Leah and the others were just side dishes.
but.
From the moment that stray orange cat appeared at noon, things started to go in an abnormal direction.
Aiko prides herself on being smart, but she couldn't have guessed any of the things that happened today.
Leah's eyes reddened, and her voice was slightly nasal: "But aren't we companions? Why did you leave the team?" Gritting her teeth, Leah added, "If you think I've done something wrong, you can tell me. Although I might not necessarily change."
“Yes, Eko, although Lia always owes us wages and is not a very good person, she is actually a good person,” Oru said honestly.
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