I couldn't possibly criticize her good intentions, but her actions just now were a bit too intimate with me. Not only could I easily smell the fragrance of her hair and her breath, but even her slight weight was pressing against me, making me want to look away, but her hands held my head in place, making it difficult for me to move.
Then, turning his head, he bumped into Miyuki, who was staring straight at him, a slight smile curving her usually expressionless lips.
"It seems you two have a really good relationship," she murmured.
Seriously, stop laughing. My first impression of her was that of a beautiful but aloof ice queen, and this smile is just freezing. I was only feeling shy and awkward because we were getting too close, but now I'm getting goosebumps.
I cleared my throat and tried to change the subject: "We've basically left that dangerous area, but it's still not safe enough. There's a risk of being surrounded by monsters again. Based on your experience, should we continue on our way, or find a safe place nearby to rest for the night?"
“My suggestion is to walk a little further and then find a safe place to rest. And coincidentally, I know of a suitable empty cave nearby.” Miyuki had been clear about this all along, offering her advice earnestly. “I didn’t expect there to be so many monsters in the Gray Zone. Perhaps as winter approaches, there are more monsters there than I saw last time, and they are noticeably more aggressive.”
Her words became very cautious, and her icy eyes flashed with obvious vigilance and a hint of lingering fear.
I couldn't help but be surprised: "You didn't say this time that you could kill them all?"
Shen Xue snorted and turned her head away: "Even swords and blades can become tired, dull, and rusty."
Yes, that is indeed [Frost Sword]'s speaking style; he hasn't been replaced or bewitched by any external force.
Just as I was about to say something more, Hikari interrupted me by suddenly tugging at my sleeve with excitement. She patted her smooth thighs happily, gesturing for me to lie down on them, indicating that she wanted to give my eyes a good treatment.
Unsurprisingly, this earned him a look from Miyuki that seemed to regard him as trash.
Having survived the ordeal, we finally relaxed our tense nerves and exchanged some thoughts on any oversights in our previous coordination. Then we prepared to head to the cave that Shenxue had mentioned where we could rest safely.
But at that moment, danger struck us.
Boundless green vines rise from all directions, instantly enveloping us and converging upon us, while falling petals drift overhead, releasing a captivating, soothing fragrance.
Even as the deep snow unfurled a curtain of cold air, slashing and resisting the approaching, icy branches, and even as I forged the wind into sharp blades to sever the roots of the vines, I could not stop their approach in the slightest.
In the final moments before the encirclement was complete, I made a decision.
— Pushing Hikari, who was in a panic and didn't know what to do, backward, she fell into a doorway that could only accommodate one person at a time.
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