Chapter 134: Why Am I So Skilled at This!
Emilia opened her eyes wide and looked at the surprised face in front of her, then reached out to hug his neck.
"I, also like, tundere, like, like, like..."
"I got it, I got it! I'm not deaf, you don't need to repeat so many times!"
"I like you more than Elise."
Rin felt that his day had been full of ups and downs, and now Waste Hero's words were making his heart beat irregularly, like he would get a heart attack soon.
How could she say such a thing?
Is this... Is this the hero's exclusive confession lines?
Rin admitted that he was once again moved, as if he had been particularly easily moved lately.
However, with the lesson learned from his favorite previous experience with Elise, Rin was not overly confident in directly taking it as an invitation to date.
But Waste Hero said these words...
Rin was now feeling a bit out of breath. He opened his mouth to take a few deep breaths, pounded on his chest to calm his erratic heart.
No way, how could I be called a jerk who leads on one person and likes another! That's no different from a harem protagonist in a light novel!
This... this feeling deep down, is definitely just the love between good friends, nothing more!
It's all Waste Hero's fault for talking nonsense, making what was clearly innocent liking turn weird!
Oh, I don't care! So annoying!
Rin pinched Waste Hero's cheek and said fiercely, "Stop talking nonsense! If you, you silly cat, behave and listen to me more in the future, I might just live a hundred years longer!"
Waste Hero rubbed his hand and said, "Got it, meow, promise, I'll be good and listen well, meow."
"I don't believe you for a second!"
"Really...wow!"
After learning Silly Elk's catchphrase, Waste Hero still felt uncomfortable and meowed again, saying, "As long as I'm not allowed to get close, I will behave."
Saying this, she once again wrapped her arms around Rin's neck, looking like a frightened kitten afraid of being abandoned, and said, "Tsundere, kiss."
Hearing this, Rin's heart skipped a beat, wondering why this topic came up again and whether he should kiss or not.
If he kisses her, wouldn't that be giving her an inch? Friendship will become even stranger, but if he doesn't kiss, the silly cat will look pitiful again with that heart-wrenching expression.
However, Emilia didn't give him much time to think, her eyes misty as she said, "I only have a tsundere, nothing else."
"..."
Darn it, she said something so against the rules! How can I refuse now?
This idiotic hero must have used some skill to control his mind again.
"I want to be with tundere all the time! No one can stop us."
"Shut up, stop talking! Don't forget, you owe me tens of thousands of coins now, so you were supposed to do whatever I ask, and you will have a lifetime of debt! So... it was supposed to be like this all along..."
Rin looked at Emilia in the eyes for a few seconds, then gritted his teeth and said, "Aren't we supposed to kiss? Hurry up! Even though you're a robber cat, I won't... um..."
Before he could finish his sentence, someone forcefully pulled his neck, and a sweet fragrance filled the air.
Indeed, I knew that Waste Hero was addicted to robbing him!
After a while, Emilia greedily breathed in the fresh air, her face blushing visibly, her eyes misting over and forming droplets that looked like they were about to fall.
She slowly regained her senses, looked at Rin's red lips, suddenly realized something, and tilted her head.
"Tundere, why are you so skilled at this?"
"！"
Rin was suddenly surprised, his head buzzing.
Yes, why am I so skilled!
Just now...just now, it seems like more than just pasting and smooching, it's like, it's all gone up two levels!
Oh my goodness, why.
Could it be, could it be...
"Could it be, practicing at silly elk..."
"Stop talking! You're so annoying!"
Rin's long-buried shame was opened again, thinking of the mysterious woman who brought him endless dark history that day, his mind instantly exploded, without saying a word, he picked up Waste Hero and threw her away, then dove into the covers, banging his head hard on the pillow a few times.
"I'm going to sleep now, smelly cat, you can scram!"
Emilia regained her dull gaze, glanced at Rin, then quietly climbed out of the window, seemingly content.
"Why am I so good at this, why, why, it must be not her, definitely not, it must be from all the kisses, yeah, it must be that way."
...
Early the next day, all the students gathered under a huge fallen dead tree in Southern Wilderness.
A signal magic device was placed on the dead tree, a red beam of light shooting into the sky, serving as a beacon for the students to gather after their hunt.
Yuki stood in front of her students, facing her little brother.
"Based on your reported weapon preferences, the school has customized your weapons, which will now be distributed."
A female teacher distributed all the weapons according to the list.
The weapons were all first-tier and of the same standard.
Rin wobbled the Magic Book in his hand, feeling surprised that its touch and weight were quite similar to his own book.
The book had a different style, but following his instructions, it was wrapped in a layer of metal edges, giving it a familiar feeling.
Next, they were given three days' worth of standard rations for four people, along with checked space devices containing their living essentials.
"The magical beasts in the Southern Wilderness are of a higher level, so each team will have a teacher to protect and accompany them. They will not interact with you or interfere with your hunting activities, but any violations will be noted."
Violations include claiming already dead magical beasts as trophies, or hiding other items in the Southern Wilderness ahead of time, but don't involve robbing other teams.
"Before you start, I must remind you to prioritize your own lives because during the official College Cup competition, there will be no teacher protection, only magical puppets for tracking records. Now, the hunting period is one week; before ten o'clock in a week, I want to see all of you here. Now, off you go."
Yuki finally finished saying the series of lines her brother had prepared for her, pulled out her long sword, pointed it towards the side, and watched as the students dispersed before she could relax.
Then, she directly stopped one of the female teachers who wanted to follow.
The teacher was startled, stuttering, and asked, "Sword Saint, is there something wrong?"
Yuki's eyes were cold, and her tone was unquestionable, "You stay here for me, I'll go protect the students."
"Oh? But... you're the one in charge of this mission..."
"No 'buts,' I will report back afterwards."
After saying that, Yuki gripped the sword handle tightly, standing tall like a sword herself, she walked away, her gaze fixated on the distant figure of a person.
Her brother, of course, she would protect him, but she was worried about the others.
