Chapter 207: 206, is this the only one left? Chapter 207: 206, is this the only one left? That night,
After Shane had finished the daily routine with Tielle, still emanating steam and warmth from his body, he emerged from the large bathhouse, refreshed and ready to return to his room.
Yet, on his way, Shane was stopped.
The one who spoke those words, as if waiting for Shane, was Vivian approaching from the opposite direction.
“Vivian?” Shane was momentarily stunned, then smiled and, moving forward, asked, “What’s up? Do you need something from me?”
“Kind of,” Vivian didn’t deny, returning a gentle smile while her eyes darted toward the bathhouse, then teasingly said, “Why didn’t you come out with Tielle?”
As these words spilled out, Shane’s smile froze.
Seeing this, Vivian rarely showed a playful expression and said, “You didn’t think I hadn’t noticed, did you?”
Upon hearing this, Shane’s first thought was simple:
It was unclear to Shane whether Vivian had seen through his thoughts or not, but she couldn’t help but laugh.
“Don’t worry, I’m not here to settle scores, and I’m certainly not here to make you take responsibility,” Vivian continued with a tone that seemed to tease Shane, “This is undoubtedly a good thing for Tielle. Seeing her doesn’t worry me; it actually makes me feel a lot more relieved.”
“Is… is that so?” Shane chuckled awkwardly, “You trust me that much?”
“Of course,” Vivian asserted without hesitation, “After all, you are a Hero. Even if you act irresponsibly, I believe there is still Justice in your heart.”
Vivian said this without any trace of embarrassment or doubt.
This left Shane unsure how to respond to Vivian properly.
…Is this her way of giving me a pat on the back?
That was the only thought in Shane’s mind.
Nonetheless, Vivian didn’t seem to be implying that; instead, she continued to show Shane a gentle smile.
“Before we knew it, it’s been about a month since we first met, hasn’t it?”
Vivian suddenly brought up this topic.
“It seems so,” Shane scratched his head and shrugged, “Time seems to fly by fast, though a month isn’t really that long when you think about it.”
“Yes,” Vivian nodded, staring at Shane, “It may not be long, but I often feel like we’ve known each other for a very long time.”
“Is that so?” Shane blinked.
“Of course,” Vivian replied with certainty, smiling as she spoke, “You know, at first, including myself, everyone in the team didn’t intend to get close to you. We just treated you the same as the newcomers we had led before.”
Shane suddenly fell silent.
Indeed, wasn’t he the same?
When he first met the people of Vivian’s Team, he even saw the team as a source of trouble and was reluctant to approach.
At that time, both parties had agreed to just get by, and then part on good terms. They never thought it would develop into what it was now.
Even Vivian, at the beginning, though she treated Shane with considerable warmth and enthusiasm, that was just her nature.
Back then, Vivian merely saw Shane as a novice entrusted to them by Riley, hoped to help him grow as much as they could during the one-month trial period, and then let the novice leave the team to continue independently as usual.
Who would have thought, Shane’s background was so complex that Vivian couldn’t simply ignore him, and gradually, they got accustomed to each other’s company and accepted each other.
Not just Vivian alone.
“Everyone in the team has finally accepted you,” Vivian said contentedly. “If it were before, I really wouldn’t have believed that everyone would be so unguarded against someone of the opposite sex.”
You see, due to their special circumstances, Vivian’s Team had encountered troubles brought by the opposite sex several times in the past.
Apart from Vivian, who was steadfast and unwavering, the rest had long since built strong defenses against the opposite sex.
At first, weren’t Tielle, Lu Muya, and Merica all very wary of Shane, to the point where they barely even spoke to him?
Now, that situation had completely changed.
“There’s no need to mention Tielle, and it seems like Merica has gradually changed her attitude towards you too. Have you noticed, Mr. Shane?”
Vivian seemed genuinely happy, teasing Shane as she spoke these playful words.
Shane felt a bit embarrassed.
Of course, he had noticed the change in Merica’s attitude.
That girl was now subtle and not as direct and bold as Tielle. Her looks towards Shane had gradually become brighter and more passionate. Her attitude was worlds apart from before. Due to her shyness and nervousness, she dared not approach Shane proactively and would often panic over any attention from him, blushing and scurrying away whenever Shane sought her out. It was really helpless.
Honestly, Shane had no idea what was going on with her.
No, it wasn’t that Shane couldn’t see the change in Merica’s feelings.
Her fondness for him was quite clear, and Shane was not the dense protagonist from novels who made people want to punch him; he naturally sensed it.
But Shane didn’t understand why the girl had suddenly started feeling this way towards him.
Their interactions weren’t even that many, right?
It was only that one time when Lord Magre was still around that he had helped her.
Just that one time, and this girl, renowned as the most beautiful, purest, kindest, and most sacred elf girl between heaven and earth, had sprung a crush?
Anyway, Shane felt it was quite magical and had no idea what to do next; he could only go with the flow.
At that moment, Shane helplessly spread his hands and said, “It’s just Tielle and Merica, Lu Muya is still the same, isn’t she?”
Indeed, while Tielle and Merica had changed their attitudes towards Shane, that shy beastman girl still maintained her respectful yet distant demeanor towards him.
“Lu Muya is just timid,” Vivian said knowingly, aware of the team members’ situations, and reassured with a smile, “If you try to approach her, you’ll find that she’s quite adorable.”
“Maybe,” Shane replied nonchalantly, “Just afraid that when I approach, she’ll just run away.”
“How will you know if you don’t try?” Vivian actually encouraged, “Give it a shot, she’s the only one left.”
“What do you mean ‘she’s the only one left’?” Shane couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
The way it sounded, wasn’t it like she was persuading him to pursue Lu Muya?
Was this how you treat your teammates?
Hadn’t she said before that the purpose of forming the team was to protect these girls? Now she was pushing her into the fire instead; what was going on?
I’m not causing harm to anyone!
Shane suddenly realized.
“Alright, I’ll stop joking around.”
Seeing Shane visibly conflicted, Vivian finally put her teasing aside.
“Actually, I came to see you mainly to give you this.”
With that, Vivian handed Shane an item.