After leaving the team, the adventurer ladies regretted it deeply

Chapter 519: 391, Lin Da fell for a green tea trick while helping Aiko with her slippers.
 

Lin Da glanced down and saw that beneath Aiko’s white dress, she wore a pair of sneakers designed for adventurers. The shoes were primarily white with some pink patterns, and inside them were clean, white socks that looked very refreshing.

Aiko had an expression of pitiful cuteness, as if afraid of being rejected by Lin Da, involuntarily making him think of a stray cat left in a cardboard box.

“Fine, I’ll help you.”

Lin Da sighed, bent down, and walked over to the front of Aiko’s wheelchair.

“Thank you.” Aiko lowered her head, the corners of her mouth curling up like a fox that had succeeded in its scheme.

Lin Da grabbed Aiko’s calf with his left hand and pushed down on the back of the shoe with his right.

Instantly, a delicate foot in a white sock popped out of the shoe.

A faint, elegant fragrance entered Lin Da’s nostrils.

Completely unlike Lia, who would sweat profusely after training and liked to take off her boots, Aiko’s frail body and perennial wheelchair use meant her feet were free of a single drop of sweat, and they even had a hint of lavender scent.

Lin Da held them in his hands, neither too big nor too small, like warm jade. Such sacred and beautiful objects could even be placed next to a strawberry cake without seeming out of place.

If he looked any longer, he would appear perverted, so Lin Da hurriedly took off Aiko’s other shoe, his fingers reluctantly leaving the “warm jade.”

As if he had dealt with a troublesome Magical Creature, Lin Da’s forehead was streaming with sweat. He wiped his brow with the back of his hand and took a long breath of relief.

He didn’t feel much when dealing with his teammate’s feet, so why was he so agitated over those of a female who wasn’t part of his team…

It seemed his training was still very superficial, and he would have to work even harder in the future.

While reflecting on himself, Lin Da 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 the chance to clean up. Please don’t mind the mess.”

On the mattress, there were several bottles of Great Water, a notebook for battle reflections, Sacred Cow energy drinks… all sorts of things, resembling a vagrant’s nest.

If it had been anyone else’s tent, Aiko would definitely show a disgusted expression and rinse her shower gel three times.

But the moment Lin Da opened the tent flap, the distinctive sweaty odor of adult male adventurers mixed with Lin Da’s scent hit her, causing Aiko’s complexion to change slightly and her heartbeat to quicken noticeably.

“Thank you for taking off my shoes, but… I can’t go in,” Aiko said, lowering her head in shame. “It’s my own fault for being so useless. If my legs were fine, I wouldn’t have to trouble you.”

“Uh, I forgot.” Lin Da clenched his teeth, decided to be thoroughly kind, and said, “I’ll help you.”

“Thank you.” A smile brighter than the afternoon sun beamed across Aiko’s mature face.

After some difficulty, Lin Da finally managed to get Aiko into the tent.

…

Due to the inadvertent contact just now, both of them were silent, creating a terribly awkward atmosphere.

“Aiko, if you have something to say, please hurry up and say it. I’ll take you back afterward,” Lin Da forcibly darkened his expression, ready to cut the Gordian knot.

“Tomorrow is the opening of the 15th layer of the Great Mystery Continent. You and Lia need to take care of your bodies. Fire Series adventurers seem to have a constitution that’s prone to pregnancy,” Aiko said with a sour tone.

“Huh? What are you talking about? I don’t understand a word,” Lin Da said, his face full of confusion. Whether Lia is prone to pregnancy or not, what does it have to do with him?

Aiko: “Aren’t you and Lia a couple? And at the cake shop…”

Speaking of that incident, Lin Da laughed angrily, “Don’t be misled by Kami, that unscrupulous journalist. The cream on Lia’s face was… well, it wasn’t… cough cough, the point is, it’s completely untrue, everyone’s been fooled by Kami!”

“Eh, so you and Lia didn’t do anything?” Aiko said incredulously.

“I have no interest in Lia whatsoever,” Lin Da replied.

“So that’s how it is…” Seeing the serious expression on Lin Da’s face, which didn’t seem fake, Aiko couldn’t help but smile.

After all this time, Lia and Lin Da had only gotten as far as holding hands.

With so many opportunities missed, it seemed the real ‘loser’ would have to be Lia!

Aiko’s red nose seemed to vanish, instead landing on Lia.

She decided to take advantage of the situation, “Since your Fusion Rare Skills with Lia have failed, would you like to try fusing with me? We both work in the backline, so we must be more compatible than Lia! Plus, I’ve heard Light Mages and Healing Professions are especially well-suited for each other.”

Lin Da was stunned, “Rare Technique, you’ve mastered it too?”

Aiko modestly said, “I don’t know how it happened, I guess I’m just lucky.”

Of course, Aiko wouldn’t tell Lin Da that over the past month she had consumed seven cases of Sacred Cow energy drinks,

practiced until she was completely worn out, covered up acne and dark circles from staying up late with foundation, and drank chicken soup to remedy her weakened kidneys, practicing magical chanting until she was on the verge of collapsing…

All of this, just to catch Lin Da’s attention!

Aiko hated the competitive rat race, but if it would help her get closer to Lin Da, she was more motivated than anyone else to push through it.

Right now, with Lia far ahead, if she didn’t buckle down, the one watching others eat wedding candy would be her.

“Aiko, you really are a genius. We all had a hard time mastering our Rare Techniques,” Lin Da remarked with admiration.

“No, really, I just ‘accidentally’ figured it out,” continued Aiko, perpetuating her persona of the talented Mage. She lifted her wrist to look at the delicate Magic Guide Wristwatch and exclaimed in surprise,

“It’s already so late, I should leave before others see and think badly of it. We can discuss the fusion later, in good time. Lin Da, remember to drink your chicken soup, okay? The battle on the 15th floor will be tough; you need to keep your strength up.”

Aiko took her leave, sounding like an understanding wife, reminding Lin Da to eat well and to not overwork himself.

Lin Da carried Aiko back to her wheelchair and escorted her down to the rest lounge.

“It seems Aiko really doesn’t have any weird ideas, she’s just concerned about me as an old teammate,” Lin Da thought.

Inside the tent, Lin Da held a bowl, savoring the chicken soup.

The taste was sweet and delicious, infusing the body with energy. With each sip, a blissful smile appeared on his face. Compared to the last ‘poisonous’ chicken soup, Aiko’s culinary skills had visibly improved.