Slam!
Fire Finch angrily slammed a document onto the table, her finger jabbing at the papers.
“How many times! How many times have I told you!”
“If you’re going to use magic in public, at least have the decency to show your face, alright?”
Leaning back in her chair, Fire Finch let out a long sigh, rubbing her aching temples as she attempted to calm her overly agitated emotions.
“Are you even listening?”
“I am!” Aya Tone snapped to attention, standing as rigid as a student caught late and made to stand in the corner by their teacher.
She dared not move, nor dared she talk back.
With her small hands clasped, she stood quietly before the desk, receiving a lecture from the guild master.
Aya Tone had been roused from sleep by Fire Finch’s call early this morning, a rare occurrence that always portended trouble.
A call so early in the day never meant anything good.
Terrified, Aya Tone had rushed over immediately after dropping Xiao Jiu off at school.
Being late meant a pay deduction, and that simply wouldn’t do.
“Guild Master, if I hadn’t used magic yesterday, I wouldn’t have made it in time to pick up Xiao Jiu,” Aya Tone explained pitifully to the fuming Fire Finch.
‘How heartbroken Xiao Jiu would be if she found out her dad hadn’t picked her up, with all the other children gone.’
Aya Tone certainly didn’t want to make Aya Jiu unhappy due to a single lapse in duty as a single parent dad.
Great White was a magical construct, and as such, could not openly appear in public; otherwise, he would be treated as a rampaging demon and eliminated.
Thus, Aya Tone had no choice but to pick Aya Jiu up from school every day.
“…”
Fire Finch gazed at that wronged little face, her anger immediately doused.
‘That expression was simply unfair.’
Taking a deep breath, she continued, “Couldn’t you have asked me to pick up Xiao Jiu?”
“I forgot…”
A sharp intake of breath escaped Fire Finch; she felt her fists clench.
“Then why did you cover your face?”
As an S-ranker, Aya Tone inherently possessed privileges; using magic within the city was permitted and would not incur legal sanctions.
Yet, Aya Tone, when using magic, had chosen to wear a hood that completely obscured her face.
The airport, unable to identify the person, had no choice but to escalate the matter to Fire Finch.
When Fire Finch received the report in the middle of the night, she had been ready to issue an arrest warrant for this law-defying rogue.
However, upon seeing the video sent by the airport, her entire demeanor deflated.
‘Oh… what was this…’
‘Wasn’t that her own secret weapon?’
Her petite frame coupled with that black hoodie—no one else but Aya Tone possessed such questionable taste.
Realizing it was her own ‘child’ who had caused the trouble.
Fire Finch had spent a considerable amount of money, back and forth, to finally smooth things over.
The money itself wasn’t the main issue; the point was that she’d been running around all night and had to humble herself to apologize to the airport staff.
She was furious, absolutely furious!
“I’m sorry, it’s just habit…” Aya Tone mumbled, sheepishly rubbing her head.
In her feminized form, she wasn’t accustomed to showing her face in public.
This wasn’t due to any lack of confidence in her appearance.
With her petite figure, skin as fair as snow, and a face so adorable it made anyone who saw it want to lean in for a kiss.
Combined with her waterfall of silver-white long hair, the feminized Aya Tone’s appearance could truly be called a masterpiece of nature’s artistry.
Yet, precisely because of this, Aya Tone chose to conceal her face.
‘The outside world is too dangerous.’
‘Girls must learn to protect themselves when out, or they might be tricked by creepy older men.’
‘Especially vulnerable girls like her, who had been tricked into working by a ‘bad woman’ like Fire Finch.’
‘Habit?!’
Fire Finch was beside herself with exasperation.
“You’re an S-rank powerhouse responsible for guarding Yan’an City,” she said, a hint of frustrated disappointment in her voice, “What are you afraid of?”
Indeed, every city had an S-rank guardian, and Yan’an City was no exception.
Aya Tone was the guardian responsible for protecting Yan’an City.
“Well… in every way, I’m afraid…”
Aya Tone hesitated for a moment before admitting it.
She hadn’t been so scared before she became famous, but ever since participating in that ridiculous ranking competition, every time she stepped out and showed her face, she would be mobbed by a throng of fans.
Moreover, those fervent fans weren’t exactly well-behaved with their hands, always intentionally or unintentionally pinching her cheeks; she was truly terrified.
She had no idea where those people were getting their information from; every time she finished clearing a dungeon, numerous people would be waiting outside to block her path.
It worried her to no end.
Aya Tone had tried to use her S-rank authority to uncover the mole before, but in the end, there hadn’t been a single clue.
This was enough to show that the mole’s identity was far from ordinary.
“Alright, let’s not let it happen again…”
Fire Finch, the true ringleader of the fan base and the mole herself, fell silent for a moment, deciding to skip this topic entirely.
Otherwise, if they delved any deeper, it might be discovered that all that information had originated from her.
Last time, the investigation had nearly reached her, and if Aya Tone hadn’t seemed a bit dense, her identity as the mole would have been exposed.
“Tell me about your gains this time.”
“The spoils are all with Li Jia; you can ask her.”
Aya Tone had been preoccupied with catching her flight yesterday and hadn’t meticulously counted the resources, simply handing them over to Li Jia for processing.
After all, Fire Finch had mentioned on the phone that a portion needed to be submitted to the White Tiger Guild, and Aya Tone didn’t have time to wait around.
“Li Jia?” At the mention of her, Fire Finch gave the rigidly standing Aya Tone a strange look.
She continued, “She came back last night asking me where you lived, but there’s no way I’d tell her. I just sent her away casually.”
“What happened between you two?”
When Li Jia returned to the guild last night, Fire Finch had coincidentally been dealing with the airport incident.
Li Jia, dragging her suitcase, had greeted her and then inquired about Aya Tone’s address, her tone sounding as if she’d been abandoned by a heartless man.
Others might not know Aya Tone’s situation, but Fire Finch certainly did.
Nothing concerning Aya Tone could be exposed, or their contract would be ‘game over.’
So, Fire Finch had used Li Jia’s fatigue as an excuse to send her away.
‘Li Jia was looking for me?’
Aya Tone paused, slightly taken aback, then began, “Nothing really, just yesterday…”
She recounted how she had inadvertently upset Li Jia yesterday, and then, ever so thoughtfully, had booked a room for Li Jia.
By the end of her explanation, Aya Tone was almost touched by her own kindness.
‘If this were a drama, she’d be the type of infuriatingly ‘gentle’ male lead who inadvertently causes chaos.’
“You mean you left Li Jia alone in Fengtai City and then came back by yourself?”
Fire Finch immediately grasped the truth of the matter, her brows furrowing slightly.
“No, I told Li Jia, and she responded to me,” Aya Tone countered.
In Aya Tone’s view, when she left, she had explicitly told Li Jia she was leaving, and the other party had acknowledged it.
How could anyone say she had abandoned Li Jia there?
“Genius! Well done…”
Fire Finch pressed a hand to her forehead; now she understood why Li Jia had returned late last night, barely settled before wanting to grab a weapon and head to Aya Tone’s house.
‘This dense person… is hopeless.’
With that thought, Fire Finch subtly reached out and tapped her phone.
‘It’s probably best if I don’t interfere in these two’s affairs.’
‘Of course, stirring the pot doesn’t count… Heh heh.’