Alezno’s Unintended Intimacy

Pan Qi sternly reprimanded the restaurant’s cleaner, for the excessive soap suds left on the floor had been the direct cause of their unfortunate slip.

Alezno, having struck her head against Li Yue’s, promptly fainted, collapsing to the floor in unresponsive stillness.

Yet, after a tense thirty seconds during which everyone stood by, utterly helpless, she automatically sat upright once more.

Sitting dumbfounded on the ground, she clutched her reddened, swollen forehead and gazed at Li Yue, her voice a hesitant murmur: “…Moon? Uh, what exactly is happening?”

‘Ah, what terrible timing; she just had to revert to Alezno at this most inopportune moment.’

Li Yue, without a moment’s hesitation, seized Alezno by the scruff of her neck, yanking her to the side. “She seems to have lost her wits!” Li Yue declared. “I’ll go examine her brain!”

Lowering her voice, she then explained to Alezno, “That woman with the eye patch is an unsuspecting civilian. We’re currently at Su Luoli’s school, so you should just pretend to be Su Luoli… No, actually, you don’t need to say anything at all. Just follow our lead.”

Though Alezno’s eyes still brimmed with confusion, she nonetheless nodded, displaying an exceptionally docile and cooperative demeanor.

‘Hmm! As expected, Alezno is indeed the cuter one~’

Pondering this, Li Yue also nodded, ready to lead Alezno back.

“Very good~”

Yet, to her surprise, she watched as Alezno calmly retrieved a pair of gloves from her pocket and slipped them on with practiced ease.

“…Hmm?”

These were the three-fingered leather gloves, Alezno’s personal emblem, which Su Luoli had taken with her, mixed among her clothes.

Li Yue had never found an opportunity to reclaim them, and it astonished her that Su Luoli had actually carried them around.

Nevertheless, as the gloves were originally Alezno’s, Li Yue refrained from further comment, simply leading her back to Mo Linyu and Pan Qi.

“It’s nothing serious, merely a daze from the impact,” Li Yue stated. “She wasn’t particularly bright to begin with, so there isn’t much room for her intelligence to decline further.”

Despite the mutual collision, Alezno’s forehead sported a noticeable bump, whereas Li Yue appeared entirely unscathed.

Pan Qi, meanwhile, continued to offer apologies, as though she bore a personal share of responsibility for their unexpected fall.

“I will ensure the restaurant learns from this incident, taking measures to prevent any recurrence of situations that endanger students.”

Li Yue, unable to help herself, quipped, “…Are you the student council president or the principal, exactly?”

“Student council president.”

“…Then the cafeteria isn’t your responsibility, is it?”

‘Hmm, this person also… seems rather eccentric.’

****

Pan Qi then guided the trio to a window-side table on the second floor, where they settled down.

“If you don’t mind, I’ll take charge of ordering,” Pan Qi offered, her gaze sweeping over them. “Do any of you have dietary restrictions?”

“No, not really.”

Mo Linyu responded, glancing at Li Yue and Alezno, who simply shook their heads in unison.

Consequently, Pan Qi took it upon herself to order a full table of dishes—a service that typically required self-collection at the counter, yet she appeared to have arranged for direct delivery from the kitchen.

“Classmate Su Luoli.”

As they awaited their meal, Pan Qi suddenly addressed “Su Luoli.”

However, Alezno, unfamiliar with the name, took a considerable moment before finally raising her head.

“Hmm?”

“Why do you seem so distracted?” Pan Qi continued. “Regarding your family situation, it’s not my place as an outsider to intervene, but if you are being coerced into cooperating with them, then I believe you should bravely and loudly declare ‘no’.”

“…Hmm.”

Evidently, Alezno possessed no memories pertaining to Su Luoli.

Yet, having heard Li Yue discuss Su Luoli’s circumstances, she could generally grasp the meaning behind Pan Qi’s words.

“My dear young lady, please do not speak so casually.”

Li Yue retorted, “She hasn’t reached adulthood, nor does she possess an independent source of income.

What precisely would happen after she completely alienates her family?”

“If she continues to live at home, given her parents’ disposition, every allowance and tuition fee they provide would be meticulously recorded on her ledger.

Even in the absence of a physical account book, a mental tally would be kept, accumulating to a terrifying sum she would likely never clear in her lifetime.”

Li Yue challenged, “So, what do you propose she should do?”

“Only by extricating herself from the pervasive influence of her birth family can she truly forge a life of her own.”

‘Good heavens, she’s still just a privileged young lady after all.’

While Pan Qi’s words were not without merit, they amounted to nothing more than a meaningless truism.

Everyone understood such matters, but without a practical solution, they remained mere platitudes.

This particular student council president excelled at uttering correct, yet ultimately useless, remarks; one couldn’t fault her for being wrong, but her pronouncements invariably left a lingering sense of discomfort.

The dishes began to arrive in succession.

The serving was swift, yet the atmosphere showed no signs of improvement, a direct consequence of Pan Qi’s persistence in discussing Su Luoli’s affairs.

What made it even more vexing was the fact that Su Luoli herself wasn’t even present.

“I could go back and speak with her family,” Alezno murmured softly, but then, reconsidering, she amended her statement: “I mean, go back and have a chat with her parents.”

“Hey, don’t be ridiculous!”

She was then met with a light tap on the head from Li Yue.

Though Li Yue had just instructed her to remain silent, the kind-hearted nature of the Hero’s companion ultimately compelled her to speak, particularly when it concerned her present self…

While Su Luoli held little regard for Alezno and resented sharing her own body, Alezno, for her part, genuinely wished to help and look after Su Luoli.

Pan Qi, however, countered with a question: “Isn’t that a positive step? Why would you hinder her?”

“…My question remains: if Su Luoli were to sever ties with her family, would you be prepared to take her in?”

After a moment of hesitation, Pan Qi ultimately shook her head.

“See? Simply uttering pretty words serves no purpose.

We can only offer assistance within a limited scope, such as taking a photo with her, dressed like this…” As she spoke, Li Yue glanced towards Mo Linyu.

The latter, understanding the unspoken cue, promptly produced her phone.

“Come here, lean in, Alezno.”

“Huh?”

Alezno, abruptly pulled closer by Li Yue, was momentarily bewildered, but soon found an arm casually slung over her shoulder.

“Let’s take a picture~ Look at the Demon Lord’s phone camera and try to look a little intimate.”

“Demon Lord?” Pan Qi interjected from the side, a puzzled eyebrow raised.

Compared to posing for a photo with Su Luoli, Li Yue’s interaction with her companion from a past life was far more natural; it was evident, at the very least, that a genuine friendship existed between the two.

Yet, that was merely the beginning; the photograph they intended to capture was far more elaborate.

“What kind of young lady drapes herself over someone like that? Sit up properly!” Mo Linyu chastised, prompting Li Yue to reluctantly withdraw her hand from Alezno’s shoulder.

Instead, Alezno unexpectedly spread her arms wide, wrapping them around Li Yue’s chest.

Li Yue hesitated for a brief moment before her hand naturally settled on Alezno’s slender back.

Alezno looked at the camera and asked, “Like this?”

“Oh, this angle is good~”

Mo Linyu offered her praise, then remarked, “Well, what do you know? You can actually wear such a doting expression too?”

Encouraged by the compliment, Alezno seemed to find her footing, wiggling her small frame on the bench to squeeze even closer to Li Yue, aiming to infuse their current pose with a deeper sense of “friendship.”

Their bodies pressed even more intimately together.

Through the thin fabric of their summer school uniforms, Li Yue could distinctly feel Alezno’s faint warmth and catch the mingled scent of sweat and shampoo emanating from her small head.

Alezno’s emotions were similarly intricate; for the time being, she considered her previous life’s gender to have been male (a fact Li Yue remained entirely oblivious to).

Such an intimate closeness with the esteemed Hero still caused her a touch of shyness.

However, elves were notoriously slow to grasp such matters, and thus, she currently perceived nothing amiss.

Her small face even brushed against the softness of Li Yue’s chest, a gesture that caused Li Yue’s movements to stiffen ever so slightly…

Meanwhile, Mo Linyu, phone in hand, stood by, actively fanning the flames with her suggestive remarks.

“Ah, yes, yes, yes, just like that, yes…”

It was then that Pan Qi promptly confiscated her phone.

“Hey! Is this really right?”

In Pan Qi’s estimation, this scene had unequivocally transcended the boundaries of mere “friendship.”