"Jinzhou's Flying Feather Hero has arrived!"
The red-haired girl shouted as she ran forward, full of excitement. Without the restraint of her hairpin, her crimson hair flared like blazing fire, bouncing with her movements.
A loud splash broke the quiet of the area…
No, more accurately, it broke the calm of the hot spring.
"Chixia, don't do something so dangerous!"
Yangyang hurried after her. The steaming heat of the hot spring tangled with the cold air, blending together without separation, leaving a thin mist over the girls' snow-white skin.
It made people want to push through that mist and see the beautiful scenery hidden beneath.
"Hey, Yangyang, don't be so stiff. Come on, come on, the hot spring feels amazing."
This was Chixia's first time soaking in a hot spring.
Inside the changing room, Rover took off her fitted combat suit and let out a long sigh.
When she heard Zane say there was something good, she thought that blockhead had finally figured things out and was planning to indulge today.
Turns out, she had overestimated him again.
While Rover was lost in thought, another soft and tall body suddenly launched a sneak attack from behind.
A pair of slender, fair hands with defined joints took advantage of her distraction, instantly covering that soft area, kneading and teasing without restraint, moving freely.
"Let me see you properly."
"Ah… Stelle, why are you… mm..."
Rover pressed her lips tightly, soft and charming sounds slipping out from between them, sweet and intoxicating.
She struggled to get away, but Stelle hooked her lightly with a pale leg from behind, making escape impossible.
In terms of strength alone, Stelle, carrying the Stellaron, was no weaker than Rover.
"If Zane can do it, so can I! Be good and give in to me. Heh heh heh…"
Stelle laughed strangely as her restless hand slowly slid downward…
A chop landed lightly on Stelle's head. She winced and finally stopped her mischief.
"That's enough messing around. Don't forget why we came here."
"Huh?" After letting out a bird-like sound, Stelle scratched her slightly messy gray hair. "Why did we come? Wasn't it to have fun?"
Seeing that clueless expression, almost identical to Zane's, the Doctor sighed helplessly. She turned and helped up Rover, who had gone limp from Stelle's teasing, and led her toward the hot spring.
"When we were in the Mirage Realm earlier, the Rover got frostbite. Besides relaxing, this hot spring also helps heal injuries."
After all the battles, everyone needed to relax in this magical hot spring water.
"Oh."
Stelle watched the two of them walk into the hot spring, letting out a somewhat reluctant response.
But the next second, a lance wrapped in flames suddenly appeared in her hand. The will of those who stood unyielding against wind and snow took form in the girl's grasp.
That was the power of "Preservation," the power she would use to protect others.
Yet at this moment, looking at the lance, she didn't feel even a hint of excitement. Instead, she stomped her foot angrily, her smooth bare feet slapping against the ground.
"Zane, you idiot! Couldn't you have pulled earlier? Then I could've used 'Flame Lance Charge' on the Rover!"
Hearing Stelle's shout from the changing room, Rover, already in the hot spring, shivered slightly. Thinking back to that scene, her cheeks heated up again.
Right now, only the soft body beside her could give her a bit of warmth.
"Little Eagle, hug me."
"Get lost!"
At the same time, Zane was lying flat in the men's changing room, completely lifeless.
The truth proved that 53 pulls didn't guarantee anything. He had no choice but to hand over his treasured collection of Rover's stockings to the system, and in exchange, he got 20 more pulls…
Of course, Rover's stockings alone weren't enough. He also gave up Sanhua's, Changli's, Jinhsi's, Jiyan's, Xiangli Yao's…
Wait, something weird seemed to have slipped in just now…
This time, he was truly drained dry.
At the same time, since he had pulled from Stelle's exclusive "special summon," everything he got was related to her.
Zane stared blankly at the system's inventory, now filled with over sixty pieces of "trash" and more than a dozen pieces of "good-looking trash." At that moment, he felt like dying.
Not metaphorically. They were literally trash.
Items that, when used, immediately caused a chosen ally to lose 15% of their max HP.
Completely useless.
But after checking the description of the "good-looking trash," he felt a little better.
"Restores 4 skill points instantly upon use."
"…Feels like I'd rather get a dozen swift blades instead…"
Zane muttered, silently adding this to Stelle's tab.
Just then, a loud crash from outside the door startled him so much he jumped up instantly.
At first, he thought he imagined it. But the next second, a red lance pierced through the door, and half of a pretty face, carrying a hint of chill, peeked through the torn opening.
"Where is Zane?!"
Zane stared wide-eyed as Stelle burst through the door holding the lance.
Wasn't this supposed to be the power of "Preservation"? Why did it come with door-breaking?
"Hey, what are you doing!?"
Zane hurriedly backed away. It wasn't that he was afraid of Stelle, but…
She wasn't wearing anything at all.
"No, don't! I'll get Shenhe'd!"
Stelle's pale skin, like cold snow, was covered in a thin layer of mist. Her lips, illuminated by the flame lance, looked naturally red, and her shimmering eyes carried a hint of grievance.
"You ruined my good thing, so I'll ruin yours."
"Huh?" Zane was confused. "What good thing do I have?"
"Hot spring, moonlight, beautiful girls. What else could it be?"
'...Wait, are you sure showing up naked in front of a grown man isn't already "doing something good"?'
Zane wiped his nose. 'Yep, red tears.'
Seeing that he didn't seem afraid, Stelle immediately raised her lance at him, stepping forward and twisting her waist, drawing power from the ground...
And then she slipped on the wet floor.
The flaming lance slammed into a nearby locker with a loud bang, smashing the metal cabinet from top to bottom. Clothes hangers scattered everywhere.
Stelle shut her eyes tightly, waiting for the pain to come.
But no matter how long she waited, the impact never arrived. Instead, she felt a warm embrace, along with a soft, helpless chuckle.
"What, lying there feels good? Not getting up?"
At the moment she slipped, Zane had caught her and lifted her into his arms.
The air grew thick with something unspoken, quietly spreading. Moisture dampened her soft gray hair, wrapping around his fingers and clinging to him.
At one moment, she opened her eyes, as if bewitched, and raised her hand to smooth the stray hair on his forehead. When their gazes met, she paused, then slowly withdrew her hand and closed her eyes again.
"Mm… not getting up."
The girl curled up in his arms like a small bird, greedily savoring the warmth of the moment.
"Zane, what happened here? We just heard a loud noise…"
Wrapped in a towel, Rover rushed over, only to see the scene in front of her.
The air froze instantly.
"Rover… listen to me, this was force majeure…"
Before Zane could finish, Stelle leaned out from his arms, her face still carrying a lingering, satisfied expression.
"No, you came at just the right time."