Merlin broke free from Li’s embrace and ran off, her Mary Jane heels clicking against the ground.
John shot Li a speechless glance.
His look clearly said: “You made this mess, you clean it up.”
“Oops, I guess I really did take the joke too far… But everything I told her is important business for a girl. She’ll have to experience it sooner or later anyway.”
Li stuck her tongue out as she watched Merlin’s fleeing figure, the corners of her mouth twitching with a smile she couldn’t quite suppress.
“But seriously, it’s the first time I’ve seen our Boss as a blushing beauty. She’s so cute I could die. Heh, this was totally worth it.”
“…”
John sighed and rubbed his temples in resignation.
“I get it, I get it. I’m going after her now. We still haven’t talked about our actual business yet.”
Li watched Merlin’s retreating back and started to run.
“Boss!”
Completely unlike the stumbling way she arrived, Merlin’s skill with high heels had become exceptionally refined under the drive of shame and indignation.
The thin heels tapped out a series of urgent, powerful “clack-clack-clack” sounds on the stone path. With her skirt fluttering, she ran incredibly fast.
“Uwaaaaa, you only know how to bully a newbie like me! I hate you!”
Even Li, who was used to hard work and wearing flat boots, could only slowly close the distance between them.
“Boss, I’m sorry! I apologize! Stop running!”
While covering her burning ears, Merlinlia scurried forward blindly, her skirt fluttering frantically in the wind like flower petals. Her voice carried a hint of a sob, yet sounded especially soft and sweet due to her embarrassment.
“No, no, no! You’re bullying me! I don’t know anything about things like ‘no cooldown’!”
Then, Merlin’s protesting voice dropped rapidly like a kite with its string cut, turning into a murmur.
“I… I’ve never tried it before…”
Merlin’s soft voice was so quiet it almost vanished in the wind, but it still accurately reached the ears of Li, who was following closely behind.
Li slowed her pace, looking at the elven girl ahead whose back seemed to be emitting steam from embarrassment.
She sighed. The mischief in her eyes gradually turned into a mix of helplessness and endearment.
“Alright, alright, I get it. I won’t say it anymore, okay? Don’t run so fast, watch where you’re going!”
Li shouted as she sped up, trying to catch up and soothe the literal frazzled kitten.
“Uwaaaaa! I’m not that kind of girl!”
“I said I get it! Stop running!”
Just as there were only a few steps left between them—
“Ah!”
A short gasp rang out.
Merlin’s exquisite but unstable thin heel caught perfectly in a slightly protruding gap between the paving stones.
Her balance was instantly shattered. Merlin felt her ankle give way, and her body pitched uncontrollably forward and to the side.
The scenery began to spin violently, and the hard ground rushed up toward her eyes.
It’s over. I’m going to have such an ugly fall right in front of my partner.
Merlin closed her eyes in despair, waiting for the impact.
However, the expected pain never came.
In a flash, a figure lunged forward like an arrow released from a bow.
The moment before Merlin hit the ground, Li grabbed her around the waist. Using the momentum, she used her own body as a cushion, shielding Merlin as they rolled onto the neatly trimmed, soft grass by the side of the road.
*Thud.*
The two of them were like a tangled ball of yarn, rolling several times on the grass before finally coming to a stop.
The world finally stopped spinning.
The scent of crushed fresh grass lingered around them, mixed with the fragrance of flowers and the warmth of their bodies.
Merlin lay on top of Li, panting in shock. Her long, blue-gradient hair spilled down like a waterfall, covering Li’s chest.
“Are you okay, Boss?”
Li’s voice came from beneath her, tinged with tension. She didn’t care about the grass stains all over her back.
She immediately reached out, gently cupping Merlin’s cheeks to check for any scrapes.
“Does anything hurt? Your knees? Elbows?”
Merlin blinked, her large ice-blue eyes still reflecting her recent panic.
She shook her head, propping herself up with her hands as she asked urgently:
“I’m fine… But what about you, Li? Are you okay?”
Merlin’s hands moved frantically over Li, checking her condition.
“Did you hit anything? Did you scrape your skin? You idiot… why did you jump in like that? It wouldn’t have mattered if I fell.”
As she spoke, Merlin’s eyes turned red again.
After all, they were partners who had supported each other since childhood in the slums.
The little girl who used to always hide behind Merlin was now protecting her, turning herself into a cushion without a second thought.
Seeing Merlin’s anxious expression that looked like she was about to cry, Li burst into a laugh.
She lay on the grass, letting Merlin fuss over her, a bright smile on her face.
“I’m fine. The grass in this academy is really soft. Besides, Boss is a soft and squishy girl now, you need to cherish yourself more.”
Li reached out, wrapped her arms around Merlin’s waist, and gave her a firm squeeze.
“But you know, even though this grass is soft, I think it’s still not as soft as you, Boss. Hugging you feels so good, hehe.”
“You…”
The emotion Merlin had been building up was instantly choked back by this indecent comment.
She tried to get up in a huff, but Li gently held her down.
The two maintained this slightly ambiguous posture for a moment of quiet on the grass.
Then, Li dropped her playful expression and looked Merlin seriously in the eye.
“Sorry, Boss. I was too reckless.”
Merlin froze, lowering her head like a child who had done something wrong.
“No… it’s my fault. I’m clearly not used to wearing high heels, yet I threw a tantrum and ran off. In the end, I had to let you protect me… even though I was always the one protecting you all before.”
A sense of powerlessness washed over her again.
“That’s not it.”
Li shook her head, her gaze becoming exceptionally tender.
“Sorry, Boss. I know you just became a girl. Whether it’s your body or your mind, you don’t understand any of this yet. I teased you too much.”
She reached out to help Merlin tidy her messy bangs, her tone sincere.
“Even if I wanted to teach you those… ahem, ‘necessary courses’ for girls, I should have chosen a more subtle and gentle way. I’m sorry, did I scare you?”
Merlin pursed her lips. The small grievance in her heart vanished under Li’s soft words, replaced by a warm sense of gratitude.
“Yeah… thanks.”
Merlin responded softly, her mood still a bit low.
She glanced at the high heels on her feet; the heels were stained with dirt, looking rather pathetic.
These were the Mary Jane heels Ophelia had bought for her on the day she brought the school uniform. Ophelia said they suited her perfectly, so Merlin always wore them whenever she was in uniform.
“As I thought… I guess I’m just not suited for these kinds of shoes.”
“No way!”