Chapter 226: The Joker Is Me

Red rubbed the monkey’s head vigorously for quite a while before finally lowering his hand helplessly.

How should he put it?

When you were feeling sad and down, having such a clown around did make it very easy to temporarily forget your sorrow.

Emotions were contagious.

Given Letia’s personality… how should he describe it?

From a low-EQ perspective, she was brainless and heartless.

From a high-EQ perspective, she was an eternal optimist.

He had clearly wanted to be left alone in peace, specifically to avoid affecting the people around him.

Yet, Letia had still come running over to perform for him.

“Didn’t you see that I was a bit sad?”

Red told Letia exactly how he was feeling, but the latter didn’t take it seriously at all.

She even said with a grin, “I came to find you precisely because I knew you were sad.”

Seeing Letia like this, Red fell silent for a moment.

She continued, “Red, if no one kept an eye on you, you’d probably keep all those sad things suppressed deep in your heart forever and choose to carry them all by yourself, wouldn’t you?”

Letia sat down beside Red, her two small feet swinging back and forth in a very leisurely manner.

It formed a sharp contrast with Red’s somewhat gloomy expression.

“Don’t think you can hide anything from me~”

Red met Letia’s eyes.

Looking at the only girl he could vent to, he thought for a while before finally asking, “Letia, may I ask you something?”

“Go ahead.”

“Why… why are you helping me?”

Red had never been clear on when exactly Letia had become so close to him.

Thinking back, she always seemed to be someone who smiled on the surface but was actually detached, always maintaining an attitude that nothing was her business.

That was why Red couldn’t figure it out.

Normally, Letia should…

No, her attitude toward him seemed to have changed quite a bit.

But even between friends, things shouldn’t go this far.

At least Red couldn’t imagine that jerk Tos sucking on his face for a full minute just to comfort him.

“Helping you?”

Letia crossed her arms and humped twice.

Her face then took on a dark expression, looking like a major Villain.

“That’s naturally because I plan to take advantage of your weakness… to steal your body and then find a way to take half of your assets…”

Red, his face covered in black lines, was dragged back to reality by Letia.

With such a subhuman around, it was a miracle he hadn’t fainted from anger on the spot.

Where would he find the time to be sad?

“Be serious.”

Red sighed.

“…”

The playful expression on Letia’s face faded slightly.

She then looked at Red and said very seriously, “You might not believe it if I say it…”

Letia pointed at herself with a solemn and serious look.

“I, Litt, pay me.”

“Goodbye.”

Without another word, Red stood up to leave.

“Don’t, don’t! I was just making a small joke! Don’t go, don’t go!!”

“Is there any difference between your joke and rubbing salt in someone’s wound?”

Red’s face was dark.

It was a good thing he had a good temper; if it were anyone else, they probably wouldn’t even be friends anymore.

“If you keep talking nonsense, I’m really leaving.”

Seeing how serious Red was, Letia could only take back her jokes.

She spread her hands and began to explain.

“To be honest, I don’t need a reason to help you. If I had to find one… it would be that I owe you something.”

“Why do you say that?”

Red hadn’t expected Letia to give such an answer.

He had originally thought this flighty girl would grin and say something like ‘I like you.’

He hadn’t expected the answer to be so serious.

Furthermore, Red couldn’t remember what Letia could possibly owe him…

Wait?

There actually was something.

“Oh right, you haven’t paid back the money you owe me.”

“…”

As soon as Letia heard this, a guilty expression appeared on her face.

“Uh… it’s not just because of that…”

“Then what is it?”

Red was indeed a bit confused, but Letia didn’t know how to speak up.

She just muttered under her breath with a guilty conscience.

‘Although the analogy isn’t quite right, the meaning is basically that I took your money and played with your feelings.’

“???”

A string of small question marks immediately popped up in Red’s mind.

But soon, his face gradually became shocked, as if he had thought of a terrifying possibility.

“Did you… secretly give me the Grand Lotto last night?”

As soon as these words came out, the surrounding people couldn’t help but look over.

They looked at them as if they were a divine couple.

“I did not!”

Letia seemed to lose it a bit and elbowed Red in the stomach.

“Anyway, it’s true that I lied to you! But it’s also true that I have feelings for you! If I didn’t have any feelings at all, do you think… would… would I kiss you?!”

Red nodded as if he half-understood, and Letia continued, “You don’t need that many reasons to have feelings for someone. It could be their face, or it could be their personality.”

“I don’t think there’s anything about me that could attract you…”

“Why not? Don’t you still have your specialty? What if I just took a liking to your specialty?”

Letia gave Red a miffed glare.

Simultaneously, her gaze gradually lowered.

That unreserved stare made Red instinctively arch his body.

Once these words were out, the people around quickly caught on.

However, given the difference in their physiques…

Hiss~

Would it even reach?

“Shh!!”

Red felt more and more people looking their way.

He hurried to cover Letia’s loose-lipped mouth.

“You might not want your dignity, but I still want mine!”

What kind of sins had he committed in his past life to meet such a baffling monkey?

He finally waited for this clown to settle down a bit before he irritably released his hand.

His voice carried a trace of resigned exhaustion.

“Fine, fine, just behave yourself. Hurry back to Dawnblade. Although you’re always flighty, compared to those other members who are even more worrying… you’re at least the most mature and stable one…”

“Oh, you mean that?”

Hearing this, Letia reached into her pocket.

Under Red’s gaze, she pulled out a Team Resignation Certificate and an Adventurer Cancellation Certificate.

“Ta-da~”

She shook the two papers open like she was presenting a treasure, waving them playfully in front of Red.

“After a friendly consultation and negotiation between myself and Captain Liz, now—I, Letia, have gloriously retired from Dawnblade!”

She said “retired” as if it were a grand victory, looking very proud of herself.

“Just like you, I’m now a free and easy unemployed person! How about it?”

The girl leaned in closer, her eyes blinking as she looked at Red with anticipation.

“Does your shop… still need someone to do chores, watch the store, or… well, a mascot or something?”

However, at this moment, Red stopped talking.

He didn’t know what to say.

He simply pulled out his Adventurer Badge in silence and showed it to Letia.

Under the afterglow of the setting sun, the badge clearly showed his name and his status.

What was displayed on it wasn’t “Canceled,” but “Active.”

“Eh?”

Letia froze.

She looked at the resignation papers in her hand, then at the Adventurer Badge in Red’s hand.

For a moment, she was stuck in place.

“Huh?!”

At this moment, Letia, who had truly canceled her Adventurer Badge, suddenly felt like she was a Joker.