“So you were here. I’ve been looking for you everywhere.”
Irena looked a little tired, the dark circles under her eyes especially noticeable.
“What happened to you?”
“It’s nothing, I’m just a bit tired lately.”
Irena waved her hand, pulling Vivi to a quiet corner, and asked in a low voice.
“Did you see the news?”
“Hmm? About that village that vanished without a trace?”
“Yeah.”
Irena nodded.
“I’ve heard about it, I guess.”
“That’s good. Saves me from explaining it all.”
“I rushed here this time specifically to make sure you’re safe.”
“To make sure I’m safe?”
Vivi tilted her head in confusion, not realizing what this had to do with her.
It couldn’t be… that Eno girl still hasn’t given up on me, right…?
“Your talent is extraordinary. Of course Eno would keep thinking about you. Not just for…”
Here, Irena paused, as if searching for the right words.
“Vivi, are you aware of your own charm?”
“Eh? Me?”
She was completely bewildered by the question.
“What charm does this lousy body have? I can’t even muster up any strength.”
Vivi pouted, clearly dissatisfied with her current appearance.
Irena looked at her as if to say, “Just as I thought,” and covered half her cheek, half laughing, half exasperated.
“Vivi, honestly, your kind of loli is the most popular among the Slime Girls.”
They like my type? This… this can’t be right.
Vivi found it hard to believe, but thinking back to Eno’s attitude toward her, it did seem to make a lot of sense. Looking at her own little hands, she just couldn’t figure out what was so good about her body.
So weak and fragile—could it be all Slime Girls are obsessed with big eyes?
Her brain started to overload. She really couldn’t wrap her head around their thinking, just couldn’t understand it at all.
“Ahem~”
A light cough broke Vivi’s train of thought, and Irena continued.
“It’s said that whenever a loli-type Slime Girl appears, it always brings a major upheaval to the Slime Girl race.”
“The Slime Queen who rules my homeland, I’ve heard, is also a little loli.”
“With the magic talent you possess, given enough time, you could totally grow into someone like her.”
Me… becoming the Slime Queen?
“W-wait… This is all too much.”
Vivi’s eyes spun, thoroughly confused by everything Irena was saying.
It was as if a bunch of strange new knowledge had suddenly been dumped into her brain.
Becoming the Slime Queen or whatever…
Suddenly, an image popped into her mind: herself in a ceremonial dress, sitting on a throne, her fair little feet dangling.
Beautiful Slime Girl attendants all around her, serving her tea, helping her pick out pretty little dresses…
Pfft~
No way! I absolutely do NOT want to become the Slime Queen!
Vivi grew more resolute, looking Irena straight in the eye.
“Listen, Vivi. You absolutely cannot let Eno catch you. Right now, I can’t completely suppress your instincts.”
“If she manages to fully take over your consciousness, everything will be over. It’s possible that… even your little sister will become a Slime Girl, or turn into food for the Slime Girls.”
Irena’s tone grew solemn, her pale golden eyes locked unblinking on Vivi.
The two stared at each other, the atmosphere growing a little strange for a moment.
Vivi turned her head aside, a little embarrassed, but still nodded earnestly.
“Yeah, I… I got it.”
The tension in Irena’s nerves eased a little, and the fatigue she’d been carrying these days surged over her.
She swayed a bit, leaning against the wall, a ringing buzzing in her ears.
“Irena, are you okay?”
“I’m… I’m fine. Can you use Saint Light Technique? Cast it on me.”
The Saint Light Technique was a magic that could remove negative conditions and heal injuries.
But for things like fatigue, it could only temporarily suppress it.
Vivi lowered her head, a gentle white glow appeared in her palm, and she pressed it to the center of Irena’s brow.
The holy light slowly faded, and Irena let out a light breath, feeling much better, pinching Vivi’s little face with a smile.
“You’re really getting the hang of it. That’s just like you.”
“Mm, stop pinching, I’m not a kid!”
“Let me relax a bit, just for a while.”
Vivi could only let her knead her little cheeks in resignation.
***
After a while, Irena finally stopped, stretching lazily in satisfaction.
“Alright, I’ll go talk to Wu Menghan later. Do you want to say anything to her, as her brother?”
“Um, better not. With how things are right now, it’s best if she doesn’t know.”
“Hm? Why not?”
“How should I put it… I guess, as her brother, it’s my pride.”
“I used to always protect her, but now… like this, I probably can’t protect her anymore.”
Of course, there were more reasons. Like whether she could accept him like this, or if she’d feel disgusted by his change.
Or, if one day he forgot about his sister, forgot everything and completely became a Slime Girl—could she handle that kind of blow?
Irena didn’t have a permanent solution. The longer things dragged on, the more inevitable his transformation into a Slime Girl would be.
She’d seen Wu Menghan’s breakdown with her own eyes—if they reunited now, but later he forgot her, that would be even more painful than death for her.
Maybe… in the future, he should act more disgusted with his sister. That way, even if he forgot her, she wouldn’t be so hurt.
These thoughts stayed in Vivi’s mind; what she said to Irena was just the excuse of pride.
Irena smiled and didn’t dig any deeper. But she saw the worry in Vivi’s eyes, so she patted the little loli’s shoulder and spoke gently, “Don’t worry, we’ll find a way. We will!”
Her voice was firm and confident. After all, this was the reason she kept going.
Get stronger, research the structure of Slime Girls, look for a way to restore her family’s memories.
Or even better, find a way to bring everyone back to how they used to be.
In a sense, her goal and Vivi’s were complementary, and she couldn’t research Slime Girls without Vivi’s help.
“I’ll keep your secret, and you have to give me intel from time to time. How about we take down the Slime Girls together?”
Vivi stared into her eyes, slowly extending her hand.
“Mm… let’s work together?”
“Let’s work together.”
The two clasped hands tightly, as if forging a contract.
***
A few days later, at Xingsheng South Street, inside the coffee shop.
A little loli in neutral clothes sat by the window, her petite figure curled up in the chair, making the chair look even bigger.
She was a little bored—her little sister was at school, Xiaxiaoling was at work, and as for herself…
She was basically working here, but for some reason, this coffee shop had very few customers, so she rarely had anything to do.
Mostly, she just zoned out here, or waited for Irena to show up and teach her a few tricks.
She wasn’t sure if it was because she was especially talented, or if Irena was a good teacher, but she always learned very quickly.
It was while she was zoning out like this that, through the window, she saw Irena’s figure slowly walking over.
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