Chapter 12: A Splash, a Chase, and an Unexpected Rescue

Xiluo’er didn’t hesitate for a second. After splashing the water, she immediately turned and sprinted towards the restaurant’s exit.

What a pity, she had only splashed him with an ordinary glass of iced lemonade.

‘If only I’d had pepper spray,’ she thought.

Splashed with cold water, Red froze for a moment, seemingly dumbfounded by Xiluo’er’s sudden action.

By the time Xiluo’er had already made her escape, he finally reacted.

“You bastard!”

This act instantly enraged Red. He shot to his feet, knocking over the chair behind him, and then strode quickly after Xiluo’er.

Under normal circumstances, a teenage girl could hardly outrun an adult man. As expected, Red caught up to the fleeing Xiluo’er in just a few strides, reaching out to grab her clothes.

From the corner of her eye, Xiluo’er caught sight of Red’s movement. From her perspective, the grasping hand wasn’t particularly fast; she could have easily dodged it if she wished.

But… alas.

With a quiet sigh, Xiluo’er made no additional movements, allowing Red’s hand to seize her clothing.

‘No choice, I guess this is it,’ she thought.

‘And this was the new outfit Sister Eve just bought me today…’

Consumed by fury, Red grabbed Xiluo’er by the collar, lifting her entirely off the ground.

“Alright then, in Kana City, you’re one of the few who dares to provoke me like this.”

Xiluo’er glanced back towards the restaurant entrance.

‘Too bad,’ she mused. ‘If he’d been just a little slower, I might have had a chance to escape.’

‘So now…’

Xiluo’er clenched her fists, her face flushed, and her eyes fixed on Red.

“Sister Eve!”

Xiluo’er shouted at the top of her lungs.

‘If you can’t beat ’em, call for backup!’ she thought.

‘Speaking of which, wasn’t Sister Eve just going to the restroom? Why is she taking so long to return?’

“Heh, only thinking of calling for help now? Too late…” Red sneered.

His words, however, were cut short as the restaurant door burst open with a resounding bang.

Xiluo’er immediately spun her head, looking towards the entrance once more.

‘What a perfectly timed, heroic entrance!’ she thought.

‘Eve truly is the game’s protagonist; even her appearances are so meticulously timed.’

Yet… after clearly seeing who the figure at the doorway was, Xiluo’er’s expression instantly froze.

‘Oh no, why is it her?’

Appearing boldly against the light at the restaurant’s entrance wasn’t Eve, but… Rona, clad in her knight’s uniform.

“Kana City Guard!”

Rona’s gaze swept across the restaurant.

“I heard a commotion outside just now; what’s going on here… Eh? Xiluo’er?”

Rona’s professional gaze immediately transformed into one of surprise.

‘Damn it!’

‘Who’s Xiluo’er? I don’t know her!’

‘Why, of all people, did I have to run into Rona?’

Xiluo’er, feeling a surge of despair, covered her face with her hands.

‘Heroic rescues are usually for protagonists, not cultists!’ she internally grumbled. ‘Can’t you have some self-awareness, close the door, and let Eve come in instead?’

“Um… good afternoon? Sister Rona…”

Xiluo’er waved her small hand rather awkwardly.

“What is this…”

Rona narrowed her eyes. After taking in the scene and the group of thugs in the restaurant, a flicker of disgust crossed her gaze.

It seemed that as a member of the City Guard, she was quite familiar with these troublemakers.

****

And so, without a doubt, all the thugs in the restaurant, along with Xiluo’er, were taken away by Rona.

The reason given was “disturbing the peace and disrupting order in a public place.”

This was quite normal, and Xiluo’er didn’t mind being taken away in this manner.

However, she absolutely did not want any contact with Rona because of this!

Rona already suspected her, and Xiluo’er’s original plan was to gather information on Rona without direct contact, to avoid this person with a terrifying intuition discovering any more clues.

Now, she had practically delivered herself right into Rona’s hands.

Sitting on horseback, leaning against Rona behind her, Xiluo’er felt a silent bitterness welling up inside her.

Rona was now taking them to the City Lord’s Mansion for interrogation.

This meant that, at the very least, she would have to be alone with Rona throughout the journey.

‘No, I must be careful not to reveal any more weaknesses,’ she resolved.

“Xiluo’er, move closer, be careful not to fall off,”

“Oh…”

Rona’s voice came from behind her. Xiluo’er dared not look back, only leaning back a little more as a symbolic gesture.

‘Hmm… I have to admit, Rona’s “weight” is truly substantial,’ she thought.

Compared to Eve, the difference between the two women was a perfect, extreme contrast.

Xiluo’er had long noticed that even the knight’s uniform couldn’t entirely conceal Rona’s ample bosom, a fact that became even more striking upon actual contact.

As she sat on the somewhat bumpy horseback, Xiluo’er could feel the ‘marshmallows’ pressing against her back swaying with the horse’s movements.

“Tell me, what happened just now?”

Rona’s voice, as if transmitted through bone conduction, came from behind her once more.

If it were possible, Xiluo’er would have preferred not to speak a single word to Rona throughout the entire journey, but that was clearly out of the question.

Thus, Xiluo’er mustered her full concentration, determined not to reveal any issues while she spoke.

“Well, those guys suddenly rushed into the shop and started bothering the waitress. I couldn’t just stand by, so I…”

Xiluo’er mumbled, speaking the truth.

‘Otherwise, if I had just waited until Eve returned, none of this would have happened.’

“Oh?”

Rona sounded somewhat surprised, and she scrutinized the girl in her arms once more.

Initially, she had been quite suspicious of this girl named Xiluo’er.

There were no entry registration details for her—while omissions could occur, the chances were slim.

However, she hadn’t expected Xiluo’er to have the courage to step forward in such a situation.

“I’m surprised,” Rona remarked. “You actually dared to step out and act heroically in that situation.”

“No one else in the restaurant did that, did they?”

Xiluo’er detected a tone of approval in Rona’s words, but she couldn’t tell if Rona was trying to test her.

“It’s quite normal, really,” Xiluo’er replied. “After all, no one is obligated to help others.”

“I… I just couldn’t stand it.”

Rona nodded in satisfaction.

“That’s why acting heroically is a commendable act,” Rona stated.

‘Acting heroically, huh…’

To hear the word “heroic” spoken by a cultist who would one day bring disaster upon Kana City struck Xiluo’er as strangely peculiar.

“However, Xiluo’er,” Rona continued, “next time you encounter such a situation, don’t be so quick to step forward.”

“Eh? Why?” Xiluo’er instinctively countered.

Rona sighed, then went on, “Even when acting heroically, you must first ensure your own safety.”

“After all, the situation in Kana City is far from simple.”