This sudden blow was something even Lin Luo found hard to bear, let alone Arcueid. Fortunately, Arutoruzhi's mental fortitude held; she neither exploded in anger nor immediately collapsed. After a brief moment of stunned silence, she acted as if nothing had happened, completely ignoring Arcueid’s presence and proactively pulling Lin Luo toward Fuyuki City.

As they walked, she asked, "What are you doing here?"

If Arutoruzhi was willing to play dumb, Lin Luo certainly was too. After all, he had just "died" by Arcueid's wicked spear, so there was no reason to bring up that phantom friend. He cooperated by skillfully changing the subject, "Are you referring to this city, or your battlefield?"

"Of course, this city."

"Oh, this is where I work."

"Work?"

"Mhm, a very grand, very scientific, and very philosophical job."

"You mean the world's anomalies?"

"Anomalies? You could see it that way. In short, this city is currently quite chaotic. Toss any brick toward the sky, and it might just hit some big shot."

"How big of a shot?"

"Actually, not that big—maybe a Mage, a Heroic Spirit, or one of the Twenty-Seven Ancestors."

"Haha, you have high aspirations."

"Because my appetite is just as large."

"I wouldn't have guessed. Only ten years have passed, and you’ve changed so much. But... this situation is quite interesting. It’s making me excited."

"How about it? Want to be my assistant? It’s a lot of fun."

"No thanks. Unknown games are the most fun to play."

"Well, that makes sense."

Lin Luo and Arutoruzhi walked hand-in-hand, chatting as naturally as if they were a couple deeply in love, although the girl was slightly loli in appearance... This sight made Arcueid rather depressed. Despite having won a skirmish just moments ago, she felt like she had somehow lost now.

"Hey! Don't ignore me!"

So, Arcueid yelled and ran after them. Seeing her approach, Lin Luo extended his free hand toward her.

Arcueid hesitated. Sharing the same object with Arutoruzhi made her deeply uncomfortable, but then she considered: if she didn't take his hand, wouldn't Arutoruzhi get to enjoy the exclusive attention? That would be far worse!

She certainly didn't want to be at a disadvantage, especially against Arutoruzhi.

Thus, Arcueid ultimately took Lin Luo's hand and held it closer, adopting an even more intimate posture to flaunt it to Arutoruzhi.

Foolish woman... Arutoruzhi cursed inwardly when she saw the look Arcueid shot her, but she refused to show weakness. She also took Lin Luo's hand and pressed her body tightly against him.

Damn woman... Arcueid gritted her teeth, silently scorning the other's shamelessness, while simultaneously pulling Lin Luo's hand even tighter, moving it from her embrace to rest directly over her chest.

While it’s true that sometimes lolis have surprisingly large chests, and maidens might have small ones, this scientifically dubious exception didn't apply to these two princesses; their body proportions were quite normal—full bust, slender waist, shapely hips. By any measure, Arcueid’s figure was perfection. As for the loli-formed Arutoruzhi, while