The sudden voice caused Fang Li and Megumin, who were fooling around, to stop their actions simultaneously.
"That voice…"
Fang Li felt like she had heard it somewhere before, then turned her head to look toward the source of the sound.
"Could it be…"
Megumin seemed to have recognized who the newcomer was, narrowing her eyes slightly, and along with Fang Li, turned to look to the side.
What came into their sight was a girl dressed in robes like Megumin, with a pair of red eyes and jet-black hair, holding a black cat in her arms.
At this moment, the girl holding the black cat pointed at Megumin, shouting happily but angrily.
"It really is Megumin! I knew that sudden big explosions happening in a deserted place could only be caused by someone with a problematic brain like you, Megumin! I was right!"
Fang Li also had a brief acquaintance with the girl speaking.
It was none other than Yunyun, the Crimson Demon Clan girl who once recruited teammates in a rather subtle way at the Adventurer Guild.
"What the hell…" Megumin lay on Fang Li's back and said half-heartedly, "I thought it was someone else, but it turns out to be Yunyun?"
"W-what kind of reaction is that?!" Yunyun seemed hurt by Megumin's reaction, tears welling in her eyes as she protested, "After not seeing a friend—or rather, a rival—for so long, you don't even show a bit of surprise? And I even helped take care of Chomusuke!"
Perhaps hearing Yunyun's call, the black cat in her arms slightly raised its head.
"Meow~~~"
As if extremely lazy, it gave a sluggish meow.
"Oooh." Only then did Megumin show a bit of energy and greeted the black cat in Yunyun's arms, "Long time no see, Chomusuke. Seeing you like this, Yunyun must have taken good care of you. I'm relieved."
The black cat named Chomusuke seemed to understand Megumin's words, meowed again, then lazily curled back up in Yunyun's arms and stopped moving.
Seeing this rather carefree black cat, Fang Li furrowed her brows slightly.
She wasn't sure if it was just her imagination, but Fang Li felt that the seemingly harmless body of this black cat radiated an indescribable aura.
However, her Enemy Detection Skill didn't react at all, proving that this black cat was at least not an enemy.
Even so, Fang Li remained a bit concerned.
So, she asked Megumin, "Hey, what's the story behind this cat with a name that makes me not want to ask further?"
"You can just say if you have any objection to the name I gave it," Megumin protested first, then answered, "That hairball is a familiar I brought out from the Crimson Magic homeland. Originally, my little sister caught it in the wilderness to eat… or rather, to keep. I thought it seemed a bit restless, not the type to stay quietly at home, so I brought it out with me."
"…If I heard correctly, you just said 'caught to eat,' right?" Fang Li said speechlessly, "And since it's your familiar, you shouldn't just give it to others to take care of."
"I have no choice," Megumin said matter-of-factly. "My family was so poor that we couldn't even afford to support a person, let alone a cat. After coming to Axel, I often can't even feed myself, let alone feed a cat. Fortunately, there's that lonely girl who is the daughter of the Crimson Demon Clan leader over there. She's desperate for friends but not short of money. Since that's the case, sending Chomusuke to accompany that lonely girl not only helps relieve her loneliness but also feeds the familiar. Isn't that pretty good?"
"Don't call me a lonely girl! And don't say I lack friends!" Yunyun protested again, unable to tolerate it, "I… I do have friends! I'm… planning to have them in the future!"
At this point, not just Megumin, even Fang Li felt a little sorry for Yunyun.
At that moment, Megumin seemed to remember something and said to Fang Li, "By the way, didn't you once say that you know Yunyun?"
Before Fang Li could respond, Yunyun was the one who froze for a moment.
"P-please… excuse me…" Yunyun suddenly lost the natural confidence she had when talking to Megumin and instead became timid and shy, as if she had just now noticed Fang Li. Her red eyes glanced nervously at Fang Li as she asked with a puzzled expression, "Who might you be?"
It seemed Yunyun had forgotten about Fang Li completely.
Fang Li smiled faintly and, in a tone meant to remind her, said:
"My name is Yunyun, a Great Mage class, and one day I will become the leader of the Crimson Demon Clan, you know?"
Hearing this, Yunyun finally remembered.
"Ah!" Yunyun exclaimed excitedly to Fang Li, "You… you're the one from back then…!"
"What what?" Megumin seemed curious about this and asked Fang Li, "Do you really know each other?"
Fang Li shrugged.
"Can you really call it knowing each other under those circumstances?"
Then, Fang Li told Megumin what had happened back then.
After understanding the whole story, Megumin looked at Yunyun with a speechless expression.
"…I didn't expect you to do something so stupid."
"What do you mean stupid? I… I was very serious!" Yunyun snapped back angrily.
Indeed, this young girl was shy and timid around strangers, only bold enough to talk back like this to Megumin.
"But, thinking about it, it's really lucky. If you hadn't suddenly freaked out and run away back then, Fang Li might have become your teammate and wouldn't have joined us instead, right?" Megumin said with a sigh, "If that had happened, I might have starved to death."
"Eh?" Yunyun was a little stunned, glanced at Fang Li, then said somewhat confused, "But… but, Mr. Fang Li didn't seem like he wanted to be my companion back then…"
"Isn't that so?" Fang Li tilted her head and said, "If you hadn't suddenly run away, I would have gone to your side, and maybe we'd have already teamed up and adventured together."
"W-what…!" Yunyun was struck like by lightning, crouching down and whispering with great disappointment, "I'm an idiot… I'm an idiot… I really am an idiot… why did I run away back then…"
Seeing Yunyun looking so utterly down, Fang Li felt a wave of empathy.
Yeah, she thought, I really am an idiot too.
If back then she had tried harder to catch up with Yunyun, she wouldn't have ended up with such a useless bunch and instead would have adventured with a true Great Mage of the Crimson Demon Clan.
Thinking this, Fang Li suddenly felt a strong sense of closeness and kinship toward Yunyun — a rare moment of warmth directed at someone.
"In any case, I'll treat you to a meal. How about we talk for a while first?"
"Eh? R-really? Can we? Really?"
"Hey! Why are you suddenly so easy to get along with? Show me the cold, ruthless attitude you usually use to boss us around! I don't know why, but I'm feeling really annoyed right now!"
(End Of This Chapter)
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