"Wow, you're amazing. You can actually fly."
Up in the air, after flying for a while, Kather·Lynn's fear turned into excitement.
"I've got plenty of other impressive things too," Bai Chuan said proudly.
But Kather·Lynn exclaimed way too much. Hearing it once or twice was fine, but after a while it got genuinely annoying.
Luckily, it did not last long, because he could already see the outside of the city.
Once they reached outside the city, the two of them went back down.
"Wow, you're so fast," Kather·Lynn said, sounding a little disappointed.
"Fast is not a word you can use on me," Bai Chuan said, his expression turning unfriendly the moment he heard that word.
"Then how about you fly me back to my country too?" Kather·Lynn widened her eyes, sparkling with anticipation.
"No. Our main purpose this time is to go to the battlefield and train. Sending you back to the palace is just along the way."
"Along the way? I'm the 'along the way' part?" Kather·Lynn could not believe her ears. Did she mishear? But when she saw Bai Chuan's firm gaze, she knew she had not.
"You bastard. A stunning beauty is standing right in front of you, and all you care about is your strength. No wonder you deserve to be single for life."
Kather·Lynn puffed out her cheeks angrily, took a few steps forward, and left Bai Chuan with only her back.
"I'm doing this for your own good." Looking at her dejected back, Bai Chuan could not quite bear it. He walked up and said quietly, "I'm not suitable for you, or rather, I'm not suitable for any girl in this world. Do you understand what I mean?"
"What do you mean?" Kather·Lynn could hear it. Bai Chuan's tone carried sadness, and a kind of melancholy.
"Maybe you'll understand in the future. Even if I say it now, you won't believe it."
Kather·Lynn knew that from now on, their relationship could only remain as fairly close opposite-sex friends. Taking it any further was impossible.
"It's fine." Kather·Lynn forced out a smile, but there were still a few tears at the corners of her eyes. No matter how you looked at it, the smile only felt more bitter.
Bai Chuan was doing this for Kather·Lynn's sake. He had to cut off her unrealistic thoughts, and he had to cut off his own thoughts too.
For some reason, once he said those words, Bai Chuan felt much lighter inside.
After waiting outside the city for a while, Bai Chuan finally saw Buggy and Shanks arrive, panting heavily. Seeing them come, Bai Chuan also let out a breath of relief. At least he did not have to keep that awkward atmosphere going anymore.
"Bai Chuan, you bastard!" The moment they saw him, their anger surged. The two of them rushed up together, grabbed Bai Chuan by the collar, and roared at him.
"Haha, wasn't that because I believed in your strength?" Bai Chuan said. "I trusted you could definitely escape from those soldiers."
He also knew his behavior had been a bit wrong, so his tone was noticeably softer.
"Hmph. Don't think praising me as 'strong' means I'll forgive you," Shanks threatened. "I'm telling you, I've remembered this. One day, I'll make you pay it back."
"Yes, yes," Bai Chuan replied, treating it as background noise. With Shanks' personality, if enough time passed, he might even forget about it himself.
"Bai Chuan, next time you fly, can you take me with you and leave Shanks behind?" Buggy stepped forward and said hurriedly.
"Of course," Bai Chuan said. "As long as you can successfully escape Shanks' claws first."
If Bai Chuan flew by himself, Shanks might complain a bit. But if Bai Chuan took Buggy away, Shanks absolutely would not allow it. Not because his relationship with Buggy was so great, but because he needed someone to keep him company.
"Hey, what exactly happened between you and Kather·Lynn?" Shanks asked, narrowing his eyes. "Why does it feel like something's off with you two?"
"Nothing," Bai Chuan said. "You sensed wrong."
"No way. Don't tell me you did something worse than a beast in that short time." Shanks snorted. "Scumbag."
"What are you even talking about? Worse than a beast? Scumbag?" Bai Chuan snapped, both angry and exasperated.
"Isn't it true?" Shanks shot back.
"Shut up, Shanks!" Bai Chuan had not expected Shanks to be this petty too. Was this also something Rayleigh taught him?
"Looks like once we're back, I need to stay as far away from Rayleigh as possible, or he'll definitely corrupt my pure heart too. Look at what the pure Shanks has turned into."
Rayleigh: This blame is not mine.
Far away in a casino, Rayleigh suddenly sneezed. "Who's talking about me? It definitely isn't something good. Looks like I should be careful for a while."
"Let's go." Since everyone was here, they prepared to set off. Bai Chuan walked up to Kather·Lynn and said stiffly, "Move."
"Okay." Kather·Lynn only replied with that single bland word. Her mood still was not high.
Her first love had not even begun. She had not even confessed her feelings, and it had already been extinguished mercilessly.
The group adjusted their clothes and continued on. As for disguises, they removed them completely.
Outside the city, they would not run into large groups of soldiers anyway, so it should be fine.
"Do you know where your country's royal capital is?" Bai Chuan asked.
"Nonsense. Of course I do. Our country is to the northwest of this country, so we just keep heading northwest," Kather·Lynn said.
"So you actually don't know the exact location of your royal capital," Bai Chuan concluded.
"Nonsense! I've lived in the royal capital since I was little. I've never even left it. If not for an accident, I wouldn't be here in the first place."
"Then you're pretty impressive," Bai Chuan said.
"What do you mean? Are you looking down on me?"
"No. I mean it sincerely. A girl who lived in the royal capital all her life actually managed to survive in the outside world for this long. You were a bit miserable, but you still made it. That's impressive."
"Hmph. Even if you praise me, I won't be happy. It doesn't make up for the injury you caused my heart."
Bai Chuan immediately felt awkward. How was he supposed to respond to that?
Kather·Lynn also realized she had said something she probably should not have said right now, and she fell silent too.
"Buggy, look." Shanks leaned close to Buggy's ear and whispered. "These two definitely have something going on, right?"
They were standing close together, so naturally Bai Chuan and Kather·Lynn heard it clearly.
Kather·Lynn's face turned a little red. Bai Chuan, meanwhile, was thinking about how to deal with this bratty, punchable little Shanks later.
"Yeah. Compared to this morning, it's definitely different," Buggy agreed seriously. "Something happened that I don't know about."
"Mhm, mhm."
"Shut up, you two little brats." Bai Chuan flicked both of them on the head once each.
Instantly, a big bump rose on each of their heads. It looked ridiculously funny.
/-\
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