Due to time constraints, Lillie had to return, otherwise, Professor Burnet and the others would surely be anxious. Today had indeed been delayed for too long.
However, what started as a stroll to clear her mind unexpectedly led her here, allowing her to witness the hidden daily lives of Pokémon in a corner of Hau'oli City.
She felt that she might be too excited to sleep tonight, especially after joining the Yorozuya…
Although it wasn't official yet and she still had to wait for tomorrow's assessment, she could finally stop being taken care of all the time and had a chance to be helpful.
Before leaving, she glanced at the Tandemaus on the bar counter and said with some surprise, "They recovered so quickly, it's only been an hour…"
Hoshino stroked Little Gray's head and replied, "Pokémon understand Pokémon better than humans do. This street is for them to enjoy. That hot fruit tea and food are all Boss Slowking's exclusive recipes, so the effect goes without saying."
Hearing himself suddenly mentioned, Slowking slowly said, "I've put it on your tab, and that cup for this girl just now is also on your tab."
"???"
Hoshino instantly froze, and Lillie also realized after hearing this. It seemed there was still much to learn, so she went over to pay the bill.
"All those expenses just now, I'll…"
"Just pay for your own. Don't spoil him. If he gets used to it, he'll completely evolve into a good-for-nothing. The more this guy lacks money, the harder he works. If he has nothing to do, he's just a pure homebody."
"Why are you constantly exposing my shortcomings today!"
"Business isn't good, do you think we should raise the rent? Yes? Or no?"
"…"
Hoshino was speechless, he couldn't argue with this guy.
Watching him argue with Slowking, Lillie couldn't help but laugh. It felt very interesting that humans could argue with Pokémon like this.
And this time, she even saw a completely different Hoshino. Although he was still the same annoying self when talking to her.
But when he was with those Pokémon, he completely showed his true self, which made her a little envious…
"Then, it's time for me to go back too."
"I'll walk you."
Hoshino offered proactively. After all, Lillie didn't have a Pokémon, and even if she did, it would be very dangerous if those Meowth targeted her.
As he spoke, he was about to go find Cyclizar, and then he saw Machoke and a few other Pokémon at a table over there, cheering to pour fruit wine for Cyclizar. So he jumped up and delivered a kick!
"It's you guys again! Last time I almost got caught by Jenny for drunk driving!"
Watching Hoshino suddenly roughhousing with those Pokémon, Lillie chuckled softly, her gaze returning to the bar counter, sweeping over that mascot Slowpoke, and then resting on a Pokémon egg.
"Hmm? Do they raise eggs here too?"
She walked closer, carefully examined it with a serious expression, and then murmured, "This basket is well made, but even indoors in this weather, the egg needs to be kept warm, ideally at 38℃. The pattern is quite pretty, it should be an Ice-type Pokémon, but I'm not sure about the specifics…"
As soon as she finished speaking, Hoshino walked up to her with Cyclizar: "Let's go."
"Okay."
…
Leaving Gengar to temporarily stay in the Izakaya to play with Tandemaus, Hoshino mounted Cyclizar, put on his helmet and goggles. After Lillie grabbed the backrest and sat steadily, he launched the bike and sped towards the street.
Outside, snow was still falling. After safely leaving Kabukicho, he spoke in a serious tone, "Regarding this street, don't tell anyone else about it, and don't come here normally. Once humans approach, those stray Pokémon will attack mercilessly, it's very dangerous."
"Okay, I understand."
Although Lillie was very curious now, she also knew that Kabukicho was not simple. She had received enough information tonight and needed to go back and digest it thoroughly. And the most important thing was still tomorrow!
"By the way, what time and where should we meet tomorrow? Do I need to prepare anything for you?"
"Just meet at 9 AM at the small park downstairs of the hospital. For the rest, we'll see what Decidueye says then."
"Alright, I'll be there on time!"
"So where do you want to get off?"
"Drop me off at the Exeggutor bus stop sign. I can still catch the bus at this hour, so you and Cyclizar don't have to go all the way to the suburbs, it's too much trouble."
"I was thinking of just dropping you off on the side of the road."
"…"
Lillie's mouth twitched, momentarily speechless. Then she pouted, turned to look at him, and finally couldn't hold back, asking with a slightly annoyed expression, "Why do you always speak to me with such a cold or casual tone? You rarely do this when talking to those Pokémon. Wouldn't it be better to be a bit more normal?"
Hearing this, Hoshino was about to respond, but she cut him off, continuing, "There are some things I've wanted to tell you for a long time. I think you can totally interact more with us classmates and get to know us!"
"At school, it looks like we're isolating you, but in reality, you're isolating us, aren't you? You always seem to be alone, having nothing but Pokémon. Wouldn't it be better to make more friends!"
Lillie's serious words fell, and the surroundings seemed to quiet down once again. Snowflakes, blown by the wind, hit Hoshino's face and quickly melted.
He felt the cold and damp sensation, and replied coldly, "The requirement for 'friends' is too high for me. Magic is self-made, it doesn't need friends to provide it. I am my own best friend."
But after hearing his reply, Lillie paused for a moment, held down her hat that was almost blown away by the wind, and then, with a gentle expression, quietly asked, "You're not… socially anxious, are you?"
"???"
"Although you deliberately lower your presence and don't care about others' opinions of you, and often put on a 'do not approach' facade when talking to others, speaking as little as possible, in reality, you're afraid, instinctively using this method to disguise yourself."
"And Pokémon aren't humans, so you can communicate freely with them and show your true self. My analysis isn't wrong, is it!"
Hearing her sudden analysis, Hoshino almost slammed on the brakes. But when did he become socially anxious?
Just as he was about to retort, Lillie showed a wry smile and whispered, "Actually… you and I are similar in some ways, but when it comes to how we treat humans and Pokémon, it's somewhat reversed."
"I'm afraid to interact with Pokémon, but because of that, I'm taken care of by others and have made many friends. You're not good at expressing yourself, afraid of interacting with others, yet you secretly reveal your true self and get along well with many Pokémon…"
"What exactly are you trying to say!"
Hoshino asked coldly, his tone a bit urgent. Although he really didn't want to admit it, he inexplicably felt as if he had been seen through, which was very uncomfortable.
But in the next second, Lillie showed a serious smile and replied, "What I want to say is… let me be your first friend!"
"Huh? Wait, what did you say?"
"A friend! That way you won't be lonely anymore. I myself came out of it with their help, so this time I want to help you!"
"…"
Listening to these words, Hoshino slowly applied the brakes, and Cyclizar also obediently stopped immediately. The bus stop sign was not far ahead.
Seeing that they had reached their destination, Lillie lightly jumped off and landed on the ground. Perhaps it was because of the hot fruit tea, but she felt quite warm now and didn't feel cold even in her skirt.
Then she turned to look at the motionless Hoshino, took out her phone, and said, "I just realized I don't seem to have your phone number or contact. Let's exchange contact information. I'm afraid I won't find you tomorrow."
"Hmm…"
"Done! See you tomorrow then~"
"…"
Watching Lillie wave to him and then get on the bus, Hoshino didn't know what expression to make. He stayed there for a while before slowly saying, "I think I just got lectured by the young lady…"
"Cycli~"
"Don't laugh at me… Seriously, she just took it upon herself to be my friend. This young lady is truly naive and pure… No, I should say she's very impressive. I actually couldn't refute anything she said."
Hoshino shook his head, but he felt that it wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Anyway, friends aren't something you decide to become today and then just are. They become friends unknowingly… and then also unknowingly drift away. That's also friendship.
"It's really troublesome, dealing with social interactions… Exhausting. I don't want to think about it anymore, let's go home. The plan to have barbecue at Octopus Bro's tonight is still on!"
"Cycli~"
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
To Read Advanced Chapters, and support this novel, please join me on [email protected]/geats2000
(Note: Replace "@-" with "a" on your web browser.)