Zoya leaned against the wall with her arms crossed, a hint of imperceptible admiration in her eyes, and nodded slightly: "Hmm… not bad."
She was always so sparing with her words, yet there was still a subtle sense of tension.
Its source seemed to be not Ye Ningfu, but the worn-out roller skates in Billie's hand?
Kuchiha was slumped in a dilapidated sofa in the corner, dark circles under her eyes, holding Little Carrot, and yawned sleepily, mumbling vaguely: "…It's alright…"
Kuchiha's laziness didn't dampen Ye Ningfu's enthusiasm; after being excited for quite a while, she finally prepared to rest.
Billie, meanwhile, was holding the roller skates, somewhat unable to contain herself.
These worn-out roller skates were one of two items Zoya received as a reward after she and Billie became "Good Friends."
As for the other item…
Well, it was another pair of roller skates.
Zoya was a bit depressed; even if she didn't expect every rewarded item to be particularly practical… what was the meaning of giving her two pairs of shoes?
These two pairs of roller skates seemed to have been captured by Zoya during the war; besides that, they had no special features or functions.
Yes, roller skates already existed a hundred years ago, but their style was very old-fashioned.
There was no use for Zoya to keep them; she couldn't even skate on such things at all, so she directly gave one pair, which was the right size, to Billie.
Seeing Billie's eyes light up with delight when she received the gift, Zoya's depression dissipated—at least someone liked them.
At this moment, Billie took off her shoes and, in front of Zoya, eagerly put on the old roller skates over her white-socked feet.
"Ya Ya~" Billie looked up, a mischievous smile on her face, and extended her hand towards Zoya, "This is my first time playing with these, hurry and help me, I'm afraid of falling!"
Zoya looked at Billie's "weak, pitiful, and helpless" expression, her amber eyes narrowed slightly, she said nothing, but still walked over as told, reaching out to firmly grasp Billie's wrist.
Billie carefully and wobblingly stood up, her body swaying left and right like a newborn deer learning to walk.
"Oh dear!" she exclaimed, her entire body suddenly leaning forward, about to fall face-first!
But Zoya made no move, only because she had learned from past lessons and had not cut off her thought-sharing with Billie.
Just as Billie's body tilted to its maximum angle, almost losing balance—
Her seemingly uncontrolled fall came to an abrupt halt.
Billie lightly tapped the ground with her toes, her waist elegantly twisted like a willow branch in the wind, and she instantly regained her balance.
Not only did she not fall, but she glided forward lightly!
"Wow~!" Billie let out a cheerful cheer.
The awkwardness vanished instantly, replaced by a smooth, flowing motion, and even more dazzlingly, as she glided smoothly, two brilliant purplish-blue electric lights trailed from behind the wheels of her worn-out roller skates, like the tail of a comet.
With every push and turn, she carved graceful trajectories on the dim factory floor.
Those dilapidated roller skates, against the backdrop of the purplish-blue light trailing from Billie's feet, were somehow elevated by multiple grades, as if they had become the trendiest and most dazzling limited-edition fashion item, even the rusty axles exuded a cyberpunk vibe.
It's true that clothes make the man, but for some people, this logic can even be reversed.
"How boring~" Billie lightly glided a perfect arc back to Zoya, hands on her hips, pouting and complaining: "Now I can't even trick you."
Zoya merely shrugged, noncommittal: "Uh-huh~ But it looks really good."
"Oh really?" Billie's lips curved into a mischievous arc, her body leaning slightly forward, looking directly into Zoya's eyes: "Hmm? Are you complimenting the shoes, or…?"
She deliberately drew out her words, blinking, "…Are you complimenting me?"
Billie's original intention was to tease this quiet person, waiting to see her embarrassed or evasive.
However, Zoya's reaction was completely beyond her expectation.
Zoya, uncharacteristically, met Billie's gaze without any hesitation, her eyes frank: "Of course you. Why would I specifically compliment a pair of shoes?"
Billie's smile gradually froze, her brain seemed to have crashed for half a second, struck by this direct hit.
The tips of her ears instantly flushed a faint pink, her eyes filled with surprise, and her mind was frantically scrolling:
Holy crap?! Did this old comrade… no, did this old geezer eat the wrong medicine today?!
How did she suddenly become so eloquent?!
This sudden "enlightenment" made the usually smooth-talking Billie uncharacteristically stumble.
For a moment, she didn't know how to respond, and the scene fell into a subtle silence.
Fortunately, the roller skates on her feet gave her timely inspiration and broke the awkward atmosphere.
Billie cleared her throat, forcibly pulling the conversation back on track: "Ahem! That… right! Aren't you going to find out that girl's identity?"
"I have a good idea." Billie snapped her fingers, and electricity flashed across her fingertips: "How about we go to Russia?"
"Alright," Zoya agreed succinctly.
Although she was still a wanted person, with Billie and Rabbit Hole as double insurance, staying in Russia for a few days was not impossible.
Besides, even if it was dangerous, the reward for this mission was enough for her to take the risk and get involved.
"But…" Billie changed the subject, "After it's over… Ya Ya, you have to do me a little ~ favor ~"
"What favor?" Zoya asked cautiously.
Billie didn't speak, she just opened her "Mission" panel—
"Witch Mission: Family Dinner"
"Objective: Invite Zoya, as a friend, to participate in Billie's family dinner with her parents."
"Reward: One Ability Point (Billie and Zoya exclusive) each."
This was a reward Billie received—a mission—after she and Zoya became "Good Friends."
The reward was quite good, two Ability Points just for having a meal, but the problem was…
"Eat with your parents?!" Zoya was dumbfounded, rarely becoming flustered: "This… what identity would I be?"
"A friend, what else?"
Billie looked as if it was obvious, even with a hint of mischievous teasing, "Do you want to be in another identity? Like… hmm?"
She deliberately didn't finish, but her eyes clearly said, "You know what I mean."
Zoya's old face flushed, pretending not to hear.
"But… I'm a wanted criminal by the Control Bureau," Zoya asked, "Aren't your parents both Control Bureau employees?"
"Oh, don't worry~" Billie waved her hand, trying to sound more convincing, although she herself was a bit unsure.
"They are very open-minded! They have to give me face, right! I'm their precious daughter! What's wrong with bringing a friend home?"
"They'll like you, right?" By the end, her tone weakened, clearly lacking confidence:
"Should… maybe… probably?"
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