In That Case, Come Be Our Supporter (Please Keep Reading~)

Lili waited on the first floor for a long time, but Syr never came downstairs.

The hall was utterly quiet, as if time had frozen. Every second seemed to silently remind her of how wretched and out of place she was.

Who was she? Why had she saved me? What did she mean by leaving me here?

Lili's mind was a mess. All sorts of thoughts tugged at her, leaving her restless, yet she didn't dare move.

The place was so clean and bright that the dirt on her clothes and the wounds on her face stood out all the more.

That beautiful woman... Did she think I was a nuisance too, so she just decided to leave me alone?

I want to run away so badly... But where could I go?

Outside... where was there even anywhere safe?

Just then, faint footsteps and voices came from the restaurant's open back door, abruptly breaking the silence.

Lili's body stiffened, and her heart nearly leaped into her throat.

Instinctively, she curled up even tighter and lowered her head, almost hiding her face in the crook of her arm.

She didn't dare look up, only nervously scanning the room from the corner of her eye.

Two figures dressed as waitstaff came in, one an elf and the other a catgirl.

They seemed to be employees here.

Lili's heart sank, and her toes curled in embarrassment inside her worn-out shoes.

She felt as if she were nailed to her chair. She even held her breath, wishing she could turn into air or become part of the wall.

"Why's the back door open, meow?" Anya asked, holding up the back-door key and wondering who had come back.

When the two of them passed through the kitchen and reached the front hall,

Ryu stopped in her tracks.

Lili felt a gaze fall on her, pricking her like a needle.

The elf stood still, her gaze calm but appraising as it swept over Lili's tangled hair, swollen cheek, and dust-covered clothes.

Lili felt as if her scars and filth were laid bare beneath the woman's gaze.

Blocked by Ryu in the passageway, Anya rose onto her tiptoes and peered past her, spotting Lili inside the restaurant.

"Is that a customer, meow?"

She seemed about to approach.

Just then, Ryu noticed the black cloak belonging to Syr on the table and seemed to understand at once.

Her face showed no sign of surprise. She simply turned aside as naturally as could be, and dumped the heavy paper bags in her arms into Anya's arms.

"Anya," Ryu said evenly, without the slightest hint of anything amiss, "take these ingredients to the kitchen and put them away."

"Huh? Meow? But..." Anya said, a little dazed by the sudden load in her arms. She looked like she wanted to say more.

"Hurry."

"Got it, meow..." Anya seemed to have guessed what was going on, too, and didn't approach recklessly.

After Anya left,

silence returned to the hall, broken only by Lili's restrained breathing and the faint sounds of the city outside.

She could almost feel the elf's gaze still resting on her, like an invisible web wrapping around her wretchedness.

The place where she'd been struck throbbed, her throat was parched, and her stomach was still churning from the beating she'd taken.

Lili kept her head down, staring fixedly at the reflection on the clean patch of floor just in front of her battered shoes.

Why hadn't she left yet? What was she waiting for? To interrogate me? Or... did she think I was in the way, like all those people did?

Just as the silent pressure was nearly crushing her, she heard a faint movement.

Out of the corner of her eye, Lili saw Ryu walk over to the bar.

Ryu didn't ask her anything or even look at her.

Her movements were smooth and quiet as she picked up a clean glass and poured a cup of water.

To Lili's surprise, Ryu soon set the glass gently on the edge of the table in front of her, only half a foot away from her hands curled in her lap.

The clear water rippled slightly, reflecting the blurry lights on the ceiling.

Water...?

Lili stared at the glass almost greedily, her parched throat burning as if it were on fire.

But her body stiffened even more.

Why was she giving me water? Was it pity? Or... a trap?

Her experiences with the Soma Familia had taught her to raise her defenses against any sudden "kindness."

The glass of water was like a mirror, reflecting how filthy and wretched she was at that moment.

She didn't even dare touch it, as if the slightest movement would upset some fragile balance and bring something even more terrible down on her.

After setting down the glass, Ryu turned away and went to prepare for opening.

She paid Lili no more attention. She didn't ask her name or even what had happened to her.

It was as if Lili and the glass of water didn't exist.

But this deliberate "ignoring" left Lili more breathless than Ryu's direct scrutiny had.

Every silent second felt like a heavy stone, pressing down on her until she could hardly breathe.

She wanted to leave.

Her gaze instinctively shifted to the open back door leading to the kitchen.

But Ryu seemed to see what Lili was thinking.

"If you leave now, Syr will be sad."

Lili stiffened.

So her name was Syr?

She'd be sad if I ran away?

Lili stole a glance at the open back door, then quickly lowered her head again.

Her feet felt rooted to the spot. In the end, she didn't move.

Time crawled by in silence. The only sound was Lili's heartbeat, pounding in her ears like a drum.

She stared at the floor as if there were something wonderful on it, hoping only that this torment would end soon.

At last, the floorboards upstairs creaked.

Light footsteps drew nearer, breaking the stifling stillness.

Syr came downstairs with a medical kit, her usual gentle smile on her face.

Her arrival was like a warm breeze, instantly dispelling the faint tension in the hall.

"Syr," Ryu said, her voice tinged with reproach, "how could you leave the guest you brought back on the first floor?"

"Oops~ Sorry, sorry," Syr said with a cheerful laugh. "When I went to look for the kit, I noticed the room was a little messy, so I tidied it up."

In fact, she'd been tidying up a place to hide the liquor.

Before she put her plan into action, she especially couldn't let Hestia find that bottle.

She went straight to Lili, crouched beside her, and opened the kit.

The scent of disinfectant wafted out.

Lili instinctively tried to shrink away, but Syr gently cupped her chin.

Her fingertips felt cool, yet her touch was gentle and firm.

The medicine touched Lili's swollen cheek, and the sting made her gasp.

"Such a pretty face," Syr murmured, her voice soft with a hint of sorrow. "What a shame..."

Lili's body was tense as a bowstring.

She instinctively resisted being touched by a stranger, especially one being so overly familiar.

But Syr's touch was so light, as if she were afraid of breaking something.

The coolness of the medicine seemed to soothe the burning pain.

Syr's focused expression held no scheming or disgust, only a kind of... pure regret.

Lili's tense shoulders gradually relaxed, almost imperceptibly.

Ryu stood a little way off, silently watching.

Syr was always like this...

She brought home those wounded people with nowhere to go, as if picking up lost little animals.

Of course, Syr had picked her up, too.

The medicine's coolness continued to seep into Lili's skin.

The burning pain in her face had eased considerably.

Syr's hand was steady, her touch gentle, and she quickly finished applying the medicine.

Lili stole a glance upward and caught the clear reflection in the glass of water on the table.

The swelling seemed to have gone down thanks to the medicine, and ointment had been carefully applied over the bruises. The marks were still there, but at least... she no longer looked quite so wretched.

A long-unfamiliar feeling stirred in her heart, tightening her throat.

"...Thank you."

Lili's voice was as faint as a mosquito's, the words almost forced through clenched teeth. It was hoarse and hesitant from years of holding everything in.

She quickly lowered her head, not daring to look at Syr again.

Syr put away the medical kit. At her words, she simply smiled, her eyes curving gently. "It's nothing. Next time you run into those people, make sure you find a way to avoid them. If you can't, come here. They wouldn't dare try anything with you here."

That simple kindness was like a tiny needle, piercing precisely into the softest, most desolate corner of Lili's heart.

It had been so long since anyone had shown her even a trace of kindness...

Life in the Soma Familia had been nothing but endless exploitation, deception, and infighting.

This sudden warmth made her heart ache and left her at a loss.

I have to repay her... I have to.

Lili thought in confusion.

But... what could I give her? I have nothing... No, wait! There's still that! The thing I'd been keeping as a last resort...

As if grasping a lifeline, Lili suddenly tugged open her collar and pulled out a worn cord from beneath her clothes. A tiny brass key was tied to the end.

She held the key out to Syr.

"This... this is everything I've saved over the years... It's all yours! Thank you for... saving me today..."

She squeezed her eyes shut, as if she were offering up her own heart.

Syr looked at the key but didn't take it.

She simply reached out and gently closed Lili's little hand around it.

"Keep it for yourself. I don't need this."

Syr had refused... She didn't even want this?

Lili opened her eyes wide, her mind a muddle.

Th-then what else could she use to repay this unexpected kindness?

She felt like a useless piece of trash, not even worthy of repaying someone after being shown charity.

She'd even tried to steal her benefactor's liquor earlier...

Seeing Lili's confusion and bewilderment, a thought seemed to cross Syr's grey eyes.

"If you really want to repay me... come here and wait for me after the Monster Festival."

Lili looked up, confused.

"From the way you're dressed, you're probably a supporter, right? After the Monster Festival, I'm planning to explore the Dungeon. I could use a supporter to help me."

"--An adventure?!"

Lili's gasp and Ryu's startled question rang out almost at the same time.

Ryu abruptly set down the rag in her hand and hurried over to the table. Her eyes were wide with shock and disbelief as she stared at Syr. "Syr! You're going to the Dungeon? That's too dangerous!"

She knew Syr had joined the Thor Familia a few days earlier for love.

But adventuring in the Dungeon wasn't the Familia's only responsibility.

"Yeah. I should have my adventurer registration taken care of in the next few days~ Then I'll be able to go down."

"So,"

she said brightly, turning to Lili with an expectant look.

"If you want to repay me, could I ask you to help me as a supporter?"

Lili could hardly believe her ears.

An adventurer? Miss Syr was... an adventurer, the very people I hated most?!

But as Lili looked at the sweet smile still on Syr's face, a tiny voice struggled to rise from deep inside her.

Maybe... Miss Syr wasn't like the other adventurers? She'd saved me and treated my wounds, and she hadn't asked for my money...

She clung to the beautiful thought.

Even though the thought itself felt unbearably fragile.

"...If... if I can..." Lili's voice was barely audible.

She lowered her head, not daring to look anyone in the eye.

A glimmer of understanding passed through Syr's grey eyes. Her smile remained gentle. "Okay, then it's a promise."