Friends Are Too High-End a Feature for Me

Because of the time, Lillie had to head back. Otherwise, Professor Burnet and the others would definitely worry. They had indeed been delayed for too long today.

She had originally been out to clear her mind, only to unexpectedly be brought here and witness the everyday lives of Pokémon hidden away in a corner of Hau'oli City.

She felt like she might be too excited to sleep tonight, especially after joining Odd Jobs...

Though it was not official yet and she still had to wait for tomorrow's assessment, she finally had a chance to be useful instead of always being looked after.

Before leaving, she glanced at the Tandemaus on the counter and said in surprise, "They recovered so quickly. It's only been an hour, right...?"

Xingye stroked Little Gray's head and replied, "Pokémon understand Pokémon better than humans do. This street exists for them to enjoy themselves. That hot fruit tea and the food are all Boss Slowking's exclusive recipes, so their effects speak for themselves."

Hearing himself suddenly mentioned, Slowking slowly said, "I put it on your tab. And the little miss's cup from earlier is on your tab too."

"???"

Xingye froze on the spot. Hearing this, Lillie finally understood. It seemed she still had much to learn, and she immediately went over to settle the bill.

"Everything just now, I'll..."

"Just pay for your own share. Don't spoil him. Once he gets used to it, he'll completely evolve into useless trash. The more broke this guy is, the harder he works. When there's nothing to do, he's just a full-on shut-in."

"Why do you keep exposing my shortcomings today?!"

"Business isn't doing well. Do you think I should raise the rent? Should I, or shouldn't I?"

"..."

Xingye had nothing to say. He could not argue with this guy.

Watching him bicker with Slowking, Lillie could not help laughing. It was surprisingly interesting to see a human arguing with a Pokémon like that.

And this time, she had seen an entirely different side of Xingye. Though he was still the same irritating person when talking to her...

When he was with those Pokémon, however, he revealed his truest self completely. For some reason, that made her a little envious...

"Well, it's time for me to head back too."

"I'll take you."

Xingye offered on his own initiative. After all, Lillie did not have any Pokémon, and even if she did, it would still be dangerous if those Meowth had their eyes on her.

As he spoke, he went to find Cyclizar, only to see Machoke and several other Pokémon at a nearby table egging Cyclizar on to drink fruit wine. He leaped up and sent a flying kick their way!

"You idiots again! Last time you drove drunk, Jenny nearly caught me!"

Seeing Xingye suddenly roughhousing with those Pokémon, Lillie smiled softly. Her gaze returned to the bar, sweeping past the mascot Slowpoke before settling on a Pokémon Egg.

"Hm? You raise Eggs here too?"

She walked closer and examined it carefully with a serious expression. Then she murmured, "This basket is well made, but in weather like this, even indoors, you need to keep the Egg warm. Thirty-eight degrees Celsius would be best. The pattern is pretty. It should be an Ice-type Pokémon, though I can't tell exactly what it is..."

Just as she finished speaking, Xingye arrived beside her with Cyclizar. "Let's go."

"Okay."

Leaving Gengar behind at the izakaya to play with Tandemaus for the time being, Xingye got on Cyclizar, put on his helmet and goggles, and waited until Lillie grabbed the backrest and sat securely before launching forward toward the street.

Snow was still falling outside. Only after they had safely left Kabukicho did he speak seriously. "Don't tell anyone else about this street. And don't come here normally, either. If humans get close, those stray Pokémon will attack without mercy. It's very dangerous."

"Okay, I understand."

Lillie was still curious, but she also knew Kabukicho was far from simple. She had learned enough tonight and needed to go back and properly process it all. More importantly, the real matter was tomorrow!

"By the way, what time and where are we meeting tomorrow? Is there anything you need me to prepare?"

"Just meet at the little park downstairs from First City Hospital at nine in the morning. As for the rest, we'll see what Decidueye says then."

"Got it. I'll be there on time!"

"So where do you want to get off?"

"Drop me at the Exeggutor bus stop. I can still catch a bus at this hour, so you and Cyclizar won't have to go all the way out to the suburbs. That would be too much trouble."

"I was planning to just throw you off by the roadside."

"..."

Lillie's mouth twitched, leaving her speechless for a moment. Then she pouted, turned to look at him, and finally could not hold it in anymore. With slight anger on her face, she asked, "Why do you always speak to me in such a cold or casual tone? You rarely act like this when talking to those Pokémon. Would it kill you to be a little more normal?"

Hearing that, Xingye was about to respond, but she beat him to it and continued, "There are things I've wanted to say to you for a long time. I think you should spend more time with us classmates and get to know us better!"

"At school, it looks like we're the ones excluding you, but really, you're the one excluding us, aren't you? You're always alone, with nothing but Pokémon. Wouldn't it be better to make more friends?"

As Lillie's stern words fell, the surroundings seemed to fall silent again. Snowflakes blown by the wind struck Xingye's face and quickly melted.

Feeling the cold dampness against his skin, he answered coldly, "Friends are too high-end a feature for me. Magic can only be magicked by myself; I don't need friends to provide it. I'm my own best-tasting friend."

After hearing his reply, however, Lillie paused briefly. She held down her hat before the wind could blow it away, then softened her expression and asked quietly, "You're not... socially anxious, are you?"

"???"

"You deliberately lower your presence and don't care what others think of you. Whenever you talk to people, you act like strangers should stay away, and you avoid speaking whenever possible. But actually, you're afraid, aren't you? You instinctively use that as a way to disguise yourself."

"And because Pokémon aren't humans, you can open up around them and show your truer self. My analysis isn't wrong, is it?"

Xingye nearly slammed on the brakes at her sudden analysis. Since when had he become socially anxious?

Just as he was about to refute her, Lillie gave a bitter smile and said softly, "Actually... in some ways, you and I are very alike. But when it comes to humans and Pokémon, we're kind of opposites."

"I'm afraid of interacting with Pokémon, but because of that, I've been looked after by others and made many friends. You're bad at expressing yourself and afraid of forming connections with people, yet you show your true self in private and get along with so many Pokémon..."

"What exactly are you trying to say?"

Xingye asked coldly, sounding slightly rushed. Though he did not want to admit it, he somehow felt as though she had seen through him. It made him uncomfortable.

But in the very next moment, Lillie gave him a serious smile and replied, "What I'm saying is... let me be your first friend!"

"Huh? Wait, what are you talking about?"

"Friends. Then you won't be lonely anymore, right? I only managed to come out of my shell because of their help back then, so this time, I want to help you!"

"..."

Listening to her words, Xingye slowly applied the brakes. Cyclizar obediently stopped at once. The bus stop was just ahead.

Seeing that they had arrived, Lillie lightly hopped down. Perhaps it was because of the hot fruit tea, but she still felt quite warm and did not feel cold even in her skirt.

She then turned to the motionless Xingye, took out her phone, and said, "I just realized I don't have your number or even have you added as a friend. Let's exchange contact information. I'm worried I won't be able to find you tomorrow."

"Mm..."

"All done. See you tomorrow, then~"

"..."

Watching Lillie wave at him before boarding the bus, Xingye did not know what expression to make. He remained that way for quite some time before slowly saying, "I think I just got lectured by a rich girl..."

"Cyclizar~"

"Don't laugh at me... Seriously. She decided on her own that she'd be my friend. That rich girl is so naive and innocent... No, I should say she's amazing. I couldn't refute anything she said at all."

Xingye shook his head, but it did not seem all that bad. In any case, friendship was not something that happened just because people decided to be friends one day. It was something that formed without anyone noticing... and then quietly faded away without anyone noticing. That was friendship too.

"What a hassle, dealing with interpersonal relationships... I'm mentally exhausted. Forget it. Let's go home. Tonight's plan to have barbecue at Octopus Bro's is still on!"

"Cyclizar~"