Why had he said "again"?
Because a few months earlier, after Vena and Rem left the Leo Merchant Guild in Sartan City, they had returned to Bunta City.
However, when Xu Yi invited the two of them to join the Xinfei Merchant Guild, Vena accepted, while Rem turned him down.
Later, Xu Yi had asked Vena where Rem had gone and learned that, after leaving Bunta City, he had found work at another merchant guild.
As for what exactly he was doing, or even which merchant guild he was working for, Rem had not told even Vena.
Xu Yi had assumed Rem was deliberately keeping Vena in the dark because, like men whose careers had fallen apart, he intended to make something of himself elsewhere before coming back to tell her about it. Yet here he was, back in Bunta City and standing before Xu Yi again, looking visibly dejected and every inch a failure. The word "again" had slipped out before Xu Yi could stop himself.
As soon as he said it, Xu Yi realized it was rather inappropriate. He quickly stood and greeted them with a smile. "Come on, sit down. Rem, since you and Vena came back at this hour, you probably haven't eaten out, have you? Here, sit down and join us. Avita cooked today, and the food is delicious."
Vena nodded, tugged on Rem's sleeve, and sat down first.
Rem gave Xu Yi a strained smile. "Xu Yi, what are you doing here?"
"I had some work to assign to my colleagues at the Magic Research Facility, so I thought I'd get a free meal while I was here," Xu Yi replied casually. He glanced at Vena, who had already taken her seat, then hesitated and abandoned the idea of asking any more questions. Instead,