If You Like Her, Make Your Move Early

"Okay, done."

Lin Yu put down his tools, picked up the mirror beside him, and held it in front of Firefly.

"Take a look. What do you think?"

Firefly stared at herself in the mirror. Her hairstyle was exactly the same as before. "Thank you."

"It was nothing. No need to thank me."

"Now it's time to start packing the orders!"

"Okay, I'll help you."

After putting her hair ribbons back on, Firefly carefully made her way through the cardboard boxes scattered across the floor and over to Lin Yu.

Lin Yu picked up a painting he had already rolled up, slipped a protective sleeve over it, and wrote a large "1" on it with a permanent marker before handing it to Firefly.

"I've already written a number on each box. All you need to do is find the box with the matching number, put it inside, and seal it with tape."

Firefly took the painting and said solemnly, "Roger! I guarantee I'll complete the mission!"

Seeing how serious she was, Lin Yu couldn't help laughing. "Firefly, you really take everything seriously, don't you?"

"Of course. That's part of being a soldier."

The corners of Lin Yu's mouth lifted slightly as he handed her another rolled-up painting with a hint of a smile. "Oh? Is that so? How come all I see is a slightly clumsy young girl who needs someone to teach her everything? You don't look like a veteran at all."

Firefly could tell he was mocking her, and his words made her cheeks turn slightly red. "Th-that's not my fault, is it?!"

It really wasn't her fault. She hadn't even been in this world for a day, and it was completely different from her old one. What else could she do?

Seeing that Firefly might actually be angry, Lin Yu quickly stopped smiling and apologized. "Don't be angry, Firefly. It was my fault. I'm sorry."

"Then will you mock me again?"

"No, I won't... Wait!" Lin Yu seemed to have heard something unbelievable, and his expression was a little shocked.

"Hold on, where did you learn that word?"

"Didn't you give me that black brick called a phone? I learned it from there."

Lin Yu propped his face on one hand, at a loss for words.

At the time, he had only wanted to give her something to pass the time when she was bored. He had forgotten that the internet was full of information, some true, some false, and some harmful.

A normal adult would have some ability to tell them apart, but Firefly probably couldn't judge them at all.

Although Firefly looked like an adult, judging by her past experiences, she had probably never encountered the internet.

The current Firefly was a blank sheet of paper, easily stained.

So he had to be careful about everything and guide her slowly, one step at a time. Otherwise, she might no longer be the gentle, adorable Firefly, but a little delinquent Firefly with a mouth full of swear words!

Lin Yu could already imagine Firefly pointing a lightsaber at him, her face full of disdain as she spoke to him like a thug.

"Hey, punk, what do you mean by that? Huh?! Answer me!!"

"Um, Firefly, you really shouldn't learn that kind of thing. How about watching fewer videos like those from now on?"

As she searched for the matching box, Firefly asked in confusion, "Why? By watching videos, I've already begun to learn about this world. If I keep this up, I believe it won't be long before I can fully fit in."

Firefly looked so confident that Lin Yu felt awkward. He had originally wanted to keep her from encountering too many bad things online, but it seemed he couldn't stop her.

"All right, I won't say anything else. But if you want to learn about this world, I suggest watching more news."

"News? What's that?"

"News reports on all sorts of things happening in this world. At least it's more useful than watching short videos."

Lin Yu had figured it out. Rather than keep Firefly away from harmful information, it would be better to guide her toward learning the right things after she encountered it.

As the two chatted on and off, they were nearly finished with the task.

"All right, this is the last one!"

Sitting on the floor, Lin Yu stretched leisurely and picked up the last painting.

Just as he was about to put the protective sleeve on it, he noticed that Firefly was staring fixedly in his direction.

Her gaze was so intense that even Lin Yu felt a little uncomfortable. "Wh-what is it?"

"I'm a little curious about what those things are."

Lin Yu pointed at the rolled-up painting in his hand. "Do you mean this?"

Firefly nodded earnestly. "That's right!"

Lin Yu gently wiped the nonexistent sweat from his face and relaxed a little.

"Oh, if you wanted to see it, you could have just said so. You didn't have to stare at me like that. You were making me a little embarrassed."

"Sorry. Did that make you uncomfortable?"

Firefly slowly lowered her head and spoke in a quiet voice, as though the words "I'm sorry" were written on her face.

Seeing her like that, Lin Yu hurriedly explained, "It has nothing to do with you. I just can't quite handle a girl looking at me like that."

Not wanting Firefly to feel guilty anymore, Lin Yu quickly changed the subject and handed her the painting.

"Never mind that. Weren't you curious about what this was? Here, open it and have a look."

Firefly took the last painting that had yet to be packed, and Lin Yu said from beside her, "Oh, right. Be careful when you unroll it. Don't smudge it, or it'll be ruined."

"Okay! I'll be very careful!" Standing straight with a serious expression, Firefly slowly unrolled the sheet of paper in her hands.

It was as though what she held wasn't an ordinary sheet of paper, but some rare treasure.

Lin Yu held his forehead with one hand and watched with interest.

Firefly was so cute like this!

After opening it, Firefly was so shocked by what she saw that her mouth fell open.

"Why am I in this?"

"Well? Did I get the likeness right?"

Lin Yu watched Firefly expectantly, waiting for her assessment. After all, having the subject herself judge it was pretty authoritative, wasn't it?

"Mm... it looks just like me, but..."

Firefly stared somewhat blankly at the painting in her hands. In it, she wore a white loungewear set of fluffy-looking shorts and a long top, with a cute little bear printed on it.

She sat on a sofa with her knees bent and legs folded, holding a stuffed bear very similar to the one on her clothes. Her eyes were gentle, and a faint smile graced her lips. She looked very beautiful.

"But am I really that pretty when I smile?" Firefly asked, pointing at herself in disbelief.

"Of course! There's no doubt about it!" His tone was utterly confident, as though he were simply stating a fact.

"You're very pretty, Firefly. You should be confident!"

"...Mm, thank you for saying so."

Firefly returned her gaze to the painting, looking at the clothes she wore in it.

"This outfit is very pretty."

Seeing that Firefly seemed to like the outfit she wore in the painting, Lin Yu wondered if he should buy her a set. Either way, he wouldn't lose out.

"But why did you paint me?" Firefly asked, voicing the question on her mind.

She didn't understand why he had painted her.

Lin Yu was also taken aback by her question. He had thought she knew how popular she was.

After all, she should have seen at least a few related videos while scrolling through short videos on his phone yesterday.

He played Honkai: Star Rail himself, and Firefly was his favorite character, so the algorithm should have recommended plenty of videos about her.

"I thought you knew. You're really popular, Firefly. Lots of people like you."

"I like drawing, and I do it as a side job. A lot of the people who commission me ask me to draw you, so that's why I drew you."

"...Am I really that popular in this world?" Firefly felt a little dazed.

In the past, while flying over cities on missions, she had seen the looks people gave them.

She would never forget those looks of fear and disgust.

Seeing that Firefly looked sad, Lin Yu grew concerned. "What's wrong? Did you remember something unpleasant?"

Firefly composed herself and shook her head. "I just remembered a few things from when I was still with the Glamoth Iron Cavalry."

"I see..."

Although Firefly didn't say anything more, Lin Yu could already make a rough guess from her reaction.

But he said nothing and pretended not to know, because it wasn't something he could ask about. How would that be any different from reopening an old wound?

At a time like this, he should let her slowly recover on her own.

Neither of them spoke. After finishing the last package, Lin Yu began working on the delivery addresses for each one.

Once he had attached all the labels, Lin Yu and Firefly carried the packages back and forth to the delivery station near the residential complex.

"Oh! Xiao Lin, bringing your paintings in again?" A middle-aged woman with a ponytail and a black baseball cap came forward to greet Lin Yu warmly when she saw him.

"Yes, Auntie Liu. Sorry for the trouble again." Lin Yu set the packages he was carrying down to one side and greeted her in return.

Firefly also put down the packages and moved behind Lin Yu while looking around.

This was her first time coming outside, and she had looked around curiously all the way there.

Auntie Liu, who was chatting with Lin Yu, noticed the girl. When she saw her face, she couldn't help staring.

She's so beautiful! Her flawless, snow-white skin, eyes like stars, and alluring thin lips made her as exquisite as a doll.

Seeing that she had come with Lin Yu, Auntie Liu's gossip-loving spirit burst into flame in an instant! She nudged Lin Yu in the stomach with her elbow, a mischievous grin on her face.

"Not bad, kid! You actually found yourself such a pretty girlfriend!"

Hearing that, Lin Yu blushed and hurried to explain.

"You've got it wrong, Auntie Liu. She's just my friend."

"Oh, I understand-you're still courting her, right? Just look how shy you are."

"Tsk, tsk. Let me tell you, if you like her, make your move early, or you might not get another chance."