Approaching Darkness

"Bishop Shi Hen is free to do as he pleases; why should he care about my opinion?"

Vita said coldly.

"Because Miss Vita is my only true friend on this planet!"

Shi Hen said in a serious tone.

"..."

Vita simply watched the boy quietly, her face showing no emotion whatsoever.

As the boy increasingly revealed his true intentions, she no longer wanted to even engage in the most basic pretense of politeness.

"Snort..."

With a soft chuckle, Shi Hen ignored Vita's cold attitude and looked at Yixin with a smile in his eyes, "It's getting late, so I'll trouble Little Yixin to lead the way for us."

Even from halfway across the Foros City, he could already faintly hear the commotion coming from the venue, and the flames shot into the sky, turning half the sky red.

Undoubtedly, Yixin and the others put a great deal of effort into organizing this banquet to celebrate Vita's rare return.

As a despicable stranger, he naturally had to present his gift when the banquet was at its most lively.

"... Okay, okay."

Startled by the clash of auras between the boy and Vita, Yixin hid behind Elysia, peeked out and nodded, then took Vita's hand and led the way.

"..."

Feeling the warmth from her palm, Vita's indifferent expression remained unchanged, but her body involuntarily leaned a little more towards that direction to better perceive everything around her.

P. S.: Just marking this as a sign that I won't be delaying updates anymore and will try my best to finish this book continuously.

Chapter 43 The Approaching Darkness

They soon arrived at the city square, where a lively party filled Shi Hen air.

Centered around several statues with tall pillars, thousands of people gathered together to sing and dance.

Although the lighting was still just a rather primitive campfire, the smiles on everyone's faces did not diminish at all; on the contrary, they seemed even more vibrant under the firelight.

But compared to these smiling, ordinary passersby, there were six distinctly different figures in the crowd.

"Sister Vita!"

"Sister Vita."

"Sister Vita."

Six slightly different voices rang out almost simultaneously, and the other six Little Vita, who resembled Yixin in appearance, quickly gathered around, their eyes filled with joy and excitement as they looked at Vita.

"So many Vita..."

Looking at the seven Little Vita, including Yixin, Griseo's eyes were instantly filled with surprise.

"And everyone's colors are so beautiful, just like a rainbow."

Elysia smiled and praised as her gaze swept over the jeweled keys around the Little Vita's necks.

"Orange's Unification, yellow's True Form, green's rhythm, cyan's light, blue's foresight, and purple's harmony."

Everyone's names are so lovely; someone must have put a lot of thought into them.

Shi Hen added with a smile.

"Huh? How did you know?"

Hearing the boy call out everyone's names accurately, Yixin was immediately stunned.

She had been thinking about it for a long time, planning to give the boy and the others a proper introduction to what they Unification.

"Of course, it was your sister Vita who told me."

As I said before, we're best friends who'd risk our lives for each other.

Shi Hen said with a smile, his bright black eyes narrowing slightly.

These words immediately stunned everyone present, and the Little Vita looked at the boy with astonishment.

As far back as they could remember, Vita had been separated from them for long periods of time, often only returning once in a long while, and then leaving again shortly afterward.

Most importantly, Vita always returned to Foros alone, and rarely even brought a souvenir.

That's why their first reaction upon hearing that Vita had brought friends back was disbelief.

Only after repeatedly questioning Yixin and confirming that there was no misunderstanding did everyone quickly take action and organize this celebration to give the boy and other guests of Foros, who are a once-in-a-century event, an unforgettable experience.

But even if they did their best within their capabilities, it still seems a bit too hasty now.

Meeting the boy's incredibly honest and sincere smile, all the Little Vita couldn't help but feel a little ashamed.

If they had known earlier that the other party and Vita had this kind of relationship, they should have done better!

"..."

Noticing the behavior of the Little Vita, Vita immediately clenched her fists, and a twist appeared on her beautiful face.

If she weren't truly outmatched, she would have definitely given this guy who talks nonsense a piece of her mind right there and then.

But then her gaze fell on the Fairy Miss was covering her mouth and chuckling to herself, and Vita's lips couldn't help but curl into a slight smile.

"Little Unification, shouldn't you lead us into the venue now?"

I'm so curious now, what kind of surprises have you all prepared?

Vita reached out and took the boy's arm, smiling slightly as she spoke, causing Elysia, who was standing next to her, to freeze in shock.

"..."

Beside her, Unification's eyes widened in surprise, and it took her a while to react before she stepped forward, "Sister Vita, there's also..."

"This person's name is Shi Hen, and he comes from a very, very distant star."

Vita explained with a smile, while using her arms and body to restrain the boy's resistance and prevent him from breaking free.

Since this guy enjoys making the Little Vita misunderstand so much, she might as well lend a hand.

After all, she has always been so helpful.

A glance at the Fairy Miss beside her caught sight of her ever-changing expression, and Vita couldn't help but lick her lips with a smile, a hint of mocking smugness flashing deep in her red eyes.

Even if she didn't have any special feelings for the boy himself, she wouldn't mind sacrificing herself a little if it could make some people suffer.

"From the stars? That's amazing!"

Upon hearing this, his mouth gaped open, and Yixin's face was filled with undisguised surprise.

That's certainly true.

He traveled a very, very long way to get here with me.

She added softly, Vita smile growing even brighter.

"After all, it's really hard to find a suitable tour guide like Vita on this planet."

After glancing at Shi Hen's arm, which seemed to be deeply mired in some kind of sin, Elysia grabbed the boy's other arm without giving way, her eyes full of amusement as she looked at Vita.

"Shi Hen said it himself, Little Vita, that I am his only one right now."

Vita chuckled and said, "On the other hand, what is Miss Elysia's role in following us?"

As she spoke, Vita's gaze met the Fairy Miss's directly, and countless sparks seemed to fly in the air.

Upon seeing this scene, the expressions of Griseo, the group of Little Vita, and several passersby instantly became incredibly interesting, and even the air seemed to quiet down a bit.

"Hehe... it's just the only one on the guide."

It's not a good habit to misunderstand things on your own, Vita ~

Elysia's smile faltered slightly, but she quickly recovered and retorted, "Besides, don't you think this kind of question should be answered by Hen himself?"

With a smile, Elysia turned her gaze to the boy, the curve of her lips revealing a calm and unhurried pleasure.

"..."

Stared directly at by the Fairy Miss and feeling Vita's teasing gaze full of laughter, Shi Hen's face immediately showed a bit of embarrassment.

If this were a private setting, Vita, who dared to provoke him, would have been hung up long ago.

But having said those things not long ago, he can't directly resort to violence against Vita now.

Therefore, he only has one choice left...

Looking at the Fairy Miss's pretty face so close to his, her pair of deep blue eyes seemed to speak volumes as they fluttered gently, Shi Hen lowered his head without hesitation.

"Hmm—"

Startled by the boy's sudden attack, Elysia quickly recovered and responded by instinctively wrapping her arms around his neck.

"——"

Seeing this scene, which she had only ever seen in comics, appear before her, and with one of the main characters being someone she knew, Griseo blushed instantly, and her breathing became somewhat rapid.

Perhaps out of consideration for Griseo and Little Vita, who were also nearby, Elysia released the boy shortly afterward.

"What do you think of this answer, Vita?"

With a light laugh, Elysia licked the thin line of saliva that had spilled from the corner of her mouth, her gaze towards Vita filled with provocation.

"Hmph~ You guys are really like children, always arguing."

Seeing the boy looking at her again, Vita quickly released him and took a few steps back.

A simple sacrifice would suffice; she had no intention of actually sacrificing herself.

"Let's go, Little Yixin, let's go play somewhere else and ignore these people."

Speaking rapidly, Vita grabbed Yixin and hurried towards the crowd.

"Eh? Brother Shi Hen..."

Before the words of persuasion could be fully uttered, Yixin's figure had already been dragged away by Vita and disappeared into the crowd.

Watching the boy and Vita separate, the other Little Vita couldn't help but show obvious confusion and helplessness on their faces.

Even with decades of experience as city agents, they had never seen anything like this before.

"Alright, you all go ahead and do your own thing. We'll just wander around on our own."

Seeing the embarrassment of the Little Vita, Shi Hen smiled and said, "As agents of Foros, you must have other responsibilities, right?"

"Please make yourselves at home, guests. You can call us anytime if you need anything."

Orange, representing the Unification, stepped forward and spoke.

As the boy said, as city agents and the initiators of this celebration, they also bear the responsibility of maintaining order and cannot be absent for an extended period of time.

After a brief discussion, Unification, True Form, Heguang, and Lüxing were assigned to maintain order at the meeting, while Xianjue and Tiaoxie stayed behind as guides for the young people.

Walking through the bustling venue, enjoying the delicious food characteristic of Foros while watching the song and dance performances by the people of Foros, Griseo's embarrassment slowly faded, and a sincere and beautiful smile, like that of a child, reappeared on her face.

However, whenever her gaze fell upon the Fairy Miss and the boy, Griseo's eyes would quickly look away, her cheeks flushed even more in the firelight.

"You and Vita aren't friends, are you?"

They patiently waited for a moment when the boy and Elysia separated slightly. The boy, who looked like a precocious child, asked with a slightly serious expression. His red eyes, which were exactly the same as those of the other Little Vita, shone with a wisdom that the others did not possess.

"Oh? Why do you say that?"

Holding a piece of biscuit and taking a bite now Shi Hen looked at Elysia and Griseo, who were enjoying the performance under the guidance of the tuner, and a gentle smile naturally appeared on his face.

"Vita never used to bring her friends back to Foros."

Xianjue spoke in a slightly calm voice.

"Perhaps this time will be an exception?"

Shi Hen asked with a smile.

"At least she would tell us herself."

"I'm sure," Xianjue said with certainty.