Good Girl Dania

House key... got it.

Phone... got it.

Dania... yep, got her. She's following obediently behind me.

"Go, go, go! Let's get going!" Xiao Ling was full of energy.

"Oh..." Dania looked a little listless, as though she wasn't quite awake.

After locking the door, Xiao Ling led Dania to the elevator and pressed the down button.

"Oh, right, a warning before we go. There's no Resonance Power here, and nothing like the Lament either, so don't use your Resonance abilities unless you have to," Xiao Ling said, his expression a little serious.

"What if I really have no choice but to use them?" Dania asked.

"Then make sure you hide it so no one finds out. You know how humans are always curious about the unknown, but that wouldn't be good for you," Xiao Ling replied.

Dania nodded obediently, agreeing with him.

Just then, the elevator dinged and its doors slid open. Xiao Ling led Dania inside and pressed the button for the ground floor.

The elevator descended smoothly and soon reached the first floor.

As soon as Dania stepped outside, the midday heat slammed into her, leaving her feeling awful.

"Ugh..." Dania felt as though she was about to become dried Dania.

Xiao Ling smiled helplessly. It seemed Dania still needed time to adjust to the city's weather.

The weather here was not only changeable, but the temperature also fluctuated wildly. To exaggerate a little, you could experience all four seasons in a single day.

It was noon, when the sun was at its fiercest, and waves of heat swept over the entire city. Even Xiao Ling, dressed in a T-shirt, was sweating a little, let alone Dania, who was wearing thicker clothes.

Xiao Ling took out the umbrella he had brought with him, opened it, and handed it to Dania, who was fanning herself with her hand.

"Here, take it. At least you won't be baking in the sun the whole time," Xiao Ling said with a smile. "The weather here is very different from Lahai-Roi. You'll need some time to adjust."

"I think that'll be hard," Dania said, but her hands were more honest, accepting the umbrella and holding it over her head.

She had to admit, it was a little better than being under the blazing sun.

"Where are we going now?" Dania asked about their plans.

"To the biggest mall in the city," Xiao Ling answered. "I've already called a car."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a new energy vehicle approached slowly from the distance and pulled up in front of them.

Xiao Ling opened the rear door and got in with Dania.

The door shut with a thud, and the car sped off toward the mall with the two of them inside.

"This is a mall?" Dania stared at the enormous building before her, somewhat dumbfounded.

"This is a mall," Xiao Ling confirmed.

"Why does it feel even bigger than the academy...?" Dania said, recovering a little from her shock.

"It's normal for it to be big. In this world, malls aren't just for shopping; they also offer entertainment, dining, and other things," Xiao Ling explained briefly. "Come on, let's go in."

Without another word, he took Dania's small, soft hand and headed into the mall.

Dania felt warmth against her palm and instinctively wanted to pull her hand back, but then she realized she might get lost, so she let him hold it.

Yeah, it's definitely not because I don't want to let go.

Unexpectedly, Xiao Ling's hand was rough and covered in calluses, like the bark of an old tree. But it was warm enough to make her feel safe.

"How strange. He looks so young..." Dania gazed thoughtfully at Xiao Ling's sharply defined profile.

Their pace didn't slow for Dania's musings, and in the blink of an eye, they were inside the mall.

"Ah... that's much better." Feeling the powerful blast of cold air from the mall's air conditioning, Dania felt as though she had finally come back to life.

"What would you like to eat?" Xiao Ling asked Dania.

"I'll leave it to my host. I don't know which places are good anyway." Dania shrugged.

"How about I take you to Haidilao? Can you eat spicy food?" Xiao Ling suggested.

"What's that?" Dania tilted her head and asked him.

"Have you heard of Huanglong hot pot? It's much like that," Xiao Ling explained in a way she could understand.

"Do they have anything that isn't spicy?" Dania understood now. She didn't care much for spicy food, preferring sweet things.

"Haidilao has lots of soup base flavors: spicy, mild, sweet and sour, and savory," Xiao Ling continued. "If you don't like spicy food, you can try one of the other three."

Although the game's text never said so outright, Xiao Ling guessed that little Dania would be somewhat averse to spicy food. After all, the sensation wasn't all that different from Exostrider burning inside her body.

That damned Fractsidus leader, sooner or later I'll stab you with Blood Oath Pact!

"Then let's have that. Come on, time waits for no one." This time, Dania took the initiative to grab Xiao Ling's hand.

She couldn't help it. Just being out for a little while had made her sleepy, and she wanted to hurry home and sleep to her heart's content. Now that she finally didn't have to deal with eight a.m. classes at the academy, of course she wanted to sleep however she pleased.

"Slow down. You don't even know the way," Xiao Ling said as she pulled him along. Even so, he couldn't help the slight upward curve of his lips, and his voice grew lighter too.

The mall had prominent signs clearly marking which floor each place was on.

Haidilao was on the fifth floor. Once Dania had confirmed where they were going, she pulled Xiao Ling into the elevator.

The handsome man and beautiful woman were instantly surrounded by several gazes, as though everyone was about to push them into the center of the spotlight for their debut.

Xiao Ling said nothing. He simply stopped holding Dania's hand and linked arms with her instead, his gaze turning a little colder.

It was a silent declaration of claim and a warning, making the young men with designs on her think twice.

Dania was slightly startled. She had seen that look in Xiao Ling's eyes before; it was the look the Rover wore when facing a potential enemy.

She suddenly felt very happy and linked her arm through Xiao Ling's in turn, putting on the appearance of a loving couple.

The elevator soon reached the fifth floor. Xiao Ling walked out with his arm linked through Dania's, and Dania went along with him naturally, even resting her head slightly against his arm.

Dania was a good girl. Her greatest wishes were simply to eat good food, sleep well, and spend time with her friends.

But even those simple wishes seemed like an unattainable luxury to her. Her identities as a Lament Resonator and an undercover agent for the Fractsidus had caused her great suffering and opened an insurmountable gulf between her and everyone at the academy.

And now, she had a chance to cast off those identities and live a peaceful, happy life simply as Dania.

So he would protect the peace and happiness she had come by so hard, even if it meant using a few less-than-honorable methods.