Wrong, my props refresh every day

“…I’m not used to it.”

Ais replied softly.

"It's nice to relax once in a while."

Xingjian smiled and handed her a glass of juice, then sat down and had a brief chat with Ai Si.

On the other side of the big dining table, the werewolf Bert saw how close Xingjian and Aisi were and said "tsk" and started drinking alone.

Finn, the blond leader of the Dwarf Tribe, walked over and patted him on the shoulder, asking, "What's wrong, Bert? Today is Lefiya's birthday, don't make such a sour face."

"Humph, that's so noisy."

Burt was overjoyed, but he held the glass tighter in his hand.

The joyous banquet gradually came to an end, and the noise in the tavern slowly subsided.

The members of Loki's family were also preparing to leave in twos and threes. The Yamabuki-style elf Lefiya's arms were full of gifts from everyone, and her cheeks were flushed with excitement and a little bit of alcohol.

Ai Si stood quietly beside her, still holding the unfinished glass of juice in her hand.

"Lefiya, are you happy today?" Diona came over with a smile.

"Yeah! I'm very happy! Thank you all for celebrating..."

The elf girl nodded vigorously, her lake blue eyes sparkling. Then she looked at Xingjian and others who were busy at the bar and said happily:

"Thank you, Mr. Hoshimi, as well."

At this time, werewolf Bert had long disappeared, leaving only a few empty glasses on the bar. Finn shook his head helplessly: "That guy, he's still the same..."

"It's getting late, we should go back."

"Yes~"

At Livilia's urging, the members of the Familia responded in unison.

The night wind gently blew through the streets of Orario, and the figures of Loki's family gradually disappeared into the twilight.

Inside the "Hostes of Bounty", under the warm lights, the staff began to clean up the aftermath of the banquet.

The cat girl Anya is mopping the floor.

"Nya~ Today is so lively! It's so nice to see Lefiya-chan happy!"

"Yes." Lunova wiped the wine glass and smiled, "But preparing so many decorations must be tiring for me."

The gray-haired girl who was tidying up the table was also busy. Xingjian walked over and asked, "Ms. Xier, do you need any help?"

"Ah, Mr. Hoshimi is so gentle~"

Xier handed the rag to Xingjian, and Xingjian began to wipe the residue on the table quickly, while the gray-haired girl watched all this quietly with her shining eyes.

When Xing Jian was almost done packing, she suddenly came closer and a silver bell-like voice rang out:

"By the way, when is Mr. Hoshimi's birthday?"

"December. It's not a special day, though. Normally, I don't celebrate it."

For boys, birthdays are basically not celebrated after they turn 18, because no one remembers this day, so there is no need to commemorate it specially...

"Hey~ How can this be possible!"

Hearing what Xingjian said, Xier leaned on the bar with both hands, and said with sparkling eyes:

"I'll prepare a special cake for Mr. Hoshimi when the time comes!"

"Meow~ Is Hoshimi-sama's birthday in December?"

The black cat girl Chloe suddenly pricked up her ears, the glass in her hand sparkling in the light, and she said excitedly:

"Then we can celebrate it together with the Winter Festival! Then Chloe will wrap herself up as a gift and give it to Master Hoshimi~"

"You crazy cat!" Lunova gave her a slap without mercy.

"Meow! Lunova is too much!" Chloe hugged her head and the hair on her tail stood up.

Xier covered her mouth and smiled, "Although December is still far away, since it is Mr. Xingjian's birthday, we have to prepare well."

"Ania is going to prepare a three-layer cream cake!"

Anya raised her hand excitedly.

"How about a costume party?"

"Should we invite the members of Loki's clan to participate as well?"

"What flavor of cake does Mr. Hoshimi like?"

Amidst the heated discussion, Liu suddenly stopped wiping the tableware. The silver knife in her hand reflected a cold light, reflecting the elf girl's slightly dazed blue eyes.

Birthday...?

March seems to be her birthday as well.

But since embarking on the road of revenge, Liu hasn't celebrated this day for a long time.

My last birthday was three years ago.

Lady Astraea's gentle smile, Alyse playfully smearing cream on her face, Kaguya and Leila singing the birthday song...

Those warm scenes seem to have happened just yesterday.

"Ms. Liu? Are you okay?"

Xingjian noticed her strangeness keenly and asked.

Liu quickly collected his emotions and shook his head gently: "...Nothing."

But in those deep blue eyes, there was a hint of imperceptible loneliness.

-

On March 22, the morning light was just beginning to rise.

The morning dew has not yet dissipated in front of the door of the "Mistress of Plenty".

The pub staff were busy as usual, the sound of dishes colliding and morning greetings intertwined into a familiar melody.

"Xingjian, the food warehouse is empty, let's go to the Central Market." Mia's mother's loud voice came from the kitchen.

"I understand." Xingjian took off his apron neatly and took the shopping list. The sunlight filtered through the window lattice, casting tiny spots of light on his handsome profile.

This scene caught Liu's eye, causing the elf girl to unconsciously clench the tray in her hand. The slight pain from her fingertips reminded her of the gentle yet meaningful warning given by the goddess Astraea a week ago in the sword-making city of Zolingen:

"Ryu, opportunities are like morning dew. If you don't grab them in time, they'll disappear. If you keep hesitating like this, you'll end up like a golden loser."

You must... take the initiative once!

Liu took a deep breath, and it felt like a butterfly fluttering in his chest. He took a half step forward, and his lips trembled slightly.

"Hey~ Mr. Hoshimi~"

Suddenly, Xi'er came like a spring breeze, and naturally put her slender hand on the boy's arm, saying kindly: "I just happened to be going shopping. Mr. Xingjian, can you come with me?"

The two figures overlapped in the sunlight, and Xingjian's straightforward response was like a hammer:

"Okay."

"……Eh?"

No...no?

Wasn't it me who invited you first?

This development...what's wrong?

Liu froze in place, his long-dyed green hair fluttering gently in the wind, his outstretched hand suspended in mid-air, like an elf statue cast under a petrification spell.

The crisp sound of the wind chimes woke the elf girl up. Looking at the two figures walking away, Liu suddenly grabbed a rag and wiped the table, which was not dirty at all.

"I, I have to go too...to supervise the quality of purchases!"

Liu frantically tried to untie her apron, but ended up twisting the slipknot into a knot. "After all... the ingredients are related to the reputation of the tavern!"

When Liu finally rushed out of the store in a panic, he could hear faint laughter in the distance on the morning breeze.

The elf girl subconsciously lightened her steps, completely unaware of how suspicious she looked at the moment. Her messy apron strings hung down behind her, and her usually meticulous green hair had a few hairs sticking up, making her look like a lousy stalker.

This is absolutely... just out of a sense of responsibility at work!

The elf girl emphasized this in her heart, but chose to ignore her wildly beating heart.

………………

[Jifeng], like a stealthy cat, took advantage of the cover of the shops on the street and quietly followed behind Xingjian and Xier.

Liu tried hard to maintain the graceful pace that was innate to the elves, but whenever he saw the interaction between the two people in front of him, his steps would unconsciously become flustered.

"Mr. Hoshimi~Try this apple!"

Xier picked up a rosy apple from the fruit stall and handed it directly to Xingjian's mouth.

Xingjian smiled a little embarrassedly, but still lowered his head and took a bite: "Hmm, very sweet."

(Hey, he actually feeds me directly?!)

Liu tightly grasped the fabric stall beside him, his fingertips unconsciously exerting force. The stall owner looked at the elf girl who suddenly grabbed his goods in horror.

"Oops, it got juice on it~"

Xier suddenly reached out and gently brushed the corner of Xingjian's mouth with her thumb.

(Skin-to-skin contact?!)

Liu's pointed ears instantly stood up, and her whole body froze in place like a cat with its fur standing on end. However, she didn't notice that she was mindlessly chewing on a carrot she had picked up until the stall owner shouted:

"Customer! That's what I want to sell!"

"Ah! I'm sorry!"

Liu hurriedly put down the carrot that had been bitten with teeth marks and took out his wallet in a panic.

A more deadly scene appeared...

Xier suddenly stood on tiptoe, ran her fingers through Xingjian's black hair, and said with a smile: "There is a leaf~ I can help you~"

(Head, head to head?! This is completely...)

Liu's brain was completely overloaded. He mechanically grabbed a handful of celery from the stall next to him and began to tear the leaves unconsciously.

"Miss Elf! If you want to buy it, buy it. If not, don't ruin my food!"

The auntie selling vegetables couldn't stand it any longer.

"I'm so sorry!" Liu's face flushed, and in a panic he grabbed a handful of vegetables and stuffed them into the shopping basket, not paying any attention to what he was taking.

When Xingjian turned back as if realizing something, Liu hurriedly hid behind a pillar and held his breath, but soon heard Xier say with a smile:

"It's an illusion~ Let's go check out the seafood!"

Watching the two walk away, Liu looked down at the contents of his shopping basket: three gnawed carrots, a handful of bald celery, and two tomatoes that had been crushed by nervousness...

(What the hell am I doing…)

(Alyse, what should I do──)

Liu squatted on the side of the road, burying his burning face in his knees.

At this moment, she doesn't look like the "Gas" who dominated Orario at all, but rather like a complete loser in love.

----

Chapter 84 [Wishing Star] Liu, this is your home

Xingjian and Xier came to the largest market in the West Street District.

The gray-haired girl gently released Xingjian's arm and said with a smile, "Mr. Xingjian, then~ let's split up. I'll go buy spices, and Mr. Xingjian will be responsible for purchasing ingredients. We'll meet at the market entrance later."

"Okay." Xingjian nodded, completely unaware of the burning gaze behind him.

Liu hid behind a stall selling dried goods, holding his breath, watching Xier turn and leave, while Xingjian walked towards the vegetable area alone.

(…Separated?)

Liu hesitated for a moment, but finally chose to follow Xingjian quietly.

The procurement process of Xingjian is extremely ordinary.