"Sleeping together" was something agreed upon earlier, so Li Ang didn't say anything.

He sat down at the edge of the bed, and Zoe shrank further inside the bedding, making space for him.

She patted the bed lightly: "Lie down."

"...I'm thinking about what story to tell," Li Ang said.

Actually, he lied, because the black market inn was quite narrow, and the bed was small. Even though Zoe was petite, it would be cramped for the two of them to lie on the bed together.

Lying back-to-back was difficult; the only comfortable position would be to hold her in his arms.

Although he and the girls were getting closer every day, it hadn't yet reached the point where he could naturally hold her in his arms.

Zoe's small hand clutched the edge of the sheet and she said softly: "No need to tell a story."

"Hm?"

"Before, I listened to the stories you told because I thought I might always stay on Satus Island, relying on your stories to imagine the outside world.

"Now, I'm already in your story. As long as we're together, we can keep creating new stories."

Li Ang couldn't help but pat her head: "You little rascal."

Her softly curled chestnut hair was fluffy and carried the scent of shampoo.

He awkwardly lay down, and before he could adjust his posture, Zoe had already snuggled up to him, curling into his arms.

"..."

So be it.

"The next few days will be busy, let's rest."

"Okay."

Perhaps due to that endless vitality, the young girl's body temperature was slightly higher than Li Ang's. Lying in his arms, she was soft and warm. Her breathing was calm and brought only peace. Soon, Li Ang slipped into a half-awake, half-asleep state.

In his drowsiness, he seemed to feel a gentle touch.

"Don't mess around..."

The touch continued.

Li Ang quickly reached out and caught Zoe's wrist.

Her small hand had started from his chest muscles and traced the outline, counting each abdominal muscle block. If he didn't stop it, it would continue downwards to a dangerous area.

"What are you doing?"

"I, um... Dorothy said you would look different in certain places from us, and she didn't tell me specifically, so I wanted to see for myself."

"..."

Li Ang sighed: "Don't listen to her; her mind is full of weird ideas."

"Otherwise, she might laugh at me." The young girl pouted.

"How would she laugh at you?"

"She asked what we were doing when we were alone before, and I said you played with my foot."

"Uh." Li Ang could already imagine what the Half Elf would say.

Zoe said: "She said: Just that? If you hadn't interrupted, I would've already tasted him."

The chestnut-haired girl blinked her pure Ruby-like eyes: "People can't be eaten, right? What does tasting mean?"

"Better not ask..."

Li Ang helplessly said: "Don't let her influence you. Be yourself; you don't need to learn from her."

"Is that a good thing for you? If so, I'd like to learn."

Your innocent nature has another level of devastating charm!

For no reason at all, Li Ang felt a bit afraid.

If he let Dorothy's true nature ruin Zoe, he might himself be dragged down too.

He instinctively wanted to say he'd teach that Half Elf a lesson next time but then realized this would actually play into her hands, making him feel a headache.

"Let's stop talking about it, go to sleep. You've been active all day and fought that battle, aren't you tired?"

"I am. My feet feel a bit sore, can you massage them again? You said before that it relieves fatigue."

The young girl lowered her eyelids, but couldn't hide the wateriness in her eyes' corners.

She just wanted to savor the rare solitude a bit longer. Li Ang didn't speak, silently reaching for the foot Zoe raised, handing it over after lifting her knee.

As her soft voice became increasingly hard to suppress, Li Ang started a philosophical contemplation internally, guarding against his line of reason snapping.

Knock, knock, knock.

The door suddenly knocked.

The chestnut-haired girl trembled like a small animal, drawing back her foot, wanting to withdraw. But realizing they maintained contact, she controlled herself not to break away from Li Ang's palm.

"Dorothy?" Zoe said, annoyed and shy.

"Li Ang, are you asleep...?"

The voice from outside wasn't the Half Elf's, but ALulu's soft and sweet voice.

The pair under the covers exchanged glances, both with a bit of confusion, but uncertain what to do.

"Li Ang, are you there..." ALulu knocked on the door again.

Zoe whispered: "Now I know how Dorothy felt before..."

"Is there something wrong?" Li Ang asked through the door.

ALulu was silent for two seconds and said: "Can I come in?"

"If it's not urgent, can it wait until tomorrow?"

"...Alright."

ALulu's tone seemed slightly downcast.

Zoe quickly jumped up from the bed, ran to open the door, and pulled ALulu, who was about to leave, inside.

Zoe's sudden movement startled the pink-haired girl, but she wasn't the type to panic loudly.

Once she was pulled inside, she let out a sigh of relief.

The Horned Race girl, who had bathed and not braided her hair, let her curly pink hair flow over her shoulders, making her seem much more mature compared to usual, looking like an elegant Lady rather than a silly little kid.

But seeing the half-folded duvet, ALulu felt a bit lost, touching her two tiny index fingers together and stammered: "You-you're actually a couple?"

"Not yet," Zoe said.

"But-the doctrine says a single man and woman shouldn't be in the same room..."

"Isn't your coming in also considered inappropriate?"

"Huh? Oh!" It dawned on the Horned Race girl, realizing her late-night entrance was hard to explain, and a blush spread across her face.

But with her cheeks flushing red, the temperature inside Li Ang's room suddenly rose, covering the floor with a shower of sweat drops.

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