Chapter 35: Aiko's Love Bento
Because of that incident, Aiko had set her sights on Lin Da, intending to turn him into a mindless dog that would only obey her commands and crave her affection incessantly.
Three years ago.
She arrived at the Snow Goose Adventure Team in a wheelchair, with her frail body.
She extended her hand to Lin Da in friendship, showing her broad-mindedness and disregard for Lin Da's ordinary talent and cheaply dressed commoner status...
Yet, Lin Da, not knowing what was good for him, pushed her away in one fell swoop.
That only cold, hard hand brushed past her shoulder, pressing against her chest.
How dare this lowly commoner touch her body without her permission!
Even worse, Lin Da didn't even glance at her and pushed her away like she was a piece of bulky trash blocking his path and just walked away!
For a young girl who had just come of age, that push was undeniably a huge blow to her dignity.
Especially given that Aiko was almost never rejected.
With her considerable family background, striking appearance, and flawlessly gentle personality... Lin Da should have been dizzy with bewilderment, greeting her shyly with eyes that both wanted and dared not gaze upon her chest.
But Aiko had never imagined that Lin Da would dismiss her outright
As if the preciousness of the young girl meant nothing more to him than a lump of rotten cotton.
This insult was more egregious than a mere adventurer being mocked by a succubus for only lasting three seconds!
Even though Lin Da later explained the reason—it was because his sister, Lin Xi, was having health issues—
still, Aiko could not forgive him.
A lowly commoner should grovel like an insect beneath the feet of nobility!
She must make Lin Da kneel and lick her toes, deeply understanding the vast chasm between commoners and nobility.
Aiko lowered her head, her face revealing a demon-like twisted smile.
Now, Lia's foolishness came in handy for her.
It would let Lin Da understand that as a teammate, her excellence was a hundred times superior to Lia's.
A tearfully grateful Lin Da might submit to her both physically and mentally.
Unconsciously, Aiko's breathing became a bit rapid, her cheeks flushed like a ripe peach.
After a light rain, droplets sparkled on the leaves and branches.
One by one, they fell to the ground, soaking the parched earth.
The people on the street weren't aware of what was happening.
They looked at that beautiful figure and were deeply moved:
"Miss Aiko looks stunning today too."
"Seeing her smile, I feel like I'm in love."
"Wake up, the lunch box she's holding is surely for the 'Ultimate Pervert', right? Oh, I really don't know what's with them, Lin Da is juggling five at once, and yet they flock to him."
"Maybe it's because of Lin Da's strong fighting abilities."
"Stop, my heart aches..."
Many adventurers paused, their gazes either admiring or resentful as they followed Aiko's figure.
Their attention focused on the white flower-wrapped, rectangular lunch box held in Aiko's arms.
It was clear she was bringing someone a homemade meal.
Among adventurers, to be given a homemade lunch box by an unmarried girl was a proof of one's charm.
Many had died at the World Tree without ever receiving such a meal.
Noticing that bystanders were sneaking peeks at the lunch box in her arms, Aiko blushed a bit, tightened her legs, infused her wheelchair with magic power, and swiftly left.
The contents, however, were far from gourmet.
It was just mushroom soup and pizza she had casually made.
To get back at Da for quitting the team, she hadn't washed her hands during cooking and added the seasoning haphazardly.
The taste was bound to be atrocious.
But with Da's eternally good-natured personality, even if the pizza was burnt, he would still chuckle and say it's delicious, right?
Aiko stood tall and proud, bearing the mentality of a superior, as she moved from the Inner City District to the filthy, dilapidated Sparrow District.
The adventurers here were much bolder than those in the Inner City District, each of them staring unabashedly with revolting eyes at her.
"Keep staring, and I'll gouge your eyes out, okay?"
Aiko smiled gently as she greeted the group of raggedly dressed adventurers who couldn't even afford decent leather armor.
As a 23rd level high-level light mage, she was not even in the same dimension as these poor adventurers who could only huddle in the Sparrow District, who couldn't afford houses in the Inner City District, and who starved for two days out of three.
All ten of them together weren't worth one of her hairs.
Aiko released a hint of her level 23 magic power, immediately scaring those people into dispersing.
"Trash."
From her soft, enticing red lips came two words filled with contempt and coldness.
That was a demeanor truly noble, filled with honor and pride, a heartfelt scorn for the lower classes,
possessing an elevated manner and a tone that was muted yet deeply humiliating.
Having driven away those "trash," Aiko rubbed her cheeks and put back on her mask of vulnerability.
The wheelchair moved forward.
She arrived at a familiar street.
On her right, there was a sign covered in grease and smoke stains, 'Tyrannosaurus Barbecue'.
As she was about to leave, she heard a hearty female voice from inside the barbecue shop: "Boss, bring out your best meat, cook it all!"
"That's too much, she won't finish it. Ask for more if she finishes it! Boss, please ignore what she just said."
A male voice followed, not loud, but Aiko knew it too well.
She immediately recognized it amidst the noise of the barbecue shop—it was Da's voice!
Perfect, now there's no need to go to Da's rundown rental!
Aiko felt a surge of joy, pulled out a small mirror from her bosom, tidied up her bangs, pursed her lips a bit to make her expression seem frail and pitiful.
Then she turned the wheelchair around, holding the lunchbox in her lap, and slowly entered the Tyrannosaurus Barbecue Restaurant.
The restaurant was small, with only six tables at most. Each table was greasy, the floor littered with bones, napkins, and barrels, a complete mess.
Bare-chested adventurers were yelling in the restaurant, telling the crudest jokes and boasting the most outrageous claims, their large wooden mugs clashing, splashing drink everywhere.
The dingy walls were plastered with old newspapers; the ceiling blackened by smoke. In the night, a dim, yellow magic light bulb flickered, attracting swarms of flying insects.
Even pigs wouldn't come to such a place.
Aiko suppressed the urge to vomit, holding her smile as best as she could. Whatever her prey liked, she would pretend to enjoy it, even against her will.
As Aiko entered the establishment, the Tyrannosaurus Barbecue immediately fell silent.
Everyone stopped what they were doing, their curious and puzzled eyes all turning towards Aiko.
It was indeed because Aiko's attire suggested she was an upper-class individual from the Inner City District, clearly out of place here.
An Ice Silk dress, a magic wheelchair from the Alchemist Guild, the clean and sanitary homemade lunchbox she held…and that stunningly beautiful face that could never belong to someone from the Sparrow District.
Everything indicated that the woman who walked in came from another world, vastly different from theirs.