I am a hero of the former civilization.

Housewives gathered together to chat, several children were building sandcastles in the sandbox, and all the flowers in the flowerbeds were in full bloom, vying for attention with their vibrant colors. This lively scene eased some of the tension.

At this moment, the lieutenant in front stopped and gestured for them to enter through a gap in the flower wall.

"Meeting in the park, you're that confident?"

Ryan took a deep breath, clenched his fist in his pocket, and strode away. As soon as he reached the corner, the scent of flower petals filled his nose, and strangely enough, he found himself relaxing.

Nerve relaxants?

The thought flashed through Ryan's mind. Just as he was about to gather Honkai energy, he caught a glimpse of a pink figure out of the corner of his eye. He instinctively turned his head and stopped abruptly in his tracks.

In front of the colorful flower wall stood a bench, where a pink-haired girl was sitting.

She was relaxed, leaning back in her chair with one hand supporting her head. When she saw Ryan, she sat up slightly, her purple eyes flashing with surprise, and a warm smile appeared on her lips.

That smile made even the most vibrant flower wall of spring pale in comparison.

"Hi, I'm Alicia, I've been waiting for you for a long time."

Chapter Fifteen: Are we friends now?

Alicia?

Ryan blinked, his brain momentarily blank, and he instinctively squinted, his gaze slowly sweeping over the girl on the bench.

Her long, slender legs were encased in black over-the-knee stockings, forming an absolute boundary with her short skirt. Her skin was soft and fair, and above that was her slender waist, which then curved rapidly upwards, revealing a deep cleavage above her rounded hips.

This is the most eye-catching part, truly a magnificent sight, not only upright but also with perfect curves.

Delicate collarbones, rosy, petite lips, a straight nose, jewel-like purple eyes, and finally, long pink hair.

She was beautiful, full of youthful vitality, with a touch of liveliness and cunning, just like a fully blooming flower bud that overshadowed all the other flowers of early spring.

Alicia.

Ryan's gray eyes slowly widened. He never expected to meet her here. She was the goddess of countless captains. He remembered that for a while, everyone greeted each other with "Ai Men".

Her enthusiasm and kindness added a few rays of sunshine to this desperate era.

"Um, if you keep staring at me like that, I'll definitely feel a little embarrassed." Alicia scratched her cheek, her curiosity deepening. "I thought you were a cool boy, but I didn't expect..."

"I didn't expect I to be such a common person? But the appreciation of beauty is a human instinct." Ryan took a light breath, bowed slightly, and gave a gentlemanly greeting: "Nice to meet you, Miss Alicia."

He had fully regained his senses and knew that the girl meant him no harm, but he still remained cautious. There was no way around it; it had almost become a habit of his. After so many years, he had long since truly lived in this world.

Ryan's words made Alicia smile even brighter. Shouldn't flowers be appreciated in their most beautiful form?

"Hehe, you have such a nice voice. And just call me Ellie, it sounds more friendly that way?"

Sure enough, Alicia has a kind of magic that always makes others feel close to her, and they don't feel that she is pretentious.

Ryan paused for a moment, feeling that every detail of the girl was real and natural, but he was a little unsure of how to deal with such an enthusiastic person on their first meeting.

"So, Alicia, what do you want from me?"

“You’ve gotten the address right, but you haven’t taken the mask off your face yet.” Alicia stood up, put her hands behind her back, and walked lightly around Ryan. “It’s nothing, I just wanted to be friends with you.”

Be friends? Is it really that simple?

Ryan felt completely lost, unable to follow his train of thought. What kind of inexplicable reason was this? And knowing that Alicia would never have any malicious intent or plot, he had even less idea how to answer.

"Why aren't you saying anything? Are you an introvert?" The girl scratched her head. Logically speaking, being friends with her should be a very happy thing.

"You came all the way to Changkong City just to be friends with me?"

"Is it not allowed?" Alicia stopped in front of her and leaned forward.

Ryan tried to keep his gaze from looking down and coughed lightly, "Uh... it's just a little illogical."

"Logic? Oh, you can do without it. I was on vacation anyway, and I just happened to come to Changkong City, so of course I had to come and see the heroes fighting against the Honkai."

"hero?"

"Yes, you killed a powerful Honkai Beast and saved many soldiers and civilians. Of course you're a hero," Alicia said with a smile, without any intention of flattery or trying to get closer. "And also..."

She suddenly moved even closer, causing Ryan to instinctively take a half-step back and look at his face reflected in the pair of purple gems.

"Could you speak a little longer? Being taciturn won't win a girl's heart."

Actually, Ryan wasn't boring; he just couldn't handle the girl in front of him. Just like this sudden 'surprise,' he found it hard to keep up with her quick thinking.

I can usually make Kevin go berserk with just three sentences, so why is he so bored? No way.

Ryan calmed down and looked at the face so close to his. He could see the fine eyelashes, the fiery passion in the amethyst eyes, and of course, the bra that was even more prominent due to gravity.

"Alicia, being overly enthusiastic can be overwhelming, especially since you appeared so suddenly."

"Hmm? So I didn't give you time to prepare mentally? That makes sense. To become friends, we need to understand each other. Come with me~~"

"what?"

"Of course it's lunchtime. It's already this late. Rose, do you want to come with us?"

The lieutenant in the distance paused, then shook her head stiffly. She had thought that Alicia had something important to discuss with Ryan, and that they might even fight. She stood guard nervously to the side.

Is this the result?

This must be their first meeting, so why are they already dating? Is Miss Alicia planning to use her beauty to extract information?

The poor lieutenant's brain short-circuited, and he couldn't keep up with this elfin-like girl either.

"Oh, that's a pity. I should have told you to eat less takeout. Ryan, let's go. It's very impolite to keep a girl waiting." Alicia stood under the flower wall, staring at Ryan, who was also slow to react due to brain overload.

Experience told him that nothing in the world was so simple and inexplicable, but he had to believe that Alicia was genuinely inviting him.

After a moment's hesitation, he finally trusted his intuition and took the first step.

......

So what do I want to do today?

In the corner, Ryan held a coffee in his hand, looked at the empty plate on the table, and listened to the girl's lively voice, feeling somewhat doubtful about life.

Alicia found a coffee shop and ordered a table full of desserts. While stuffing them into her mouth, she talked about her travel experiences, such as the coffee in Mu Continent and the pastries made from Shanke Tree Fruit. Of course, she also praised the cakes in Changkong City, even though they were only of the quality of a small street shop.

She ate quickly and her manners weren't exactly elegant, but she seemed very genuine. Gradually, Ryan found himself opening up and talking.

In order to learn various combat techniques, he also traveled to many places, and his experience far exceeded his age.

"Are Tianjin's xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) really that delicious? Does the oil inside just ooze out when you take a bite?"

"And there's Yizhou cuisine, so it's not just spicy! What's this chili oil?"

Alicia rested her chin on her hand, her eyes shining, not bothering to hide it, her 'greed' practically written all over her face.

"It's basically mixing chili powder and spices together, heating the oil, pouring it over the mixture, and then letting it cool before using it to mix with noodles or something." Ryan gestured with his hands, casually adding, "The key is the heat; if the oil is too hot, it will burn and taste bitter."

"Huh, it sounds like you can cook?"

"I learned some things during my journey. After all, focusing solely on becoming stronger can be quite tedious, and it's easy to become obsessed."

“Your interests are really wide-ranging.” Alicia took a sip of her milk tea, her eyes darting around. “What is a ‘madman’? It sounds rather pathetic.”

"It means carrying an excessively heavy destiny and taking one's purpose as the value of one's existence; this is not living at all."

Snapped.

With a soft clap, Ryan looked up in surprise and saw the girl in front of him clapping. He was somewhat puzzled: "Am I wrong?"

“That’s so true! We must see the evil in the world, but we must not forget its beauty. We must keep all the good and evil in our hearts; only then can we maintain our true selves.” Alicia was even happier, happier than when she first met Ryan, her eyes turning into crescent moons. “Just like you are now, showing me your true self~~~”

Holy crap, we actually fell for their trap.

Ryan's lips twitched. He had planned to act profound today, but before he knew it, Alicia had torn off his mask, leaving him with a bitter smile.

"Alicia, your affability is terrifying; it makes people let their guard down without them even realizing it."

"Right? A lot of people say that about me. Shouldn't you thank me? No, you definitely have to thank me." Alicia tilted her head, looking like she was thinking hard, and clapped her hands again: "Sigh... I really want to eat those Tianjin-style steamed buns and spring sprout pork belly."

This is clearly indicating that Ryan isn't mentally challenged; his first reaction was, "Why should I do this?", and then he realized it wasn't offensive.

"That requires preparing ingredients and having a dedicated kitchen."

"It's not like it has to be today. If you save the anticipation for later, you'll be happier every day." Alicia didn't argue, as if she knew exactly how to strike a balance. She sat up a little straighter. "Alright, I've been asking questions the whole time. Now it's your turn."

Surprisingly, it's quite fair.

Ryan chuckled and looked at the girl in front of him carefully. She was holding a cup and comfortably drinking her milk tea, her eyes full of interest, as if she were participating in a guessing game and was ready to respond to Ryan's challenge at any time.

So, what exactly am I asking?

Ryan was full of questions, but didn't know where to begin.

Ask her what she thinks about the internal power struggles within the organization? Ask her when the Honkai will get out of control? Or... ask her why, as a Herrscher, she stands on the side of humanity?

Countless questions flashed through his mind. Ryan's gaze swept from that stunningly beautiful face, past her ample bosom, over the empty plates on the table, and finally, he couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Won't you get fat from eating so much cake?"

Ah? ? ?

The girl in pink was taken aback. She wasn't stupid; she was prepared for a tricky question, and she blinked noticeably when she heard it.

But the surprise only lasted for a moment. He slowly puffed out his cheeks and shook his long, slender index finger.

"You shouldn't ask girls these kinds of questions, but I don't mind friends joking around, Ryan—" Alicia placed her hands on the table, cupped her face, and her bright eyes, like purple stars, were veiled in red by the sunset outside the window.

"Can we be considered friends?"

Ryan gazed at the smiling girl, unable to find the words to describe the scene before him. It was as if the girl had stepped out of a painting, and although they had only met for half a day, it felt like they had known each other for many years.

He hesitated for a moment, then nodded slightly.

"That's it."

Chapter Sixteen: I'll Go First

Ryan never expected that lunch would last until evening. He drank a lot of coffee, while Alicia ate at least three pounds of cake.

It's a bit like this: two old men, each with a bottle of Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor) and a dish of peanuts, can chat about anything and everything, from Old Wang next door to national affairs, and before they know it, a day has passed.

"Oh, I'm full, I'm full."

The streetlights were on. Alicia patted her tummy, looking satisfied. Ryan followed behind, unable to resist making a fuss.