I'll even show you crossdressing men.

With a soft hiss, the Strike Mantis surprisingly didn't attack the girl behind it. Instead, it watched Ishikawa Yuya flee at top speed. Its wings spread open and trembled violently, causing a strong wind to blow against her face and mess up her hair.

"Damn it!" Seeing that the Strike Mantis, unsurprisingly, ignored the girl in red and chased after them, Ishikawa Yuya felt a bit bad.

Isn't it said that this kind of insect's favorite food is young girls with delicate skin and tender flesh? Why did she leave her behind instead of eating her and come after me?

"Ah!" Holding Lina in one arm, he turned around and punched the rapidly chasing Mantis. The burst of fiery red spiritual energy made the mantis pause, and then it tumbled backward.

"Hiss~" It stood still, its wings flapping again. Its body was not injured, but it was furious at Ishikawa Yuya's daring to attack it and vowed to kill him.

She slowly stood up from the grass, her delicate feet, clad only in stockings, touching the damp ground. There was a chill in her feet, just like her heart, which was already frozen and dead.

"Do you know that as long as you don't actively harm them, you'll be fine around me?" She murmured softly. But who was she saying this to? No one knew she had such an ability. In the eyes of all those who suffered, she was just an excessively beautiful and fragile girl.

"Hey, you've abandoned me again. But this is the last time. Lina's arrival should have caused you a lot of trouble, maybe even led to a breakup. But it seems like fate is on your side."

As she spoke, she sat down, put her high heels back on with her legs turned to the side, then stood up and left.

"But we won't be so lucky in the future, Ishikawa, Yuya..."

Chapter Thirty-Four: The Wet Girl

Back at school, she went to her private bedroom, opened the door, and went in. She tried to close the door behind her, but because of the force she used, it didn't actually close completely. Perhaps because of her mood, she didn't notice this.

With a "whoosh," she tore her red stockings to shreds, kicked her high heels aside, and took off her red backless evening gown. She lightly stroked her hair, and her burgundy curls returned to their original moon-white, hip-length straight hair.

"This night is so unpredictable," she said softly, sitting back down at her vanity and gently removing her light makeup and bright lip gloss.

"I didn't want to do that, I wanted to go even further, I wanted to pretend I didn't know anything, why couldn't I bring myself to do it?" She looked at herself in the mirror, her watery eyes filled with sorrow.

Yes, he's been abandoned again. Even if he doesn't know who he is, he should know the habits of the scythe. Leaving him there is clearly a way to get eaten by the scythe, buying him time to take Lina away.

This is a choice any normal person would make: to survive, and for the survival of those closer to them, sometimes it's necessary to sacrifice those who aren't so close. She knew this, but she couldn't accept it.

No matter what identity I have in his life, am I never the closest person to him, and am I always the one who is abandoned?

"Xiuyu, Xiuyu, don't overthink it. You clearly wanted to go hunting, but you lost your composure the moment you met him. Now, you should know that in other people's eyes, you're just a cheap tool for escaping, right?" She stroked her cheek. If he had kissed her then, perhaps things would have been different?

But that's just my imagination, not real, and such a thing will never happen.

"What should I do? Sister Alicia, you and my mother are old friends, you must know why, right? Please tell me?" There was no one around. Alicia was the person she knew best here, but she had her own things to do.

I long to go back to my childhood, to have her hold me in her arms, to give me the warmth of a mother with her soft embrace, and to tell me about those flowers, those grasses, those people, and those stories.

Sensing her scent, so similar to his mother's, Alicia was the perfect substitute for him, someone he had just lost. She gave him the trust that allowed him to fall asleep peacefully in her arms.

It is precisely because of this trust that even though I have changed, I still believe in her. When I encounter problems, I ask my mother in my heart, and I ask her in my heart.

"Am I a hateful person? Probably... Bai Ke, Ishikawa Yuya, aren't they treating me like a plaything? The final fate of a plaything is to be hated and discarded, just like me now."

Reaching out to touch her reflection in the mirror, she murmured softly. If no one can answer her questions, then she will answer them herself.

"Yes, that's it. From now on, you can't trust any man. The only one you can trust is yourself. Maybe you can trust the maids and Alicia... But you can't trust anyone else. They're all lying to you. None of them are sincere to you, and no one will love you."

She was hypnotizing herself, and although it was a very simple method, it was surprisingly effective; at least she wasn't feeling too depressed anymore.

"The chaos outside will likely continue for a long time. After this, the energy shield will need to be strengthened again, otherwise, even more enemies will just pour in next time."

This matter has nothing to do with her. She has no fighting ability whatsoever and is of no use other than preventing enemies from harming her.

Her concern was for Alicia. After all, as the headmistress of the Heavenly Academy and one of the strongest people in the city, she bore undeniable responsibility for what had happened. She just hoped Alicia could get through this, since it wasn't her fault.

"I'm tired. Take a shower and go to sleep. Ji Xiuyu, starting tomorrow, if you ever fall for any man again, you'll be fooled for the rest of your life..." That's what she told herself. This was her firm resolve, and this was what she wanted to do.

She stood up, discarding her last defenses on the floor, and stepped into the bathroom with her delicate white feet.

She first washed her body with the showerhead, and only after the bathtub had cooled down and filled with warm water did she turn off the showerhead and go to the edge of the bathtub.

She stretched out her beautiful feet, gently tested the water temperature, and finding it just right, she smiled and slowly immersed herself in it.

To prevent herself from getting cold when she came out, she placed a bathrobe next to her for easy wearing.

"Taking a bath is definitely the most comfortable thing. It feels like being embraced in the warmest arms. It makes me feel very safe and secure."

She was taking a bath inside, unaware that someone was hesitating outside the door.

"Is she back? Is she feeling any better?"

"Honestly, going out so late at night, and of all times, we ran into the enemy breaking through the shield and coming in."

"She's not strong enough, she's very easy to get hurt like this, I'm really worried about her."

"Should we go in? The door isn't locked, is it? If we go in and see that she's safe, we can leave. She should be fine."

"No, that would be completely ungentlemanly. What if she dislikes me?"

"But it's so late, I'm worried she won't open the door if I knock..."

The blond boy lingered in front of the door, looking at the open door, hesitating whether or not to go in.

The service fairy Nia tilted her head and looked at Andrei, wondering what he was going to do.

She did realize he wanted to open the door, but she wasn't about to agree.

Although the user of A0208 did not close the door, as a service genie, I cannot allow anyone to enter casually.

Unfortunately, although her intentions were good, once the blond boy made up his mind to check on the beauty and see if she was alright, there was nothing he could do.

Inside the room, she reminded Ji Xiuyu: "Someone has entered without permission. Please be aware. Please be aware. Please be aware."

However, her suggestion was practically useless to Hime Hideyu, who had already submerged herself in the water and was thinking about other things.

She automatically filtered out the notification sound. After all, the room was so private, and she had the only key to get in, so she wasn't worried at all—provided the door was closed.

Seeing the clothes scattered all over the floor—young girls' underwear, red stockings, red high heels, and red backless evening gowns—Andrei's heart suddenly pounded...

Is she taking a shower?

Even though he knew his thoughts weren't gentlemanly, he couldn't help himself. He slowly walked towards the bath, and then he saw the flawless back of the girl as she stood up, and her beautiful eyes as she turned her head in astonishment to look at him...

"Ah~~~!"

P.S.: The last chapter touched on the main plot, and you all had such a big reaction? This book is full of unexpected plot twists, and these ambiguous scenes can't be considered the whole story, they're just seasoning~~Although I'm now treating them like a main course to poison you, lol.

Chapter Thirty-Five: Flower Buds on Toes

"Get out of here!!" Sitting back down in the pool, Ji Xiuyu turned her head and screamed. She truly hadn't expected anyone to barge in. What was wrong with Nia?

"I'm sorry..." The blond boy realized he hadn't just been abrupt, but had almost offended her, so he immediately closed his eyes and turned away. However, "Her skin is so nice, her back is so beautiful..."

"Damn it, Nia, why didn't you warn me that someone had come in?" Ji Xiuyu was extremely annoyed. She didn't want anyone to discover her true identity right now, otherwise it wouldn't matter—no, he wasn't anyone to her, so why should she show him?

“My dear Ji Xiuyu, I’ve reminded you ten times, but you just didn’t hear me, so you’re saying I didn’t give you any pointers.” Nia’s emotionless reply immediately defeated her.

Hmm, it's all the bathhouse's fault. Who told you to be so comfortable? Who told you to block my ears so I couldn't hear the warning that someone was coming in? Who told you to do this? Humph!

"What are you doing here?" The blond boy, who was contemplating the girl's perfect bare back with his eyes closed, heard the ethereal voice behind him. He didn't dare turn around directly, but instead asked, "Are you dressed?"

"No problem." After receiving her reply, the boy turned around, but was slightly taken aback.

She was indeed dressed, but only in a bath towel, covering her upper body from her collarbone to halfway down her thighs, exposing her crystal-clear, snow-white skin. Her feet were bare, and her long, still wet hair was dripping water. She stood there, staring intently at him.

"I'm so sorry..." Andrei knew how painful it must have been for a young girl, especially one who had just been violated and was still heartbroken.

He was also annoyed that he couldn't control his legs. He should have realized she was taking a shower when he saw the clothes all over the floor, but he still couldn't help walking over.

"What's the use of your apology? I thought you were an upright person, but I didn't expect..." She bit her lower lip and ultimately said nothing more. After all, he had helped her once, so now they were even.

“I’m sorry, I know this isn’t gentlemanly, but you are so beautiful that I can’t help myself…” Upon seeing her like this, Andrei knelt on one knee, lowered his head, placed one hand across his chest, and said sincerely.

"What's the use of saying sorry? Even if you kneel down, what good will it do?" she asked softly, ignoring his praise. "Do you know what kind of person I am? Once you know, you'll only hate me. So, please leave."

Hearing her voice in his ears, Andrei knew that if he really left now, he would be a stranger to her forever, which was definitely not what he wanted.

So he looked up and stared intently at her: "No matter who you are, no matter who you really are, no matter whether you let me know who you are or not, I only know that I am now captivated by you."

His words were sweet, but Ji Xiuyu's heart had already cooled tonight. So, upon hearing his words, the girl gave a slight, cold laugh: "There were two men who said the same thing as you before. One watched me being forcibly kissed without doing anything, and the other abandoned me to be bait to lure away monsters for another girl. Do you think I would believe you?"

"I..." Andrei really didn't know how to answer this. Yes, hearing her say that, these two men had also pursued her before, yet they had caused her so much harm. It was normal for her to reject him.

"So, you can leave now. It's really unnecessary. I won't believe you." Ji Xiuyu shook her head, looking at his appearance, and didn't know what else to say, so she just told him to leave.

"I know it's hard for me to make you believe me..."

"Indeed, if you hadn't barged in while I was showering, I might have believed you."

"I'm worried something might happen to you..."

"You were worried something would happen to me, so you barged into someone's room where the door wasn't properly closed? After seeing clothes all over the floor, you even went to the bathroom to see if someone was taking a shower?"

"I...I just..."

“I know you can’t help it… So who can you expect to believe you? Your behavior makes it impossible for me to believe that you are a noble knight who has received a proper education. Instead, you are a charlatan who uses the name of knight to do evil.”

“I… am a descendant of Leninstow, a descendant of the Grimm family!” He could hold back when the girl talked about other things, but when she mentioned his education and his family, he couldn’t help himself. He stared intently into her eyes and said earnestly.

"Why should I believe you?" the girl sneered. She knew his family background was true, but she didn't consider him a true knight. True knights were gentlemen and wouldn't do something so rude, even if she was...

“Our Green family has a ritual that only orthodox knights can perform. This ritual can only be performed once in a lifetime, and the recipient is the girl he loves most. I think if I can perform this ritual, then you should believe me.”

Hearing her distrust of him and her subtle aversion to the Green family, Andrei struggled internally. If she didn't believe him, then so be it.

"No need. You don't have to do this task for me. I don't want to see you right now. Can you leave?" Ji Xiuyu was well aware of the importance of the Green family's ritual, and she didn't want him to use it on her. Not only did she not want to, but she also didn't want such a defiled act to happen to her.

"No, I will prove it! I will definitely prove it!" Hearing the girl's words, his gaze softened. Sixteen years had passed since this angel entered his life. Yet he had hurt her like this. If he couldn't convince her through his actions, he would not only suffer sleepless nights in the future, but he would also lose her forever.

More importantly, he believed that if he did this, he could not only regain the girl's trust, but also soothe her heart, making her start to rely on him and thus like him.

The boy, who had such thoughts, did not allow the girl to refuse. He got up, walked firmly to her side where she was already sitting on the bed, reached out and grabbed her feet that she was trying to pull back, preventing her from moving.

"You! What kind of knight are you, forcing others like this? You're a scoundrel!" She was a little scared, but she was no match for her strength.

“If I don’t do this, I will lose the person I fell in love with at first sight forever. I won’t let myself end up like that.” He answered firmly, then lowered his head and performed the ritual.

He held her beautiful feet, as delicate as flower petals and as smooth as snow, and gently kissed the back of her fair instep. Then, he lifted her feet and kissed her beautiful, rose-like toes...

The ritual's magic circle then unfolded...

P.S.: The title already warned me, so don't blame me if you still clicked in!

Chapter 36: Guardian Knights and such are unnecessary.

"This is a ritual of our Green family for our loved ones, because according to the records, the feet of a person were once considered the most unclean part of the body. Our ancestors instructed us to kiss the feet of the person we would love for the rest of our lives, which meant accepting her most unclean part and loving her for a lifetime, never leaving her."