The moment Leo Ash said this, Fu Hua immediately stared straight into his eyes.
And as expected, she didn't see the slightest trace of romantic or lustful desire in his eyes.
Heck, forget desire, there wasn't even a flicker of emotion in Leo's eyes at all.
Both his gaze and his expression gave Fu Hua a feeling of absolute calm, like still water.
If Fu Hua hadn't been certain she heard him correctly, she would have suspected she was having auditory hallucinations.
"Why me?"
After adjusting her glasses, Fu Hua asked Leo.
"Aren't Kiana and the others a better choice? You're more familiar with them, aren't you?"
"Ha, that's true."
At that moment, Leo recalled the looks his companions had been giving him recently and replied to Fu Hua with perfect calm.
"They have a huge misunderstanding about me. They keep looking at me with those strange eyes all day, as if they're all imagining things like 'Ah, Leo is so pitiful,' or 'He must be in so much pain inside.'"
"If I go out with them and have them staring at me like that for half the day, I won't be able to stand it."
Listening to Leo's explanation, Fu Hua didn't find any issue with it.
After all, they were all now roommates living in Himeko's house. As the inspector sent by Otto—alright, a spy is a spy, no need to put on airs—Fu Hua had a clear understanding of how Leo usually interacted with the others.
As a spy, she naturally needed to meticulously observe the changing relationship between Leo, Kiana, and the others.
And the reason Leo just gave perfectly matched Fu Hua's observations.
Meanwhile, as soon as Leo finished speaking, that voice promptly arrived.
[Watching Fu Hua's 'I see' expression, you can't help but sigh internally at how easy the Immortal Red Kite is to fool.]
[You're telling the truth. The way those girls look at you is filled with worry and helplessness, and it's precisely for this reason that you, feeling like you're deceiving your companions, don't want to continue acting under their gazes.]
[But at the same time, you're asking Fu Hua on a date because—hey, this System isn't going to pretend anymore.]
[Everyone else's affection levels have reached their current cap, so you're just moving on to the person you're least familiar with to keep grinding, aren't you?]
[Host, you're such a grinder.]
You're so annoying.
It got serious for half a second and then went right back to this—who has time to make a move on them now.
Ultimately, my reason for seeking out Fu Hua is still because of those damn reasons.
"My emotions are very stable. I've never been able to understand why they think I'm pitiful. Compared to the victims who died in the Honkai, I feel that being able to survive with my life intact is already a great blessing."
"And as for you, Class Rep Fu Hua, I don't see any of those strange emotions in your eyes. That's why this time, I wanted to ask for your help for some advice—if it were them, they'd probably start overthinking things again."
My reason for finding Fu Hua isn't for anything else, but simply to continue 'deepening' the persona of Leo Ash in her mind.
Right now, Fu Hua is, to put it bluntly, Otto's 'eyes' in St. Freya. Deceiving Fu Hua is, in a sense, equivalent to deceiving Otto.
So...
Hmph, I won't think about it too much.
To live a more comfortable life, I should probably discard some of my inconsequential integrity.
After listening to Leo calmly finish his words, Fu Hua felt that...
—Kiana and the others' worries were actually quite justified.
*The state you were in during our first fight was already very wrong.*
*And now you can say something like this so calmly...*
If it were anyone else, Fu Hua might think the person who said these words had genuinely come to terms with things.
But the problem was, Leo's previous behavior was clearly like that of a crazed beast that didn't care for its own life. While he appeared to be using a defensive counter-attack style in combat, he fundamentally never considered his own safety.
Dealing with such a problem child gave Fu Hua a real headache.
She didn't dare to provoke him, and as for comforting him... her eloquence wasn't that good either.
There's no other way. I'll just have to agree.
It's just going out once, it's not a big deal.
And thinking about it now, spending some time alone with Leo in a safe area isn't a bad thing.
If he and I spar here for too long, Kiana and the others will get worried that Leo is pushing himself to the limit again and rush over.
But if I go out with him, I can find a place to...
Use a feather on Leo, and I can accomplish what I want to do.
Although using a feather will cause more serious problems for my body, using it just once shouldn't leave me unable to move.
After using the feather, I can teach Leo how to cultivate the Edge of Taixu, engraving the incantations and cultivation methods into his subconscious.
Under these circumstances, I can pass the Edge of Taixu to Leo without revealing my true identity.
With his talent, once he knows how to cultivate it, he should be able to complete the preliminary cultivation of the Edge of Taixu even without my direct guidance.
That way, his chances of survival on the battlefield should also increase a little.
......
That night, in Himeko's house.
Watching Leo walk out of the kitchen, Kiana, who was already seated, for a rare change, didn't immediately start gobbling down her food.
For the past few weeks, Leo would always go to the training grounds to spar with Fu Hua for a while after class before returning to the dorm.
Although Kiana felt that a guy like Leo probably wouldn't be interested in a bookworm like Fu Hua who lacked any feminine charm, but...
—Ugh, no, it still feels so frustrating.
It's bad enough that Senior has been practicing his martial arts every day with no time to relax, but that bookworm also seeks him out every day for practice—she should at least let him rest a bit!
Tomorrow is a day off. I should just invite Senior and everyone else out together, so we can all relax properly.
That bookworm class rep...Forget it, I'll invite her too.
Although she seems a bit dorky usually, I feel like she's probably not a bad person.
Frankly, if she weren't pestering Senior every day and not letting him rest, I wouldn't have any reason to dislike her.
On the other side, as Leo placed the last dish on the dining table, he casually took off his apron and set it aside, then looked at Kiana, who had been staring at him.
"Kiana, if you have something to say, just say it."
"Mm, okay."
Nodding obediently, Kiana smiled at Leo and said.
"Senior, tomorrow is a day off. I think everyone's been training pretty hard lately."
"How about we all go hang out at the commercial street?"
"Ah, sorry."
Looking at Kiana, Leo calmly replied.
"I'm not free tomorrow."
"Eh?! Senior, don't tell me you're going to the training grounds again tomorrow?!"
Hearing Kiana's words, the others had already roughly guessed her intentions.
After Leo's battle with Fu Hua, they had discussed it privately and realized that Leo was putting far too much pressure on himself.
He needed a break, but he himself had no intention of taking one, which made things very awkward.
*Senior isn't free tomorrow, could it be...*
Sensing Yuno's gaze, Fu Hua also spoke calmly.
"Don't worry, Yuno, he won't be going to the training grounds tomorrow."
"Oh, is that so..."
Just as Yuno was about to say 'then I'm relieved,' she suddenly froze after hearing Fu Hua's next sentence.
"After all, Leo and I have something to do tomorrow, so we need to go out together."
?
???
!!!!!
With the exception of the expressionless Bronya, the movements of Kiana, Mei, and Yuno all froze for a moment.
Then, the three of them looked at each other and simultaneously saw a look of disbelief in one another's eyes.
Senior...
And Class Rep Fu Hua...
—Are going on a date tomorrow???
Immediately turning their heads back to look at the two, the three of them discovered that the expressions on Leo and Fu Hua's faces were perfectly calm.
On the bright side, this could be a reflection of their inner peace, suggesting they didn't think much of it.
But on the dark side, it could mean they felt that 'going out together is no big deal'—after all, in the past three weeks, the two of them had spent the most time alone with each other.
They had already grown accustomed to this mode of interaction, so of course they wouldn't think it was anything to be concerned about!
[Interesting, very interesting... Hehehe, Host, don't you think this is a good show?]
What good show? Just shut up and watch.
The atmosphere at the scene suddenly became a bit awkward, and Leo wasn't an idiot; how could he not feel the change in atmosphere.
But the problem was, all his actions now were, to put it bluntly, for the sake of survival.
The main reason for inviting Fu Hua and not the others this time was to 'showcase himself' as much as possible in a one-on-one setting, to further solidify his persona in Fu Hua's eyes.
At this stage, Fu Hua was Otto's eyes. Completely fooling Fu Hua was equivalent to temporarily fooling Otto.
It wasn't impossible to invite the others along, but the problem was, it's better to resolve some issues sooner rather than later.
As for the problems with the other girls—it'd be a miracle if he had the ability to solve them.
With Kiana, he didn't dare to say anything carelessly right now. Even if he said something suggestive, if Otto found out, that old bastard would act immediately just to be safe.
He couldn't do anything about Yuno either. He could only temporarily guide her down a certain path. As for the problems in Yuno's heart right now—he wasn't a professional psychologist. This was the limit of what he could do.
Bronya was fine for the time being, and there was no need to worry about Mei's Herrscher Personality for now.
Looking at the overall picture, Leo couldn't solve the bigger problems, so he could only solve the problems stemming from Fu Hua.
However...
*System, give me a guarantee. This won't blow up in my face, right?*
[Oh, my dear Host, you need to understand one thing.]
What is it?
[You are handsome, charismatic, and in the eyes of others, you're the kind of good man who is not proactive, refuses to take advantage, is responsible, and has a tragic past.]
[Under these premises, even if these little girls get anxious, they won't think it's your fault. They'll just think that a vixen has snatched Leo away—rest assured, your public persona is very successful.]
That's a truly mortifying evaluation.
[It won't blow up for now, so operate with confidence—if you die, this System will just find the next unlucky schmuck.]
Somehow, I feel like you're just trying to stir up trouble.
"Alright, alright, let's eat, let's eat."
Glancing at everyone present, Himeko decisively cut off their conversation.
"Although tomorrow is a day off, there are some things I need to tell you in advance."
"In about ten days or so, St. Freya High School will be holding its periodic tests."
"Leo, who transferred from another Schicksal department as a B-rank knight, doesn't need to worry. But Kiana, Mei, Yuno, Bronya, it's a different story for you four."
At this moment, Himeko's expression became more serious as she turned her gaze directly to Kiana.
"Auntie Him... Teacher! Why are you looking at me?"
Being stared at intently by Himeko, Kiana felt uncomfortable all over.
"What, what did I do?"
"The four of you, as D-rank Valkyries, will have to enter the make-up exam phase if you fail your first periodic test after enrollment. If you fail the make-up exam, you will be directly expelled."
"Mei, Yuno, and Bronya are fine. The three of them pay attention in class. But you—how many times have you fallen asleep in class, do I need to remind you?"
*This young lady is a genius*—no matter how oblivious Kiana was to the atmosphere, she wouldn't dare say such a thing at this moment.
Falling asleep in class was already very disrespectful to the teacher. To talk back at a time like this would be incredibly stupid.
"If you really have time to worry about these pointless things, you'd be better off asking them to help you with your studies. If you really fail the exam..."
At this moment, Himeko let out a feigned sigh.
"When the news of 'the daughter of the former Kaslana patriarch being expelled' gets out, the reputation of your father and your family will be completely ruined."
*Aaaah, what Auntie Himeko said makes a lot of sense, but...*
After sneaking a glance at the calmly eating Leo and Fu Hua, Kiana felt that she was still filled with conflict.
*But this young lady is still so curious!*
*The first time Senior goes out alone with a girl after coming to the Far East Branch, and it's not with me!*
*Damn it, things...*
—Why on earth did things turn out this way?! (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻
......