Hazel pulled Leon away from the crowd, and as they hurried off, the attention of bystanders began to fade. Sensing Hazel’s urgency, Leon quickened his pace to match hers. Once they were far enough from everyone’s gaze, she slowed down, turning back to him with a giggle.
“You sure like confrontation, huh?” she teased.
“He clearly started it,” Leon replied casually. frёewebηovel.cѳm
“Yes, but you didn’t hesitate to give it right back to him, did you?”
“I don’t care, even if that guy is famous. If you hadn’t stepped in, I would’ve taken him on.”
“I’m sure there’ll come a time when you and he face off again-more intensely, and legally.” “What do you mean?”
Hazel chuckled again, her face bright with amusement. “You know? That guy is a Gluttony Champion.”
“Gluttony Champion?!” Leon was a bit startled by the revelation. The only two Gluttony Champions he knew were Marlene and Paul, the guild leader of Shadow Wolves.
“Oh… surely he’s not Paul, is he?”
“No… he’s not in Dissidia. Actually, he’s not even in the South Continent; he’s from the South East Continent,” Hazel said, grinning widely.
The South East Continent was to the right of the South Continent on the map. Given that Dissidia Kingdom was on the far western edge, it was quite a distance from the eastern part of the South Continent, let alone the South East Continent itself.
“And why is that so important?”
Hazel chuckled softly. “Surely, the Gluttony Champions will band together to fight against Princess Alora’s faction, which includes The Ass Guild-and you, right? I’m sure there’ll come a time when you face off directly with Alex.”
“And I’ll kill him brutally when that time comes,” Leon replied with a grin at her.
“I can’t tell if that’s just in-game bravado or if you’re genuinely pissed at Alex,” she said, raising an eyebrow.
Leon simply smiled in response. Hazel’s hand was still holding his as they walked.
“Oh, by the way, Hazel, happy birthday. Sorry, it’s late.”
Hazel turned to him with a sweet smile. “Don’t tell me you didn’t bring me a gift.”
Well, the truth was, Leon hadn’t thought that far ahead. He only just remembered that it had been her birthday recently, but exactly when? Maybe it was a few days ago, or perhaps last week? He couldn’t quite recall.
It was because he kept jumping in and out of the game so often that he started losing track of time. While it felt like he’d experienced so much inside the game, when he logged out, he’d find that not even a full day had passed. He was still getting used to this strange disconnect between the game world and reality.
“Now, keep me company and hang out with me as a replacement gift, okay?” she said, her tone playful.
“Well, I can’t stay too long, Hazel. That’s why I brought my Home Bus here.”
“In that case, can I join you on the Home Bus?”
“Yes, as long as you don’t mind being left alone while I log into Immortal Legacy.”
She nodded enthusiastically.
Hazel suddenly stopped and held onto Leon’s hand, then quickly let go and walked ahead of him, lifting both her arms slightly. “Now, tell me your opinion about my outfit, Leon.”
Outfit? She was wearing a sleeveless dress, the top in a deep pink and the bottom in white, paired with brown boots.
Uh… what was he supposed to say? How was he supposed to know about women’s fashion? “It’s good…”
Hazel chuckled. “You should’ve said I’m cute! That sounds much better, you know.” “Well, okay, it’s cute.”
“Too late!” she teased, then grabbed his right hand again and started pulling him along.
“Well…” she continued as they walked. “Now let’s go for a stroll. You wanted to buy something here, right?”
“Yes, actually, I’m looking to buy some new clothes, and maybe an action figure? I’m not really sure, I just feel like spending,” he said, sounding a bit uncertain.
“Of course, someone who suddenly got rich like you might be confused about how to spend their money! That’s a problem not everyone can relate to,” she said cheerfully. “Now, let’s head to a clothing store. I’ll pick out the best outfits for you, okay?”
Leon simply nodded and followed as she eagerly led the way.
Hazel really took her time guiding Leon around the mall, picking out clothes for him-from formal attire to casual outfits. She even helped him find a style that suited him. Meanwhile, Leon kept checking his phone in case Subaru or someone else contacted him to get back into
the game.
Still, Leon found himself enjoying the moment. As they shopped, Hazel introduced him to various brands, all of which she considered “good,” meaning they came with hefty price tags. Despite her recommendations, Leon ended up choosing items that weren’t too expensive-he wasn’t quite ready to spend that much just yet.
After gathering a decent haul, Leon stepped out briefly to store everything in the Home Bus. Once that was done, they continued their day with lunch at a restaurant in the mall, sitting across from each other at the table.
“Leon… I’m 18 now, and legal. Let’s date.”
Hazel’s sudden declaration came just as Leon was sipping through a straw. He was so startled that he choked a little, quickly grabbing a tissue to wipe his mouth.
What the heck?
“What?”
“Yes! It took a lot of courage for me to say this! You have no idea how hard it was to get these words out, you know. And yes, I’m serious… You’re single, right? And me too! So, let’s date,” she continued, her expression bright and innocent.
“Wait…” he replied quietly, still trying to process the sudden information while his mind was actually preoccupied with things happening in the game.
“Date?”
Hazel nodded enthusiastically, her smile unwavering.
“Yes…” she continued. “You know, I’m cute…” she said with a sweet smile. “And…” she went on, “I can make my own money, so don’t worry, I have no intention of taking anything from you… And I’m smart too… though maybe just a little less smart than your sister,” she added
with a chuckle.
“Wait, Hazel,” Leon responded, trying to calm down the pace. “Give me a moment to
breathe.”
She chuckled at his reaction. “I’ve been waiting for this moment, until I turned 18. I’ve said that before, right?”
“No,” he replied. “I mean… we don’t really know each other that well…”
“I’ve already told you a lot about my past,” she said, smiling and nodding. “And I’ve heard plenty about you… and if you’re asking that we wait to get to know each other better, I’m afraid I won’t have the time. Your game routine is so busy…”
“That’s not what I mean… but dating is something that’s done by…”
Hazel cut him off, “Don’t worry… I’m really into you, to the point where my heart races
whenever I’m with you… And I’m sure that once we start dating, you’ll realize that liking me won’t be that hard. What do you think?” she asked with a giggle.
Just as he was about to respond, the table shook slightly, caused by his phone vibrating on it.
He glanced over and saw Subaru’s name on the screen.
“Hazel…”
“Yes, it’s okay, take the call,” she said with a smile.
Leon nodded, picked up the phone, and quickly answered it. As soon as he pressed accept,
Subaru’s voice filled his ear.