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And so, the heroine who had never lied to Emilia before and had certainly never had a puppy… decided to try both at the same time.
"I-I like how adorable they are, especially when they make that begging expression, um, a-and also, h-how obedient—" It was only then that Crystal noticed the dark expression on Dixie's face, and the rest of her words got stuck in her throat.
Emilia tilted her head in confusion, her eyes a little glassier than usual, and Crystal felt an arrow shoot through her heart from how lovable and charming her expression was. "I-I mean, h-how can anything else compare to how adorable you already are?!"
The more she thought about it, the more confident the heroine felt in her own words. She hadn't lied to Emilia, after all.
The redhead nodded with satisfaction. "Well, let's go home first. I have something I must show to Crystal."
She seemed to have already forgotten about the silver-haired boy on the ground, despite the fact that he had approached her so maliciously before.
Clutching the gun that the boy had been carrying before, Dixie couldn't help but bite her lip nervously. "Um, Princess, a-are we really leaving him here?"
Crystal nodded grimly. "Dixie is right, we can't let him go like this, or he'll become more and more fearless. We should at least call the police. Even if he's not punished heavily, it's better than letting him go scot-free."
Emilia gazed at the unconscious boy with a frown, then she shook her head and turned around to leave. "I don't want to bother with him anymore. Let's go."
Crystal and Dixie could only share a reluctant look, but they could only begrudgingly agree and follow.
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Noelle sighed out in relief once she saw that nothing went wrong, and her little boss was able to walk away unharmed after knocking the silver-haired boy out. "One of these days, I won't need to dye my hair anymore."
She had first considered that the hardest part of their plan, after luring the opponent into the alley, would be to silently take care of the bodyguard and the driver.
With enough tranquilizer to down a dozen elephants and enough bullets to turn them into sieves, she was more than just well prepared.
Who knew, however, that such a thing would be the least of her worries.
Thinking about the fact that the girl insisted on carrying on with previous the plan even after she had reported that the boy was carrying a gun, she couldn't help but grit her teeth in anger.
Even if the boy hadn't even disabled the safety, there was still a chance of something going wrong. With her whole team on standby, wouldn't it be easier to just shoot him with the tranquilizer and take him away?
Unfortunately, trying to convince Emilia in such a situation would have been foolish, and she could only either disobey the girl and prioritize her safety… or believe in her.
Noelle thought she must be crazy to choose the latter option.
This was a silly, naughty, and disobedient girl who loved to make trouble everywhere.
Even though she was sincere to the ones she cared for, it didn't negate her inherently mischievous nature.
The embarrassment she felt as she witnessed the steamy scenes after the fight was beyond mortifying. Even though only a select few trusted subordinates were here today, she could still see the strange thoughts turning in their heads.
Her little boss really did whatever she pleased, not paying attention to the time and place at all, didn't she?
Thankfully, everything worked out in the end, and Noelle continued to observe the next stage of Emilia's plan with a sigh.
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Shortly after the three girls disappeared around the corner, a gruff-looking man 'stumbled' into the alley where the hero was still lying unconscious on the ground.
His roughened-up appearance along with the deep dark circles under his eyes made it seem like he hadn't had a proper sleep or shower in weeks, and just the rancid smell would have sent Amos retching had he not been unconscious.
The man stared at the unconscious boy in extreme shock and confusion before he finally seemed to realize his identity. "Amos Black?!"
Immediately, hatred clouded his eyes as he frantically checked his surroundings. Gritting his teeth, he slung the unconscious boy over his shoulder and rushed away through the alleyway. "For my son's life… I'll make you pay the price!"
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Shortly after the three of them had left the unconscious Amos behind, a black luxury car came to pick them up.
Crystal and Dixie looked at the gray-haired woman and Emilia in surprise, but they didn't interrupt their conversation. If Emilia hadn't already given them so many hints, though, they would surely be exhausted from the emotional ups and downs.
As there was no one here aside from the three of them in the backseat, and Noelle was already familiar with their relationship with Emilia, she didn't hesitate in giving out her report. "Yes, he's already being taken there. Mhm, none of our people were spotted by the boy after you left."
Emilia nodded. "Did that man act like he was instructed?"
Noelle still didn't understand why her little boss insisted that Braxy's father must put up the act right from the start, even while the boy was clearly knocked out, but her instructions were clear, and Noelle could only do as she was told.
The gray-haired lady rubbed her cheek awkwardly. "W-Well, his acting was a bit exaggerated, but still much better than I expected."
Emilia sighed in relief. "Good."
Given that Amos had never shown any hints of being able to communicate directly with another entity, Emilia felt that whatever form of communication they shared must be more subtle.
But as far as she was concerned, even if the world will and the hero didn't communicate at all, it was still better to play the show to the end.
After all, she didn't lose anything doing things this way, and it was always better to be cautious.
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