Obviously, none of them expected that Emilia’s distress this time was caused by the supposedly only other member of her species, mysterious as this yet to be seen friend of hers was.
Although it was rare for her to delve into the topic, based on Emilia’s doting expression whenever she off-handedly mentioned her ‘partner’, anyone could tell that their relationship couldn’t be too bad.
For her to be troubled because of someone like that, could it be that this ‘family member’ got in some trouble?
Sam couldn’t help but reach out to clutch her little sister’s palm in worry. “This ‘Cynthia’ girl… if she needs to be rescued, you know you can always rely on your big sister, right?”
Even knowing Emilia’s origins and being aware of the fact that her ‘friend’ could very well have been kidnapped by some space pirates, or something equally ridiculous, Sam still couldn’t help herself.
As far as the older girl was concerned, had she really been too scared to even try helping her little sister out when really needed, she might have lost all right to claim that she loved Emilia.
Crystal also nodded. “We may not be as good as you at many things, but it can’t hurt to let us help from time to time, right?”
Although Dixie only pursed her lips silently, it was quite obvious that she also agreed with the heroine’s words.
Feeling both touched and a little helpless, Emilia decided it would be better to just completely clear this ‘misunderstanding’ from the root.
As long as these girls met Cynthia, wouldn’t everything be clear as day for all to see?
Ignoring their concerned looks for a moment, Emilia quickly turned her thoughts towards her soulscape. ‘Cynthia! Are you awake?’
“No!”
‘…’
The raven-haired girl whimpered. “… I-I mean, I-I just woke up, and feel l-like, really tired—”
Although she didn’t know whether it was her partner’s ridiculous response or her pitiful salvaging attempt that left her more speechless, Emilia couldn’t help but sigh. ‘Why are you so nervous?’
Cynthia immediately balked back in shock. “… I-I’m not…?”
The crimson-haired girl couldn’t help but shake her head with a smile. ‘Well, sorry for disturbing you, then. I just wanted to ask you if you would be alright with meeting and chatting with the girls here for a few minutes?’
Biting her lower lip nervously as she thought about it, the raven-haired girl couldn’t help but hesitate. “I-I… uh…”
Her partner sighed. ‘Alright… it’s okay. You don’t have to listen to me if you don’t want to.’
Although Emilia didn’t sound mad, the raven-haired girl couldn’t help but shudder. ‘W-Who knows what kind of punishment she’ll have in store for me in the future if I refuse her again, right? It’s better to just bear with it for now than be humiliated and beaten later!’
Gritting her teeth, Cynthia quickly made up her mind. “O-Okay, you summon me out, I’ll do it!”
Between facing a bunch of mortals who would never dare touch her, and her terrifyingly vengeful partner, the raven-haired girl knew which choice would be better even if she had only thought about it with her toes.
Having never expected Cynthia to agree without strong persuasion, Emilia couldn’t help but blink in surprise. ‘Really…?’
Although she’d long since discovered that her partner’s original excuse of not meeting her friends made very little sense, the crimson-haired girl also understood that she shouldn’t just drag Cynthia out in front of everyone just because she could.
Not only would such behavior be extremely disrespectful to her partner, but it would also give everyone a very poor first impression. Emilia didn’t want to be in a position where she had to hear one of her dearest friends complaining about Cynthia.
Who could have expected Cynthia to agree so simply now?
Emilia couldn’t help but be a little confused. ‘Did I misunderstand her, and there really was a risk of being discovered if she revealed herself to the others before, but now it’s no longer so bad since we completed another mission?’
The idea seemed plausible, but if that really was the case, wouldn’t that mean there still existed the possibility of their true identity being discovered by the world will?
No matter how minuscule it was, Emilia didn’t think it would be worth it to take the chance.
Unaware of her partner’s true worries, the raven-haired girl frowned. ‘Is she pretending to be confused, or…? No… Don’t tell me she was just looking for an excuse to punish me and actually wanted me to refuse?!’
Although it was quite an admirably devious strategy for a villainess, Cynthia couldn’t help but complain in her heart. ‘Why am I always her preferred victim, anyway?!’
Still, no matter how she didn’t like it, the raven-haired girl still knew what to pick between a spanking and an introduction. “… Just do it.”
With her partner’s agreement, Emilia suppressed the strange feeling in her heart and decided to just go with the flow. Anyway, with Amos being somewhere unknown and her friends not having any frequent interactions with the boy in the future, she felt that the odds were in her favor already.
—Follower Summoning: Cynthia!
—Cynthia’s projection can be sustained for: 6 hours 53 minutes 45 seconds.
Perhaps because they had been concerned due to Emilia’s silence, all four other girls in the room had drawn quite a bit closer to the crimson-haired beauty, and couldn’t help but jump in shock when another person appeared between them unexpectedly.
“EH?!”
“What the heck—?!”
“Kyaaa!”
Emilia couldn’t help but tease in amusement. “So my cute little knight can still scream like a little girl when needed, huh?”
It was only then that the other three realized that it wasn’t the voice of Crystal, but Dixie, that rang the loudest. Considering how strong and fierce she usually was, they couldn’t help but stare at the blushing dark-haired girl in surprise.
Of course, a certain someone who had been so reluctant to expose herself to mere mortals before was extremely displeased by their disrespectful behavior. “Hey, the four of you! Has no one taught you how to treat your elders when you meet them?!”
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