The Vixen's Gambit: Tonight We Hunt

A human-shaped crater was clearly visible in the snow of the courtyard.

Seeing Otto still sitting on the ground, struggling to recover, Lihua felt a twinge of guilt.

While her physical abilities weren't on par with a proper Kaslana, she was still much stronger than a normal kid. Using the sickly Otto as a cushion was a bit shameless, wasn't it?

"Are you alright?"

"Y-yes, I'm fine... Just need a bit of rest, that's all..."

To prove his words, Otto forced himself to stand up, wincing in pain. "As long as you're okay."

"Thanks to you, I'm perfectly fine, than--"

Huh?

Looking at Otto's concerned face, a mischievous idea popped into Lihua's head.

"Sss--"

"Lihua, what's wrong?!" Otto grew alarmed as Lihua suddenly clutched her ankle, gasping in pain.

What happened? Did he fail to catch her properly? Did she still get hurt?!

[Energy +80]

Perfect!

Hearing the system's notification, Lihua was satisfied. However, she kept up the charade, her face still contorted in pain.

She looked up at Otto, her eyes wide with panic. "Otto! I think I broke my foot!"

"What?!" Otto's eyes widened in alarm. He immediately forgot why she had been perfectly fine just moments ago, and rushed to support her leg, "Don't put it down! Don't put your foot on the ground!"

Damn it. If only I had caught her better!

[Energy +800]

?!?!

Thank you, Taro! [Ultraman Taro]

800 energy, just like that!

Overjoyed, Lihua forgot her fake injury and excitedly grabbed Otto's hand. "Otto, I absolutely love you!"

"?"

The sudden declaration made Otto freeze. It took him a while to process what she'd said, before finally stuttering with a flushed face. "Is, is your foot alright?"

"It's fine, I was just teasing you!" Lihua waved her hand dismissively, staring at Otto, her personal energy ATM, with sparkling eyes. "You're my hero!"

!!!!

A hero?

Was he, Otto, Lihua's hero?

Otto glanced at the leaf bud in his hand, then back at the girl's sincere eyes, before quietly muttering, "Winter is almost over."

Even 500 years later, when Otto, the Archbishop of Schicksal, recalled his life, it always began with that winter.

That winter, a girl descended from the sky, bearing a fresh sprig of spring.

From that moment on, the life of Otto began to turn.

[Target Otto Apocalypse's favorability increased. Current favorability: 9]

[Current target charging efficiency: 900%]

Regardless of Otto's thoughts, Lihua had nearly crushed him.

And despite his lack of importance, he was still the son of the Apocalypse family head, the son of the Schicksal Archbishop.

News of a Kaslana family outcast injuring Otto caused quite a stir.

"We're truly sorry. We will discipline her after we get back."

In the Apocalypse family's drawing room, Francis Kaslana, the family head, bowed deeply to the Apocalypse family representative. "Lihua just returned, she's not very well-behaved, please forgive her."

"I'm sorry..." Lihua lowered her head to Otto, who looked visibly distraught.

Sigh, it was normal for the parents to be angry when their son had nearly been squashed. Lihua was slightly helpless.

"Sir Francis," the Apocalypse representative huffed, stroking his mustache. "Young Master Otto is the son of the Archbishop. Please keep your people in line in the future, lest he gets hurt again." Had this been anyone else, Francis would have decked them. But he had to bow his head and apologize this time.

"I'm truly sorry, this will never happen again."

"Fine, I won't report this to the Archbishop."

The representative grunted, walked in front of Lihua, and looked down at her. "Stay away from Young Master Otto from now on."

"Okay."

Lihua bowed her head as if she was scared, which caused Otto to feel uneasy.

He had finally found someone who believed in him and was willing to be his friend. Was he going to lose her now?

As Otto looked on in sadness, Francis led Lihua towards the door.

[Energy +500]

I hurt my friend's heart, all because of this damn identity-

Suddenly, as Lihua passed him, she flashed him a sly smile and a wink.

"See you later, big inventor~"

?!?!

Seeing her smile, Otto felt his heart jump. A warmth he'd never felt before seemed to flow through his veins.

Not knowing how to respond, he simply nodded.

Their quiet interaction had gone unnoticed by the Apocalypse representative, but not Francis, who just shook his head.

It was a good thing the children liked playing together.

Speaking of which, Kallen was about the same age as those two. Maybe he should let the three of them play together? Otherwise, she was just eating and training all day…