Arknights, but the sickly pretty girl starts

It was clearly a treat... and I was the one who invited him, but I didn't expect the assassin from the No Helmet Alliance in front of me to be so frugal.

"No... I'm not saying the food here isn't delicious, but I feel like after eating here, how can I ever eat those takeout boxes again..." Sintela hurriedly explained. She didn't feel like she was on a mission at all. After all, the moment she saw Mainna, she had already automatically determined the mission failed. Now that she wasn't on a mission, she was clearly separating public and private life, and now she was truly just Sintela, not the Platinum Assassin.

"If you think it's not possible, then forget it..." As Cintrea, she no longer had the efficiency and simplicity she had as an assassin, and her tone was more sincere.

"No, I'm also curious about what delicious food Miss Cintrea would recommend to me." Noya sensed a certain wariness in Cintrea's emotions, but her words were generally sincere. She thought for a moment and nodded. With Kuro around, she had nothing to worry about.

So the two of them left this rather expensive high-end restaurant. Sintrea walked around and around and came to a small alley, while Noah was pushed in a wheelchair by Kuro. Following Sintrea, who seemed to be very familiar with this place, they came to a store that made Noah feel a little strange.

Chapter 22: Pig's Feet Rice and Fireworks

"Boss, give me two bowls of pork trotter rice." Xinteleya greeted quite skillfully, and then helped Noah clean up the original tables and chairs so that Noah could park his wheelchair in a suitable position.

This kind of fly-in-the-wall restaurant was indeed a bit new to Noah. After all, she had been raised in a fairly affluent environment since she was a child. She felt quite curious at this moment, and the smell she smelled was indeed fragrant. After a while, the boss brought up two servings of pork trotter rice in a big bowl. The rice was not very good, and in addition to the chopped fat pork trotters, there were also cauliflower, chili peppers and soybeans - well, you could smell it.

Nuoya was still very confident in her sense of smell, but this time the pork trotter rice made her feel troubled——

Can your body handle such a greasy dinner?

Her hesitation was a different story in Xintela's eyes. She thought the young lady had no idea how to eat pig's trotter rice. Although it was essentially just rice with toppings, for a worker like Xintela, pig's trotter rice was a delicacy that could instantly bring her back from her boring work. So she said, "Take a bite first, just take a bite. If you don't like it, leave it to me, right?"

"...No, I don't think this will taste bad." Noah explained quickly, "Rather, I know it's delicious just by smelling it, it's just..."

"Noya's health isn't great," Kuro said from the side. "She's not sure if she can handle this greasy food, so she's hesitant."

"...Is that so?" Xinteleya was quite surprised. She had never thought that such a powerful chairman would be so weak that he couldn't even eat greasy food. "Then there's nothing I can do. My problem is, I shouldn't have brought you to a place like this."

"No, I... try it?" Noah's heart tightened as she could hear some disappointment in the other person's tone. For some reason, she felt a little guilty. Then she shook her head and picked up the chopsticks.

Kuro did not stop Noah. He just watched her pick up a piece of fat meat with chopsticks and stuff it into her mouth. As a result, the moment it entered her mouth, Noah felt an unprecedented aroma of fat and meat bursting out in her mouth. She had eaten delicacies from land and sea, but she had never experienced the large quantity, fullness, simplicity and clarity of this kind of common food, especially eating fat meat in big mouthfuls, which was unprecedented.

Noah's face, which had been pale, even turned rosy because of this wonderful experience. She covered her mouth, chewed carefully, and then swallowed it slowly. After experiencing it for a long time, she raised her thumb with difficulty.

"good to eat."

In fact, Kuro should have stopped it at this time. She witnessed Noah's transformation from a healthy person to someone who could only rely on medicine to maintain his health. However, she also understood that for Noah, if he had to live his whole life bound by rules and regulations, that would be real torture.

Just like she was showing such a happy smile and expression when she ate pork trotter rice for the first time, Kuro wanted to see her smile sincerely more often.

"I told you, the pork trotter rice here is a must-try." Xinteleya looked at Noah's sincere smile and suddenly felt dazed. She originally thought that the other party was a condescending spokesperson and that she had only said that she wanted to change restaurants because she was nervous. However, not only did the other party come, but he also sincerely praised her choice.

"Well, it's definitely better than the food in that restaurant..." Noah paused and searched for an adjective, "It's bigger in quantity, and it's delicious too."

If the dishes at the previous restaurant were considered exquisite, with complex flavors and top-notch ingredients, then this pork trotter rice was the epitome of simplicity, clarity, and deliciousness. Nuoya's usual meals were either bland or the kind of delicacies he'd share with others, so this simple, straightforward delicacy like pork trotter rice was a first for him.

"That's right. When I'm tired from work, I usually come to this restaurant to eat a bowl of pork trotter rice. Rain or shine."

"...But, Ms. Cintrea, won't you get fat like this?"

"..." Xinteleya's hands froze while she was eating. After a long while, she said, "No, I've exercised enough."

"Is that so?" Noah nodded with a smile. "Indeed, Miss Xinteleya's work must be very hard, right?"

"Not really." Xinteleya shook her head. "It's just that I have to make a living. I never thought I would do this job."

"Does this mean that Miss Xinteleya is very dissatisfied with her current job?" Noah blinked, "Then..."

"I didn't say that! Don't say that!" Noah's words startled Xinteleya. She couldn't say that casually. "At least I'm very satisfied with the salary."

"Hmm..." Noya paused tactfully, picking up another piece of meat and shoving it into her mouth along with the rice. She chewed, savoring the pure indulgence. She'd originally intended to play a trick on the assassin from the No Helmet Alliance, but she'd ended up enjoying something delicious. Perhaps this was fate. It would be great if she could bring Margaret and the others along to eat here someday. Compared to the formalities of a high-end restaurant, Noya preferred the more down-to-earth atmosphere of this place.

What you hear is a warm greeting, rather than the waiter's carefully crafted service words. Although the fat and salt content may be harmful to the body in the long run, the pork trotter rice will make you feel good as long as you eat it.

For someone like Noah who doesn't know how long he has left to live, this experience is even more enjoyable than eating delicacies from land and sea.

"Thank you for the treat." After finishing the pork trotter rice, Noah felt fuller than he hadn't been in a long time, even a little stuffed. This is what generous portions mean... Noah couldn't help but think. "I said I'd treat you to a meal before, but you ended up treating me instead. So, next time, I'll invite Miss Xinteleya?"

"It's okay, it's not a fancy meal." Although Xinteleya was quite happy while eating, and the other party didn't put any pressure on her, she immediately planned to run away after the meal. "Then... I'll leave first?"

"Wait a minute." Noah said, "Actually... Miss Xinteleya, next time, can you recommend a restaurant like this to me?"

Chapter 23: Remember to punch in when you leave work, otherwise your soul will remain in the workplace

"……Eh?"

Xinteleya really didn't expect that the other party would actually make such a request. After all, in her eyes, the girl in front of her was the eldest lady among the young ladies. Could she actually like to eat such high-fat and high-calorie food like herself?

"...It's not impossible, but that will have to be after work is finished."

And my job is quite delicate. For some reason, Xinteleya still doesn't want to tell Noah about her job.

After all, from her perspective, Noya probably had no idea she was still working as an assassin, a lowly job. Although this wasn't her intention, she had come to deceive this young lady. However, this young lady was surprisingly kind and not arrogant. However, Hintleya thought that since Roy had sent her here to scout the area, it meant that Noya must have also entered the sights of the No-Head Alliance, which was a very dangerous signal.

Although Noah seems to be safe with Mainna and the mysterious Kuro by his side, the Helmetless Alliance is an assassination organization after all... If you are targeted by the assassination organization, then in a sense, your life is hanging on your belt.

Just because your bodyguard is powerful doesn't mean you can rest easy... Assassination is just that. Poisoning, hidden arrows, sniping—there are so many ways to kill someone, and many of them can even be disguised as accidents. Her current position shouldn't involve her in close contact with the target; it truly goes against the Assassin's Creed. But Sintreya shook her head, perhaps because she'd been in this line of work for so long that her mindset had become distorted.

I actually never thought of becoming an assassin... Once upon a time, my dream was to become an idol knight who had no worries about food and drink?

Who would want to be a shady assassin if they didn't really get on board by accident?... Looking at Noah Jixi's expression, Xinteleya sighed silently. "Give me the terminal and leave your contact information. If I'm free, I'll ask you to come out with me."

Noah didn't hesitate and handed the terminal to Xinteleya. Xinteleya gave Noah her contact information and looked at him deeply before saying, "Be careful. I hope we can have dinner together again in the future. You still owe me one."

"Yes, of course." Noya simply smiled. The assassin before her didn't seem like a bad person. At least, in her perception, she hadn't lied from beginning to end, not even when she'd hoped to have dinner together again. Since the other party was sincere, Noya would respond with corresponding sincerity. That was her motto. After exchanging contact information, Cintrea waved her back with a rather casual expression and disappeared into the crowd. Noya, clutching her personal terminal, turned to Kuro and spoke.

"Qraw."

"Ok?"

"Do you think I still have a chance to have dinner with her?"

"..." Kuro was stunned for a moment, then saw a slightly uneasy smile on Noya's face. She rarely showed such an expression. Kuro spoke after a long moment, "I will. I promise."

"Yeah." Noah nodded and hugged the personal terminal in her arms. The reason why she came out with this assassin lady was that she had Kuro by her side and she was not worried that the other party would pose any threat to her. On the other hand, it was because she was a person who was afraid of loneliness. It was also a very uncomfortable thing for Noah herself that she could not meet Maria and the others for the time being. She felt like there was a void in her heart. For a long time, there had been very few people around her.

Her situation is special. Apart from acquaintances, the only people who can get close to her are enemies - especially those who approach her with a purpose.

Originally, he just wanted to have some fun, but Noah felt that this assassin lady named Xinteleya was unexpectedly a very good person. Maybe her purpose was indeed impure at the beginning, but probably because of her relationship with Mainna, after she gave up her goal, she became quite friendly... It might be a bit of an exaggeration to say that she was friendly, but Noah's emotional perception would not lie. The other party had always treated him with a very sincere attitude.

On the way, Noah gave up the idea of ​​teasing her...

If the two of them were not enemies but just normal encounters, perhaps they could become good friends...at least that's what Noah thought.

In front of Noah, who has the ability to perceive emotions, sincerity is the best panacea. As long as you show your sincere side in front of Noah, she is actually a very easy-going person.

Precisely because he has seen too many people approaching him with malicious intent, Noah has an extraordinary liking for those who can treat him sincerely.

Just like now, she was sincerely looking forward to the time when she and Miss Xinteleya could find a small restaurant like this to eat together again.

"Kuro, we should go. We have some paperwork to deal with tonight. We can't just leave it all to Uncle Mainna, right?"

"Okay." Kuro pushed his wheelchair and disappeared into the crowd with Noya. But not long after, a hooded man who had been following them from a distance took off his hat. It was Roy, one of the two Blue Gold Lords who had assigned Platinum the task. He frowned and pondered for a long time before pulling out his terminal and sending Platinum a message.

——Task change.

As close to Noah Kyrielight as possible.

-

Noah naturally didn't know that Miss Platinum was in such a good mood after having dinner with him and being assigned a difficult task, that her work efficiency had doubled. Maina had originally thought she would receive overtime pay tonight, but Noah returned just before get off work and sent Maina home to be with Maria. As a boss, Noah always did what he could himself and tried not to let his subordinates work overtime.

And giving employees time to deal with family issues is what a good boss should do.

Noah meant well, but Mainna was in a dilemma. This was the first time he'd left work on time since becoming a middle-aged office slave. He felt like his soul had been left behind at work, his mind full of work that Noah had snatched away from him before he'd even finished it. After clocking out in a daze and returning home, he sat on the old, unsold sofa and suddenly realized that he hadn't planned what to do after leaving get off work on time...

It's been so long since he's gotten off work on time that he's completely lost for what to do...

How about... going to see Maria? He thought seriously.

Chapter 24: What to do when you get off work on time

Maybe this is why Noah asked me to leave work on time...

Maina had somewhat sensed that Noya had always been bothered by the strained relationship between him and his family. After all, he was practically half a member of the Linguang family, even occasionally joining Maria in calling him uncle. Maina herself believed her attitude didn't matter, and the strained relationship wasn't a big deal. She was rarely home, and even if Maria disliked her, she rarely saw her.

To be honest, if Maria hadn't gone to participate in the knight competition, I haven't had a good talk with Maria for almost a month.

...It's not that I hate Maria, but as her brother's daughter, she is much more obedient than Margaret.

Just looking at Maria always reminded Mainna of Margaret, or Zofia. Both of them had suffered misfortune in the knight competitions, but Maria had still thrown herself into this bottomless abyss without hesitation. Mainna's feelings towards Maria were probably more like a feeling of disappointment. To protect a meaningless noble status, or to protect the position held by Margaret.

For the child who adored her sister, this reason was obviously enough.

But to Mainna, Maria was not Margaret. He hoped she wouldn't continue to be a jousting knight like Margaret. He hoped she could stick to her previous interests and become a skilled craftsman, a skilled craftswoman who could at least provide a good living. Even after she could escape the pressure of the Linguang family, a sunny child like her would be loved wherever she went.

Being a craftsman is fine, why would you want to be a jousting knight?

Back then, he had gone to the border to become a ranger simply because he didn't want to be a knight. He hated being bound, and though he had become the person he once despised, his inner essence remained exactly the same: the rebellious Lin Guang who didn't want to be a knight, but wanted to fight for the weak as a ranger.

As she was thinking, Mainna had already arrived at the Garden Training Grounds. Knight competitions were a points-based system, so there weren't matches every day. Maria usually trained with Zofia. Zofia's teaching abilities far surpassed her own strength, and she could generally teach anyone to some degree. Mainna had always believed Zofia was more suited to being a teacher than the Whip Knight she was now...

Having lost her dominant hand, she has now returned to the position of coach... Perhaps this is a similar outcome in a sense.

He came silently, and the two foals who were still practicing were unaware of his arrival. He watched the attack and defense of Maria and Zofia. What surprised him was that Maria's swordsmanship had not been abandoned because of her long-term craftsman research, and it could even be called solid. In addition, because she would always use the Originium technique during combat, she seemed to be emitting a faint glow. This light golden light made Mainna a little dazed.

Margaret's light at that time was blazing, a golden glow that could burn you at the first glance, just like a knight in a picture book.

But Maria is different. Her light is very soft and moistens everything silently. It does not make people feel dazzling, but it is endless. Although it seems weak, it is unwavering. If Margaret is the midday sun, then Maria is probably the rising sun, right?

It’s ironic to say…it seems that my elder brother and I were in the same situation back then.

Maenna looked at the two men sparring, and the corners of her mouth unconsciously curled up. When she and her eldest brother were sparring, did her father look at them like this?

As a result, now I don’t know where my elder brother and sister-in-law have gone, and I have become what I am now.

He took a deep breath and suddenly remembered what Noah said before he drove him away.

"Giving employees time to deal with family issues is what a good boss should do."

"...dealing with...family relationships?" Mainna frowned, then sighed, "If it were that easy..."

"...Hey!" Maria's sword swung in an arc. When Sofia was exhausted, she finally seized the opportunity and hit Sofia's weakness. The unsharpened sword landed directly on Sofia's shoulder armor, scoring a goal! "Hit... Hit it!!"

"..." Zofia looked at the sword in disbelief. Indeed, she was very tired, but this was the first time that Maria had broken through her defense... This was also the first time that she was hit by Maria.

"...Not bad." Zofia looked at the happy Maria, a flicker of reluctance crossing her face. She quietly clenched her left hand into a fist, but only after feeling the pain did she loosen it with relief. "You're already better than me, Maria."

"Yeah! Isn't that amazing!" Maria was so immersed in the joy of finally hitting a target that she completely ignored these details and continued to show off her achievement. "I thought it would take at least a few months! I didn't expect it to happen right now!"

"...Are you so complacent about something like this?" At this moment, a voice that made Maria's hair stand on end came from the side. Her movements froze instantly. She slowly turned her head, only to see Mainna walking towards her with an expressionless face.

"...No, no, I'm just... a little happy." Maria immediately put away her previous attitude and looked at Maina with some embarrassment. "I don't think I'm that great..."

"If you're so complacent about something like this, you should leave that knightly tournament as soon as possible. After all this time, your single strike couldn't possibly end the match... You're simply relying on the power of your Originium technique to persevere. This tactic only works against opponents with a small difference in strength. Once their strength reaches a certain level, you'll be completely defeated." Mainna's expression was serious, and his words were filled with reprimands. Zofia, standing nearby, wanted to dissuade him, but a look from Mainna rebuked her.

"Your basic skills are okay, but that's all you're going to get..." Mainna continued his sharp criticism. "Your forehand isn't sharp, and your backhand is weak. With your level, you still want to compete with other knights? Dream on!"

"I...I tried hard too..." Maria whispered, "I tried very hard..."

Chapter 25: First, Eat Well

"Maenna, what the hell are you doing?" Zofia couldn't help herself. In truth, they used to have a very good relationship, but after Snitzer disappeared, Maenna had lost her former free spirit, and she was no longer the person who had dragged her along to escape knight training. Now, she was even scolding Maria in front of her. This was too much to bear, and she immediately started to protect her child.

"She's your niece! Can't you just talk it out nicely?"

"I'm just saying it nicely."

"You can't have this attitude when talking to someone nicely!"

"What's wrong with my attitude?"

Mainna meant what he said, he was really speaking in a nice way, and these words were often used by his father to scold him.

"You...you you you!" Zofia was furious. She grabbed her training sword and threw it towards Mainna. Mainna dodged it, and Zofia, furious, pulled Maria away. "Let's go eat. We'll continue training after dinner. Don't pay attention to your idiot uncle."

"...Idiot..." Mainna frowned, looked at the discarded practice sword, and lowered his eyes slightly.

——Actually, I just came to take a look.

The reason she scolded Maria was partly due to Zofia's resentful expression... Maria ignored Zofia's expression, but Maina saw it clearly. In the past, her relationship with Zofia had been very good... but now, while they couldn't be called enemies, it was probably not far off. Maina's mouth twitched. Even though her boss had let her leave on time, family relationships weren't so easy to break.

"Uncle... Uncle." Just as Mainna was lost in thought, Maria suddenly broke free from Zofia's hand and ran to Mainna. "You haven't eaten yet, have you? Do you want to... have a meal together after such a long time?"

"...Maria...you." Sofia looked at Maria running up like a fool and shook her head helplessly. She had just been scolded, and she was still approaching her so recklessly. She was afraid that she would be rejected again, right?

"……All right."

Sophia: “!”

Maria: “!?”