Chapter 17: "But Wendy Likes You a Lot, Kaito."
Ugh… why did I have to be so competitive about something like this…
But Wendy was a bit too aggressive…
Walking through Stormbearer Mountains, Amber felt a little awkward recalling what had just happened.
Although she hadn't shown it, she had indeed been thinking some strange things internally.
Actually, she had only known Kaito for a few days, so there was nothing non-negotiable.
It was just that Wendy had been really out of line just now, and Amber couldn't help but want to confront her.
She really hated that kind of behavior, not letting someone be with others. It was too controlling.
Still, she knew that Wendy hadn't explicitly shown that intention from start to finish, but her strange actions really made it hard not to draw conclusions.
Knocking out a Hilichurl right in front of her… strangling a Hilichurl…
Kicking a Hilichurl towards her… even holding a Hilichurl and saying things like she'd lose her life…
These strange actions, no matter how she thought about it, weren't normal.
Forget it… I'll just keep my distance from Kaito from now on…
After some thought, Amber decided it was better to avoid trouble.
Anyway, she had saved Kaito, and Kaito had saved her; they were even.
But thinking about Wendy's behavior just now, she still felt it was a bit much.
Being so controlling, wasn't she afraid of things backfiring?
Regarding Wendy's probable actions, Amber seemed to foresee Kaito eventually growing disgusted with her behavior, perhaps even leaving her.
If that really happened, she felt Wendy would definitely be very sad then.
She knew that loving someone and making them love you wasn't like that.
Hmm… is it almost noon already…?
I haven't done anything yet…
Walking along, Amber suddenly felt the sun beating down intensely. She looked up at the sun in the sky and realized it was almost noon, and she'd barely done anything.
Grrr—
Just as Amber was looking around, wondering what to do, an untimely sound broke the silence.
Alright… I'd better eat something first… then I'll have the energy to work…
Rubbing her stomach, Amber decided to eat something before anything else.
Huh?
"Who's there?"
Suddenly hearing some movement from the nearby bushes, Amber looked at them very cautiously, even preparing for a fight.
However, when she saw the figure emerge from the bushes, her expression became complicated.
Because it wasn't anyone else; it was Kaito.
He's probably looking for Wendy, right…
Seeing it was Kaito, Amber instinctively thought so.
After all, Wendy had been nearby just now, but now she was nowhere to be found.
"I didn't expect you…"
"Wendy isn't around here right now. Although I just saw her, I don't know where she ran off to now."
As Kaito walked over, about to express surprise at their encounter, Amber interrupted him and said, rather emotionlessly.
"I see," Kaito mused, a thoughtful look on his face.
He had originally prepared an excuse about looking for Wendy, which was why he appeared here and encountered Amber. Otherwise, it would be too strange for them to always bump into each other, but Amber had just offered the explanation herself.
And clearly, Amber was much colder towards him.
Damn it… was Wendy's behavior just now too strange? But that was Wendy's doing, right? Why am I also…
Kaito couldn't understand Amber's change.
If it was Wendy's strange attempts to complete her mission earlier that made Amber act this way, then why was he, Kaito, being treated the same?
Did Wendy's actions… already cause Kaito to bear the consequences?
"Aren't you going to keep looking for Wendy? She should be far away by now, not around here anymore."
Seeing Kaito still standing in front of her, Amber couldn't help but feel a little strange.
She really did go far away… and she just left…
Kaito couldn't help but answer Amber internally, but he clearly couldn't actually say that.
"Actually, I was just seeing if I could run into her here. It's fine if not; we're always like this."
After thinking for a moment, Kaito gave that answer.
But he also knew that with Amber acting this way, his mission would be difficult to complete.
Still, he really wanted to know why Amber was like this.
"Always like this?"
Amber's tone was full of doubt.
If Wendy had just been threatening her not to get close to Kaito, then Wendy and Kaito should be together often.
After all, if Wendy thought that way, she should be constantly monitoring Kaito to prevent other girls from approaching him.
Could it be… that I really misunderstood?
Amber fell into deep thought.
But as soon as she thought of Wendy's various actions from before, she again felt it wasn't a misunderstanding.
"Yeah, sometimes we're in the same place, but we don't always act together. And often, what she needs to do is beyond my capabilities. So, rather than being disliked, I'd rather do things that match my strength."
What Kaito said was the truth, just missing a few details.
For example, Wendy and Kaito were actually the same person.
"I don't think she'd dislike you."
After hearing Kaito's explanation, Amber seemed to understand.
It was simply that Kaito didn't understand a girl's thoughts. When he heard her say he was weak, he thought she didn't want to work with him, but perhaps the girl also had her pride and didn't want to explicitly ask him to follow.
Sigh… but Wendy really likes you, Kaito…
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