"Cough, cough—goddaughter, alright? She's adopted! Adopted! Stop looking at me like that!"
Steven rolled his eyes, feeling thoroughly uncomfortable under Yelena's skeptical stare.
He could tell immediately what she was thinking.
"Sheesh, it's not like she's my biological daughter. And I'm definitely not some irresponsible playboy! I'm a purehearted young man, okay? I haven't even dated anyone!"
"Oh yeah? Like I'm just supposed to take your word for it?"
Yelena shot back with a smirk, but strangely, hearing his words made her relax a little.
She wasn't sure why, but the weird feeling she had just now… it disappeared.
"Anyway, that's how it is."
"And don't bother missing me or anything."
Steven waved his hand dismissively.
"My mining operation is still here, so I'll be coming back every now and then. If you ever need to find me, just—"
He paused, originally planning to point at Talulah and tell Yelena to contact her.
But then he remembered that for some unknown reason, Yelena and Talulah didn't exactly get along.
"...Never mind."
Instead, he dug through his inventory and pulled out a Vic's Modern Warfare Mod communicator.
After casually tuning it to an open frequency, he handed it to her.
"If something really important comes up, just call me."
"I promise I'll be back in no time. Faster than a damn airplane, even!"
He made a phone-call gesture, completely ignoring the weirdness of this world's technology.
There were functional communicators, sure—but they only worked in tiny areas.
Even Rhodes Island had something similar, but their tech felt… primitive.
It was probably because this world never developed satellites.
Oh well.
His communicator worked across regions, and if anything urgent happened, he could just teleport over.
Or, worst case—just have Talulah carry a Warp Stone and warp through the Waystones Mod.
That thing had been sitting in his Rhodes Island room for ages.
At this point, moving between places was basically as easy as visiting a neighbor's house.
"What makes you think I'd need your help?"
Yelena muttered under her breath, though a small smile tugged at her lips.
Still, she carefully tucked away the communicator like it was something important.
"Tch. And another thing—"
Steven suddenly poked her cheek, making her flinch slightly at the unexpected touch.
"Didn't I tell you to stop overusing your Originium Arts?"
"Be honest—did you use them again today?"
His sharp gaze swept over her.
Sure, her complexion was a lot better than the first time he met her.
But that didn't mean she could just throw caution to the wind.
That power of hers—it was strong, no doubt.
But the toll it took on her body?
That was no joke.
Yelena's eyes flickered, avoiding his gaze.
"...It's all about efficiency, isn't it?"
"And besides, pain like this? It's nothing. Just a little itch."
She spoke confidently, but there was a hesitation in her voice.
She knew Steven was right.
As an infected warrior and a member of the Yeti Squadron, avoiding Originium Arts entirely was just impossible.
But still, his concern was real.
And that was annoying.
Steven narrowed his eyes, smirking.
"Oh? So you're proud of yourself now, huh?"
Steven rolled his eyes and fished out a small bottle from his inventory—a bottle of heavily diluted healing potion that had been watered down countless times.
"Here. Drink this, it'll make you feel better."
"From now on, every time you use your Arts, take a sip. If you run out, come find me for more."
He understood why Yelena insisted on pushing herself like this.
But that didn't mean he wanted her to keep doing it.
Since he couldn't stop her outright, he could at least help her deal with the aftermath.
At one point, he had even considered secretly curing her Oripathy altogether.
But then he remembered about her identity, her determination, and most importantly—she would never willingly give up her abilities.
So in the end, he decided to leave the choice to her.
After all, as long as he was around, she wouldn't die.
"Heh, well, I'll gladly accept this then."
Yelena grinned and tucked away the strangely pink potion.
She didn't even bother questioning its effectiveness—if Steven said it worked, then it worked.
Sure, he liked joking around.
But when it came to serious things, he was never the type to lie to her.
"Why are you always so nice to me?"
Yelena suddenly spun around, still holding her half-eaten apple candy, and stared him down.
Her eyes were sharp, filled with an unmistakable sense of curiosity and doubt.
"And don't tell me it's just because you like my ears."
"I want the real answer."
She didn't believe in free favors.
Steven had been too good to her, and while she didn't think he was plotting anything, there had to be a reason, right?
No way he was this nice just because he wanted to rub her ears.
If that was the case, there were plenty of rabbits in this frozen wasteland.
Steven blinked.
"...Huh? Do I need a reason for that?"
He scratched his head, looking genuinely confused.
Wasn't it as simple as just doing what he felt like?
It's not like he was giving her anything rare.
"Alright, alright. Let me think about it."
Steven sighed.
Yelena's serious expression told him she wouldn't just let this slide, so he tapped his forehead, trying to find the right words.
"First off—"
"Because you helped me before."
Steven shrugged, casually acknowledging it.
"Sure, it didn't actually do much—"
"—but still, you left a good first impression."
"Second—"
Steven rubbed his chin, pondering for a moment before nodding to himself.
"You're good-looking."
"Like, really my type."
His tone was completely natural, as if he were just stating an obvious fact.
No complicated explanations—just plain honesty.
"Wow. That's... pretty straightforward."
Yelena rolled her eyes, fully aware that Steven was technically complimenting her.
But somehow, it didn't feel like a flattering moment at all.
Maybe because he said it so casually, like it was just another passing comment.
"Don't rush me, I'm not done."
Steven waved his hand dismissively.
"Lastly—"
"I just think you're fun to be around."
He grinned, leaning back slightly.
"You're the kind of person I can actually get along with."
"And honestly? That's enough of a reason for me."
To him, friendship didn't need grand justifications.
Talulah, Alina, Yelena—
The reason he was nice to them was simple:
They were fun to be around.
They were his friends.
And that was enough.
At the end of the day, wasn't life just about living happily?
Overthinking things would just ruin the fun.
Of course, Talulah was a little different from the other two.
Steven especially loved teasing her until she got all huffy and frustrated, wanting to hit him but having no real reason to do so.
That expression on her face?
Absolutely priceless.
Yelena blinked at Steven's answer.
She paused, as if thinking it over, then finally smiled again.
It was like something inside her had finally clicked into place.
Then, with a resolved expression, she reached out her hand toward him.
"What?"
Steven looked down at her small, pale hand.
It's all delicate and smooth, it was hard to believe this was the same hand that could take lives in an instant.
But what did she want?
Was she asking for something else?
Without a word, Yelena grabbed his hand, then gently hooked her pinky around his.
"This is proof that we're friends now."
"If you ever piss me off, we're done. Friendship over."
She pressed her thumb down, sealing the promise with a serious look.
Steven froze for a second, then suddenly laughed out loud.
It was such a childish little gesture, but at the same time, it suited her perfectly.
Without hesitation, he tightened his pinky around hers, nodding in agreement.
"Alright. So, as my friend... can I touch your ears now?"
Steven sighed dramatically, pretending to be heartbroken.
"You have no idea how much I'll miss this feeling while I'm gone."
He cast a longing glance at her fluffy ears, acting all regretful.
Yelena's ears twitched, and in the next instant, she bolted away like a startled rabbit.
At a safe distance, she stuck out her tongue at him.
"Keep dreaming!"
And with that, she turned and ran off to continue handling guerrilla matters.
Steven remained where he was, watching her disappear into the distance.
Then, lifting his head, he started thinking about what to do next.
For now, things with the guerrilla fighters were settled.
But there was still the village to deal with.
Those villagers had been kind and respectful toward him, they even addressed him" with nothing but admiration.
Compared to those big-nosed villagers from another world, this felt much more fulfilling.
Besides, if he didn't make sure the village was properly taken care of, neither Alina nor Talulah would be able to rest easy.
After all, that place was their home.
Just as Steven was mulling over his plans, Talulah finally returned.
She had just finished her conversation with Patriot, snd judging from her defeated look, she had definitely not won that discussion.
Steven immediately grinned.
"Damn, what happened to you?"
"You look like a wilted eggplant."
Seeing her so drained and frustrated was hilarious.
Nothing beat the joy of watching someone else's harmless suffering.
Especially when it was Talulah.
"Shut up."
Talulah groaned.
"I don't wanna talk about it. It's so damn annoying."
<+>
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[1] https://www.patreon.com/collection/55713?view=expanded
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