Ninety-nine percent of the people present were deceived by Aiko, clapping earnestly for the emotions of the young girl.
But one person noticed something was off.
Kafni frowned with suspicion, even forgetting to crack the sunflower seeds in her hand.
She distinctly saw the corner of Aiko's mouth hidden under Lin Da's arm hook up for an instant!
It was just that it happened so quickly that Kafni thought she was seeing things.
But her eyes were sharp; it was impossible for her to be mistaken.
The other person had indeed smiled just now.
Kafni lost all interest in watching the excitement and felt a chill run down her spine.
She was almost fooled by Aiko's superb acting skills.
Even if those two went to a hotel to get cozy with each other, it wouldn't surprise her.
But now, Kafni wanted to say that wasn't a hole to vent desires, but a bottomless, man-eating abyss!
It seemed that Lin Da was comforting Aiko, who was like a weeping pear blossom.
In reality, it was like a giant python coiled around Lin Da, flicking its crimson tongue to lick its prey.
Kafni didn't act rashly, staring intently at Aiko with piercing eyes.
If Aiko harmed Lin Da, she would use up the last trace of her divine power.
Without the hero, no one would challenge the Demon King.
Little did they know, the person who was most uncomfortable at this moment was Lin Da himself.
Dozens of 'long spears and short cannons' were aimed at him, and with the precise magic circle technology, even the pores on his face were clearly visible.
To stand straight or not was a big problem.
Although Lin Da wasn't a person with weak willpower, his instincts were hard to suppress.
Aiko's body was soft, smelled nice, and she was plump all over, quite voluptuous.
If he had such a large pillow at night, he probably wouldn't be able to sleep.
Lin Da didn't dislike holding a girl like that.
The problem was there were too many people around, and he was being watched by pairs of jealous eyes.
"Aiko, I know everything you're saying, but let's talk another time, there are too many people here."
Lin Da tried to push Aiko away, but he was afraid of hurting the mage miss's feelings and making her cry louder, so he didn't use much force.
Fortunately, Aiko was essentially a mature girl, and after crying, she seemed to come to her senses. She rubbed her swollen eyes and reluctantly came out of Lin Da's embrace, muttering, "You must come back today, I will wait for you."
Lin Da nodded.
He would return, but not in the way Aiko was thinking.
At the same time, outside the Adventurer's Guild.
Lia, waiting inside the carriage, was growing impatient.
What were Aiko and the others doing; it had been so long and they still hadn't come out!
Shouldn't the team members obediently follow the captain?
To think that she had to wait in the carriage for half an hour.
It was utterly disrespectful.
Lia thought about going back to check, but felt it wasn't right. She had walked out with such chutzpah, turning back now would probably lead those tabloid reporters to misunderstand.
'We'll talk about this when nobody's around.'
That sentence of Lin Da echoed in her head.
What exactly did Lin Da want to say?
By nobody, did he mean no strangers, or just the two of them in private?
In the confined carriage, Lia's thoughts were influenced by the surroundings.
Earlier, she just thought Lin Da was envious of the Snow Goose Adventure Team, but now she suddenly wondered if there was another meaning?
Lia's heart skipped a beat, and her eyes unusually revealed a hint of panic.
If that situation really occurred...
She pondered anxiously for a moment, then shook her head; if it really happened, she could only reject.
Lin Da was too low-level, timid, and dared not enter the World Tree Secret Realm. Such a person's 'confession' was not yet qualified for her acceptance.
After deciding on her answer, Lia tensed up, readying herself for that 'moment when nobody's around.'
After a while, the door of the carriage was pulled open.
She coughed once, her face set in a serious expression as she looked on.
But the person who came in was Oru.
"Captain?"
Oru was confused, not understanding why Lia was looking at him with such a terrifying gaze.
"It's nothing, have a seat," Lia said coldly.
Afterward, the trio of young girls arrived.
"Lord Captain, what's the matter, in a bad mood? The press conference went very well today, didn't it?"
Aiko said with a smile.
She had already returned to her normal demeanor, the traces of tears around her eyes had been dried by Light Magic and vanished without a trace.
The members of the Snow Goose Adventure Team had agreed to keep the incident in the hall a secret from Lia.
They would wait until Lia, the Powder Keg, had calmed down before discussing Lin Da rejoining the team.
"I'm fine," Lia said, looking at the carriage door that Aiko had closed, her face expressionless, "Where is he?"
"Lin Da said there was no need for a carriage," Oru replied sheepishly.
"Oh, then let's go."
Lia's face grew even colder as she ordered the coachman, "Let's set off!"
With a flick of the reins, the Twin-Winged Blackblood Horse neighed loudly and disappeared at the end of the long street.
...
"Finally got away."
Lin Da and Kafni, both out of breath, peeked out from a narrow alley.
Looking around cautiously and making sure no reporters from the press were following, he finally breathed a sigh of relief, dusted off his clothes, and walked out of the alley.
It seemed that those newspaper reporters had a huge misunderstanding about his relationship with the Snow Goose Adventure Team.
He and Lia, along with the others, were just former teammates, yet those people believed he had cheated on Ice Flower's Isa, causing Lia's fury. Then Aiko intervened, and even the youngest, Klrona, was imagined as a new addition to his harem, to be targeted once she grew up.
Some even said he had set his sights on Oru's girlfriend, Klyne...
Lin Da had been cautious and anxious in planning strategies for the past three years, not even touching a girl panda, but through their distortions, he had been turned into some "Ultimate Pervert."
It was just ridiculous.
The worst part was that Aiko had made him quite embarrassed.
His resolve was too strong, and he didn't cower, allowing the reporters to capture the moment.
There might even be a close-up shot.
"It's going to be even harder now to recruit for the team—who would dare to join the 'Ultimate Pervert's' team?"
Lin Da felt disheartened.
"Can you help me out?"
The embarrassed voice of Kafni came from behind him.
Lin Da turned around, puzzled.
He saw that Kafni was stuck.
Strictly speaking, this alley was a gap between two buildings, about twenty centimeters wide. Lin Da had no problem passing, but Kafni, weighed down with two burdens, had squeezed in when pursued by the reporters and now had trouble coming out.
Lin Da looked at Kafni's awkward, immovable posture and fell silent.
After analyzing the situation, he said, "Spreading to the sides can reduce the length on the X-axis."
In layman's terms, it meant that two elevens side by side become one when pulled apart, allowing for escape.
Of course, this was useless for someone too small, but since Kafni was both large and round, this method was definitely effective.
After helping 'pull' Kafni out, Lin Da stared at his own hands in a daze.
Just now, the title of [The Man Who Touched No Panda] had disappeared.
Kafni's face inexplicably turned a bit red as she said, "Don't expect me, the Deity, to thank you."
"No, we're even," Lin Da replied.
He clenched his hands, the warmth on them feeling a little strange.
The first time, and it was brought about by Kafni.
This sense of incongruity left him feeling oddly unsettled.
Kafni was becoming more and more like a young girl.