John overheard Abigail and Leon’s conversation, but he didn’t chi in. Instead, he quietly kept working, slicing through the pig and cow before him.
Leon didn’t press further either. After all, he didn’t know John well, and whether the man had once been an adventurer wasn’t his concern.
Leon couldn’t say for sure how strong John was, but as a butcher, the man was unquestionably skilled.
In less than five minutes, John had broken down half a pig and half a cow into neatly portioned cuts and bones, packing the at into bags as he went.
“Do you want the bones?” John asked, gesturing to the pile of pork and beef bones left on the table.
“No.”
Leon liked ribs well enough, but John’s deboning skills were so clean that there wasn’t a scrap of at or even a shred of tendon left on them. Faced with such bare bones, Leon had no desire to take them ho.
John nodded at his answer, then pulled a hundred-dollar bill from the cash Leon had just paid and handed it back to him.
“The bones don’t count toward your bill.”
“Uh… okay.” Leon blinked in surprise, but still took the money.
“Try to eat it soon. Even refrigerated, the flavor drops off after a while. I’m open most days—if you want more fresh at, just co by again.”
John handed Leon the two hefty bags of at while offering the advice.
“Got it.” Leon nodded, stowing both bags in his System Backpack—along with the chicken Abigail was carrying.
That last move made Abigail’s eyes light up, though John’s face didn’t change. “Looks like you don’t need
to deliver. Take care. Co again.”
“Bye, John.”
Waving farewell, Leon and Abigail left the butcher shop together.
Once outside, Abigail couldn’t hold back her curiosity. “When did you learn that trick? Is it magic? So special tool?”
“The power from a Starfruit,” Leon lied smoothly.
“Starfruit? You actually ate a Starfruit? When?” Abigail’s excitent spiked.
“A while back.”
“I’ve heard Starfruit is the most exquisite flavor in the world. Can you describe what it tastes like?”
“Actually, Starfruit itself has no flavor. But when you eat it, it triggers your most vivid and cherished taste mories. That’s why I can’t tell you exactly what it tastes like.”
“I see.” Abigail nodded. “Looks like I’ve got another goal to add to my bucket list.”
“Oh? What’s on your bucket list now?” Leon asked with interest.
“Not telling you. Anyway, you still haven’t finished telling
that adventure story.” She shot him a look, reminding him of the condition she’d set earlier for guiding him.
“I’m hungry. I need to go ho and cook. How about another ti?”
Now that he knew where John’s shop was, Leon was ready to make his escape. Storytelling for Abigail was exhausting—she had endless curiosity and a habit of interrupting with irrelevant details.
“No problem. I’ll co with you. I haven’t been to your farm in ages—I want to see how it’s doing.” She clapped him on the shoulder with a grin.
“Do I get a say in this?” Leon asked dryly.
“No. Or I’ll tell my dad you harassed .” Abigail’s tone was shalessly matter-of-fact.
“I told you that was a misunderstanding.” Leon sighed. “Fine. Co if you want.”
He hopped on his bicycle. “But I don’t have a back seat. You’ll have to run. Good luck.”
Before he could even pedal off, Abigail had slid into the space between his arms, perching on the bike’s crossbar—not to get closer to him, but simply to hitch a ride.
“Be a good chauffeur and drive. Let’s go!”
Abigail was brimming with energy, unconcerned by how close she was pressed to Leon. Instead, she cheerfully started directing him.
With her scent filling his nose, Leon muttered, “I may think of you as a buddy, but you’re still a girl. If soone sees us like this, what about your reputation?”
“That’s why I’ll guide you through the back paths. No one will see, and we’ll get to your farm faster. For example, we can go around Pelican Town Square and my house, then cut straight to the bus stop.”
“Why make it so complicated? The main road is nice and smooth,” Leon complained. The paths Abigail suggested were nothing but worn dirt trails—which ant both of their backsides were in for a rough ride.
“Bla your bike for not having a back seat.” She huffed. “Enough talk. You said you were hungry, right?”
“Fine. As long as you’re happy. Just hope your backside survives until we get there.” If she insisted on bumming a ride, he wasn’t going to stop her.
His padded seat would take the worst of the bumps. Abigail, on the other hand, had only the hard steel bar beneath her. A little suffering might do her so good.
Following her directions, Leon pedaled through Pelican Town’s narrow side paths. The jolts soon had Abigail grimacing.
To avoid being bounced right off, she twisted around and wrapped her arms around Leon’s waist—nearly sending him swerving into a bush.
“Are you carrying a stick or sothing?” she asked after a mont.
“Cough—yeah. Just… watch it. Don’t get poked.” Leon almost choked on his own breath, hacking a few tis before recovering.
“Wow, you’re a real warrior. Always ard. But why not put it in that storage ability of yours?” she asked.
“Because I need to be ready to fight at any ti,” Leon said vaguely. “You could hold the handlebars instead. Then you wouldn’t bump into… the stick.”
“No thanks. That might ss up your riding. Besides, you think of
as a brother, right? So why would you care about a little waist-hugging? I’m not scared, so why should you be?”
“Yeah, yeah. You’re right about everything.” Leon sighed, shifting back on the seat and lowering his upper body.
But that change only brought his chest and shoulders down onto her hair, pressing them even closer together.
Abigail’s cheeks flushed redder by the second.
Because now… they were almost touching everywhere
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