Contemplating Felix’s question about her name, the young Fairy paused briefly before shaking her head in denial.
Realizing what she meant, Felix wondered aloud.
“Hmm! Since you either don’t have a name, or aren’t able to convey it to me, how about I give you one instead? What do you think?”
Listening to him, she briefly stroked her chin as well, imitating Felix’s pondering gesture.
Nodding in agreement, she accepted his suggestion.
Confirming her approval, Felix struck his signature thinking pose, stroking his beardless chin as he began searching for a suitable name.
“Hmm..! How about Tiny? You know, since you’re...”
Shaking her head furiously, she immediately rejected the suggestion before he completed his sentence. Even the thought of being called that, coupled with the fact that she was already very small to begin with, made her far more conscious of her size.
Noticing her slightly pouting expression upon being reminded of just how tiny she was, Felix quickly apologized and attempted to butter her up.
“Oh, come on! I already said I’m sorry. I take it back, you’re not tiny after all. I’m sure you’re very... tall, for your size.”
Baffled by his mention of her “size,” which was essentially another way of saying she was tall, but only for tiny people, she folded her arms in an adorable display of protest and looked away in ‘anger’.
A slight smile still found its way onto her lips as she secretly enjoyed Felix’s attempts to appease her.
Accepting his apology soon after, Felix continued with his naming suggestions.
Choosing names like Bubbles, Buttercup, Sparkles, Wings, Flappy, and even going as far as calling her Jelly.
All of which she firmly rejected.
Making her wonder whether Felix’s naming sense was just as terrible as his artistic skills, or perhaps even worse.
On the other hand, Felix had long since stopped taking the suggestions seriously. He simply couldn’t get enough of the comical reactions she made whenever he proposed another ridiculous name.
Finding her reactions far more entertaining than anything he’d come across in this world so far, Felix eventually decided to take the task seriously, having already suppressed enough laughter.
Thinking for a moment, his mind drifted to the sounds she often made whenever she tried to speak or reacted to his teasing.
A name suddenly popped into his mind on doing so.
“What about the name Tink? Sounds good, right?”
Pausing at the suggestion, she appeared to give it genuine thought this time. She didn’t even bother stroking her chin, simply resting a hand against it as she contemplated the name.
Coming to a decision after considering it for a while, she glanced at Felix with a scrutinizing look before finally giving him a thumbs-up.
Chuckling at her reaction, Felix smiled.
‘What a drama queen.’
Contrary to her appearance, which resembled that of a young woman in her late teens or early twenties, she behaved far younger.
Whether this was deliberate or not, Felix wasn’t entirely sure.
Either way, he found her presence soothing and refreshing.
A welcome breath of fresh air after his battle against the Thorn Howlers and their Alpha, which had nearly cost him his life more times than he cared to count.
As such, he genuinely enjoyed her company, as something about their interaction reminded him of his sisters, thoughts of whom always had a way of giving him strength.
Satisfied with the name as well, Felix clasped his hands together.
“Well, ‘Tink’ it is then. Nice to meet you, Lady Tink!”
Extending a finger toward her for a handshake, Felix spoke in an exaggeratedly distinguished, gentlemanly accent.
About to return the gesture, Tink reached out as well.
Then a gentle breeze brushed against her skin, causing her to flinch slightly in pain.
Noticing her wince, Felix instinctively glanced at the wounds covering her body.
Though her injuries were mostly superficial, since the Forest Slime had only just begun digesting her before Felix intervened, they still looked painful.
Especially considering her size.
Most of the wounds appeared far larger on her tiny body than they would have on a human.
Realizing this, Felix offered to help treat her injuries.
To which she hesitated once more.
Unlike before, however, she didn’t hide from him.
Staring at him uncertainly, she wasn’t sure why, but despite still being wary of him, she felt as though she could trust him.
For some reason, he felt different from other humans.
Almost like he was one of her own kind.
The strange feeling caused her to subconsciously lower her guard around him.
Agreeing to his offer, she eventually drew closer.
Now, however, it was Felix’s turn to hesitate.
Though he wanted to help her, the Attribute required to do so had a... peculiar activation requirement.
One he had discovered completely by accident.
As he had learned, in order for it to work, he had to cover a Fairy in his bodily ‘fluids’, as the Attribute couldn’t be activated through thought alone like his others.
Preferring not to recall the events that had led to that particular discovery, Felix decided to get it over with as quickly as possible.
Asking Tink to close her eyes, to which she hesitated briefly before complying, Felix contemplated on whether or not to take off his clothes.
Deciding against it, he spent a moment preparing the requirements.
After a while, he was finally ready.
[Spirit Pulse has been activated.]
Towering over her tiny figure, Felix extended a hand.
Stopping just above her head, a few drops of his bodily ‘fluids’ trickled down his finger before falling onto Tink’s head and washing over the rest of her body.
Stinging slightly at first on contact, then a cool, soothing sensation spread throughout her entire body, Tink froze.
The feeling, unlike anything she had ever experienced. An involuntary, soft ‘Tinker’ escaped her lips.
Her face flushed faintly red as she became baffled by her own reaction.
Oblivious to this, as he remained engrossed in his own thoughts, Felix sighed in relief.
‘Phew! Luckily, sweat also counts as a bodily fluid, so I don’t have to resort to using questionable methods.’
Only after a moment did he finally notice her strange reaction.
“Is something wrong?”
Seeing his oblivious expression, Tink realized he most likely hadn’t even noticed what she’d done.
Even so, recalling it made her cringe internally, prompting her to avoid eye contact with him.
Unsure why she suddenly avoided eye contact, Felix was about to ask why she did, till...
Feeling a sudden chill ran up his spine, his hair stood on end.
Instinctively, Felix shot his head around as he swiftly glanced behind him.
A few feet away, a figure stood silently, casually approaching him.