"Did I accidentally offend Baiye somehow...?"
Drenched in sweat, Ningning sat in a shady spot of the training ground, chin propped in both hands, gazing glumly at the Hero being mercilessly drilled by Baiye in the distance.
For the past three days, Baiye had suspended all adventuring activity and ordered every member of the team to focus on training, prepping for the journey to the Demon Lord's Castle.
Even though the team's savings for living expenses had visibly bottomed out, Baiye still wouldn't relent and agree to go out adventuring.
Setting aside Biluo, who barely registered as present, the other three were being driven to train like their lives depended on it by a somewhat possessed Baiye.
The Hero practiced dodging attacks; Leilei practiced facing people's gazes.
And Ningning got Baiye's special, undivided attention.
Long-distance running, long jump, high jump, blow-endurance training...
Every single event slammed straight into Ningning's physiological limits.
Over these three days, Ningning had summoned every ounce of willpower just to resist the urge and keep from performing an on-the-spot ascension right in front of Baiye.
『I think it's probably because of that slime-goo thing a few days back that's got Big Sis Baiye all bent out of shape.』
Seeing Ningning lost in thought, Leilei, sitting beside her, poked her on the shoulder and held up her little blackboard.
Ningning glanced at the writing on it, but shook her head:
"Can't be."
"The timing lines up, sure, but it can't be."
"Baiye doesn't seem like the type to care about clothes."
Watching this blockhead Ningning still lacking any self-awareness, the ever-speechless Leilei suddenly understood the true meaning of the word "speechless":
『...But think about it some more. Big Sis Baiye has never worn anything that pretty before.』
"Huh? Really?"
Ningning glanced a few more times at Baiye's lithe figure in the distance and began to recall what she'd been wearing that day:
An exquisite white gown, a cool short top above it, her black hair, smudged with goo though it was, clearly carefully styled...
Ssss. Uh-oh.
Maybe Leilei really had hit the nail on the head.
"...It does seem like it was really pretty."
『Right? You wrecked her outfit into that state; of course Big Sis Baiye's going to be mad.』
"But it's strange. Why did Baiye suddenly take it into her head to dress up?"
『I don't know either.』 Leilei wrote on her blackboard.
"Don't tell me she's got a sweetheart?"
Ningning frowned, muttering to herself.
She'd honestly only said it offhandedly.
But that careless remark of Ningning's unexpectedly triggered a hidden attribute in the cat-girl mage beside her:
『A sw-sw-sw-sw-sweetheart? What kind of raunchy talk is this, Ningning?!』
The writing on the blackboard turned instantly frantic, Leilei's cat ears shooting bolt upright, her tail bristling out.
As if she'd overheard some earth-shattering secret, her mismatched eyes went round and huge, boring into Ningning as she erased and rewrote at lightning speed:
『How do you know? No, wait! Why would you think that?! Do you have proof?!』
Startled by Leilei's abrupt, intense reaction, Ningning blinked, bemused:
"I just said it off the top of my head... why are you reacting so hard?"
Leilei instantly realized she'd lost her composure, and her whole face flushed scarlet in a flash.
She hurriedly hugged the blackboard tight to her chest and buried her face in it again, leaving only a pair of still-twitching cat ears in view.
Watching this pitiful little kitten, Ningning couldn't stop giggling:
"All right, all right, I'll quit teasing you. Your Big Sis Baiye's coming over."
『Eep?! So soon? Ningning, save me!』
Leilei hurriedly lifted her head.
Baiye had already arrived before the two of them, trailed by the Hero, who'd been drilled until every scrap of spirit had drained out of him and now looked utterly listless.
"Your turn, Leilei."
At Baiye's single command, Leilei stood up trembling and walked, on her own, toward the training ground bristling with straw dummies.
Looking at Baiye's taut face, Ningning suddenly remembered Leilei's theory, and switched on a smile:
"Um, Baiye..."
But Baiye merely shot her a savage, gouging glare:
"You're next. Get ready."
And with that, she left without a backward glance.
"...She really is angry."
Ningning gave a baffled, wry laugh.
But an instant later, she couldn't laugh anymore.
Because the Hero, returning behind Baiye, was bleeding.
And bleeding quite badly, at that —
His arm had been sliced open by Baiye's blade, a wound deep enough to show bone, bright-red arterial blood spurting out in time with each beat of his heart.
Yet the Hero himself seemed entirely unaware that he was bleeding. He simply wobbled over and sat down beside Ningning, staring blankly at the trail of blood he'd dripped all the way here, not making a sound.
"How did you get hurt this badly?!"
Ningning sprang up on reflex, immediately channeling her mana to stanch the bleeding and heal the Hero.
As the treatment gradually took hold, the pallor drained from the Hero's cheeks, and his face returned to the same bright, vivid red as his hair.
"...Huh?"
The Hero blinked, looked down at his own hands, seeming not to understand why he was suddenly sitting here.
But he had no time to figure it out.
Because almost in the very next instant, Ningning's finger jabbed hard into the Hero's forehead:
"Are you an idiot?! You just bled yourself half to death! When you get hurt, you come find me for healing right away, you dummy!"
"...Huh? I was bleeding?"
"What did you think that stuff pouring out was? Pomegranate juice?"
The Hero looked at the trail of blood spots stretching out from beneath his feet, nodded with vague half-comprehension, and flashed Ningning a brilliant smile:
"Thank you, Ning-chan."
"Don't thank me, it's just my job."
Ningning huffed and plopped back down in her spot, done paying attention to this idiot Hero who couldn't even look after himself.
But the Hero clearly didn't mind Ningning's standoffishness:
"Are you in a bad mood?"
"Yeah."
"You still haven't sorted things out with Big Sis Baiye?"
"Mm... huh? How'd you know?"
Ningning turned to the Hero in surprise, only to find him grinning, scratching his head:
"I just saw the look Big Sis Baiye gives you was off, so I guessed."
"Well, you guessed dead-on."
Ningning turned away again, all interest gone.
Sure enough, Baiye was definitely angry with her.
And most likely over that slime-goo incident from a few days back.
Thinking back on it now, Ningning only now realized Baiye really had seemed dressed up with great care that day; surely she'd had something important on.
And Ningning's flying tackle had ruined it.
Even a whole pretty outfit, wrecked.
She really did deserve to die.
Ningning couldn't help but heave a sigh.
"...What are you sighing about now?"
Baiye's voice suddenly rang out over Ningning's head.
The White Mage gave a start and looked up at her captain.
She'd actually been feeling quite guilty, and had already resolved to apologize.
But Baiye still ignored her, only pointing at the blood-spattered clothes Ningning was wearing and urging:
"Go change your clothes, quick, then get over here and train!"
"Fine, fine, fine, I get it, all right?!"
Provoked by Baiye's tone into a fit of contrariness, Ningning snapped back at her testily, then headed for the changing room.
A few minutes later, Ningning came striding back in a fresh robe, refreshed and clear-headed, planted her hands on her hips, and, all swagger, threw down the gauntlet to Baiye:
"Baiye, let's have a contest. You pick the event."
Baiye gave a slight frown:
"Why a contest?"
"Because of that sour face of yours, obviously! If I win, you tell me nice and honestly exactly why you're mad at me."
Ningning declared, testily.
"And if I win?"
"Do whatever you want with me."
"Deal."
Baiye didn't hesitate for even a moment.
The way she saw it, Ningning had probably just gotten fed up at being given the cold shoulder and, on a whim, proposed this bet.
Besides, Ningning's stamina was something everyone had witnessed with their own eyes.
So she'd concluded there was no way she could lose this contest.
Still, as a reward for working up the nerve to challenge her, it wouldn't hurt to tell this dummy why she was angry, Baiye thought.
Seeing Baiye's confident expression, Ningning fought hard to keep the corners of her mouth from curling up and keep herself from laughing out loud.
Through her White Mage's robe, her fingers stroked the semi-transparent pink dress she'd just put on next to her skin.
Lilith hadn't lied; this thing really did have the effect of screening out part of her Sensitivity stat, and it was incredibly cool and comfortable to wear.
If it weren't for the shame still tugging at her, Ningning would probably have gladly plunged into the abyss of sensual indulgence, never to see the light of day again.
Truly a magic item worthy of Her Highness the Princess's craftsmanship.
Heh heh.
Clad in her victory battle-dress, she was invincible!
Come at me, Baiye!
Let me show you just how mighty a max-stat healer can be when she doesn't have to devote her whole being to suppressing a freakish constitution!!