"Wuu-wuu-wuu... not even twenty minutes! I stood tall for less than twenty minutes, and she went and stripped my (equipment) right off me!"
Late at night, in the not-yet-repaired cellar, Ningning lay sprawled across a brand-new counter of carved anti-magic wood, head in her arms, weeping bitterly.
And the counter's owner, the underground merchant Lilith, kept up her business-standard smile while, with quick and nimble hands, dabbing away Ningning's tears with a silk handkerchief, lest they contaminate her new counter:
"There, there, my poor little dear, I know you're miserable. But might you want to rephrase that in a way that sounds a little less strange?"
"My phrasing isn't strange at all; it's entirely your own dirty mind."
Ningning wiped her tears, stretched both arms out, and slumped dejectedly across the counter, still sighing without end:
"Haah, what do I do... that dress made too deep an impression on Baiye. Now I don't dare quietly steal it back, and I don't dare tell her the truth and ask for it back either..."
Lilith thought to herself that this Ningning was plainly enjoying getting punished by Baiye, but pretended she knew nothing of it:
"True enough. Given the mince-you-into-paste look on her face last time, if you told your captain your Sensitivity is sky-high, she'd probably chop you to bits on the spot as the greatest pervert the world has ever known."
"Oh, zip it, you."
Hearing Lilith's teasing, Ningning shot her a murderous glare.
Lilith didn't mind that kill-you-where-you-stand look in the slightest. She calmly put away her handkerchief, stood up, and said:
"Done venting your woes? If so, hurry on home; it's time to close up and rest here."
But Ningning refused, to the death, to budge:
"Don't you always assign someone to work the night shift? Go drag whoever's on tonight over here to keep me company."
"You really intend to sponge off me here the whole night?"
Lilith clicked her tongue over and over.
"What? Not allowed?"
Ningning lifted her eyelids again and shot Lilith a sideways glance:
"You can't even bear to just chat with me a while, so you're planning to run off? I haven't even asked you for beer, roast meat, and bar snacks yet. You're not allowed to leave."
"Haah, well, do make yourself at home — I'm afraid I can't keep you company. First thing tomorrow morning I have to go to the Imperial Capital to have an audience with Her Highness the Princess."
At the words "Her Highness the Princess," Ningning immediately gave a "tch":
"What do you need to go grovel before that woman for?"
"Her Highness has been working lately to win the Holy See's support, and she needs a great deal of funding."
Ningning gave a cold laugh and rapped her knuckles on the counter a few times:
"Hoh... she's still angling for that 'Holy Maiden' title?"
"Of course." Lilith nodded. "Her Highness needs the Holy Maiden title very badly, after all."
Ningning sighed, then put on an air of total indifference and probed sideways:
"Are you really confident about it?"
Lilith nodded:
"As long as you don't stick your foot in, the success rate is quite high."
"Before long, no doubt, you'll be addressing Her Highness the Princess as Lady Saint Esti."
"Tch, 'Saint Esti,' honestly..."
Ningning gave another extra-loud "tch":
"I say we may as well call her 'Esti the So-Called Saint.' No, 'Esti, Saint by Sheer Birthright' fits her best."
"Ningning, there you go talking nonsense again..."
Lilith indicated she had no idea what this creature was going on about, hoisted her bag from behind the counter, and waved goodbye:
"Well then, I'm off first. May you fend for yourself and fare well."
Fend for herself and fare well?
At those words, Ningning gave a sudden violent shudder, then frowned, turned, and grabbed the departing Lilith:
"...Hey, what do you mean, 'fend for myself'?"
"Why, I mean this business of you losing the dress Her Highness gave you, of course," Lilith said.
Ningning's scalp instantly prickled all over:
"...You're not going to tell her the truth, are you?!"
"What else? You went and gave away a magic item Her Highness made for you with her own hands. If Her Highness ever looks into it and you slyly shove the blame onto me, then what?"
"I would never!"
"I don't believe you." Lilith smiled a wicked smile.
"The only one who'd kick someone when they're down like that is you, you vixen!"
"Which is exactly why I'm afraid you'll learn from my example."
"Aaaah, you rotten fox! You are not allowed to throw me under the bus!"
Ningning howled with rage and lunged at Lilith, arms spread wide.
"Oh dear, don't get so worked up, Ningning."
Lilith deftly dodged Ningning's pounce and smiled again, a smile that sent another surge of fury straight to Ningning's head:
"Then don't go tattling to Esti! The second that possessiveness-off-the-charts woman hears it, she'll absolutely lock me back up in the royal castle!"
"Can't be helped. I'm afraid of getting dragged down with you, so I have to clear my name first."
Lilith spread her hands, striking a pose of utter innocence.
"I won't drag you down!"
"Well, I'll not chance it. It's called prudence."
"You!"
Ningning was infuriated half to death by this impervious Lilith, yet utterly powerless to do anything about it, and could only cave:
"Fine, I get it. I promise, I did the deed, so I'll take the blame myself."
Seeing Ningning finally fall into her trap, the smile on Lilith's face grew all the wider:
"I don't believe you. You'll need to show a little sincerity."
"What sincerity? Money?" Ningning frowned.
"I'm not short of money, and besides, isn't all your money stored with me anyway?"
With that, Lilith walked up in front of Ningning, laid a hand on her shoulder, and revealed a wicked smile:
"Come to think of it, Ningning, I've always found your particular quality so wondrous, you know."
"Your frontal armor here is about zero thickness, so why is your productivity so much higher than everyone else's?"
"What are you doing... y-you idiot! Let go of me!"
Ningning tried to struggle, but was pinned with pinpoint precision by the all-too-familiar Lilith, nearly sliding boneless off her chair.
"My, you really are just as adorable like this."
Seeing Ningning still keeping to the constitution she knew so well, Lilith beamed, produced a glass bottle, and set about the production of her old, best-selling product: "Ningning-brand Milk."
Ningning lifted her head woozily, gasping for breath, and viciously cursed this conscienceless profiteer under her breath:
"...You... you creature... you absolutely... had this planned... from the start..."
"My, the little one catches on quick."
Lilith gave another wicked smile, carrying on in the role of ruthless overseer, dragging Ningning off to the production floor.
Before long, two and a half of the three bottles had been unlocked.
Lilith pressed on greedily for a bit more, only to find she'd already pumped both wells dry, and had no choice but to carefully cap the bottles and release the wrung-out Ningning factory:
"Mm, a fine harvest of 'Ningning-brand Milk' this time."
With that, she even licked her finger, an intoxicated look on her face:
"One bottle I'll keep, one bottle I'll gift to Her Highness the Princess, and as for the remaining half-bottle... I'll just find a chance to sell it off."
"...Lilith... you utter bastard..."
"Don't worry, Ningning, I'll definitely keep it secret from Her Highness. Also, I'll cut you in on a share of the sale proceeds."
"Get lost!"
"You don't want your cut? Then I'll just take it."
"...What are you thinking, you rotten fox? Save it for me, you hear?"
Lilith patted the milk bottle in her arms and left the cellar, abandoning a whimpering, mouth-says-one-thing-heart-says-another Ningning behind her.
This Ningning had monstrous strength; if she truly wanted to break free she could do it any time she liked, and Lilith couldn't have held her down at all.
Still, after being bullied this many times, why hadn't Ningning ever fought back...
***
Later that night, at the inn where the Hero's Party was staying.
Leilei rubbed her eyes and, half-asleep, opened her door to shuffle off toward the inn's washroom.
A moment later, she came shuffling back out again, drifting down the deserted corridor in a daze—
No, it wasn't deserted.
The drowsy little cat closed her eyes and sniffed at the air.
She smelled it; down this quiet corridor, a figure was wandering about, dispirited yet somehow also faintly satisfied.
Hm?
This figure's scent was awfully familiar.
It was Big Sis Ningning.
Once she recognized who the figure was, Leilei, for some reason, instinctively felt at ease, and immediately went trotting toward Ningning.
Then took a flying dive straight into the White Mage's arms.
"Eep?! ...Leilei?"
Mm, it's me.
Sprawled against Ningning, Leilei answered silently in her heart, her head nuzzling ceaselessly against the other's chest.
And so the White Mage's body began to tremble as it always did, like a warm massage chair, leaving Leilei even more unable to stop.
"W-wait! Leilei, please, slow down..."
Leilei didn't listen, only kept rubbing her cat ears against Ningning's chest.
Suddenly, a faint sweet fragrance came uninvited, sneaking into the cat-eared girl's nostrils.
So fragrant.
So sweet.
This scent was so nostalgic...
It reminded her of her mother.
Sleeping like the dead, Leilei couldn't resist licking her lips.
And then,
With a little "nom," she bit down.
"Eek-yaaaaaah—"
Leilei's ears blissfully blocked out Ningning's shriek. Immersed in the fresh, sweet taste in her mouth, she nestled against the White Mage and once more sank into a deep, deep sleep.