After landing those heavy blows with every ounce of strength he had, Long's arms were dead tired and couldn't hold the hoe any longer. He let go, letting the tool drop, then collapsed backward, his chest heaving as he gasped for air.
Right at that moment, from the mouth of that damn snake, a figure shot out and hugged him tight.
Long felt a significant weight pressing against him. He opened his eyes in astonishment. In front of him was no longer the tiny fairy from before, but the figure of a teenage girl of completely normal size clinging to him. Burning warmth seeped into his skin, the soft sensation of a female body separated from him by only a thin layer of fabric. A gentle herbal scent wafted out, instantly relaxing Long's mind, as if he had just sipped a cup of fine tea after a storm.
"Huh... miss, this size is...?"
Long's arms had unconsciously wrapped around her at some point. But when he touched her slender back, he suddenly realized something was wrong. He startled, exclaiming:
"Holy crap, where are your wings?!"
"Blargh!!!"
Before Long's question about the wings could be answered, Lia puked her guts out right all over him. The warm sensation and the wet soak from the vomit spread quickly, making Long freeze for a moment in helplessness.
He looked down, only now noticing that Lia's entire body was covered in the murky yellow, slimy gastric juices of the snake.
Even though his only clothes were now ruined, Long didn't push her away. He sighed softly, reaching out to stroke Lia's back gently and tenderly, as if soothing a child.
"Just let it out, miss, it's okay, you'll be fine."
As if empowered by Long's tolerance, Lia vomited even harder. She clung to his shoulder, her whole body trembling with exhaustion.
"Blargh! Mama mia, I thought I was a goner! Where the hell did that gigantic black snake come from in that area? What in the world happened in the dungeon while I was asleep?!"
Lia mumbled to herself between whimpers. She paused for a beat, her teary, glittering eyes looking up at Long. With a weak and sincere tone, she whispered:
"Thanks for saving me, kid... Lucky you were there."
Long looked at her disheveled but pitiful appearance, and smiled a kind smile:
"You saved me too. If you hadn't pushed me away back then, I'd probably be six feet under by now."
Long paused, looking her up and down once. Both of them were in a tragic state beyond words—snake slime, vomit, and a pungent stench. He scratched his head and suggested:
"I think we'll have a lot to talk about, but first... let's go take a shower. Let me lead you to the bathroom."
Long helped Lia walk out of the dark basement. When the first rays of sunlight touched his skin, the warm feeling instantly soothed all the tension in him.
Lia was covered in slime, but her eyes kept darting around. She observed the large wooden house with objects she found strange. Lia pouted, muttering.
"Hmph? Why would Alex live in this dump? One of the greatest heroes, and yet..."
Long almost tripped when he heard that remark. He stared blankly at her. This house is a dump?
In this day and age, owning a house built entirely of high-quality wood, with a large area, exquisite architecture, and full amenities like this was unthinkable. This used to be his grandfather's pride; there were even tycoons offering sky-high prices, but he absolutely refused to sell. Yet in the eyes of this little princess—now grown up—it was no different from a ragged shack.
Long could only smile wryly at Lia's criticism, but what bothered him more was her calling his grandfather a hero. He thought to himself.
Seems like things are more complicated than I thought.
Both stopped in front of the bathroom. Long thoughtfully guided Lia on how to use the shower. Seeing the cool stream of water pouring from the tiny holes, Lia's eyes widened in amazement:
"Oh, is this a magic tool? Are you a Water Mage?"
Long seemed to have anticipated this reaction. Thanks to reading comics and watching movies a lot, he gently explained it to Lia. Lia nodded along as if listening to a lecture, but who knows if she really understood.
"That's it, there are towels on the rack, make yourself at home. I'll go get you some clothes to change into."
Just as he was about to step out, Long suddenly froze because of Lia's teasing gaze. She leaned her back against the door, her voice whiny:
"Want to shower with me?"
Bam!
Long's face turned as red as a ripe tomato. He quickly grabbed the door handle, slamming it shut with a look of panic mixed with shyness.
"No way! I'm still young, you just worry about showering or you'll get sick."
Lia's mischievous laughter rang out from behind the door. She seemed very amused to see the reaction of the little boy.
"Still young? So how old are you, kid?"
"I'm sixteen," Long replied, his voice still trembling.
Lia's voice became sweeter:
"Sixteen? You're so tiny, darling. But by human standards, sixteen is adulthood, old enough to start a family already."
Long was shocked.
"That's in your world, here it's twenty."
Lia let out a tsk, her voice full of disappointment. "Oh..."
The sound of running water from the bathroom put Long somewhat at ease. At least while showering, that mischievous big sister wouldn't be able to tease him anymore—for now.
Long returned to his room, starting to rummage through his wardrobe. As a boy, he didn't shop much, but his grandfather was the opposite. He always secretly bought lots of new clothes for him, especially during Tet and spring, to the point there were sets Long hadn't even cut the tags off yet.
After a careful selection, he decided on a basic white T-shirt and a pair of black wide-leg sweatpants. The soft fabric would probably make Lia more comfortable wearing it at home. However, a new sweat-inducing problem suddenly popped into his head:
"Oh crap... what about underwear?"
Long froze for a few seconds. Letting a girl wear men's underwear was unacceptable, but telling her to go commando was even worse.
"Forget it, I'll bike to the supermarket tomorrow morning to buy some."
Thinking about the scene of himself—a straight guy—having to step into the women's underwear section with dozens of scrutinizing eyes made him want to die.
Long sheepishly knocked on the bathroom door, his voice tiny:
"Miss... I'm leaving the clothes here."
The door opened a crack. A soft, porcelain-white arm quickly reached out to grab the clothes, then slammed the door shut again.
A while later, Lia stepped out. She was wearing the white T-shirt and sweatpants Long gave her. Even though the clothes were a bit baggy for her petite frame of only about one meter five (4'11"), it only highlighted her long, silky black hair still damp with steam. Lia's face was enchanting, and even in the simple cotton fabric, her body curves were still clearly visible, making it hard to look away.
"How do I look?" Lia asked shyly, her fingers fidgeting with the hem of her shirt.
Long stood frozen for a few seconds before answering honestly.
"So beautiful I can't take my eyes off you."
Lia hurriedly turned away, smiling secretly. She gently praised Long with a sweet voice:
"Good boy."
Long grabbed his change of clothes, quietly stepping toward the bathroom. He didn't forget to remind her.
"Ah, there's a hair dryer there. I showed you how to use it, surely you still remember? I'm going to take a shower."
Just as the door was about to close, Long suddenly poked his head out, looking at Lia with wary eyes:
"Don't you dare peek! I locked the door!"
Long's excessive caution after the teasing earlier made Lia both surprised and embarrassed to the point of turning crimson, because she had regretted it five minutes after teasing him. She blushed furiously, shouting loudly:
"WHO WOULD WANT TO PEEK AT YOU, BRAT!!!"
The high-pitched shout echoed in the quiet wooden house. That night seemed very long, and Long knew that his inherently lonely life had officially changed forever from this moment on.