"You can rest assured about this, you'll have plenty of time even if you walk back slowly."
Ying let out a long sigh of relief. "Phew... Then I can happily look for treasure chests~"
"You want treasure chests? I saw quite a few guarded ones on my way here. I didn't bother with them then because I was in a hurry to get things done here. Now that everything's settled, do you want to go deal with them with me? ๑乛v乛๑"
"Really?! That's great! Ah... but you'll have to wait for me to recover a bit first. I can barely walk right now, and fighting a Hilichurl might even be a challenge..."
Hu Tao pondered for a moment and said, "Is that so... Let me help you relax your body then."
Hearing Hu Tao's words, Ying instinctively froze, not quite believing her ears. "Huh? Help me relax?"
"I mean giving you a massage."
"Massage? You know how to give massages?"
Hu Tao looked at Ying with a mischievous grin. "No~"
"e"
"Alright then..."
"Mhm! So, lie down quickly~"
Ying obediently lay down on the stone as Hu Tao instructed, letting her body relax.
"Go easy on me... Ah?! It hurts!"
"Huh? I haven't even used much force yet."
"Then please, a little lighter (t^t)"
"No, if I go any lighter, it won't be effective. You need to get used to this pressure."
"I I I... I take it back... Aaah?! ≥﹏≤" Ying struggled to sit up, but Hu Tao pushed her back down.
"You can't go back on your word so easily. Stop thinking about running away ๑乛v乛๑"
"But... Ah! It really hurts... Nngh~ Spare me..."
"Hold on. Once it's over, your body won't ache anymore~"
"Wuwuwu... This isn't a massage... It's torture! (╥﹏╥)"
"Heehee~ By the way, your skin is really nice, Ying. So fair and soft, it feels like it could drip water, and it has a faint scent. No wonder that person took you with them even when fleeing. If it were me, I wouldn't be able to bear to leave you either."
"Though I really want to... answer your question... but... Nngh~~ I really don't have the energy (t^t)"
A while later...
Ying lay completely still on the stone, clearly having endured a tremendous ordeal from Hu Tao's massage.
"Phew~ Your body doesn't ache anymore, right?" Hu Tao asked Ying after wiping a bead of sweat from her forehead.
"Mhm... The ache is gone. Only the pain remains... You can just carry me away now."
"Huh?!"
"Hmph... Bad person! I begged you for so long just now, and you pretended not to hear. Even if you didn't hear, you somehow used more force!" Ying pouted angrily.
"Ahem~ This Hall Master is doing it for your own good. The sooner your body recovers, the sooner you can go open treasure chests, and the sooner I can tease you even more wantonly~"
"Emm... Tease me? What you just did could be considered bullying me, right?"
"No, no, no, that was just a bit of lighthearted fun~"
"Are you a devil...?"
"Heehee~ Thank you for the compliment~"
"Sigh... You like to tease me, and Lumine likes to tease me too... Is teasing people that fun..."
"It is! Especially when you're so cute, naive, and soft. The moment I saw you, I wanted to hug you tightly and 'handle' you properly ๑乛v乛๑"
"Is it that exaggerated... And who's naive! I'm super smart, okay!"
"Ahaha~ By the way, who was that Lumine you mentioned just now?"
"She's my sis... um... sister!" (Suddenly wanted to be the older sister... Lumine doesn't know anyway, so I'll make her take the blame~)
"You're the older sister? That doesn't seem like it..."
"Uh... It's tru... true..." (Why did such a strong sense of guilt suddenly appear in my heart...)
"Mhm~ Your acting is too fake. It seems you're not very good at lying, Ying~"
"Emm... Just tell me if you believe me or not!"
"I believe you. Of course, I believe you. When I meet your sister later, I'll definitely embellish this conversation and tell her all about it~"
"Ah?! Wait! I was wrong! I admit I'm the younger one! Please don't tell her! If Lumine finds out, I'll definitely be captured and punished by her for a whole day (t^t)"
"Hehe~ It's not impossible, unless..."
Hu Tao's tone gave Ying a very bad feeling. She cautiously asked, "Unless what..."
"Unless you let me punish you too, without getting angry ๑乛v乛๑"
"Uh... Well... We only just met, haven't we..."
"Yes, but for some reason, the moment I saw you, I took a liking to you. Your soft and cute appearance makes it impossible for me to control my urge to tease you~"
"Is that so... Let me consider it!"
"Mhm~"
(Why... even though our bodies are similar... only I have to face these things...)
"Perhaps it's because our paths are different. Lumine takes the path of being cold, cool, strong, and a bit aloof, while you, Host, take the path of being cute, naive, and soft."
(Emm... So I have no other merits besides being cute?!)
"Yes, after all, you look a bit younger than her."
(Stop! I've heard you say this many times! I could recite it backward by now!)
"Really? Then this System will say it a few more times, aiming for you to be able to recite it backward."
Damn it!
"Have you thought about it yet? In a little while, I might not want to make a deal with you anymore~"
"Don't! I... I agree!" (Bring it on! Besides, it's Hu Tao... and I don't believe she can be harsher than Lumine... )
"Really? You won't get angry no matter how I play with you?"
"Mhm... But I will resist!" (Hmph hmph~ Even though I can't beat Lumine... that doesn't mean I can't beat Hu Tao~ ๑乛v乛๑)
"Heehee~ That's fine. After all, you can't be too harsh on girls, which is an advantage for this Hall Master. And a little resistance will make it more interesting ๑乛v乛๑"
"Uh..." (Suddenly felt that Hu Tao's prank abilities were no less inferior to Lumine's...)
Hu Tao: "Hehe~ Suddenly I want to go back early~"