"Ryu, sit here with me!"
However, just as Ryu took a step, Lin Feng preemptively spoke up, patting the seat next to him.
Ryu's foot, which had just stepped forward, didn't know what to do and hung suspended in mid-air for a moment.
"Ryu, sit next to Lord Lin Feng. He seems very interested in you."
Syr, still smiling playfully, suggested this to her friend Ryu.
What... Ryu was utterly confused. Didn't Syr like Lord Lin Feng? Why was she suddenly agreeing to let her sit next to him? What had happened?
But since Syr had said it herself, Ryu could only reluctantly play along, taking the seat next to Lin Feng.
"Anya! Bring us two more cups!"
"Okay, meow! Coming right up, meow!"
When Lin Feng saw Ryu sitting next to him, he smiled at her until he saw her Elven ears slightly flush, at which point he finally let her off the hook, calling out to Anya, who was running back and forth.
"Here, let me fill your glass for you!"
After Anya brought the cups over, Lin Feng filled Ryu's cup, and of course, he filled Syr's as well.
"Hehe, thank you, Lord Lin Feng."
"Thank you..."
The rest of the evening was quite simple: casual chatting, joking around, and sharing some strange stories.
Hayasaka Ai also mentioned how they had saved a girl in the Dungeon that day, which made Ryu look at them with new respect.
There were very few people in the Dungeon who would extend a helping hand to adventurers in danger. She was surprised that the girls of Lin Feng's Familia were also such kind-hearted individuals.
Slowly, Ryu's perception of Lin Feng began to improve.
The meal lasted a full two hours. After Hayasaka Ai paid the bill, Lin Feng and his little darlings from the Familia started their walk home.
Meanwhile, Lili, who was with Eina in the Guild's resting room, felt a little down despite having just been rescued. Must she really return to the Soma Familia and endure the bullying and extortion from those people?
Eina, of course, knew about this, but as a Guild employee, she couldn't arbitrarily interfere in the domestic affairs of a Familia.
If the Guild could freely interfere in every Familia's business, it would be total chaos, so Eina could only offer sympathy but no assistance.
"Miss Eina... I... I have to go back."
Lili, who had received some information about Hayasaka Ai and the others from Eina, lowered her head, her voice sounding sad and fearful.
"Going back just like that? Those members of your Familia..."
"Miss Eina, you don't need to say more. There's nothing I can do... I can't leave the Familia unless another Familia takes me in and is able to get Lord Soma to seal my Falna."
Lili looked utterly somber, her voice terrifyingly calm.
"Lili... You could ask Little Ai—that is, Hayasaka Ai and her group—if they would be willing to let you follow their party temporarily."
Faced with this situation, Eina was helpless and could only try her best to recommend Hayasaka Ai and her group to Lili.
"Hayasaka... and them..."
Hearing this, Lili instantly looked up in surprise at Eina. Her tearful eyes flickered with a ray of hope.
"Yes, Little Ai and the others are very good."
Eina reached out and stroked Lili's head, saying this with great conviction.
Although she hadn't interacted with Hayasaka Ai, Lin Feng, and the others many times, their daily interactions, combined with the recent rescue in the Dungeon, showed that they had their own principles and possessed a sense of justice!
"Thank you, Miss Eina. I will consider it."
Lili also remembered Hayasaka Ai's warm, spring-like smile. However, having been hurt so much, she found it difficult to trust others, even her saviors.
It was precisely because she was too trusting that she was often abandoned by adventurers, given less pay, or stiffed entirely.
Plus, the coercion from the people in her Familia forced her to hand over a large sum of money as a tribute, and if she refused, she would be forced into an alley and robbed.
"If Lili wants to look for them, the best place is right outside the Guild entrance. They pass by here every day."
"Thank you..."
Lili thanked Eina once again for her help and the information she provided, then prepared to get off the bed and leave the Guild to return to her dirty, dilapidated room in the Familia.
"Lili, wait! This healing potion! Little Ai gave it to you, don't forget!"
Just as Lili was about to leave the room, Eina suddenly noticed the healing potion still by the bedside and quickly called out.
"Mm... Thank you."
Lili didn't know what else to say at this moment. The words reached her lips, but in the end, she could only manage another thank you.
Finally, with Eina seeing her off, Lili's petite figure quickly disappeared into the night.
"I hope Lili can successfully be rescued..."
Eina looked up at the moon in the sky, silently wishing her well. For now, this was all she could do.