"Alright."
After getting a clear answer, Zephyr knew what he should do next.
Long periods of exploration with heavy loads would inevitably lead to foot pain. Having experience as a civil engineer in his previous life, he knew exactly how uncomfortable it was.
After sitting on the edge of the bed, he reached out and held Lili's ankle, which was dangling off the bed.
"Then let me give you a massage."
"!!!"
Lili felt her body stiffen and a flicker of panic crossed her eyes as she looked at Zephyr, who was holding her foot with his left hand. His right hand was pressing on the top of her foot.
At this moment, Zephyr's expression was extremely solemn, as if he were carefully assessing where the soreness was, much like a professional doctor conducting an examination.
"You... you..." Lili stammered, unable to speak a complete sentence.
From the time she could remember until now, she had never experienced such intimate contact before.
What was most critical was the waves of warmth radiating from Zephyr's palms.
A male's body temperature is usually higher than a female's, not to mention Zephyr had just finished bathing. As his hands gripped her ankles, that warmth spread across her skin.
Lili's face was shrouded in a flush at this moment, and she could feel her heart pounding wildly within her chest.
It was embarrassing. Yet, deep down, she didn't actually hate this feeling.
She hugged the pillow tightly, trying to hide the shyness in her heart, but when her gaze fell upon Zephyr's profile, she couldn't help but stare in fascination.
Zephyr didn't think much of it. When the younger kids at the orphanage injured their ankles, he would check them when he went to help on weekends.
He pressed his palm against the arch of Lili's foot and asked, "Does it hurt here, or is it the ankle that hurts?"
"Mm..."
Lili hadn't heard the question at all. Even now, she couldn't understand why he was holding her foot and playing with it. Her gaze was fixed blankly on Zephyr's profile, her eyelashes trembling.
Could it be a special fetish of his?
Thinking of this, she gathered courage she had never possessed in her life. With a bright red face, she looked at Zephyr and, as if possessed, issued an invitation, "Um... Zephyr, if you like playing with... feet..."
Her voice was very soft. If one didn't listen carefully, it would be impossible to tell what she was saying.
"Then in the future... you can play with my feet."
"Wasn't it you who asked me to massage them?" Zephyr's expression was a bit subtle now.
He looked down at the pair of feet he was holding and thought, 'Could it be that I actually have a foot fetish?'
Impossible!
He absolutely could not have such a strange hobby. From before he transmigrated to after, he hadn't even seriously looked at a toenail polish advertisement.
After deliberating for a moment, he looked into Lili's eyes and said, "Um... If I say I'm not that kind of person, do you believe me?"
"...I believe you." Lili shook her head, her face blushing.
She was clearly saying she believed him, but her body language was completely contradictory.
"?"
Don't shake your head while answering me!
Zephyr felt like his reputation was being tarnished. Especially with Lili blushing like that, he felt as if he were plastered with labels reading "Creepy Old Guy" that he couldn't wash off no matter what.
But as things stood, continuing to argue would only make it look worse. He simply gave up on trying to prove his innocence and asked, "So, is there any other place on your foot that feels uncomfortable? Do you want me to rub it for you again?"
"?"
"Maybe the discomfort I mentioned... is for a different reason?" Lili bit her lips.
"..."
The corners of Zephyr's lips twitched slightly.
At this point, he had given up on any so-called explanations.
Lili's ankle, hanging over the edge of the bed, still rested in his palm, with no intention of being pulled back.
The atmosphere had fermented to this point, and Lili gradually gathered her courage.
She raised her face, full of determination, and said, "Zephyr..."
"Hm?"
"What kind of girl do you like?"
"?"
He hadn't expected that she would be able to circle the topic back around. Most importantly, this question was hard to answer.
Regarding Lili's thoughts, how could Zephyr not be aware of them?
But in this situation, he had no way to give her a clear answer. If he were slightly careless, there would be no way to clean up the aftermath.
After deliberating for a moment, he chose the most universal answer.
"I'm quite shallow. I like girls who are pretty, have a good personality, are understanding, and are cute."
Hearing this standard answer, Lili lowered her head, constantly calculating her own advantages in her mind.
Pretty.
She raised her hand and touched her cheek. She should be considered pretty but compared to Lefiya, the gap was probably quite obvious.
Good personality?
Every day she managed exploration supplies for Zephyr, organized loot, and carried kitchen utensils back to Orario in the middle of the night. On this point, she felt she definitely met the standard.
As for being understanding, she nodded to herself.
Having been with Zephyr since the Soma Familia until now, her grasp of his personality was definitely to a degree that few people could achieve.
But cute...
She was clear about her pessimistic personality. She felt she would never be able to reach that level of sweetness and likability in this lifetime.
However, she didn't give up completely.
"Then... Lili will work hard. I'll work hard to reach those requirements you like."
"?!"
When Zephyr heard this earnest confession, his smile was filled with a bit of awkwardness.
"Um... I didn't say these requirements were all for one person."
"?"
You mean you want to have many people you like?!
The look Lili gave Zephyr was full of dullness, she was clearly crushed by these words.
So all the standards she had been carefully calculating just now...
How could he...
The expression on Lili's face at this moment was incredibly vivid—a complex mix of grievance, resentment, and a desire to throw a tantrum that she didn't quite dare to release.
She pulled her feet back from Zephyr's hands and buried her face back into the pillow, unwilling to say another word.
Zephyr scratched his head in bewilderment. He didn't think there was anything wrong with his words, but looking at the girl lying on the bed obviously sulking, he didn't know how to explain.
As things stood, continuing the conversation would only make things more complicated. This ambiguous atmosphere had to be decisively cut off, so he took the initiative to change the subject.
"Get some rest early. We still have to go explore the Dungeon tomorrow."