NOVPUBBut without asking, she still felt a bit uneasy.
Lanci and Tata wouldn’t just come out for a date alone... right?
"I’m here, I’m here."
Lanci, listening to Hyperion’s slightly suspicious question, grabbed at it like a lifeline.
With Cat Boss there, it wouldn’t really count as a date alone with Talia.
He looked down at his shadow and lightly stamped his foot, signaling it to jump out.
Even though Cat Boss sometimes dashed off unexpectedly, it would return after a while, hiding within his shadow, most of the time without him noticing when it had slipped in.
However.
The shadow didn’t respond at all.
Lanci and Talia both looked down at the shadow.
"...?"
They slowly looked up at each other, sweat starting to form on their foreheads, their intertwined hands gripping tighter.
Where had Cat Boss gone?
It seemed like Cat Boss really wasn’t there!
The more they tried to explain, the bigger the misunderstanding seemed to get!!
"Hello? Hello?"
Hyperion seemed unsure if the signal was good, her voice tinged with deeper suspicion.
They hadn’t heard Cat Boss’s voice for such a long time.
If the two really had deliberately ditched Cat Boss today, what on earth were they planning to do?
The more Hyperion thought about it, the more panicked she became, even starting to imagine all sorts of things.
Listening to Hyperion’s increasingly agitated and barely concealed breaths, Lanci and Talia felt they were going to be seriously misunderstood today!
But they couldn’t see any trace of the little black cat around them.
Whose wild imagination had Hyperion been learning from? They could feel her wild thoughts through the communication.
By the time they got back, they wouldn’t be able to explain themselves at all!
"...!"
In a stroke of desperation, Lanci handed the Magic Card to Talia’s mouth.
Talia looked at him incredulously.
She understood in a flash what Lanci meant!
That childlike tone of Cat Boss, only she could mimic it!
Lanci’s pleading eyes seemed to be telling her that it was all up to her now.
Leaving aside whether Talia could do it or not, imitating voices was definitely within reach of the Demon World’s top singer, the Great Love Poet, so Talia should be able to do it too, it was just a matter of whether she was willing.
Struggling with the decision, Talia felt increasingly panicked.
"Hyperion meow! I’m here meow!"
Talia, with a red face and squeezed voice, mimicked Cat Boss’s speech.
Uttering these words, she felt like dying.
"Pfft!"
Lanci, hearing Talia’s cat talk, really couldn’t hold back and burst out laughing.
Talia pinched Lanci’s hand fiercely, staring at him with embarrassment and anger.
If it weren’t for him, she wouldn’t have ended up doing something as absurd as imitating Cat Boss’s meow, and he actually had the nerve to laugh at this moment!
Meanwhile, Lanci was pursing his lips, his jaw clenched, seemingly struggling to hold back something, while also pondering with all his might.
"Cat Boss, I miss you so much."
Hyperion, as if having received a quick relief pill, felt reassured knowing Cat Boss was with them, her anxious heart finally settling down.
"I miss you too meow!"
Talia’s voice even more forced.
"...!"
Lanci, desperately trying not to laugh, lowered his head onto the table, forehead pressing against it, his shoulders shaking uncontrollably.
At first, he really hadn’t expected it to be so funny.
...
Outside the restaurant, far away on a small boat by the river,
Aitio rowed leisurely, while Rosalinda with little black cat on her head, occasionally signaling Aitio to row back and forth.
"What are they talking about? Tata looks so red."
From her binoculars, Rosalinda could only see Talia connected to the communication, her cheeks crimson, with Lanci beside her, desperately laughing, as if Lanci’s joy could be conveyed to Tata through the palms of their hands, and Tata was also holding his hand tightly.
Unfortunately, they were too far away.
Using scouting magic at this distance would definitely be noticed by the two in the restaurant.
"I can’t hear clearly, but the atmosphere seems great!"
Aitio, looking toward the restaurant, smiled in response.
"Meow... it couldn’t be Hyperion calling, could it."
Cat Boss, observing Lanci and Talia’s strange reactions, had a slight guess at who was on the other end of the communication.
```
Teacher Da Lan, can you really laugh at this? If anything went wrong, you’d be sending sending sending sendingee sendingee.
"I told you the two of them should have a date today."
Aitio couldn’t help but capture this beautiful moment with a recording crystal stone.
She had taken quite a few photos of the couple holding hands along the way.
She’d share the pictures with Lanci and the others when she visited Hutton Kingdom for fun.
...
At the Kolonzi Sunbridge Inn restaurant, by the window booth.
The restaurant is built by the river, and the transparent floor-to-ceiling windows offer an unobstructed view of the Selina River, reflecting the lush trees and wildflowers on both banks. Every now and then, a small boat glides by, creating ripples and bringing a dynamic element to the tranquil scene.
Talia continued to talk to Ichrite using a communication magic card that occasionally lit up with a purple glow.
"Cat Boss, I’m Antanas! Will you be bringing us employee gifts?"
It seemed like Hugh heard Cat Boss’s voice, as Antanas came over excitedly and asked by his side.
"Everything’s prepared, meow, rest assured, Antanas!"
Talia continued to endure the embarrassment, mimicking Cat Boss’s energetic voice in response.
She had never imagined she’d be speaking to a close friend like this.
If she were recognized, she could just drop dead.
Usually, when Hugh goes out, either Sinola accompanies her, or Antanas does, with a bodyguard from the Great Demon Clan always at hand.
"...Cat Boss, your voice today?"
Antanas seemed to have taken a glance at the microphone, murmuring uncertainly.
"What’s wrong, meow?"
Talia’s heart nearly leaped out, and she forced her voice to remain steady as she asked.
"It sounds extra cute."
Antanas couldn’t quite pinpoint what was off, just felt something was slightly different from usual.
"I’ve always been very cute, meow."
Talia said with an immature voice.
Lanci was on the verge of not being able to handle it anymore.
He leaned on the table, pounding on the couch relentlessly.
His trembling laughter made Talia even more desirous of death—and taking him with her.
"By the way, Cat Boss, Lanci, Tata, as a barrier expert, I’ve also joined Hugh’s and Sinola’s Duke’s Mansion exploration team now! After Sinola lifted the outer barrier, we’ve discovered a huge space beneath Duke’s House. We don’t know what’s hidden there yet, but once we break through the first barrier, we’ll share it with you immediately!"
Antanas spoke to the other side with excitement.
Now the three of them explored Duke Alansar’s Mansion every day. If it weren’t for the fact that they couldn’t freely use high-level magic in Ichrite City, especially in crucial places like the Duke’s Mansion, they would have been able to dismantle it even faster. Nevertheless, they found the experience utterly enjoyable, like discovering an advanced-level hidden dungeon right in the center of a city-state.
"Alright, we’ll finish our card-making research here and then head back. We’ll probably buy tickets for the next two days."
Talia reverted to her natural tone, speaking calmly.
The epic Will and Love Statue of the God in the Temple of Love in Floral City Pariel could provide time-limited mental series enhancements through praying to the statue, and there was also a small chance to slightly increase the success rate of making spiritual magic cards.
Not to mention the perfect time and people, if they could make cards in Floral City, they would prefer to make the most of the geographical advantage and craft Calila’s Shadow Weave Record before returning.
However, the hope didn’t seem high.
"Then you two take care and have fun!"
Hugh advised.
As long as the Cerryti Empire didn’t suddenly break out into war, Lanci and Talia should be able to return early in September.
Long-distance communication costs a lot for the exchange, and talking for a while now had cost a good amount of money, which was quite a luxury for the always frugal Hugh.
"Okay, don’t worry."
Both Talia and Lanci answered.
After a brief farewell, the cross-country communication ended.
Talia and Lanci both exhaled deeply, leaning back on the couch in relief, having survived a major ordeal.
But Lanci seemed unable to forget Talia’s voice just now and burst into laughter again.
"What are you laughing at..."
Talia’s tone turned gradually more frosty.
"I miss you too, meow!"
Lanci, fearing nothing, mimicked Talia’s tone from before.
"Tata, you’re really so cute!"
He couldn’t have enough, adding another sentence.
Just watching Talia’s expression, he felt it was too enjoyable.
"I’ve always been very cute, meow."
Talia seemed to be burning up, while Lanci kept repeating it next to her ear.
She sat motionless with her quivering fists clenched, her head lowered and breathing heavily.
Endure.
Today she must endure!
If she couldn’t hold back, she didn’t even want to imagine what she would do to Lanci.
```
