Blind Box World - SSS-Rank Eye of Truth

The afternoon’s haul was larger than expected.

A portion of the meat was processed and moved to storage, the vegetables and roots were sorted for preservation, and the rest was brought out to the central yard to prepare for dinner. Everywhere there were voices talking, the sound of knives on cutting boards, and the smell of grilling meat drifting on the breeze.

Laira also wanted to help.

It was just that at nearly two meters twenty, even among Partners with all manner of unusual builds, Laira still stood out conspicuously. The long red hair, the black horns curving upward, and her towering frame meant that just stepping near the stove was enough to block out a whole section of light in front of the person cooking.

The older Partner woman had barely looked up before she saw Laira approaching, and immediately raised her wooden ladle.

"Stop right there."

Laira halted, looking down at the woman who was nearly a full head shorter. "I came to help."

The woman looked her over, then calmly pointed the ladle toward a boulder a fair distance from the stove. "Sit over there."

Laira frowned. "Why?"

"This morning you ate seven pieces of meat, at lunch you had four more, and when you brought that animal back you cut yourself a piece and grilled it on the spot. If I let you stand next to this stove for another hour, I can’t guarantee there’ll be any meat left to share tonight."

Laira immediately turned to look for Ethan.

Being taller than nearly everyone here, she only had to glance over the crowd once before spotting him sitting not far away, chopping vegetables.

"Ethan, did you hear her falsely accusing me?"

Ethan lowered his head further, the knife in his hand moving steadily through the greens. "I’m busy."

"Ethan."

"The knife is very sharp. Can’t lose focus."

Laira narrowed her eyes at him. She looked exactly like someone whose teammate had just betrayed them.

Ruo Yan, sitting beside him washing vegetables, finally couldn’t hold it in and laughed. She ducked her head, but the laughter still escaped, her shoulders shaking slightly.

Laira immediately looked over. "You’re laughing too?"

Ruo Yan lifted her head and tried to keep a straight face, though the corner of her mouth was still curved. "Sorry. But watching a Red Dragon nearly two meters twenty get chased away from the stove by a wooden ladle... it really is funny."

Laira looked at the ladle.

Then at the Partner standing before her.

Finally she let out a huff and actually walked toward the boulder.

But the boulder was rather low.

The moment Laira sat down, both knees jutted up high, making the position look supremely uncomfortable. She looked at the tiny stone seat beneath her, her expression growing even more displeased.

Ruo Yan laughed again.

This time even Ethan had to turn his face away.

Laira looked at both of them, her voice going cold. "You two sleep carefully tonight."

After most of the food had been prepared, Ethan realized his entire body smelled of smoke, dirt, and sweat.

Laira was no better. Being so tall, her hair had constantly snagged on low branches while hauling timber and moving through the forest. Several bits of leaf still clung to her red hair, and a small streak of ash sat on her right cheek. Ruo Yan had mud on her sleeves and trouser legs after a full afternoon of digging roots.

Laira pointed toward the stream behind the village. "Let’s wash up."

Ethan checked the sky. Dinner was still a while off, so he nodded. "Sure."

Ruo Yan came along too.

As they neared the bank, she started to head upstream toward a different section, but Laira turned and called back. "Where are you going?"

"There’s another stretch of stream up there."

"There’s water right here."

Ruo Yan looked at Ethan.

"He’s here."

Laira looked down at her, her expression one of genuine confusion. Given that she was so much taller than Ruo Yan, the gesture alone made her look like she was interrogating a child. "So?"

Ruo Yan was quiet for a few seconds.

Ethan felt that the more he tried to explain, the more suspicious it would sound, so he stepped straight down into the shallow section below.

"I won’t look."

Ruo Yan immediately turned. "Saying that makes it even more suspicious."

Ethan faltered.

Laira doubled over laughing, the sound carrying along the whole stretch of stream.

In the end, Ruo Yan didn’t leave.

All three of them only removed their outer layers, keeping the thin underclothes on, and stepped into the water. The stream was cool enough to wash away the sticky heat of a full day’s work.

Ethan sat on a rock near the bank, using his right hand to rinse his shoulder and neck. The left arm was still encased in the Primordial Armor. He didn’t want the Void Flame reacting unexpectedly, so he only opened the outer layer slightly to wipe away dirt and grit.

A large shadow fell over him from behind.

Ethan didn’t need to turn around to know who it was.

Laira stood in the water behind him. Even though he was sitting on a fairly tall rock, she was still nearly level with his head. She held out her hand.

"Give me the cloth."

"I can do it myself."

"What about your back?"

Ethan turned his head.

Laira took the cloth straight from his hand. At her height, she didn’t need to kneel the way a normal person would. She only had to lean slightly to wipe from his shoulders all the way down his back.

At first the motions were perfectly normal.

But before long, Laira moved closer.

Ethan felt the soft body behind him press against his back. Because she was considerably taller, when she stood this close, her chest settled against his upper shoulders and back. Her long red hair fell on either side, draping over Ethan’s arms.

He paused.

"Are you wiping my back or taking advantage of me?"

Laira leaned down lower. Her chin nearly grazed the top of his head, then tilted to one side, her lips stopping right beside his ear.

"Both."

She answered far too directly.

Ethan was quiet for a few seconds.

Laira laughed, then wrapped both long arms around from behind, nearly enveloping him completely. The cloth was still in her hand, but any pretense of wiping his back had clearly ended long ago.

"Today was more fun than I expected."

Ethan tilted his head slightly. "Helping people haul timber is that entertaining?"

"It’s not about that." Laira looked at the children playing on the far bank, her voice slowing. "I’ve never been in a place where so many Partners live together like this. Nobody looks at me because of my bloodline, my rank, or because they want something from me. Those kids even dared to climb all over me."

Ethan remembered the scene from that afternoon.

Laira, nearly two meters twenty tall, with one child on her shoulders, another clinging to her back, and one bold enough to use her horns as handholds.

The corner of his mouth curved.

Laira caught it immediately.

"You’re smiling?"

"No."

"I saw it."

"I was just thinking you seem to like them quite a bit."

Laira fell silent.

The arms holding Ethan tightened a fraction.

"A little."

Ethan reached up with his right hand and placed it over hers where it rested across his chest.

Neither of them said anything more.

After a while, he stood up from the rock and turned around.

Laira was immediately and obviously taller than him again.

Ethan had to tilt his head up slightly to look straight into her orange-red eyes. The small streak of ash on her cheek still hadn’t been wiped away, sitting right below the cheekbone and making her normally beautiful, sharp face look faintly ridiculous.

Ethan reached up and wiped it off.

Laira stood still and let him.

Her gaze lowered, looking at Ethan’s face right in front of her chest.

The distance between them was very close.

Ethan looked at her for a few seconds.

Then the hand resting on her cheek slid behind her neck.

He pulled gently.

Laira understood immediately, the corner of her mouth curving as she leaned down on her own.

This time Ethan kissed first.

No teasing line, no excuse about "compensation." He simply wanted to kiss her.

Laira stiffened for the briefest instant, then both arms immediately wrapped around Ethan’s shoulders. At her height, she had to lean down quite far, so Ethan naturally pulled her waist in closer.

The kiss lasted a long time.

Until a flat voice drifted over from not far away.

"I’m still here."

Laira didn’t let go of Ethan right away.

She stayed leaning down, one hand behind his neck, and turned her eyes toward Ruo Yan. "I know."

Ruo Yan sat on a rock on the other side, her wet hair hanging down her back. She watched the two of them pressed together for a few seconds, then calmly bent down and scooped water.

"Then don’t stand in the middle of the stream. You two are so tall you’re blocking almost the entire waterway."

Ethan laughed.

Laira laughed along, and finally straightened up.

The instant she drew herself to full height, Ethan had to tilt his head up again.

Laira noticed, and her eyes immediately curved with unmistakable smugness.

Ethan reached out and gave her waist a light push.

"Don’t gloat."

"I didn’t say a thing."

"Your face said it all."

Ruo Yan sat near the bank, her long hair almost entirely wet but with a few small leaves still caught in the back.

Ethan noticed and walked over.

"Hold still."

Ruo Yan turned her head. "What?"

"Your hair."

Ethan sat down behind her and picked the leaves out one by one. Ruo Yan had been sitting up straight at first, but after he helped rinse the mud away and combed through her long black hair with his fingers, she gradually relaxed.

Eventually her back leaned fully against his chest.

Ruo Yan tilted her head up slightly. "You’re quite practiced at this."

"Laira has a lot of hair."

Laira, standing in the water nearby, immediately turned around.

At her towering height, the water only reached about mid-thigh on her, while on Ethan it came nearly to the hip. She folded her arms across her chest and looked at the two of them.

"Just hair?"

Ethan looked at her.

Ruo Yan also looked.

The corner of Laira’s mouth curved with undeniable mischief.

Ethan answered calmly. "Plenty of other things too."

It took Ruo Yan two seconds to understand.

She immediately turned to look at Ethan.

"Ethan."

Laira burst out laughing.

Ethan gave a light shrug. "I was just answering the question."

Ruo Yan looked at the innocent expression on his face, then reached over and pinched him right on the waist.

"You’ve been around her too long. You’re starting to go bad."

Laira immediately protested. "How is that my fault?"

Ruo Yan turned to look at the woman standing nearly two meters twenty in the middle of the stream and answered without a moment’s hesitation. "Very much your fault."

Laira’s laughter rang out once more.

As the three of them were getting ready to head back, Ethan had just stepped out of the water when his left arm suddenly grew hot.

His steps faltered.

The pain wasn’t as fierce as the night before, but the burning from the missing section of his hand still shot straight up to the upper arm. His left shoulder locked up, and his breathing slowed reflexively.

Ruo Yan was closest and immediately stepped to him, both hands catching hold. "The pain again?"

"Yeah. Not strong."

Ruo Yan frowned. "Stop saying that."

She wrapped an arm around Ethan’s waist and let him lean on her shoulder. Because Ruo Yan was shorter, the position made Ethan lean down slightly, but she held him firmly, one hand slowly stroking his back.

"Lean on me."

Ethan didn’t refuse.

Right after, a tall shadow fell over both of them.

Laira had arrived.

The moment she saw the dark purple lines beneath the Primordial Armor, every trace of cheerfulness vanished from her face. She stood close behind Ethan, one large hand on his left shoulder, Solar Flame flowing in slowly.

"Relax. Don’t try to force the energy down."

Ethan closed his eyes and adjusted his breathing as she said.

Ruo Yan held him from the front.

Laira stood behind, her shadow nearly encompassing both of them.

After close to a minute, the burning sensation finally eased.

Ethan exhaled.

Ruo Yan was still holding him.

He looked down. "I’m fine now."

"I know."

"Then you’re still holding on?"

Ruo Yan lifted her head and answered very naturally. "I want to."

Ethan was quiet for a beat.

Then the corner of his mouth curved, and his right arm wrapped around her back in return.

Laira watched the two of them from behind for a few seconds.

Then she leaned down.

Both long arms circled around Ethan and Ruo Yan together, nearly gathering them both against her chest.

Ruo Yan was immediately pressed closer, her head nearly touching Ethan’s chest.

She frowned and turned back.

"Hot."

Laira looked down at her. "I’m a Red Dragon."

"I know."

"Then deal with it."

Ruo Yan looked at the chin hovering almost directly above her head, was silent for a few seconds, then shook her head.

But she didn’t push Laira away either.

Ethan, caught between them, one nearly two meters twenty, one shorter than himself, could only stand there and wait for them to let go on their own.

Neither let go first.

In the end it was Ethan who had to speak up.

"If we stand here any longer, Laira really will eat all the dinner."

Laira let go at once.

"Let’s go."

Ruo Yan looked at her.

Ethan laughed.

The three of them changed clothes, gathered their things, and headed back toward Spring Village together.

Up ahead, the smoke from the cookfires was already rising above the low rooftops. The smell of grilling meat carried on the wind, making Laira’s steps unconsciously quicken.

Ruo Yan noticed.

"You just sped up."

"I did not."

"You did."

Laira didn’t answer anymore.

She kept walking briskly toward the village.

Ethan watched the tall figure ahead and gave a quiet shake of his head.

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