The Vixen's Gambit: Tonight We Hunt

Turns out, even Twilight Street thugs valued their lives. After Lee's demonstration of overwhelming force, the gangs toned down their activities considerably.

Lee didn't demand their power or try to become the new boss; she just wanted them to be civilized and follow the rules. So, they didn't band together to fight her—no need to pick a fight they couldn't win.

A few months later, after Lee "disciplined" a few more troublemakers, including punching a flat plaza into Twilight Street's outskirts, the locals became remarkably well-behaved.

And Lee finally got some peace and quiet.

"And so, the princess unleashed her ultimate power, punching the evil queen into the ground, becoming the strongest in the land!"

"Lee, those stories again…"

Aponia placed a plate of fruit beside Lee, who was surrounded by children. "I gave you a storybook. Why not read that?"

"Because the kids are tired of those old fairy tales~" Lee grinned at the children. "They like my stories better."

"Mama Aponia, I want to be the strongest, too!"

"You're wrong! I'm going to be the Empress of the Earth, Nia!"

"What are you talking about? Lee's the strongest! She's my boss!"

"Pardo, why are you joining in?" Lee pinched Pardo's cheek, chuckling. "Sadly, we might become Empress of the Earth someday, but I won't be the strongest anymore."

"Why not?!" Pardo gasped, her eyes wide with disbelief. "You can punch down buildings!"

"Because someone's stronger than me now…" Lee's smile faltered, then brightened. "Okay, story time's over! Time to help Aponia!"

Some kids lingered, but Lee, now their leader, held sway. They dispersed, starting their chores.

The subtle shift in Lee's expression was lost on the children, but not on the perceptive Pardo and Aponia.

[Energy +500]

"Lee…" Pardo hesitated, looking at Lee's usual confident smile. "It's okay if you're not the strongest. You're still my boss! And look at me, I'm weak, but I was doing fine in Twilight Street… Even if someone's stronger than you, we can just run away! We can't win every fight!"

"Pardo…"

Lee looked touched, then—

Flick!

"Ow! What was that for?!"

[Energy +800]

Pardo clutched her head as Lee grinned mischievously.

"Pardo, I don't need you to worry about me~ I might not be the strongest, but the strongest person is my friend, and there's Kalpas, too. No one on this planet can make me run."

"And you let the cats inside again, didn't you? Don't think I don't know. Cat hair is everywhere."

"Mmm… just a little nap…"

Pardo looked away, remembering cuddling with the cats on Lee's bed.

Being older and having different habits, and a tendency to sneak out, Pardo shared a room with Lee, not the other kids.

Having her own space, Pardo, of course, let in the stray cats she used to live with—but stray cats were messy. Pardo could clean their paw prints, but she couldn't stop them from breaking things.

Lee, though not angry, built a large cat tree in the courtyard and told Pardo to keep the cats outside.

But keeping Pardo away from the cats was a tall order…

"Okay, okay, go play with the cats." Lee patted Pardo's head. "You should smile more, Pardo. Don't worry so much. Just think about what to eat tonight."

"Fine…"

Aponia smiled as Pardo ran off. "The children love you… The orphanage—no, all of Twilight Street is better because of you."

"I can't change the world, but maybe changing a small part of it will help." Lee sighed. "But it's just temporary. Making the whole world a better place… that's a long road… We might not see it, but maybe the children will."

Seeing Lee's melancholic expression, Aponia couldn't help but say, "…Lee, you're still young. Don't be so hard on yourself."

"I'm in my twenties. 'Young' doesn't really apply anymore."

Lee chuckled. The occasional performance was necessary for her character. Who knew what moments the story would focus on after her alt account's story ended?

Plus, these performances, though not yielding much energy, still brought in a few hundred points each time. Small gains added up.

A good actor had to control every expression, every gesture, every sigh.

Thanks to Lee's dedication to her craft, Pardo and Aponia's goodwill was maxed out.

Kind-hearted people who wanted to help others were easy targets!

Harvesting their energy will be a breeze~