Issei and Raynare headed back to Glory City at the end of the day. They didn't want to stay the night outside. Although Issei could make a shelter for them, he was being lazy since they had a place to stay anyway.
Once Issei and Raynare arrived in Glory City, Raynare headed back to the inn. Meanwhile, Issei was heading to Yang Xin's place to see how she was doing with her studies. How would Issei know where Yang Xin lived? Of course, he was told where she lived before he left for the Ancient Orchid City Ruin.
While heading to Yang Xin's place, Issei met a girl in the street who was struggling to walk. Issei looked at her with his Fiery Eyes Golden Pupil and saw that her body was being invaded by cold energy, slowly accumulating and destroying her body. If the little girl didn't accidentally get Issei's attention, she might have had to live with such a disease for the rest of her life, but thankfully, she caught Issei's attention.
Issei approached the little girl and asked.
"Excuse me, are you okay?" Issei asked. Of course, Issei knew she wasn't okay, but it's common courtesy to ask. "You don't look so good. Do you mind if I help?".
"Go away!" the girl said. Her body was in pain. She trained as hard as she could to finally get a chance to grasp her future in her hand, but now, all the training she has done has caused her to feel immense pain. "I'm fine. I slipped and fell. I just sprained my ankle".
"Well then, I can still help you with that," Issei said. He knew she was lying, but he wanted to help her. So, the excuse she used was perfect. "Divine Healing".
Issei cast his healing magic. And in no time, the pain and the injuries that the girl had incurred upon herself started to heal.
The girl, at first, was scared when she saw Issei's hand above her chest. She thought that the man would molest her, and there was nothing she could do as her body was in so much pain that she couldn't even move properly, let alone fight back. But then, she felt warm energy enter her body, and the pain started to disappear. In no time, the pain was gone.
"How do you feel now?" Issei asked. All the accumulated energy that was destroying the girl's body was gone. "Can you stand up?".
"Thank you for helping me. I can stand on my own now," the girl said. She looked at the man holding her, and she felt warm and safe in his hands. "My name is Xiao Ning'er of the Winged Dragon Family. May I know your name?".
"I'm Hyoudou Issei," Issei introduced himself. He let go of Ning'er and stood up along with her. Issei smiled and continued speaking. "I see that the sprain on your ankle is gone. That's good".
"Can I ask if you're from around here?" Xiao Ning'er asked. She was sure that Issei wasn't from Glory City. Someone with a powerful healing ability would be a well-known person as many people get hurt while hunting for Demonic Beasts or fighting due to an argument. "I've never heard of a person like you living in Glory City".
"Ha-ha-ha! You're quite sharp," Issei said. Xiao Ning'er seems to have a good head on her shoulders. "That's right, I'm not from Glory City. I'm from somewhere far away".
"Many thanks for helping me, but I need to go. Is there anywhere I can meet you to show my gratitude?" Xiao Ning'er asked. She has never felt this way before towards anyone. Xiao Ning'er's heart was beating loudly and rapidly. Issei then handed her a piece of paper that showed where he lived. Xiao Ning'er bowed her head. "Thank you, I'll be seeing you later".
[Congratulations to the User for finding the second destined partner. You found both in less than a week]
"Hold on, what?!" Issei said. Xiao Ning'er was a little girl! How was she the destined person?! The age gap was not that big, but she seemed to be fourteen! "Hold on a minute here! She looked to be no older than fourteen years old. That's illegal! I'm seventeen, and she's fourteen!".
[Wrong, the User's guess on Xiao Ning'er's age is wrong. Xiao Ning'er is thirteen]
"That's even worse!" Issei said. Do the damn rings want him to be a predator! That's not going to happen! "I don't care if she is a destined partner. I'm not doing anything!".
[User, please do not use your world's logic in this world. In the Divine Continent, it is perfectly fine for a girl as young as Xiao Ning'er to marry someone older.
Currently, she's in a miserable arranged marriage with a man named Shen Fei, a member of the Sacred Family.
As you already know, the Sacred Family aren't good people. They will do anything from killing to torturing to whatever they can to remain in power or even overthrow the current City Lord.
That's how disgusting the Sacred Family is. Are you willing to let someone like Xiao Ning'er be in such a family?
I know you felt how hard Xiao Ning'er worked to try and control her fate with her own hands. She was even riddled with immense pain due to trying to control her own life.
Besides, just because you are destined to be with Xiao Ning'er doesn't mean you have to be with her right now. You can always wait for a few years before trying to be in a relationship with her]
"I guess you're right," Issei said. The system was correct. He didn't have to be in a relationship with Xiao Ning'er right now just because they were destined to be with each other. "By the way, why are you being helpful? Normally, you would be silent and not even give me a single clue. But since we arrived in this world, you've been helping me".
[No reason. I just reminded you that you shouldn't use your world's logic in a world that doesn't use the same logic. It's asinine]
"True that," Issei said. He then continued his way to Yang Xin's house. When he arrived, he knocked on her door. As the door opened, Issei saw that Yang Xin looked tired. "Why do you look like this? Did you not rest the entire day?".
"I wanted to show you how dedicated I am to studying alchemy," Yang Xin said. Issei was initially hesitant to take her as a student. And now that she is, she wanted to show her dedication. "I've already finished reading three volumes of the alchemy books you gave me".
"Go inside your house and rest," Issei said. As Yang Xin was heading inside, she became too weak and started to fall to the ground. Issei caught her before hitting the ground and carried her in a bridal carry. "Where's your room? You need to sleep and rest. It's good to be diligent, but to allow yourself to be in this state is no good. Besides, I know how dedicated you are to studying alchemy under me. I wouldn't have agreed to teach you otherwise".
Yang Xin told Issei which room was her room. As he entered Yang Xin's room, he laid her down on the bed and tucked her in. Issei waited until Yang Xin fell asleep before leaving.
However, before he left Yang Xin's house, he decided to confiscate the alchemy books, and he left a note telling her that from now on, she would only be studying if she was being supervised by him.
When Issei arrived at the inn where he and Raynare were staying, he wasted no time heading to his room.
Inside the room, Raynare was already asleep. They did have a long day, after all.
The following morning, Issei heard a knock on the door. When he opened it, Xiao Ning'er was standing there. She had a small box with her.
"H-Hello, it's nice to see you again". Xiao Ning'er said. She was blushing like a girl in love. "I made you some breakfast".
"Xiao Ning'er?" Issei said. She didn't follow him, did she? No, because she left before he did, and he went to Yang Xin's place before returning to the inn. "How did you know what room I was staying in?".
"I asked the person downstairs," Xiao Ning'er said. She bribed the person with some Demon Spirit coins. "I described you and what you were wearing. You're quite easily recognised due to your fashion".
"Anyway, come in. Later I might have to have a word with the owner of this inn," Issei said. It was not right to easily give away a person's whereabouts. Issei then brought Xiao Ning'er to the table. As for Raynare, she wouldn't be waking up until an hour or two later, which happens to be the same time Yang Xin would be arriving. "Is there anything you need from me?".
"N-No, I just wanted to show you my gratitude for helping me last night," Xiao Ning'er said. She then gave the small box of food that she cooked in the morning. "I made you breakfast. I hope you like it".
Issei looked at the small box wrapped in a cloth. He opened it and smelled the Fragrance of the food. It was pretty appetising. Issei to a chopstick and eat the food. It was delicious. Sure, it was nowhere near his level, but that's not what's important. What's important is that Xiao Ning'er worked hard to make him breakfast. So, he ate and enjoyed the food.
"By the way, Xiao Ning'er," Issei called. He was curious if Xiao Ning'er was a student at the Holy Orchid Institute. "Don't you have school to attend?".
"I have some time," Xiao Ning'er said. The class wouldn't start for another thirty minutes, and her location wasn't far from the institute. "By the way, you can just call me Ning'er".
"Alright, Ning'er. If that's the case, you can also just call me Issei or Ise," Issei said. He was still eating the breakfast that Ning'er made for him. It was delicious, after all. "What is the Holy Orchid Institute like?".
Ning'er told Issei what Holy Orchid Institute is like. Ning'er even told Issei how one of her classmates talked back at the teacher and made a bet.
One thing Issei learned from what Ning'er is that all commoners are looked down on for not having the resources to cultivate a Demon Spiritualist. They even go as far as to step on the efforts of commoners that are working hard. Issei hates those types of people. Sure, there are times that Issei would look down on people, but that's only because they looked down on him first.
After talking for a few minutes, Ning'er had to leave as her class was about to begin, and it would take her a few minutes to arrive at the Holy Orchid Institute.