“We’re back,” Ye Yiyi sang, her voice chiming like silver bells as dusk birds homed.

Joy fizzed like soda as Ye Yiyi tugged Tang Coco and sprinted to Gu Xin, five tickets fluttering like sparrows in her free hand.

“You’re so slow,” Meng Xiaoxiao puffed, cheeks ballooned like dumplings under a little storm cloud.

“Hee-hee, let’s hurry and play,” Ye Yiyi laughed, her smile glowing like a lantern under festival lights.

Her grin brightened like dawn as Ye Yiyi pulled Tang Coco and led the charge into the park, neon rippling like a river.

“Hey, wait for me, Coco-jie,” Meng Xiaoxiao cried, her voice chasing them like a kite in a brisk wind.

She dashed after them, feet skimming the ground like swallows over a lake.

“You told her?” Gu Xin asked softly as she and Meng Yuting walked behind, her whisper thin as reeds in wind.

“Yeah,” Meng Yuting replied, laughter tinkling like glass beads before settling into calm water.

“Don’t tell me you’re into her,” Gu Xin said, surprise flickering like a firefly in her eyes.

“What’s wrong, jealous?” Meng Yuting purred, sliding an arm around Gu Xin’s waist, a cat-smile curling like a crescent.

“Get lost—be serious,” Gu Xin shot back, her glare cool as frost on morning grass.

“Hee-hee,” Meng Yuting giggled, shameless as sunshine, then the smile folded like paper and her tone turned sober.

“Didn’t you notice something off?” she asked, the doubt gritty like a grain of sand under skin.

“Mm,” Gu Xin murmured, hesitation pooling like fog at dawn.

“You felt it too, right?” Meng Yuting went on, words beating like a slow drum. “When she heard about us, her emotions spiked like thunder in a close cloud.”

“That means two things,” she said, the thought sharp as a blade in silk. “One: she’s a naïve little girl, shocked by two women together, like a deer startled by a lantern.”

“Two: she wasn’t startled by the idea itself, but by our bond in particular, like lightning picking one tree in a forest.”

Gu Xin fell quiet, the silence settling like snow, her thoughts aligning with Meng Yuting’s like twin shadows.

“We’ve never met her, have we?” Meng Yuting said, eyes on Tang Coco’s back ahead, tucked between the others like a pressed leaf in a book. “A girl that pretty would leave a bright footprint.”

“Yeah,” Gu Xin nodded, agreement rippling like a gentle stream.

“But... I keep sensing a familiar aura on her,” Meng Yuting said, frown lines spreading like ripples over a pond.

“Maybe she’s just easy to approach,” Gu Xin said, her voice steady as stone. “These days, I’ve felt she’s a very pretty, cute girl—girls like that draw people in like lanterns at dusk.”

“Mm. One more thing—can you sense any Anomalous Energy on her?” Meng Yuting asked, curiosity keen as a fox’s ear.

“Can’t feel a thing,” Gu Xin said, calm as a windless lake, shaking her head like grass under no breeze.

“Same,” Meng Yuting replied, worry veiled like mist over a mountain. “Ningxin said she’s an SS-class Abnormal, but gave no details—does she fail to control her Anomaly Power, or is she hiding it like a blade in a sleeve?”

“But... I’ll dig out her secret for sure,” she finished, confidence bright as a torch in night fog.

“Hey—you don’t get to bully her,” Gu Xin warned, warmth like spring rain over a hard edge.

Gu Xin side-eyed her again, the glance flashing like a knife’s glint.

“Oho, looks like Xin’er’s interested too,” Meng Yuting teased, the words soft as a cat’s paw.

“Tch—I’m going to play,” Gu Xin said, flicking the words like a pebble across water.

She sprinted ahead, ponytail streaming like a bright banner in the wind.

“Hey, wait for me,” Meng Yuting called, her voice echoing like a drum down a corridor of lights.

“Coco, what do you want to play?” Ye Yiyi asked, eyes shining like stars caught in a carousel mirror.

She hugged Tang Coco’s arm like a koala clinging to a tree, warmth pooling like honey.

“Anything’s fine,” Tang Coco answered, her smile soft as cotton drifting over a blue sky.

“Then let’s go pop balloons first,” Ye Yiyi said, excitement rising like rainbow bubbles.

“Yes, yes! That’s fun,” Meng Xiaoxiao chirped, joy bursting like confetti in a parade.

They drifted to the dart stall, lights blinking like fireflies over painted boards.

“Uh... how do we win that bear?” Ye Yiyi asked, pointing at a white bear with a pink bow, cute as a sugar cloud hanging in the prize corner.

“Hit fifteen small balloons, and the bear’s yours,” the attendant replied, his voice smooth as oil on wood.

“Fifteen...” Ye Yiyi murmured, the number sinking like a stone into a shallow pool.

Her eyes fixed on the plush like a moth on a lantern, desire glowing with gentle heat.

“Give it a shot,” Tang Coco said, her smile bright as dawn over rooftops.

“Mm,” Ye Yiyi nodded, resolve settling like dust after rain, then paid and took sixteen darts that glittered like tiny spears.

She threw at the line of balloons, each round moon trembling like soap bubbles in sunlight.

“Ugh... only nine,” she said, her heart drooping like a wilted leaf.

Soon she finished, disappointment deepening like ink swirling in clear water.

“Ah... only four,” came Meng Xiaoxiao’s sigh, the sound slack as a deflating balloon.

“Here are your prizes,” the attendant said, words crisp as tickets snapping, handing Ye Yiyi a cartoon keychain and Meng Xiaoxiao a sticker that shone like candy wrappers.

“Pfft,” Tang Coco couldn’t help it, laughter twitching at her lips like a fish flicking its tail.

“It’s okay—try again,” she said to Ye Yiyi, voice soft as velvet over bruised petals.

“Coco, aren’t you going to try?” Ye Yiyi asked, hope flickering like a candle in a quiet room.

“Ah? I... I’ll sit this one out,” Tang Coco said, waving a hand like a lazy fan, memory glinting like steel as she swallowed the thought that darts were child’s play—she used to throw knives.

“Alright... I’ll try again,” Ye Yiyi said, determination coiling like a spring under her ribs.

She steadied her breath like a drumbeat, then threw, arms slicing air like reeds in wind.

“Sigh... eight, worse than before,” she said, frustration dimming like a cloud crossing the sun.

It went worse; disappointment pooled deeper, like storm ink flooding a shallow stream.

“Uh...” Tang Coco watched in silence, the pause drifting like a torn kite on a listless sky.

“Sis, let’s hit the haunted house,” Meng Xiaoxiao piped, mischief flitting like bats in the dark rafters.

Stung by the sticker, she dashed to Meng Yuting, words tumbling like marble beads across a table.

“Alright, your call,” Meng Yuting said, her grin curving like a crescent moon over calm water.

“Coco, can we go...” Ye Yiyi asked, voice trembling like a cat near water, fear fluttering in her eyes like a startled sparrow.

“No... I... I’m scared,” Tang Coco said, mirroring the quiver like a reflection shivering in a pond.

Seeing fear in Ye Yiyi’s gaze, Tang Coco claimed the same fear and told Meng Yuting to go ahead, words gentle as gauze wrapping a small wound.

“Mm! Then let’s check out something else,” Ye Yiyi said, hope lifting like a kite into clear blue.

She tugged Tang Coco along, steps light as petals dancing on a breeze.

“Hold on,” Tang Coco said, her voice low as distant thunder just behind the hills.

She caught Ye Yiyi’s wrist like a swift hook, then turned to the attendant with eyes steady as a drawn bow.

“Boss, one more round,” she said, the phrase clean as a blade slipping from its sheath.

Tang Coco picked up the darts and sent them flying, each whoosh like a swallow cutting air, this body tugging her aim into one miss.

Still, fifteen balloons burst like popping stars in a summer sky, color raining like confetti.

“Wow! Coco, you’re amazing,” Ye Yiyi cried, clapping, joy bright as sunrise spilling gold.

“Congrats, the bear’s yours,” the attendant said, his smile curving like a sickle moon over smooth snow.

He fetched the white bear and handed it to Tang Coco, the plush gleaming like fresh snow under soft lights.

“Here, Yiyi—this is for you,” Tang Coco said, her voice warm as tea on a rainy afternoon.

She set the bear into Ye Yiyi’s arms like laying down a cloud on open hands.

“Really?!” Ye Yiyi exclaimed, delight popping like fireworks behind her eyes.

“Mm,” Tang Coco said, assurance steady as stone.

“Wow, so soft,” Ye Yiyi breathed, the bear yielding like a marshmallow moon.

Watching Ye Yiyi’s happiness bloom like peonies, Tang Coco felt joy ripple through her like wind over wheat.

“But it still doesn’t feel as good as Coco’s touch,” Ye Yiyi said, the line silky as a stray ribbon whipping in sudden wind.

The words struck like a pebble from nowhere, and Tang Coco almost stumbled, balance teetering like a boat hit by a small wave.

“Coco, you okay? Careful,” Ye Yiyi said, her concern gentle as spring breeze over new leaves.

“Heh... hehe, I’m fine,” Tang Coco said, laugh thin as paper, waving awkwardly as embarrassment prickled like nettles.