"Ah... it's so luxurious! Are all these yours, Sister Dixue? It feels cozy, like warm light sinking into velvet."

After a quick treatment, to ward off another strike from the Murder Fiend, Yue Liuyi followed Dixue into the ship, like birds seeking harbor before a storm.

She hadn’t looked closely that morning. Only now did the ship unfold like a hidden villa. There was an advanced magical heat-control furnace, glowing like a hearth-star. An elemental alchemy bench hummed like a river of runes. A holographic game simulator cast shifting auroras on the wall. A diamond-studded sofa and a huge screen glittered like a night city. It was the kind of scene ordinary people only taste in dreams.

"Yes. For now, it’s just me here..." Sitting with Yue Liuyi in the living room, Dixue’s cheeks warmed like peach petals. She glanced aside, then slipped the topic away like a darting fish. "What are you heading to the New Land for, Little Yue? Law and order there are thin as paper. It’s too risky for a girl alone."

"Don’t worry. I’m elite-tier as a mage; most foes can’t touch me. This trip to the New Land, I’m aiming for the Rainbow Sanctuary in Rainbow Valley."

With Dixue, she still hadn’t revealed the boy beneath the moonlight. But she would never lie.

"Rainbow Valley? That gorge is perilous. Even if you’re fierce, Little Yue, accidents sprout like weeds there." Concern shaded Dixue’s face like a passing cloud. "In this world, strength isn’t absolute. In a straight fight, the lower tier rarely beats the higher. But sneak a blade, slip poison, spring an ambush, plant a bomb, and the tide flips in a heartbeat. And then there are heavy weapons—magitech ordnance that can level a mountain like a sand pile."

"I know it’s dangerous. But I have to go. I must find a relic called the Eternal Tear, or my homeland can’t be saved."

"Eh? Did Chaos creatures invade your home?"

"No. It’s just the pollution is too heavy..." Her gaze drifted through the night window like a kite on a long string. "It’s not instantly lethal, but it’s been festering for years. Everyone emigrated like leaves blown from a tree..."

"I’ve seen worlds like that—the sky ashen, plants curled like paper. Right—why don’t I go to Rainbow Valley with you?"

"Wow, is that okay?"

She’d watched Dixue shatter the Murder Fiend in one strike. With the silver-haired girl beside her, the road felt steadier, like a bridge over rapids.

"Yes! We’re friends. We lift each other, like boats on the same tide."

"That’s great. You’re a huge help! If you need anything, LittleSnow, say the word. If I can do it, I’ll do it."

"Really?"

"Really... huh?"

"Then come with me!"

Yedie Snow’s eyes flashed like stars, and Yue Liuyi felt a bad omen ripple through her.

"Why is it a skirt again!"

"Because you’re adorable by nature. A girl this pretty not dressing up is a crime against spring."

Dixue popped open foundation and eyeliner, her brush dancing like a swallow across Yue Liuyi’s face. Satisfaction warmed her smile like a cat in the sun.

"I can’t do makeup!"

"That’s why class starts now. First, this..."

Her heart sank first, like a pebble plunking into a pond. Then she listened. As Dixue lectured, Yue Liuyi saw girls as constellations of complexities. Ribbons to tie like climbing vines. Bottles to tap again and again like soft rain. The jargon buzzed like bees. Smart as she fancied herself, she caught only a few flowers of meaning, and let Dixue sculpt her like soft clay.

"Done! Little Yue, look."

Dixue clapped, then rolled a full-length mirror before her like unveiling a lake.

"Is that really me?"

The cute stranger in the glass made her heart tremble like a plucked string. She’d seen her face before, but habit had wrapped it in neutral lines. Now, the mirror held a blue-haired girl sweet as spun sugar. She wore a coffee-brown vintage dress, ornate as autumn leaves. Her big eyes were deep as the sea. The crisp pleated hem framed her figure like a shell around a pearl. She looked like a porcelain doll that begged to be hugged tight and cuddled silly.

"My Little Yue is the cutest. Be my wife, okay?"

Dixue pounced, hugging the soft-looking Yue Liuyi, her eyes turning into little > < marks.

Fluster surged like heat. "Be your wife... LittleSnow, what are you saying!" After a struggle, she pried Dixue off. She knew it was a girl-to-girl joke. But she still wasn’t used to being that close to the opposite sex. It felt like stealing a touch of unfair warmth.

"Hehe, Little Yue is shy. No need to be. From today on, these are yours."

"Huh?"

"Not just the dresses and makeup. This room too. I bought those clothes before; they’re a little small on me. On you, they’re perfect."

She opened the wardrobe. Rows of clothes glittered like a rainbow shoal, and Dixue beamed as if she’d found them a new home.

"Wait—so I can live here not just tonight, but from now on?"

"Of course. The Murder Fiend failed this time and won’t quit. Nightmare Rust is deadly with dream-hunting spells. Aside from my airship with early-warning wards, other places aren’t safe."

Worry rose first, then words. "But in daylight, I’ll change back... and I still have work to do!"

"Don’t worry. I’ll stay by your side. Protecting innocents from the Murder Fiend is my duty as a Special Envoy Ranger."

Her tone settled like a drawn blade. She’d made up her mind; nothing Yue Liuyi said would shift it.

"Uu..."

Panic drummed like rain. Huge crisis, huge crisis. Being a girl wasn’t easy at all. She’d planned to meet Dixue only at night, then, when the time felt right, tell her the boy-truth. Friends kept, no one hurt. But now? Forget the future—tomorrow would blow the lid.

"Are you afraid of the dark, Little Yue? If you are, I can sleep with you."

"No, no, I’m fine sleeping alone."

"Mm. Then I’m next door. If anything happens, call me."

"Uu..."

"Everything in this room is yours now. Treat it like your own home."

"Okay."

With all that swirling around, Yue Liuyi could only accept Yedie Snow’s kindness.

Alone in bed, the girl clutched the sheets like a lifeline. Her sea-blue eyes rested on the silent sky beyond the window. The mattress was soft, like her mood surrendering to the tide. As a wanderer with the sea for a home, how long had it been since warmth felt like this?

She couldn’t claim to dislike it; that would be a lie. She loved this room. She loved the name Yue Liuyi like a moonlit cloak. She loved being with Yedie Snow. She loved the give-and-take of helping hands, like ropes tying two boats.

Only after drifting do you know how precious a harbor is. Only after storms do you know how lovely calm water is.

"Tomorrow’s troubles... let tomorrow hold them."

She reached a hand toward the night like catching a falling star, and slid into sleep.