“Uuu… why did I wake up and I’m still a body pillow!”
“Eh!? But Little Yue can talk now. That’s something, right?”
“Ugh! It’s not! This is way too weird!”
She woke to a small heartbreak, like frost on a windowpane—Yue Liuyi “discovered” she was still trapped in a body pillow. Her real body lay on the mat nearby, breathing like a lake at noon, fast asleep.
At least she could talk now—mind to mind, like a thread of moonlight. She could also cast magic. The loneliness of that earlier hush finally eased, like a lantern lit in fog.
“Eh? …It is a bit stranger, isn’t it? It can’t be a double body mix‑up… ah! I got it.”
The silver‑haired girl clapped, clear as bells, then looked at Yue Liuyi with a dawn‑bright seriousness.
“W‑Why?”
“So Little Yue likes being a body pillow!”
“Eh!?”
“Little Yue must love being bullied by her big sister, powerless to fight back. That’s why your soul keeps slipping into the doll. Face it—my Little Yue was born to be a pillow.”
“Absolutely not!!!!!!!!!”
Yue Liuyi threw her whole heart into that retort, like a spark flaring in dry grass.
“See? When I hold you like this, Little Yue is the happiest.”
“No! No!”
…
No matter how she denied it, Yue Liuyi was stuck being a body pillow. She could shake her head and wave her little fabric hands like reeds in a breeze, but moving was still hard.
“Hee‑hee~ But if Little Yue can handle this body, that’s good news. We can unchain Ailuna now.”
“Eh? We can!?”
“The Cataclysm Chain binds life force. The more life in the user, the tighter the lock. Since you’re in a pillow body, even if you use the release spell, it won’t trigger the Chain’s backlash.”
“In that case…”
“But we can only unlock the first layer for now. The Cataclysm Chain has two layers. The first restricts movement. The second seals power.”
“That’s enough. At least Ailuna will move easier!”
“Mm! Then, Little Yue, let’s begin.”
It was two in the afternoon. Though Yue Liuyi had woken like dew at sunrise, the pink‑haired girl still napped, peaceful as a cat in a sunbeam.
Warm sunlight spilled through the bamboo window, painting her hair like threads of honey. The bamboo hut was simple, yet the air held a quiet warmth, like tea steam in winter.
“Mmm… Liuyi‑chan and Sister Dixue are so gentle… I love them…”
Ailuna murmured in her sleep. A crystal droplet of drool slid from her lip, lazy as a slow river. Just looking at her made your shoulders loosen.
“LittleSnow… should we wait for Ailuna to wake up?”
“No need. It works in dreams too. And… it’ll be a surprise for her.”
“Mm! What should I do?”
“First, the spell. Little Yue, you can feel the free magic motes in the air now, right?”
“I can. Casting’s no problem.”
“In that case…”
It wasn’t difficult. Under Dixue’s gentle, step‑by‑step guidance, the chains haunting the pink‑haired girl finally clicked open, like frost melting under spring sun.
Ailuna’s limbs were freed, yet her sleeping body still curled up by instinct, small as a fern frond.
The chains came off and went into Dixue’s keeping.
But iron rings still circled her wrists and ankles, a finger thicker than bracelets. That was the second‑layer seal.
It wouldn’t affect her daily life. In some ways, it protected everyone, like a veil of rain.
The aura of the World Tree Maiden was completely masked by the iron rings. For now, Ailuna felt like an ordinary elf girl, a leaf in a forest, no longer a beacon for trouble.
“Uu… I want a pineapple bun…”
Mumbling a curious name, Ailuna drifted awake like dawn over the hills.
“Eh—eh! Why can my hands move? Ah! The chains are gone!!”
Pink eyes blinked wide. First awe at free movement, then she spotted Dixue and the Yue Liuyi body pillow waiting by the bed like patient stars.
“Congratulations!”
“Eh? Did Sister Dixue and Liuyi‑chan help me? Wow!! Thank you so, so much!!!! \(^0^)/”
Overjoyed, Ailuna sat up, happiness bouncing like a little animal—like a rabbit that found clover.
Yue Liuyi thought, give her a pair of bunny ears, and it’d fit like clouds fit the sky.
“No need to thank us. Ailuna‑chan is a good kid. You didn’t deserve that.”
“Thank you, sisters!! Eh? Liuyi‑chan is still a body pillow?”
Ailuna tilted her head, then saw Yue Liuyi’s pillow form clearly.
“Mm, I haven’t returned yet… but it’s fine. I can talk now and handle basic moves!”
“Then… it’s my turn to care for Liuyi‑chan! I’ll learn to feed the fish and everything!”
Ailuna’s fists clenched with pep, like sparks popping in a hearth.
“That won’t do.”
“Eh? Sister Dixue… I’m sorry!?”
“No, no. A body pillow doesn’t need food. Otherwise I’d have fed Little Yue long ago!”
“Please don’t talk about me like I’m a pet.”
…
And so, the camp gained a pink‑haired elf girl, bright as a flower in morning dew.
“Hello, everyone, I’m Ailuna! I can’t do much yet, but please use me as you need!”
“Uu… Ailuna‑chan, that sounds easy to misunderstand!”
“Eh? Misunderstand?”
“Mm! Ailuna’s lost her memories, so I’ll introduce her.”
Lia hurried over, waving her hands like fluttering leaves, and stood beside the pink‑haired girl to address everyone.
“This is Miss Ailuna, an elf here to help us. Ailuna‑chan is pure by nature. Please don’t bully her! The iron rings are just decoration.”
“Ah! She’s as cute as my daughter!”
“What an adorable little sister, on par with Lady Fengyi!”
“Don’t worry. With me on guard, no harm will ever touch the ladies!”
“Thank you, everyone. I’ll work hard!!”
And just like that, Ailuna joined the big family of Azure Front, like a new blossom in a garden.
She didn’t know many tasks, but she had an eye for beauty. With rice‑tree husks and packed earth, she made many flowerpots and transplanted woodland blooms with careful fingers, like a robin arranging twigs.
The whole camp grew lovely. Flowers and greenery spread like a painted fan. With girl adventurers in frilly little dresses, the place began to feel like an open‑air peach orchard paradise.
…
Elsewhere, Dixue, who kept a veil of mystery like mist over a lake, tracked down Emily.
“Hello, Miss Emily.”
“Ah! Lady Dixue. Um… is there anything I can do for you?”
She was polite, yet Emily’s eyes kept drifting to Dixue’s arms. The silver‑haired girl held a life‑sized Yue Liuyi doll—soft yellow day dress, cute as buttercups, so soft it threatened the heart’s softest corner.
That “doll” was, of course, Yue Liuyi. Explaining her look felt too weird and might spook people.
So Yue Liuyi decided to play dead pillow and stay silent.
“I need a favor, Emily. You’re a wood‑element mage. Could you make a small bamboo cart for me?”
“Eh? I can. What will it carry? Any special requirements?”
“Mm… this body pillow. There are some quality issues, so I need to take it to the maker for adjustments.”
(I do not have quality issues!)
“Eh? Did I just hallucinate?”
Emily shook her head, flustered, like a bird shaken from a branch by a breeze. She didn’t know where that voice in her heart came from.
“Maybe,” Dixue said, and gave the pillow a discreet squeeze, a silent warning not to talk.
(Uu…)
“What kind do you need? Plain bamboo okay?”
“Make it cute, if you can. A stroller vibe is fine.”
“Mm, I got it!”
(A stroller is too much!)
Yue Liuyi grumbled inside, but she went along with Dixue’s plan, like a leaf riding the stream.
Jokes aside, she knew LittleSnow was looking out for her.
She could now adapt to the body pillow, cast spells, and do simple things. But her real body still slept on, worrying like a cloud that won’t break.
Long stillness hurts a body: dehydration, hunger, even muscle atrophy creeping in like ivy. Dixue planned to find Ningyu to learn how the Little Yue pillow was made.
Maybe the cause held the cure.
The road to Linyun Academy wasn’t short. Carrying her would be a hassle like hauling a log, and a sealed box would be too cruel a night.
So Dixue asked Emily for the custom cart.
…
Once the Yue Liuyi body pillow settled into the little cart, Dixue nodded to the two girls like a captain to her crew.
“I’m taking Little Yue out. Lia, Ailuna, the camp’s yours.”
“Mm!”
“Sister Dixue, Liuyi‑chan, safe travels. Don’t worry about me. I won’t run off.”
“I trust you, Ailuna. You’re a good girl. Not like my Little Yue, who sneaks off and won’t listen.”
“Eh?”
“Maybe turning into a body pillow is punishment for not listening!”
“Uu…”
Yue Liuyi lowered her head with a sigh, like rain sliding off a leaf. Thank goodness her girl‑form ability had “evolved.”
Otherwise, if she got too far from Dixue and turned back into a boy in front of everyone, it’d be a storm of mortification.
“Um, aren’t we taking my original body?”
“Leave it here for now. If someone finds a sleeping girl, it’s hard to explain. And the road’s bumpy. We might not care for her in time.”
“Okay… got it.”
“Please rest easy! Ailuna will take great care of Liuyi‑chan’s body! If Liuyi‑chan has a little… accident, I’ll change her panties and dress! No dampness at all!”
“Ailuna, what are you saying! I don’t wet the bed!”
“Eh? Really?”
“Safe travels, Butterfly Snow President. And you too, Pillow Lord.”
“Mm…”
And so, Dixue pushed the little cart cradling the Yue Liuyi body pillow, and set out for Linyun Academy, like two travelers following a pale moon road.
