At night, Linyun Academy glows like a lake under moonlight, soft and breathtaking.

By day, Linyun Academy is quiet as a sunlit meadow. By night, it turns into a playground of mystery, hope, and dream, humming like a fair lit by stars.

Tiny sprites drift through the trees like scatterings of petals. Fluorescent dandelions ride the moon-breeze, carrying wishes outward like drifting lanterns. Colors flicker between leaves, weaving a seam of light and shadow.

Classes end, and the elf students loosen up like birds at dusk. Night fun begins, lively as crickets after rain.

They plant rainbow radishes like ribbons in soil. They tend to their sprite friends, gentle as dew on moss. They feed the deer and rabbits under the boughs, like wind and leaf sharing quiet. They do magic jigsaw puzzles that shimmer like stained glass.

These are the elves’ traditional pastimes, old as pine and stream.

But the New Land elves learned a new way to spend the night, bright as a parade.

A temple fair.

Elves match temple fairs like fireflies match summer. They chase shared joys more than bars or cafés. Indoors feels like a closed cage to them; outdoors feels like a field of memory.

An open-air temple fair fits them like moonlight fits water.

In Dragon Heaven and in the Sakura-Reach Kingdom—Zaocun’s homeland—temple fairs rise with the holidays like blooms in season. Here, elves hold them almost every week, exuberant as spring rain.

They don’t just imitate; they braid in their own traditions. Magic-stone lanterns hang from branches like constellations close enough to touch. Sweet stalls sell desserts decked with petals, fragrant as a garden at noon. Even the air-gun balloon game becomes archery, bows singing like taut strings in the wind.

Noise spills down the street like a braided stream. Everywhere, elf girls and boys walk hand in hand, bright as festival kites.

“LittleMoon, do you know?” Dixue’s voice is soft as snow on pine. “Linyun Academy’s temple fair has more than usual stalls. There are unique ones too.”

“Unique stalls?” Yue Liuyi’s curiosity flutters like a moth toward light.

“Mm! Every academy shows off their results. It’s really fun. Look here!”

“Huh?”

Yue Liuyi follows Dixue’s finger. The stall displays many pale-yellow carrots, laid out like batons of sunshine.

Unlike normal carrots, these look elegant, upscale as glassware.

“This one’s pineapple-flavored,” Dixue says, eyes bright as frost crystals. “It’s nutritious. A new breed by the elves.”

“Wow… that’s magic.” Yue Liuyi points at something deep black, like midnight leaves. “And that dark thing?”

“That’s leaf from a chocolate tree,” Dixue laughs, silver voice like bells. “It’s an elf specialty. Careful, LittleMoon—newer leaves are sweeter. Older leaves are low-sugar and bitter, just like pure chocolate. Hard to eat.”

“Huh? LittleSnow, are you team sweet?”

“Of course. I love sweet things. You?”

“Mm… I like them too.” Yue Liuyi smiles, soft as warm steam.

In truth, Yue Liuyi’s sweet tooth is normal, a rain that comes and goes. But cake and pastries never make her frown.

“Then let’s buy—uh, shoot. I forgot you can’t eat right now.”

“It’s fine. We can buy first. We’ll eat when I change back later.”

The two girls wander together, their joy floating like lantern fish in dark water.

They find little rattle drums that purr like cats. A tiny tree-folk that squirts water like a mischievous fountain. Hot-spring eggs steaming like dawn mist.

It’s so delightful, like a brook full of laughing stones.

…

She only lies in the small handcart, unable to run and play, quiet as a bundled cloud.

But Yue Liuyi is truly happy, heart light as paper cranes.

This temple fair, she’s not alone. Being with LittleSnow fills her like sun on cold hands.

She thinks of the past, threads pulling like wind through reeds.

When traveling across nations, Dongfang Chen moved alone, step by step like a solitary shadow. Sometimes he met temple fairs that bloomed like fireworks. Yet he never fit in, like a pebble in a silk basket.

Families holding children glowed like hearths. Friends moved together like migrating geese. Lovers leaned close, warm as candlelight.

Everyone seemed genuinely happy, a chorus of night birds.

Only she forced a smile, brittle as thin ice.

Remembering it now aches a little, like a bruise pressed by memory. But it felt inevitable. A boy must carry burdens like a pack on a long road. He must stomach loneliness like bitter tea.

But what about a girl… Her thoughts drift to Dixue, to what Dixue said earlier in the day, to how Maria once described her.

Yedie Snow is, without doubt, everyone’s ice-and-snow maiden, cold as winter moonlight.

Because Dixue keeps smiling at her, gentle as a shawl, Yue Liuyi forgot that image. Maybe, the silver-haired girl’s heart is lonelier than her own, quiet as a frozen lake.

Yet Yue Liuyi knows LittleSnow is happy now, bright as sunlight on frost. It isn’t a disguise; it feels true as warm breath in winter.

So whatever happened before, if she can stay by LittleSnow’s side, if LittleSnow wants her there, that’s enough for Yue Liuyi. Enough like a full cup of tea.

(If LittleSnow’s happy, getting teased now and then is fine, right?)

Thinking that, Yue Liuyi nods slightly, a reed bending to wind, and looks at Dixue.

“Huh? LittleMoon, are you uncomfortable? Do we need to fix your seat cushion?”

“No… actually, um…”

“Hm?”

“LittleSnow… I like you. I want to be with you forever.”

“Wah! Li—LittleMoon, what are you saying!”

Even under night, the silver-haired girl’s cheeks flush red, like plum blossoms in snow. Yue Liuyi has never seen Dixue this flustered. “D—don’t… don’t say that straight to my face! It’s… it’s super embarrassing!”

“Huh? I shouldn’t say it now?”

“It’s not that! I want to be with LittleMoon forever too, it’s just…”

Dixue bites her lip, a white petal trembling. Then she squares herself, fingers smoothing her hair like a comb through silk.

“Honestly! You’re so cute and so naughty. It’s hard not to want to squeeze you tight, you know?”

“Huh?”

Only then does Yue Liuyi realize the silver-haired girl’s been holding back too, like a dam catching floodwater. In public, suddenly picking up a body pillow is… well, people might think she’s crazy.

(So that’s it!)

A laugh slips through Yue Liuyi’s mind, light as a sparrow. Their closeness is already further than she thought, cozy as two quilts touching.

…

“Wow!”

Just then, a girl’s gasp flutters to the blue-haired girl’s ear, sharp as a startled bird.

(Huh?)

Yue Liuyi looks toward the sound. She tries not to move her body, still as a sleeping fawn.

An elf girl stands nearby, staring at her in disbelief, eyes round as moons.

(Spotted? Oh no. How do I explain this!)

A moving body pillow is scary anywhere, like a puppet blinking. Yue Liuyi hides in the handcart as best she can, a stone under moss. She didn’t expect to catch an elf girl’s eye.

But what happens next breaks expectation like a snapped bowstring.

“Wow! Is this… an official Yue Liuyi doll?!”

The elf girl rushes to Dixue, excitement fizzing like soda. She almost bounces.

“Uh… yes.”

“Finally, I see one in person. It’s so cute!”

Her voice draws others like bells summoning deer. The words “Yue Liuyi doll” ripple out, and many elf girls—lost in fair fun a moment ago—turn at once, eyes lighting like lanterns.

“Is that a Yue Liuyi body pillow?!”

“It is! It really is!”

“Wow! So cute! I want to take her home!”

In a blink, Dixue and Yue Liuyi are surrounded by elf girls, chirpy as orioles in spring.

Almost every elf girl’s eyes shine like stars. The way they look at Yue Liuyi feels like kittens eyeing a perfect cake.

“Wow, miss, how did you get such a great Yue Liuyi doll? ♪”

“It’s too cute. Can I touch her? Just once!”

“Can I hold her for a photo? I’ll pay in magic stones!”

“This little handcart is adorable too!”

“Why is everyone so interested… in my body pillow?” Yue Liuyi’s thought wobbles like a lantern in wind.

“Huh? Miss, you don’t know?”

As Dixue chats with the elf girls, Yue Liuyi learns the reason, each word clicking like beads.

In the few days she wasn’t at Linyun Academy, the Yue Liuyi body pillow became a trend, rising like a tide.

Almost every elf girl here fell for the pillow’s adorable design, craving one like yearning for spring.

The cause? President Ningyu, golden-haired as sunlight.

Someone secretly found out President Ningyu owned a Yue Liuyi body pillow. The rumor spread like pollen. The elves, who already admired Ningyu, discovered the pillow like the New Land itself, sudden and wondrous.

The craze took off. You could hug her to sleep, pose for photos, dress her in many outfits. She’s soft and squishy, perfect as a cloud.

Even some boys itch for one, hands restless as bats. But President Ningyu refuses to reveal how it’s made, so only a handful of girls got one, rare as blue roses.

“Miss, you’re so lucky to have a Yue Liuyi body pillow. Could you ask President Ningyu to let me have one too?”

“Sis, can you transfer this pillow to me? I’ll trade you a spirit tree!”

“I want one too! I’ll offer two spirit trees!”

They don’t know the pillow in the handcart isn’t ordinary, not a market Gerwin special.

This blue doll has Yue Liuyi’s image rights, crafted by President Ningyu herself, gold as ripe wheat. Rarest of all, Miss Yue Liuyi is dedicated; even her soul rests inside it, quiet as a candle in a jar.

This Yue Liuyi body pillow sits at the peak, high as a snowy summit. It’s the miracle no other pillow can surpass.

So Dixue absolutely won’t sell her LittleMoon, no matter what, firm as a gate.

“This one’s not for sale. Photos are five stones!”

“Gasp, that cheap? I’ll buy!”

“Me too!!”

“Please queue up. Slots are limited~”

(Huh!? LittleSnow?)

(Mm, LittleMoon, relax. I’ll watch from the side!)

(But posing like this is so embarrassing!)

(Hm? Embarrassing? My ability says you’re telling a lie.)

(Ah!?)

Yue Liuyi blinks. Lie detection is too strong, sharp as a needle in silk. Maybe this silver-haired girl knows her heart better than she does.

And so, Yue Liuyi does close, cozy photos with many elf girls, like petals drifting onto a soft lake.

The line grows long, a dragon of people winding across the fair, unbroken as a mountain trail.

Being close to so many girls feels good, warm as a hearth. During photos, they make tender gestures, cuddly as kittens, and Yue Liuyi feels wrapped in softness.

(Ugh… elves are generally small… Compared to that, LittleSnow’s…)

She doesn’t dare let the thought finish, blush rising like dawn.

…

Naturally, a scene like this draws the student council, neat as a bell calling order.

President Ningyu comes to keep order, her long straight golden hair flowing like sunlight down a waterfall.

She walks to the end of the line and sees a silver-haired girl cradling a very cute Yue Liuyi body pillow, the crowd around her chirping like sparrows.

“Huh? Is that… Dieyu?”

“Mm, President Ningyu—you’re here, like a soft breeze slipping through the doorway...”

“Classmate Dieyu... were you waiting just for me, like a lone lantern kept burning in the rain?”

“Mm, I’ve got a big plan! It’s about a Yue Liuyi body pillow, a scheme that rustles like silk under moonlight.”

A mischievous spark flickered. Suddenly, a quick glint spun in Dixue’s eyes, and her lips lifted into a little fox’s smile.