“And with that, we’re done!”
Bernadette wiped the dew of sweat from her brow, eyes shining at the upgraded Moon Post Bookstore like a gardener admiring a fortified little grove.
The two-story house felt safer now, like a snug nest tucked in mist. At every window—those watchful eyes—she’d mounted thermal alarms.
If a stranger tried to climb in, the system would ping Kaka’s collar like a bell on a hunting hound, and she could intercept in a heartbeat.
To stop grab-and-run thieves, Bernadette hid stun traps at key points, little thunder seeds that would numb a body and leave it shivering like a leaf.
The balcony where the underwear dried was the first line of lightning, a quiet clothesline turned warding talisman.
“Why… do the stun traps only trigger on boys?!”
“Of course to guard against creeps… Sis Liuyi’s this cute; someone might try to steal, right…?”
“Uuu…”
Yue Liuyi scrunched her face into a tiny >_<, a wilted petal under sudden rain; that meant she couldn’t change back on the balcony anymore.
Panic fluttered first, like sparrows in her chest, before she whispered, “B-but… boys might come visit the Moon Post Bookstore too…? R-right! We need to consider male customers.”
“Mhm, I thought of that. Don’t worry, Sis Liuyi.”
Bernadette nodded, voice steady as a lantern flame. “Only Sis Liuyi’s bedroom, the wardrobe, and the balcony where the panties dry have auto-stun. Nowhere else.”
Her heart dipped like a stone in a pond. Bedroom and wardrobe were bad too; if she turned back into a boy, there’d be nowhere to change.
The knot of dread came first, then the thought: telling them she was a boy was too hard, like pushing against the whole forest.
And it might stain the World Tree Maiden’s name, a smear on white snow; whispers would twist like weeds.
By the time rumors spread, it’d become this: Dreamwood Star’s World Tree Maiden is a total little perv—a boy dressed as a girl to fish for pity.
If that really happened, everyone fighting to save Dreamwood Star would crumble like sandcastles in the tide.
“Woof woof! Master, don’t worry! Leave bad guys to Kaka! Kaka will protect Master and the silver-haired sister!”
Thinking her worry was safety, Kaka bounded over like sunshine with paws, tail flicking like a metronome.
“Huh…? Kaka, you’ve met LittleSnow?”
“Woof! But silver-haired sis is still sleeping, so Kaka didn’t bother her!”
“Then… we’re counting on you from now on, Kaka?”
“Woof!”
The golden-haired little girl hugged Yue Liuyi’s knee, tail wagging like a wheat stalk in wind, joy warm as tea.
…
With Bernadette’s defenses and Kaka’s watch, the Moon Post Bookstore’s warding finally hummed to life, a quiet net strung through fog.
It wouldn’t stop monsters, but it would snare ordinary trouble like fish in a shallow weir; no thieves, no robbers—peace like a quilt at night.
From today on, Yue Liuyi and LittleSnow could sleep soundly, dream drifting like boats on still water.
While the girls worked, dusk slipped in unnoticed, soft as a cat.
The sun couldn’t pierce the thick fog, yet it dyed the world a wash of orange, like tea steeping through cloud.
The Moon Post Bookstore turned golden; a tiny cactus on the desk stretched a long shadow, a little spear of night.
“I’ve got a thing tonight, so I’ll head out… I’ll leave Kaka’s food over there, okay?”
Bernadette wiped fresh sweat, stepping toward the door like a runner easing to a stop.
“Mm! You really worked hard today, Bernadette. Thank you so much!”
“No need. Helping Sis Liuyi is what I should do… Oh! Sis Kiki made some magelight candles and asked me to bring them.”
“Sis Kiki… did you tell Sis Kiki I needed magelight candles?”
“Uh… I just mentioned it a little, and I didn’t bring many.”
A blush bloomed on Bernadette’s cheeks like a shy peach; she fished a few magelight candles from her pack’s hidden pocket.
Not many, but enough to warm a stretch of night, like stars in a jar.
“Th-thank you, Bernadette, and Sis Kiki…”
The candles tugged at Yue Liuyi’s heart like a soft thread. Feeling came first, then the thought: Sis Kiki probably made them because of me.
Maybe she’d been protecting her for a long time already, a shadowed umbrella in rain; she was that kind of girl, giving silently.
No one knew what storms she’d walked through, what roots she’d hidden beneath the soil.
“Don’t thank me—thank Sis Kiki… and thank you, Sis Liuyi, for a very happy day.”
Smiling, Bernadette stood at the door; orange light washed over her like a blessing, and she looked beautiful as a ripe apricot.
“Be careful on the road.”
“Woof! Sis Bernadette, take care!”
“Big sis, Kaka, see you.”
After Bernadette left, the room cooled back to quiet, a pond without ripples.
Like always, when the gathering ended, friends drifted away like leaves, and only Yue Liuyi sat on the sofa, a lone lantern in fog.
Thankfully, Kaka stayed, a little hearth in the chill.
Seeing Yue Liuyi alone on the sofa, Kaka pounced with bubbling glee, a puppy springing through clover.
“Master, Master! Can we play fetch?”
“Huh? Fetch?”
“Yeah! Master throws a tennis ball, then Kaka brings the ball back.”
“Oh… you want to play that? But I don’t have a tennis ball at home.”
“It doesn’t have to be a tennis ball! Anything works! Woof!”
“Oh… then let’s play with a ball of yarn.”
And so their small game began, a yarn moon arcing through lampglow, a golden tail sweeping like a brush, laughter ringing like tiny bells.
