“I’m not some adorably clueless girl!!!!!!!!!”

Dixue had barely finished the tale when Yue Liuyi shot her hand up, anger flaring like a struck match.

“But back then, Little Moon couldn’t even wear a skirt right. If I hadn’t tied her ribbons, that skirt would’ve slipped off in a few steps!”

“Uu… I’ve got no comeback…”

“Don’t pretend to be tough, Little Moon. Come be Sis’s cute cuddle pillow. Just pout and let me hold you.”

“N-no way!”

(Uu… LittleSnow’s too bad. Even injured, she never forgets to tease me.)

Yue Liuyi glared at LittleSnow, heat simmering under her cool eyes. But the ache in her body left her helpless before the silver-haired imp.

“Woof…? What’s an adorably clueless cuddle pillow?”

Kaka, lost in the swirl of girl talk, tilted her head and asked with bright curiosity.

“It’s a pillow like Little Moon—soft and topply with a push. Oh, and if we get a chance, we could sell Little Moon pillows on Dreamwood Star. Straight from the source, a World Tree Maiden, they’d sell better. Once the name’s out, it becomes a Dreamwood specialty shipped overseas!”

“We on Dreamwood Star don’t have elven craftsmanship!!!”

“Eh? So if everyone did, Little Moon would want to sell her own body pillows?”

“That is not what I meant!!!”

…

…

The rain kept pounding.

Acid-laced drops gnawed at iron drains, and the chill seeped through the walls like a slow ghost.

One autumn rain, one deeper cold. Late autumn already, and night stretched like black silk across the city.

Even the reinforced Moon Post Bookstore felt cold, its warmth thinning with the dark.

Yet the golden-haired little girl didn’t feel a trace of chill. Kaka sat duck-squat on a cushion, tail swishing, and began her story.

“Woof! That’s how it went… Including Sis Beibei, Kaka received help from many people. So now Kaka will be an excellent little dog-girl. Kaka will protect her most important master!”

“Uu… Kaka’s story is so heartbreaking…”

“Woof? Master doesn’t need to be sad. For the canine folk, this happens a lot!”

Kaka wagged her tail, light as a willow switch, as if her tale held no misfortune at all.

That ease made Yue Liuyi ache even more, a tender bruise beneath the ribs. This golden-haired girl had roamed since memory began.

Planet after planet. City after city.

Her small feet printed a trail with no finish line, wandering the world like a wind-borne leaf.

Her young eyes couldn’t grasp the meanings of those vistas. Yet the key moments etched deep, like carvings in jade.

On the road, Kaka met kind souls: kids on school trips, chattering like sparrows; young couples pushing strollers, warm as lantern light.

A widowed priest living alone, steady as an old pine; a little girl who, in the rain, built her a cardboard shelter.

They gave Kaka help and taught her useful things, small flames that kept out the frost.

Those lessons helped Kaka crush obstacles and grow healthy and happy, like grass finding sun through stone.

Of course, there were bad people too. But canine girls are keen to hearts, like nose to wind.

Kaka could sniff through masks and tell good from ill intent, clear as dawn after storm.

When creeps came close with muddy hearts, Kaka unleashed fists and teeth. Bite up, bite down—ordinary thugs never stood a chance.

She kept roaming… until she met Sis Beibei and Sis Kiki. Then her steps finally stopped, and she settled at the Institute.

“Um… Kaka came to operate the defense system. But how about treating the Moon Post Bookstore as your home?”

Yue Liuyi spoke gently, watching the golden tail sway like a banner in sun.

“Woof! Of course, woof! Master and the silver-haired sister are good people. Kaka likes!”

“Ah, that’s wonderful!”

“Woof, Kaka’s happy too!”

The golden-haired little girl leaped to Yue Liuyi’s side, soft as a flying catkin.

“Mm… Kaka’s path and Little Moon’s feel a bit alike.”

Dixue lay back on the bed, her voice warm as tea. “You’re both kind, both adorable. We should protect girls like you.”

“Eh? LittleSnow, I’m not like Kaka. I suffered far less.”

“How not? Little Moon’s actually pretty pitiful.”

“N-no. I finished school on Dreamwood Star before traveling. Otherwise I wouldn’t have ended up running the Moon Post Bookstore after classes.”

“Wait… Little Moon studied on Dreamwood Star?”

“Woof? Master went to school? Tell Kaka—Kaka’s curious!”

“Mm, of course. My middle school was called Shima Middle School.”

“Shima Middle School…? The name’s a bit special.”

“Mm… It’s actually Saint Stone Horse Middle School. That’s where I studied before leaving Dreamwood Star.”