“Wow! LittleSnow, don’t die! If you die, how do I change back!” Her voice fluttered like a sparrow in a storm.

“Mmm…” A soft whimper drifted like mist over cold water.

Under Yue Liuyi’s frantic pushing and pulling, Yue Dier finally came to.

“Mmh… I heard Little Moon’s adorable cry! Until I topple Little Moon, I won’t die.” Her bravado rang like a bronze bell under moonlight.

Dixue clenched her fist and forced her eyes open, like ice cracking at dawn. The World Tree Maiden before her was so cute it hurt, like sugar melting in tea.

Yue Liuyi sat on the bed, tugging at Dixue, delicate as a porcelain ball‑jointed doll. She was so small, like a teacup warm in one arm, easy to perch on the nightstand as a decoration without feeling out of place.

“Ugh… What was that cry supposed to be! If you’re fine, LittleSnow, don’t scare me like that.” Her pout trembled like a leaf in wind.

“This is all Little Moon’s fault, suddenly becoming… this cute! Big sister can’t handle waves this sweet.” Her tease sparkled like sun on snow.

“I didn’t want this to happen either…” Her worry crumpled like damp paper.

Yue Liuyi stared at her own small hands, pale as shells. “I just thought of using the Eternal Tear, then became like this… LittleSnow, do you know what’s going on?” Her question hung like fog among trees.

The Night Clan knew chaotic creatures like stars know night, and they knew World Tree Maidens even better. As a princess, Yue Dier’s knowledge was deeper than midnight wells.

“Hm? With the Eternal Tear, did a white flash sweep past your eyes?” Her words flickered like lightning behind clouds.

“Mhm…” The nod was a ripple in a still pond.

“Oh! Then it’s like Eevee’s evolution in Pokémon. Different World Tree Maidens grow under different catalysts, like seeds under different rains. The Eternal Tear should turn Little Moon into her true self.” Her certainty rang like a temple chime.

“M‑my true self… How could my true self be like this!” Her denial bucked like a colt in a field.

In Yue Liuyi’s mind, her true form—if not a boy—should be a handsome World Tree Maiden, somewhere between boy and girl, like willow and bamboo in balance. Not this small, as if one gust could blow her away like a dandelion puff.

“Let me ask, Little Moon—your age isn’t a hundred yet, right?” Her tone fell light as snow.

“Of course not! How could I be a hundred!” Her protest flared like a match in the dark.

“Then even for a fast‑growing World Tree Maiden, that’s still childhood.” Her judgment settled like dew on grass.

“C‑childhood?” The word perched like a bird on a branch.

“Mhm… You’ve seen Ailuna, right? She’s already over seven hundred, like an ancient pine on a cliff. And Breeze is at least over a thousand, steady as a mountain.”

“Huh? I… I think that’s true.” Her surprise drifted like a cloud breaking.

“With good nourishment and care, ordinary World Tree Maidens need centuries to mature, to become a maiden in the usual sense, like a sapling reaching canopy.”

“T‑that long…” Her breath fell like rain from a low sky.

“Mhm! At a hundred, a World Tree Maiden is just at the human stage of learning to walk, like a foal testing its legs. You’re this big, and you can talk—already amazing.” Her praise shone like lantern light.

“Don’t describe me like some kind of pet!” Her glare was a kitten’s hiss, all fluff, no bite.

“Hehe~ So Little Moon is a juvenile World Tree Maiden. Jackpot, like finding jade in river sand. From now on, you’ll listen to your mature big sis and be a cute little cuddle pillow.” Her teasing rolled like warm wine.

The silver‑haired girl couldn’t stop stroking Yue Liuyi’s head, fingers combing like wind through wheat. She looked like she might eat this blue‑haired little girl up, like a fox eyeing a sweet bun.

“No way! I’m a boy! I’m a boy!” Her protest hopped like a drumbeat.

Yue Liuyi raised her tiny hands in defiance, small as willow leaves, but the scene was nothing like she’d imagined.

When she called on the Eternal Tear, Yue Liuyi had wanted strength, like steel under frost. Then she could protect LittleSnow, and watch LittleSnow’s soft side bloom like plum blossoms in winter.

But the result backfired, like an arrow turned by a crosswind.

“I don’t want to be a little girl. I want to change back! LittleSnow… how do I change back?” Her plea trembled like a string on a qin.

“Hehe~” Dixue’s chuckle curled like smoke from incense.

“Eh!? LittleSnow… what are you laughing at?” Her heart fluttered like a moth near a lamp.

A breeze of bad premonition brushed Yue Liuyi’s chest, cold as shadow on stone.

“Mmh~ I know the way, but I won’t tell Little Moon now. Since you’ve returned to your true self, enjoy the joy of being a little girl, like playing in spring rain.” Her mischief glinted like starlight.

“How can you! LittleSnow, don’t be mean… I’ll get mad!” Her anger puffed like a robin’s chest.

She didn’t realize that anger on a small girl is cuteness sharpened, like cherries against snow.

Not a shred of menace, only the urge to tease her more, like tapping a bell to hear it ring again.

“Even if Little Moon gets mad, it won’t help, because this is something you chose.” Her words fell like pebbles into a well.

“At least until night falls, Little Moon might not change back.” Dixue nodded, face grave as moon in still water.