“Mm...”
Yue Liuyi blinked awake, like dawn mist lifting off a quiet pond.
“Huh...?”
Habit tugged her gaze to the side; the spot where the silver-haired girl should be was moon-cool and empty, like a pillow of frosted quartz.
In her place, Ailuna’s little bear lay tucked under the quilt, meek as a curled cub in a hollow.
A prickle of worry rose, soft as a thorn under silk. “LittleSnow... did she head out for something? Mm...”
“Hold still, my Little Moon! No running!”
“Whoa!”
She was still foggy, fingers fumbling for clothes, when arms wrapped her up—swift as a swooping kite, yet gentle as a breeze through willow leaves.
The silver-haired girl moved fast but tender; Yue Liuyi was petite, and LittleSnow lifted her like a plush doll, soft and warm, a hug shaped like home.
Turns out LittleSnow had been hiding behind the curtains, a shadow in morning light, waiting to pounce the moment Yue woke.
“Ah, Little Moon is perfect as always! Hugging you every morning—what a sweet start, like honey poured over sunrise.”
“Uu... don’t make me sound like a body pillow!”
“Hehe~ Little Moon’s not just a pillow, she’s medicine that heals—thanks to your treatment yesterday, I’m fit as a spring hawk.”
“Eh!? You’re better...?”
Only now did Yue notice it: LittleSnow’s health was back. Her motions were quick as silver fish, and the old composure settled on her like a mantle.
“Mm! Next, it’s big sister’s time to shine. Just stick close behind me, Little Moon—your sister will guard you like a blade under moonlight.”
LittleSnow nuzzled her cheek against Yue’s, skin cool and smooth, like snow brushing a plum blossom.
“Eek! LittleSnow, don’t bully me > <! I still need to make breakfast for everyone...”
“How can it be ‘bullying’ when it’s between maidens? Besides, you can skip cooking today—let big sister handle it~”
“B-but you just recovered. You should rest, right?”
“Cooking’s no problem at all!”
She couldn’t resist LittleSnow’s decision. The blue-haired little girl followed the silver-haired lady’s steps to the kitchen, footsteps tapping like raindrops on tile.
The Moon Post Bookstore’s humble kitchen was now piled high with vegetables and fruit, a bright clutter like autumn baskets. Most had been gathered by the rabbit sprites; the sweetest share had been offered as tribute, like dew-gems, to Yue Liuyi.
“Mm... what should we eat for breakfast... Little Moon in a uniform, or Little Moon as a maid both sound nice...”
“I didn’t hear that! I’m not commenting!!!”
“Ehehe~”
...
In the end, the girls went for a healthy fruit salad, shining like cut stars, with boiled eggs and milk—a breakfast simple yet abundant, like a harvest table.
“Kaka, time to eat!”
“Woof!”
Yue waved, calling back the golden-haired little girl who’d been jogging by the bookstore, her ponytail flicking like a wheat stalk.
“Food’s ready! Master-sis, should Kaka go call the others?”
“Mm... I can’t find Little Rose and Yin Mu. They’re not in their room. Do you know where they went?”
“Yin Mu-sis carried Little Rose to the river~”
“Huh? What are they doing by the river?”
“Kaka’s not sure. They said something about... inheritance of secret arts, the witch’s mark, revenge on the Church... then they headed out!”
“What kind of mess is that!!! Are they trying something dangerous...?”
“Lol, Little Moon, don’t worry! Those are just game terms~”
“Game...?”
“Mm, a game called ‘Beng Beng Beng Beng Beng...’ I was going to say thirty ‘beng’s, but they’d say I’m padding word count. It’s grindy. I’ll go fetch them back.”
“Woof! Kaka received!!”
...
...
Their days were easy as a breeze. The Moon Post Bookstore wasn’t flashy, but eating breakfast together felt like a small festival, warm as lantern light.
“Mm... looks like what the sisters eat isn’t much different from ours?”
Yin Mu eyed the fruit salad, then speared a piece with a toothpick, careful as a sparrow tasting snow.
“Humans mostly eat the same things now. We didn’t evolve from snakes, so frogs aren’t a craving~”
“Then... are there immortals in this world who live without food? I read in novels—once enlightened, they fly like cranes and go years without eating.”
“Immortals? Probably... no...”
Yue Liuyi weighed it, mind like a still lake. LittleSnow answered in a heartbeat, voice like a bell.
“There are! Little Moon is one!”
“Eh! Master is an immortal!!!!!”
“That’s right!”
Dixue nodded, solemn as frost on night pines. “She can balance yin and yang; even without meals, Little Moon won’t starve. More than that, she’s entered a World Phase, able to draw in the breath of heaven and earth, and walk against entropy, softening the universe’s drift toward heat-death...”
“What is a World Phase! I still need breakfast, okay!!!!”
Reluctant yet fond, Yue popped the egg into her mouth. Ever since awakening as a World Tree Maiden, she’d kept eating like an ordinary girl.
Because food was too delicious—fragrant as summer orchards—and not eating robbed life of something, like a house missing its hearth.
“Ah! I’m jealous! Little Rose doesn’t like meals.”
“Huh? Why?”
“’Cause if she eats, there’s no room left for snacks!”
The red-haired little loli chose a small slice of Hami melon, sweet as sunlit jade, and popped it in her mouth.
“No picky eating! You’re still growing, Little Rose. You have to eat your fill.”
Seeing this, Yue quickly prepared a small bowl and set aside Little Rose’s share, neat as a mother bird sorting seeds.
“Little Rose doesn’t like green fruit! Little Rose won’t eat cucumbers!!!”
“Nope, you have to. Or there’ll be no cakes or cookies.”
“Nooo, snacks are Little Rose’s favorite!”
“Then eat the cucumber.”
“Uu... TT”
Reluctant as a cat facing a bath, Little Rose still munched the cucumber slices, crisp as rain on bamboo.
...
...
Breakfast didn’t take long. As it neared the end, footsteps sounded outside the Moon Post Bookstore, steady as pebbles tapping under sandals.
“Squeak—squeak—squeak—”
Along with them came the cries of little rabbits, sharp as reed whistles.
“Rabbit sprites?”
“Looks like today’s fruit delivery’s here...”
Yue rose from her chair, like a willow unfurling, and moved toward the door.
“Wait, Little Moon. I’ll go with you.”
The silver-haired girl set down her chopsticks, and stood, calm as a drawn blade.
“Huh? Okay...”
She didn’t know why LittleSnow wanted to follow, but they pushed the door open together, light spilling like water.
As expected, a bunch of small rabbits waited outside, hopping in anxious little arcs, like white commas in motion.
“Huh? This is...”
But today, the rabbit sprites hadn’t brought baskets of fruit. They were carrying... two people.
Both were young and unconscious, faces slack as fallen leaves.
One was a short-haired boy with deep green hair, handsome at first glance, maybe sixteen or seventeen, like spruce under rain.
The other was younger still. He wore neat clothes, but he was clearly just a child, eleven or twelve, like a sapling tied straight.
What shocked Yue most was that she recognized the little boy.
“Li—Lidashi?”
