After laying both flat on the sofa, Dixue bent like a willow and examined them closely.

“Their breathing is steady, like a quiet pond. No external wounds. All signs say they’re simply unconscious.”

Relief first, then breath: Yue Liuyi exhaled, mist lifting. “Whew... that’s good.”

“Little Yue, do you know them?”

“Mm, I know the younger one...”

Pointing at Lidashi, Yue Liuyi spoke slowly, like rain dripping from eaves. “He’s a little friend who used to frequent the Moon Post Bookstore. He came by again a few days ago...”

“Was that while I was asleep?”

“Yes. We’d just gotten back then... But the older youth, I don’t know him. He shouldn’t be one of my old friends, right?”

She stared a few beats at the dark-green-haired youth, memory a drifting fog; no past friend matched this face.

“Mm... got it. But Little Yue, this one’s not a boy—she’s a girl, you know...?”

“Eh!? A g–girl?”

“Just like that World Tree Maiden who loves disguises—clearly a girl, wearing a boy’s bark.”

“I—I’m actually a boy by nature...”

“Heh heh”—her grin wicked, fox-sly at dusk. “Looks like Little Yue wants big sis to tease her again~”

“Ah... mm...”

Facing a recovered LittleSnow, Yue Liuyi didn’t dare resist; her strength was a paper crane. She only pouted and stood aside, aggrieved.

...

Once everything was set, LittleSnow began treating the two, like dew settling on leaves.

The silver-haired girl’s fingers traced a pale green light-butterfly into the air. With gentle radiance, the living glyph fluttered and drifted into their bodies.

“This is...”

“An applied transfer-healing spell. If their wounds aren’t deep, they should wake soon, like night yielding to dawn.”

Even as she spoke, the black-haired girl’s awareness rippled back, a tide returning.

She opened her eyes—green like LittleSnow’s, yet darker. Her irises were ink-green, deep as a mountain pool, and her first glance cut sharp.

!!

Fresh from sleep, she reached for her waist, where her weapons usually nested like thorns.

Her hand found only air, grasping smoke.

“Easy—no need to bristle. We mean no harm!”

Warmth before words: Yue Liuyi stepped in, took the girl’s hand to calm her, hearth-light in her palm.

Maybe it was the blue-haired girl’s guileless cuteness, soft as a kitten. The black-haired girl stalled, her guard pausing mid-spring.

“Y–you are...?”

“This is the Witch’s House. Master saved you out of kindness—hold gratitude like a lantern!”

“Witch’s House? Master?”

“Don’t listen to Yin Mu’s nonsense. This is the Moon Post Bookstore. I’m the current manager, Yue Liuyi. This morning, my friends found you two unconscious.”

“A bookstore...!”

The green-haired girl turned, spotting Lidashi lying beside, a sapling in shade.

His peaceful look made her let out a long breath, wind easing after rain.

She surveyed the store—eyes resting on potted greens and shelves. The Moon Post Bookstore wore some years, yet its decor felt warm and natural, sunlight on old wood.

Perhaps the setting loosened her guard; she sat up from the sofa, then drew a bank card from an inner pocket, a blade sheathed in cloth.

“Thank you. This is payment.”

“No need for thanks—and no need to pay!”

“If you treat strangers without cause, you deserve a return, water answering water.”

“Little Lidashi counts as my friend. So it’s not without cause, right?”

“A friend? You know Lidashi!?”

Her eyes widened; she snapped her head up and fixed on Yue Liuyi, gaze a drawn bow.

Only then did she catch how uncommon Yue Liuyi was. For a Dreamwood Star commoner, the blue-haired girl was too striking—skin white as fresh snow, cheeks soft as peach, a bright, open smile untouched by smog’s gnaw.

And the silver-haired one beside her carried a pressure unlike the norm; the black-haired girl felt magic surge like underground springs. From any angle, these two were not ordinary.

“Mm... Lidashi came here a few days ago. I gave him a book. That counts as knowing each other.”

“A book!?”

“Uh, it’s called One Hundred Thousand Whys for Primary Schoolers... the hardcover edition.”

“So... this is where Dashi came that day!?”

“Eh? What’s up?”

...

The black-haired girl tilted her head, thoughts drifting like smoke.

“Dashi told me he once knew someone formidable—someone who ran a bookstore, then wandered the world two years ago and hadn’t returned for long...”

“Eh? Oh...”

“Dashi admired him, said we could trustingly seek shelter with him. But that person was a boy—not you! You say you manage the bookstore, so what’s your relation to him?”

“Uh...”

Dread first, then breath: Yue Liuyi’s worst worry finally knocked. Someone had traced her past to the Moon Post Bookstore. Faced with herself turned into a girl, how should she answer?

The boy of yesterday had become a girl; the tangle that came with it was a mist not easily parted.

Luckily, Dixue stood beside her, a sheltering tree.

“You don’t need all those answers. Just know we bear no ill will. For someone fleeing overnight, safe treatment is already a great fortune, harbor after storm.”

“Fleeing overnight... how did you know?”

The black-haired girl furrowed her brows, watching Yue Dier with wary eyes, a fox at a field’s edge.

“That’s a Cosmos Savings Bank card, right? Cards like that have a minimum in the millions. Yet for our small favor, you can only pull a card. That says you left in a hurry, without even pocket change prepared.”

With strangers, LittleSnow’s face turned frost-cold, her smile caged; the weather inside her was unreadable.

“Not only that. The little boy’s hair was set with the rare T-35 Ya Zhi wax. It usually needs styling before bed and after waking. Judging by it, it’s gone untouched for twenty-four hours. In other words, you fled last night.”

“You... you’re really sharp, fine. Are you with the Shadow Alliance, or the Council? Either way, if you can shelter Dashi, I don’t mind giving you Teng Capital’s key!”

“Teng Capital...?”

At that, Yue Liuyi and Dixue exchanged a glance, puzzled, like birds hearing an unfamiliar call.

“Huh... you don’t know Teng Capital!?”

“I only just returned to the planet. I’m not clear on Dreamwood Star’s factions...”

“Hah... aren’t you with the Shadow Alliance or the Council?”

The black-haired girl froze completely, a deer in sudden light.

“Nope. I’m just a bookstore manager. I’ve traveled many stars, but I’m not tied to Dreamwood Star’s powers.”

“Just ordinary people... h–how’s that possible!”

Her mouth fell open in shock, a gate unbarred.