“Aer!”

A small creature darted forward at a speed too fast for even afterimages, and slammed into a silver‑haired girl’s arms like a swallow slicing the wind.

Thump...

The girl got knocked to the ground; with that impact, the ache would linger like a drumbeat.

She swallowed the pain blooming in her belly and pushed at the small creature burrowing into her arms.

“Idiot! Let go— it hurts like hell!”

Hearing Aer cry out, Lian sprang back. Her hands fluttered like startled sparrows, her gaze on Aer tight with worry.

“A‑Aer! You okay? Sorry, I got too excited…”

Aer rubbed the part of her backside that had just kissed the earth and pushed herself up, barely steady.

“It’s fine, really. I’ve been under some seals lately, invisible chains. My body can’t handle your ridiculously strong force right now.”

Aer’s calm eased Lian’s heart back to earth. The moment she heard about seals, Lian clenched her fists. Storm‑clouds brewed in her eyes.

“Who dared seal you? Tell me, now!”

“It’s fine, really. Don’t tense up. What’s needed is handled. If I stay unhurt, recovery’s just a matter of time.”

Aer didn’t want to say more, and Lian let it go. She trusted Aer’s strength wouldn’t let her be taken advantage of. But...

“How’d you get here?”

Aer lifted a finger, vague, pointing at the shattered statue at her feet.

“This is my teleport marker. You put the Script inside it, so it auto‑detected ‘found you’ and pulled me over. Otherwise, it would trigger in a few days, when this place gets wiped by a calamity.”

“But... what is that calamity, exactly?”

At the word, Aer’s smile dimmed with a shadow of worry, like a cloud crossing sun. That calamity felt like serious trouble.

“I don’t really know. First time I came to this village, I sensed the future, ripples in a pond. Not clear, but I saw a scene: a man packed with muscle, and a yellow thing. Human‑like, yet not. The threat off him was sharp, so I set a statue here.”

Musclebound hunk + weird yellow thing = ...DIO!

Who knows how that math works, but Lian got the gist. That “calamity” was probably DIO. Aer felt danger, sure— but with Lian’s help, how could they not crush that “wryyyyyyyyy!!!!!!” loudmouth?

Brimming with confidence, the pint‑sized heroine planted a death flag without even noticing.

“It’s fine. We team up, and there’s nothing to fear!”

Aer was used to Lian’s “I’m invincible” swagger. She only ruffled her hair in reply.

“Yes, yes… Lian, you’re the best.”

“Of course! I—” Lian froze mid‑boast. She hadn’t told Aer her name.

“What’s wrong? Keep going, Lian‑chan~ ♡”

Lian edged back half a step, fear flickering like a candle.

“Um… Aer onee‑chan♡— you, you know everything?”

“Yup, I know~ including that you’re two souls in one body right now.”

I’m doomed.

Lian felt it turning bad. Based on what Aer did to Ling before, Aer might still plan to erase her. Even if they share a body now— who knows what methods Aer has!

“Um… Aer onee‑chan, please don’t hurt Ling anymore… okay?”

Seeing Lian tiptoe through her words, Aer chuckled like she’d watched a cute skit. Then she rubbed Lian’s golden little head, soft as summer grass.

“Dummy. I won’t hurt Ling anymore. I’ve let it go. It’s been years and nothing happened, right?”

Lian’s instinctive trust in Aer held. She nodded, thrilled, like a bell ringing. This was exactly the win‑win she’d prayed for.

“Mhm, mhm! Ling’s a good girl. So don’t even think about hurting her. She won’t do anything bad to us. The fact we’re fine proves it.”

“Yes, yes, we’ll do it your way. Let’s prep. I marked a point over there too. A teleport spell will get us there faster.”

At “faster,” Lian lit up, like dawn striking a ridge. She had zero interest in repeating a dull journey.

“Good, good! We’ll bring the carriage over, then you open the magic circle!”

She grabbed Alicia’s hand and hurried to the carriage, wind tugging at their sleeves. Remi and Flan saw their master whisked away and stuck close, shadows at her heels.

Once they left, Aer stood alone in the ruin, cicadas quiet, dust floating. But she wasn’t idle.

She took out a small black notebook and ticked a red check on the page, gentle as a petal.

“Alright, step one complete~”

Lines filled the black book, but only the first had a check. It read— Perfectly blend into the party.

— Alicia’s side —

“Sis Alicia! Hurry, hurry, don’t keep Aer waiting.”

Ling’s urging wasn’t new; she’d done it a lot. A carriage only goes so fast. Alicia could only give a wry smile.

“This is the limit. If you can’t wait, go ahead first.”

Honestly, Alicia felt a bit jealous of how much Lian fussed over Aer. She knew their story, sure, but flaunting affection on the spot, using Ling’s body, hit raw. What, when Ling returns, will Aer and Alicia split her in two? Aer takes the left, Alicia the right? That’s way too hardcore.

“Alright, Lian. Don’t rush. Wait a bit.”

Alicia spoke again, stopping Lian from literally lifting the carriage and flying it to Aer.

Alicia watched Lian lower her hands, like a wilting flower, and couldn’t help thinking—

This girl… likes Aer way too much. They’ve been apart a few minutes and she already can’t wait.

Maybe… someone hasn’t realized she feels the same way about a certain Ling who prefers to remain unnamed.