“I’ll take first watch tonight, like holding a lantern under the moon. After that, it’s yours, Lan’er and Qianya.”

“Mm. Leave it to me. Standing guard’s something I can handle, like a fence in the wind.”

“I don’t mind sleeping less, really—like trimming a candle before dawn.”

“Ahaha… honestly, I just hate being woken mid-dream, so I grabbed the first watch,” I said, scratching the back of my head like a shy cat in drizzle.

“…”

“It’s just standing on the roof anyway, like a scarecrow under starlight. No big deal. I’ll count the moons while I’m at it.” Truth is, for me and Qianya, sleep or no sleep doesn’t matter much; my strength holds like a mountain in night fog. At worst I won’t grow taller… that’s a thunderbolt, alright!

“Tangxue, what’s wrong? Your face looks like stormclouds.”

“No… you two go sleep,” I said, pushing the worry down like leaves under snow.

“Okay…”

They went to rest, and I headed to the roof as promised. The tiles were cool as a pond at dusk. Turns out I wasn’t the only one; other students were up here too, though most chose their beds, ready to settle things at the cliff tomorrow like dice cast at dawn.

“Um… are you on night watch too?” I asked, voice soft as dew.

“…” Some glanced over, then drifted back to their own business like reeds in a slow current. Others didn’t even look, like stones sunk in a riverbed.

We chose the roof because it’s the village’s highest point, a lone ridge above the huts. From here, the near forest lay spread like a dark sea. If a mass of Goblins surged, we’d see the wave break first.

“So sleepy… time to fetch Qianya,” I murmured, eyelids heavy as wet petals. I left by the clock’s whisper, but the others showed no sign of climbing down, like night birds staking their branch.

Whatever. Sleep is the warm fire. If you love pulling all-nighters, may you never grow tall! Hmph…

When I slipped into Qianya’s room, I found her awake, gazing at the stars like they were distant lanterns on a lake.

“You’re here…”

“Mm. Qianya, aren’t you sleeping?”

“I can’t. Night feels unsafe, like thin ice,” she said. Her pink-white hair swayed with her slow shake, and the air carried a faint sakura scent.

“I’ll take the next watch. Y—Tangxue, go sleep,” she said, catching herself like a leaf mid-drop.

You almost called me Little Tangxue…

“Alright. There are plenty of people on the roof, too,” I said. After a quick exchange, I went to my room. The bed was hard and cold as slate, but I fell asleep the moment I lay down, like a stone in clear water.

Sleep…

I slept straight into morning. No one came to wake me. Bliss, like sun pouring over frost!

Looks like the Goblins didn’t hit the village last night.

“Let’s find the others first…” I pulled a red-and-white tee and white shorts from my wristband’s space, quick as a fish flick, and headed out. At the door, I ran into the two who were just coming to knock.

“Ah? Tangxue’s already up?” Lan’er blinked, bright as a sparrow.

“Yeah. Up. Qianya, you’re early too. You took second watch last night. Don’t you want more sleep?” I asked, voice gentle as mist.

Qianya shook her head, silent as a pine.

“After Qianya woke me, she didn’t go back to sleep,” Lan’er said. “She stood with me till the end, like two candles sharing one flame.”

“…Makes me feel like I got left out,” I joked, a leaf riding a teasing breeze.

“No! Why would you think that, Tangxue?” Lan’er flapped her hands like startled wings.

“Kidding, kidding. I’m just surprised there wasn’t a single Goblin raid last night… Is this ‘existence’ really that short on resources?” I let the thought drift like a paper boat.

“I’ve been thinking,” Lan’er said. “We don’t know what’s happening at the other two villages. They might’ve attacked each other for supplies. Or maybe they never planned to hit any village at all.” Her words fell like pebbles, rippling outward.

“True… but our task is to clear the Goblins,” I said, steady as a trail marker.

“Teacher Xuewei wants us to clear the ones outside first so we don’t get hit front and back,” Lan’er added. “If we reach the base of the cliff and find it hollow, climbing back up will be a thorny climb.”

“Yeah. That tracks, like footprints after rain.”

“But how do we confirm the cliff Goblins are gone?” Lan’er asked, brows knitting like willow leaves.

“No need to confirm,” I cut in, voice firm as a drumbeat. “We just ask the other two villages if they were attacked. If they were, they’d clash with our academy’s students and lose. This is our home ground; no way Goblins win against nearly ten Tier-3 adventurers.”

“If they lose, Goblins will retreat to defend. That’s their habit, like crabs scuttling to their shells. We wait for a window, then slip under the cliff.”

“Everyone should still be on top now,” I added. “If we go down, we can capture a good number of Goblins, like casting a net at dawn.”

“But…” Lan’er still looked worried, her voice thin as a reed. “There’s only three of us. Is that okay?”

“It’s fine. With Goblins, I’ve got experience,” I said, expression steady as bedrock.

“If Tangxue says so, I trust you,” Lan’er replied, relief like a breeze through bamboo.

“I’m actually pretty strong too…” Qianya murmured, eyes clear as icewater.

“Mm. Qianya’s really strong,” I said, offering a smile like morning light.

“Ah… then I’m the weakest in the party, huh. ( •̥́ ˍ •̀ू )” Lan’er drooped like a flower after rain.

“Well…”

“I get it. Don’t comfort me, Tangxue,” she said, then lifted her chin like a sparrow hopping back to a branch. “Don’t worry. I’ll do my best not to hold you back!”

“Mm. We’ll keep you safe, Lan’er. Just do your best. The rest, leave to us,” I said, promise firm as cord.

“Then after breakfast, we head to the cliff. It’s close as a neighbor’s fence. Convenient.”

“Yeah! Let’s eat. I’ve never had a real country-style breakfast,” Lan’er chirped, eyes shining like stars in broth.

“Tangxue still loves to eat. So that’s why she grew this much…” Lan’er watched Qingsheng Tangxue’s back, then pinched her own nearly nonexistent chest, a sigh as soft as falling petals.

“Lan’er? What are you daydreaming about? Let’s go. Qianya’s almost out of sight,” I called, laughter like chimes.

“Mm-hmm! Coming, coming!” she said, hurrying after us like a late sunbeam.