The moment Su Hong stepped into Favna Trading House, Favna herself came forward to greet him.

Before he could speak, she studied him with a puzzled frown.

“You’re finally here! Huh? Why aren’t you wearing that dress? Didn’t it fit?”

“Huh? You thought I was a girl?”

Su Hong tilted his head back and tapped his Adam’s apple.

Favna froze, then flushed with flustered embarrassment. “You’re staying at Lia’s… and I heard she was recently taken in by Spirit Card Academy. I just assumed you were… boyish-looking… No, I mean—”

Her flustered explanation left the counter staff utterly stunned. President Favna was always so stern and quiet—when had they ever seen her like this?!

Su Hong sighed and patted his chest. “There’s no way anyone could possibly—”

He cut himself off. His eyes landed on the chest of Favna’s silver dress… nearly flat.

*Was it the dress? I didn’t notice yesterday…*

*Oh no. Did I just hit a sore spot?*

He swallowed the rest of his words.

Favna glanced down at herself. An awkward silence thickened the air.

She’d noticed his build earlier—he clearly wasn’t a girl. But what if he *was* a girl choosing to dress this way? She’d once felt ashamed of her own flat chest and disguised herself as a boy to avoid ridicule. She’d even thought… maybe they shared that experience.

A blush crept across her face, vivid against her silvery-white hair.

Not wanting to prolong her embarrassment, Su Hong quickly changed the subject and pulled out two Spirit Cards. “Ah—the Spirit Cards are ready. Identical to last time.”

“Good… Thank you.”

Changing the subject didn’t ease the tension like it had with Lia. Favna still looked flustered.

Yet she swiftly composed herself and led him to the president’s office. After handing the cards to staff for auction prep, she sat across from him instead of leaving.

“Don’t you have work? I can wait in the lounge.”

Favna shook her head. “Chris bought your card last time. He’s likely trying to reverse-engineer its secrets. With no special guests expected, the staff can manage.”

*Chris? Trying to pirate Spirit Cards again?*

A faint smile touched Su Hong’s lips. “Oh, he’s in for disappointment.”

Favna didn’t grasp his confidence. She knew little of Spirit Glyphsmithry, but even she recalled that card’s messy, tangled glyphs—surely hard to copy.

Still, another question weighed on her.

“Su Hong… you know Old Xu, right? Are you his disciple? Rumor says *Magical Girl Monkey Burn* leaked from Lia’s shop to Chris Guild.”

*Sharp. She connects the dots fast.*

Su Hong hesitated, gaze shifting slightly. Making Spirit Card Cinema was simple—but tedious. He had materials, needed practice, and planned to visit Lia soon. No time for distractions.

“I know him,” he nodded. “But he said he’s retired from Spirit Card Cinema.”

Favna dipped her head, a trace of disappointment in her eyes—then noticed the Spirit Card Slot at his waist, a single card tucked inside.

The sight jolted her. “This may be forward… but Chris stops at nothing for gold. Let me assign two guards. If he traces this back to you…”

She knew voicing the risk might scare him off. Yet he’d helped when the Trading House was at its lowest. She wouldn’t endanger him for her gain.

But under her watchful gaze, Su Hong didn’t flinch—he *beamed*, genuinely delighted.

“That’s perfect! Practicing alone is boring. Real opponents? Fantastic. Honestly, I was hoping for this.”

As a seasoned business leader, Favna read expressions flawlessly. This smile was utterly sincere.

A chill of awe shot through her. *Could he be uniquely gifted not only as a Spirit Glyphsmith… but also as a Spirit Cardmaster?!*

Good heavens—what *kind* of person was he? Why had she never heard his name before?