“*Guyee!?*”
An electric numbness traveled up her tail, sending a jolt through the once-distracted Shiye. Her legs went weak, and she collapsed onto the ground.
Yukino, who hadn’t expected such a dramatic reaction, quickly let go. She stepped forward and leaned down, placing her hands on Shiye’s shoulders.
“Are you… okay?”
“Gu…!”
Shiye’s face was flushed, and her bitten lip turned slightly pale. Her pink hair hung messily over her forehead. Even though Yukino was special to her, she couldn’t help but feel a hint of resentment in her gaze.
This resentment manifested in her large, cherry-blossom-colored eyes, which were now clouded with a watery mist. With her curved brows and pouting expression, she looked incredibly aggrieved.
“I’m… I’m sorry.”
Thinking she had bullied the little Sakura Dragon to the point of tears, Yukino hurriedly apologized and pulled out a tissue to offer her. “I didn’t expect…”
“Really now, Yukino—”
Tamamo Hikari also stepped forward, covering her mouth as she laughed. “Why did you go and pull someone’s tail? Don’t tell me you didn’t know the tail is a vital part of a dragon. Strictly speaking, this counts as sexual harassment, you know?”
“Uh…” Yukino was speechless.
She had only wanted to stop the little Sakura Dragon from leaving; she really hadn’t intended to grab her tail directly.
To make matters worse, that rotten fox didn’t miss the chance to add fuel to the fire. “And besides, this little dragon looks so small. She’s probably a minor! Yukino, that’s an even bigger crime! I should call the police officers to take you away!”
“Ha… I know I was wrong. Stop it.”
Yukino lowered her eyes, a faint pink hue creeping onto her translucent, pale cheeks. She felt a bit too embarrassed to meet the little dragon’s gaze.
“It’s… it’s okay.”
With Tamamo Hikari’s support, Shiye shakily stood up. Having the tip of her young dragon tail suddenly attacked was no different from stubbing a toe on the corner of a table—except it brought not just pain, but a strange sense of pleasure.
She hated that feeling.
‘Still acting tough,’ a long-absent instinct surfaced in her mind.
‘Go back! Nothing good ever comes out when you show up!’
Shiye was battling internally, but her face remained silent. To Yukino, this looked like she was in a bad mood. After a moment of thought, Yukino spoke up.
“If it’s alright, can I buy you a cup of milk tea?”
“Milk tea? Okay… No, thank you…”
Being near Yukino made Shiye instinctively want to escape. But then she remembered the determination she had felt back at the library. She fell silent for a moment before changing her mind.
“…Alright.”
The most important factor, actually, was that Huang Xiaoyi was supposed to be the one treating her at the amusement park. Shiye didn’t have a single cent on her. If she didn’t follow Yukino, she wouldn’t even be able to get inside.
“Hehe—looking closely, you really are so cute!”
The big fox knelt down as well. Ignoring Shiye’s resistance, she began to rub the girl’s head, turning her already messy hair into something resembling a bird’s nest.
“Guuu…”
Shiye squinted her eyes and nuzzled into the hand stroking her head, letting out a comfortable breath.
“What’s your name?”
As she asked, Tamamo Hikari withdrew her hand and used her knuckle to gently rub the dragon girl’s soft cheek.
“…Xueli.”
“Xueli? It suits you. It sounds sweet, like something someone would want to eat in one bite—”
Tamamo Hikari was about to pull her into a hug when Yukino blocked her with her shoulder, preventing her from succeeding.
“Wu! Yukino, what are you doing!”
Seeing her chance to snuggle the little Sakura Dragon vanish, Tamamo Hikari looked at Yukino expectantly. When she noticed the displeasure in Yukino’s eyes, her gaze flickered, and her expression shifted into a playful tease.
“Eh? Could it be… Yukino, are you jealous?”
“Just say so if you want to be frozen into an ice sculpture.”
Yukino’s threat silenced Tamamo Hikari. She flattened her ears and squatted obediently to the side, looking as if she had suffered a great injustice.
Yukino shifted her gaze away from the big fox and looked at the dazed dragon girl, waving a hand in front of her face.
Shiye blinked and snapped out of it. Thinking about how the stroking from earlier had made her feel so good, her face instantly turned beet red, and she shouted, “—I didn’t think it felt good at all!”
The girl crossed her arms in front of her chest, her tail pointing straight out like a laser pointer.
“I know…”
For some reason, Yukino’s tone became gentle. Her hand, which was resting on her knee, twitched as she resisted the urge to pet the dragon girl’s head. “I am Yukino Tendo. This is Tamamo Hikari.”
“I’m Tamamo Hikari!”
Hearing herself introduced, Tamamo Hikari joyfully raised her hand, her nine tails wagging in unison. “You can just call me Hikari! Or… you could call me big sister…”
Her sunny demeanor turned flirtatious in an instant as the big fox placed a finger on her lip and gave it a light lick.
The next second, a crepe was stuffed into her mouth.
“Mmph?” With the crepe between her teeth, the big fox tilted her head in confusion.
Yukino said irritably, “Just eat your crepe.”
She didn’t want to eat anymore anyway, and she didn’t want the leftovers to go to waste. It was the perfect way to shut the mouth of this lewd fox who was constantly testing legal boundaries.
“Hello?” Shiye gave a tentative greeting.
“Um… have we met somewhere before?”
After the introductions, Yukino finally asked the question she had been holding onto. The vague impression she had earlier had become clear once she saw Xueli’s face. She was almost certain this little Sakura Dragon was the same one she had encountered outside the restroom yesterday; she just wanted to confirm it.
‘Of course we’ve met. I used to see you every day!’ Shiye grumbled in her head.
She put on an innocent, confused expression, thought for a moment, and said, “Hmm… I don’t really remember. I don’t have much of an impression.”
As the saying goes, when you don’t know what to do, the best move is to do nothing. In a situation like this, acting cute was the best way to get through.
“I see…” Yukino’s tone was a bit low.
After all, they had only met once in passing. It was normal not to remember, though Yukino still held onto her own hunch.
Seeing that both of them had fallen silent, Tamamo Hikari swallowed the crepe and took each of their hands. “Alright, the introduction ceremony is over. Let’s head into the amusement park! Let’s not waste Xueli’s time—”
***
“Eh!? You got separated from your friends?”
People were coming and going in the amusement park’s milk tea shop. The three of them sat at a table for four near the window. Yukino sat by herself on one side, while Tamamo Hikari sat shoulder-to-shoulder with Shiye.
Shiye had thought she would finally get a seat to herself, but this fox had just naturally stuck to her. Upon hearing Shiye’s explanation, Tamamo gave an exaggerated reaction.
Shiye nodded and said, “Yes.”
Tamamo Hikari smelled very fragrant, a scent that felt mature and steady. Shiye sat with her hands folded over her knees, her eyes gazing out the window.
Even the small rest gardens were packed with people, showing just how popular the festival was. If she had tried to wait in a normal line, she probably wouldn’t have gotten in for another two hours.
However, Tamamo Hikari seemed to have connections, as she had led the two of them into the park through a staff entrance.
‘Having connections really makes a difference,’ the girl mused with the cynical wisdom of an adult.
“Thank you for bringing me in,” Shiye thanked them.
“You’re welcome, it was a small thing.” Tamamo Hikari nudged her with her shoulder. “Do you need us to help you find your friends?”
“No… I already sent them a message. I’ll just wait for them here,” Shiye replied with a smile.
She hadn’t sent anything at all.
If nothing unexpected happened, those two were likely still waiting in line under the scorching sun.
‘Will they turn into dried octopus?’ the girl wondered randomly.
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