Before she knew it, it was time for lunch.
Because Silver Wolf had accidentally pulled another all-nighter the previous night, she was probably still drooling away in dreamland.
At this moment, only Cipher, Firefly, and Liu Xiyue were seated around the dining table.
Today's dining atmosphere carried an indescribable sense of strangeness. On the surface, everything seemed perfectly calm, but aside from the soft clinking of chopsticks against bowls and plates, there wasn't a single other sound, making the room eerily quiet.
Firefly (๑•. •๑)?: 'Why does it feel like something's a little off?'
Firefly paused mid-bite. Her gaze involuntarily drifted toward Cipher, who was quietly focused on eating, then shifted to Liu Xiyue, whose face was flushed bright red.
Her heart skipped a beat as she belatedly realized that the atmosphere between those two seemed... rather strange.
Firefly blinked her round eyes, her chopsticks suspended in midair, and cautiously asked,
"What are you two..."
The moment her voice fell, Liu Xiyue's already crimson cheeks burned even brighter.
Panicked, she frantically waved both hands.
"N-No! We really didn't do anything! Firefly, don't get the wrong idea!"
However, such an unconvincing denial gave both Cipher and Firefly quite a shock.
Cipher's fluffy tail immediately stood straight up.
Cipher (ノ_＜.): 'Someone used a basic attack and somehow baited out every ultimate skill? Besides, doesn't that make it sound like we actually did something we weren't supposed to?'
Thinking of that, for reasons even she couldn't quite explain, Cipher immediately put on her usual playful smile and casually explained to Firefly in her teasing tone.
"Firefly, don't mind her. Kids can't handle being teased—they get flustered the moment you poke fun at them."
"N... Nothing."
Firefly nodded hesitantly, though her eyes still couldn't help darting back and forth between the two.
Now she was certain that not only Liu Xiyue, but even Cipher was acting a little strangely.
As for the details, Firefly wisely chose not to pry.
Perhaps sensing Liu Xiyue's embarrassment, Firefly took the initiative to change the subject.
She looked at Cipher and asked softly,
"By the way, Cipher, are you leaving today?"
Cipher put down her chopsticks and nodded earnestly.
"Mhm. I'll head back after lunch. I've already been away for several days. If I don't return soon, the Little Princess is going to worry. Thanks a lot for letting me stay here, meow~"
Hearing that, Liu Xiyue seemed to regain some confidence and complained with clear dissatisfaction,
"You two lovebirds can argue all you want, but what exactly do you take my house for? A love hotel? It's one thing for the two of you to take turns running away from home, but why do you always hole up at my place? Am I part of your little roleplay too? You— Mmph..."
Before she could finish, her endlessly chattering mouth was covered by Cipher's hand.
Cipher, who always wore a mischievous, cheeky expression, actually blushed a rare shade of pink.
She looked at the little girl in front of her with an unusually gentle smile.
"My, my, little one. Be good and eat your lunch. If you keep speaking without thinking, this cat is going to spank somebody's butt~"
Under that "kind" persuasion, Liu Xiyue obediently nodded.
Only then did Cipher withdraw her hand with a satisfied smile.
A moment later, however, confusion appeared on her face.
"Come to think of it, didn't the Little Princess hide out at your house the last time she ran away from home? So why didn't she come here looking for me this time?"
Having personally witnessed the Little Princess's utterly socially catastrophic dark history back then, Cipher knew she must have been absolutely furious.
To avoid facing the Little Princess's tantrum, Cipher had decisively chosen to lie low for a while.
Yet surprisingly, the Little Princess hadn't come looking for her at all.
However, Cipher failed to notice the awkward look currently on Liu Xiyue's face.
What Cipher didn't know was that on the very night she arrived—
Thanks to the recommendation of a certain "good friend," the Little Princess had listened to Robin's new song in the middle of the night...
...and had been "happily" sent straight to heaven.
When Liu Xiyue checked her phone the next morning, it was flooded with affectionate "greetings" the Little Princess had sent throughout the previous night.
Judging from the situation, it would probably take several more days before she finally calmed down.
At that moment, around the dining table that had only just escaped its bizarre atmosphere, Cipher and Liu Xiyue silently exchanged a glance.
The corners of both their mouths rose into identical polite smiles.
Without another word, they each lowered their heads and quietly resumed eating.
...
After lunch, Cipher didn't linger. After a simple farewell, she got up and headed outside, her figure quickly disappearing through the doorway.
"Eh... I wonder if the Little Princess has calmed down yet."
Cipher clasped her hands behind her head and comfortably narrowed her eyes.
The image of the Little Princess's puffed-up, blushing face flashed through her mind, making her let out a quiet chuckle. The corners of her lips simply refused to stay down.
"If worst comes to worst... I'll just give the Little Princess a little reward."
Having made up her mind, Cipher stretched lazily before casually pulling out her phone.
Her fingertips quickly tapped across the screen as she opened the Extraordinary Forum, leisurely browsing for a suitable commission.
While walking home, she replied to the Little Princess's messages with one hand, occasionally switching back to the forum to browse the latest posts and pass the time.
"Hmm?"
As Cipher casually scrolled through the forum, her fingers suddenly stopped.
A post instantly caught her attention, and she tapped into it with a hint of surprise.
[Shocking! A Celestial Phenomenon Reappears in Muyun City! A Secret Realm Emerges? Or Has a Supreme Treasure Been Born?]
Cipher narrowed her eyes slightly, her curiosity completely piqued.
Her fingers rapidly scrolled through the page as she continued reading.
[A New Era Descends! Muyun City May Become the Birthplace of the Holy Land of Cultivation!]
"Is this just hype... or..."
This seemingly baseless post inexplicably stirred something deep within Cipher.
Fragments of forgotten Remembrance quietly surfaced in her mind.
Cipher had only become an unlocked character after Sparkle arrived in Canglan Capital.
As such, she had inherited Sparkle's earliest memories and thoughts.
However, as time passed, those memories gradually faded until only scattered fragments remained.
Now, after seeing this post, Cipher had every reason to suspect that the mastermind behind it was, nine times out of ten... Sparkle.
Her fingertips unconsciously rubbed her chin as she stared intently at the screen.
A thought surfaced uncontrollably.
"Could it be... Sparkle's script is finally about to begin? But according to her insane plan, things shouldn't be moving this fast, right?"
Relying on the fragmented Remembrance still lingering in her mind, Cipher painstakingly pieced together the scattered clues.
She vaguely remembered that the Holy God Church's objective was to seize the power of the gods through some forbidden method.
And Muyun City was the carefully chosen testing ground for realizing that ambition.
As for Sparkle...
Cipher (｡ • ˇ ‸ ˇ • ｡): "She doesn't seem satisfied with just that... She wants to make things even bigger..."
But no matter how hard Cipher tried to remember, those crucial details remained like stones sinking into the depths of the sea.
She simply couldn't recall them.
Now, her mind was occupied almost entirely by the mundane everyday life she had built in Canglan Capital.
The only thing she could say for certain was—
This post was definitely a trap.
As for anything beyond that, Cipher truly couldn't remember.
Frustrated, she grabbed at her beautiful hair, ruffling it into a slight mess, and let out a helpless sigh.
"Forget it... I'll just deal with it when the time comes. No matter how crazy Sparkle is... she wouldn't actually summon a god or something like that... right?"