In the guild's temporary camp, the afternoon sun lazily spilled over the ruins. Everyone was busy with their own tasks; some were moving bricks, some were drinking, and some were napping...
A flurry of hurried footsteps broke the afternoon silence.
A large group of girls rushed in aggressively. There were at least twenty of them, each dressed flamboyantly, but their expressions looked as if they were there to collect a debt.
Clicking their high heels, they marched into the camp, their eyes scanning everywhere like a pride of lionesses searching for prey.
"Where's Loki?! Where is Loki?!"
The girl leading them stood with her hands on her hips, her voice as shrill as nails scratching a blackboard.
Lisanna was wiping glasses behind the bar and was startled by the commotion, nearly dropping the glass in her hand.
She quickly put down the rag and offered an apologetic smile.
"We don't know where Loki went either, sorry."
Upon hearing this, the girls exploded into a chorus of complaints, rising and falling like a swarm of hornets whose nest had been poked.
"How can this be! He promised to spend today with me!"
"Did some hussy seduce him away?!"
"We clearly agreed to go on a date together, waah!"
"Why did he suddenly break up with me? What's wrong with me, waah!"
One girl cried piteously, while another stamped her feet in anger.
Surrounded by the girls, Lisanna didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Caught in a bind, she could only shout at the top of her lungs, "Lucy, Mira-nee! Come help me!"
Lucy had been hiding behind a pillar watching the drama, but when she heard Lisanna call her name, her expression changed, and she took off running.
"Lisanna! Don't drag me into this!"
She ran faster than a rabbit, disappearing behind the ruins in a flash.
Lisanna watched Lucy's fleeing figure and stamped her feet in frustration, but facing the aggressive group of girls, she could only brace herself and continue dealing with them.
...
At night, the moonlight was like water, and the streets of Magnolia were filled with the characteristic steam of the bathhouse.
Lucy emerged from the public bathhouse, her wet long hair draped over her shoulders. Her skin was slightly flushed from the hot water, and she was as relaxed as a cat that had just finished soaking in a hot spring.
She took a deep breath, feeling the pleasant night breeze on her face.
"Lucy."
A familiar voice came from the side.
Lucy turned to see Loki leaning against a lamppost. He was wearing a loose shirt with the collar slightly open, revealing the lines of his collarbone, with that signature charming smile on his face.
He held a bottle of drink and waved it at Lucy.
Looking closely, there was a crude sketch of Riyao's face on the bottle. It was drawn crookedly, but it captured that punchable expression quite vividly.
"Drinking a bottle of this after a bath will make you feel even more refreshed."
Loki handed the drink over.
Lucy took the drink and, remembering the events of the day, couldn't help but complain, "I almost had a terrible time today because of those girlfriends of yours. Do you know how miserable Lisanna was?"
Loki laughed and raised his own bottle, "Don't be angry. A toast to Lucy's bright eyes."
Lucy rolled her eyes but still clinked bottles. She took a sip and found it surprisingly delicious; it was sweet with a hint of fruitiness. The cold liquid slid down her throat, making her feel refreshed from the inside out.
"It's really good. What kind of drink is this?"
"This is Riyao's special blend."
Loki leaned back against the lamppost, his tone relaxed.
Lucy almost choked. "Eh? Riyao actually makes something normal?"
In her impression, Riyao was either being mischievous and scheming, eating melon seeds while watching the drama, or secretly recording things. He was completely unrelated to the word 'normal'.
Loki laughed heartily and shook his head. "Don't let Riyao's behavior fool you; he's always producing potions for the guild. Healing potions, recovery elixirs, nutritional supplements—most of the potions in the guild are made by Riyao. He just doesn't like selling them."
Lucy was stunned; she hadn't expected Riyao to have this side to him.
The night breeze blew, and the starry sky overhead was exceptionally brilliant.
A shooting star streaked across the sky, trailing a long tail and leaving a fleeting trail of light in the night.
Lucy looked up at the shooting star and mused, "I wonder where the shooting star will eventually fall."
The signature smile faded from Loki's face, replaced by a deep melancholy, like a dark cloud obscuring the moonlight.
He lowered his head, his voice becoming very quiet, as if he were talking to himself.
"Lucy, do you know how sad a star is when it can no longer return to the sky?"
Lucy froze. Looking at Loki's expression now, he wasn't joking or flirting; it was a genuine, heartfelt sadness.
But then she had a second thought and felt something was off.
"You don't use this trick to fool girls all the time, do you?" Lucy crossed her arms, looking at Loki with suspicion.
Loki was taken aback, then scratched his head with a wry smile, returning to his cynical expression. "Sorry, sorry. I'm glad I could chat with you like this. I'm off."
He turned and left, his pace much slower than usual, his back casting a long shadow under the streetlights.
Lucy watched his back, feeling that something was wrong, though she couldn't put her finger on it.
...
Lucy returned home and tossed and turned in bed, her mind filled with Loki's words.
How sad would a star be if it could never return to the sky?
The more she thought about it, the more concerned she became. She sat up, took out a celestial spirit key, and summoned Crux of the Southern Cross.
Crux was an old Celestial Spirit with a cross-shaped mustache. As soon as he appeared, he started dozing off, his eyelids drooping and his head nodding.
"Crux, please use your power to help me look up the Celestial Spirit Mages related to Loki."
Crux adjusted the reading glasses on the bridge of his nose, gave a big yawn, and began to use his power to search.
But as he searched, his eyelids grew heavier and his head sank lower, until he finally fell asleep standing up, even snoring.
Seeing Crux sleeping while standing, Happy commented in shock, "Eh! How did he fall asleep?!"
Crux suddenly snapped his eyes open, as if he had had a nightmare.
"I can't say too much about the specifics, but the Celestial Spirit Mage related to Mr. Loki is Kallen."
Lucy was shocked, her mouth forming an 'O' shape. "It's actually Miss Kallen from Blue Pegasus!?"
Happy tilted his head and scratched it. "Is she famous?"
Lucy turned to Happy, her voice excited. "Miss Kallen is a very famous Celestial Spirit Mage! She's the poster girl of Blue Pegasus, and it's said that her Celestial Spirit summoning techniques are top-tier in the entire kingdom! How could she be related to Loki?"
Just as she was thinking, the window was suddenly pushed open from the outside.
Riyao's head popped up from below the window. He gripped the windowsill with both hands like a cat climbing a wall, his expression urgent.
"Loki has left the guild! Everyone has gone out to find him!"
Both Lucy and Happy were shocked. Lucy almost jumped out of bed. "What?! Left the guild?!"
Happy's wings stood on end. "Why would Loki suddenly leave the guild?!"
Riyao didn't explain much. He climbed in through the window and then back out, his movements fluid as if he were used to climbing through windows.
His figure quickly disappeared into the night, leaving only a sentence drifting back.
"Go find him quickly, don't let him do anything foolish."
In his heart, Riyao gave his performance a perfect score.
Lucy and Happy glanced at each other, quickly got dressed, and rushed out of the house.
And what about Riyao?
He did indeed go out to find someone, but the direction he went was different from everyone else's.
He jogged all the way to the waterfall outside the city, found a clean large stone to sit on, took out a handful of melon seeds from his robe, crossed his legs, and looked toward the waterfall.
Moonlight spilled over the waterfall, and the mist was thick like a thin veil.
Cracking melon seeds, Riyao's lips curled up slightly as he muttered to himself, "The good show is about to begin."
He knew Loki would come here.
Riyao wasn't in a hurry to find Loki because he knew that some things had to be accomplished by Lucy.
He only needed to be on the sidelines and enjoy the show.