A Master Hides in Plain Sight

Not far from them, a child suddenly tripped over a stone jutting out of the ground. The child pitched forward uncontrollably, sending the ice cream flying.

The ice cream sailed toward them in an arc. At that angle, it would land right on Chisaki's head.

But no one except Wuling had reacted yet. The cold ice cream cut a snowy white arc through the hot breeze, diving toward the top of Chisaki's head. It looked like there was no time to dodge.

In the end, Wuling stepped forward, caught it in one hand, and refined it in an instant.

Just kidding. There was no way he could catch the ice cream now. In the heat of the moment, he could only grab Chisaki's arm and pull her toward him.

In his haste, he pulled a little too hard, drawing Chisaki straight into his arms. The ice cream fell to the ground.

Having dealt with the ice cream, he reached out with his other hand and caught the child by the back of the shoulder as the child fell heavily forward, helping the unsteady little one stand upright.

"Are you all right? Did you hurt yourself anywhere?" Wuling bent down slightly and asked softly, his voice gentle.

Chisaki still hadn't processed what had happened. Her mind was a little muddled.

But she didn't pull away from Wuling's embrace. Only when he released his arm from around her did she finally come to her senses.

Chisaki instinctively took two steps back, her movements a little flustered. Her cheeks flushed faintly as she stared at the tips of her shoes, not daring to meet Wuling's eyes.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

A flustered woman hurried through the crowd. She was the child's mother. She seized the child by the wrist and repeatedly bowed and apologized to everyone.

"I'm terribly sorry. I wasn't watching him properly. I hope he didn't frighten you."

The little boy hid timidly behind his mother, stealing glances at Wuling and the others as he mumbled.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to."

After apologizing over and over, the mother led the little boy away, and they disappeared into the crowd.

Not far from them, a white-haired master who happened to be passing by slowly backed away and melted into the crowd. Yes, he really had just happened to be passing by.

"Thank you... for just now."

Chisaki spent a long time psyching herself up before she finally managed to get the words out. There were only a few of them, but they seemed to have drained all her strength.

"It's all right. Sorry, I pulled a bit too hard. I didn't scare you, did I?"

Wuling asked with concern, sounding a little apologetic.

"No, no, no, I'm fine. If it weren't for you, that ice cream would have hit me. I should be thanking you even more. I'm fine, really."

Chisaki waved her hands, a little flustered. As she spoke, she still didn't dare raise her gaze, only stealing an occasional quick glance at Wuling before immediately looking down again.

Aimisi stood to one side, holding her strawberry cone and staring at the two of them, her golden eyes slightly blank.

Wait, I gave you my ice cream to hold, so how did you end up hugging her? That's not how you trigger a special event. I refuse to accept this.

Wuling cleared his throat, pushed down his jumbled thoughts, and looked at Chisaki. "That's good. I'm glad you weren't hurt."

Chisaki murmured in agreement.

"Then let's keep looking around. We should have enough time to see the rest."

The group checked and continued browsing the market, but as they walked, Wuling kept feeling Aimisi move closer to his side, whether deliberately or not.

But Aimisi had often done that before, so Wuling didn't notice anything amiss.

As they made their way through the market, Calcharo and Lingyang kept their heads down and swept up all sorts of snacks. Their hands were full of grilled sausages, roasted nuts, and bags of snacks. Their paper bags were heavy, mostly with treats to satisfy their cravings.

Aimisi, Chisaki, and Jinhsi preferred all kinds of cute things, tucking soft plush charms, little wooden dolls, and fabric pendants into their bags one after another.

Wuling went for both. Needless to say, all the food went into his own mouth, but she planned to give most of the accessories to Shorekeeper Butterfly.

Thanks to his efforts over the past few days, Shorekeeper Butterfly's development level was almost at ten points. This was the perfect chance to break through.

I wonder what the first skill I unlock will be. I can't wait.

By the time they reached the end of the market, it was nearly time, so Chisaki and Wuling prepared to leave first.

When Aimisi heard that, she immediately took two steps forward, her brows drooping slightly.

"You're leaving already?"

"We can all meet up again when we have time," Wuling said, smiling at her.

He turned to the other four. "Calcharo, Lingyang, Aimisi, Jinhsi, take your time. We'll head off first."

Calcharo waved the bulging snack bag in his hand and replied casually.

"Stay safe on the way. Bring me a coconut latte when you come back, will you?"

"Get lost. Buy it yourself if you want one."

Chisaki said goodbye to everyone and gathered up the bags of accessories she had bought. Then she and Wuling turned and walked side by side toward the market exit.

Neither of them spoke first along the way. A quiet atmosphere settled around them, broken only by the soft, steady sound of their footsteps on the street.

Chisaki occasionally turned her head to sneak a look at Wuling beside her. Whenever he noticed, she quickly shifted her gaze to the side of the street.

Wuling wasn't oblivious.

He could feel the girl beside him glancing at him again and again, then hastily looking away, but he didn't know what to say for the moment, so he simply let the silence continue.

After hesitating for a long while, Chisaki finally broke the silence softly.

"Today... I really had fun. It's been a long time since I went out and wandered around with friends like this."

Wuling turned to look at her.

"If you enjoyed it, let's go out together again next time. Don't worry, there won't be any ice cream bombs next time."

The joke slipped out, and Chisaki stiffened slightly when she heard it. The tips of her ears turned crimson.

"Don't say that."

She lowered her head, a few strands of hair slipping down beside her cheeks, but the corners of her mouth rose in a faint smile she couldn't suppress.

"You're funnier than Aimisi made you sound, Wuling."

Wow, so that's how boring I am in my own sister's eyes?

"Speaking of which, those little handmade things at the market were all very pretty. You bought quite a few accessories too. Are you planning to give them to someone?"

She asked curiously, glancing at the bulging paper bag in Wuling's hand.

"Something like that." Wuling didn't go into detail about Shorekeeper Butterfly's existence, keeping his answer brief. "They're for a few people."

Seeing that he didn't want to say more, Chisaki didn't press him. She simply nodded.

"I see."

As they talked, they arrived at the coffee shop. They took out a phone and checked the time: exactly four twenty. There were ten minutes left before work, so the timing was just about right.