Zhuri leaned against the doorframe. "What, bringing it to me as a tribute?"
The little apprentice froze for a moment, then raised her hand even higher. Her eyes were still filled with pure joy as she said naturally, "Sure, of course. I made it for you to drink. This is the first glass of Wrong Season I've made."
She really was a contradictory child.
In everyday interactions, she liked things to be reciprocal, yet she was always generous toward friends and teachers she acknowledged.
Zhuri's gray-blue eyes fixed on Little Oak Owl for a few seconds before she took the glass and drained it in one gulp.
It was a remarkable drink. It reminded her of many things she did not want to dwell on, face, or admit.
She tossed the empty glass back to the little apprentice. "Very good wine. Go to bed early."
With that, she shut the door.
That reaction, cold enough to be called indifferent, did not hurt Yu Xunge. Her goal had been to share, not to get anything from Zhuri.
Yu Xunge hugged the wineglass and scampered off again. She was going back to share the remaining two glasses with Mistblade.
She had only run a few steps when the closed door opened again, and Zhuri's voice sounded behind her. "Come here."
Yu Xunge obediently ran back, muttering unhappily, "...Am I a dog or something?"
Zhuri replied, "There are no dogs in the world this noisy."
Then Zhuri tossed her a brooch no bigger than Yu Xunge's pinky finger. It was a pure white arrow. "A back-to-school gift. In a critical moment, you can snap this arrow."
Yu Xunge held the tiny arrow in her palm and asked expectantly, "And then you'll descend from the sky to save me?"
Zhuri said reservedly, "If I