Under a streetlamp not far away.
Zoya's normally fair cheeks were now tinted with a captivating blush.
Following the direction the voice had come from, her violet eyes caught only that flash of crimson disappearing around the street corner.
And... the delicate little tin lying quietly at the edge of the streetlamp's glow, its contents scattered.
She took a deep breath, as if replenishing the oxygen she had lost just now, then gently pushed He Xi in front of her. "Do... do you want to chase after her and take a look?"
Looking at that empty street corner, He Xi shook his head.
"No."
He reached out and tucked the silver hair the night wind had tousled back behind her ear.
He Xi knew very well that chasing after her now would have no meaning beyond making her feel even more embarrassed.
Zoya walked to the edge of the streetlamp and slowly crouched down.
By the dim yellow light, she saw clearly what had scattered across the bluestone pavement.
Several cookies of uneven sizes, their edges bearing scorched marks.
They could not compare to exquisite desserts, but she did not doubt in the slightest the feelings they carried.
Just like herself, who was equally bad at cooking.
After all, no one would give a failed creation as a gift.
Unless this was already the best part.
"He Xi."
"Mm?"
"If, when you had first come to Rose Town..." Zoya asked softly, "if she had told you then that she wanted to become an adventurer and invited you to form a party with her, would you have agreed?"
He Xi froze for a moment, clearly not expecting Zoya to suddenly pose such a hypothetical question.
He seriously thought back to the state he had been in when he had just left