Though he hadn't wanted to entertain the other person, the boy thought it over and vaguely explained what had happened to Xiao Mie.
Someone wanted to hurt his friend.
He didn't know what to do.
His friend was special.
He could only protect them himself.
Thinking of Xiao Mie's tiny form, he couldn't help sighing. "I wish I could hide it somewhere no one would ever find it."
"How about this?"
The monk beamed as he pulled something from inside his robes... a jade ball?
The boy froze.
He instinctively took the jade ball the monk held out to him.
"This—"
Looking at the ball split in two in his hands, he twitched. "It's not—"
"Just hide it in here."
The monk narrowed his eyes.
In here?
The boy was about to think the other man was talking nonsense, but in the next moment, the absurdity of it faded.
He examined the two halves of the jade ball carefully.
A thoughtful look came over his face.
The inside of the ball was hollow.
It was big enough...
Xiao Mie really could hide inside.
And hiding in a jade ball... most people wouldn't think to look there, right?
At least, it was less obvious than hiding in a drawer or a cabinet.
A faint glimmer lit his eyes.
But then a voice rang out in his mind, and his expression darkened again.
"It's no use."
"Even if you hide it, I can still smell its scent."
"I'm only trying to help you."
"But if you still can't understand, I'll have no choice but to take more drastic measures."
"...Just hiding it won't work... It'll be found..."
The boy murmured.
"It won't."
The monk's assurance made the boy both disbelieve him and want to believe him anyway.
Torn