Mushroom Head Girl had learned her lesson last time, so this time she didn't hide very far away.
She curled up into a ball.
She hid in a bush in the clearing.
Honestly...
She'd gone to so much trouble to hide... and she was so obvious.
Still, even though she was so obvious, the person looking for her didn't find her.
It was as if she really were invisible.
The others were all startled by their companion's sudden exclamation.
"Are you coming out or not?"
She said it impatiently.
Mushroom Head Girl got to her feet sheepishly.
A few leaves and thin twigs clung to her body and hair.
She looked a little bedraggled.
But Mushroom Head Girl's eyes were sparkling.
She had been found.
So...
Things really had changed a little.
Even if only slightly.
"...Sorry, did I spend too long on the backstory...?"
Grandma smiled wryly.
It was rare for her to tell anyone about Mushroom Head Girl, and she'd gotten carried away without realizing it.
Noticing the old woman's silence, the young woman hurriedly shook her head.
"Not at all."
"Please go on however you like."
Besides, she'd eaten a jianbing guozi, so she wasn't hungry anymore.
She could listen to an old woman tell a long story.
It was just...
She turned to look at the old woman beside her.
She wondered if the old woman might be getting impatient...
The old woman had told her quite a lot.
But she hadn't mentioned the red one-eyed creature even once.
If this was the setup...
Then it really was a very long one.
The young woman studied the old woman's expression.
The old woman's eyes were lowered.
The sky was dark.
It was hard to make out