The room fell quiet for a moment. Only the candlelight flickered gently.
"..."
-
(゜-゜)
Annie didn't rush to speak.
She merely looked down at the little bear Tibbers beneath her, then at the foolish Lin Daiyu kneeling on the floor, her eyes shining as if they'd been tempered in fire. At last, Annie pursed her lips and muttered something before flipping her little hand over and pulling out four peaches.
That's right!
They really were peaches!
Each one was about the size of an adult's fist. Their skin was lustrous, white tinged with pink, and nearly translucent with a pale blush, as though the tenderest veil of the morning clouds had been crushed and wrapped around the fruit. Fine threads of golden spiritual light seemed to shimmer within the flesh.
Strangely, though, not a trace of spiritual energy escaped from their surfaces. They looked just like four ordinary peaches.
"Here!"
-
(゜-゜)つ
Then Annie reached out and shoved all four peaches into Daiyu's arms. Only then did she casually instruct her:
"These four peaches are for the four of you. One each."
"??"
Daiyu stared at the four peaches, which seemed to shimmer faintly with spiritual light, and froze.
After a moment, she slowly rose to her feet. She looked down at the fruit in her arms, which seemed faintly extraordinary, then looked up at her master, her eyes filled with confusion.
"And this, too!"
ヽ(ヽ`д′)┌┛★)`゜)
But Annie didn't wait for her to ask. She stretched out her foot again, lifted the little bear Tibbers she'd been sitting on for ages, then unceremoniously kicked him straight into Lin Daiyu's arms.
(!!)
(`)
Then, before the foolish Lin Daiyu could ask anything, Annie gave her instructions:
"After you've eaten the peaches..."
∠("∠)＿
"You can keep cultivating as usual during the