"Kaguya knows—are you scared of a genuine Lunar princess?" Jiu Ming curled his lip. Only after she sensibly drew back her bare foot did the tension in his expression ease slightly.
"I've never met a True Person, so what's there to fear? She's just a fictional character. You make it sound like you've seen her yourself." Shokuhou Misaki, unaware of the truth behind the Mysterious Shop, did not believe a word of Jiu Ming's nonsense. Yet when she extended her ability toward him, she could not help raising her eyebrows.
Unlike the blankness she had encountered when probing C.C.'s thoughts, the moment her ability touched Jiu Ming, it was reflected back at her...?
It was as though some kind of barrier surrounded him, completely cutting off her ability. Hey, had he grown stronger just by not seeing her for a few months and growing his hair out?
Her own hair was not short either, so why had her ability not risen to Level 6?
"Now should you tell me where this is? Some unknown place in Academy City?"
"Where?" Jiu Ming straightened up and cleared his throat. "Congratulations, girl. You've crossed over."
"Oh? Are you the white-bearded old grandpa that comes free with crossing over?"
"I won't deny that I'm old enough to qualify as your grandfather," Jiu Ming said with remarkable calm. "Well, in any case, just think of this place as a Mysterious Shop where anything might appear..."
"Huh? Where are the goods? This place looks surprisingly deserted." Shokuhou Misaki gave a light, mocking laugh. "How does this resemble a shop? And who's that woman in the flower garden outside?"
They both had green hair—could she and the long-haired green-haired girl before her be sisters? Why did C.C. leave her with a rather ordinary impression, while that green-haired