Columbina blinked. "Miss Xilian told me. She said that where she comes from, as long as you do this, the promise is made. If you break the promise..."
"What happens?"
"You turn into a long, skinny red bug and get stepped on by children."
The corner of Mo Wang's mouth twitched. "...What is that even supposed to mean? Xilian really knows how to stir up trouble."
But he did not say anything more. He reached out and gently hooked his pinky around Columbina's.
Her finger was slightly cool, yet soft and slender.
"Then it's a promise."
Columbina looked at their linked fingers, and a sincere smile bloomed across her face.
Moonlight spilled down, stretching their shadows long, long across the ground.
Just then—
"Oh my, what a beautiful scene. I'm almost starting to tear up watching it."
A sudden voice broke the silence of the night.
Columbina jumped in fright and instinctively leaned closer to Mo Wang, hurriedly looking around.
There was no one there.
On the hillside there were only swaying wild grasses and mottled moonlight, not even a human shadow in sight.
Mo Wang's gaze, however, turned to a large rock beside them.
On the rock crouched a... creature?
It was a fluffy little thing, with a round body, short limbs, and a pair of long ears that looked like decorations.
It was crouching there in an extremely humanlike posture, head tilted as it looked at them.
Most suspicious of all was the meaningful smile hanging on its face.
"Just now..." Columbina asked softly, "was that little thing talking?"
As soon as she finished speaking, the fluffy little thing opened its mouth.
"Of course, of course, naturally I was the one calling out to you~" Its voice was very cheerful, with a rising lilt at the end. "Oh