Epilogue at the End of Volume

(Sun Yao)

As night deepened, I looked up from my room's balcony to admire the scroll painting titled "The Milky Way."

The moon in Hawaii appears exceptionally large, and the surrounding stars are remarkably clear. Since the Star Crystal originate from the light of the stars, are there more Crystal here than elsewhere?

Sirius chose this location for this reason, right?

She comes from the stars, and this place is closer to her home.

"But he didn't come today either."

I'm referring to Monster, or a witch.

The Hunter Witch's clone was repelled, the Other Side certainly wouldn't send more Monster to be easily defeated; they were planning a new attack.

But if I don't fight monsters for a day, it feels like I have Golden creeping up on me.

"Woof."

Okay, it is indeed lying on my lap.

I reached out and rubbed its head, and it closed its eyes comfortably.

Although we didn't go to the hot springs, Miluno and I still gave it a good wash. Its soft golden fur felt amazing to the touch and was very comfortable to hold. It even smelled of shampoo.

Ms. Yin Wei has already booked her flight for tomorrow morning. The Golden will also return to Skyreach City with us through the airline's pet transport service, officially becoming a member of our family.

Of course, while it's called "our home," it's actually Yezi's home. I'm currently in a situation where I have a home but can't go back.

"Goldie, please guide me from now on."

"Woof."

It tilted its golden head back and nuzzled against my chest.

"Good dog."

Knock knock--

A knock on the door.

"Here I am!"

Miluno, who hadn't returned yet, I had to go open the door myself.

Standing outside the door was Yezi, his hair still wet. He was wearing an indigo printed yukata, with one hand on the Y-shaped collar of his yukata. It was obvious that he had just finished soaking in the hot spring and had come here.

Everyone says boys look their best after a shower, and Yezi is no exception.

Casual, tousled hair; a high, straight nose; eyes that hold a warm smile.

Although the rise of magical girls has squeezed the traditional idol market, there is still a considerable market for male stars. With her face, Yezi Zi could easily become an idol; with a little packaging, she could become a heartthrob for girls.

Even I'm a little tempted, so it's understandable that Miss SpiCa would be interested in him.

I teased, "Oh, isn't this Yezi? What wind blew you here?"

If I remember correctly, he had a room to himself.

I want to go for a walk before bed.

He squatted down and pinched the flesh on Golden's face.

"Take it for a walk while you're at it."

"Do we still need to bring Goldie? Miluno and I just gave it a bath. If it runs off to roll around on the beach again, then the bath will have been for nothing."

"Woof--"

When I said that, Golden let out a pitiful whimper, as if saying it would behave and not roll around... Although I know that Golden Retrievers are a very intelligent breed, Golden is a particularly human-like individual among them. It seems to really understand what we say.

"Well, I guess I'll just have to take the dog for a walk."

I was thinking of going to the beach, but Yezi suggested, "How about we go see the volcano?"

His voice seemed to have fully recovered; he hadn't said a word during dinner that evening.

"Who goes to a volcano so late at night? It's so hot, you'll feel uncomfortable sweating..."

"If you sweat, come back and soak again."

That makes sense, since we can soak in hot springs an unlimited number of times.

"Alright."

(Bai Ziye)

We changed into outdoor shoes, but kept wearing yukatas.

Ceruno's yukata features a pink cherry blossom pattern, which is not only cute but also complements her long, fluffy pink hair, making her appear even more feminine.

That's not the result I want.

Following the shortcut east of the hot spring resort, we walked for more than ten minutes before arriving at the entrance to the volcano park, only to find that the park was already closed.

The white security guard at the gate seemed to think we were tourists from Japan. He didn't say anything, pointed to the sign with the opening hours printed on it, and then continued to look down at his phone.

For safety reasons, the park is not open to the public at night.

"What a wasted trip! The tourist guide clearly said it was open 24 hours."

Ceruno's frustration was obvious. If I were Miluno, I could have sneaked in with her for a walk, but as Bai Ziye, I could only pat her on the back and comfort her, "There's nothing we can do, let's go for a walk on the beach?"

The purpose was to take a walk, and this detour was also part of that walk.

We strolled back to the beach below the hot spring resort. Because it's at the foot of a volcano, the beach wasn't very big, and you could see black soil beneath the sand. It was far less pristine than the unpolluted beach on Nabu Island.

This kind of beach doesn't really interest me.

"Woof!"

However, the Golden was quite excited.

Ceruno untied the rope, and it ran off happily.

"Don't run around or roll around!"

I wonder if the Golden can understand Ceruno's instructions.

We strolled side by side, the waves crashing on the beach, leaving behind hoppy foam... and then, she took my hand.

Noticing my surprised gaze, she asked with a grin, "Yezi, you overheard what Miss SpiCa and I said during the day, right? Do you like me now?"

I suddenly felt palpitations... a myocardial infarction.

So all my corrective treatments during the day failed to straighten her out? Is she planning to... tell me here?

Although the beach at night does indeed have a great atmosphere for confessing one's feelings.

"Yezi, are you listening to me? Uh, why are your hands so sweaty?"

"Ahem, why do you ask that?"

She tilted her nose up and said boastfully, "Don't be surprised, but Miss Miluno actually confessed to me!"

Sensing the smugness in her tone, I was both amused and exasperated.

Boasting about his experiences of being confessed to by "girls" to his "brothers" is something a real man would do... but that was me!

"Um, and then? Did you agree?"

"No, not yet... Actually, the fact that she chose this time to confess is also related to you."

She covered her mouth with her hand, which wasn't holding mine, and giggled, though from my angle it didn't seem Past be blocking anything.

"How so?"

She seems to think I like you.

My heart was pounding, but I kept a calm expression on my face and asked, "So?"

Ceruno leaned forward, her already short body tilted, her long pink hair cascading down, her smiling eyes blinking.

"So I wanted to ask, Yezi, do you like me? In that sense?"

If you treat her as a girl, this playful gesture is really charming.

"What if, I mean, what if... I said I like it?"

"Then I'll let you off easy."

If I accept her as she is now, I will lose one of my best friends.

But is forcing her to maintain a masculine mentality really the right thing to do?

I was caught in a state of hesitation and contemplation I had never experienced before.

"Ceruno."

"Um?"

She didn't notice my complicated feelings; she simply held my hand and walked forward.

"Between me and Miluno, who would you rather choose?"

The core of this issue is not just about making her choose between "Bai Ziye" and "Miluno".

It even allowed her to choose her own gender.

She stopped in her tracks.

He turned around with his hands behind his back.

"Ah, so it really is --"

(End of Volume Two)

Before we move on to Volume Three!

How about a few short side stories about Miluno to start?