Following Qingyi's plan, Zhu Yuan took Eous to pursue the prison van carrying Hoshimi Miyabi, while Tsukishiro Yanagi headed for Bringer's speech with Harumasa and Soukaku.
Qingyi stayed behind to handle the task that looked "daunting" but was actually easy... guarding the crystal.
In the third-floor art studio, Belle was keeping watch beside Griseo's bed when she heard unhurried footsteps.
"Qingyi? What are you doing here?" Belle looked up in surprise.
"I came to check on you and Griseo. Wise is coordinating things with Zhu Yuan and Tsukishiro Yanagi, so I had a little time."
Qingyi entered the room. Her gaze settled on Griseo in the bed, and her pupils narrowed almost imperceptibly.
What was that aura?
For a moment, Qingyi was dazed.
She carried memories from many years. She could recognize most kinds of aura: domineering, cold, blazing, dark...
But Griseo's aura felt strangely unfamiliar to her.
It was pure without being as distant as a god, sacred without holding others at arm's length.
"Qingyi?" Belle called softly when she saw Qingyi staring.
"Ah, it's nothing." Qingyi looked away, her expression back to normal, and smiled. "Nothing seems wrong with Griseo."
Belle did not press her. Instead, she explained, "Every time Griseo falls into a deep sleep, she wakes up stronger. It's just that this time... the timing couldn't be worse."
"Who knows? Perhaps she'll wake up in time." Qingyi walked to the window, opened it, and looked into the distance.
Meanwhile, with Hoshimi Miyabi—
Inside the prison van, our five-foot-seven Void Hunter sat with both hands cuffed to a rail.
Across from her sat a woman who clearly wasn't from the Public Security Department. Her black-and-red outfit showed off her mature, alluring figure.
"When do you plan to make your move?" Hoshimi Miyabi asked evenly, looking straight