Recaps

Elysia appeared in Dead End Hollow, stopped its expansion, and helped Griseo rescue the trapped citizens while sealing Bringer and suppressing Miyabi’s Foxfire. Inside the Demon Blade’s strange inner world, Miyabi realized its curses were attacking her, then heard Elysia offer help.

• Elysia arrived in the plaza, halted the Hollow’s expansion, and soothed the raging Ether Energy.
• Griseo began reaching out to the unconscious citizens trapped inside crystal flowers.
• Elysia sealed Bringer in a cage of crystal flowers and suppressed Miyabi’s rampaging Foxfire.
• Miyabi awoke in a strange water-filled space, where she fought Ethereals and gradually understood that the Demon Blade’s curses were weakening her.
• The Demon Blade’s lingering souls took the forms of people Miyabi knew and tried to turn her against them.
• Elysia called out to Miyabi and offered to help, speaking of the companionship she hoped they would share.

Inside the Demon Blade’s mindscape, Elysia helped Hoshimi Miyabi confront the remnants demanding her family’s blood-sacrifice tradition. Miyabi rejected their fate and demanded their submission, while Elysia threatened to destroy them; the remnants’ final choice remained unresolved.

• Elysia appeared in the Demon Blade’s mindscape and offered to help Hoshimi Miyabi in exchange for touching her fox ears.
• Elysia froze the remnants, but they explained that their trial and the Hoshimi Family’s sacrifices were meant to prepare its heir to face Calamity.
• The remnants invoked Miyabi’s mother’s sacrifice and demanded that Miyabi accept her inherited mission.
• Miyabi rejected the family’s fate, said there would be no more sacrifices, and declared that the remnants would submit to her.
• When the remnants attacked Miyabi with Foxfire, Elysia extinguished it with an arrow and threatened to reduce them and the mindscape to dust unless they submitted.

Elysia forced the Hoshimi ancestors' lingering souls to accept Hoshimi Miyabi's vow to change the family's fate, then helped her awaken from the Demon Blade Illusion. Miyabi returned to the battlefield and discovered Elysia was rubbing her fox ears as payment.

• Elysia threatened the Hoshimi ancestors' lingering souls with her Exorcism Magic until they agreed to trust Miyabi, though they refused to grant her full power without blood sacrifice.
• After Elysia and Miyabi left the illusion, the ancestors discussed Elysia's immense strength and suspected she might be comparable to the [Primus].
• Miyabi woke in Tsukishiro Yanagi's arms on the battlefield, where Bringer remained trapped in pink crystals and her companions checked on her.
• Miyabi said her ears felt itchy, then realized Elysia was stroking them and claimed she was collecting her payment.

Bringer transformed and unleashed Dead End Hollow's Ether Energy and Ethereals against the group, but Elysia held him off with overwhelming power. While Elysia bought time, Griseo used her Authority to draw the dead citizens’ fading souls back to their bodies, and people began to stir.

• Bringer broke free of the pink crystal seal, transformed, and sent a swarm of spider Ethereals to attack the group.
• Elysia raised a crystal dome over the battlefield and destroyed the attacking Ethereals with her arrows.
• Bringer attacked Elysia with a powerful Ether beam, but she brushed it aside while Harumasa and Yanagi suspected she was buying time.
• Soukaku spotted Griseo among the sealed citizens, where Griseo sensed the fading souls of those killed in the Hollow.
• Griseo used the Authority of Griseo to draw the citizens’ souls back to their bodies, and some of the unconscious people began to stir.

After Griseo revived the fallen, Elysia let Bringer retreat into Dead End Hollow and put the witnesses to sleep, then turned her attention to Belle and Wise through Eous. As Belle asked to see Elysia’s power, Griseo reminded her of the limits imposed by their Pact.

• Griseo used [The Stars] to bring back dozens of people who had just died.
• Elysia faced Bringer, who fled deeper into Dead End Hollow, and decided to give him time while preparing to destroy the Hollow in one strike.
• Elysia made Zhu Yuan and Hollow Special Operations Section 6 fall asleep, then picked up Eous and teased Wise and Belle for watching through it.
• Wise warned Belle that Elysia seemed dangerous, but Belle took over the connection and quickly grew comfortable talking with Elysia.
• Belle asked Elysia to show her what she could do, and Griseo reminded Elysia that their Pact forbade her from using the [Salvation] Signet.

Elysia answered Belle and Wise’s call, transformed, and fired a pink arrow that destroyed Bringer and his Ethereal army while striking the Mirage Moon. Dead End Hollow’s boundary was pierced and its collapse was delayed, then the Hollow began to coalesce again after ten minutes.

• Bringer escaped to Dead End Hollow, absorbed its Ether Energy, created more Ethereals, and returned to the speech plaza with an army of thousands.
• Belle persuaded Wise to join her in calling for Elysia, who transformed and recited a Blessing for the Flame-Chasers.
• Elysia fired a pink crystal arrow past Bringer toward the Mirage Moon, dissolving Bringer and the Ethereal army into Ether Particles.
• The destruction disrupted the Ether around the plaza, cutting off Eous’s connection and leaving Belle frustrated.
• A pink pillar pierced Dead End Hollow’s boundary, freezing its movement for ten minutes before it resumed coalescing; later data showed the Hollow had collapsed inward by 80%.

After the Bringer incident, Belle asked Elysia what happened during the ten minutes when the Dead End Hollow paused. Elysia recalled confronting a purple entity that warned Griseo to reseal the Signet of True Self, then received permission to remain in New Eridu for twenty-four hours.

• Elysia admired Griseo's paintings and teased Belle, who brought cake and coffee to the studio.
• Belle told Elysia that Wise had gone with Miss Miyabi to the Great Rift, then asked what had happened during the ten-minute pause.
• During that pause, Elysia's arrow struck the [Mirage Moon], destroying Bringer and his Ethereal army and awakening an entity within the Lunar Hollow.
• The purple entity confronted Elysia for breaking their pact and asked Griseo to seal the Signet of True Self again.
• After Griseo promised to behave, the entity granted Elysia twenty-four hours to explore New Eridu, and Elysia announced her arrival to the city.

Elysia, Eden, Griseo, and Belle toured New Eridu and visited the 404 venue, where Eden prepared to sing a song for Elysia. The chapter ended as Eden headed onto the stage and Elysia eagerly encouraged her.

• Elysia asked Eden to show her around New Eridu while Griseo accompanied them using the Gold Signets.
• Belle showed Elysia and Eden the Angels of Delusion performance, and Griseo suggested Eden sing “The Story That You Are.”
• Belle brought the group to 404, where Ari said the Weather Forecast group was performing and agreed to lend them the stage.
• Elysia praised Maki, Nana, and Xiao Yin’s performance, then hugged the three girls.
• Ari prepared the stage, and Eden walked toward it as Elysia wished her luck.

Eden performed “The Story That You Are” for Elysia at 404, captivating the audience with her singing and piano. After Elysia joined her onstage and filled the auditorium with pink crystal flowers, the two vanished, leaving the crowd bewildered.

• Eden introduced herself and dedicated “The Story That You Are” to Elysia before performing it on piano.
• Belle asked Griseo about the song, and Griseo said a voice had given it to her in a dream while she slept.
• Elysia joined Eden onstage, embraced her, and praised her performance as the audience speculated about their relationship.
• Ari invited Eden and Elysia to become resident guest performers, but Eden declined, saying the people there should sing their own stories.
• Elysia ended the show with pink crystal flowers blooming through the auditorium, then she and Eden disappeared from the stage.

Belle and Griseo watched a memory of Eden taking Elysia on a flight through the stars in her whale form, while Eden and Elysia recalled how she had tried to cheer Elysia up. Belle asked to turn their story into a manga or videotape, and Griseo agreed after Belle promised to buy her anything she wanted.

• On the Port Elpis boardwalk, Elysia and Eden reminisced while Belle struggled to keep up with Griseo.
• Griseo used her Signet to paint a scene of Elysia and Eden beneath a starry sky at a base.
• Eden transformed into her Pseudohumanity Eruption whale form and carried Elysia through the stars to make her happy.
• After the vision ended, Eden explained her transformation to Belle and said she had wanted to cheer Elysia up.
• Belle asked Eden, Elysia, and Griseo to make their story into a manga or videotape, then promised to buy whatever Griseo wanted.

Belle took Elysia, Griseo, and Eden up a lighthouse, where Elysia nearly revealed details about her era while explaining Kevin and Honkai. The next morning, Belle brought the group to Morning Dew Floral Language, where Elysia and Eden began preparing to arrange flowers.

• Belle led Griseo, Elysia, and Eden up the lighthouse, where they admired the moonlit sea and saw Hollow Zero.
• Elysia tried to cheer Belle up, then described Kevin and Honkai before Eden helped explain the unfamiliar terms.
• Belle mistook Honkai and Ether as different names for the same dangers, while Eden let the misunderstanding stand.
• The next morning, Belle suggested visiting a flower shop, and she brought her friends to Morning Dew Floral Language.
• Lan welcomed the group and left Belle and her friends to browse while she went to organize the storage room.
• Elysia invited Eden to try flower arranging, and Eden began examining the flowers.

Elysia and Eden finished flower arrangements, then went shopping with Belle and Griseo at Lumina Square. The group planned to see a movie before Elysia's day off ended, while the chapter closed with a personal note about feeling unsuccessful and never becoming anyone's favorite or exception.

• Griseo explained that Elysia had asked her to call her “Little Sister Elysia,” surprising Belle.
• Elysia arranged flowers into a butterfly shape, and Eden made an elegant arrangement that Elysia described as a romantic letter.
• Lan praised Elysia and Eden's arrangements after they finished.
• Eden and Elysia tried on clothes at Lumina Square while Belle and Griseo rested outside with milk tea.
• Elysia and Eden returned in new outfits, and Belle suggested that the group go see a movie.
• The narrator reflected on feeling unsuccessful and never becoming anyone's favorite or exception.

After missing Eden’s performance, Sunna lamented that Griseo could not use her powers yet, while Aria arrived with supplies to help Griseo turn Eous into the pink Fairy Cloth Elysia wanted. The girls shut Eous down, dressed it up, and revealed its transformation, leaving Eous horrified.

• Sunna threw a tantrum after learning she had missed Eden’s performance at 404 because she had gone to hotpot with Nangong, Aria, and Cecilia.
• Nangong tried to calm Sunna, and the girls went to find Griseo, only to learn that Griseo could not use her powers while she recovered.
• Aria arrived with pink accessories and clothes, then found Griseo preparing to transform Eous into a Fairy Cloth for Elysia.
• Griseo turned off Eous, and Aria, Nangong, and Sunna joined her in dressing it up with a skirt, wig, ears, and hair accessories.
• The girls restarted Eous and showed it its reflection as a pink Fairy Cloth, prompting Eous to wail in horror.

Astra Yao visited the video store while escaping work and joined Griseo and the Angels of Delusion after finding them dressing Eous as a fairy. The group decided to take Eous to an event at Cape Hope, leaving Belle asleep and unaware of their plans.

• Sunna recognized Astra Yao by her footsteps as Astra arrived at the studio in disguise.
• Astra explained that she was skipping work to visit Port Elpis and Cape Hope, then turned off her vibrating phone when her escape was discovered.
• Astra found Griseo holding Eous in a pink wig and dress, took the Bangboo into her arms, and called it Fairy Cloth.
• Astra invited Griseo and Eous to join her escape plan, and Sunna, Aria, and Nangong volunteered to go too.
• Griseo agreed to join the group, while Eous protested being called Fairy Cloth and Belle slept through the commotion.

At Cape Hope, Astra Yao and her friends watched a Bangboo convention hold an Astra Yao imitation contest, with Eous entering as Fairy Cloth. Eous won first place, and Astra celebrated while Sunna was left baffled by the contest and her friends’ reactions.

• Astra Yao sent Eous to join the Bangboo circle after Aria activated her translation module.
• Judgeboo opened the monthly Astra Yao Imitation Contest, explaining that the Bangboo were competing for their absent owners.
• Mimicboo imitated Astra Yao imitating a Bangboo, Beautyboo failed to imitate her poster pose, and Styleboo copied the colors of her outfit.
• Eous performed as Fairy Elysia from the Land of Music and won the contest, with Mimicboo and Styleboo placing second and third.
• Astra Yao celebrated Eous’s victory while Sunna tried to find someone who shared her confusion, but Aria said she had been doing system maintenance.

Wise tried to buy a ticket to Astra Yao’s New Year’s concert, unaware that Belle and Griseo had already won three VIP tickets. He joined Griseo on a commission in a Hollow, where they discovered Astra was the client and found her performing there.

• Wise asked Fairy to buy him a concert ticket, and Fairy secured one despite trying to explain that he did not need to purchase a ticket.
• Belle showed Wise the three VIP tickets she and Griseo had collected after Griseo and Nangong won Astra Yao’s Impersonation Contest.
• Fairy refused to resell Wise’s ticket and found a commission to help make up for his loss, while Belle reminded him that Griseo needed to replenish her Ether Energy.
• Griseo entered a Hollow with Eous and drained Ether Energy before Wise guided them toward the client’s coordinates.
• Griseo and Wise heard singing from a warehouse and realized the singer was Astra Yao, who emerged after defeating an Ethereal.

Astra Yao joined Wise and Griseo in a Hollow to search for an authentic recording of Yulan DeWitt, whose music had inspired her to become a musician. They found a letter explaining why the recording had been left behind, but the album itself remained unfound.

• Astra Yao teased Wise and Griseo about their hidden abilities before explaining that she had come to the Hollow on a treasure hunt.
• Astra Yao told Wise and Griseo that hearing Yulan DeWitt perform as a child had inspired her, and that she was searching for the only authentic recording of that performance.
• Wise redirected Astra Yao when she asked Griseo about Eden, and the three continued through the Hollow together.
• Wise used data from the Paranormal Squad's Bangboo to guide the group to the break room, where Astra Yao found a letter from Chips Stuck in the Sofa.
• Astra Yao read that Chips Stuck in the Sofa had left Yulan's recording behind to escape a sound-sensitive Furina, which Yulan's singing could soothe.

Astra Yao recovered Yulan’s final recording and returned from the Hollow with Evelyn, while Wise was left stunned after imagining a kiss through Eous. The chapter ended with Astra Yao and Evelyn riding home as Astra celebrated her successful commission.

• Astra Yao’s record vanished briefly before Evelyn revealed she had taken it and led Astra back.
• Astra Yao thanked Griseo and invited her to the concert, while Wise imagined Astra kissing Eous and froze.
• Griseo noticed Wise’s silence, then used her Signets of Discipline to draw inspiration from Astra Yao and Evelyn.
• Belle found Wise motionless in the video store, murmuring about Astra’s kiss.
• In the car, Astra Yao told Evelyn she had found Yulan’s final recording and learned how Evelyn tracked her down.
• Astra Yao’s rating climbed to 7.8.

Griseo drew a story about Evelyn, a spy assigned to infiltrate Astra Yao’s life as her bodyguard and steal secrets, but Astra’s warmth began to unravel Evelyn’s loyalty to her mission. After destroying the listening device she planted, Evelyn promised Astra she would never leave her.

• Belle asked Griseo about her drawing, and Griseo showed her a story titled “TOPS's Number One Songstress and Her Personal Bodyguard.”
• Evelyn accepted a final assignment to pose as Astra Yao’s bodyguard and obtain evidence of Dihgo Entertainment’s money laundering for Fugue Group.
• Astra greeted Evelyn enthusiastically, gave her a plush rabbit, and led her through her bedroom, disarming Evelyn with her sincerity.
• Evelyn noticed vulnerabilities in Astra’s security but found herself unable to treat Astra as merely a target.
• After Astra fell asleep, Evelyn removed the listening device hidden in Astra’s hair accessory.
• When Astra woke and feared Evelyn would leave, Evelyn crushed the device and promised she would never leave her.

Evelyn’s assignment to protect Astra Yao turned into a growing romance as Astra’s warmth and affection broke through Evelyn’s defenses. The chapter ended with Belle reacting in shock to Griseo’s work.

• Astra Yao clung to Evelyn and asked her to choose a hair clip and plan a beach trip, while Evelyn struggled to hide her feelings.
• Evelyn received an encrypted email asking how the assignment was going, then deleted it and decided she wanted to fight for Astra alone.
• Astra Yao burned her finger while making Evelyn egg fried rice, and Evelyn cried as she ate it.
• Evelyn carried Astra Yao to bed after she hurt her ankle, then massaged it at Astra’s request.
• Astra Yao confessed that her heart beat only for Evelyn, and Evelyn kissed her as her resolve finally broke.
• Belle shut Griseo’s work and wondered how Griseo had made something so inappropriate for children.

Belle recognized that Griseo’s story resembled Astra Yao and Evelyn’s lives, then read its romantic tale of how Evelyn became Astra’s bodyguard and fell for her. The story ended with Astra pulling Evelyn onstage to sing with her, followed by an author’s note.

• Belle questioned Griseo about the story’s resemblance to Astra Yao and Evelyn, and Griseo claimed she had learned the details from Lyra’s intel.
• Belle took Griseo’s illustrated book home and read about Astra rubbing sunscreen onto Evelyn at the beach and asking why she had become a bodyguard.
• Evelyn recalled that a plate of egg fried rice had led her to become Astra’s bodyguard.
• At Astra’s concert, Evelyn fought Fugue agents backstage after receiving the organization’s signal to act against her.
• Astra dedicated her final song to Evelyn, pulled her onto the stage, and held her hand as they performed.

Wise and Belle argued with Fairy about Astra Yao’s online haters while Griseo met Cui Ji at a milk tea shop to give her a new comic sample for publication. The chapter ended with the author noting that Cui Ji’s story would be told later in a flashback.

• Wise read comments about Astra Yao and urged Fairy to counterattack the haters, but Belle made Fairy delete the accounts and comments instead.
• Wise and Belle joked with Fairy about taking over New Eridu and making Wise mayor, before Belle remembered she had something important to do.
• Belle went looking for Griseo and learned from Wise that Griseo had gone to Lumina Square to meet someone.
• At Licha Tea, Griseo gave Cui Ji a sample of her latest story and asked her to publish it after the New Year.
• Cui Ji reflected on how Griseo had saved her and entrusted her with publishing The Stars comic.

Griseo met Cui Ji and Coco at a milk tea shop, where Coco explained that she stayed at an exhausting job despite recovering from Ether Corruption. Cui Ji stopped Coco from voicing her criticism of New Eridu’s powerful capitalists, while Griseo wondered what capitalists were.

• Griseo worried that Cui Ji might still be suffering from Ether Corruption, but Cui Ji recoiled at the sight of Griseo’s Infinity Signet because Mobius’s experiments had frightened her.
• Coco brought Griseo and Cui Ji their drinks, and Griseo asked why she still looked exhausted after Mobius’s injection had eased her condition.
• Coco explained that her long shifts running the shop kept her overworked and that she had stayed because she once expected the job to provide easy money and free milk tea.
• Coco told a story comparing exploited workers to a crab and a fish, then criticized how New Eridu’s capitalists valued people who had suffered Ether Corruption.
• Cui Ji covered Coco’s mouth and warned Griseo not to listen, while Griseo asked what capitalists were and TOPS executives felt a sudden chill.

Wise, Belle, and Griseo went to Star Ring for Astra Yao’s New Year’s concert, where Evelyn revealed that she knew Wise and Griseo’s secret identities. Evelyn invited them into their VIP box to talk, leaving them unsure what she wanted.

• Wise, Belle, and Griseo dressed for the concert, and Wise closed the video store for the day.
• At Star Ring, Wise bonded with an enthusiastic Astra fan and took a group photo with Belle and Griseo.
• Belle urged Wise to stop chatting so they could find their VIP box.
• Outside box 109, Evelyn greeted the trio and identified Wise as Phaethon and Griseo as Princess Starlight.
• Evelyn stepped aside and invited them into the box to talk.

At Astra’s concert, Belle suspected Evelyn was hiding a secret and asked Griseo to probe her with her special ability. Astra’s sudden arrival interrupted Evelyn’s attempted explanation, leaving Belle and Griseo wondering what she had been about to reveal.

• Evelyn thanked Wise and the others for helping Astra and asked them to intervene if trouble arose during the concert.
• Belle privately told Griseo that Evelyn’s remarks resembled events from Griseo’s artbooks and asked her to probe Evelyn.
• Griseo approached Evelyn and told her to open her heart, prompting Belle to ask why trouble might arise at the concert.
• Evelyn began explaining the conflict between Fugue and Diga, but Astra rushed into the box before Evelyn could finish revealing how she knew.
• Astra asked Evelyn to cover for her while she went to see Mrs. Tivert, and Evelyn agreed before leaving the box.
• Belle asked Griseo whether Evelyn had been trying to reveal a secret, and Griseo agreed.