"So, we knew each other before?"
"Of course... Do you remember a world with lots of mirrors? There was a huge maze made of mirrors there. You showed me the way and told me how to get out of it."
"Huh? Was I really that amazing? But... I hate mirrors most of all."
"Don't you have a little mirror in your hand?"
"This is a gift! It doesn't count as a mirror!" Zhu Si angrily hid her little mirror away. After a pause, she spoke again. "Since you'd already left, why did you come back?"
"Because you treated me to a feast before. I wanted to return the favor."
"A feast I treated you to?" Interest flickered across the Little Witch's face. "What was there?"
"Chicken heads, vegetables, and rice... the feast in that picture book you're holding."
"So the things in this picture book were food! No wonder it smelled so nice..."
"...You didn't know what was in this picture book?"
"It had been empty for a long time."
"Then why have you kept holding it?"
"I forgot... Maybe it was a habit."
The young publicly funded student and the Little Witch sat side by side on the ground, leaning against the trunk of an old oak tree.
Zheng Qing looked up at the patchwork night sky filtering through the gaps in the leaves. The Little Witch lowered her head, teasing a little rat in a Wizard Robe resting in her palm.
A large piece of burlap lay spread before them, patterned with purple-red checks. Yet beneath the dim night sky, its design looked blurred and heavy, like watchful eyes staring at them.
The burlap was covered with all sorts of things.
Sugar figurines and sugar cats from Shuang Tang Ji frolicked inside exquisite glass cases; the latest fruit