Zuko Had Few Friends, but...

Kahn looked toward the voice. Azula was strolling over at a leisurely pace. Unlike before, she was not alone this time. Beside her were two little girls about their age. One looked quiet, the other lively, but both were very cute.

Were these two Azula's friends?

"I wasn't crying!"

At Azula's words, Zuko raised his voice in protest and hurriedly wiped his eyes with his hand.

Iroh, however, gave him no quarter and burst out laughing.

"Hahaha, you're a child! So what if you cried? What's the harm?"

Zuko's expression froze, and he cried out indignantly, "I'm not a child!"

"But only children deny it like that."

"I! Uncle Iroh!"

Iroh had Zuko running in circles with his teasing. Seeing this, Azula laughed mercilessly too, while Kahn looked away, unable to bear watching.

I never knew you were so good at selling out your teammates, Iroh.

Finally realizing he was being teased, Zuko sulkily ignored Iroh, then said to Azula unhappily:

"What are you doing here?"

Azula spread her hands.

"Could you stop talking to me in that repulsive tone every single time, Zuzu? I haven't even done anything yet."

"Besides, it wasn't my idea to come over this time. Someone just hasn't seen you in so long that she was very concerned..."

As she spoke, Azula suddenly pushed the quiet little girl out from beside her.

Caught off guard, the little girl was pushed forward and took several involuntary steps. Just as she stumbled and was about to fall, Zuko hurried forward a few steps and caught her in his outstretched arms.

"Isn't that right, Mai?"

Watching this, Azula folded her arms with keen interest.

Zuko looked at the girl named Mai in his arms and asked with concern, "Are you all right?"

Mai shook her head gently. "I'm fine."

But as she looked at Zuko's face so close to hers, a blush crept across Mai's cheeks. When Zuko realized what was happening, he blushed a little too.

"Whew~!"

Azula's wolf whistle startled them both out of it, and they quickly separated. Both lowered their heads and looked away, a little embarrassed.

The other girl watched Mai and Zuko with a stifled giggle, while Azula let out a teasing exclamation. "Wow~"

Only then did Mai remember the culprit behind all this, and she cried out at her in embarrassed annoyance, "Azula!"

"Hmm?"

Azula spread her hands and looked at her with an innocent expression.

Kahn watched from the side, dumbfounded. Unless he had misunderstood, there seemed to be something going on between Zuko and that girl named Mai.

But they were only nine or ten! Were they really this precocious?!

Kahn exchanged a glance with Iroh and found surprise on both their faces.

"Zuko and that girl seem to..."

"Ha, I never knew the boy had it in him. I underestimated him."

"And he had the nerve to say he didn't have any friends. I can't believe I fell for that."

Kahn paused at his own words. Come to think of it, did a girlfriend count as a friend?

Iroh cupped his chin.

"I'm rather curious when they met. I've visited so many times, yet I've never seen this little girl..."

"Interesting."

Kahn indicated that he was a little curious too.

I'd have to give the boy a good questioning later.

The two exchanged a smile, identical gossip-hungry grins appearing on their faces.

Just then, Azula walked over to Kahn. Standing in front of him, she pointed at the two girls behind her as though showing them off.

"Meet my friends, Mai and Ty Lee."

The quiet one was Mai, which made the lively one Ty Lee.

Hearing herself introduced, Ty Lee waved at Kahn and gave him a bright, innocent smile.

"Hello, my name's Ty Lee."

Now that was the kind of smile a normal little girl should have. Azula, take a lesson from her!

Mai had returned to Azula's side by then too. She nodded gently to Kahn. "My name's Mai."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Kahn, Zuko's friend."

After introducing himself, Kahn saw Azula suddenly glaring fiercely at him. Only then did he realize and add, "And Azula's friend too."

Ty Lee asked curiously:

"When did you meet? I don't think I've seen you before."

Before Kahn could answer, Azula frowned and said, "Don't be nosy!"

"Ah! Sorry!"

Ty Lee immediately shrank back like a frightened little rabbit.

Hearing the exchange between Azula and Ty Lee, Kahn had a huge question mark hanging over his head.

You call this friendship?

Azula paid it no mind, however, and invited Kahn, "Well? Come play with us."

Both Ty Lee and Mai glanced over at that. For some reason, Azula seemed unusually nice to this person.

Upon hearing Azula's invitation to Kahn, Zuko immediately stepped in front of him warily.

"Kahn isn't going to play with you! Playing with me and Uncle Iroh is enough for him!"

"Uncle Iroh, so you're here!"

Only then did Azula turn to Iroh with a look of "surprise," as though she had only just noticed him. Then she continued:

"Don't you think people have more fun playing with others their own age? If someone who doesn't fit in joins them, everyone will feel a little constrained."

Put more bluntly, she wanted him to get lost.

"That makes perfect sense. Indeed!"

Iroh did not mind Azula's sarcasm at all. Instead, he voiced his agreement.

He patted Zuko on the shoulder and smiled.

"In that case, you children have fun. I'll go take care of something else and come back for Kahn later."

"Wait!"

Zuko hurriedly said, "I don't want to play with them!"

"Are you sure? She came especially to see you because she was worried about you."

Iroh asked teasingly.

"I..."

At this, Zuko stole a guilty glance at Mai, not knowing what to say. Then he gestured toward Kahn and said:

"But Kahn doesn't want to play with them either, right?"

"Me?"

Feeling Azula's gaze from the side, which seemed like a signal but even more like a threat, Kahn shrugged indifferently.

"Isn't having more people nice too?"

Satisfied, Azula withdrew her gaze.

"All right, then."

Since Kahn had said so too, Zuko could only accept reality with an air of helplessness. At the same time, however, he sneaked another glance at Mai, only to find that she was stealing a look at him too. Their eyes met, then instantly darted apart, both their faces a little flushed.

Watching this, Kahn could only marvel.

Were they acting out a romance drama? A period fantasy romance, at that. Incredible!

Before leaving, Iroh made a point of asking Kahn to find out exactly what was going on between Zuko and the little girl named Mai. Kahn solemnly agreed.

I would uphold the gossip-seeker's mission!