Bai You clasped her hands together in front of her, and with a thought, took out the fragment from her storage bag and presented it with both hands.
It was a white fragment the size of a fingernail, smooth and warm to the touch, which shone when held up to the light.
A very faint layer of patterns floats inside, like a frozen little moon, radiating a soft, gentle light.
Columbina reached out and took it.
The moment her fingertips touched the shard, her movements paused almost imperceptibly.
She lowered her eyes, turning the fragments over and over, gently stroking the crescent moon pattern. Her eyes, which had been filled with a gentle smile, gradually froze.
She didn't speak immediately, a hint of dazedness flashing across her light purple eyes.
"Where did you get this...?" she asked softly.
Bai You's heart skipped a beat.
She had initially planned to gloss over the matter, but now it's even harder to explain.
"I recognize its scent." Columbina held the fragment in her palm, gazing at the faint light with a distant look in her eyes.
The crescent moon hanging in the sky late at night is far away, yet it's always there.
She paused, a faint sadness, almost imperceptible to herself, rising in her eyes.
She stared at Columbina's absent-minded profile, then looked at the fragment, and suddenly understood why the system emphasized that this thing was "for Columbina's use."
Columbina snapped out of her reverie, looked up at her, her gaze gentle yet earnest, as if waiting for Bai You's answer.
"Well..." Bai You scratched her face, her eyes darting around.
"It's a secret. I can't tell you now, but when the time is right, I'll tell you everything, okay?"
Columbina looked at her quietly for two seconds, nodded slightly, and didn't ask any further questions.
"Okay, then I'll wait until the day you're willing to talk." She held the shards in her hand.
"Then I'll accept it, thank you. I'll do my best to help in the future if there's anything I can."
Columbina tilted her head and said happily.
"You're welcome. Also, please keep this a secret for me; don't tell Varesa or Odette. It's our secret."
"Okay."
"What are you two whispering about outside? Why are you doing this so quietly?"
Varesa came out and suspiciously glanced between the two.
Bai You immediately withdrew her hand, putting on an innocent expression. "I wasn't grumbling, we were just chatting casually."
"Really?" Varesa looked unconvinced but didn't say anything. She walked over and habitually pinched Voyanisa's cheek; it was so soft.
Odette draped the hand towel over, looked up at Columbina, and asked:
"Columbina, do you have time today?"
"Yes, is there anything I can do for you?" Columbina nodded gently and said.
"The performance is tomorrow, could you please provide some guidance beforehand?"
"Sure," Columbina said gently with a smile.
Before she could finish speaking, Varesa suddenly exclaimed "Ah!" as if she had just remembered something.
"What's wrong?" Odette looked at her.
" Tide Song Cavern, oh, I haven't renovated it yet. I've been busy these past few days and completely forgot about it."
"What about rehearsals?" Odette asked.
"Go ahead," Varesa waved her hand dismissively, speaking with an air of self-righteousness.
"With Columbina here, she can help you refine the dance part. I've practiced the singing countless times; a day or two won't make a difference."
"It'll be good for me to rest my voice, so I can sing even better tomorrow. And I can keep an eye on Little Bai You, so she won't be lonely."
She reached out and pulled Bai You closer to her, looking down at her with a gentle smile.
Varesa clapped her hands, turned to look at Bai You, and her eyes lit up.
" Little Bai You, I'll take you to the cave where we met before, and we'll tidy it up and decorate it a bit, okay?"
Before Bai You could answer, she continued talking to herself, getting more and more excited as she spoke:
"This will be our own little space from now on. We can decorate it however we want, but I'll need your advice."
Seeing her clingy attitude, Odette didn't bother to expose her, and simply turned to look at Columbina questioningly.
"Shall we go rehearse together?"
"Yes." Columbina nodded with a smile.
"Then it's settled!" Varesa immediately approved.
She was very decisive and left immediately. She turned around, went upstairs to change into a thicker coat, and then wrapped a light jacket around Bai You as well.
Varesa carefully tied the ribbon at Bai You's collar again, and then pulled her hat down to cover her pointed little fish-fin ears.
"It's still snowing a little outside, and it's windy. Stay close to me and don't wander off."
She squatted down, tidying up her things while muttering to herself.
"If you get cold on the way, just tell me, and I'll warm your hands."
"Okay, no need to go through all that trouble," Bai You said, complaining, but her heart was warmed.
Columbina and Odette escorted them to the theater entrance.
"If we're missing any materials during the renovation, make a list later and I'll have someone source them from the Snezhnaya Palace."
"Columbina said gently."
"That should be enough, thank you, Columbina."
"Let's go!" Varesa took Bai You's hand and waved her other hand at the two of them.
"Remember not to come home too late tonight!"
"And drive slowly and be careful," Odette reminded her.
But after saying that, Odette felt it was a bit redundant. Bai You was Harbinger now, so she shouldn't be in any trouble.
(Is nothing really going to happen?)
"Bye-bye, Odette! Columbina!" Bai You shouted loudly.
"Okay, and remember to rest during rehearsals too, don't overwork yourselves, "Varesa said to them.
Afterwards, Bai You and Varesa left the theater together to go out and buy materials.
At this moment, in a laboratory beneath the Snezhnaya Palace.
There are no windows here, the dome is extremely high, and the four walls are inlaid with cold blue crystal lamps.
Rows of glass cabins stood silently, each containing a uniquely shaped outline. Pipelines meandered along grooves in the floor, converging into the circular main control console in the center of the hall.
The air was filled with the cool smell of disinfectant and some kind of metal, and it was so quiet that you could hear the very low hum of the instruments running.
Dottore removed his mask, the metal mask gleaming faintly in the cold light.
He didn't look at the incubation chambers, but stood in front of the main control panel, staring at a waveform diagram floating in mid-air.
It was a continuously declining curve, its trend gentle and waning, with a number and name marked on one corner that only he could understand.
" The Damselette ", Columbina, power existence stability monitoring.
This was an experiment he had Columbina conduct, aimed at exploring how an existence that shouldn't exist in this world was "corrected," Erosion, and ultimately eliminated by the world itself.
But today, something unexpected has appeared on this curve that has always been gently declining.
For a period of time this morning, that constant, irreversible decline experienced a brief dip.
The error was small; anyone would have dismissed it as an instrument error and crossed it off.
Dottore stared at the small indentation for a long time.
"Interesting." He finally spoke, his voice echoing in the empty hall, revealing neither joy nor anger.
"The world's corrections are irreversible, and destiny cannot be changed; these are written into the rules. What could possibly make it take a small step backward?"
" The Descender?"
He raised his hand and lightly traced a line in the air with his fingertips.
As the waveform fades, countless records flow and converge like cold fireflies.
The final result was a list of people who had contact with Columbina, which was listed, checked, and crossed out one by one.
His fingertips finally rested on a name.
The new twelfth seat.
" Water Nymph ", Bai You.
The author's notebook arrived at the school ahead of schedule today, reducing the update speed by 50%. There might be another update tonight, maintaining the current four-update-a-day schedule. There are still 15 chapters owed for the bonus chapters given as gifts.
The book is now almost finished, and the author is begging for these gifts as a token of love. Thank you all for your support! つ♡⊂