The White Dress and the Vines: An Uninvited Guest's "Curiosity"

Zhou Yu peered through the whitish seafood broth.

Encore Ke was talking to Chisa when Zhou Yu's attention was first drawn to the small bag with ram's horns sewn onto her waist.

Inside the canvas bag, an old-fashioned digital watch lit up briefly.

The prompt only lingered for a moment, but Zhou Yu still managed to make out the two words.

Two.

One was buried underground, and the other was Encore close to Anke as a keepsake.

His fingers tightened around the chopsticks, and just as he was about to call Aalto, the sound of an engine came from the direction of the dock.

The sound wasn't loud, but the people on the dock kept looking up. The Black Shores was usually only filled with the sounds of the tide and the low rumble of the navigation towers. The unfamiliar engine noise pierced through the fog, and Chisa had already gripped the hilt of her knife.

A small, unmarked white boat cleaved through the fog, heading towards the only pier on the Black Shores. There was no lantern at the Shorekeeper; the white silhouette against the mist seemed completely out of place here.

Aalto put down the communicator and headed towards the dock.

A woman stepped off the boat.

She wore a white dress and walked barefoot across the wet sand. The hem of her dress was lifted by the sea breeze, but few footprints were left on the beach. The vine-like patterns on her right arm climbed over her shoulder, down to below her collarbone, and at the end of the vine held a dark red bud that had not yet opened.

Aalto walked up to her, but the woman didn't even lift her eyelids, only glancing at Zhou Yu's table across the dock.

That gaze swept over the tables and chairs, its point so clear that Zhou Yu swallowed the words that were just about to come out.

Dania was taking small bites of the meat he had placed on her plate. Noticing someone watching her, she looked up, her mouth still full of food, and blinked in confusion.

Zhou Yu reached out and wiped the soup from the corner of her lips.

The movement was so smooth that I'd memorized where my hand should land.

He didn't get up, but simply looked up to meet the woman's gaze.

The woman in the white dress smiled.

As if she had finally found something worth examining, she bypassed Aalto and went straight to their table.

Chisa gripped the hilt of the sword tightly, and the bell on the scabbard rang softly.

"Don't be nervous." Zhou Yu put down her chopsticks. "The guest is here; we have to let her finish what she has to say."

Chun stopped in front of the table, first looking at the seafood soup, then at Zhou Yu.

"It seems I've arrived at an inopportune time, disturbing Supervisor Zhou's meal."

Her voice was hoarse, the last syllables were drawn out very lightly, and each word was pronounced excessively carefully.

"Hello." Zhou Yu looked up. "Who are you?"

"A... curious person."

She reached out and tapped the edge of the table. The vine-like patterns lit up, and tiny rays of light crawled along her skin.

"My name is Chun. I want to see what kind of person can make Changli personally write a pass."

After saying that, she moved a little closer to the table.

The cool aroma of the roots and stems spread across the table. Dania, holding her bowl, took a step closer to Zhou Yu because they were too close.

Zhou Yu leaned back in his chair, shielding Dania beside him.

"Now you see," he said, pushing the empty bowl aside. "How does it feel?"

Chun's gaze moved from his face to his hands, and finally settled on the old-fashioned digital watch.

She looked at it for a moment before replying, "More interesting than I expected."

His fingertips left the edge of the table and reached towards Dania's hair. The moment he touched that strand of pink hair, Dania shrank her shoulders.

"Such a beautiful child, raising him must be very demanding."

Zhou Yu picked up a napkin and wiped Dania's lips, then pulled her closer to her. Chun's hand froze in mid-air before she withdrew it.

"Fortunately, she's not a picky eater." Zhou Yu looked at Chun, "She's my child, outsiders shouldn't worry about her."

No one at the table responded.

Dania, holding the bowl, quietly hid half a step behind Zhou Yu.

Aalto then walked to the table.

"Is the matter in the Northern Territory settled?"

"It's all taken care of now." Chun turned around. "I just came back to check on things. The Black Shores has been quiet for so long; it's time for something new to happen."

This isn't a place for you to find new and interesting things.

"Aalto, you're still the same as ever." Chun looked at her. "Everything has to be written into the rules first."

Aalto did not respond; his gaze passed over her and landed on the white boat.

Where did the boat come from?

Chun raised her hand to straighten the hem of her skirt that had been ruffled by the wind.

"From the sea."

"I'm asking who gave them permission to pass."

You'd have to ask Black Shores.

Aalto looked away and did not ask any further questions.

Chun turned to look at Zhou Yu, her gaze lingering on him for a moment.

"Manager Zhou, the rules on this coast are simple: whoever pleases it gets to stay."

Her gaze fell on Zhou Yu's hand, which was resting on the back of Dania's chair.

"I hope your schedule stays on track."

Zhou Yu picked up the soup bowl, scooped out a spoonful, and let it cool to her lips.

Whether the scheduling chart works or not depends on who dares to cut in line at the last minute.

Chun raised an eyebrow.

"Where am I ranked?"

"Fill out the visitor registration form first." Zhou Yu took a sip of soup. "If no one registers, it will be treated as unauthorized overtime. The fee will be doubled."

Sigelica couldn't help but turn her head and chuckle.

Chun looked at Zhou Yu, her fingertips twirling the hem of her skirt. Probably no one took her threat as a list of expenses.

She didn't ask any further questions, and turned to walk towards the observation room. The white dress swept across the wet sand, leaving a mark that was quickly smoothed over by the tide.

After the cool, herbal scent dissipated, Sigelica placed her knife and fork on the table.

"Who exactly is this woman? She speaks in a strange, sarcastic tone and walks without making a sound. Is she trying to scare someone sick?"

Chisaki tapped the tablet a few times; the temporary file was now created.

Camellia, danger level: high.

Zhou Yu carried the soup bowl back to the table, filled Dania's bowl halfway, and added two scallops. Only after she had caught the bowl did he pick up his chopsticks again.

"Soup doesn't taste good when it gets cold."

Dania held the bowl and glanced towards the dock.

"Xiao Yu, who is she?"

"A passerby."

She touched my head.

"Yes, it was an unauthorized, temporary inspection." Zhou Yu placed a scallop in her bowl. "Next time something like this happens, come hide here with me."

Dania nodded and lowered her head to bite into the scallop.

Will she come back?

Zhou Yu used a spoon to stir the soup. The reflection on the back of the spoon shattered, and he looked in the direction Chun had left.

"Maybe."

Should I close the door?

"No need yet." Zhou Yu pressed her digital watch through the canvas bag. "If the customer likes to queue, let her go first."

The screen inside the canvas bag suddenly lit up.

Without any notification sound, a new line of text appeared in the darkness.

[Unknown memory carrier; contact target has changed.]

[Target: Tsubaki.]

Zhou Yu's spoon hit the bottom of the bowl, making a soft sound.

He looked towards the dock. The white boat had already left the shore, with only a blurry stern visible in the fog.

In the distance, Encore's small bag swayed, and a piece of purple coral inside gleamed faintly through the fabric.

Zhou Yu put down her spoon and reached for the schedule.

"Chisaki, add one last-minute task to my schedule."

Chisaki looked up. "What arrangements?"

"Visitor registration." Zhou Yu flipped through the schedule. "Give Chun another queue number."

He wrote Chun's name on the paper, paused for a moment, and then added two more characters after it.

Closely monitor.

After Dania finished eating the scallops, she reached out and tugged at his sleeve.

"Xiao Yu, you haven't finished your dinner yet."

Zhou Yu glanced at her empty bowl and closed the schedule.

"Yes, let's eat first."

He picked up the soup bowl, his gaze still fixed on the sea shrouded in mist.

Zhou Yu will be able to find out who Chun is after the next time she queues up.