She'd only just fallen asleep when a knock came at the door.
"Miss Rosaria, are you home?"
Rosaria frowned, pulled from her dream. She opened her eyes, glancing toward the door.
That gentle male voice—she knew it well.
So he'd come looking this quickly.
Rosaria sat up, gathered the cat in her arms, rubbed her cheek against its soft fur one last time, reluctant, then walked over and opened the door.
Standing outside were Diona and Xia Zhi.
Rosaria lifted the white cat in her arms. "You've come for the cat, haven't you?"
Diona's eyes lit up. "Little White!" (Changed name to Little White)
Xia Zhi chuckled. "Little White suddenly vanished again, so I thought maybe it ran back here to you, Miss Rosaria. And sure enough…"
Rosaria handed the cat back to Diona, her tone cool. "Even if you hadn't come, I was going to bring it back myself."
Diona secretly curled her lip. She didn't buy that at all—Mona's divination had clearly shown Rosaria sleeping with Little White in her arms. Nothing about that suggested she planned to return it voluntarily.
"Miss Rosaria must've taken such good care of Little White before, that's why it's so attached to you—slipped away just to find you again."
"Maybe."
"Sorry for disturbing your rest."
"It's fine."
"Then we'll be going."
"Mhm."
Diona hugged the cat and left with Xia Zhi.
Rosaria watched their backs recede, faintly catching snatches of their conversation.
"Boss, are we taking Little White with us to Inazuma?"
"What's wrong?"
"I've heard some cats can't handle sailing, they get seasick. If Little White does too…"
"The Hovercar should be fine. If not, we'll just keep him in the Serenitea Pot."
"Meow."
Rosaria quietly shut the door again and went back to bed.
Only, without the cat in her arms, the emptiness felt sharper.
--
Liyue.
At Yuehai Pavilion on Yujing Terrace, Ningguang was working through documents in her office.
Huixin walked in carrying a stack of papers. "Lady Ningguang, these need your approval."
Ningguang nodded. "Leave them here."
Huixin stepped closer.
Ningguang looked up and caught sight of the dark circles under her eyes. "Huixin, you don't look well. You need to rest."
Huixin sighed. "I can't help it. The pressure of being the Secretariat's chief secretary is too much."
"Isn't that what the Secretariat is for, to help you handle it?"
"They do, but I can't relax. I keep worrying something will slip through, so I double-check everything."
"You're… certainly diligent…"
"I just wish Senior Ganyu would come back soon. She said she was going to see her master at Jueyun Karst, but it's been almost a month now. She should be returning any day, right?"
Hope shone in Huixin's eyes.
Ningguang's expression turned a bit strange.
She hesitated. "Huixin… Ganyu might not be coming back anytime soon."
"Huh?"
"There's something I haven't told you. I spoke with her yesterday."
"And?"
"She asked for leave. She'll be going to Inazuma as well. So this chief secretary's position still falls on you."
"!!!"
"So you must take care of yourself, Huixin. Don't push too hard."
The light in Huixin's eyes went out.
--
Cloud Retainer held her phone, video chatting with Fujin.
Shenhe approached quietly. "Master."
Cloud Retainer looked up. "What is it?"
Shenhe's face was calm. "I have something for you."
"What is it?"
"This."
She handed over a small vial.
Cloud Retainer accepted it curiously and opened it. "Pills?"
"Not ordinary pills."
"What's their Effect?"
"You'll know after taking one."
"You can't just tell me?"
"No. But I'd never harm you."
"That's true…"
Though the vial felt mysterious, Shenhe was right—given their bond, Shenhe would never give her something harmful.
"Best to take it at night before bed, Master."
"All right."
"One pill at a time is enough."
"Understood."
Shenhe nodded and left.
Cloud Retainer picked her phone back up, resuming her call with Fujin.
"I think I heard someone call you Master just now?" Fujin asked curiously. "Was that Ganyu?"
"No, that was Shenhe."
"Shenhe?"
"A disciple I took in over a decade ago."
"Oh. From the way you two talked, you seem very close."
"Well…"
--
Dragon Potions.
Eula was doing another part-time shift today.
Amber, on her day off, came by to keep her company for a bit.
Noelle wasn't there—she was out working with a construction crew, repairing buildings damaged during the dragon disaster.
Just sitting around watching Eula sell potions got boring quickly, so Amber went looking for the other Magical Girls to hang out.
She ran into Fischl and Qiqi, who were about to head out on a bounty.
Amber's eyes lit up. "Which bounty are you taking?"
Fischl thought for a moment. "Let's check with the Adventurers' Guild first, then decide."
Amber's gaze burned. "I'll come too!"
"You're not resting today?"
"I'm not tired. It's rare to get to go out with you all. Way better than sitting around tonight."
"Then let's go."
"This'll count as our first group activity as Magical Girls, right?"
"Noelle's not here though."
"We'll count it anyway."
Seeing her best friend about to run off again, Collei couldn't help following. "Where are you going? Can I come too?"
Amber smiled and nodded. "Of course. Don't worry, I'll keep you safe."
The four girls arrived at the Adventurers' Guild and stood before the commission board, debating for a while before finally choosing: [Clear out the Hilichurl tribe in Dadaupa Gorge].
Katheryne studied Fischl's Adventure License, hesitated. "Are you sure you want this one?"
"Yes."
"…Then, good luck."
Not long after they left, Bennett came to the Guild, as always searching for recruits and suitable commissions.
He was shocked to hear that another member of his Adventure Team had already taken a major bounty. He immediately rushed out of the city.
Meanwhile, the four girls had already reached the outskirts.
Under Collei's wide-eyed stare, the other three used their transformation devices, completing their Magical Girl transformations.
"You're… what…?" Collei stammered.
Amber sprouted a pair of windborne wings, grabbed Collei by the arms, and laughed. "We'll explain on the way."
Collei's screams echoed through the sky. "Waaaahhh—!"
When they finally landed, Collei's legs wobbled. She steadied herself and stammered, "So… you're all Magical Girls now?"
Amber grinned. "Yep. Cool, right?"
Collei looked past her, voice trembling. "Cool, but… a lot of Hilichurls are coming this way…"
A wild grin curled across Fischl's face. "It's fine. They're nothing but adventure points."
Qiqi silently formed a sword seal with her fingers.
And then Collei witnessed a sight she'd never forget.
The savage monsters that once hunted and tormented her and her friends now fell like fragile weeds before a storm, cut down in droves.
She stood frozen, eyes wide, whispering to herself, "So this is… the power of a Magical Girl?"
It felt far beyond what a Vision could offer.
When the battle ended, Fischl lowered her hand from her eyepatch, standing before Collei.
"Yes. This is the power of a Magical Girl."
Her voice carried an almost bewitching allure as she asked:
"Now… do you crave this power?"