Sylvia pulled out her phone, dispelled the illusion, and opened the camera to snap a close-up of Huohuo, who was crouching defensively with her hands over her head.
The tail floating behind Huohuo had been baring its teeth at Sylvia just moments before. But once it realized Sylvia didn't seem hostile, it turned its scolding back toward Huohuo instead.
"Can't you show a little backbone? I sent you here to catch ghosts, not to surrender! All it took was one little scare from that girl, and you're already waving the white flag?"
"B-but… there… there really was a ghost…"
Huohuo looked on the verge of tears, which only made Sylvia's guilt flare up.
Oh no…
She really is this timid, huh?
"Open your damn eyes and look properly! What ghost? That white-haired girl was just messing with you!"
"Huh… r-really?"
Hearing Tail's words, Huohuo cautiously peeked over the top of her flag—only to see Sylvia pouring a cup of tea and offering it to her.
"Have some tea to calm down."
The delicate fragrance of the tea, carried by the rising steam, drifted into Huohuo's nose and eased her nerves just a little.
"Th… thank you."
Huohuo lowered the flag from above her head. Perhaps sensing Sylvia's kindness, and with Tail not warning her of any danger, she stayed crouched, accepting the cup with both hands and taking a small, careful sip.
Her tense expression visibly relaxed a fraction.
There she was, huddled beside the table leg, leaning against the wooden stool, holding the teacup in hands that still clutched that command flag.
"So fragrant…"
"Um…"
Sylvia blinked, watching the foxian girl who seemed perfectly content to stay crouched on the floor. For a moment, she felt she'd gained a deeper understanding of just how meek this personality could be.
Honestly, is a kid with a temperament like this really okay?… I can't help but worry.
"Haa…"
Seeing that Huohuo still hadn't reacted—just blissfully sipping her tea with half-lidded eyes—Sylvia leaned down slightly and raised her voice a touch.
"So, about—"
And that's when Sylvia got to see what a startled fox looks like.
"Eeek—! Tail, save me—!"
"Save you my ass! She's talking to you, don't drag me into this!"
Huohuo shot upright, only to be scolded by Tail. Then she noticed her own scream had drawn the attention of nearly everyone nearby.
Huohuo's face flushed bright red in an instant. She hurriedly sat back down, one hand steadying the teacup, the other tugging her hat down, as if trying to hide from reality itself.
"Awoo…"
"…"
Sylvia watched Huohuo's reaction, unsure whether she should speak up now or wait a moment longer.
Who would've thought that after all this time, she still hadn't managed to say a single proper sentence?
All because she'd had a sudden impulse and scared Huohuo.
Seeing the tea in the girl's cup nearly gone, Sylvia picked up the pot and immediately refilled it.
After three cups like this, Huohuo finally seemed to regain her composure.
She cautiously lifted her head to study Sylvia.
"U-um… hello, miss. My… my name is Huohuo."
"Hello, I'm Sylvia. Sorry about earlier."
Sylvia slid a small plate of pastries on the table toward Huohuo, indicating she could help herself.
"N-no, it's not your fault… I'm just too timid…"
Huohuo shook her head, then picked up a pastry and began nibbling on it.
"So, Huohuo, what did you want to talk to me about?"
Sylvia propped her chin in her hand, watching Huohuo's drooping ears.
Both were foxians, but Tingyun's tail always stood tall and proud. Huohuo hid her ears in her hair—at first glance, you might not even notice she was one.
"Well… I-I just wanted to ask if you've… seen anything strange lately…"
Huohuo seemed to be struggling with how to explain the situation.
Heliobi weren't widely known among ordinary people. Bringing it up directly might not be believed.
Plus, with so many people around, it wasn't a good idea to invoke the name of the Ten-Lords Commission.
But Tail couldn't hold back any longer. It had caught the scent of Heliobus on Sylvia from way back on the bridge.
This woman was practically marinated in Heliobus energy.
And after that illusion trick earlier, there was no way she was just some clueless ordinary person.
"Seriously, I've had it. That white-haired woman just scared you with an illusion, and you still think she's normal?"
"Mister Tail… maybe you shouldn't talk so much here."
Huohuo lowered her head to whisper at Tail. But when she looked up again, she saw Sylvia lift a finger and give it a light flick.
Suddenly, the surrounding chatter faded rapidly, growing faint and nearly imperceptible.
It was as if the distance between the two of them and the crowd had stretched out by hundreds—no, thousands—of meters.
Before Huohuo could process it, Tail surged out, transforming into a will-o'-the-wisp-like form that fixed an intense stare on Sylvia.
"Well, well. Interesting. That's a Heliobus's trick for manipulating energy. So what are you—Heliobus, or human?"
"Mister Tail, you… you came out…"
"If I didn't come out now, this woman would've eaten you alive!"
Tail stared straight at Sylvia. Just that little display of leaking energy had set off every alarm in its mind.
A Heliobus—and a massively powerful one at that.
This woman in front of them was anything but simple.
Huohuo picked up on the tone in Tail's voice and looked at Sylvia in surprise.
"Mister Tail… are you… are you sure you're not mistaken?"
Could this gentle, pretty older sister really be someone dangerous?
"You're the one who's mistaken! I'd have to be blind to get this wrong!"
Huohuo nervously glanced around and noticed that despite Tail's sudden appearance, nobody nearby seemed to see it.
No one was looking their way.
Only then did she realize the older sister before her had used some truly extraordinary method.
"This little Heliobus isn't wrong. But I'm not someone who's been possessed or taken over by one."
"Heh—"
Tail let out a cold laugh, saying nothing else, but there was a faint sense it was positioning itself to shield Huohuo.
As for Huohuo, she felt Sylvia probably wasn't a bad person, so she ventured to ask:
"Big sister… do you know about Heliobi?"
"Yes. I've borrowed texts about Heliobi from the Divination Commission and the Seat of Divine Foresight before—because I have a major Heliobus sealed inside me!"
As she spoke, Sylvia spread her hands like claws and made a playful face at Huohuo.
It made Huohuo cover her mouth with the command flag to stifle a giggle, but then she caught the key point in that sentence:
"Big… big sister also has… a Heliobus sealed inside her?"
Huohuo spoke while her gaze unconsciously drifted toward Tail.
In that instant, Huohuo suddenly felt a wave of closeness toward the older sister before her.
This was the first time she'd met someone else who also had a Heliobus sealed within them.
It gave Huohuo an instant sense of kinship—'she's like me.'
Even though she knew nothing about this older sister, for some reason, she felt she could trust her.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.