"Be careful out there. The UK is one of Europe's main hubs—cultivators here are quite strong. If they happen to see you, they might take action," Xu Zhiqing reminded softly as she passed by Chu Lian and the others.
"We understand. These little ones don't have any real power anyway, so it's fine if they're seen." Chu Lian nodded. She didn't tell Xu Zhiqing her true reason for letting Chu Chu and the others keep their pets out in the open, but she wasn't about to reject the woman's kind advice either.
"Avoid dark, deserted places. The cultivation world isn't the only power here—the darker side of it exists too," Xu Zhiqing added before quickening her pace to walk alongside Ning Zhiyuan ahead. The two chatted easily, laughing together like they were already close.
"So even the charm of a handsome face is irresistible, huh? Look at our teacher—how long has it been, and she already looks like she's fallen in love. I've never seen her make that kind of shy face before," Chu Lian said with a faintly amused expression, half teasing, half reminiscent.
"But no matter how handsome she is, it doesn't work on us. She's still a girl, after all," Li Xiu'er whispered as she hugged Poro and moved closer.
"Yeah, a girl," Chu Lian murmured, reminded suddenly of her own current identity. That's right—she was a girl now too.
"What Xiu'er means is, the first reason we wouldn't fall for her is because we don't feel that way, the second is that she's a girl too, and the third is that good looks don't necessarily mean attraction. Don't overthink it," Liu Yanran said lightly. When it came to emotions, she was delicate and perceptive—a true orchid-hearted girl—and she quickly sensed Chu Lian's mood.
"Ah, I see. I was overthinking it." Chu Lian shook her head, tossing away those stray thoughts. After all they had been through together, how could their bond be any lesser than love? Staying as they were was good enough. Whatever happened later would be up to the future.
Still, she couldn't help recalling moments from their journey—those tender, fleeting feelings weren't something easily forgotten.
Let things flow naturally, she thought. She already had them by her side. As long as they stayed together, they would keep moving forward.
"By the way, Lux, aren't you planning to visit your home?" Chu Lian turned to ask Lux Lyle, who came from a British noble family, curious whether she had any intention of returning.
"No need. Father doesn't want me coming back to bother him anyway. Besides, there's nothing for me to do there. I'd rather stay with you all." The blonde girl shook her head. Her feelings toward that family had long since faded. If not for the weight of responsibility she'd been burdened with since birth, she might have left the family long ago.
With no affection left, what reason was there to return? Her home was here now—with this group of girls. As long as they remained, so would she.
"I see. That's fine then. You'll have plenty of chances to return later—you can decide when the time comes," Chu Lian said knowingly. She could tell the golden-haired girl had her own thoughts and reasons, so she didn't press further.
Seeing how understanding Chu Lian was, Lux Lyle let out a small sigh of relief. The hand hanging at her side was suddenly clasped by Ruriko Nana's. The girl's soft voice whispered by her ear, "Lux, from now on, home will be wherever your heart belongs. We'll always, always, always be together."
As the two girls spoke quietly, Luna, perched on Nana's shoulder, lifted her head to look at Kero, who was flying beside Lux's head. She extended her paw, trying to catch him.
But Kero quickly fluttered back, dodging Luna's swipe—almost making her fall off. Luna's orange eyes narrowed slightly; she was clearly annoyed. Standing up, she leapt from Nana's shoulder and pounced, knocking the startled Kero down.
The two little pets rolled across the ground, tumbling and play-fighting as if neither wanted to admit defeat.
Their antics made both Ruriko Nana and Lux Lyle giggle softly. Seeing that the other girls had already walked a little ahead, the two finally crouched down and each picked up one of the dusty little troublemakers by the scruff of the neck.
After brushing the dust off the two little pets, the girls clasped hands and hurried to catch up with the group. The sight of them together looked almost like two runaway girls chasing after happiness.
"You two better hurry up, or you'll lose the main group!" Chu Lian called back over her shoulder when she noticed they had fallen behind.
"Ah, got it!" Ruriko Nana replied quickly, exchanging a smile with Lux Lyle. They both seemed to be enjoying this little moment together.
"Honestly, how did Luna and Kero end up fighting?" Chu Lian shook her head in mild exasperation. Although she hadn't seen it happen directly, she had been keeping her spiritual awareness spread over a hundred-meter radius, vigilant against any surprises. So she had clearly seen the two small creatures—one yellow and one black—playing and tumbling around. It was cheerful and harmless, but still... that wasn't how the story was supposed to go. Could it be that those two were about to start... a cross-species romance?
The thought made Chu Lian laugh at her own imagination. Why did her mind suddenly go there? Still, those two were much easier to handle and better behaved than her Tina ever was.
Her gaze then shifted toward Kurosaki Satsuki, who was standing near the edge holding Tybaulk. The white-haired girl's expression was blank as usual, but her hands were gentler than ever, as if afraid of hurting the little bear in her arms. Even when Tybaulk squirmed restlessly and scratched at her arm with its tiny claws, she didn't loosen her grip.
Was it just her imagination, or did Chu Lian see a faint smile flash across Satsuki's lips for an instant?
Either way, if it truly made her happy, then Chu Lian had done a good thing, hadn't she?
"Big Sis, why is Kyubey so quiet?" Chu Chu asked as she bounced along holding Pikachu. She'd noticed how unusually still the Kyubey in Anna's arms was and couldn't help asking.
"Oh, that's because Kyubey's supposed to be like that—cute and calm. It's normal for it not to move around much. Would you rather have a pet that runs off all the time? I'd hate to have to chase after it every day—that'd be way too much trouble." Chu Lian frowned slightly, then came up with a perfectly reasonable-sounding explanation after a moment's thought.
Of course, she wouldn't tell them the real reason—that was exactly why she had chosen to exchange Kyubey and give it to Anna. Perhaps it could influence others, but in front of Anna, it was utterly powerless—completely at her mercy.
"Right, Anna? Isn't Kyubey adorable?" Chu Lian added, pulling Anna into the conversation to strengthen her case.
Even though she didn't particularly like the girls who constantly clung to her mommy, Anna was an obedient child. Since her mother had asked her a question, she would always answer seriously. "Yes, Kyubey is very cute and quiet because it likes to stay still. That's why it doesn't run around."
Kyubey's little body twitched at her words, shrinking slightly into her arms. It could feel the dark aura radiating from the girl holding it—an evil so pure it could stain the world black. Ordinary malice didn't scare it, but Anna's did. Her hostility seeped into the soul itself.
For a being whose existence depended entirely on a flicker of consciousness, this kind of malice was its natural predator. Perhaps a real Kyubey had no emotions and only acted out of its own logic. But this version—the one Chu Lian had summoned—was different. It was alive, truly alive, and with that came fear.
All living things have something they fear, and for Kyubey, that fear was death. Right now, it was terrified—terrified that this little girl might, on a whim, use it as a stress toy. If that happened, it was doomed to a truly miserable existence.
"Well, being that quiet isn't great either. Animals should move around a bit—unless they're like the fluffy ball in Yanran's arms," Chu Chu said after hearing Anna's answer. She stopped questioning it, instead rubbing her cheek against Pikachu's, making it chirp happily—pika pika!
"It's actually really cute. Even though it's just a ball, it's soft and comfy to hold—and not heavy at all." Liu Yanran smiled as she talked about her pet, Kedama. Though it never made a sound, whenever she was in a bad mood, it would wriggle gently in her arms to cheer her up.
It was clumsy, but its affection was genuine—and very endearing.
"Hey, Yanran, mine's kind of a ball too—just one with arms and legs," Li Xiu'er said with a laugh as she held Poro up next to Kedama for comparison.
"They're both balls, but yours definitely runs faster than mine," Liu Yanran replied with a giggle, and the two began chatting happily about their pets.
"Inori, would you like one too?" Seeing how happy the others were made Chu Lian relax. It was good—they all seemed to really love them. She then turned to Inori, who hadn't said anything yet.
"No need. Fyu-Neru is enough for me," Inori shook her head. To her, robot pets and living ones were no different. And besides, Fyu-Neru was the pet she'd always cherished—she didn't need another.
"I'll get you an even better one later," Chu Lian said, understanding her thoughts. She gave Inori's hand a gentle squeeze and leaned close to whisper softly in her ear.
"Even better? But isn't Fyu-Neru just a normal robot?" Inori looked at her curiously. Compared to Chu Lian, her understanding of Fyu-Neru was still limited to what it had been in the Guilty Crown world—so her confusion was natural.
"You'll find out in time," Chu Lian replied with a small smile, scratching Tina's chin in her arms. When the little creature pushed her hand away with its paw, she chuckled and continued walking.
"Then I'll look forward to it," Inori said, not pressing the matter. That was just her nature—after getting to know Chu Lian, she understood that if Chu Lian didn't want to say something, no amount of questions would make her. And even if she did explain, it might only make things heavier. So it was better to stop where things felt right.
After walking for a while longer and turning a corner, the familiar, grand design of the Qingping Grand Hotel came into view before them. Seeing it, the girls stretched lazily, their faces relaxing. Finally, a chance to rest properly.
"Alright, everyone, stay together. I already told the staff to prepare some food, so if you're hungry, don't dawdle!" Ning Zhiyuan, who had been walking closely beside Xu Zhiqing the whole time, finally remembered her duties. A bit flustered, she clapped her hands to get the students' attention and pointed toward the hotel behind her.
"What a bad influence," Chu Lian muttered under her breath, glancing sideways at Xu Zhiqing's refined figure before following the others toward the hotel. Still... she couldn't help feeling a little excited.