Noticing Talulah's gaze, Jeanne shifted her attention to the clean, minimalist flyer. It had a remarkably refreshing design—perhaps a bit too understated to easily catch the eye of random passersby, but it clearly showed that the designer had poured genuine thought into the layout.
"Verdant Sparks? What kind of shop is this, a fireworks stand?" Jeanne tilted her head, turning over the slightly unfamiliar yet strangely familiar name with a puzzled expression.
She vaguely recalled hearing the name somewhere before, but without any extra context beyond a simple flyer, piecing it together proved surprisingly difficult.
Still, judging by the word "Sparks," she guessed it might be run by a merchant who had recently relocated from Lungmen, likely setting up a temporary stall to sell festival crackers ahead of the upcoming traditional New Year.
"It's not a fireworks shop. I believe it's a hair salon, though the flyer mentions it also functions as a bar and a flower shop. Seemed peculiar enough that I kept the copy."
Recalling the painfully shy Feline who had been handing out flyers to anyone walking down the street, Alina admitted she had accepted it mostly because she lacked the heart to reject someone so painfully nervous.
"Ah, I think I remember now! It's run by that pink-haired Feline with the floppy ears, right? She seemed rather timid. I didn't expect her to be among the very first Victorians to set up shop here once things settled down."
Jeanne pictured the soft-looking Feline whose fur always looked remarkably fluffy to the touch. She certainly hadn't expected the shop to be up and running so quickly while her attention was elsewhere.
"Your recollection is spot on; that's the exact Feline I ran into. An acquaintance of yours?" Alina nodded, surprised by the coincidence. Did Jeanne actually know the proprietor?
"Met her once. Apparently, she was encouraged to open up shop here by a Rhodes Island operator. I just didn't expect her to move so fast," Jeanne replied after a brief mental check.
"Is that so?" Talulah didn't harbor any particular interest in hair salons—her own locks were usually managed by singeing them with Originium Arts whenever they got out of hand, rendering barber shops entirely redundant.
Of course, that was only because her control over her Arts had grown substantially sharper over the past several months. Back in the day, she had lived in constant terror of accidentally scorching herself completely bald.
Consequently, she and her companions used to rely on mutual grooming sessions.
Even so, this milestone carried weight: it was the first proper storefront in the Victorian residential sector to officially announce its grand opening. For a recovering city like this, such commercial activity was definitely a positive sign.
As an administrator, she probably ought to drop by and show some official support... though what was the proper protocol here? Should she schedule a formal diplomatic visit?
"I'll leave this to you two. Since you both seem rather intrigued, why don't you take some people down there tomorrow and help christen the place?"
Noticing the tomorrow morning opening date printed on the flyer, Talulah promptly delegated the task to Jeanne, figuring it was a worthwhile gesture for the city's inaugural private business.
Hearing the suggestion, Jeanne agreed without a second thought, already mentally calculating how many people she could drag along to guarantee the timid Feline a lively and auspicious launch.
"So this is why you dragged me out here?" FrostNova glared daggers at Jeanne. The white-haired rabbit leader genuinely couldn't believe she had been roped into accompanying them to a hair salon.
"Let me state for the record: I have zero interest in this place. I don't care about haircuts, salons, or whatever else they're selling."
Despite her verbal protests, FrostNova had ultimately relented the moment she caught the eager, shining anticipation radiating from her own squad members, especially after being cornered by a joint invitation from Jeanne and Alina.
"Yay! We actually get a chance to take Big Sis out for a proper stroll!"
"Exactly! Big Sis always has that intimidating paperwork face on. It's nice to have someone around who can actually keep her in line!"
...
A cluster of young female members of the Yeti Squad were already quietly celebrating their unexpected day off. With Jeanne acting as their backup shield today, they felt bold enough to attempt several recreational outings they would never have dared propose on their own.
FrostNova cast a chilling, silent glare across the group. For a fleeting second, an uneasy flutter tickled the back of her mind—she wasn't about to walk into some sort of trap today, was she?
Though she typically maintained absolute confidence when stepping out, the concentrated wave of malicious mischief radiating from her subordinates made her briefly contemplate sprinting back to her quarters and throwing the deadbolt.
It wasn't a matter of superstitious Ursus folklore; it was simply the finely honed survival instinct FrostNova had cultivated over years of brutal combat. Her gut was screaming that something deeply unacceptable was going to happen today.
Instantly ramping her vigilance up to maximum capacity, her acute rabbit ears twitched constantly, sweeping the surrounding streets for any sudden movement or potential ambush.
Perhaps because she was focusing so intensely on her squadmates, she failed to notice a few members stealthily lagging a few paces behind, whispering conspiratorially among themselves with an air of profound suspicion.
Worse still, Jeanne was actively collaborating with them. If not for Jeanne's presence acting as a smokescreen, FrostNova's heightened senses would have busted their conspiracy instantly.
Alina could only offer a helpless, amused smile as she watched the plotting unfold, though a flicker of eager excitement gave away her own secret desire to join the prank and break FrostNova's legendary composure.
Whether it was Jeanne's return or simply the relaxed atmosphere of the city, the gentle Elafia was slowly catching a mild case of mischief. Not that she realized just how contagious Jeanne's brand of chaos actually was.
"Welcome to Verdant Sparks! Are you here for a drink, a haircut, or perhaps a fresh bouquet of flowers to brighten your day?"
As Jeanne and her entourage finally strolled up to the storefront bearing the painted sign Verdant Sparks, the pink-eared Feline proprietor came rushing out to greet them, her face lit up with radiant, unmistakable joy.
The interior of the establishment had undergone a dramatic transformation. Unlike the cramped, gloomy layout typical of traditional Ursus taverns, this place boasted a bright, open-concept design that let natural light flood the room.
Clusters of lush, vibrant flowers were arranged neatly around the seating area. It defied belief how the Feline had managed to acquire such delicate flora in a freezing wasteland like Ursus.
Jeanne vividly remembered that Chernobog's experimental greenhouses and hydroponic facilities weren't luxurious enough to waste energy on decorative blooms—and certainly not out of season.
Even the casual bystanders passing by cast bewildered glances at the blossoming window displays. The southern districts of Ursus weren't completely devoid of plant life, but opening a boutique shop like this during the dead of winter struck most locals as financial suicide.
Just how wealthy was this shop owner? Importing fresh flowers all the way from Lungmen through the northern supply routes had to cost a small fortune—they were practically burning money just to keep the doors open!
"A-Ah, you're the one who came by with Chief Nine the other day..."
Recognizing Jeanne, Susie blinked in surprise before hastily pulling herself together, offering a deeply respectful greeting and enthusiastically inviting the group inside her modest shop.
"My word... compared to the dreary old tavern that used to sit here, this place looks like it was gutted and entirely rebuilt from the ground up," Jeanne murmured in genuine wonder as she stepped onto the polished wooden floor.
Behind her, the Yeti Squad members immediately scattered, completely abandoning their stern tactical discipline. The sight of genuine flowers blooming in the middle of a frozen city proved entirely irresistible; a few crouched down immediately, gently examining the petals.
"It... it's only because a lot of kind people pitched in to help me open so quickly. Otherwise, there's no way I would have made it before the Lungmen New Year festivities," Susie stammered, her cheeks flushing a delicate shade of pink. She felt an overwhelming surge of gratitude toward everyone who had lent a hand—not just her travel companions, but the local residents as well.
"By the way, how on earth did you manage to source all these flowers?" Jeanne couldn't suppress her curiosity any longer, leaning in close to whisper the question.
"Well... Chief Nine helped me arrange it. Apparently, she managed to secure some durable regional seeds, and then used her own Originium Arts to rapidly accelerate their growth, telling me to treat it as a bit of extra startup capital."
As expected. Come to think of it, Nine was perhaps the only person around who could pull off an operation like that on short notice without breaking the budget. It showed she genuinely cared about the district's economic recovery.
"I didn't expect to run into you folks here! I was actually planning to send an invitation for you to stop by once things settled down."
At the sound of that familiar voice, Nine herself stepped out from the back storeroom. Dressed in her standard Guard Department uniform, she offered a warm, professional smile as she greeted the group.