Inside Yangyang's cottage.
Every inch of the small dining table had been claimed by the girl's cooking. There was no other way to put it: the young woman before the two Rovers was the complete package. Graceful in the parlor, lethal on the battlefield, at home in the kitchen and the study alike. Flawless.
Determined to treat them properly after such an exhausting day, Yangyang had pulled out all the stops, even adding two extra dishes to the spread. Even Abby, tucked away inside the Tacet Mark, was swallowing hard.
Her skill rivaled Panhua's, the restaurant owner herself. At her age, she could already make someone an excellent wife.
But...
Watching the pair across the table, Yangyang's chopstick hand had begun to tremble. She was breathing deep, deliberately, fighting for composure.
Then her gaze caught the bite mark on the other Rover's neck.
The girl's cheeks flared crimson. Composure was no longer an option.
"It... it looks like Rover already ate..."
She didn't need to elaborate. Both Rovers caught the implication instantly, and a flicker of awkwardness passed between them. Still... in their defense, they'd shown remarkable restraint.
Given the mood back there?
Taking things further would have been the most natural thing in the world.
He cleared his throat, swiftly served rice for himself, for her, and for Yangyang, then shoveled two quick bites. Under the table, his leg nudged his companion's, signaling: Your turn. Say something.
Opening his mouth first would only make it worse.
She read him perfectly. Without missing a beat, she spoke up.
"Ahem! I'm fine, don't worry, Yangyang... Besides, I'll pay him back for this eventually." She touched the mark on her neck, then shot him a look brimming with anticipation.
"P-pay him back?!"
Yangyang nearly dropped her bowl. Her eyes darted between the two of them, back and forth, unable to stop. A tangle of emotions she couldn't begin to name deepened the flush across her face, and for some reason...
She hadn't taken a single bite yet, but she already felt full.
His expression was equally complicated. My dear Rover, are you sure you're helping defuse the situation and not pouring gasoline on it?
She answered with a confident smile, radiating the certainty that pouring gasoline was exactly the right play here. Yangyang was a pure-hearted girl, after all.
"Yangyang, does it bother you that much? Do you want Rover to give you a bite t... mmph!!" Her mouth was stuffed shut.
"Ahaha, here, try this! I learned how to make Dragon Beard Candy from Miss Panhua, and there's Jinzhou stew and spiced chicken too!"
"That was... so fast."
He stared in amazement as Yangyang crammed food into his companion's mouth at a speed that bordered on superhuman. When pushed to the brink, people really could surpass their limits. His eyes hadn't even tracked the motion.
The silenced Rover could only chew.
He had to admit she'd been right, though.
Pure-hearted Yangyang embarrassed easily.
And then she'd change the subject herself.
As long as the two of them felt no shame, the only one left squirming would be her.
"Ahem! You both worked so hard catching all those Echoes today, but you should get some rest. Tomorrow's the day you're supposed to meet with the Magistrate, isn't it?"
And there it was. Topic changed, right on cue.
Though throughout the meal, the girl's gaze kept drifting, almost involuntarily, toward the mark on the other Rover's neck. At times she seemed lost in it entirely.
As if what rested against that pale skin wasn't a bite mark at all, but a strand of glittering diamonds. A piece of jewelry worth envying.
"The Magistrate... right, the appointment's coming up."
"True, but that's not until evening. We won't go out during the day. I'd rather stay in and construct a few more subspaces... we'll need them later. Oh, and Yangyang, could I borrow that?" He pointed toward something in the living room.
Yangyang followed his gesture.
A piano. One she hadn't touched in a while.
She'd come to Jinzhou of her own accord, enlisting with the Outriders, but Yangyang was still the second daughter of a musical family. Her everyday life was modest by choice, but when it came to music, things were different.
The piano wasn't the only instrument here. A guzheng, a pipa, a flute, a violin, even an erhu. She had them all.
With her perfect pitch and a Forte attuned to Sound itself, Yangyang possessed extraordinary musical talent. She'd studied broadly, but her family held a creed: one life, one instrument. Every member was free to learn as many as they wished, but each had to choose a single instrument as their life's devotion, to be honed and mastered without end.
Over time, the tradition's meaning had shifted. It became less about the instrument and more about the philosophy: one life, one purpose. Polish it to perfection, so that this life is not lived in vain.
And becoming the person who protects everyone.
That was the choice Yangyang had made.
"Of course, if you need it. But I didn't know you two played instruments! That's impressive."
She meant it. He nodded, then pinched the air between his thumb and forefinger, indicating he knew just a tiny little bit.
"But why the sudden interest in the piano?"
"Well... that's a secret for now. Can't tell you yet."
A mysterious smile crossed his face. There was still one "extra" person in the room, and if he said too much, the surprise would be ruined.
Not Yangyang, of course.
A certain glowing blue butterfly.
It was precautionary, really, preparing ahead of time. But he had a feeling the moment would come soon enough, and when it did... he wanted everything to be as close to perfect as he could make it.
His companion: "???"
Yangyang: "???"
Even his companion couldn't guess what he was thinking this time. She tilted her head, puzzled by that expectant grin.
Still, she knew him well enough. Everything he did had a reason. Sometimes her partner gave her the uncanny feeling that he could see the future itself.
...
The next morning.
Sunlight slipped through the window and fell across two Rovers tangled together, each using the other as a pillow.
The blue butterfly had waited beside them in silence, admiring their sleeping faces all night long. When they stirred, rising in perfect unison to rub their eyes, yawn, and stretch, she found the synchronized display endlessly charming.
Then he combed her hair for her.
And she tied back his dark locks in return.
But as she glanced at the mirror, she noticed the bite mark on her neck had vanished.
Of course it had.
A full night had passed. Between her frightening regeneration and the fact that he hadn't bitten hard to begin with, a mark that faint was never going to last.
Still, her fingers drifted to her neck.
A small, quiet thread of disappointment.
So...
"Want a fresh one?"
He wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, smiling into the mirror.
Color flooded her cheeks. She shoved him away.
"Hmph. Go brush your teeth first."
That wasn't a no...