Night had fallen.

After the three of them finished dinner, they packed up the items that would be taken to the Moon Lake Tribe the next day.

"Crack… click…"

Using his saber, Luciel carefully carved patterns into the surface of a wooden box, intending to make it a beautiful container for the Starlight tea leaves. A good product, after all, needed elegant and tall packaging before others would value it and consider it precious.

"I'll be at the Moon Lake Tribe tomorrow," Luciel said.

Mino rested his hands on the table, leaning forward with longing. "I wonder if Big Sis is at the Moon Lake Tribe…"

Luciel paused mid-carve, then spoke gently, "Your Big Sis may not have settled there."

"That seems likely…" Mino's pretty face clouded with a hint of disappointment.

"What does your Big Sis look like?" Luciel set down his saber, pulled a piece of white cloth, and pinned it onto the drawing board. He grabbed a piece of charcoal and whispered softly, "Describe her to me. I'll help you draw her so you can show it to the people at the Moon Lake Tribe."

"Can you really draw my Big Sis?" Mino asked in surprise.

"There should be some resemblance," Luciel replied calmly. He had experience—special forces sometimes relied on sketches to identify people, and the likeness didn't need to be perfect, just recognizable.

Curious, Liyue came closer. She wanted to see how someone could capture a person's appearance from a simple description.

"My Big Sis is very beautiful, but she doesn't like to laugh. She's a bit cold, like Rizuki in temperament," Mino said, pointing to his chin as he recalled his sister's features, focusing on comparing her with the white-haired girl he had been living with.

After a few days together, the rabbit-eared girl's fear of life had faded, and she could now speak to the white-haired girl normally.

"…!" Liyue's eyes twitched at Mino's words, a shiver of cold rising within her.

"The focus is on her appearance—eyes, nose, face shape," Luciel said, unsure how to continue. How do you even describe beauty in words?

"Oh… let me think." Mino twitched his rabbit ears, thought for a moment, and said, "Long black hair, a pair of cat-like ears, a face prettier than mine, and red pupils…"

"Shusha…"

As Mino described her piece by piece, Luciel mentally pieced together the image.

After about half an hour, a cold, black-haired girl with cat ears appeared on the canvas.

"Does she look like your Big Sis?" Luciel flipped the drawing board. "If anything is off, point it out, and I'll fix it."

"Hmm! She looks a bit like her!" Mino's blue eyes sparkled. He compared the portrait to his memory of Big Sis and suggested tweaks. "The nose should be higher, the eyebrows shorter, and the corners of the mouth a little lower."

"Got it." Luciel revised the portrait. A few minutes later, the drawing had been adjusted.

Luciel frowned slightly as he looked at the updated portrait.

"How is it? Show me!" Mino urged eagerly.

"Here." Luciel handed over the board.

"Wow! This is what my Big Sis looks like!" Mino shouted, gripping the drawing with excitement.

"She seems to be about your age now," Liyue remarked after studying the portrait. She was impressed—Luciel really could translate verbal descriptions into lifelike images.

"The first version looked more like how your Big Sis would have grown up," the white-haired girl added.

"Huh? Really?" Mino was stunned, staring intently at the drawing. It matched his memory of his sister from four years ago.

"That's okay—the appearance from four years ago is more accurate," Luciel said, dusting off the charcoal from his hands.

"I want to keep this painting!" Mino exclaimed, happily clutching the artwork and running to his room.

"Don't forget to bring it tomorrow," Luciel called after him. "You'll need it to find someone."

"I remember!" came Mino's crisp reply from inside the room.

Liyue glanced at the rabbit-eared girl's door, then moved to Luciel's side. In a lowered voice, she asked, "Do you really think you can find Mino's Big Sis?"

Luciel let out a soft sigh.

Hearing it, Liyue realized that finding Mino's sister was unlikely. Frowning, she pressed further. "If that's the case, shouldn't you tell her the truth? Let her know now, so she can let go."

After all, it would have been impossible for Mino's Big Sis to survive alone in the wild for four years.

"Mino is smart. She understands what she's doing," Luciel said gently, carving at the saber again.

Could Mino not know the odds were slim? No—she knew perfectly well. But without hope, she wouldn't even try. Searching for Big Sis had become a gentle bond between Luciel and Mino—a small, precious fantasy Luciel was intentionally preserving.

"I see…" Liyue understood at last, but her heart twisted with a confusing mix of emotions. She bit her lip, lowered her head, and gripped the hem of her dress tightly. She felt something unfamiliar—jealousy.

Was she jealous of Luciel's kindness toward Mino? Or was it because of their closeness? She didn't even know herself—it could be both.

Her mind grew restless and uncomfortable. The atmosphere turned silent.

"What's wrong?" Luciel noticed the change and looked up in surprise.

"N-nothing… I'll go back to my room," Liyue stammered, panic on her face. She hurried away, her skirt swishing as she ran inside.

Pounce!

The white-haired girl collapsed onto the bed, her small hands covering her sulking heart.

"What… is this feeling? So annoying…"

Her thoughts were messy and unsettling. After days of living together, she had slowly become part of the small life shared by Luciel and Mino. Without realizing it, a gap had opened in her heart. Liyue didn't yet understand it, but for the first time, she felt jealousy.

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