Ding-a-ling—
The sound of a doorbell rang in her ears.
Yiruo stepped into the lobby. Everything around her was pitch black.
She squinted instinctively, and her pupils slightly contracted. The racial talent of the Third Race allowed her to see clearly in the dark.
The outlines of the lobby gradually sharpened in her vision. On the left were several small wooden tables covered with checkered tablecloths, along with matching sofas. On the right was a bar counter, behind which were lined many bottles and jars she couldn’t name, as well as a row of polished coffee tools.
The floor was dark hardwood, creaking faintly under her steps.
Yiruo was about to say something—
Snap.
The lights suddenly came on.
The first thing that entered her sight was a smiling face. That bright smile, as radiant as sunlight, stung her eyes, and she instinctively closed her eyes and took half a step back. When the young girl’s eyes readjusted to the light and opened again—
“Welcome~!”
The witch’s voice trailed off. “So? Pretty cool, right? This is a product of human technology~!”
Yiruo twitched the corner of her mouth and stared expressionlessly at Yilena. Her contracted pupils slowly returned to normal. Feeling a hint of irritation at being teased, she opened her mouth but finally forced out:
“You… childish.”
“Aww~ A childish witch is still a witch~!”
Yiruo decided to ignore her.
Just then, footsteps came from behind.
“Phew~ Finally here!”
A jacket arced through the air, landed perfectly on the back of a sofa, then slid down and fell to the floor. Reya strode into the room, casually yanked off her coat, tossed it onto a nearby sofa, and then threw herself directly onto the sofa.
“Uwaah~ Soft, fluffy sofa, I missed you so much!”
She let out a satisfied whimper, grabbed a throw pillow from the sofa, hugged it to her chest, buried her face in it, and rubbed it back and forth. Her tail wagged happily like a little flag. Reya rolled around on the sofa, from left to right and back again, her feet dangling in the air.
“As expected, the sofa at the witch’s place is the most comfortable! Soft and fluffy, and it has a nice smell~!”
“Ah~ I’m dead tired today~ Let me just sleep here on the sofa~!”
The beast-kin girl’s large ears flopped down limply, and her entire body collapsed on the sofa without moving.
Yiruo watched this scene and couldn’t help muttering under her breath:
“…Does she always do this?”
“Every time she comes back, she flops onto the sofa and rolls around for a while.” A gentle voice came from beside her.
Elliana walked over to Yiruo, glanced at Reya who had “melted” into the sofa, then turned and asked:
“Little Yiruo, would you like some hot milk?”
Yiruo was taken aback. She didn’t quite understand what “hot milk” was.
“Sister Yilena has a cup every night,” Elliana continued. “It helps with sleep, and it tastes great—plus a little honey is added.”
Hot milk.
Moreover, everything Elliana recommended had always been delicious, like the breakfast cake when they first met, and the melon bread from earlier—all had won Yiruo’s approval without exception.
Without hesitation, she nodded.
“Wait a moment, it’ll be ready soon.”
Elliana turned and walked toward the bar counter. Her silver-white hair glowed with a soft luster under the light.
Yiruo stood there, watching as she began deftly fiddling with those bottles and jars, feeling a strange sense of calm.
She realized that she seemed to trust this human girl without hesitation.
Just then—
A hand suddenly tapped her shoulder.
“Little Yiruo, so you’re this good at catching a girl’s eye?”
“Huh?!”
Yiruo snapped back to reality and saw Yilena with a pout on her face, looking somewhat displeased at her.
“…What are you talking about?”
Yiruo frowned and took a step back.
“Oh my, you were staring so intently that you almost spaced out~” Yilena stepped closer, a hint of teasing in her eyes.
Yiruo was taken aback, her face growing slightly warm.
“I’m getting a little jealous—Little Yiruo is so easy to like, huh~?”
“Wha—what nonsense are you talking about!” she immediately retorted, her voice rising. “Elliana is just… just inviting me as a friend to taste something she likes! And didn’t she say she makes you a cup every day?!”
“Oh~ Is that so~?”
“Exactly!”
Yilena couldn’t hold back a laugh at her indignant expression.
The witch stepped forward and took the girl’s hand.
“Come on, Little Yiruo,” Yilena led her toward the stairs. “Let me first show you the room you’ll be staying in tonight~!”
Yiruo was pulled along, instinctively looking back over her shoulder.
Behind the bar, Elliana was focusing on adding honey to the hot milk, her profile looking especially gentle in the warm yellow light.
On the sofa, Reya was completely asleep, her tail twitching occasionally.
And she herself was being led by the hand by a witch who had just been “bullying” her, heading toward an unknown place.
…What a strange feeling.
But she didn’t hate it.
***
“This is where we usually hold meetings,” Yilena pointed at the table. “When we have nothing to do, we discuss whether to launch new drinks and such.”
Yiruo looked at the wall. A few photos were hanging there, group shots of the three of them.
“Those were taken when we opened last year~ But now that Little Yiruo has joined us, there will be your photos too in the future~!”
Yilena held her hand and continued deeper into the hallway.
“This is the restroom, and the bathroom is in there too. Hot water is available anytime. Little Yiruo can take a bath whenever she wants.”
Yiruo peeked in. The space was small but neatly arranged. The tiles were light-colored, and there was a large bathtub inside.
“And over here—”
Yilena pushed open a door.
“The chess room. Occasionally, Little Elliana and I play chess here. Reya usually sleeps nearby~!”
The room had a small round table with a chess set on it. The pieces were hand-carved wooden items. Along the wall was a row of cabinets with books and small ornaments. The window was slightly open, letting in a gentle breeze.
Yiruo’s gaze lingered on the chessboard for a few seconds.
Yilena noticed but didn’t say anything more and continued walking.
“This is the laundry room~ Just toss dirty clothes into that box. It’s a magic tool specially developed by the witch—it cleans automatically.”
“Then why not just use magic directly?”
“…That would take all the fun out of it~!”
Past the laundry room, there were two doors at the end of the corridor.
Yilena lifted her chin, indicating the left door.
“That’s Elliana and Reya’s room~ They share it. Sometimes I can hear Reya talking in her sleep~!”
Then she pointed to the right door, a meaningful smile curling at the corners of her mouth.
“And this one~?”
She pushed the door open and gestured for Yiruo to enter.
“Is your room, Little Yiruo~!”
Yiruo stepped inside, and then she froze.
This was a room completely beyond her imagination. The entire room had a pink theme, as if wrapped in a sweet atmosphere.
The most eye-catching feature was a large bed, big enough for two people to roll around on. Leaning against the headboard was a giant whale pillow, so soft it made you want to pounce on it.
On the desk by the bed were parchment and quills. The paper was covered in various drawings, with a pattern resembling jade faintly visible in the center.
Beside it was an entire bookshelf, densely packed with ancient and mysterious spellbooks. On the bookshelf sat an old witch’s hat, with a small pink flower pinned to the brim.
The window was open. The night breeze gently blew in, and distant lights twinkled. The whole room looked like something out of a fairy tale.
Yiruo stood dumbfounded in the middle of the room, her mouth open, unable to speak for a moment.
…Something seems off.
Suddenly, she realized something.
She whirled around to face Yilena.
“Wait—”
Her voice was stiff.
“Are you saying… you and I are sleeping together?!”
At this point, Yilena was leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed, a knowing smile on her face.
She didn’t answer.
She just slowly extended her hand and closed the door.
Click.
The sound of the lock clicking.
Yiruo’s pupils shrank.
“You… what exactly do you want to do… perverted witch…”
Yilena slowly approached.
Yiruo couldn’t help but retreat. Soon, her calves hit the edge of the bed, and her body wobbled.
“Ah!”
She fell backward into the soft bedding.
Before she could get up, Yilena leaned down, bracing her hands on either side of Yiruo, trapping her in an embrace.
Pink hair slid off her shoulders, brushing against Yiruo’s cheek, tickling her slightly.
Those eyes were inches away.
“What do I want to do?”
Yilena’s voice carried a hint of laughter, but there was also a faint, heart-racing warmth.
She lowered her head slightly and whispered in Yiruo’s ear:
“Of course, take care of a cute girl~!”
“You—!!!”
The girl tried to push her away, but when her hand landed on the other’s chest, she had no strength left.
Outside the window, the night breeze gently blew.
On the bed, their shadows slightly overlapped.