“It’s date time!”
“My first date with Sister Lu Mo!”
That night, Elia rolled back and forth under her covers, looking exactly like a happy little maggot.
She was so excited that she didn’t sleep a wink.
Early the next morning, she was already downstairs waiting for Lu Mo.
She carried her favorite bag, wore her prettiest dress, and tied her long hair into a ponytail.
Sunlight streamed in through the window, bathing her in light. With her long, straight legs, full chest, and skin as white as snow, her neck looked pale and delicate—she looked every bit the part of a young lady.
“Morning, Sister Lu Mo,” she said, smiling at her.
At that moment, Lu Mo realized once again that Elia had grown up.
Yet, she still found herself unconsciously treating her like the little girl from four years ago.
“Let’s go, Sister Lu Mo —”
This time, Elia jogged up the stairs and proactively reached out her hand.
“Okay,” Lu Mo replied, taking Elia’s hand.
Together, the two stepped into the bright sunshine.
They walked along the streets of Ice Orchid City.
Despite having lived here for more than four years, they had never truly gone out to enjoy themselves.
Elia was always training day and night.
Lu Mo, on the other hand, spent all her remaining time teaching Elia and helping her gather enough cultivation resources and treasures.
But today, no one was allowed to mention the institute or cultivation.
They were going to cast aside everything heavy and simply enjoy the day.
They walked through a park.
“Do you want some cotton candy?” Lu Mo asked, pointing to a stall by the park.
“No, I’m not a child anymore…” Elia refused.
However, only a few minutes later…
“Hmm-hmm-hmm~”
Elia was humming a tune while snacking on the cotton candy.
‘She looks like she’s grown up, but in many ways, Elia hasn’t changed at all?’
Watching Elia with sugar strands stuck to the corner of her mouth, Lu Mo smiled slightly.
“Does Sister Lu Mo want a bite too?”
“I… I’ll pass.”
“Come on, Sister Lu Mo, open wide~”
The cotton candy was already pressed against her lips. Lu Mo gave a helpless smile and opened her mouth slightly.
Soon, some sugar stuck to the corners of her mouth as well.
Before the sugar could melt, it looked like she had grown a mustache.
The two looked at each other and suddenly burst into laughter.
“What’s going on over there?”
They saw a large crowd on another street in the distance.
As they drew closer, they heard the melodious sound of a piano and saw flower petals fluttering in the air.
A young man and woman were walking down the center of the street.
The man had his hair neatly styled and wore a pure white suit.
The woman had her hair pinned up and wore a wedding dress; she looked shy, yet her smile radiated happiness.
The two walked forward arm-in-arm amidst the blessings of the crowd.
There were also little boys and girls carrying flower baskets, laughing and playing within the procession.
They were the flower girls and page boys.
But clearly, they had forgotten their duties in favor of playing.
They frolicked around and soon ran right in front of Lu Mo and Elia.
Perhaps thinking that the two were very beautiful and didn’t look like bad people, the little girl thought for a moment before taking two small flowers from her basket and handing them over.
“You two sisters should be happy too!”
“I’m sure you’ll… find your other halves!”
Her serious expression amused both Lu Mo and Elia.
The two thanked her and took the small flowers.
The little girl grinned, then quickly turned around and scampered off to catch up with her friends.
Looking down at the dew-kissed flower, Lu Mo smiled helplessly. ‘My other half?’
Suddenly, she thought of Cthilla.
In reality, she still had a terrifying fiancé.
The moment she thought of this, her neck began to ache again.
Elia stared blankly at the rose in her hand, suddenly remembering a dream she’d had before.
Sister Lu Mo was wearing a wedding dress, standing opposite her.
Then, she had pushed Sister Lu Mo down.
And then…
The thought made Elia’s face flush instantly.
Marriage!
“Sister Lu Mo, we should also —”
The moment she realized what she was about to say, Elia felt like her brain was going to explode.
‘Oh no!’
‘I accidentally said what I was thinking out loud!’
‘I’m doomed, I’m doomed, I’m doomed…’
“Is Elia trying to ask if we will ever wear wedding dresses?” Lu Mo hadn’t guessed Elia’s inner thoughts at all.
“Elia would look beautiful in a wedding dress,” Lu Mo continued. “As for me… I think I’ll pass.”
She gave a bitter laugh.
For some reason, Elia’s heart skipped a beat at that moment.
They entered an escape room.
Ignoring the owner’s advice, Elia chose the most difficult, five-star horror room.
‘In a terrifying environment, the emotions between two people often heat up rapidly.’
— A certain young “military strategist” who claimed to have extensive romantic experience but had actually never been in a relationship had once told her this.
‘Is that true?’
‘There’s a theoretical basis for it. What was it called? The… the Pear Suspension effect?’
‘Did you drink too much pear soup and go stupid? It’s called the Suspension Bridge effect!’
In the end, the person sitting at the back desk couldn’t take it anymore and corrected the strategist’s mistake.
Well, even if the name was wrong, the theory was at least sound.
Bolstering her courage, Elia pulled Lu Mo inside.
As a cultivator at the half-step Great Perfection of the Frostspeak Bloodline, she felt she had nothing to fear.
However, she still overestimated her own endurance.
“Waaaaah… Sister Lu Mo! Was that a ghost?!”
“Eek… Did that mannequin just move?!”
“It fell! It’s falling!!”
“Gah! Sister Lu Mo, save me!!!”
She threw herself into Lu Mo’s arms over and over again, nearly crying from the fright.
Lu Mo, however, had once been a sequence member of the Shadow Moon Hall. No matter how terrifying the script was, it couldn’t compare to her past real-life experiences.
In the end, she carried Elia out in her arms.
When the owner saw Lu Mo’s expressionless face, he was filled with respect and gave her a thumbs-up.
“I’m sorry. I said I was going to take you out to have fun, but it ended up being the other way around…” On the way out, Elia apologized, her face still a bit pale.
“It’s fine. Actually, that escape room was quite fun.” Lu Mo shook her head, signaling Elia not to worry about it.
Elia gave a weak, bitter smile.
But…
Recalling the warmth of being held by Lu Mo and the faint fragrance she emitted, Elia suddenly felt that this wasn’t so bad after all.
***
They walked hand-in-hand through the streets and alleys of Ice Orchid City.
Elia truly had a wonderful time that day.
The strawberry cake was sweet, but the way Lu Mo picked up a napkin to wipe the cream from the corner of her mouth while smiling seemed even sweeter.
The aquarium was vast, and Lu Mo was seriously observing the schools of swimming fish, but Elia’s gaze remained fixed on Lu Mo, unable to look away.
It felt as if a small animal was pounding against her heart.
Elia felt an itch deep in her soul.
A certain emotion was growing stronger and stronger, to the point where it was almost overflowing.
“Sister Lu Mo, I —”
Several times, she gathered her courage to speak to Lu Mo.
But she failed every time.
She had rehearsed it many times at night.
She had practiced countless dialogues between the two of them.
Yet she was surprised to find that she was so clumsy in front of the person she liked.
‘This won’t do.’
‘I have to say it.’
‘At least, before the final moment arrives —’
Time passed slowly.
Soon, dusk arrived.
At this time, they climbed the clock tower of Ice Orchid City. Standing atop the tallest building in the city, they rested their hands on the railing and gazed into the distance.
Everything in Ice Orchid City was visible from there.
The Ice Orchid Institute, the path they had walked to get here, and the streets where the newlyweds had passed.
The mountains outside the city were shrouded in twilight, the crimson sky was crossed by birds, and there was that giant setting sun.
This was the starting point of their new lives.
It was also the city where they had lived for four years.
The wind at the top of the clock tower was a bit strong, blowing the young girl’s hair and their skirts like flowers swaying slowly in the breeze.
“Did you have fun today?” Lu Mo tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and asked softly.
“I had a lot of fun,” Elia said, looking at the evening clouds and smiling.
She had walked the streets with Sister Lu Mo and seen people getting married.
She had gone to the haunted house with Sister Lu Mo and been protected by her the entire time.
She had visited the aquarium with Sister Lu Mo, but she hadn’t noticed a single fish, having spent the whole time admiring Sister Lu Mo instead.
She had played for an entire day with Lu Mo.
She had been nervous, and she had been relaxed.
She had run crying into Lu Mo’s arms, and she had run through the schools of fish while holding Lu Mo’s hand.
Her mood had fluctuated wildly throughout the day.
But as long as she was with Lu Mo, she was happy.
As long as she was with Lu Mo, she felt like the happiest girl in the world.
— And now, she was getting a little greedy; she wanted to be even happier.
“Sister Lu Mo,” she called out.
Lu Mo turned her head toward her.
She saw the tall girl’s figure leaning toward her.
In the next instant, those moist, warm lips pressed against her cheek.
The girl had lightly kissed her beloved sister.
“Eh?”
By the time Lu Mo realized what had happened, Elia had already run off like the wind.
But at a certain point, Elia stopped, turning back toward Lu Mo in the glow of the setting sun.
In that moment, her entire body was dyed crimson by the sunset. Lu Mo found it difficult to tell if it was the light or if the girl’s face was blushing.
Vaguely, Lu Mo saw Elia gathering her strength, opening her mouth as if she were about to say something.
And right at that moment, the minute hand completed a full circle, and the bell rang.
*Dong —*
*Dong —*
The long, deep chime of the bell echoed over the city.
A flock of birds flapped their wings and took flight.
Lu Mo squinted slightly in the light of the setting sun.
In the midst of the grand twilight, Elia said to her —