They walked through the streets of Akihabara.
Compared to the busy morning, the pace in the anime district was noticeably more relaxed. The crowds were still there, but the sense of urgency was gone.
“Hey, how about we pick an anime character for each other, then buy it as a gift?”
Xia Jiuwei said casually as they walked.
“And we’ll see who picks more accurately.”
She didn’t explain what “accurately” meant, but her tone sounded confident.
“Sure.” Lu Nian’an nodded, a faint smile in her eyes.
“But no peeking while choosing.”
“Of course.”
So they naturally separated.
Somehow, they kept ending up in the same aisles again.
Separate, but always circling back.
“What are you looking at?”
Lu Nian’an approached from behind.
Xia Jiuwei was standing in front of a bookshelf, flipping through a manga.
“Nothing—no, nothing.”
She reacted instantly and closed the book, quickly stuffing it back.
Her movements were a little too fast.
She even pushed her away slightly.
“No peeking!”
Lu Nian’an didn’t press further.
She only glanced back.
Two girls on the cover stood very close together.
Then she walked away.
“OK—finally, time for the gift exchange!”
In the evening, they met again.
Xia Jiuwei hugged her bag, clearly still excited despite a full day of walking.
“I’ll go first!”
Lu Nian’an handed her a gift.
It was a chibi keychain of a short-haired girl.
The packaging read: “Hachisai Hinako.”
“What kind of name is that?” Xia Jiuwei laughed.
But she still naturally attached it to her jacket zipper.
“Whatever. I’ll probably live past eight hundred years anyway.”
She shook the keychain.
“Perfect.”
“…Mm.” Lu Nian’an looked at it for a second longer than usual.
“My turn, my turn.”
Xia Jiuwei handed over her bag.
“This one—black long hair. Obviously more like you.”
She pulled out a chibi keychain.
“And the name is normal too. It’s called Shiomi Shiori.”
Her tone was a little proud.
Lu Nian’an took it.
Didn’t speak immediately.
Just looked at it.
Then calmly hung it on her bag.
As if it had always belonged there.
“So who wins?”
Xia Jiuwei asked.
“Simple,” she smiled mischievously. “We check popularity. Whoever’s from the more famous series wins.”
“…What kind of rule is that?”
Still, Lu Nian’an took out her phone.
After a moment, she paused.
Her expression shifted slightly.
“What is it?”
“…They’re from the same series.”
“Huh?” Xia Jiuwei blinked.
Then laughed.
“Forget it. It’s a draw.”
“Mm.” Lu Nian’an nodded lightly.
“I also think… they suit us.”
She didn’t elaborate.
But her gaze lingered for a second longer.
“Can you cook tonight?”
Xia Jiuwei suddenly asked.
“Do you prefer my cooking?”
“Not ‘prefer’.” Lu Nian’an looked at her.
“It’s extremely good.”
Xia Jiuwei blinked, then smiled.
“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go home.”
She reached out to pull her away.
“Wait.”
Lu Nian’an gently pulled her back.
Not forceful—but firm.
“I still have somewhere I want to take you.”
“Where?”
“You’ll see.”
She didn’t ask further, just let herself be led.
The crowd thinned. The streets grew quieter.
Finally, they stopped in front of an unremarkable shop.
Warm light spilled from inside, contrasting with the outside world.
“…Ear cleaning?” Xia Jiuwei blinked.
“Mm.” Lu Nian’an nodded.
“Last stop.”
She said it naturally.
As if the entire day had been leading here.
Inside, the shop was quiet.
Completely different from Akihabara outside, like a separate space.
Warm lighting softened everything.
When Xia Jiuwei sat down, she was still slightly unaccustomed to the silence.
“Where’s Lu Nian’an?”
She looked back.
The door opened again.
It wasn’t a staff member—it was Lu Nian’an.
She had changed into a simple robe, as if it had been planned all along.
“I’ll do it myself,” she said.
Her tone left no room for refusal.
“…So that’s what you told Saotome earlier?” Xia Jiuwei blinked.
Lu Nian’an just smiled without answering.
She sat down.
Xia Jiuwei naturally lay down with her head on her lap.
The familiar sense of comfort came faster than anything else.
Soft sounds of tools moved near her ears—light, almost like air brushing past.
At first she was a little tense.
But soon her breathing slowed.
“…So this is what it feels like,” she murmured.
“Mm.” Lu Nian’an continued steadily.
Not like performing a technique.
More like caring for her.
“Uncomfortable?”
“No…” she shifted slightly, then relaxed again.
It wasn’t stimulation.
Just… silence.
Lu Nian’an’s fingers occasionally brushed her neck.
Just resting there.
No unnecessary movement.
But it helped her calm down.
Time slowed.
“When did you learn this?” Xia Jiuwei asked softly, eyes closed.
“A long time ago.”
“How long?”
“Longer than you think.”
She didn’t ask further.
Just gave a small “mm.”
After a while, her voice grew quieter.
“Nia…”
“Mm.”
“I’ve been feeling… a bit strange lately.”
She paused.
“As I spend more time in the Otherworld, I can’t really tell what’s real anymore.”
“Emotions, memories, pain… they feel too real.”
“Sometimes I wonder—”
She smiled faintly.
“Whether I might one day just… change completely.”
The room remained quiet.
Only the soft sounds continued.
Lu Nian’an didn’t interrupt.
Just kept moving steadily.
Grounded. Repetitive.
As if telling her—this is reality.
“But every time I come back,” Xia Jiuwei continued.
“You’re here.”
Her voice was very light.
“So I feel… relieved.”
“There’s still a place that’s right.”
Her movements paused for a moment.
Then continued, even softer.
“Having you… is really nice.”
She didn’t speak after that.
Her breathing gradually steadied.
She had truly relaxed.
Lu Nian’an looked down at her.
Her eyes were calm.
She didn’t speak.
Just rested her hand gently near her head, as if confirming she was still there.
The moment passed quickly.
They walked through the night streets.
Crowds had dispersed. Lights softened.
They walked side by side, shoulders lightly touching.
The distance no longer caused nervousness.
Instead, it became something steady—like habit, like dependence.
【Bond Synchronization: 81/59%】
The numbers flickered briefly, then faded.
They reached a quieter corner of the district.
Just as they were about to teleport—
Lu Nian’an suddenly stopped.
She turned back.
Looked again.
Subtle—but unusual.
“What is it?” Xia Jiuwei asked lazily, leaning slightly on her shoulder.
“…Someone’s here,” Lu Nian’an said quietly.
“…Watching us.”
Her tone was certain.
Not a guess.
The feeling came from their shared ability.
Faint—but real.
Something existed just outside perception.
Something they knew—but could not see.
“Interesting.”
Xia Jiuwei smiled softly.
Her expression shifted.
Her suppressed perception expanded outward layer by layer.
She filtered out familiar surveillance—U.S. intelligence agencies, those who had been tracking “Maiden J” for months.
Not them. None of them.
Then—
she saw it.
Not with her eyes.
But like something directly touching her consciousness.
Behind them.
Something was there.
Watching.
But when she turned—
nothing.
The street was empty.
No shadow. No presence.
That contradiction became sharper.
Like touching something that left no proof it existed.
Except in her.
Xia Jiuwei’s smile faded slightly.
“Who are you?”
She didn’t use her eyes anymore.
She reached back.
And tore.
In the next instant—
space split open.
And three existences were dragged into a small western-style house in the Otherworld.