Little Pink Starfish

“Are you friends with our Xiao Ling? Want to come upstairs for a bit?” Gao Ling’s mom looked at Yuan Yuanyuan, her tone brimming with enthusiasm.

Gao Ling looked at her mom, feeling a headache coming on.

Thinking back, she found it almost unbelievable—if this demon had even a hint of bad intentions, both she and her mom could’ve been in real danger.

And yet, she’d just followed the demon right out of there… They’d walked together for about ten minutes before she suddenly realized something.

Oh my god! We’ve met before!

The moment that thought hit her, Gao Ling nearly slammed her head into a wall.

The whole way there, she hadn’t dared to look directly at him, and the demon hadn’t turned his head, so she never really got a good look at his face.

Now, standing under the bright lights near the building entrance, she suddenly remembered who he was.

Aaaaah! So that shop I went to was run by a demon!?

Yuan Yuanyuan glanced at the convenience store downstairs—it was still open. She’d been planning to pop in for a bottle of water. Just then, Gao Ling’s mom spoke to her, so she replied, “Uh… Auntie, I think I’ll pass on going upstairs. It’s late, I should get home too.”

“Alright then. Get home safe,” said Gao Ling’s mom. “When you get back, give Gao Ling and me a call, okay?”

Gao Ling’s expression was stiff as she watched the man wave at them and walk away.

His retreating figure weirdly reminded her of the dramatic exit of a martial arts hero in some novel.

Boss Hero, off he goes.

“Your friend’s really something else,” her mom said after a moment.

“Uh… yeah,” Gao Ling stammered.

She felt like her vocabulary was failing her completely.

After escorting Gao Ling home, Yuan Yuanyuan slowly made her way back on her own. When she got back to the street, she saw that the parade of demons had already moved far ahead—nearly at the edge of the juvenile zone.

She yawned. Sleepiness was setting in. After looking around and spotting Liu An, she asked if he wanted to head home with her. Liu An still looked full of excitement, so Yuan Yuanyuan didn’t insist and went home by herself to get some sleep.

While the demons outside partied all night, Yuan Yuanyuan quietly slept alone in her room. The next morning, when she looked outside, the streets were completely empty—not a single demon in sight.

Apparently after last night’s Hyakki Yagyō, most of them had gone to sleep.

Feeling refreshed, Yuan Yuanyuan stretched at the window. Ah, so damn satisfying. A quiet street all to herself in the early morning.

Liu An stumbled into the room not long after she woke up. He saw Yuan Yuanyuan standing at the window and said, “Boss… you’re looking energetic.”

“Of course… how could I have energy without a good night’s sleep?” she said.

Besides, there was something important tonight—wouldn’t want to be yawning through it.

Last night had given Yuan Yuanyuan a rough idea of how the Hyakki Yagyō worked. She tried to picture what tonight might be like—a sky full of demons, racing through the air with glowing floats and carriages.

“Tonight… is the Hundred Demon Festival, right?” Liu An suddenly remembered.

“Yep. Where are you planning to go tonight?” Yuan Yuanyuan asked.

“Hmm? Not sure. It’s my first time here—I don’t really know any of the major demons. Uh, Boss, do you have any recommendations?”

“There’s recommendations for this kind of thing?” Yuan Yuanyuan thought for a moment about the bits of info she’d picked up from Fat Cat and the red-and-black guy. “During the Hundred Demon Festival, all the demons take to the skies—it’s like a show of force. The more spectacular the parade, the more powerful that clan is. It’s basically a display of strength.”

“…Why does that sound like military drills?”

“I thought so too,” Yuan Yuanyuan said. “You’re just a regular little demon—it’s fine if you go or don’t go. But if you’re really interested, the boss over in the Ping’an District is pretty reliable. You might want to check it out there.”

“Ah…” Liu An sighed. “Ping’an’s kinda far. I’m nervous about going alone… might run into trouble.”

Yuan Yuanyuan continued prepping her gear for the evening as Liu An rambled behind her, “I bet the Hundred Demon Festival in City C is super lively.”

Not expecting a reply, he kept talking to himself. “Last night, I saw so many beautiful girls… and a few super strong demons just standing there, totally commanding attention.”

“That kind of scene… fancy cars, hot women, a public show of power—what if someone accidentally becomes famous… ahh, just thinking about it gets me hyped.”

Yuan Yuanyuan picked up a short dagger, polished it until it gleamed without a single fingerprint.

Damn… this is definitely my coolest look ever.

She set the dagger on the table, picked out a suitable outfit, and began sewing a hidden pocket into it to carry the blade.

She sat there quietly stitching, while Liu An continued his questions.

“Will there be any big-shot demons tonight?” he asked.

“Probably.”

“How many?”

“Hmm… a few?”

Yuan Yuanyuan opened up the jacket, half-listening as Liu An threw out random questions. His tone made it obvious—he was really excited to see City C’s Hundred Demon Festival.

Can’t blame him… for demons, this festival is like New Year’s. From what she’d seen last night, Liu An was definitely the type who loved a crowd.

Yuan Yuanyuan had heard a lot of stories about previous festivals from Liu An, though none of them were from City C.

“Apparently one year, there was this insanely beautiful demon girl—she was the center of attention. Two guys fell for her at the same time and ended up fighting during the festival. Stuff like that happens every year…”

“Mm…” Yuan Yuanyuan replied absentmindedly.

“And back when humans and demons were still at war, there was a period where the demons were losing badly. People thought they’d never bounce back. Then one night, the human soldiers at the front line suddenly saw a parade of demons marching in a Hyakki Yagyō… after that, the demons rallied and went on to win every battle for years.”

Yuan Yuanyuan bit off a thread and checked the time—it was already past five in the evening. Sewing those inner pockets had taken a while, but the dagger fit in perfectly.

“How’s the outfit?” she asked, holding it up for Liu An to see.

“Looks… sturdy,” Liu An said, “and expensive.”

“Perfect.” She tossed the outfit aside and went to eat dinner.

“Boss, how much are you going to price that outfit for?” Liu An asked, used to seeing her make things.

“Uh… just leave it there,” Yuan Yuanyuan replied.

“Seems like… the Hundred Demon Festival really does boost morale,” Liu An said. “But those epic wartime scenes probably won’t happen again. Still… would’ve loved to see it in person.”

“Mm… hard to replicate. That was wartime, after all,” Yuan Yuanyuan said. “There’s no way we’d put on a show that huge nowadays.”

“Boss… I mean seriously,” Liu An suddenly turned to her. “I don’t expect you to be super ambitious or anything—but at least try a little, okay? Don’t just lie around like a salted fish.”

“Huh?” Yuan Yuanyuan blinked. She thought for a second, then said, “Ambition, huh… you don’t have it either, so why are you talking?”

“How do I not have ambition?”

“You’ve been hanging around my tiny shop this whole time… where’s your drive?” Yuan Yuanyuan said.

“Well, I still have more ambition than you,” Liu An said. “Look at those major demons—dripping with aura, shaking the heavens. You really might just be a salted fish that achieved enlightenment.”

“Hey… I like the quiet life. That doesn’t mean I don’t have style, okay?” Yuan Yuanyuan gave him a look of disdain.

She knew she was a salted fish, but there was no way she was admitting it. Admitting it meant losing—this was called strategy, okay?

Clearly, Liu An didn’t believe her nonsense. He gave her a subtle but obvious look of scorn. Just then, they heard a loud noise outside.

Both turned their heads—and saw a vehicle slowly pulling up in front of the shop.

“What the hell is that?”

Yuan Yuanyuan turned as well—just in time to see the vehicle stop.

It was completely white, not a single other color. On its curtain was an intricate pattern stitched in purple thread.

The pattern looked like a newly risen full moon.

Behind the lead carriage were several smaller ones. From one of the smaller vehicles, a woman stepped down.

She wore pure white clothing and shimmering silver accessories.

Her face was painted with violet floral designs—like an elf stepping out from a forest.

…

“What… is that?” Liu An asked, dazed.

The carriage had arrived out of nowhere.

In the night, it looked like an uninvited guest.

One by one, more women stepped down from the other carriages. They were dressed the same, but each had a unique twist to the floral designs on their faces.

They floated elegantly and came to a stop at the entrance.

“My lady,” the one in front bowed to Yuan Yuanyuan. “That Lord is waiting for you in the carriage.”

Yuan Yuanyuan threw on her coat and walked toward the vehicle.

Passing by a stunned Liu An, she said in a low voice, “Watch the place. Don’t go out.”

Liu An stood there like some bumpkin at the village gate.

He looked up, completely dumbfounded.

This luxurious carriage looked so out of place on this shabby little street.

Luckily, there weren’t too many onlookers.

Yuan Yuanyuan felt a strange sense of satisfaction—like she’d just pulled off the ultimate revenge. She practically glided toward the carriage, barely holding back from laughing out loud.

Of course, no one could possibly know what was going through her mind right now.

…

Liu An watched as Yuan Yuanyuan stepped onto the carriage.

Then a few white horses lifted the vehicle into the sky, racing off and leaving behind a trail of shimmering violet-silver light.