Little Pink Starfish

Yuan Yuanyuan kept walking swiftly ahead, the guy behind her still trying to catch up.

But how could he keep up if Yuan Yuanyuan walked at full speed? She was tall, and in a crowd, she could easily push her way through.

From above, one could see a figure in black with a fox mask weaving rapidly through the sea of people. Behind her was another figure, also in black, shorter, trying to follow—but quickly getting left behind.

The area near the stage was packed and tight. It took some distance before one could reach a less crowded space. Yuan Yuanyuan finally broke free of the crowd’s perimeter and let out a long breath.

Good… at least in this kind of place, even if a fight broke out, it wouldn’t be too dangerous. Still, it was probably best to leave sooner rather than later—she didn’t want a repeat of that time she passed out at a convention and nearly caused a panic.

A girl nearby holding a drink gave her a startled look, probably spooked by Yuan Yuanyuan suddenly emerging from the crowd. After all, people usually squeezed into cons, not out. Yuan Yuanyuan ignored the girl’s gaze, glanced around, and started walking toward a wider open area.

That presence behind her was still pressing closer.

Yuan Yuanyuan had no idea what she might’ve done to draw someone’s attention this time…

Ah, right—she chuckled inwardly. She almost forgot she was wearing that face. Of course it would attract attention.

Hadn’t that been the point of this trip? To be seen?

She’d wandered around so long, she’d forgotten.

With that realization, she slowed her pace. If being seen was the goal, she might as well find out what this person wanted.

Was it someone from the Mask Organization? One of Faning’s people?

Yuan Yuanyuan feigned ignorance, slowly drawing a dagger from her sleeve while pretending nothing was amiss. As she passed a milk tea stall, she bought a cup, lifted a corner of her mask just enough to sip from a straw.

The demon aura behind her grew heavier—that meant the creature was getting closer. Yuan Yuanyuan mentally counted: twenty meters… fifteen…

What surprised even herself was how excited she felt. The dagger in her hand was heating up.

It was weird. Back when she was constantly getting into fights, she used to hate it. But now, after a long break, she actually felt a little pumped.

Maybe I’m just a natural-born combat maniac, she thought, sniffing the air intently.

Using scent to identify demons was surprisingly effective. It was kind of like how male lions mark territory with urine…

Well, okay, demons weren’t that gross—but ever since becoming a half-demon, Yuan Yuanyuan could pick up on all sorts of things by smell.

Back when she was fully human, she never had that ability.

But this demon’s scent was strange—messy, layered. She sniffed several times and still couldn’t make it out clearly.

For a moment, she even got nervous—Is this a whole group of people coming at me?

If it is… I’m screwed.

But when the figure came within ten meters, she suddenly froze.

She got it now—it wasn’t a group.

It was just one demon.

…So why was the scent so complex? Because this wasn’t an ordinary demon—it was a young demon.

Young demons had lighter demonic auras. And with so many people around, the energy diffused, creating a mixed scent. Yuan Yuanyuan had assumed it was a large, powerful group—turns out it was just one kid.

She paused, silently put her dagger away, and felt the urge to facepalm.

Dammit, it’s become a reflex. But if it was just a kid, then this was a completely different situation.

From “battle-ready mode,” she downgraded to “spectator curiosity.” She stood and waited… but the kid didn’t approach. He just stopped ten meters away, standing still.

…And she waited five whole minutes. Still no movement.

---

【How’s that demon doing?】
A message popped up on a girl’s phone screen.

【I don’t know. Came out just now and has been standing there sipping milk tea and staring at the posters.】
A female student in a fairly normal cosplay outfit texted back.

【Just standing there? Did you get spotted?】
【…】 The girl was a bit speechless.

【Forget that for now—】

【No idea, really.】 she typed. 【I know everyone around here. That one’s a stranger.】

【Keep an eye on him. If anything happens, we can’t be caught off guard.】

【Relax. Calling backup’s a hassle.】 She was still typing that last sentence when she suddenly felt someone looming over her. Looking up, she was so startled she dropped her phone.

That demon who had been standing ten meters away was suddenly right beside her—leaning in, glancing at her phone screen. Who knew how long he’d been there?

The girl froze, her limbs turning cold. She didn’t even think to pick up the phone.

The fox-masked, black-clad figure bent down, picked it up, checked it for damage, then handed it back to her.

She stared dumbfounded. By the time she took the phone, the demon had already turned and walked away.

“Wait—hang on…” she started to call out, wanting to explain that she wasn’t trying to be rude, just verifying if he was dangerous.

But… how could she phrase that without making it worse?

Since the guy didn’t say anything, he probably wasn’t here to cause trouble, right?

She exhaled, picked up her phone—it was undamaged. The chat window was still open. She typed:
【No worries. I don’t think he means any harm.】

【How can you be so sure?】

---

Yuan Yuanyuan later chalked that whole convention mess up as a farce. Or… a mildly interesting memory?

She hadn’t taken it to heart. She’d expected some huge incident, but nothing had happened, and she just went home.

Once back, she returned to the tavern, sat in her chair, and began mentally replaying the day’s events. Before she even finished, Boss Lady kicked open the door and said, “So you’re still alive.”

“…What?” Yuan Yuanyuan immediately sensed something was off—why did she sound so annoyed?

Boss Lady sat down and said, “Word on the street is that you killed the Mirror Demon—and a few innocent young demons too. Outsiders are praising you, but inside… people are starting to complain.”

“What kind of complaints?” Yuan Yuanyuan asked.

“Those spies were all slick operators,” Boss Lady said. “They had good relationships with everyone around them. When they died, their friends were devastated. Now everyone’s cursing Yuan.”

Yuan Yuanyuan suddenly understood. She looked at Boss Lady, but her mood wasn’t too bad. “Well, Yuan is half-dead anyway. Let them talk. What does it matter…”

“Not okay,” Boss Lady said sharply. “You gonna stay ‘dead’ forever?”

That phrasing sounded really weird…

But she had a point. Yuan Yuanyuan couldn’t hide forever. One day, people would find out she was the anti-war organization’s leader. And when that day came, everyone would have all kinds of baggage about her.

She had to do something about it. But what?

Popping up out of nowhere and telling everyone the truth would be too abrupt. And to be honest, with Yuan’s “spy” persona, no one would believe her anyway. She’d have to go through all kinds of twists and turns just to get people to nod and go, “Ohhh… now it makes sense.”

What a mess.

But then, a thought began to form in her mind—Since Ji Qiu drew the original story for the public to see, maybe she could guide the audience to the truth, too.

Yuan Yuanyuan began seriously thinking about this possibility.

Meanwhile, Gao Ling was silently sketching on her tablet, listening to updates.

“What are you drawing?” someone asked her. “A fanfic where Yuan doesn’t die?”

“Sure, sure. I’ll turn it in three days,” Gao Ling replied. She put down her phone, then thought irritably, Damn it, he didn’t even die in the first place… why am I drawing fanfiction for this?

But, well—people had to compromise to make a living.

Gao Ling felt a flicker of guilt. But it quickly passed.

Money is money is money…

She stretched after finishing her commissioned piece, switched tabs, and finally decided to draw something for herself.

What to draw?

She thought for a moment, then began sketching in soft whites and blues.

Before long, a figure began to take shape on the screen.