Vol 9. Chapter 67: Sister-Devotion-Level Meeting

Smart people have smart ways of being nurtured;

foolish kids have foolish kids’ ways of being raised.

Kaiser was very simple-minded—and very fortunate—because he happened to fall for someone who could truly appreciate that simplicity.

During the long years within the Time Palace, it was as if he had watched a movie unfold along an endless river of time. A movie made entirely for Isha Melkvey.

Leon did not know how Kaiser’s mindset had changed throughout those years, but judging from the outcome now, that period was likely the most meaningful time in his short twenty-something-year life.

There were no schemes, no battlefield slaughter—only quiet days spent watching the person he loved slowly grow, learning about her past and everything that made her who she was.

And now, at last, he could try to step into her life, to claim a role of his own within that “movie.”

Leon could not be certain how things would develop between Kaiser and Isha from here on, but he firmly believed that their ending would be one everyone hoped to see.

As for the process, Leon, as an outsider, naturally would not interfere too much. Everything could simply be left to the two of them.

“Pretty good. Do your best, kid,” Leon said with a smile.

Kaiser nodded. “Okay.”

After chatting for a while longer at the café, Moon and the others decided to head to the park ahead. Leon and Rosvisser brought the children along with them.

The park was not very large, but it had plenty of attractions inside. Fishing stalls, portrait drawing, and various small games—sandbag throwing, ring tossing, and all sorts of booths lined the paths.

From far away, Moon spotted a balloon-shooting stall.

At the sight of it, Little Moon’s thoughts were instantly pulled back to many years ago.

Back then, she and Noa were still very young, and their parents were constantly showing off their affection in the most awkward ways.

Once, when their parents brought them to a park in Sky City, they had also run into a balloon-shooting game.

At the time, Noa was not yet skilled at controlling magic or aiming properly. On top of that, the stall owner had deliberately tampered with the gun, making it impossible to hit the balloons.

In the end, it was their father who stepped in, helping each of them win a stuffed bear as a prize.

Snapping back from her memories, Moon immediately excitedly told Aurora about it.

After listening, Aurora blinked.

“So Big Sister was already amazing even when you were little!”

In Aurora’s worldview, both her eldest sister and her father were all-powerful beings.

So hearing that Noa had once struggled at a simple balloon game genuinely surprised her.

“But even now, Big Sister could easily shoot down tons of balloons,” Aurora added cheerfully.

Moon lifted her chin proudly.

“Then we have to let her win a few more stuffed bears—for you, for Muse, and for Big Sister Xiaoxue.”

Aurora nodded.

“Okay.”

The two sisters immediately prepared to go find Noa.

But just as Moon was about to call out to Noa’s back, Vivian gently tugged her sleeve.

“Noa, Helena—there’s a photo booth over there. Let’s take some pictures.”

Helena also wanted to go. “Yeah, yeah!”

Noa had no strong opinions when it came to this kind of entertainment, so she naturally went along with whatever her friends suggested.

The three of them quickly headed toward the photo booth.

“Noa—”

Moon watched as Noa was pulled away. The words reached her lips, then were swallowed back down.

Suddenly, a strange feeling welled up in her chest. It was a feeling she had experienced many years ago.

Back when she had just fallen out with Noa, when Noa could not be separated from Helena.

There had been several times when Moon wanted to go find her little sister.

Back then, Moon had been fierce and noisy, throwing tantrums, pouting, and refusing even to call her “sister.”

But she would not do that now.

She knew Noa had her own social circle and could not devote all her feelings to her alone.

So Moon did not follow after them. Instead, she turned to Aurora and said:

“Big Sister is busy. Let’s go shoot balloons ourselves.”

Aurora’s lips twitched slightly as she looked Moon up and down.

“That’s fine, but Second Sister, are you... Then let’s go quickly.”

Before Aurora could finish, Moon grabbed her hand and jogged toward the balloon stall.

The girl’s movements were hurried and restless, as if she were trying to escape something.

At the stall, Moon paid the fee and lifted the specially modified magic-bullet gun, aiming at the rows of balloons on the wall.

Bang, bang, bang—

Several shots rang out, but only one balloon burst.

“What a shame, little miss. You’ll definitely win a prize next time!”

The stall owner said with a cheerful grin, his tone carrying a trace of smug expectation.

He was not sure whether he had looked carefully, but this little girl... silver-black hair, blue eyes, a stray cowlick…

Why did this head look so familiar?

Moon lowered the gun, muttering to herself:

“As expected… I’m just not good at this kind of thing…”

“I’ll try, Second Sister.”

As she spoke, Aurora stepped forward, lifted the gun, aimed, and pulled the trigger...

Missed.

Aurora froze, then lowered her gaze to inspect the gun in her hands. She immediately spotted the trick.

“They deliberately altered the sight. Scamming people. Seriously, this old trick has been in use for over ten years…”

She complained silently to herself.

The stall owner’s attention shifted to the newly arrived pink-haired girl.

“Oh dear, you missed, but that’s fine. I can tell you’re naturally gifted—your next shot will definitely!”

Bang!

Pop—

The next shot shattered a balloon instantly, cutting off the owner mid-sentence.

The man, who had just raised his thumb, hurriedly changed his tune.

“Accurate! Go again, go again!”

Bang bang bang.

Bang bang—

Three shots, all hits.

And there was barely any pause between them.

The owner did not even see her aiming process.

It was as if she had casually fired a few shots—and achieved a perfect hit rate.

As though she simply knew that as long as the gun was held that way, it would hit no matter what.

By the time Aurora finished that round, she had only missed once. Every remaining shot burst a balloon without fail.

Before the owner could even react, Aurora paid for several more rounds.

Still not a single miss.

Cold sweat slid down the owner’s temple as confusion surged in his mind.

Even with the sight adjusted, she only missed once. In all these years, only one man had ever managed that…

Who in the world are you, pink-haired girl?!

Aurora calmly set the gun down, reached out to collect several stuffed bears, then looked at Moon.

“Second Sister, I got the presents.”

Moon applauded enthusiastically beside her.

“That’s amazing, Aurora!”

Aurora grinned proudly and was just about to boast a little—when she sharply caught a fleeting trace of loneliness in Second Sister’s eyes.

Along with a forced smile.

Aurora understood at once what Second Sister was thinking. She was about to speak to comfort her when their father’s voice rang out from the distance.

“Moon, Aurora, we’re going to walk by the lake. Want to come?”

Moon raised her hand in response. “Coming!”

Then she took Aurora’s hand.

“Let’s go, Aurora. Come on, Mom and Dad are over there.”

Aurora snapped back to herself and hurriedly nodded.

“O-oh, okay.”

The two sisters ran off together, arms full of stuffed bears piled like a small mountain.

The stall owner followed their departing figures with his gaze—until he saw a familiar silhouette.

Black hair, black eyes, neatly dressed, no tail visible. And beside him stood a silver-haired beauty.

That combination was rare even among the entire dragon race, so the owner remembered it vividly.

“So it’s that man from back then!!! Wait!”

Lightning struck his mind.

“Don’t tell me those two little girls are… ah... Well, that explains it. That explains everything.”

He turned back, staring blankly at his now-empty balloon wall, and let out a sigh.

“Should I put that whole family on a blacklist…? This is such a dilemma. Ah...”

…

…

By the lakeside, Moon sat on a bench, hugging the stuffed bears Aurora had won, resting her chin lightly atop one of their heads.

Not far away, her parents and sisters were taking photos together.

She had no interest in joining them and simply sat there alone.

Was she unhappy…?

Not really. It was just that her heart felt empty, as if something were missing.

“Moon, what are you thinking about? Can you tell me?”

At the sound of the voice, Moon froze for a moment, then looked up.

“Kaiser… Teacher.”