Childhood Friend of the Zenith

"……."

I remained silent at her question.

"Are you the same as me?"

It was sudden, and I had no idea how to respond.

"The same?"

How was I supposed to understand that?

While I was still caught off guard—

"No?"

My mother asked again.

"…What do you mean by that?"

I decided to ask directly.

She tilted her head slightly before replying—

"…No, but yes."

"What?"

Even when I asked again, she didn’t give a proper answer. Instead, she suddenly leaned toward me.

Startled, I tried to pull back, but I was already seated against the tree, leaving me with nowhere to retreat.

Sniff.

She moved even closer, sniffing me.

"…What are you doing?"

"You don’t smell."

"Of course not. I bathe regularly."

"…No, that’s not it."

"Not what?"

That was a pretty rude thing to say.

At the very least, I took care of my hygiene.

No—this wasn’t the issue right now.

"…How did you even get here?"

She was supposed to be at the Martial Alliance Anhui Branch.

Why was she here? Her sudden appearance caught me off guard.

"What about Miss Mi?"

"Hyoran doesn’t know. I came in secret."

"Why?"

"Because you’re here. You wouldn’t like it if I brought her along, right?"

"…."

I narrowed my eyes.

With a blank expression, she had pinpointed the most crucial part.

"Wouldn’t like it if she came along."

That meant—

"She knows I don’t want to be seen like this."

Even though she wasn’t the same as she had been when she ruled over All Things, she still seemed to instinctively know.

"…Then how did you know I was here?"

"I could feel it."