Chapter 114: The Hair Ribbon

Strictly speaking, Kotori was currently most afraid to face Yechen. She was not unintelligent, and after acquiring the Spirit’s powers, her mind had become exceptionally sharp. Putting together the triumphant laughter of the vague figure, the massive fire that erupted immediately after she merged with the Spirit Crystal, and the faint sensation that she could now manipulate flames, all the evidence pointed to one conclusion: that terrifying fire had been caused by her. She could imagine the high number of casualties, and for a nine-year-old girl, her heart was filled with intense guilt and fear. Once she processed her thoughts, a single idea took root in her mind: "Is this murder? Did I kill people?"

In the long-held understanding of a young girl, an equation formed in Kotori’s mind: Killing = Crime = Police coming to arrest me = Having to pay with my life. As soon as this equation emerged, Kotori was consumed by a fear of death, especially since Yechen had clearly seen her at that time.

Yechen and Baiji had already discussed the fact that Kotori was a Spirit, so they were not particularly concerned about the fire itself. Seeing Kotori’s understandable reaction, they immediately grasped the reason. Yechen patted Kotori’s head and said softly, "Rest assured, this was not your fault. Besides, there were no serious consequences."

"Mm..." Kotori replied in a low voice. She wanted to thank Yechen, but realized she didn't know his name or how to address him. After a moment of thought, she said, "Thank you, Onii-chan."

Hearing how Kotori addressed Yechen, Baiji blinked and watched Yechen’s reaction. She knew full well the weight that true family held in Yechen’s heart, and she was curious whether he would accept this little sister. She herself had no objections, as no one could surpass the position she and C.C. held in Yechen’s heart.

Yechen’s eyes flickered, as if struggling with something, before he smiled gently at Kotori and said, "Since you’ve called me brother, then I will accept you as my little sister."

"That’s not bad either; this smile is truly from the heart." Observing Yechen’s smile, Baiji also felt that having a little sister was a good thing, as it could at least make Yechen smile genuinely—something she could easily distinguish based on her years of understanding him.

Stepping forward, Baiji slipped a small box into Yechen’s palm and said to Kotori very gently, "Kotori, today is your birthday, isn't it? Since it was all so sudden, we didn't prepare a gift, so please accept this ribbon as your birthday present."

She had removed a pure white ribbon from her hair. Her smooth, long tresses fell naturally without a single tangle as she offered the ribbon, which still held the scent of her hair. As for why she was being so friendly to Kotori, it was naturally because Yechen had acknowledged Kotori as his sister, making her Baiji's sister as well. There was no harm in being good to a sister.

Yechen looked at the small box in his palm and immediately understood that Baiji was giving him her own item to present to Kotori as a gift.

"How thoughtful," Yechen thought to himself with a smile. He walked over and handed the small box to Kotori, saying, "I only just learned it was your birthday today, and I have nothing else, so please take this as your birthday gift."

"Thank you, Big Sister! Thank you, Onii-chan!" Kotori seemed to have lost her sense of unfamiliarity, addressing Yechen and Baiji affectionately. Unbeknownst to her, a space for them had quietly opened in her heart.

Holding the box, Kotori felt as if a kitten were scratching at her heart; she was incredibly curious and wanted to open it, but felt it might be impolite to do so in front of them. Her cute little face looked somewhat distressed.

"If you want to see it, just open it!" In truth, Yechen was also curious about what was inside; this was originally meant for Baiji herself, and she had used it as a last-minute gift for Kotori.

Hearing this, the conflicted Kotori couldn't wait to unwrap the box. She did so very carefully, as this was the first gift Yechen had given her, and she wanted to keep even the packaging. Before long, the box was opened to reveal a smooth black ribbon, identical in style to the pure white one Baiji had given her.

Kotori held the two ribbons of different colors in her palms, her red eyes revealing her delight. Shiori, seeing the gifts from the two, wore a very strange expression. She pulled a box from her pocket that had been specially wrapped—roughly the same size as Yechen’s—with the words "Happy Birthday, Kotori! Stay strong!" written on it.

The others didn't quite understand Shiori’s expression, but Baiji and Yechen had their suspicions. When they opened the box to see its contents, both wore looks of sudden realization. They understood why Shiori had that expression: inside the box lay a black and a white ribbon, exactly the same style as the ones they had given.

The three of them exchanged glances, never having expected that all three would give Kotori the same birthday gift. Kotori, however, was even happier; with the matching colors in the box, they formed two perfect sets of black and white ribbons.

"I will definitely be strong, and I won't cry anymore!" Kotori secretly resolved.

After comforting her a while longer and leaving Shiori to stay with Kotori, Yechen and Baiji, accompanied by Shiina, went to check on the other girl they had rescued. It was strange; when Yechen had arrived, he had seen the beam of light being blocked by Tachibana Kanade’s barrier.

But who exactly had launched the attack? And the two people protected by Kanade had been sealed after the light dissipated. According to Kanade’s explanation, she hadn't yet mastered defensive abilities, so she had to use a seal instead. The only drawback was that the seal would last a long time, but it was better than them being dead.

Yechen was surprised that, despite her awkward nature, Kanade had been able to make such quick decisions and find a solution. Discussing Kanade and the white-haired girl with Baiji, he knocked on the door and entered the room.

As they entered, Busujima Saeko came forward to stand behind Yechen, falling into place on one side just like Shiina—a dynamic that felt entirely natural. Tachibana Kanade was currently at a loss; facing her nominal cousin, the girl was neither crying nor screaming for her parents, but sitting quietly on the bed with tears streaming down her face.

Her collar was already damp, showing she had been in this state for a while. Not knowing how to comfort her, Kanade had been silently wiping away her tears with a handkerchief. Seeing Yechen and Baiji arrive, she immediately cast a look of appeal toward them.