“Too naive!” Catherine shouted, swingiaff in a wide arc. A shimmering barrier formed in an instant—a wall of translut golden liquid, rippling like fresh honey uhe moonlight.Yuzu’s es, still mid-attack, crashed into it at full force. The moment their bdes made tact, their forms ruptured like fragile gss, bursting into nothingness as the liquid spshed outward in a casg wave.One by ohe illusions shattered, dissolving into the night. Within seds, the battlefield was silent again.Catherine narrowed her eyes as she hovered above the glistening remnants of her spell. “Hmph. I take it back. You’re uedly clever.”But before she could rex, a faint glint from below caught her eye.Shing!A storm of hidden bdes erupted from the ground where Catherine had been standing just moments before. The air whistled as the sharp edges sliced through the empty space, barely missing their target. If she had hesitated even a sed, she would have been impaled.“You’re Yuzu’s!!” came a high-pitched yell from the distance.From behind the cover of a thick tree trunk, Yuzu revealed herself, her bck cloak fluttering as she pulled two gleaming daggers from seemingly nowhere. Without missing a beat, she flicked her wrists, sending them flying straight toward Catheriheir edges glinting in the moonlight.Catherine clicked her tongue in annoyand swiftly pointed her staff at the ining projectiles. The golden liquid below responded immediately, twisting upward as if obeying her will, f a fresh barrier midair.The daggers struck the shimmering wall—BOOM!An ued explosion rippled through the air, sending a shockwave outward. The golden liquid spshed in every dire, droplets scattering like tiny stars uhe moon.And then—POP!The moment the strange liquid touched my bubble prison, it ruptured without warning.“Was the water lemonade or something?!” I screamed as I suddenly plummeted toward the earth.The wind howled around me as I plummeted through the air, the ground rushing up to meet me far too quickly. My mind raced, panic creeping in as I realized how high up I had been, but there was no time for fear. I had to act."Think fast! THINK FAST!" My internal voice screamed at me, urging my body into a.I squeezed my eyes shut, fog all of my energy on the sensation I knew all too well. The familiar, f heat that spread through my body wheransformation took pce. My back tingled as I willed my wings ience. A surge of power raced through me, and in the blink of an eye, FWOOSH—the world around me suddenly slowed.A surge of warmth spread through me as a familiar weight settled on my back. The instant I felt my two pairs of wings unfold, my eyes snapped open. With a powerful fp, I pushed against the air, the sudden force jolting me mid-fall. My dest slowed just in time, narrowly avoiding what would have been a rather painful crash.But I barely registered my near escape. My focus locked onto ohing—Yuzu.Without hesitation, I propelled myself toward her, my butterfly wings beating furiously as I shot forward like an arrow."Yuzu!!" I cried out, my voice bursting with emotion as I closed the distan an instant.Before she could react, I crashed into her, ing my arms tightly around her.Yuzu let out a surprised squeak but quickly steadied herself, instinctively catg me. “Mashiro, it dangerous!” she scolded, though her grip on me remained firm, as if she had no iion of letting go.Yuzu held me close, her arms tightening around me as if afraid I would disappear. I could feel the rapid beat of her heart against my own, her warmth grounding me amidst the chaos.“Listen, Catherine, good witot bad,” I said firmly, trying to vey my message with vi.Yuzu's brow furrowed, and her fox ears twitched in doubt, the uainty in her expression palpable. “But... witch equals bad,” she repeated, her voice ced with hesitation. "Even witch self said witch is bad." She gnced between Catherine and me, her daggers still gripped tightly in her hands, poised as if ready to strike at any moment.Catheri out an exasperated sigh, her steps slow and deliberate as she approached us. The pale moonlight cast long shadows on the clearing, illuminating the flickering nterns we had left behind. The broken carriage sat to one side, its wheels cracked and tilted. The air was still, save for the faint rustling of leaves from the trees overhead. It felt as though the forest itself was holding its breath, waiting for what would e .Yuzu’s body tehe moment Catherine closed the distaween us, her eyes narrowing as she instinctively moved to draw a bde from her hidden holsters. I noticed the subtle shift in her posture, the way her muscles coiled, ready for a fight. I reached out aly took her wrist, squeezing it in a silent plea for calm. She met my gaze, hesitation flickering across her face, but I kept my expression soft, hoping to reassure her.“Don’t worry,” I whispered, giving her wrist a f squeeze.Yuzu’s eyes softened slightly, though the suspi still lingered behind them.Catherine, notig the tension, rubbed her temple in an almost defeated manner. “I was being sarcastic,” she muttered under her breath. “I didn’t actually mean—”But before she could finish, Yuzu suddenly shook her head. Her voice was firmer now, almost as if she had e to a sudden realization. “Not red hair witch,” she said, correg herself. “The sealed hunter sealy thingy witch. She really evil and want to bad thing.”At those words, something in Catherine’s demeanor shifted. Her posture, which had been rigid and defensive, softehe fairace of a smile tugged at her lips—more weary than malicious. She looked at Yuzu with a surprisileness in her crimson eyes, her gaze no longer filled with irritation but with uanding.“Please, trust me,” Catherine said quietly, her voice softer than I had ever heard it. There was siy in her words, a depth to the plea that reached beyond the walls of her usual guarded demeanor. “I’m not like other witches.”The silehat followed hung heavy in the air. The only sounds were the wind stirring the leaves and the distant crag of the nterns. It was as though the forest itself was holding its breath, waiting for Yuzu to make up her mind.A sharp crack rang out through the still night air as Catherine smmed the base of her staff into the ground with a force that made the earth vibrate slightly beh our feet. “Enough of this seal nonsense,” she snapped, her voice ced with irritatiohere was no real mali her tone—just frustration. “Yuzu, are you dorying to stab me, or do I o keep dodging?”Yuzu took a step back, though her grip on my arm didn’t loosen. Her dark, unwavering gaze flicked between Catherine and me, her brows furrowed in deep tration. She opened her mouth to retort but stopped herself, seeming to weigh her words carefully. “Hmph. Yuzu still think witch did bad thing,” she muttered, clearly relut. “But…” Her voice softened as her attention shifted to me, her eyes warming as she looked at me with a rare tenderness. “Mashiro wants peace. Yuzu listen.”I could feel the tension in the air loosen just slightly as Yuzu’s guard came down, if only a little. Catherine exhaled in relief, l her staff to the ground with a soft thud. “Finally. Now, we talk like rational people?”I let out a breath I hadn’t even realized I was holding, my wings fluttering slightly as I gnced betweewo. The air around us, once charged with energy, felt lighter now, though I could still sehe lingering unease in Yuzu’s posture. “Good,” I said with a small, nervous ugh. “Because if I had to watch you two fight any longer, I might’ve passed out from stress.”Yuzu pouted, her lower lip stig out as she gred at me with modignation. “Mashiro should trust Yuzu to win,” she huffed, her tone pyful but still holding onto that streak of prideI couldn’t help but ugh lightly at her expression, the tension finally breaking. “I trust you,” I reassured her, ruffling her hair a little. “I just also trust that Catherine won’t go down easily.”Catherine’s lips quivered into a smirk, and she gave me a knowing gnce. “Smart girl,” she said with a raised eyebrow, clearly pleased by my response.For the first time sihe battle had started, the air around us felt far less charged, the oppressive weight of our standoff easing as we took a step back from the brink.“Thank you, Yuzu, for at least being able to hear me,” Catherine said, a small, genuine smile, though her tone was still a bit wary.In a blink, Yuzu summoned a bright yellow citrus fruit from seemingly thin air. With a swift flick of her wrist, she tossed it at Catherine’s head with startling accuracy. The fruit made a soft thwack as it nded squarely oop of Catherine’s head.“Ack!” Catherine recoiled slightly, her hand immediately shooting up to rub her forehead where the fruit had struck. Her eyes narrowed as she shot a g Yuzu, clearly more surprised than hurt.Yuzu, lookiirely unbothered by the moment of mischief, crossed her arms proudly and puffed out her chest. “Only Yuzu and cuties like Mashiro and Lady Sumi get to call me ‘Yuzu.’” Her voice was firm but pyful, as if she were asserting some long-held rule.Catherine, her brow twitg slightly in frustration, raised an eyebrow. “Then what am I supposed to call you?” she asked, her patience wearing thin but clearly amused by the situation.Yuzu’s eyes gleamed mischievously, a faint smile pying at her lips. “Code Nine.”

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