“How about this, Zerene, why don’t you step outside for a bit?” Yae-hime tried to mediate.

“I don’t want to. She’s already seen me before, so I want to see her too!” Zerene pouted, lips curling in protest.

“But Lili’s shy,” Yae-hime said gently.

“I’m not shy at all!” Lili immediately shot back.

“If you’re not shy, then why are you trying to chase me out?” Zerene asked.

“I… I…” That single question left Lili completely at a loss. ‘Right… if I’m not shy, then why am I making her leave… Wait, whether I’m shy or not has nothing to do with whether she stays here! I just don’t want her to see me, that’s all!’

Just as Lili gathered her thoughts and was about to speak, Zerene beat her to it. “Oh, so you really are insecure!”

“I’m not insecure!” Lili shouted.

“Then let me take a look.”

“N-no way.”

“See? Totally insecure, hehe!”

“I said I’m not!”

Watching the two bicker like first-year grade schoolers, Yae-hime couldn’t help but smile, a soft chuckle slipping out.

“Little Hime, what are you laughing at!” Lili complained, grabbing her hand and shaking it.

“Little Hime is laughing at how funny you are!” Zerene mimicked her tone perfectly.

“How about this, you two play rock-paper-scissors. Whoever wins gets their way.”

Feeling that this could drag on forever, Yae-hime came up with a simple solution.

“Rock-paper-scissors?” The two tilted their heads at the same time, confusion written all over their faces.

“It works like this…” Yae-hime quickly explained the method and rules.

The moment they heard it, they understood. “Alright, we’ll decide it with rock-paper-scissors!”

“Rock, paper, scissors!”

As soon as the words fell, both of them made their moves in unison. Lili chose rock. Zerene chose paper. Zerene took the first round. One more win, and she would claim total victory.

The atmosphere suddenly tightened. Lili’s expression turned more serious than ever before. She absolutely did not want to lose to Zerene. On the other side, Zerene looked completely relaxed. As if she already had victory in the bag.

“Second round, begin.” At Yae-hime’s call, the two struck again. The ferocity of their movements, the intensity in their eyes, made it feel no different from a real battle.

“Rock, paper, scissors!” They clashed fiercely, like a dragon and tiger vying for supremacy! Lili once again chose rock. Zerene, once again, chose paper. Best of three. Lili was utterly defeated.

“How could this happen!?” Staring at her own fist, she couldn’t help but cry out in despair.

“Hehe! Victory is mine!” Zerene said cheerfully.

“How did I lose to her…” Lili lowered her head, a wave of frustration welling up inside.

“Hehe, I’m the winner, so I have the right to stay here!” Zerene stuck out her tongue at Lili in a playful taunt.

Lili was so angry she nearly had steam rising from her head, but a bet was a bet, and she held herself back from exploding.

“Alright, let’s begin.” At that moment, Yae-hime looked over and said with a calm smile.

“Uuu…” Lili let out a soft whine as she reluctantly began to remove her clothes. With each piece she took off, the blush on her face deepened, which only made it more entertaining for Zerene to watch. At last, after what felt like forever, Lili stood there as if newly born.

Yae-hime examined her carefully and noticed quite a few imperfections across her body. Yet none of them diminished her overall beauty. Lili was like an unpolished jade, one that would soon radiate dazzling brilliance with just a bit of careful refinement.

Zerene was also observing her body, but this time she didn’t make any snide remarks. Because she knew very well that once Yae-hime finished the beauty treatment, Lili wouldn’t be inferior to her by much at all.

‘My chest is just a tiny bit bigger. That’s one round won!’ Zerene lightly clenched her fist, thinking to herself.1 The clash between flat against flat was just that cruel, pitiful, and tragically ironic.

Lili lay on the bed, her small body trembling faintly, a soft blush tinting her skin. She was nervous, and terribly shy.

“Relax, it’s fine,” Yae-hime said in a gentle voice.

“Mm… okay, I’ll try,” Lili nodded. She took several deep breaths, trying to steady herself.

Sensing the moment was right, Yae-hime began the beauty treatment. Emerald flames ignited in both her hands, then flowed across Lili’s body like twin dragons surging forth. Wherever the green flames passed, every blemish and imperfection on her skin vanished instantly.

Under Yae-hime’s careful touch and adjustments, the contours of her body became increasingly refined and harmonious.

“Amazing…” Zerene couldn’t help but murmur, her voice brimming with undisguised astonishment and awe as she watched Yae-hime’s almost miraculous technique.

Time ticked by, second after second. Lili was no longer tense, no—instead, her expression had gone completely vacant. Like a girl ascending again and again into bliss, until her consciousness drifted away. If her eyes had rolled back and her lips parted with a faint sheen of moisture, the resemblance would have been even stronger.

Fifteen minutes later, with her wealth of experience, Yae-hime finally withdrew her hands and revealed a satisfied smile. “All done!” Without a doubt, this was yet another masterpiece in her beauty-care repertoire.

“It’s… done?” Lili blinked, finally snapping back to her senses.

“It’s done,” Yae-hime replied.

“This is…” Lili raised her hand. The moment she saw that flawless, delicate hand, it felt as though her heart had been struck hard.

The shock was indescribable. ‘This beautiful hand… is actually part of my own body. I love it!’ Her gaze moved downward with excitement, from her arm to her smooth, flat abdomen, every inch flawless beyond reproach.

“Is this really my body?” Lili asked in disbelief.

“Without a doubt,” Yae-hime said with a smile.

“Lili, did you go silly? If it’s not your body, whose could it be? Though it’s still a bit inferior to mine, it’s undeniably a pretty body.” Zerene crossed her arms, speaking with complete confidence.

In her mind, she had clearly won in terms of chest. What she didn’t know was that Lili thought the exact same thing. Such was the pitiful, tragic, yet oddly heroic clash between flats.

“I… I actually look this good!” Lili exclaimed in surprise as she got off the bed and looked into the mirror. Her already delicate and adorable face had now reached an entirely new level.

“Wow, how narcissistic,” Zerene scoffed. ‘I’m obviously the prettier one!’

“It’s getting late. Hurry up and get dressed, then come downstairs for breakfast.” Yae-hime urged them. She still had plenty of things to handle today. If they kept dawdling, she might not finish everything.

“Got it!” Zerene obediently slipped into her elegant celestial dress.

Lili responded with a cheerful sound and happily put on her small dress. That smile of hers was, without question, the most beautiful Yae-hime had ever seen.

‘As expected, girls really do love beauty.’ She couldn’t help but think.

Once they were fully dressed, Yae-hime led them downstairs. The moment they reached the dining hall, everyone let out gasps of astonishment. Clearly, they were all stunned by Lili’s complete transformation.

Especially Layna, who stared in utter amazement. ‘No, later I have to ask Princess for a beauty treatment too!’ The instant she came back to her senses, her eyes burned with eagerness as she looked at Yae-hime, her heart filled with longing.

After breakfast, Yae-hime and the others headed to the church warehouse to continue making the so-called holy water.

***

Meanwhile, in the outside world.

The aftershocks caused by that video were still spreading. Some believed it was hype for a movie. Some thought it was an alien invasion. Some believed it marked the return of terror. Some…

“Lisa, you may protect her for a while, but not forever.” In a villa courtyard in Canada, an old man watched the battle footage, blazing fury igniting in his eyes. “The grudge of Lucky, the grudge of the Small Sword Group… can only be washed clean with Ye-hime’s blood!”