Chapter 2: The Silver-Haired Girl

"You said it, no take-backs." Kagumo’s face brightened with excitement.

"I won’t." Mo Ying replied. When she had stood by the window earlier, she had indeed thought about jumping, but the thought had been fleeting. There was still a will to live inside her, and Kagumo had completely dispelled her desire to die.

Making such an adorable girl cry would be a sin—this life-saving favor, she owed her.

Hearing Mo Ying’s reassurance, Kagumo smiled, picked up a bowl of porridge, and said, "I’m Kagumo. It’s the perfect temperature now—eat up."

"Oh, and water!" Kagumo suddenly remembered and dashed out of the room.

Mo Ying took a spoonful of porridge. The temperature was just right, the flavor perfectly balanced—not bad.

Now that she thought about it… she looked at her bandaged hands and clenched her fists slightly. There was only a faint sting—not enough to be a problem. The wounds must have already scabbed over. Recovering this quickly in just a few days—only an Life-Affinity User could pull that off.

So, was she really meant to survive? At her most desperate moment, she had encountered someone like Kagumo.

Mo Ying watched as Kagumo rushed back in. This girl was far too careless. What if she had saved the wrong person?

"Do you need my help? But your hands should be fine for holding things now. I have full confidence in my ability." Kagumo set the water down.

"Hm." Mo Ying nodded and took a sip.

"But the wounds on the rest of your body are more severe, so don’t do anything too intense. A few more days, and you’ll be good as new." Kagumo advised.

"Thank you." Mo Ying said softly.

"You should be thanking me." Kagumo accepted the gratitude without hesitation.

Mo Ying silently finished her porridge and water, while Kagumo watched with approval, pleased with her good appetite.

"Aren’t you going to ask me anything?" Mo Ying finally asked when she noticed Kagumo didn’t press further.

"Ask you? Ask what? Your real identity? What happened to you? Would you even answer?" Kagumo shot back.

"…" Mo Ying fell silent. Of course, she wouldn’t.

"Technically, I should’ve called the police when I found you. The other people in the hotel said the same thing." Kagumo said.

Mo Ying immediately shot up from the bed, ready to bolt. But before she could, Kagumo quickly added, "But I didn’t."

Mo Ying hesitated, then slowly sat back down. Because of her sudden movement, some blood seeped through her bandages.

"True, if you had reported me, I wouldn’t be here. So why didn’t you?"

"Because I’m not exactly normal! Hehe. I don’t have an affinity for fate or anything, but I know you’re not a bad person—I’m sure of it." Kagumo said.

Besides, she had met a mysterious tarot reader not long ago. The reader had warned her: For the next few days, avoid going to the police station. Then, without another word, she disappeared. Kagumo had sensed it—whoever that reader was, she was an Affinity User.

"Thanks. But you didn’t just rely on your gut feeling, did you?" Mo Ying glanced toward the door. There was a barely noticeable glimmer of light.

"If I step out of this room, you’ll know immediately."

Kagumo grinned. "Sharp. You noticed fast. It’s just a precaution. I trust my own judgment, but I can’t risk the lives of everyone else in the inn on a whim. Still, I didn’t expect you to try jumping out the window."

"I don’t feel like doing that anymore." Mo Ying reassured her again. "You’re pretty young, but you think things through quite well."

Kagumo puffed up a little with pride, but then suddenly had a thought. "Wait, how old do you think I am?"

Mo Ying looked at Kagumo’s cute face and petite stature, hesitating before answering, "Fourteen?"

"I’M SIXTEEN! HOW DARE YOU?!" Kagumo fumed. People always mistook her for a kid because of her height.

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"Oh. My bad." Mo Ying blinked. She had even guessed up by a year, and yet—well, who would’ve thought?

She watched as Kagumo angrily chugged her milk. For a girl, sixteen was usually the age where growth slowed down…

But Mo Ying herself had grown five centimeters during high school, making her already tall frame even taller. Maybe there was still hope for Kagumo?

"I haven’t grown at all in a whole year…" Kagumo muttered under her breath.

Oh. Yeah, no hope.

Well, being petite is cute too, Mo Ying thought. But she wisely kept that to herself—for the sake of Kagumo’s fragile heart.

Thud! Kagumo set her cup down heavily onto the table.

"The clothes over there—put them on. I picked them based on your size. Just stay in the room for today."

Kagumo grabbed her cup and left. But minutes later, she came back in—with chocolate milk and a chocolate pastry.

She set them down, then flopped onto her own bed and started scrolling through her phone.

Ten minutes passed. Mo Ying, sitting nearby, stared at her.

Kagumo finally snapped. "Why are you just watching me play on my phone?!"

"I’m bored." Mo Ying answered simply, inarguably.

Kagumo: "…"

She was silent. She thought it over. Then, she pulled out a laptop.

"Here. No important files on it."

Mo Ying was genuinely touched. What a good person.

And so, one person played on their phone, while the other browsed on a laptop. A peaceful, heartwarming scene…?

"Aaaahhhh!!" Kagumo’s sudden scream shattered the tranquility.

"Why is climbing the ranked ladder pure suffering?!" After losing more times than she could count, Kagumo furiously tossed her phone aside.

A staff member passing by outside breathed a sigh of relief. They had been worried Mo Ying had murdered her.

Mo Ying, watching a drama, took off her headphones. "Need help?"

Kagumo glanced at her bandaged hands. "No."

Mo Ying flexed her fingers. She felt fine. Playing a game wouldn’t be enough to reopen her wounds.

"You’ve been stuck for a while, right? It’s fine."

Kagumo looked at her phone’s game-over screen, then at Mo Ying’s hands. Her healer instincts and her gamer frustration wrestled in her mind.

While the angel and devil Kagumo argued with each other, Mo Ying had already taken the phone naturally.

What a coincidence—it was a game she had played before, though with a different character.

Dodging, attacking, unleashing skills—She executed every move with flawless precision. A flawless triple kill! The in-game chat exploded: Hard carry us, please!

Ten minutes later, the enemy base fell. Victory.

Mo Ying handed the phone back. Kagumo, stunned, robotically took it, staring at the results screen.

Wait. That’s it? Just like that? That made all her struggles before look like a joke.

"I’ve played this game before. It’s not hard. You’ll get better with practice." Mo Ying said.

Kagumo turned to her, eyes teary. "Legend, guide me to victory!"

Mo Ying: ...Oh, so my injuries don’t matter anymore? Is this what peak gaming addiction looks like?

But Kagumo’s conscience made a quick comeback. She took her phone back and removed Mo Ying’s bandages. The scabbed wounds were slightly reopened.

Scolding her inner devil, Kagumo used her ability to heal them again.

"Forget it. I’ll train myself."

Fifteen minutes later, Kagumo stared at yet another defeat screen.

Another defeated scream rang out. The staff rushed over again—just in case.

Still alive. The staff and a passing janitor patted their chests in relief.

Kagumo furiously uninstalled the game—for the fifth time, and counting.

Chugging the last of her milk and finishing her pastry, she decided to rent an e-bike to clear her mind.

Mo Ying wanted to go, too.

"No. I don’t want to see your wounds open up again today." Kagumo mercilessly shut her down.

Mo Ying sighed and turned on an anime.

"At least you look much better now." Kagumo noted.

Mo Ying paused. She had only woken up less than a day ago, but her state of mind had already improved so much. Strange.

"Looks like I don’t have to worry about you running into Death’s embrace anymore. But I’ll still have someone keep an eye on you." Kagumo said.

The door shut, leaving Mo Ying alone. She gazed out the window.

"Fate… is truly unpredictable."

Two days later, Kagumo felt that Mo Ying was well enough to go outside.

"You should go out for a walk," Kagumo suggested.

Mo Ying eagerly stepped toward the door, looking noticeably excited.

"Slow down," Kagumo reminded her, naturally following close behind—she couldn’t let a patient wander off alone.

The hotel was in a secluded area, but it had everything one could need— a gym, a recreation area, a restaurant, and even a garden with a fountain at its center.

The sunlight was just right, reflecting off the rippling water, while the flowers thrived in full bloom.

Kagumo’s gaze, however, landed on a silver-haired girl nearby. Sunlight poured over her, making her seem as if she was glowing. Her amber eyes shimmered like the sun itself.

"They take good care of this place," Mo Ying remarked.

"Hm? What do you mean?" Kagumo, who had just shifted her gaze from the girl to the flowers, asked.

"These flowers—some of them aren’t even in season, yet they’re blooming beautifully," Mo Ying noted.

Kagumo glanced at the vibrant blossoms, each unique—some delicate, some reserved, and others strikingly bold, competing for attention.

"This hotel doesn’t get many guests, yet every facility is so well-maintained… Don’t tell me this place is actually just the owner’s personal retreat?" she mused, recalling how a cleaner once mentioned that the owner was some rich heir.