Just as Mina was about to turn away, she saw Duyên leisurely walking over. Duyên was a little surprised to see both Mina and Shana here. Unlike Shana, who cheerfully waved at her, Mina looked flustered and embarrassed.
Before anyone even said a word, Mina had already begun explaining herself.
"Duyên, it's not what you think. I wasn't following you or secretly trailing you here."
Duyên froze, while Shana raised an eyebrow. She found it amusing. Mina was usually so cold and rational, yet the moment Duyên was involved, she would start stammering and panicking. She practically exposed herself without anyone asking.
Duyên, however, did not seem to care at all. She smiled softly and walked over to the two of them.
"You came here because you were worried about me. I know."
Hearing those words, Mina immediately calmed down. It felt as though warm water had been poured over her wildly beating heart. The atmosphere here was cool and peaceful. It was difficult for Mina not to fall for Duyên all over again.
Seeing this, Shana suddenly felt a faint bitterness in her chest. She cleared her throat, clasped her hands behind her back, and stepped closer.
"Duyên, if we're talking about worrying and caring about you, I deserve some credit too."
Mina rolled her eyes and mocked her.
"You mean by wandering from one luxury boutique to another?"
Shana was left speechless. She kept smiling, though it now looked rather awkward. Duyên raised an eyebrow at Shana before bursting into laughter.
Shana immediately began waving her hands around as she defended herself.
"So what? It wasn't even my money. If someone insists on treating me, am I supposed to refuse? Wouldn't that just be disrespecting their kindness?"
Duyên laughed even harder. She knew Shana's playful, fun-loving personality very well. And honestly, she simply let Shana do whatever made her happy.
Seeing Duyên laugh, Shana puffed out her cheeks. She mistakenly thought Duyên had misunderstood something. Her voice became tiny, almost like the chirping of a cricket.
"...But I only love you, Duyên. That isn't cheating..."
Hearing that, Duyên gently took Shana's hand and softly stroked it. She whispered back,
"I know... and I love you too."
There was no way that scene could escape Mina's jealous eyes. No one knew what incredible self-control she used to suppress her jealousy without completely exploding. She simply reached over, grabbed Duyên's hand, and pulled her firmly toward herself. Her voice was blunt.
"Enough. Don't stay here any longer. Let's go home, Duyên."
Duyên looked at Mina in surprise before replying apologetically,
"But... I already promised Haru that I'd stay here for one night."
The anger Mina had been desperately suppressing suddenly burst out. Yet instead of becoming violent, it surfaced in another way. Her eyes stung slightly, and she looked at Duyên with an expression that was both angry and strangely adorable.
"Haru! Haru! It's always her and that child! Do you have any idea how much I've wanted us to spend just one night together ever since... after everything that happened? We promised each other! And yet everything you talk about is that little girl. I...!"
Mina looked as though she wanted to continue. But she suddenly realized that everything she was saying barely made any sense. If someone else overheard this, they would surely think she was overreacting.
Was Mina really... jealous of a child?
Duyên, however, stood there in silence. Her chest felt unbearably heavy with guilt. She truly felt responsible for all of this. Even Shana, who had been about to crack another joke, quietly fell silent.
Mina's voice became choked with emotion. She buried her face against Duyên's chest as though searching for comfort. Duyên gently wrapped her arms around Mina.
"I'm sorry... I should have paid more attention to your feelings..."
"No, Duyên. If you say that..."
After a while, Mina finally lifted her head.
She sniffled softly.
"I'm sorry. I'm the one being unreasonable. Duyên, you're a kind person. That's why you can't simply abandon that child. I understand that completely... Duyên, if you really like that little girl so much... then let's raise her together."
As she spoke, Mina cupped Duyên's cheeks with both hands.
"You're too important to me. I can do anything for you. I'll accept anything."
"Oh, Mina..."
Hearing those words only made Duyên feel even more guilty. The truth was, raising that child had never been Duyên's intention. She had never even imagined herself—or wished—to raise a child someday.
Even now...
Raise that little girl?
Could they really do something like that?
Duyên honestly didn't know. And she also knew very well that Mina hated that idea with all her heart. She didn't want Mina to feel that she was sacrificing herself... for love.
So she said,
"Mina... regarding the idea of raising that little girl, I don't think I have the right to make that decision. I also don't think I'm capable of it, nor have I ever wanted to raise a child. Especially when everything is still so chaotic right now. Making a decision like that would be far too rushed."
"But didn't you...!"
Mina was about to argue. However, Duyên continued before she could finish.
"But Mina, you're right about one thing. The reason I came here was also because of my own selfishness. I simply couldn't leave that little girl behind. I only wanted to help everyone here take care of her. It was never my intention to take her away from her mother."
Mina fell silent. Something suddenly became clear to her. Whether it was relief... or a quiet sense of unease, even she could not tell. Even so, her hands never let go of Duyên's, not even for a moment. Duyên nodded.
A trace of sadness suddenly appeared in her eyes. It looked as though she wanted to talk about something. But in the end, she held it back.
Inside her mind, Eri's figure appeared.
Beautiful.
And shrouded in darkness.
As though she were about to disappear at any moment, like a blade slicing through a fragile thread. Duyên quickly shook her head.
"Anyway, I already promised Haru I'd stay here tonight. So... how about the three of us stay here together? Would that be okay?"
Almost instinctively, Shana and Mina turned to look at each other. Neither of them objected very strongly. It was just that... each of them clearly had very different ideas about what "staying together" actually meant.
At that moment, Amuro casually draped a towel around his neck and slowly wandered over. Looking genuinely surprised, he asked,
"Why is everyone here?"
---
After enjoying the magical hot tub at the fox village, the three girls changed into thin yukata, their bodies smooth and damp as they stepped out of the large bath. They were assigned a private stilt house, quite far from the fox community, as Haru had said, for privacy.
At first, Duyên was quite confused, as she truly didn't understand their intentions. But as soon as she entered the room, she felt a hand deliberately pushing her inside.
Turn around in bewilderment, she saw Mina and Shana looking at her with strange eyes. Their gaze was seductive yet also like that of predators, staring at Duyên with hungry eyes. It seemed that seeing her naked body in the bath without doing anything was their ultimate limit.
Before Duyên could understand what was happening, the two beauties attacked her with kisses and passionate touches. The entire room was filled with an atmosphere of lovemaking for hours, the moans making one blush.
Afterward, the three of them fell asleep tangled together.
Duyên found herself trapped between the legs of the two women sleeping beside her. Countless hickeys covered her body, her back ached with exhaustion, and even breathing felt a little difficult.
Yet, despite all of that, Duyên felt an overwhelming sense of relief.
The truth was, she had been carrying a great deal of pressure from both her work and her personal life. Everything that had happened recently had left her anxious and deeply stressed. She constantly felt caught between different sides, wishing she could somehow find a solution that would leave no one hurt, yet having no idea where to begin.
At least for tonight, even if only for a brief moment, she had finally managed to let all of those burdens go.
She turned her head to look at Mina, who was fast asleep. It was a rare sight. Mina had always struggled with insomnia. Perhaps she had been working far harder than anyone realized.
The thought made Duyên smile softly. Mina looked unexpectedly adorable while sleeping. Unable to resist, she gently reached out and caressed Mina's beautiful face.
Even in her sleep, Mina instinctively nuzzled against Duyên's palm. That tiny unconscious gesture alone made the moment feel priceless.
Duyên then turned to look at Shana—Her heart nearly leaped out of her chest.
Shana was staring straight at her with those brilliant sapphire-blue eyes.
"Oh my goodness...!"
Duyên hurriedly covered her own mouth, afraid she might wake Mina. She quickly glanced back. Fortunately, Mina was still sound asleep. Only then did Duyên let out a quiet sigh of relief.
"Oh my goodness..."
she whispered, her cheeks burning bright red.
"Why are you still awake? Earlier I could've sworn I heard you snoring..."
Shana burst into soft laughter. Under the faint light spilling into the room, her already beautiful face looked even more enchanting.
"I was only pretending to make a few sleepy noises. Don't tell me you really can't tell the difference between me sighing and me snoring."
Duyên's face grew even redder.
To be fair, Shana's snoring really didn't sound that different. Sometimes it even sounded more intense than actual moaning. Anyone hearing it from outside would probably think something very inappropriate was happening inside the room.
In reality...
It was simply Shana snoring.
The first time Duyên heard it, she had been completely shocked.
But after living with Shana for so long, she had gradually gotten used to it. Even so, she still felt embarrassed because Shana had witnessed how gently she had treated Mina.
She had expected Shana to tease her as usual.
Instead—She heard a quiet sigh.
Shana shifted slightly, pulling the blanket over her chest.
"You're always like this. I've always noticed how much extra attention you give Mina. She's changed a lot now, but she's still so stubborn that you can't help worrying about her. Honestly... it makes me jealous."
Duyên heard the sweetness in Shana's gentle voice, yet hidden beneath it was an unmistakable bitterness born of jealousy. It was rare to see Shana jealous.
"I do care about her," Duyên replied softly, "but that doesn't mean I'm deliberately ignoring you..."
Shana remained silent, still wearing a slightly sulky expression. Duyên scooted closer again, nestling against her affectionately. Shana couldn't help laughing.
"Where did you learn that trick? Don't think everything's settled just because I'm always soft on you. Be careful... I might bite you."
"Ah..."
Almost instinctively, Duyên reached up and touched her neck, where countless hickeys still remained. Seeing that, Shana immediately softened.
"Silly girl... I was only joking."
Her voice suddenly became quieter.
"But..."
She gazed absentmindedly into the darkness.
"I was never truly human. I've spent my life drifting from one relationship to another, moving from one man to the next. Every time, I thought I was in love. I thought I had given everything I had. And yet...None of those short-lived romances ever truly mattered to me. I never even realized how much I had hurt them."
She turned back toward Duyên. Only then did she notice that Duyên had been listening with complete attention. Tears had already begun to gather in the corners of her eyes. Emotion welled up inside Shana.
"And then I met you. I fell in love with you. At first, I thought this relationship would come and go just like all the others. But you carved yourself so deeply into my heart. Only then did I realize... I had never truly loved anyone before. Now I understand what love really feels like. When you truly love someone, you don't want to share them with anyone else. You want to be the only one in their heart. Forever. Never separated."
Duyên could hardly hold back her emotions. She opened her mouth to speak. But Shana continued first.
"Fate really has a cruel sense of humor. You ended up meeting two women who love you enough to die for you—me and Mina. And that's not all. There are countless other women... and even men... who like you as well. They're all remarkable people. They're all sincere. If you gave any one of them a chance... I'd bet they'd willingly follow you even into hell."
Shana laughed quietly. It was a bitter laugh. Yet it was also filled with warmth for everything they had experienced together.
"I know this is only the beginning of our lives together. Living as one family. So...I'm going to do my best to live a new life. For you. And for everyone."
Duyên quickly reached over and held Shana's hand.
"I'm sorry, Shana..."
"Don't say that..."
Shana rested her forehead gently against Duyên's. Their fingers intertwined tightly.
"No matter what happens, Duyên..."
Her voice became almost a whisper.
"Tonight...Just let me be a little selfish."
Their eyes met, then noses and lips...
Time quietly slipped by.
Over the next month, everyone took turns caring for the little girl. Even Mina's popular friends and Đào's friends came to help. Some brought sweets. Others brought toys. Even though it would be a long time before the child was old enough to use any of them. Deep down, everyone seemed to believe that this little girl would remain with them for a very long time.
One day... She would become an irreplaceable member of their family.
Since the little girl had no name yet, and no one dared give her one before her mother's trial officially began, everyone affectionately called her "the little witch."
Her adorable face, together with the ocean-blue eyes she had inherited from her mother, reminded everyone of the Shigonami fox maidens, whose eyes shared the exact same shade of blue.
That was how the nickname came to be.
Mina, who had once absolutely hated the idea of taking the child in, still couldn't say she liked it.
She continued to avoid interacting with the little girl whenever possible, deliberately keeping her distance. But she also couldn't bear to stay away from Duyên for too long.
As she quietly watched Duyên care for the child day after day, something deep inside Mina began to feel strangely familiar.
More than once, she found herself wanting to step closer just to look at the little girl. Yet every time, reason told her not to. Even so...
There seemed to be an inexplicable bond between the two of them. As time passed, that feeling only became stronger.
And that frightened Mina even more.
Had she forgotten something important?
Eri's trial was drawing closer with each passing day. They didn't have much time left.
Recently, violent and unnatural thunderstorms had begun appearing frequently over Starfall City. Terrifying lightning strikes set trees ablaze and split ancient trunks apart.
Then, on one stormy night, a long line of black cars made their way toward the city's grand courthouse.
It was a closed trial. A trial held entirely in secret.