Flower Fairy: After transmigrating again, I became An'an's younger brother.

As Xia Tong touched the black sphere and uttered the word "friend," the surface of the black sphere rippled outwards like a tranquil lake where a pebble had been thrown.

Immediately afterwards—

"friend……"

A voice emanated from it, its tone filled with an incredulous tremor, an almost greedy desire, and a hint of bewilderment as if suddenly awakened from a long slumber.

The moment the words left his mouth, the black ball became restless.

It slowly rose from Xia Tong's palm, hovering in mid-air, its surface shimmering with a dark purple light, its shape stretching and changing accordingly.

The light was not dazzling, but it had a deep, mellow quality that absorbed the surrounding light.

It started with a pair of slender toes, encased in black calf socks, wearing exquisite shoes adorned with dark gold patterns.

Then came layers upon layers of Gothic-style skirts, predominantly deep purple and black, with gold trim along the edges, like peach blossom petals dyed by the night.

The corset accentuates the waist, and there is a dark-colored peach blossom decoration at the chest, the corset, and on each side.

Her long, jet-black hair was neatly styled into two round buns on top of her head.

Finally, a stunningly beautiful face slowly emerged from the light.

Her eyelashes slowly lifted, revealing a pair of eyes completely different from her original form, Hongyu—no longer a clear and lively pink, but a deep orange-red, with a fiery light dancing deep within her pupils.

Her pale purple, translucent wings were fully extended behind her, their edges shimmering with a faint purple light.

Shadow Peach Blossom Elf King - Red Rain.

In stark contrast to her original innocent and carefree aura, which carried a sweet floral fragrance, she was surrounded by a deep, almost viscous longing.

From the moment she appeared, her gaze never left Xia Tong's face; her eyes were so focused they were almost greedy, as if she wanted to imprint everything about him on her mind.

"friend……"

She whispered it again, this time her voice much clearer, with a sense of confirmation and a deeper longing, "You called me... friend."

Then, Shadow Red Rain drifted forward a short distance, its orange-red eyes unblinking. "You are... my first friend. Mine."

"Hello!"

At that moment, a cold and clearly displeased voice suddenly rang out, breaking the eerie atmosphere.

Shadow Camellia crossed her arms and floated beside Xia Tong, her deep red eyes scrutinizing this newly appeared fellow being whose aura was unpleasant.

From her "dark, heavy, and suffocating" dress, to the "utterly pathetic" sticky look in her eyes, the gaze finally settled on her face, which resembled Hong Yu's but was far more gloomy.

Shadow Camellia's evaluation was blunt, revealing her sharp tongue:

"What terrible taste is this? Pitch black, purplish-blue... It's so unlucky, and the eyes are all sticky. Just looking at it makes me feel bad."

Her tone was full of the critical disdain of a queen scrutinizing an unqualified subject. "The one over there may be silly, but at least it looks pretty. This one, on the other hand, looks like a stale, spoiled peach blossom petal."

Shadow Tsubaki's rant reached Shadow Red Rain's ears clearly and accurately.

It was only then that An Ying Hong Yu "noticed" that there was another person beside Xia Tong.

"Are you also... a 'friend'?"

She spoke, while mentally comparing her to the image of her "good friend".

However, Shadow Red Rain did not wait for Shadow Tsubaki's response, which was destined not to be a positive one. Instead, she went ahead and, with an air of certainty as if stating a fact, delivered her verdict:

"You're not gentle."

Her gaze fell on Shadow Chun's tightly pursed lips and slightly raised eyebrows. "Your eyes are like thorns."

"You don't seem to be sharing either."

Her gaze swept over Shadow Camellia's crossed arms, a gesture that refused to come closer.

Finally, she raised her eyes and met the gaze of Shadow Tsubaki, whose anger had instantly flared even more intensely because of her words, and said clearly, word by word:

"...You are not a 'friend'."

Shadow Camellia was taken aback at first, and then an indescribable sense of absurdity and anger of being offended suddenly flared up.

She's lived this long and has never been judged by such a childish and arbitrary standard, let alone been directly expelled from the "friendship"!

"Huh?! You..."

Just as Shadow Camellia parted her red lips slightly, about to begin a new and more incisive "exchange"—

"Tsubaki..."

Xia Tong raised his hand and grabbed the waist of Shadow Chun, who was floating beside him and facing the cold aura emanating from Shadow Red Rain.

「!?」

Shadow Chun was completely unprepared for Xia Tong's sudden move, her body instantly stiffened, and her words came to an abrupt halt.

She only had time to let out a short gasp before Xia Tong gently pulled her down a short distance with an undeniable, gentle force.

He was no longer in a suspended state where he was at eye level with Dark Shadow Red Rain, but in a slightly lower position, being held in front of Xia Tong.

This posture directly interrupted her poised confrontation and forced her to get closer to Xia Tong.

"...!"

An Yingchun raised her face and glared at Xia Tong, her ears instantly turning a light red, whether from anger or something else, it was hard to tell.

After successfully (physically) suppressing the "Queen" beside her who could explode at any moment, Xia Tong maintained the posture of holding Shadow Chun in front of her while calmly mobilizing her magic power.

Then a subtle, telepathic message, perceptible only to the two of them, quietly reached Shadow Chun's ears:

"Tsubaki, this Kurenai's personality seems... a bit different from what I expected."

The shadowy camellia in her arms was still somewhat stiff, but she didn't really struggle.

After hearing the telepathic message, she looked up at Xia Tong again, then coldly swept her gaze over the shadowy figure in front of her who was still staring at Xia Tong with sticky eyes, and used the same subtle magic to send back a disdainful remark:

"It's more than just 'slightly different'! Using this self-righteous standard to judge others? Naïve! Ridiculous!"

Her voice echoed in Xia Tong's mind, carrying distinct emotional fluctuations, but it was much more restrained than her previous direct confrontation—

After all, being held like this made her feel inexplicably... lacking in presence.

"Who knows? Based on Hongyu's gentle and easy-going nature at the peach tree, I thought her darker side would be similar to Chun's."

Upon hearing this, Shadow Chun instinctively wanted to retort, "Who resembles her?", but Xia Tong then "said":

"Speaking of which, it feels like I've accidentally discovered one of my own little-known...quirks?"

Upon hearing this, Shadow Chun shifted almost imperceptibly in Xia Tong's arms, seemingly trying to find a more comfortable or "impressive" position, but ultimately only let out another hum, the tone still haughty, but less fiery, and more complex:

"Hmph, boring... Only you would analyze this with such patience. Look at her, once she's hooked, there's no getting rid of her. What a troublemaker... Look at all the trouble you've caused."

The last sentence is less of a complaint and more of a witty resignation with a subtle tolerance.

Shadow Chun also knew that Xia Tong always had an extra sense of responsibility towards the existence he created or brought forth for "himself".

Xia Tong sensed the change in An Ying Chun's tone, then gently tightened her arms and transmitted her voice:

"Yeah, it's a bit unusual. But since we're out here, we have to face it. Why don't you rest for a bit? I'll talk to her and take care of Shanshan's matter while I'm at it."

Shadow Camellia remained silent for two seconds.

She glanced at the shadowy figure in front of her, whose attention was completely focused on Xia Tong and who seemed to have lost interest in her (or rather, ignored her after judging her as "not a friend"), and then felt the reassuring warmth and the strength of the embrace coming from behind her.

"...Whatever you want."

She muttered a final, soft sound, not as a telepathic message, but as a genuine voice, tinged with reluctance.

Immediately afterwards, Shadow Chun's body transformed into specks of deep red light in Xia Tong's arms. These specks of light quickly gathered and condensed, eventually becoming a card that gently fell into Xia Tong's outstretched hand.

After carefully putting the Shadow Camellia card into her pocket, Xia Tong's gaze returned to Shadow Red Rain in front of her, her expression as calm as if the little incident had never happened.

However, Shadow Red Rain's deep orange-red eyes were fixed on Xia Tong from beginning to end, and naturally did not miss any detail of his touching and "moving" Shadow Camellia.

She watched as Xia Tong's arm encircled that "ungentle" and "not a friend" kindred spirit, watching the other person go from being agitated to stiff, and finally turning into points of light and back into a card.

The gloom that already existed in her eyes seemed to deepen. Her gaze lingered briefly on Xia Tong's arm as she held Shadow Chun, before quickly returning to Xia Tong's face after the cards were put into her pocket.

That focused, almost obsessive gaze, besides the unchanging, burning desire, also subtly contained a hint of inscrutable darkness.

As the Shadow Peach Blossom Elf Queen, she shared the same understanding and naturally comprehended what that intimate contact and convenient method of retraction meant.

The contract of protection is a connection that is far closer and takes precedence over "verbal friends".

A subtle sense of comparison and dissatisfaction quietly began to grow in her heart.

Xia Tong met her gaze calmly, even with a hint of inquisitive curiosity, as if she were examining a new friend who needed to be understood.

The word "friend" seems to be particularly important to you?

He asked in a gentle tone, his voice not loud, but clearly reaching the ears of Dark Shadow Red Rain.

Dark Shadow Red Rain's body trembled almost imperceptibly, as if the word itself had touched a chord in her heart.

She nodded vigorously, her dark hair swaying slightly with the movement.

"Important, extremely important."

Her speech quickened, her voice tinged with an urgent, almost obsessive emotion, and her orange-red eyes shone even brighter with excitement.

"No one has ever called me that before. I've heard these words far too many times: wish, fulfillment, trouble, relief, mistake, retraction. Every time it's 'Red Rain, please grant my wish,' and then it's 'Red Rain, this is wrong, make it disappear.' Only 'friend'... this is the first time."

The voice of Dark Shadow Red Rain reveals a long-accumulated loneliness, and a near-morbid appreciation for a particular word fermented by this loneliness.

Then, she floated forward a little, her gaze becoming even more intense as she looked at Xia Tong, filled with complete dependence and a hint of cautious inquiry:

"So, we're friends now, right? You called me that yourself, you chose to be my 'friend.' You'll need me, right? Just like... just like you needed 'her'?"

In the last half of her sentence, her voice lowered, and her gaze swept meaningfully over Xia Tong's pocket where the cards were kept. The "ungentle" kind inside clearly possessed a more solid "need" that she had not yet obtained.

Looking at the complex expression in her eyes, a mixture of extreme longing and a hint of unease, Xia Tong gained a clearer understanding of this newly born Shadow Peach Blossom Elf King and Hong Yu, who was currently in the peach blossom tree.

Of course, there were also some speechless complaints—

Um (¯―¯٥), really? Given Hongyu's gentle and easy-going nature, how could she not have a single friend? That doesn't make sense. Based on her personality alone, she should be as popular as Qianhan…

These thoughts vanished in an instant.

Xia Tong looked at An Ying Hong Yu with pity in his eyes. He did not avoid her comparison about "needs," but nodded frankly, giving a clear and inclusive answer:

"Yes, of course, we're already friends. And I'd be happy to be friends with you, Hongyu."

These words were like a key, instantly unlocking all the light in Shadow Red Rain's eyes.

The gloomy undertones seemed to be somewhat diluted by this pure joy, and the corners of her mouth couldn't help but turn up, forming a bright smile that still carried a hint of stubbornness.

"That's great... my friend..."

She repeated it happily, as if she had finally grasped something she had been searching for.