"How did I end up here?"

Yui (thinking to herself as she stares at the ceiling of the luxurious room they rented):

How... in the name of the spirits... did I end up with these two lunatics?

Just a year ago, she had been walking alone through the streets of Valorie, searching for a chance, a job—or even just a meal...

Until she suddenly bumped into the back of a tall man wearing a strange coat.

Yui (gritting her teeth, holding her nose):

"Are you blind?!"

Rin (with a lazy smile):

"Ah, sorry. Didn't see you there. You're kind of... small."

Ryo (peeking from behind Rin):

"Oh! A girl! Are you a thief? You're a thief, right? Your eyes scream 'thief'!"

Yui (snapping):

"What?! What eyes?! Are you talking to my hair?!"

After a loud argument in the middle of the marketplace—drawing quite the crowd—the royal guards showed up.

They ran. Together.

Apparently victims of a "misunderstanding."

Hours later, they sat in a small park, eating meat-filled pastries.

Yui (munching):

"So... why were you fighting the fish vendor?"

Ryo (proudly):

"His fish was... suspicious."

Rin:

"Suspicious? It's fish. That's its natural state."

Yui laughed—for the first time in months.

That very night, they asked her to join them on their journey.

---

Now...

Yui sat on a soft couch, sipping tea. Rin was napping beside her, while Ryo yelled from the kitchen.

Ryo:

"Yui! What did you do to this tea?! It tastes like dried grass and mold! Is this some kind of spirit-summoning ritual?!"

Yui (calmly):

"They're herbs to help with focus and calmness. Something you clearly lack."

Ryo:

"I need something to help me escape this flavor!"

Rin rolled over in his sleep, mumbling:

Rin (half-asleep):

"No... don't take the pastries... they were all I had left..."

Yui (smiling softly):

"Is he always like this?"

Ryo (defeated):

"No... sometimes he's worse."

---

Later... in the local market

The trio wandered between stalls—Rin buying strange books, Yui pushing a cart full of spices, and Ryo sampling every food he could reach.

Ryo (with a mouthful):

"These are delicious!"

Yui:

"That's a free sample. Stop eating five of them!"

Ryo:

"You're not my mom!"

Yui:

"I can be, if you keep acting like a child."

Rin (from behind, holding a book):

"Can I buy this? 'Mastering Time in Ten Days'?"

Ryo & Yui (in perfect sync):

"No. Obviously a scam. Are you stupid?"

---

That evening... on the inn's rooftop

The three sat together, gazing up at the star-filled sky.

Yui:

"Why did you two ask me to join you?"

Rin (smiling gently):

"You're strong... smart... and most importantly, you laughed at Ryo's joke."

Ryo (pretending to be serious):

"That alone proves your heart is powerful enough to earn our respect."

Yui (chuckling):

"You guys are insane."

Rin:

"But we're a family."

Yui went quiet. Then softly replied:

Yui:

"That's... the nicest thing I've heard in a long time."

---

A few minutes later... as everyone's asleep

Ryo suddenly opened his eyes and whispered:

Ryo:

"...Yui. Are you awake?"

Yui (half-asleep):

"What?"

Ryo:

"You hid a pastry under your pillow, didn't you?"

Yui:

"...Go to sleep before I freeze your lungs."

---(If you enjoyed the chapter, don't forget to vote or leave a comment — it really helps and means a lot to me! 💬✨)

To be continued...