[x] Don't play with her.

Tewi hopped from side to side as she waited for my answer.

"Won't you play with me~"

She had a cheerful smile, like some excited kid. But I knew that this girl was no child. I had better be careful. For some reason, I could almost smell the mischief in the air.

"What do you want the vial for? More importantly, how'd you know about the vial in my pocket?"

The little rabbit girl grinned even wider.

"It isn't that I really need it," she said. "While I have half the mind to give you a bit of good luck anyway, I thought it would be more interesting if you wagered something of value. That vial seems to be a small treasure in itself."

I had no idea what she was talking about, but it seemed that this vial was more important than I first thought.

"A treasure in exchange for a little luck? Doesn't seem too fair to me."

"A little luck? Ahahaha! You're funny, you know that?"

She narrowed her eyes as she smirked.

"Don't you look down on me, human. I could grant a person enough good fortune to make him a great warrior, a famous scholar or even a tyrant king! You could say that I could even weave new threads into the fabric of fate itself..."

I felt a faint, but powerful aura from this girl. Before I realized it, I found myself taking a step back. She chuckled a bit and suddenly winked at me.

"Or I could just be messing with your head," said Tewi. "Either way, I thought you looked like someone who could use a little luck. If you win, I can guarantee that you'll find some happiness this time~"

"And if I lose, you'll take this 'little treasure' of mine?"

"It's a great deal for you if you manage to win~"

I paused for a moment. Some good luck would be useful, but was the risk worth it?

"What kind of game is it?"

"Ahaha! It's going to be great fun, but I won't tell you unless you say that you'll play with me!"

"..."

"So then, are you going to play with cute little Tewi? She might cry if you refuse, you know?"

The little rabbit girl suddenly gave me the cutest teary eyed expression as she stepped closer. Something tugged at my heart. I suddenly had the urge to just grab her and give her a big hug. And I almost did, had I not used up every last bit of willpower and restraint that I had left.

"I.. refuse."

"Eh?"

I couldn't even look her in the eye as I answered. A bit of silence passed. Huh? She didn't seem like the type to give up so easily. I slowly glanced at her. Tewi had turned away and was watching the moon once more. She didn't push the issue any further.

"Umm.. Tewi?"

"It's alright," she whispered. "Who would play with a suspicious girl like me? Of course you wouldn't. It was foolish of me to ask. Yes, it was real silly..."

Her voice was very different this time. Even I could sense the loneliness behind her words. It pained me to even watch her like this. But I stood by my decision.

"Well, I better head back then."

"..."

I turned around and started walking away. And as I left, I had the strangest feeling that I would never see this girl again. Well, if that was true, then I guess it didn't really matter. I had a perfectly logical reason to refuse her 'game', and I had successfully done so. But despite that, it didn't make me feel any better.

"Oh, shi -"

I had almost stepped into a large puddle of water. The bright full moon reflected its light against it. Then, when I looked around, I found myself near the cave. The light of the fire illuminated the way back. I blinked in surprise.

"Huh?"

When did I return? Did I really get here that quickly? What time was it, anyway?

12:01 AM

It was a minute past midnight. I yawned loudly. There was certainly something odd about the situation, but I was starting to get too tired to deal with it. After making sure that I didn't drop anything, I just returned to the cave and sat myself down. I had better get a few hours of sleep while I still could.

"..."

Then, I noticed something else. The fire was still burning as brightly as it did when we first arrived. Both Mokou and Meiling were asleep, so how did it keep burning like that? There wasn't anyone adding wood to it. And when I took a closer look, the fire didn't seem to be consuming the wood at all. I then realized that there must be something special about the flame.

And I was tempted to take some of it with me.
[ ] Hold the vial near the fire.
[ ] Carefully wake Mokou.
[ ] Forget about it and sleep.