Chapter 22

Inside the hedge maze just off the Blooming Palace gardens, Lily and Sanguinella crouch behind a thick wall of camellia blossoms, breath held, eyes locked on the

“Astera” and “Nalea” seated by the fountain. Lily holds her phone up, zooming in.

LILY (whispering):
Look at him… so smug. He's totally flirting.

SANNY:
Ugh, I can’t believe he actually has game.

LILY:
This is definitely blackmail material for the next captain-wide meeting.

SANNY (grinning):
We’re gonna win the Suimen Drama Awards for this—

Suddenly, the “Nalea” by the bench freezes mid-laugh. Her hand glitches slightly. Her hair flickers for a fraction of a second. Lily squints.

LILY:
Wait. Did you see that?

SANNY:
Yeah… did her hair just… pixelate?

Lily’s eyes widen. She lowers the phone and gasps.

LILY:
No. No no no no. He didn’t—

SANNY:
Astera made clones, didn’t he?

LILY:
That scheming, athletic little floral brat!

Sanguinella jumps up in frustration, nearly tripping on a root.

SANNY:
How the hell did he know?! We’ve been quiet! Careful! You even wore your mana-dampening perfume!

LILY:
Shizuku taught him too well. He's got that universal paranoia. Ugh, I knew I shouldn’t have let my guard down last week. He saw the tracking spells on my school blazer, didn’t he?

SANNY:
This was supposed to be our win! This was Operation Flowerfall!

LILY:
You mean Operation Flowerfail now.

They both groan dramatically, slumping to the ground behind the hedge in defeat. Lily tosses her phone on the grass and glares up at the sky.

LILY:
How is a 17-year-old that good at covering his tracks?

SANNY:
Honestly? If he ever dates someone seriously, the rest of us are doomed.

Just then, a petal floats down from the air, gently landing on Lily’s head. Sanguinella squints up.

SANNY:
...Is that a surveillance petal?

The petal glows faintly, and Astera’s voice rings from it.

ASTERA (through the petal, smug):
Hey, guys! Hope you’re enjoying the hedge maze. Next time, maybe bring snacks. Or better stealth.

The petal vanishes in a puff of glittery smoke.

LILY:
I’m going to punch him. Right in the smug.

SANNY:
You know what? We double it. Next mission, we go full-on heist mode.