When Nanali visited the Alchemists' Association again, the sight of that familiar gate made her nervous. She took a deep breath, clutching the scroll and coin purse tightly in her hand, then placed it in front of her chest and took another deep breath, nodding to herself as if to bolster her courage. Just as she was about to step forward, suddenly, a small hand reached out from behind her and gently tapped Nanali's shoulder.
"Ahh!"
The sudden appearance of the hand startled Nanali, and she quickly turned around to look behind her, only to see a girl with black shoulder-length hair and a deep red cloak smiling mischievously at her.
"Hahaha, Nanali, it's been such a long time!"
"Kuliya, you really scared me..."
Seeing the grinning girl in front of her, Nanali placed a hand over her heart and let out a sigh of relief.
"It really has been a long time... Speaking of which, it's the end of the year again, huh? Are you still the same as always?"
