Emika turned around, as startled as a six-month-old water deer, and the shadow fell over her face. It was a tall, broad-shouldered man wearing a black gauze cap.
Her behaviour evidently had led up to this moment: She wanted to attract Shufeng's attention by a wave of the hand and get him to come to her. Her smile of pleasure didn't last long anyway. As Shufeng parted the sea of uncouth guests, she noticed a moment wherein he seemed to consider his steps, and weighing some objection, eventually put aside to walk to her.
She had been wondering about his odd mood and she would not suffer curiosity for long. So she made up her mind to act, however, as she was on the point of following him outside, someone had grabbed her arm.
Presently looking up at that someone, her face switched from baffled to pleased instantly. She was grinning broadly to her brother Ishirō who had just returned, alongside their father, from a military mission.
