Restricted Lovers [Complete] - 16

page views:1 Publication date:2023-03-24

Chapter Seven of Episode Five: A burst

of enthusiastic applause and beautiful piano music, as gentle and moving as water and clouds.

Unbelievable! Is this the sound of a "water piano"?

The clear melody not only echoed in the concert hall filled with ladies and gentlemen, but also penetrated the walls and lingered between floors. Even though I was on the third floor, the beautiful notes of the masterpiece still made me feel as if I were there.

The concert was sure to be a success.

Closing my eyes and listening intently, Yin You's piano skills paired with the excellent piano were perfect.

This solo recital lasted about two hours, ending at noon, followed by another round of thunderous applause.

After the successful conclusion of the concert, Yin You, not planning to stay another night, boarded her plane to return home after lunch.

I haven't seen my beautiful landlady for two days. I wonder how she's doing, if she feels any remorse?

In any case, I'm not a man if I don't get my revenge. Maybe tonight, while she's asleep, I'll steal a kiss?

I secretly planned in my suitcase.

"Knock! Knock!"

The door opened.

"Oh, Yinyou, you're back so soon!" The beautiful landlady's voice was full of surprise: "How did the concert go?"

"It was a great success." Yinyou cheerfully handed over a beautifully packaged long box. "It's a local specialty of Tsukishima Island—moon candy. You can open it and take a look."

"Then I won't be polite!"

The beautiful landlady was flattered and opened the outer packaging, eagerly lifting the lid, and then...

"Bang!" It slammed shut.

"W-what a special gift, haha..." Her laughter was clearly off-key.

"I specially chose the most popular milk flavor. It melts in your mouth, and you'll find it very rich and fragrant after one bite."

"Yes...yes, it looks...delicious..." You could tell she was trying hard to remain calm.

"That's great if you like it. I have some gifts for Sama and Yotsuba. See you later?"

"See you later." The beautiful landlady said with a smile.

The next second, she quickly closed the door and slammed the gift box onto the desk.

I lost my balance and fell directly onto the desk.

"I've come back from a long journey, you should have given me a proper welcome!" I said, rubbing the sore spot from my bump.

Without waiting for a reply, she blurted out, "How did you end up in the gift box?"

"How else could I get back to my room? Don't worry, I only crawled in after I made sure it was some local product for you." As for the milk candies, they were already in my stomach.

I pointed to myself and joked, "Look, fragrant and rich milk flavor, want to try some?"

She punched me so hard my back bruises

burst open, and I was left barely alive, begging for mercy. Liquid milk spilled all over the table, dripping onto the floor in a gruesome sight.

I lay there in the milk puddle, gasping for breath, and muttered resentfully, "I...died...so...

miserably..."

In her usual style, she picked up an inkstone and smashed it directly on my forehead, making me "die" quickly and painlessly in the mess.

"How can you be so heartless, woman!" It seemed that relying on her conscience was wishful thinking.

Enraged by her underhanded tactics, I, practically immortal, protested with wide-eyed fury, "What kind of attitude is that! I did you a huge favor, and you beat me up, and now you want to erase all that good deed?!"

I groaned, clutching my throbbing head. Damn Yantai! She's truly a menace!

Under her utterly immoral and tyrannical rule, I risked my life to help her assist Yin You, which was already commendable; she didn't even try to appease me with sweet words, but instead fed me with her fists!

I may not be picky, but I don't eat everything!

"Didn't I just save you?" Her contemptuous expression made it seem as if she considered me mentally challenged.

"Without a more drastic approach, your extraordinary and endless tricks are utterly incurable."

...I actually found her unpredictable and volatile moods rather unpleasant. But oh well, I just got back; a good man doesn't argue with a woman.

I came up with three or four reasons to convince myself not to argue with her, and even used some tissues to wipe the table and floor like a new male servant—but heaven knows why, she was still the same, unwilling to give up.

"Did you reveal your identity to Yin You?" she asked, her face contorted.

"No."

It was obviously that phone call that caused the trouble. But I knew she wouldn't believe me even if I told her, so I didn't intend to tell the truth.

"I just found a cowardly person to impersonate me! I only sang a few lines, and he was so scared he thought the hotel was haunted, and obediently did as I said!" Anyway, she didn't have the courage to go to Yin You to verify.

"How could you be so stupid?"

No wonder people are honest; a woman who's been fooled a few times is hard to fool again.

“Even if I didn’t play tricks, Yin You is so beautiful, that lecherous man would still risk his life to protect her. Hey... stop hitting me! Yin You went to Xian Yue Island for a concert; posters are plastered everywhere. Everyone in the hotel knows her. It wasn’t me handing out her picture.”

Dealing with a woman who’s quicker with her hands than her mouth is really dangerous.

She put down the inkstone, accepting my explanation.

I thought I should find a time to quickly get rid of that filthy thing and make her think this is just one of the “disappearance” incidents, so I don’t always have to be subservient to her.

“And why did you come back naked!” Another sharp question.

"You wrapped me up so tightly in gauze, if it weren't for that 'golden cicada shedding its shell' trick, I would have been exposed by Yin You long ago." I shifted the blame to her, and incidentally, I gave a lie about the pathetic rag doll costume afterward: "She left the bullfighting costume at the hotel. I had already hidden it in my suitcase and didn't have time to bring it back. Don't be angry."

"Never mind, there's a spare anyway."

I was already relieved that my true self hadn't been discovered, and she didn't care about this little thing. But she had a lot of complaints about my clinginess: "Before you change into another set of clothes, clean yourself up first!"

"But I feel weak all over, my limbs are limp, I'm dizzy and feel like vomiting." I propped up my battered and broken body and pretended to be pitiful: "Can you take me to the bathroom?"

She considered for thirty seconds, and finally had some compassion. She pulled out a few tissues and covered me with them, pressed her thumb and forefinger on my temples, and carried my head to the bathroom like she was carrying trash.

"Why did you wrap me in toilet paper?"

"It's a hygiene issue."

"Am I that dirty?"

"I just didn't want to get covered in sticky stuff."

Isn't all this filth your doing?

My head and back ached, I'd been hit and dragged around, so I secretly rolled my eyes at her, thankfully I wasn't caught.

In the bathroom, she filled a basin halfway with warm water and tossed me in.

The toilet paper dissolved in the water, and milk syrup seeped from the seams of my back, turning the water a murky, off-white color. The sweet milk bath gave me goosebumps.

Thanks to her strong grip, the old wound I stitched up with superglue last time has reopened. What if I start leaking water when I eat from now on?

"You have three minutes to wash yourself clean." She's really tyrannical.

I obediently picked up a sponge and scrubbed my body, while she carefully scrubbed her hands with soap, severely hurting my fragile heart.

"I saw a lot of familiar faces on Liangyue Island yesterday. Your friends went too." I said while washing.

"Fenghua and Feiyue, I already knew that." Outdated news made her scoff.

"There's another one." It seems she didn't know about the delinquent. I remember his name was... "Nengyuan?"

She was splashing soap on her hands when she was touched by this name, and froze in place for a moment, even forgetting to turn off the tap.

I don't know why I brought him up. Maybe it was an unintentional test, but her reaction indirectly confirmed that the homosexual lie hadn't been exposed yet.

After running away with my roommate, the delinquent never came back. Having witnessed the beautiful landlady's most hidden side, and with my roommate's "wolf claws" striking out that very night, he'd probably never face her again!

Even though a hastily fabricated lie is fragile, as long as the two parties involved are too ashamed to face each other, the truth will never come to light, right?

What I fear most is Fu Xiu.

Returning to the dorm means he'll have another chance to harm me, day or night.

I know he won't give up so easily. Once he's convinced I'm harmful to humans, he'll eliminate me no matter what; the dorm's security alone won't provide enough protection.

"Time's up,"

the beautiful landlady urged before I could even devise a strategy; the mention of the delinquent seemed to have greatly upset her.

I immediately stood up from the bathtub, rinsed myself one last time with clean water, and she tossed me a towel to dry myself before taking me back to my room.

Wearing my new clothes felt like stuffing myself into a sleeping bag; instead of transforming into a dragon, I became a stiff, lifeless earthworm.

After disguising myself with a mascot costume, she became even more aloof than before. After thoroughly cleaning her desk and floor, she continued her tireless work, regardless of the weekend.

I felt bored, but couldn't disturb her, so I hid under the bed.

A plate of cookies sat quietly there.

I rubbed my eyes, making sure I wasn't mistaken—did she prepare that?

Each cookie was only the size of a thumb, definitely for me.

I glanced at her a few more times; her back still gave off a cold impression, but perhaps she was just too shy to thank me in person?

I crawled under the bed, happily picking up her welcome gift, and opened my mouth to take a bite

… But wait, did she bake this?

Thinking of that "caramel chocolate cake" from before, I felt like I'd stepped into the gates of hell. I

almost forgot that food made by her was always poisoned bait! But if I didn't eat it, I felt my fate wouldn't be any better.

Oh God, should I eat it or not?

Having no other choice, I scraped some crumbs from the cookies to taste them—if they were really too awful, I'd just flush them down the toilet while she was asleep…

Hmm, actually not bad?

I took a tiny, incredulous bite; the vanilla aroma blended perfectly with the rich, creamy flavor—it really tasted good!

She didn't bake these, did she? But if it wasn't her, who would deliberately bake cookies so small?

Anyway, this time I enthusiastically devoured the entire plate of cookies—she was so thoughtful, she even brewed tea for me.

I gulped down the almost-cold black tea and let out a satisfied sigh: "Ah…

delicious."

Just as I was enjoying myself, a sudden chill ran down my spine.

Oh no!

A chill ran through me. I looked down and saw a large puddle of tea on the floor.

Luckily, the pretty landlady hadn't noticed anything amiss. I immediately pushed the cookie plate and teacup off the bed, one hand pressing against my back to stop the batter from spilling, the other clumsily pulling off my clothes, frantically wiping away the spilled liquid.

I need to take another shower tonight; it's more important to heal my back injury as soon as possible!

As a result, I managed to cover up this little trouble.

That night, because I didn't know if Fu Xiu would launch a night attack, I didn't sleep a wink.

But he didn't appear, nor did he appear the following nights.

After returning from Liangyue Island, the pretty landlady stopped saying anything like "I have a bad feeling," and I suddenly became very free. In the blink of an eye, several weeks passed.

Peaceful days really do pass quickly. Just when I was so idle I was about to mold, the deadline to return to the Heavenly Realm was approaching.

Finally! This story is finally coming to an end!

People experience joy and sorrow, separation and reunion; the moon waxes and wanes—this is an unchanging truth. Although somewhat sad, my cohabitation with the pretty landlady is coming to an end; this is an inevitable fate.

The invisible time is slowly counting down, until the day the angel descends.

On some unknown Saturday morning, the pretty landlady was reading as usual, while I sat on the edge of the bed playing cards alone. Three days late, just three months after the agreed-upon three-month period, a mysterious golden light suddenly appeared in the room.

At first, I thought it was just sunlight from outside, but as the golden light grew increasingly dazzling, and the dot in the center of the light source grew larger, my beautiful landlady and I finally noticed the anomaly.

The dot slowly transformed into a human figure, and as a pair of pure white wings suddenly unfurled from its back, filling the entire room with feathers, the golden light instantly absorbed into the figure; the previously indistinct, handsome Western-looking face immediately became clear and three-dimensional.

My beautiful landlady, startled and hiding on the bed, stared wide-eyed at this divine arrival; an angel dressed in Greek robes floated smilingly before her bed.

Blushing, she stammered, "You...you're an angel?"

"My name is Inser, the gatekeeper of Heaven's gates," the angel replied.

Heaven's gates...the gatekeeper...the gatekeeper uncle?

No way!

I was so shocked that I messed up the cards we had just dealt.

In my memory, was he really that handsome? " This is utterly a deception!

" The pretty landlady murmured the name, seemingly mesmerized by the angel.

"Snap!"

I grabbed the digital camera she'd borrowed from Sama two days ago, and snapped a picture of the gatekeeper angel. The blinding flash made the angel's eyelids twitch.

"Here."

I handed the camera to the landlady; the "angel's" true face was clearly visible in the preview window—a disheveled, unkempt, hairy-legged, middle-aged man.

The landlady's dream was instantly shattered.

Seeing his trick exposed, the angel Inser's disguise crumbled, revealing a slovenly appearance devoid of any aesthetic appeal.

"You brat, aren't you afraid of divine retribution for ruining a girl's dream?" the gatekeeper uncle said, cigar in hand, clearly annoyed.

"Isn't deceiving girls even more despicable?"

These days, even angels deceive consumers to advertise for Heaven; unscrupulous merchants are truly everywhere!

"You're really simple-minded. No wonder you couldn't find a girlfriend before you died."

"What did you say!" The gatekeeper's mockery hit a nerve.

"Even if Heaven is a wonderful place, the departed souls still need to honestly face their appearance. The problem is that humans are quite concerned with appearances. Women—especially young girls in their teens and twenties—are influenced by numerous novels and comics, and have long since idealized angels as a group of handsome men and beautiful women.

"This kind of preconceived notion is what troubles us! If humans discover that reality differs greatly from their imagination, they will doubt and disapprove of Heaven. Once they abandon their faith and pursuit of good, people will do evil without a care. At that time, not only will the laws of the underworld lose their binding force and collapse, but even your human world will become hell!

"I'm not saying this because Heaven will be unable to survive—whether I lose my job is far less important than whether Heaven and Hell are equal, you understand?" the gatekeeper said seriously.

...The more I listened, the more I felt he was "protesting too much."

"If you understand, you'll understand my good intentions, right?"

"I understand..." Acknowledging is the best way to avoid a lecture: "But why are you so late? I thought you'd forgotten me."

"Kid, do you think Heaven has a lot of manpower? Getting here in three days is already quite an achievement. Do you know how many souls I haven't contacted? Seventy thousand!"

"Wait!" The beautiful landlady, finally recovering from the shock of the sudden change, interrupted my conversation with the gatekeeper: "You're here to pick up Xiao Mo, right? Please take him away quickly!"

...She really didn't have any intention of keeping me.

Although I'm a massage stick and she's a normal girl, shouldn't feelings develop over time?

"Well, about this matter..."

The gatekeeper exhaled smoke rings, saying somewhat awkwardly, "Of course I would do it, but there's no way right now. I just said, this time I'm only down here to 'contact'."

"What do you mean?" I asked, feeling uneasy.

"It means we can't let you return to Heaven for the time being,"

the gatekeeper uncle said helplessly. "Because the contractor is suspected of accepting bribes to win the bid, Heaven is currently investigating this bribery case, which has created a mess and caused the construction of the new residential area to fall behind schedule. We have no choice but to make you wandering souls stay in the mortal realm for a while longer.

"But don't worry, we will allow one-third of the souls to move into the residential area in a month, and we expect all souls to be able to return to Heaven in two months."

"Then I..."

"I know what you want to ask. You want to know if you are among that one-third of souls, right?" The gatekeeper uncle gave me the look that "every soul asks the same question." "To be fair, the first batch of souls to return to Heaven will be decided by lottery. It will be carried out fairly before the gods, and there is no possibility of cheating. Whether you are on the list or not depends on your luck."

Hearing this, before I could even lash out, the pretty landlady exploded.

"Don't joke around! Have you ever thought about the people on Earth?" Her anger was like wildfire: "Everything is decided by you!" "You were the ones who said you wanted to send souls down to earth, and you were the ones who arbitrarily extended their stay! If Xiao Mo isn't on the recall list a month from now, he'll have to stay here for another two months? Don't be ridiculous!"

"Young lady, I understand how you feel, but this is a decision made by Heaven." The gatekeeper uncle said quietly.

"Even if it's a decision made by Heaven, it can't interfere with the human world, right? We have our own pace, and we have our own lives to live, but you just threw tens of thousands of souls down without explanation..."

"It's hundreds of thousands." The gatekeeper uncle corrected.

"...Whether it's tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands, what's right in front of us is that humanity's originally peaceful life has become a mess, and this is a responsibility you can't shirk! I can overlook all the misunderstandings I've suffered so far, but I demand that you take Xiao Mo back to Heaven immediately!"

I understood that the pretty landlady was trying to fight for my interests, but for some reason, I felt a mix of emotions.

"You're right, neither Heaven nor Hell has the right to interfere with the independent operation of the human world." "This 'Soul Descending to Earth Plan' was only reluctantly implemented due to the drastic changes involved in the cultivation of magic. Of course, before descending to earth, the celestial realm and the souls had a prior agreement not to disrupt history or human life." The gatekeeper uncle spoke eloquently.

"And as for the souls that break the rules—" He glared at me, "Although the celestial realm cannot completely absolve itself of responsibility, it is a responsibility that 'they' must bear themselves.

"Every wrong has its perpetrator, young lady, you can't just grab anyone and make them responsible, can you? If you really can't stand it, you can throw away or destroy the place you're staying in. The consequence of exposing your existence is becoming a wandering ghost without complaint—if you really want to punish the soul."

What… was the gatekeeper uncle implying that the pretty landlady should destroy me?

Sadly, recalling what had happened, my throat felt like it was choked by something, and I couldn't utter a single word of pleading.

"In short, this is the current decision in Heaven."

Seeing that I couldn't retort, yet still stubbornly insisted on saying something, the gatekeeper uncle laughed heartily. "Kid, I know what you're thinking. If you want to go back to Heaven and complain to the gods, I think that's impossible.

"Heaven is currently holding elections, and every candidate is trying their best to quell the turmoil in Heaven. If they put too much effort into dealing with wandering souls, and the result is unfavorable, you should know what will happen, right?"

"Elections?" Although I was furious, the gatekeeper uncle's words still piqued my interest.

"Of course, Heaven has long been a democratic system! It's just that you can't say anything that insults the gods." The gatekeeper uncle said, "Alright, I've said what I needed to say, and you've asked all the questions you wanted to ask. I still have to go find the next soul to explain things!"

Before my beautiful landlady and I could even speak, he seemed to be in a hurry and dashed away, leaving us

staring at each other. "

Uh... um... nice to meet you?" I said cautiously.

Saturday morning began with a furious roar that triggered the alarm.

"I have to find a way to get you on the list a month from now!" My beautiful landlady wrung her hands, pacing back and forth in the room.

"You... do you really hate me that much?" I sobbed, wiping away fabricated tears with a handkerchief.

"Stop it, I'm not kidding!" she yelled in my ear.

"Okay, I understand." I put down the handkerchief and seriously discussed it with her: "I think it's unlikely. Drawing lots before God, with who knows how many archangels are witnessing, it's very difficult!" "

Then let's use a cheating method that even if everyone is watching closely, they won't notice... like putting the predetermined lot in the freezer for three days and then taking it out!" "She was terrifyingly persistent.

"Please, the other party is a god! Do you think it's so easy to fool His discerning eyes?" If we get caught, both the cheater and the person who suggested cheating will be in trouble, doesn't she know that?

"Haven't you been saying you wanted to go back to Heaven? Then be serious!"

Now it seems she's eager to get rid of me, isn't she?

"I think it's best not to go against God. Although Heaven may look dilapidated and weak, its power is still superior to that of humans. Even if we think of a way to cheat, it's useless if we can't get up there, right?"

The only person we can contact right now is the gatekeeper, but he's indifferent to me and sides with the Celestials. Asking him for help is probably better than waiting for the apocalypse.

"I think we should just go with the Celestials' policy," she said

, and then she started giving me the cold shoulder.

But perhaps it was the helplessness of being human, because her anger subsided after an hour.

"I'm sorry, Xiao Mo, I can't accept this fact right now… I didn't really want to send you away,"

she said awkwardly.

"I know," I replied, not blaming her.

When I saw the gatekeeper, I also thought today was the day I would say goodbye to her. I was mentally prepared, but then this sudden bombshell about "the residential area not being completed in time" hit me like a bolt from the blue. Not just her, I was also a little overwhelmed.

However… I'm actually quite happy to be able to stay. Although there have been many crises, I've gradually adapted to everything here. Leaving so easily isn't something I can do lightly.

"I'm sorry, I said that in front of the angel just now, I didn't consider your feelings or thoughts at all." Realizing her lapse in composure afterward, she said awkwardly, "Well... let's just keep things as they are for now!"

"Yeah, keep things as they are," I said nonchalantly.

...Maintaining the status quo was unlikely. Just a week ago, the paparazzi held a "farewell party" for me in the clubroom, so at least there would be one less group of people harassing me.

To soothe my low spirits, she took me to buy a few new mascot costumes these past two days; during class, she would also come back during lunch break to have lunch with me—during the one-hour break, other girls usually wouldn't come back, so we often sat in the living room eating and watching TV.

The midday news usually started with social cases.

"How many accidents is this?"

The pretty landlady stared at the screen as the female reporter explained the possible causes of the multi-vehicle collision on the highway.

"It seems like there are news like this every day lately, at least several a day..."

I swallowed my food, suddenly finding it hard to eat.

“In terms of fortune, accidents usually happen in two ways: one is bad luck, and the other is the influence of the environment. Although I’m not very superstitious, I’ve heard people say that there are always a few months in a year when things are prone to happen, like typhoon season, the rainy season, and Ghost Month. There are quite a few things about ‘catching the transition’,” I said.

“It’s not that time yet, is it? The weather is nice,” the pretty landlady said dismissively.

“Although the sayings left by our ancestors are not necessarily correct, it’s better to believe in them!”

I had just finished speaking when the next news item was a new “train derailment case.”

Some thief, disregarding the lives of others, sneaked onto the railway in the middle of the night and stole a hundred meters of rail, causing a train to derail and overturn while traveling at high speed on that section of track, falling into a valley. Fortunately, only the locomotive was completely destroyed, and no one was injured.

Most likely, they saw that iron prices had recently risen and wanted to take advantage of the situation to make a fortune.

“How could there be such a despicable person!” the pretty landlady said angrily, but then noticed that my face was very pale.

"Xiao Mo?"

"No, it's nothing." I swallowed the meatball that was struggling to escape my throat. "I just felt... I can relate."

"Society has been really unstable lately." She sighed. "It seems like the weather is making people so irritable they want to commit crimes."

"I really hope the police catch the culprit soon."

After finishing the last bite of my rice, I helped her clear the plate.

"Yeah!"

After putting the dishes on the counter, she picked up her schoolbag and went to the door to put on her shoes.

"I'm going to class. Be careful home alone."

"Okay."

I watched her leave, get on the school bus, and obediently went upstairs.

As I passed the TV, an inexplicable strangeness made me glance at it a couple more times.

Suddenly, a wave of nausea rose in my throat. I covered my mouth and rushed to the toilet, vomiting violently.

Please look forward to

the sixth episode of the sequel to "Restricted Lovers". Episode synopsis:

Chapter 1 of Episode 6, Ailien: "

Recently in X County, several cases have been discovered where stray dogs have been deliberately strangled with rubber bands, resulting in ruptured tracheas and death. The police believe it may be a prank and urge the public not to let their dogs out of their sight to avoid such a tragedy..." "Xiao Mo." "Hmm?" I stared at the screen. "Why are you using chopsticks to pick up soup?" "Oh, really?" I looked down and saw that my beautiful landlady had already pressed down on my chopsticks, which were just stirring the murky soup without being able to pick anything up, and was looking at me with pursed lips. "Sorry... I didn't notice." I chuckled. "At two o'clock this morning, a fire broke out in a three-story detached house in T City, suspectedly caused by a cigarette butt discarded by a resident. More than ten motorcycles in front of the arcade caught fire, and the fire quickly spread into the house. Fortunately, all residents escaped safely, and there were no casualties. The fire department is still investigating the true cause of the fire..." "That motorcycle..." A motorcycle, burned to its frame, caught my eye. "What did you say?" The pretty landlady put down her chopsticks and suddenly looked at me seriously. "N-nothing, did I say anything?" I snapped back to reality, making sure that the chopsticks in my hand hadn't done anything inappropriate. I inexplicably flusteredly picked up my bowl and took a sip of soup to prove that nothing was wrong. "You seem distracted." "No." "Then why didn't you even look at the bowl in front of you, but instead took my soup?" "..." "Following a tip-off from the public, police today seized a large quantity of smuggled protected birds from country C. The smuggled samples tested positive for the H5N1 avian influenza virus, a highly pathogenic strain. Prosecutors euthanized them on the spot, and 1,100 birds met their fate... The main suspect, surnamed Wang, and his four accomplices were also sentenced to prison terms ranging from two years to several years for smuggling live animals, according to the Smuggling Punishment Act..." The footage of the euthanasia via poison injection was broadcast to every household. I felt nauseous and vomited up the soup I had just swallowed. The screen simultaneously went dark with a "snap!" "That's enough. It's not appropriate to watch such horrific scenes during lunchtime." "But—" "I control the remote." A hand touched my forehead. I looked in surprise as she placed her other hand on her own forehead to check my temperature. Did she...did she know what she was doing? I'm a "massage stick"! "Didn't she refuse to touch me no matter what? " she frowned. "You have a fever?" How could I have a fever? It must be from the hot soup. "Your hand..." I looked up. "Ah!" Realizing what she had done, she suddenly screamed; it seemed to be a habit of hers. Quickly withdrawing her hand, she pretended nothing was wrong and said, "...I'll get you an ice pack." "No need..."

She was being too nice to me, it made me uneasy. I searched for a reason to refuse when the doorbell suddenly rang.

"Ah, coming."

My footsteps, which had led me into the kitchen, turned a corner. Without a word or a glance, I had already hidden under the sofa, just as usual.

Just as usual?

A sudden, overwhelming unease, dozens of times stronger than anything seen on the screen, made my hands and feet tremble uncontrollably.

The door… what was standing outside?

"Don't… don't open it!" I said, my teeth chattering.

But she didn't hear my warning, didn't sense the danger, and didn't immediately run away.

The door opened.

Glass-like green eyes, doll-like straight blonde hair, features indistinguishable from a puppet's.

Sensing the "coldness" emanating from her, the beautiful landlady clutched her clothes, trembling instinctively.

The girl stood outside, a sweet, eerie smile on her face, her hands at her sides lifting her skirt, giving a slight bow.

"Good afternoon."

"You...who are you?" The pretty landlady gripped the doorknob tightly with her left hand, supporting her unsteady legs.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Ariel." The girl looked up, her black dress resembling mourning clothes, clashing with the sunlight streaming down her face. "There's something 'special' in the house, isn't there?"

"I don't understand what you're talking about." The pretty landlady made a move to close the door.

"You're already reeking of that scent, dishonest lady. But it doesn't matter."

The girl, who had been standing outside the door without invitation or permission, turned around and strolled leisurely toward the exit.

The pretty landlady breathed a sigh of relief and was about to close the door—

"Oh, right." Halfway there, the girl suddenly stopped, turned back, and revealed a sinister smile: "Please pass on a message to 'that person' in the living room, saying: 'The reclusive life is no longer necessary.'"

"Wh...what do you mean?" The pretty landlady asked, trembling.

The girl reached out and flagged down the school bus, the pretty landlady's questioning not breaking her smile.

“That’s because the ‘visit’ has already begun!”

Stepping onto the bike steps, she turned and waved to the pretty landlady.

“Soon, other people will be visiting, and I’ll be visiting again soon.”

“Visiting…visiting? What does that mean?” the pretty landlady muttered to herself.

Yes, what does that mean…what is her purpose in coming to see me? And why is she backing down so easily? Is it because the pretty landlady is here?

“Ahhhhh!”

I suddenly screamed, startling the pretty landlady so much that she didn’t have time to think about the girl’s riddle or look at the departing school bus, and hurriedly closed the door.

“Xiao Mo, what are you doing!” She was covered in a cold sweat.

“Oh no, oh no, oh no!” I swallowed the scream, feeling my blood run cold.

How could this be…how could this be…

“Quick, quick…no…but…but…”

“Xiao Mo, calm down! What’s wrong?”

The pretty landlady seemed to be frightened by my behavior, patting my face to try to keep me calm.

“Exactly, panicking like this would put any gentleman in the world to shame.”

I stopped muttering to myself, and the pretty landlady also stopped what she was doing. We were like wind-up toys about to stop spinning, all our excitement suddenly suppressed, and we slowly looked up.

The girl who should have boarded the school bus, the doll-like Ariel, was standing behind the sofa, smiling at us.

“Good afternoon.”

“Aaaaaah!” This time it was the pretty landlady who exclaimed, “You… when did you arrive?”

“Didn’t I say I would ‘visit again’? Although I was a little impatient.”

She took off the black veil covering her face.

“Because I had a reason to see my companions, I used a little trick!

Hmm… that’s not quite right.” She corrected herself: “Actually, I’m already a wandering spirit.” A

wandering spirit? That would indeed explain her elusive appearances, but the unease she gave me never disappeared.

“Nonsense, if you were a wandering spirit, how could the school bus have stopped just now?”

“It’s really heartbreaking, that bus definitely didn’t stop for me.” The girl’s expression darkened. “It’s because this lady was standing at the door, and the driver thought she wanted to get on!”

“Excuse me, why… can I see you?” The pretty landlady finally regained some courage.

“I can’t answer that question either.” The girl said, “But if you want to hear a guess, I think it’s because of you and this gentleman… Your name is Xiao Mo, right?”

I nodded.

“…I think it’s because you and Xiao Mo have spent a long time together, or maybe your eyes are exceptionally gifted.”

Seemingly tired of standing, she bent her knees and “sat” on the air.

“If I’m not a wandering spirit, why can I float, and why can I maintain a human form? If I’m not a wandering spirit, why can Xiao Mo sense me, just as I sense Xiao Mo?”

I listened quietly to her pronouncements.

“That’s because we’re special. To avoid summoning unrelated souls when we return to Heaven, we were all given a number. This number alters our magnetic field, making us special and allowing us to sense each other within a certain range.”

“You’re wrong,” I said. “How far is this ‘certain range’? I’ve been watching the midday news these past few days, and I recognized all the possessed spirits at a glance; their locations are all over the country. But this contradicts what I know, because in the past three months, I haven’t encountered any other ‘companions.’”

“Not surprising at all,” she chuckled. “Distinguishing between wandering spirits and ordinary souls is as simple as distinguishing between Easterners and Westerners; it’s based on intuition, as you’ve realized, haven’t you?

“However, being able to detect the approximate location of other wandering spirits within a ‘certain range’—perhaps varying from soul to soul—is practically our ‘superpower’! As for not sensing other souls, there are two possibilities: either your perception range is too small, or you’re just lucky.”

“I understand what you’re saying, but what’s your purpose in coming to me? Are you trying to sabotage me?” “

Don’t be so quick to label our relationship negative!” she said casually. “Actually, being a wandering soul isn’t so scary, look!”

In the blink of an eye, her mourning clothes transformed into a crimson short dress.

“Pretty, right! After becoming like this, I can wear whatever I want, I’m not afraid of the sun, and my body becomes light, as free as a bird!”

“I just want to go back to Heaven, I don’t want to become like that.”

Her temptation sounded like a trap.

“Go back…can you just go back whenever you want?” She chuckled coldly. “It’s too late, there’s only a one-in-three chance, the war has already started.”

“Why is there a war?” The pretty landlady finally realized something was wrong. “Even if you can’t return to Heaven after a month, if you just wait two more months, all the wandering souls will be…”

I shook my head helplessly. “It’s useless, it’s too late.”

The moment I learned of my fate, I was overwhelmed with grief.

"That's right," Ariane smiled wickedly, "because the gatekeeper—he forgot—to transfer his soul."

Yes, soul transfer.

On the day he gave me the elixir, the gatekeeper, in his numerous excuses, had said that a soul in contact with its host for more than five months would "assimilate," and once assimilated, it could never leave the host until the host was damaged or died.

And once the "host" was destroyed, its fate would be like a wandering ghost, unable to reincarnate, forever drifting in the mortal realm.

That meant that if I couldn't return to the celestial realm in a month, it would be essentially the same as dying immediately.

"But…maybe it's just that Little Mo forgot to transfer his soul!" the beautiful landlady said.

"In that case, the fuse of war can't be lit," Ariane smiled wickedly, "Upon closer examination, did the gatekeeper really just 'forget'?"

"The surging soul urges…" I murmured.

"We're just pawns used by Hell for revenge," she said. "A certain proportion of sesame seeds can enhance the flavor of sesame cookies; but too much will not only make them unpalatable, but the degree of unpalatability is determined by the amount of sesame seeds. If we all go to Heaven, the holiness of Heaven will be lost.

"That's right, it's all a scheme. From the beginning, Heaven didn't intend to accept us all, so it deliberately designed this game to make us kill each other. If all the existing souls understand this principle, Little Mo, what interesting things do you think will happen?"

I managed to utter a few words: "Mutual slaughter..."

Not going back means death. Even if they don't want to, the souls will definitely take action to return to Heaven.

"I'll give you a reward." She held up her index finger.

"No one knows how many souls have descended to Earth, so the only thing to do is to kill each other until only a third, or less, remain. The more you kill, the higher your chances of being selected. So Luo, you're in a very bad situation now! Unlike me, I've already escaped this cycle." “

Impossible, this can’t be happening!” the beautiful landlady suddenly exclaimed angrily. “Heaven is a place where only souls with beautiful hearts are allowed to enter. How could there be… the evil conspiracy you’re talking about!”

“Perhaps it was once a perfect place.”

Displeasure made Arian change back into her mourning clothes.

“But the more perfect something is, the more easily it becomes twisted. We were all souls who should have gone to hell. If it weren’t for the reforms, we would never have had the chance to step through the gates of Heaven. Think about it, if the dormitory rules were changed today, and some men could move into the girls’ dormitory, how would the female students feel? How would the dormitory supervisors act?”

The beautiful landlady was speechless.

What Arian said was true. Gods would be re-elected, there would be corruption in construction (perhaps just an excuse), and Heaven also had a filthy side unknown to the world, which couldn’t be easily exposed.

“You have indeed escaped this bloody cycle, so why did you come to inform me? Whether I can return to Heaven or not is none of your business anymore, isn’t it?” "I asked.

"You're really suspicious of me." She sighed softly, "It's hard to be a good person these days, even being a good ghost doesn't bring good fortune."

She answered my question with a complaint.

"You've been watching the news these past few days, so you should know that there was an old woman who collected garbage and liked to pile up the trash she found every day in her house like it was a treasure. The mountain of garbage caused dissatisfaction among the neighbors because of the stench, so a couple of days ago she was finally anonymously reported.

"The Environmental Protection Bureau immediately sent sanitation workers to forcibly clean up the old woman's house, and all the garbage was taken away. I was in there at the time, but I didn't know it was a trap, so without understanding the situation, "Boom!" I disappeared into the incinerator.

"The old woman was unaware of her 'ability,' but she always unconsciously picked up possessions that were inhabited by spirits and brought them home, and gradually, more and more spirits gathered."

She was silent for a while when she said this.

"Becoming a wandering ghost isn't so bad, at least it makes me happier than being possessed by garbage." What I can't bear isn't losing my host, but the fact that at least fifty souls were wiped out in that "purge," including some of my best friends. "

Ailien..." The beautiful landlady started to say something, but her words of comfort were immediately cut off.

"Don't get me wrong! I'm not saying this hoping someone will avenge me, but because I don't want to see souls like mine, eliminated before they even understand the rules, inexplicably. Everyone has an equal right to participate. Making a contestant taste despair before even entering the arena is definitely not a good game." I agreed

.

She continued, "Based on my observations, the host objects of descending souls can be divided into two categories. One is a creature with considerable escape capabilities and a lifespan of at least a year; the other is an object that may not be unnoticed, but will not be damaged for at least a period of time."

“Within this month, the chances of a spirit attached to a living thing disintegrating on its own are extremely slim, a stroke of luck not to be hoped for. Compared to this, souls residing in objects are at a great disadvantage, as they rarely have the ability to move on their own.”

She looked at me, her mood seemingly improving.

“As for you, I think your chances of survival are slightly higher… When the enemy is momentarily surprised, they will surely reveal a weakness, right? That will be the best opening.”

“Uh… thank you for the compliment.”

“Really, I wasn’t complimenting you.” The girl sighed.

“That’s all I have to say, I should probably go now. Of course, it’s fine if you want to continue living the same life, but even if you don’t have a spirit attack, spirits will still attack you, and you will never find peace. A month is neither long nor short, so you must be careful…” Her body, along with her words, dissipated into the air.

“She’s such a good person…” the pretty landlady said.

“She’s a ghost!”

Aren’t you afraid of these ethereal things?

“I know,” she said with a wry smile, “Actually, my legs are already weak…”

“What should we do now?”

Because she couldn’t stand up, the pretty landlady, who had planned to go out, had to skip four afternoon classes. After finally regaining feeling in her legs, she returned to her room to discuss it with me.

“Don’t worry, souls can’t harm humans.”

To be precise, they can’t cause serious harm to the target—like amputation or death—that is, they can’t violate the rules. But I wasn’t so naive as to say that.

My current concern is how other souls will approach me?

Living beings are more likely, but to enter the campus and get through the special forces’ blockade, they would need a certain level of ability, such as flying or digging. This narrows down the possibilities to a few specific types: birds, insects, reptiles, or rodents.

“And what about you?” the pretty landlady asked.

“Compared to me, I think you have a greater disaster to guard against,”

I kindly reminded her. “If inanimate objects want to get close to me, they can mostly only do so via freight or mail. Living things have it much easier. Although the souls possessing wild animals are unlikely to succeed, your dorm might inexplicably be infested with flies, mosquitoes, cockroaches, rats, and the like. Aren’t you afraid?”

Her face turned deathly pale.

“I remember you had a pest control book on your bookshelf…”

Before I could finish speaking, she had already turned around hastily, grabbed her rarely touched "magic book," and quickly flipped through it.

"It's 'The Complete Guide to Effective Pest Control.' Listen carefully, for your physical and my mental safety, you must thoroughly implement pest control measures! I believe those souls are still somewhat influenced by animal instincts, so we'll use that to our advantage. Tonight, we'll scatter poison bait beforehand; it should be effective. Little Mo, are you listening? Little Mo?"

"Ugh...ugh..."

Because my mouth was gagged, I could only struggle by waving my hands. The beautiful landlady, unaware of anything amiss, didn't turn around. Just as she was about to take the book, a sudden pull came from my neck, and I was instantly "flying" backward off the balcony.

"Ugh...spit! Cough cough..." I spat out the rag-like thing in my mouth.

What took me away was a carnivorous raptor; its sharp talons pierced through the mascot costume, causing a sharp pain in my shoulder, followed by nausea.

"You...you are?" I was certain this eagle was possessed.

"I'm sorry, please give up your spot!"

As I expected, the bird didn't cry out; it flapped its wings and flew into the blue sky.

At this point, no amount of panic would change the fact; at worst, I'd just die.

Having prepared for the worst, I strangely calmed down: "What do you want to do with me?"

"You're a puppet; you won't die from a fall from such a height. I'll find a quiet place and slowly tear you apart with these powerful claws," it chuckled. "What

an idiot."

"What did you say?" It was indeed enraged.

"How many people can you kill in a day? Ten? Twenty?"

I tried to find a way to escape.

"Even if you kill twenty people a day, you'll only destroy six hundred soul-possessed objects a month; even if a hundred people join you in waging war, it will only free up sixty thousand spots in thirty days. There are hundreds of thousands of souls descending to the mortal realm. Can you guarantee you'll be on the list by eliminating just sixty thousand?"

"Eliminate as many as you can. Even if the probability only increases by one-tenth, it's better than doing nothing." It sneered, "Want to beg me to let you go? That's impossible."

"What a joke! No matter how useless I am, I won't beg for mercy from a murderer like you."

My body was restrained, but my hands weren't. I gripped its right foot tightly with both hands, brought my neck close, and bit down.

This bite was with all my might. It let out a shrill scream, and its claws involuntarily loosened slightly. I suddenly lost my footing, my body sinking a few feet, only able to stay swaying in the air by holding onto its foot.

"You really wanted to escape, didn't you?"

I panted, looking down at the height below, its angry, pained voice above me.

"...I'll give you one chance to escape! If you manage to escape, I'll give you a quick death; otherwise, you'll be torn to pieces!" With that, it kicked hard with its left leg, forcing me to let go before my wrist snapped.

"I'll give you five minutes—" it said mercifully amidst the howling wind of my fall.

I plummeted, crashing into the mountains near the academy, the hundreds of meters of altitude shrinking to zero in seconds.

I slammed through the bushes, landing heavily on the wild grass, leaving deep marks on the soft soil.

But I didn't become a ghost.

The cushioning from the bushes, the protection of the costume, and the silicone material kept me alive by sheer luck. But the unbearable pain prevented me from getting up for a while.

Through the gaps in the foliage, I could see it still circling in the blue sky.

Time was counting down.

The damned game had begun! I gritted my teeth, sat up in agony, and limped towards the direction of Sefer Academy.

Confusion and psychological warfare are useless; it's watching my every move with eagle eyes from the sky. This is an unfair game, I knew it from the start. But a game is better than none; at least the time gained might be enough to create a chance to turn the tide, or even a miracle.

"Hehehehe, where do you think you're going?"

After running only a short distance, it swooped down, closing in on my rear.

"What, you've only run this little bit in five minutes? You're really useless!"

As if it didn't want to destroy me too soon, the moment its beak struck the back of my head, it suddenly increased its angle and flew into the air.

"I gave you a second chance, but there won't be a third, hehehehe..." it uttered strangely.

"If I beg for mercy, will you let me go?" I asked, looking up.

"Beg for mercy? Hehe...hehehehe..." It laughed even more wildly, "I can let you run further, but you'll still die."

"Oh, is that so? Then...help! Help!" Since begging for mercy was useless, I could only scream for help at the top of my lungs.

"So stupid, is this the method you came up with?" It circled a few more times in the air, even more smugly showing off.

"Don't be silly, there's no one here. Who are you expecting to save you? Superman?"

Very well, it has let its guard down!

"Help! I don't want to die, someone save me!" I ignored it, panicked, and shouted even more loudly, "Help! Help!"

"Enough, you're really too noisy!" My constant cries for help began to annoy it, "I'll let you live a few more minutes, you should be satisfied, right?" It

aimed its claws at me and shot down from the sky like an arrow.

"There's no place for you in heaven, you'd better just disappear!"

"I don't want to, I don't want to die!" I screamed.

Just as its sharp claws were about to tear through my body, I lunged forward, feigning a fall as if I'd tripped over a stone.

In the instant its body passed me, its neck and abdomen exposed and defenseless, I grabbed the sharp branch I'd chosen beforehand and stabbed upwards!

The branch pierced its throat; it was startled, its body swaying from side to side as it crashed into the tree trunk and fell to the ground.

"You…you bastard…" it cried out in pain, clutching the opening in its throat with its wings, gasping for breath, its eyes filled with resentment.

"The greatest flaw of living things is that they must rely on breathing and eating to maintain their life functions." I slapped my thigh and stood up. "Your respiratory system is destroyed; you're finished."

"Don't…don't be so smug." It gasped for breath, the hissing sound contorting its face.

"Even if I can't breathe, I can still live before my body decays…"

"But you still can't escape the fate of becoming a wandering ghost. Give up; you're already out of the game."

Before its body decays, it's likely its blood has already drained, rendering it unable to move or struggle. My body couldn't respond, and no matter how much my central nervous system commanded, it was useless.

"Hmph... even so..." Contrary to its dying appearance, before I could even regain consciousness, a sudden sharp pain shot through its cheeks.

I fell backward—this time a real fall. The moment my back hit the ground, the eagle's claws gripped my arms, rendering me powerless to move.

"To turn you into a wandering ghost, all I need to do is destroy your original body... but that would be too easy on you,"

it rasped, the branch piercing its throat bobbing up and down with each word.

“Let me think, how can I make you suffer... Ah, that’s it... First, tear apart your limbs, then make a hole in your head... throat... heart... kidneys, and finally tear you to pieces... Hehe... Hehehe... Hehehe…”

It laughed wildly, blood seeping from the wounds, staining the surrounding feathers red, the red stains spreading to the left and right, forming a ring.

Fresh blood dripped from the red ring.

It laughed wildly, then its laughter stopped abruptly.

Blood-stained green leaves drifted down, and its head landed on the grass with a “thud!” and rolled a few times. Fresh blood spurted from the arteries.

“Who? Who is it!” The head, now devoid of a body, roared on its own.

“It’s me.”

The man in black appeared from behind the tree.

“Impossible... I looked from the air... There’s no one here at all…”

Pushing aside its no longer threatening body, I weakly walked towards my rescuer. He held out his hand, letting me climb into his palm.

“If you find me, can it still be called ‘the limit’?” Before leaving, I said to the almost unconscious corpse.

"You saved my life again," I said, tears of gratitude streaming down my face.

If it weren't for Ash, I would have been dead hundreds of times over.

"But, how did you end up in such a faraway place?"

"Practicing martial arts." Just two simple words.

"Don't you have class this afternoon?"

"I don't need to take physical education credits."

That makes sense, with his skills, physical education would be too childish for him.

Considering he's my benefactor, I felt I needed to explain what had happened.

Anyway, it would take time to get back, so I began to explain in detail why I hadn't returned to the Celestial Realm and why the eagle attacked me.

"Sorry, the farewell party was a waste of time."

Letting Ash know I was still in the human world meant that the entire extreme sports club knew. Goodbye, my peaceful life!

"It's okay, actually the people in the club just wanted an excuse to eat and drink."

"...Oh, really."

So the sadness was just my imagination? Why was I so foolish to think they were heartless, cold-blooded, and tearless, just putting on a brave face...?

"Ashu... are you taking me to the club office?" I suddenly realized he was heading towards the student activity center, not the girls' dormitory.

"There's a meeting after school, and I think you should attend."

A meeting? I'm just a useless mascot; even if I go, I'll only be a listener, with no real opportunity to participate, right?

But even if I said I didn't want to go, Ashu wouldn't let me go so easily. I had no choice but to go to the club office with him.

"Ashu, you've come at the right time." Only the paparazzi was in the club office. As soon as he saw me, he naturally ordered, "Help me move these chairs to the designated spot."

The long table was laden with a sumptuous spread of tea and snacks. Ashu obediently moved the single chairs to the long table. After the school bell rang, the club members gathered at the club office one by one.

"How much longer?" Dilu asked as he entered.

“Within ten minutes,” the paparazzi replied. “Su Fei just called.”

“Finally, we can have a proper meeting, and Xiao Mo is here this time too,” C (Olin) said.

“He finally got bored and is finally back?” Soren roughly pushed Pluto into a chair and sat down himself.

“The welcome party isn’t a serious affair, everyone just relax.” The paparazzi took his seat with the other members.

There wasn’t much small talk; most people waited quietly for the main character to enter.

Within ten minutes, the door was indeed pushed open.

Su Fei was the first to enter, and he announced gleefully, “Sorry to keep you all waiting, Su Fei has fulfilled his mission and successfully escorted the president back!” Then, he stepped aside, making way for the people behind him.

Taking off his hat and sunglasses, his incomparably handsome face was astonishing.

“Nice to meet you all. I am Raphael,” said a gender-neutral voice.

The legendary president stood before everyone in person. Judging by the timeline, he should be around the same age as the paparazzi, but he looks incredibly young, like Pluto. As soon as he appeared, the club members immediately stood up to greet him.

"Ah, no need to be so polite. I haven't been the club president for very long. You're all more capable than me, so there's no need to be overly respectful. Just treat me like a friend."

His attitude was very approachable.

"I'm very grateful for everyone's dedication and hard work for the club over the past year. It's not appropriate to start a long talk right after we meet, but I want to tell you that although the club currently exists only as the 'Photography Club,' its essence remains unchanged. As long as everyone is of one mind, the Photography Club will become an Extreme Sports Club in the future."

"In other words, although the president isn't officially the president, he is essentially the president. The president's existence is like a great man, a spiritual guide for us." Su Fei performed a somersault and gracefully took his seat.

"But president, you're absolutely safe in the club office, but what about during classes?"

he asked.

Everyone knows why the club president transferred schools in the first place. If he gets surrounded by female students again, he might really never come back this time.

"You don't need to worry about that. When I'm processing the re-enrollment procedures, I'll apply for 'special study' at the school. That way, he can study in the club office." "

Is it a scheme where your average score in a single subject is deducted three times the credits for that subject? But that would cause your ranking and overall grades to drop! Why not study in the same class as me? I'll be by your side every second." The paparazzi suggested.

That's too much trouble! In that case, I have a better solution.

"Why don't we have the club president skip a grade and transfer to the same class, sitting next to Soren? That would eliminate all the trouble!"

Unless someone is fearless, who would dare to hang around Soren for no reason?

"I'll consider it," he said, his eyes meeting mine with interest.

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