Chapter 16: Connection and Suturing
The instinctive fear lingered in my body, causing me to tremble uncontrollably.
Her crimson gaze seemed to pierce through me, stiffening my entire body. I was exposed as prey, utterly vulnerable.
I was useless for not being able to keep Xuan’er, but Xuan’er herself must have also become strange somewhere along the way. It was the first time I saw her openly display her “appetite.” Her uncontrollable drool and unblinking crimson eyes conveyed a clear desire: “I want to eat.”
Indeed, ever since the incident in Thought Acceleration where I saw that mouth, Xuan’er had started acting strangely. After all, Xuan’er was a ghoul; it was normal for her to crave corpses. However, she could control herself well around other zombies and undead, and was even close friends with Li Nai. Could it be that I was the “tasty” one?
This implies that the relationship between Xuan’er and me, which was originally just friendship, has now gained another layer. Can I face her properly in the future?
Lily noticed my unusual state and approached me with a worried expression.
“Ugh, Jun Cheng? Are you not feeling well? Ugh, did your intestines fall out…?”
As she spoke, she lowered her head, her expression apologetic. I wanted to share what happened and get Lily’s opinion, but I felt it would be useless. People who haven’t experienced it wouldn’t understand the feeling of a friend looking at you like food…
“…Did Xuan’er run out because of me?”
Ultimately, I didn’t tell Lily about the incident. This was between Xuan’er and me, something only we could resolve. Next time I see her, I absolutely cannot show fear again, or I’ll definitely hurt her.
I’ll go back to my room to fix my stomach and ask Miss Akiko if there’s anything to help with my taste. “I’ve used my consciousness to wake myself up. I’m going back now. Also, can you help me get a high school certificate?”
“That! Let me help you!”
As I stood up, my new bandages in place, Lily suddenly called out to me.
“Huh? Help me?”
“Well, since Jun Cheng, you were injured because of me, I have a responsibility to heal you!”
There seemed to be no reason to refuse, so I agreed. It didn’t matter who healed me, as long as they could put my intestines back in place…
Wait, did Lily just call me by my name directly?
“You can call me by my name now?”
“Did you not notice yourself?”
Lily also noticed that she had blurted out my name, covering her mouth with a surprised expression. Then, she immediately clamped her legs together, her face flushing as if it were on fire.
“Ugh, ugh, ugh—”
I scratched my head. It seemed unconsciously…
“Am I that clearly divided? Aren’t there also master-servant relationships that are like friends or lovers? Is there a need for a ‘master-servant’ relationship?”
“Isn’t this like trying to obliterate the other person’s spirit?”
She was already at a disadvantage. My mood became increasingly irritable, and I felt like everything was my fault. I suddenly realized that it wasn’t just Lily; everyone else was the same. They all changed after meeting me. Lan Hua, whom I had rejected; Xuan’er, who had become so strange; Yu Lei, who had awakened past life memories; even Lian Bing and Xue Qing—they all underwent strange changes because they met me.
If I hadn’t… If I had never met them, never known them… Although these thoughts were selfish, if I hadn’t gained the ability to see titles by accident in the first place, making my personal connections resolve their conflicts… They each lived in their own circles.
Really, what’s the point of thinking about this now? It’s useless to think these unrealistic thoughts. I’m so useless.
“…”
“Hmm.”
Whose voice was that? The sound reverberated in my head, causing immense pain.
“What the hell is this?”
That piercing sound, whose was it? Could it be… Kuuga? But Kuuga’s voice should be like mine… That voice, just by listening, couldn’t distinguish between male and female; it was a very feminine voice. The ringing in my mind continued, repeating over and over. It stopped after echoing eight times.
Just then, Lily also emerged from the Principal’s office, her head bowed, and shyly pressed her skirt down as she spoke to me.
“I’m sorry… I made you wait.”
All the way here, I hadn’t been thinking at all about what Lily was saying. I had just blindly agreed. When I came to my senses, my instincts were just following Lily.
Something’s wrong? But why did Lily go in first? What is she doing inside? Could she be tidying up her room? I leaned closer to the door, trying to listen for sounds inside, but as soon as I got close, the door opened. I quickly stepped back, only to see Lily.
“Sorry to have kept you waiting. Please come in.”
Since we were already at Lily’s doorstep, it was too late to turn back now. It was just for treatment, and I could also mention tutoring and the horn replacement.
“Sorry, my room is a mess… I don’t usually have time to clean it…”
“It’s okay, this level is fine. It’s much cleaner than a boy’s room.”
So she was tidying up her room just now? I peeked inside Lily’s home. It was a one-bedroom, one-living-room structure. The floor was carpeted, with a low table in the center and various bookshelves stacked around the perimeter. Some were textbooks, and others were manga and novels.
“Anyway, let me connect that intestine first…”
“Can you use magic?”
“Though not as powerful as Mom’s, I can use some simple magic.”
As Lily spoke, she extended her hand to touch my intestine, but her hand suddenly paused, and she looked at me again.
“It says here that your wound is a simple tear. Wait a moment.”
“I’m fine, but Lily, aren’t you going to wear gloves or something? You’ll get your hands dirty.”
“It’s okay! It’s not dirty! I don’t feel dirty at all!”
After shouting this with great excitement, Lily gently lifted the severed part of my intestine. With her other hand, she drew a small magic circle on her school uniform with her index finger, then placed the severed part on it and began to cast a spell.
It seemed like recovery would take some time. I casually made conversation with Lily.
“By the way, why are you wearing glasses again? Are you going back to being the ‘Lily’ you were before?”
“Of course. I can’t just disappear all of a sudden, can I? That would be too abrupt.”
The teacher, known as Lily, was practically invisible to other students. Most people only referred to her as the “librarian.” No one knew her actual name. Only those who had a good relationship with the teachers, like me, knew the library’s manager. Therefore, no one would connect the glamorous beauty teacher with the gloomy librarian.
Seeing her dejected expression, I knew I had said the wrong thing and quickly apologized.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to insult you.”
“No… Jun Cheng, you’re speaking the truth. No one really paid attention to me before… except for you, Jun Cheng.”
“But you’ve been avoiding me lately.”
“Ugh, I… that’s because… because… succubus…”
“That’s not your fault. It’s just a succubus’s instinctual reaction. And in the end, nothing happened…”
“And I got to see quite a good show too.”
Lily slammed the table hard, almost hitting my internal organs, startling me.
“Instinct! It’s because of this shameless instinct that my…”
She bit her lower lip, her expression one of unwillingness. Her overly agitated reaction indicated her disdain for succubi.
“Lily, are your horns okay? They weren’t hit, were they?”
I originally wanted to subtly bring up the topic of replacing her horns, but she looked up at me unexpectedly.
“So, Mom sent you, right? I knew it. Why else would Jun Cheng suddenly come to the library? Mom sent you to persuade me to replace my horns.”
“Uh, yes, but it’s not just that. The final exams are coming soon, so I want you to tutor me.”
“I see. Indeed, this final exam is difficult, especially since it’s related to the holiday… I understand. I’ll teach you, but I won’t give you any hints, okay? However, if you command me, I’ll have to tell you the answers… Even if I’m punished by the organization, if it’s master’s order…”
Why are you looking at me with such pleading eyes? Do you actually want me to command you…?
She looked shocked and shouted at me.
He never expected to hear the existence of the Yama King.
I told her about the knowledge, the same explanation I gave to Lian Bing and the others.
After listening to my explanation, Lily muttered in a daze.
“I see—so because she became a zombie, she lost part of her memory?”
“That’s bad, but losing that knowledge at this critical juncture means she can’t go on vacation…”
“Yes, it’s almost impossible to make up for this knowledge in just over a week, let alone the fact that the exam difficulty has increased significantly. There’s even less hope.”
“I guess I’ll have to give up then.”
Lily fell silent, thinking about something. Her head was bowed low, and I couldn’t see her expression.
“Um? My intestines seem to be reconnected. Should we proceed to the next step?”
“Ah, ah! Okay. Next, I’ll use magic to put your internal organs back in place. It might be a bit uncomfortable, so please bear with it.”
What a joke. Anyway, Lily opened her arms to me, and my intestines floated up and re-entered the wound. It must be some kind of magic that uses spatial manipulation or something.
“Whew—that was a great help.”
“Wait, if it’s not sewn up properly, it’ll fall out again…”
“…You’re right. Please take care of it then.”
I originally wanted to tell her about my body’s regenerative abilities, but I didn’t know when it would fully recover, so I thought it would be better to have Lily sew it up.
“I’ll use magically generated needles and thread to sew it. That way, you won’t need to have the stitches removed when the wound heals.”
“Oh, thank you.”
Lily came to my side, and I leaned my upper body back to make it easier for her to stitch my wound.
“Although I’m good at sewing, stitching wounds is still my first… Please…”
She responded with a voice as small as a mosquito’s buzz. I then noticed her earlobes turning red. I assumed her cheeks were also flushed, though I couldn’t see them. She became so easily embarrassed over just a sentence? Her body was perfectly mature, but her mind was like a shy young girl. This contrast made me…
You’ve also become a little strange. Seeing her shy look, even I felt a bit embarrassed. I patiently waited for the suturing to end.
The pain was not as bad as before. My zombie pain sensation had been dulled significantly. Because Lily was overly cautious, fearing she might hurt me, her hands would occasionally brush against my skin. It felt a little painful, and I found it hard to endure, but I couldn’t blame her for being too careful, so I gritted my teeth and bore it. Unbeknownst to me, her body was pressed too close to mine, some soft parts of her pressing against my legs… For example, her well-developed chest was pressing against my thighs…
To distract myself, I opened my eyes and looked at her long black hair. I saw the pair of goat horns on her head, still stained with my blood, which she hadn’t had time to wipe off. Speaking of which, how does this horn replacement work? Do such large horns just fall off? Is it like pulling a tooth? Thinking about it, I unconsciously stroked her hair, then her horns, wiping the blood off them. Lily must have felt it too, because she stopped sewing, but she didn’t say anything, as if tacitly allowing me to touch her horns. After wiping off the blood, I, for some reason, switched hands and continued to gently stroke her horns as if I were petting an animal. The meticulous action, however, continued.
Seeing that she didn’t speak, I reached the tips of her horns. I casually stroked her hair, all the way down to her fair white neck, and then back up.
“It was these sharp horns that pierced my stomach, you know.” I jabbed.
This prank seemed to have a significant impact on Lily, causing her whole body to tremble. Fearing I might disturb her, I stopped teasing her and continued stroking her head. Her hair felt really good, very smooth, though the ridges on her horns were a bit rough. If only they could be smoothed down. She let me stroke her without a word, but her earlobes turned redder and redder, and her body trembled slightly. After a while, the suturing was long finished, but she was reluctant to get up from me, continuing to enjoy my touch.
After a while longer, I had had enough and felt that continuing like this was a bit improper, so I patted Lily’s shoulder, wanting her to get up. Sensing my movement, Lily slowly raised her head. Seeing her expression, I was stunned.
“… To replace Sinu’s horns?”
Her voice was exquisitely seductive. Her expression was one of infatuation. She gazed at me with loving, doting eyes and respectfully made her request.
She’s in heat again!
