Chapter 54.3: The Tenth Morning
Zi’ai An’s Confidence:
Juncheng had rested enough. It was my turn next.
After asking Juncheng to rub my legs, I fell asleep directly in his arms. Although he warned me that his body temperature was very low and it was better to stay away, I still stubbornly asked him to hold me as I slept.
I’ve taken care of you for so long, my legs are almost numb from kneeling. It’s time for me to be spoiled, right!
Staying still all day was difficult enough, but having him rest his head on my lap only added to the burden.
The more I thought about it, the more wronged I felt, so I snuggled deeper into his embrace, curling myself into a ball. My hands rested on his chest. No heartbeat…
He sat cross-legged on the ground, leaning back against the cave wall, a slightly embarrassed expression on his face because his jacket didn’t fully cover him.
It’s because it’s him that I can feel so at ease… If it were any other man, I would never let my guard down.
Could he… could he attack me? I’ve had that thought before. Maybe he will too…
My heart beat a little faster. Enough, I shouldn’t be thinking like that…
But as I looked up slightly at Juncheng’s face, I knew my worries were unnecessary.
My suspended heart naturally relaxed. He would never do anything while I was asleep. A little disappointed, he wouldn’t do anything to me, but somehow it felt wrong if he didn’t take advantage of me. I felt both at ease and worried, happy for his happiness, worried for his worries. My heart was full of longing, its cause unknown, yet weariness washed over me.
I had a very sweet dream. In the dream, we finally finished what we hadn’t finished last time. Perhaps it was because my arousal was so high, I was instantly transported to the clouds…
But after it was all over, he was going to leave me. Reluctantly, I held his hand, begging him to stay… If he couldn’t stay, then take me with him.
If it were like my previous dreams, he would have left by now, but this time he stayed.
For the first time, I had something I wanted, someone I wanted to see. This desire continued to swell, filling my soul.
He reached out his hand to me, and I obediently offered my heart, letting him play with it, letting him bring me joy, sorrow, sadness, and happiness.
At this moment, everything I desired was in my embrace.
Anzi Ai… did it mean ‘what a gentleman loves’?
The next morning, bright sunshine streamed into the dark cave, filling the air with a refreshing, invigorating scent.
I blinked my eyes and saw that the campfire on the ground had gone out. I also opened my eyes.
Looking up, I saw him there. He had also opened his eyes and was looking at me gently.
I squinted and groggily reached out to touch his cheek.
“Good morning, are you awake?”
The moment I touched him, my eyes widened, and I fumbled, trying to stand up, but my body didn’t listen. I slumped back into his embrace.
After gaping at Juncheng for a while, I finally showed a relieved expression and said to him.
“It’s… it’s really great.”
“What’s great? Oh, I see. Because you realized it wasn’t a dream, right?”
He knew, of course. Did he figure it out from my expression?
Or perhaps, we were thinking the same thing…
Just this small thing made a warm current flow through me. Ugh, I’m too easily satisfied.
“Yes, it’s so good to see you again. I thought I’d never see you again in this lifetime. Actually, after I went back, I often wondered if it was all just a dream… After all, everyone I knew said I took the exam, but I truly came to this world that day, and I was with you…”
“Indeed. Looking at it that way, it would seem like you might have been dreaming.”
“But I always believed it was real, you know?”
“Why?”
“Because you made me believe in you. So I have to believe in you, believe in everything about you.”
So-called trust is reciprocal.
Although I doubted it, I always believed in your existence.
However, the resolve I had made was shattered in an instant… I let out a wry laugh, and he heard it, asking.
“What’s wrong? Did you have a nightmare?”
“No, I had a very happy dream. Only… because it was too happy, I became… difficult to-”
“…Because you didn’t want to let go?”
“That’s right. Juncheng, I can’t let go either. I don’t want to be separated from you again.”
Hearing my confession, Juncheng showed a troubled expression and said with a wry smile, just like me.
“How could you… We’ve only truly spent a few days together…”
“But every minute, every second was a qualitative change. Because it was you, my emotions changed so drastically. It’s truly strange. Is this narcissism? Heh.”
Juncheng didn’t laugh at my dark humor. He spoke with a grave expression.
Damn it, I seem to have put pressure on him again.
“I know. This is just my one-sided love. You don’t have to answer, and I don’t know when I’ll be going back, right?”
We trust each other, but love hasn’t yet been born.
That’s why one-sided feelings are called unrequited love.
“The way you are makes…”
“I’m not worried at all. Because men can always let go and cut ties. They say for the sake of the Dao, they can even kill their beloved and abandon their families without hesitation. Novels are all written like that, aren’t they?”
“Then I might as well die myself.”
“You already died.”
“But I didn’t die.”
“The result was that you went to harm girls?”
“Who is harming whom… I’m always the one getting caught in danger.”
“That’s true. Yes, me too.”
Juncheng rolled his eyes and said.
“Yes, you too.”
“Hehehehe~”
For some reason, seeing his troubled expression because of me, I naturally started laughing, and my mood became especially comfortable.
Is this what it feels like to tease someone you like?
Could it be that the girls liked to tease Juncheng for the same reason?
That’s truly addictive.
“But I didn’t expect to see you, Juncheng, when I woke up. I thought you would definitely go explore the island’s situation.”
“I originally wanted to go out and explore after you fell asleep. But you held onto me so tightly, you didn’t let go even in your sleep. I could only sit there like a monk, silently counting ‘one, two, three’ in my heart.”
“I see. How thoughtful.”
So that’s why he didn’t leave in my dream.
“By the way, give me the antidote. It’s almost time for it to wear off.”
“Get it yourself. It’s in my pocket.”
“No… help me get it…”
“Tch, why are you still so shy at a time like this?”
I originally wanted to tease him a bit more, like putting the medicine bottle in my chest and making him reach for it, but my final bit of pride stopped me from doing such a shameless thing.
My heart tightened. Love truly turns even the cleverest woman into a fool.
Juncheng took the medicine bottle from my hand and counted the remaining pills, murmuring.
“The antidote wasn’t much to begin with, and you used three pills at once. It’s quite extravagant…”
“I think it was put to good use.”
“…That’s true.”
“What should we do next?”
“Let’s explore the surroundings first.”
And so, Juncheng took my hand and we left the cave. We explored the island together. We walked around the island but found no other traces. This really was an uninhabited island.
Then, we began searching the forest for survival supplies.
We found a small stream, and after washing my face with the cool, fresh water by the bank, my spirits were greatly lifted.
“I’ve only been here for a few hours. Judging by the time, this should not be too far from the resort island we were on. However, it’s unwise to go out to sea without knowing the direction… It’s probably a more stable choice to wait for rescue here. This island has quite abundant food resources. But, if there’s no rescue in a few days, we’ll have to find a way to build a raft.”
…
“Zi’ai? Did you hear what I said?”
“Huh? Ah, I’m fine. I was just thinking about something else.”
What did Juncheng just say? He’d only been here for ‘a few hours’?
But I had been floating at sea for ‘two or three days’ with a lifebuoy and a wooden board, only falling into the sea when I couldn’t hold on anymore.
What on earth is going on…
As I pondered, I looked around and saw something black not far away… I couldn’t see clearly because it was too far.
“What… is that?”
As I was wondering, I heard Juncheng shout, “Xun’er!” and run upstream. I quickly followed.
Lying by the stream was a little girl with long black hair, inexplicably wearing a school swimsuit. She looked very weak.
That’s Kaoru Tsukiyose… and I remember Kaoru Tsukiyose is… a ghoul?
Such a cute little girl is a ghoul. This world is truly strange.
Juncheng ran over and picked her up, stroking her back as he said.
“…Finally found you. I didn’t expect you to have drifted to this island too.”
Kaoru Tsukiyose didn’t respond. Leaning on Juncheng’s shoulder, she said in a weak voice.
“…”
To still be conscious is remarkable.
“…I’ll find you something to eat right away.”
Juncheng and I exchanged a smile. So she was just hungry. That’s good; as long as we give her something to eat, it’s fine. The food resources on this island are not scarce.
However, just as Juncheng stood up with her in his arms, I saw the girl’s eyes suddenly open, shining with a red light!
An ominous feeling immediately arose in my heart. I quickly called out to Juncheng.
“Juncheng! Throw her down!”
Juncheng turned his head, but it was too late.
The next moment, sharp fangs tore through his shoulder, and blood splattered.
