**Chapter 3 & 4: The Shadow Under the Moonlight**
On Saturday evening, as usual, I returned home. Although I come back every week, each time Xiao An and Xuan’er excitedly rush over to greet me.
“Welcome back~” x2
This time was no different, and I was really happy. But after so many repetitions, don’t they ever get tired of it?
After giving Xuan’er and Xiao An a spin in my arms and putting them down, Xiao An proudly held up a small bag to show me.
“Dad, look, look! Isn’t this bag super cute?”
“Yeah, it’s really cute.”
“It was bought for me by Sister Lily!”
“Hmm? Lily?”
As Xiao An pulled me into the living room, I realized Lily had come over too.
“What a rare visitor! I can’t believe you actually came.”
“I heard from Mom that you come back every week, so I thought I might as well come early today to prepare and avoid a flurry tomorrow.”
“Oh, I see. I heard you got Xiao An a present? Thanks!”
“It’s nothing. Here, this is the outfit I picked for you. You can wear this tomorrow.”
Since it was a mission item, I didn’t hold back and took it to have a look. I thought it would be a suit, but surprisingly, it was casual wear.
“Hmm? Isn’t this a suit?”
“No, it’s just a party. There’s no need to dress so formally.”
“That’s great! I now have another outfit for everyday wear.”
“You make it sound like I’ve mistreated you. I’ve mentioned clothing before; it was you who didn’t want to go buy it, right?”
“Yeah, yeah, you’re the best, old lady.”
“You brat! Hurry up and go cook!”
The irritated old lady raised her foot to kick me, but luckily I quickly closed my legs to block her foot and saved myself from a potentially painful experience.
That was dangerous… Ever since I teased her last time, she’s been acting like a moody woman going through menopause.
I hurriedly escaped from the living room to the kitchen to avoid her looking for trouble again.
After finishing dinner, I noticed that Xinran and Keling were missing and asked Nana.
“Where are Xinran and Keling?”
“Don’t know. The little devil hasn’t been back this week, and Xinran hasn’t returned since leaving at noon.”
“…”
This made me vigilant again. Even though a lot of time had passed, I couldn’t guarantee that they wouldn’t run into trouble.
Could it be… that they’ve encountered some danger?
No! I need to set out and find them immediately!
Lanhua’s singing echoed in the room; I had set her last recording as my ringtone. I quickly answered the call.
It was Xinran, reporting that she and Keling had gone to Yu Hui’s house to play and not to worry about them. After hanging up, she sent me a photo as proof. The picture showed Xinran, Keling, and Yu Hui, with Keling happily posing with a V-sign close to the camera, Xinran smiling while hugging Yu Hui’s shoulder, and Yu Hui shyly smiling.
…It seems Keling must have told Xinran about Yu Hui, and then Xinran wanted to meet this childhood friend.
After all, Xinran and Yu… or rather, Xiao Bai share a good relationship.
If that’s the case, I don’t need to worry so much.
Speaking of which, it seems like something similar happened before. In the previous world, during the final exam period, they went to Yu Hui’s house to study, and I was the only one at home when I encountered Zi’ai.
Only when I was alone did Zi’ai appear…
Strange, I feel like I’ve heard something similar somewhere before…
Only when I’m alone?
After returning to my seat, deep in thought while hugging my arms, everyone looked at me with confusion. Lily spoke in a slightly sour tone.
“You’re really worried about those sisters, huh?”
“Well, after all, I see them as my biological sisters.”
“Oh? Just sisters?”
“So many people have asked me that. They really are just my sisters…”
I didn’t even want to think about it being anything other than that.
I felt a twinge of guilt as Keling’s words from that day floated back to mind.
—What the heck… what was that about?
I… what about being their brother, right?
What else could I be but a brother? What do they want me to be?
“Humph, you can’t trust what men say!”
“Maybe that’s true.”
Since coming to this world, I’ve really become more confused and more indecisive. In the original world, I had to be much more decisive in that strange environment. Is it the daily life that caused this change?
Because this world is too peaceful, I’ve turned into a useless scum… Ah, I shouldn’t shift the blame like this, but I really do feel like this world is more exhausting than the previous one…
Is this really the daily life I wanted?
Fate, oh fate, why did you bring me to this world?
“Juncheng, the food is getting cold…”
Xuan’er’s small hand waved in front of me, bringing me back to reality.
“Xiao Xuan, don’t mind him. He’s probably thinking about which woman to obsess over again.”
“Ah, I’m eating now. By the way, Xuan’er, have you been eating well recently?”
“Yeah, I can manage a meal every day… If it’s okay, could you teach me to cook?”
“Hmm? You want to learn how to cook?”
Xuan’er shyly lowered her head.
“Yes, I want to try my best. If I could cook as well as Juncheng, that would be great.”
“Okay, I’ll come back early tomorrow to teach you how to cook.”
Hey~ Xuan’er wants to learn how to cook! That’s quite unexpected. In the previous world, Xuan’er often said that if she could learn to make delicious dishes, she wouldn’t need to go out to hunt for food, and could enjoy good food at home.
Speaking of which, Xuan’er loved role-playing in the past. Should I let this world’s Xuan’er try it out too? She might really enjoy it.
“Hey, you want to go with me tomorrow…”
“I know, but that’s in the evening, right? We can’t just go in broad daylight.”
“Well, that’s…fine.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll help you handle any trouble.”
Just being a shield, right? I’ve done it several times, both for real and fake. You could say I’m a veteran at it!
…
I’m sorry…. I spoke too boldly.
A group of beauties were bouncing around, but not a single man was flirting with the girls. Instead, they crowded around me…
Of course, it wasn’t that they thought anything special of me; they just wanted to get me drunk.
Their real target was Lily. Since Lily introduced me earlier, they all now knew I was her (fake) boyfriend, trying to provoke me to make a fool of myself to win the admiration of the beautiful woman.
I agreed to Lily, so I couldn’t back out now. I could only drink cup after cup to deal with this bunch of idiots… Seriously, I don’t understand you rich young folks’ minds. Clearly, there are so many beautiful women willing to flirt with you, yet you don’t go for them and instead seek out Lily, the ‘ice queen.’ Why would you want to drink with me, a man? Are you all ‘drinking girls’ or something?
Is it true that what you can’t get is the best?
How many cups have I had now?
I forget… I’ve lost count…
But luckily, no one could urge me to drink anymore, because the last one who tried is now ‘dead.’
One by one, they lay on the sofa like corpses or slumped over the table, unable to get up. Some went to the bathroom and never came back… Ha… You should be thankful you’re not a girl; otherwise, you might end up being ‘picked up’ by some scheming gal… not necessarily? Perhaps some vigorous middle-aged women would snatch these handsome boys away.
One fool began to puke and then fell backward, unable to get up. If I hadn’t noticed and turned him onto his side, he would have probably suffocated on his own vomit.
Haha, there’s not a single capable one among them… bunch of losers!
My head is killing me.
It seems my Spiritual Power has severely declined.
I’m not quite sure why, but ever since I arrived in this world, my Spiritual Power has been…
I only discovered later that the time Keling knocked me down wasn’t because my ability had failed, but because my Spiritual Power was too weak to give her any mental suggestion.
Mental suggestion, and specific ventriloquism… skills that require a strong Spiritual Power can no longer be used, so I had to rely on Spiritual Pressure, which is why my last sentence succeeded in waking Keling.
Since waking Keling, more than six months had passed, and my Spiritual perception range had diminished significantly… only slightly stronger than an Ordinary person now.
At this point, I can’t even use Thought Acceleration; the only thing I can rely on now is Spiritual Pressure, which can only freeze someone for two or three seconds. It can no longer force someone to kneel like before using just my Spirit.
I feel like this is because I’m adapting to this world…
I’m being similar…
I barely held myself together; I stood up somewhat dazed, wanting to find a bed to lie down on. How wonderful would it be to sleep until dawn…
My sight spun harshly. I half-closed my eyes, leaned on the wall, and walked out of the private room, knocking my head on the corner.
“Next up, we have the mysterious guest… super popular singer, Lanhua! Let’s enjoy her performance of ‘The Illness Called Love’!”
…What?
Left?
I looked up but couldn’t see Lanhua; the densely packed crowd raised their hands, cheering, completely blocking 80% of my view.
But the familiar song immediately filled the venue, exactly the same as the one I had set as my ringtone.
This place has some skill; they even managed to invite Lanhua.
No, wait, this is bad if Lanhua sees me. If she finds out I’m pretending to be Lily’s boyfriend, she might think that Xinran and I are also just putting on an act…
That would be troublesome…
Crap… I need to leave quickly.
The last remnants of my Spiritual Power fiercely battled against the alcohol, allowing me to maintain my last thread of rationality, successfully escaping the noisy venue and out into the open air.
I leaned against the door frame, took a few deep breaths, and looked into the distance.
Though the moon was not full, I could see round, scattered bits of light gathering together, like they merged into one.
Hey, my drunken perspective is just like a nearsighted person with astigmatism.
Speaking of which, I haven’t worn my glasses in a while… I lost my ability to see names, so I don’t even need to wear glasses anymore.
…On the distant tower’s peak, it seems like someone is sitting…
Her long hair danced in the air, becoming silvery strands under the moonlight, beautiful and dreamlike.
Then she seemed to see me and stood up.
I slowly widened my eyes.
Her head almost connected with the moon.
And the words above her head reflected under the moonlight.
Although I couldn’t see clearly, it was indeed… a title and a name…
A title.
It is the ‘essence’ reflected by the capability of the Yata no Kagami.
And that shadow—it’s her!
I almost exhausted all the air in my lungs, shouting her name at the top of my voice.
“Zi’ai An!!!”
