“To be honest, not scary at all… ‘pfft.'”
“You’re still laughing!”
Ye Wanqing cupped her foot in her hands, gently blowing on her toes one by one.
The ghost-faced mask lay discarded on her thigh, making her look quite ridiculous.
Su Mu glanced at Ye Wanqing’s flushed toes with a smile.
“Don’t you wear shoes inside the house?”
“Sometimes I’m just too lazy to put them on.”
In fact, Ye Wanqing’s slippers sat right by the bed.
It was clear that Su Mu’s arrival had thrown her off a little.
She’d gone through all the trouble of putting on that ghost mask just to scare Ye Wanqing, but instead ended up embarrassing herself all the way to Grandma’s place.
“This is your bedroom, right? Then where’s mine?”
Ye Wanqing looked up, blinking blankly.
“This is your bedroom.”
“Is it really mine? It’s so small… Wait, how come you’re acting so natural being in my bedroom? Put your feet down!”
Seeing Su Mu get worked up, Ye Wanqing giggled.
“I’m just teasing. Of course this is my bedroom. But you’re so heartless, Little Mu. You’re sitting on my bed, and I haven’t even asked you to move your butt.”
‘Is that the same thing? I’m not some foot fetishist; just because your feet look good doesn’t mean I don’t mind!’
Su Mu’s mouth twitched for a moment but she obediently stood up and patted the little bear-print mattress, which was all wrinkled from being sat on.
Hmph, makes sense.
Only she would use such a childish mattress.
Su Mu then turned and headed toward the master bedroom, pushing the door open and smiling with satisfaction at her Kurumi-themed mattress.
Now this was a tasteful choice.
She stretched out on the bed, basking in the warm sunlight streaming in.
The master bedroom was not only spacious but had great lighting.
Ye Wanqing had definitely picked a good spot.
This was a high-floor two-bedroom apartment.
The overall decor wasn’t exquisite, but the location was prime and it was hardly disturbed by noise.
Of course, though there were no noises, there was still one annoying little pest.
The dried-up pest outside — the idiot who kept banging their feet when they walked.
“The TV in the living room is so small.”
Su Mu frowned, staring at the ancient TV in the living room that barely even powered on, suddenly missing the comfy sofa area.
That place was truly relaxing.
“Why not go ask Tang Nai to give you that TV? Maybe she’ll just agree.”
Irina whispered a sly suggestion in Su Mu’s mind.
‘Please, that girl would probably find a way to mess with me.’
“Let’s try, just try. Worst case, she teases me a bit. Besides, don’t you want to know what she’s been up to since you left?”
‘I still have stuff to pick up anyway; going there won’t hurt.’
Less than a kilometer away at the coffee shop, Tang Nai sat alone in the sofa area, lounging comfortably in Su Mu’s usual spot, directly facing the TV.
Or rather, before Su Mu came, this had always been Tang Nai’s territory.
The TV played a magical girl anime from the ‘70s or ‘80s.
The line-drawn girls chatted and laughed against a simple background, sharing pudding in a bright room.
Tang Nai scooped a spoonful of the pudding made by Rin and ate it.
Did it really have caramel?
She couldn’t taste it.
Though she thought that, the pudding was clearly covered in a thick, dark brown layer.
The sweet, cloying scent filled the air, mixing with the aroma of coffee, creating an intoxicating atmosphere that felt as lighthearted as the anime’s scenes.
Too bad this was a basement, and Tang Nai was the only one enjoying the pudding.
No wonder this place wasn’t the kind of spot a Magical Girl would like — no sunlight, and an annoying person like me around.
‘Maybe I should try talking to that stubborn old man upstairs again? Move the sofa and stuff upstairs, at least so it’s sunnier.’
From the stairs came the faint rustling sound of a little mouse tiptoeing across wooden boards.
But if it slipped into the carpet, the noise would disappear.
Tang Nai picked up the remote and turned up the TV volume to cover the faint sounds.
She could almost hear the mouse sigh in relief.
The magical girls on the screen continued their carefree daily lives, unaware that a mischievous witch was watching them from the shadows.
Just like that, the witch hid behind them, creeping closer, and then—
“Waaah!”
A piercing scream exploded behind Tang Nai, and at the same moment, a certain pink-furred giant mouse with a ghost face zipped swiftly overhead.
Her coordination was clearly not the best, and when she landed, she twisted her ankle and nearly tripped, almost giving Tang Nai an early New Year’s bow.
Tang Nai’s pupils shrank briefly before she quickly recovered, smiling warmly at Su Mu, who had landed right in front of the screen.
“What a big pink mouse.”
“Robbery! Hand over the TV!”
Tang Nai said nothing, only pressed the remote, and the moment the volume suddenly blasted out, Su Mu jumped in shock.
Coincidentally, the witch causing trouble in the anime was struck down by the magical girls’ friendship-powered finishing move, the blast loud and piercing.
Though she still grumbled, “I’ll be back,” the witch was blown far away to the horizon, unable to rise again.
“What are you doing? You scared me!”
Su Mu, having failed to scare Tang Nai and instead frightening herself, could only sulk as she took off the mask and tidied her messy hair.
“Nothing. You mean, you want the TV?” Tang Nai shifted to the left, freeing Su Mu’s usual spot, which made Su Mu suspicious.
‘How does she know I want to sit here?’
After a moment of thought, Su Mu sat down, and the warmth left by the previous occupant wrapped her sensitive skin, causing her cheeks to flush.
‘That girl, could she be planning something…? No, what could she want?’
“Not at all.”
If it weren’t for Irina pushing her from within, Su Mu wouldn’t have cared about this TV.
Staring at the 4K huge screen showing an old anime, Su Mu swallowed hard.
Saying she wasn’t interested would be a lie; grabbing this thing would cost at least ten thousand, or else she wouldn’t have come up with this stunt.
But this girl just used it to play an anime that might not even reach 720p quality?
Such a waste.
“Su Mu is full of contradictions, clearly her eyes never left the TV.”
“Hmph, say whatever you want. I’m just here for the sunflower.”
Su Mu snorted lightly and walked over to the bedroom to bring out a small sunflower.
“The sunflower’s mine too. Shouldn’t you ask me before taking it?”
Tang Nai snapped her fingers, and the sunflower in Su Mu’s hands turned into a wisp of smoke, reappearing on the coffee table in front of Tang Nai.
“I-I still need to water it.”
Actually, Su Mu had gotten used to using the sunflower as a night light.
It was a bit embarrassing to admit, but ever since she was a child, she was afraid of sleeping alone at night.
The house was too empty, too dark, and shadows seemed to hide monsters imagined in her mind.
On nights without flights, only by lighting a small night lamp could she fall asleep peacefully.
The basement was darker than her old place, but the warm glow from the sunflower gave her a deep sense of comfort.
And just now, lying in her new bed, she realized something was missing.
Right — at the very least, she had to take the sunflower with her.
“I get it. Conditions, right?”
“Yes.” Tang Nai smiled and nodded.
“Except for every weekend night, you have to stay here.”