Chapter 10 : That Night

The door of the confinement room wasn’t particularly sturdy, and there was even a window on the wall, through which one could glimpse the final rays of the sunset.

This was a punishment—Shen Ning knew that. Still, it was far better than the utterly lightless labs. But… had she really done something wrong?

That afternoon, a school psychologist had come in and asked her some questions.

“Why were you able to calmly fight back and kill with a knife? When you saw your classmates being slaughtered, weren’t you afraid?”

Shen Ning frowned. “But if I didn’t act, all of them would’ve been killed.”

The psychologist was momentarily speechless. After a pause, she continued, saying that Shen Ning should have shown more empathy toward her classmates, comforted them when they were scared, and shown more emotion and care.

“I killed the one who was trying to kill them. That’s the greatest care I could offer,” Shen Ning replied plainly.

In the end, the psychologist had nothing left to say. She left with a final “Think about it,” leaving the girl sitting alone as the sky outside darkened, and the room grew even gloomier than the shopping mall had been earlier.

Shen Ning knew those words were useless—because she’d already seen her future self: cold, decisive, and utterly unflinching in the face of life and death.

Even so, being confined like this inevitably brought a touch of melancholy.

Did I really do something wrong? And… how did I become like that in the future?

The moon quietly climbed into the sky, casting a gentle glow through the window. With a yawn, Shen Ning prepared to move from her chair to the bed—an old bunk moved here from the dorms.

She didn’t know how long she’d be locked up. Might as well think things through.

Suddenly, footsteps echoed outside the window. Light, but clear in the quiet of night.

“Yes, it’s one of these two spots, trust me, Xiaolu. The other place has guards—we can’t get in. We have to gamble on this one.”

Shen Ning’s eyes widened. That sweet voice was all too familiar—her future cup… no, wife—Xu Chuyao.

“Let me take a look—Xiao Lu, give me a hand… no, a shoulder! Don’t worry, I’m light—only my chest is a bit heavy.”

Soon, a neat little head with straight black bangs peeked in through the window. “Big dummy, are you in there?”

Shen Ning looked up wordlessly, meeting Xu Chuyao’s eyes.

“Haha! I knew you were in there—ahhh!”

Thud!—she fell.

“Sorry, Xu Chuyao, you laughed and threw me off balance,” came Mi Xiaolu’s voice.

“No worries, it’s my fault. I won’t laugh again.”

Yeah… next time someone’s climbing on your shoulders, maybe don’t laugh out loud.

Hearing that they were about to try climbing again, Shen Ning quickly stopped them. “Stop, stop. Just talk. Why are you here?”

“Well, I didn’t see you all day, so I was wondering where you went. Oh, I’ve got good news and bad news,” Xu Chuyao said cheerfully.

“Good news: after today’s incident, no more food delivery is allowed. You won’t have to worry about me stealing your chopsticks anymore.”

Before Shen Ning could react, she added, “Bad news: those two packs of chopsticks you bought the other day were wasted. Ha↗ ha↘~!”

“……”
Shen Ning clenched her fists.

Even Mi Xiaolu gave Xu Chuyao a look—this was the first time she realized how badly this girl deserved a beating.

“Anyway, why were you put in solitary? Did you really kill a classmate?”

Rolling her eyes at the wall, Shen Ning figured she had nothing better to do. Those two weren’t going to let her sleep anyway. She sat down against the wall.

“I’m not sure why. I killed four enemies, but they say I shouldn’t have been so calm about it.”

“I see.”

That made things clear for Xu Chuyao. In the original novel, the school both wanted to train spirit power users and feared that they might become dangerous. So personality traits mattered.

At 15, Shen Ning had just awakened and already killed over twenty enemies. To others, that made her a potential threat.

Plus, the school had leaders with personal grudges against her and lab doctors who wanted to use her for research. Of course they’d use this opportunity to make a fuss.

“That’s just how they are. Back in my hometown, they used to scold you for being ‘impure’, then once you grew up a bit, they’d rush you to… ahem. Never mind. When things get dangerous, they’ll drop the act and value whoever can fight.”

Xu Chuyao knew the plot. The academy would soon be under pressure. The more danger there was, the less they could care about trivial matters. Whoever could fight was king.

“Anyway, don’t worry. Our homeroom teacher will bail you out soon.”

Shen Ning blinked. “Are you… comforting me?”

“Of course!” Xu Chuyao giggled. “If you don’t come out, who will I bully? You little side character~”

“……”

Shen Ning’s fists clenched again—then relaxed. She sighed. “They told me over and over how calmly killing someone is wrong. They wanted me to believe I was mistaken.”

“They’re just gaslighting you. Give it some time—they’ll shut up,” Xu Chuyao said. “Don’t let their words get to you.”

The original novel’s heroine was ruthless. If Shen Ning became soft from butterfly-effect changes, she might not survive the main boss battle, and then the world would end. Then Xu Chuyao would have nowhere to cry.

“What if I’ve already been affected?” Shen Ning whispered. “If I went back to the mall now and faced them again… I don’t think I could act the same.”

When her reflection vanished, she had felt her grip on the hammer loosen.

“That’s easy. Just follow my advice,” said Xu Chuyao. “If you ever hesitate again, recite this poem.”

“Poem?”

“Heaven gave birth to all things to nourish man,
Yet man offers nothing in return to Heaven!”

Shen Ning softly repeated it. She didn’t quite understand—it was from a culture class she probably dozed off in. But strangely, reciting it stirred something in her.

“If that’s not enough, here’s another line:
‘Xu Chuyao says kill—kill, kill, kill, kill, kill!’ Ahem! Don’t look at me like that, Xiaolu. It’s just a suggestion… Oh right, Shen Ning.”

Xu Chuyao suddenly remembered what she’d been most curious about. “Why did you go shopping today? What did you buy?”

That reminded Shen Ning. She reached into her coat pocket and felt a square-shaped object.

“Put your hand through the window,” she said. “Take this.”

“What mysterious thing is—huh?”

Xu Chuyao pulled it through the window. It was—

“Deda Milk Chocolate?”

“You mentioned it last time during lunch,” said Shen Ning. “I wanted to get the milk version too, but couldn’t find it before… you know, the attack happened.”

Xu Chuyao giggled. “Chocolate milk is in the dairy section, silly. You won’t find it in the candy aisle~ You little side character~”

“……”

Thirty seconds later, her voice came again. “Big dummy, you put your hand out now. Take this.”

“What?”

“Chocolate. I broke off a piece for you.”

A half-bar of milk chocolate rested on the window ledge, wrapper and all. Xu Chuyao was a top spirit-user in their year—this was nothing for her.

Shen Ning unwrapped it and took a small bite.

“How is it? Sweet, right?”

“…Yeah.”

Very sweet. Unlike the cheap rock-hard fruit candies from the mining zones of her childhood.

“Hehe~ I told you my recommendations are solid. ♪ I take a little bite, you said you love me, still savoring your gentle kindness~ ♪”

Xu Chuyao began to hum, a song from the pre-spirit age. Shen Ning had never heard it. She didn’t know if it was off-key—but the girl’s voice was soft and sweet.

A few minutes later, the music stopped.

“Oh no, Xiao Lu—the curfew’s passed! Dorm’s locked! We can’t get back tonight!”

Shen Ning twitched. “Then what’ll you do?”

She hadn’t even noticed she was worried about her.

“What else? I’ll camp out here. I’m a late-stage Tier 1 spirit-user—can’t be afraid of a little cold!”

****

But soon, the wind started howling, and the girl could be heard shivering outside.

A few minutes later, footsteps returned.

“Xu Chuyao, I found two unopened dorm blankets in the old building next door.”

“Xiaolu, you’re amazing! You’re the MVP!”

Wrapped in the blankets, Xu Chuyao sat with her back to the wall of the confinement room and resumed humming happily.

Inside, Shen Ning had already reached her bed—but after a moment of hesitation, she picked up her blanket and sat down by the wall again.

The quiet night was filled with moonlight and gentle singing. Shen Ning bit into her chocolate again. It felt like the moonlight was melting in her mouth.

“♪ Like mice love rice~ With courage comes~ miracles~ The sun has risen, so joyous and bright—ah, cough cough! ♪”

Xu Chuyao rubbed her eyes, tossed off her blanket, and shook her sleeping roommate. “Wake up, Xiaolu! The sun’s up—the dorm’s open!”

“Mm, okay.”

The two girls stretched and got ready to leave.

Before going, Xu Chuyao leaned on the wall and called, “Hey, big dummy~ side character~, you still awake?”

“…Yeah.”

Of course she was. If she wanted to sleep, she’d have gone to bed.

She didn’t know why she stayed up with them. Just to hear her sing?

Or maybe she was just overthinking things tonight.

“Well then, go to sleep. We’re heading off.” Xu Chuyao put the wrapper back on the window sill. “For the sake of this chocolate, I won’t bully you this week. Bye bye~”

“Only one week?” Shen Ning sighed, remembering that smug tone, that exaggerated laugh.

“She really is asking for a beating.”

She didn’t notice that, as she spoke, the corners of her lips had curved upward.

She looked out the window. The sun had begun to rise, golden threads of light slipping through the bars and filling the little room with a gentle glow.

Then she looked down at the chocolate wrapper still in her hand… and paused.

Suddenly, she closed her eyes and called out to the system.

SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:\"'<>,.?/

【Ding~ One-star milestone mission complete. Congratulations, host. You’ve received: Tier-2 Spirit Power Control.
This power comes from your future self, nine months ahead.】

A warm current surged through her body. Shen Ning slowly extended her hand into the sunlight.

A few seconds later, a small whirlwind spun in her palm.