“I’ll be at your door in 5 minutes,” Jiang Mengxin said.
“Huh? So fast?” Su Mumu quickly kicked off her blanket. “I haven’t even changed yet.”
“Then let me help you change, Mumu~” Jiang Mengxin started acting mischievous again.
“The Emperor’s New Clothes, right?” Su Mumu responded grumpily.
“Oh? You’ve gotten smarter?” Jiang Mengxin gasped in mock surprise.
“Heart to heart, yet my bestie plays mind games with me,” Su Mumu complained.
“Hahaha, hurry up and come out.”
After dropping that final sentence, the phone went to a busy tone.
Su Mumu let out a yawn and stepped out of bed barefoot. She searched through her wardrobe for a while but still only found long skirts.
‘Why does it feel so cold today…?’
Even though the temperature outside wasn’t supposed to be low…
Su Mumu thought about it and added a long-sleeved jacket. It was a simple style, also plain white.
‘Let’s finish the mission quickly and get back under the covers to rank up!’
The courtyard was noticeably cooler. Jiang Mengxin was already standing outside the gate, idly scrolling through her phone.
“Good evening, Xin Xin.” Su Mumu smiled.
Jiang Mengxin looked up but unnaturally averted her gaze for a split second. “Um, good evening.”
“What’s wrong?” Su Mumu was confused. “Is there something on my face?”
“Nothing, nothing. Some dust just got in my eye,” Jiang Mengxin said.
“You’re acting a bit strange. You were like that on the phone too…” Su Mumu noted.
Jiang Mengxin slightly tilted her chin up. “It’s your fault for not replying to my messages. You made me wait so long.”
Su Mumu snickered. “I recorded the call as a souvenir.”
“You wouldn’t!” Jiang Mengxin’s cheeks flushed instantly. “Give me the phone. Delete it!”
“No way, no way~~” Su Mumu stuck out her tongue. “Eh? Wait, wait, wait… Don’t touch me there! Your hands are so cold! Hey! That’s my squishy spot! What are you doing, ahhh…”
Jiang Mengxin looked resentful. “Where the heck are you hiding your phone?”
“I’m not telling you~~”
“Could it be… hidden by your thigh?”
“Stop! Hand-under-the-skirt is forbidden! It’s not hidden there, ahhh!”
Su Mumu pushed Jiang Mengxin back.
The two of them scuffled, their footsteps tangling together as the moonlight spilled over the banyan tree, casting fragmented shadows on the ground.
Suddenly.
*Clink.*
A strange sound rang out, like a metal object hitting the floor.
They stopped their fooling around in unison.
Simultaneously, they looked down at the ground by their feet.
“What’s this?” Su Mumu asked.
“A collar.” Jiang Mengxin picked up the metal collar and gave it a light shake, her lips curling into a smirk. “It’s for punishing disobedient little children~”
“Get real.” Su Mumu swatted her hand away. “I don’t have that kind of hobby.”
“Hahaha.” Jiang Mengxin laughed until she teared up. “No, actually, this is for the mission.”
“How so?” Su Mumu was curious.
“I think… the thief at Jiulewu might be a stray cat or some other small animal from nearby,” Jiang Mengxin explained.
“But an animal that knows how to drink must have developed some level of intelligence. That’s why I asked the Class teacher for this tool!”
Su Mumu clapped her hands. “Nice! Jiang Mengxin is carrying the team!”
“Here.” Jiang Mengxin handed over a key.
“What’s this for?” Su Mumu took it.
“The backup key for the collar,” Jiang Mengxin said.
“This tool can automatically lock onto enemies, and it has a contraction function. To prevent accidentally hurting a small animal… Mumu, you keep the backup key for me.”
“Got it. Giving me a tool so I feel like I’m contributing.” Su Mumu nodded.
“As expected of the little genius, Mumu.” Jiang Mengxin chuckled.
“Stop with the praise, I’m afraid I’ll get arrogant,” Su Mumu said.
Jiulewu had long since closed.
Only when they arrived did Su Mumu realize that Jiang Mengxin had already obtained the shop keys in advance.
‘Ah… being a tag-along is so easy.’
“Mumu, you keep watch at the door.” Jiang Mengxin stepped into the shop. “I’ll go inside and flush that thief out.”
“Okay then~~~” Su Mumu responded lazily.
The moonlight was soft, bleeding into the sea of clouds, while the stars sparkled faintly like dots of light.
Su Mumu simply plopped down on the steps, her head tilted back as she boredly counted the stars.
She didn’t know how much time had passed.
The cold stone bricks made her backside go numb, and she couldn’t help but feel drowsy.
“Yawn…”
‘So sleepy…’
‘Is Xin Xin not done yet?’
If she waited any longer, Su Mumu felt like she would fall asleep.
*Whoosh—*
The sound of wind rising came from the woods.
The cold wind felt like razor blades slicing against her skin. Su Mumu sucked in a breath of cold air and hugged herself.
Even so, she couldn’t stop herself from shivering.
‘No… it’s too cold.’
‘Maybe I should head inside Jiulewu to hide from the wind for a bit…’
Su Mumu stood up and dragged her tired, shivering body step by step into the pitch-black tavern.
Relying on her memories from earlier that afternoon, she felt around for a bit and finally found a small sofa.
She curled up on the soft cushions, trying to get warm.
‘It’s so weird.’
‘Why does it feel like it’s getting even colder?’
‘What’s going on…?’
‘And… why is the top of my head so itchy?’
‘Is my brain finally growing?’
The confusion in Su Mumu’s heart grew stronger.
Soon, the discomfort spread to her back.
‘Does my back feel heavy?’
‘Did I sit on something?’
‘Is this just a series of psychological delusions because I’m bored?’
While her mind was racing, her peripheral vision suddenly caught sight of several strands of snowy white hair.
They were as fine and distinct as high-quality silk.
‘Huh…? Wait.’
Su Mumu reached out, grabbed the strands of hair, and looked at them closely.
Then, she gave them a sharp tug.
“Ow, ow, ow, ow!!!”
‘This… is my hair?’
No matter how slow Su Mumu’s reaction time was right now, she realized something was wrong.
‘No way…’
‘You can’t do this to me…’
Su Mumu hurriedly felt around the top of her head. Sure enough, her palms brushed against warm fur. Judging by the shape, these were a pair of fox ears!
“What in the literal pineapple-exploding, rainbow-colored hell!”
Her sleepiness and the cold vanished instantly, replaced by an endless sense of terror.
‘I have to… I have to find a place to hide quickly…’
Su Mumu’s nerves were taut, but just then, Jiang Mengxin’s blurry figure appeared near a wine table ahead.
In the dark environment, Jiang Mengxin seemed to be walking toward her, step by step.
Without a second thought, Su Mumu jumped off the sofa and held her breath. To avoid making any sound, she tiptoed away, inching her body forward.
The fluffy tail behind her swayed gently.
However, in the next second, her tail seemed to hit something—
Suddenly, the sound of breaking glass rang out.
*Crash!*
*Meow!* A black shadow bolted out the door at high speed and fled.
“Dammit, I almost had it…” Jiang Mengxin’s frustrated voice came through. “Who’s there?”
As she spoke, the ceiling chandelier flickered on. It was as if countless spotlights had fallen on Su Mumu, freezing her in the middle of her sneaky escape.
Jiang Mengxin was full of shock. “You’re… that fox demon from before!?”
“H-Hello there.” Su Mumu gave a very strained smile.
“So it was you who ruined my mission.” Jiang Mengxin’s gaze turned much colder in an instant.
Su Mumu explained in a panic, “This is a misunderstanding, let me explain…”