Chapter 15: Returning Home

“It’s her…it’s her!”

“Punish her, it’s her fault!”

No…it’s not me…I didn’t do anything wrong…

Don’t hit me…

Beep——

The machine that had been beeping rhythmically suddenly let out a long, flat tone. Almost instantly, the door was slammed open, and Lu Xiu rushed in.

We locked eyes, and in my hand was the Finger Clamp I’d just taken off.

Seeing that I seemed unharmed, he took a step back, slumped against the wall, and slowly slid down until he sat on the floor.

I couldn’t help but touch my mouth. The sharp pain was gone, but a metallic taste still lingered on my tongue, as if the scent of blood refused to fade.

“Seaweed Ball…”

“It was a demon.” His voice was faint, lacking much energy, and the stubble on his chin was even thicker than before.

“At least three demons, possibly including a Root Demon, dragged you to the Hell Boundary……. It’s my fault. I didn’t notice.

“I’m sorry…”

He buried his face in his knees.

“No…that’s not it….I’m just hungry.”

His body went stiff for a moment, then he tilted his head back and covered his face.

“Damn… I really am an idiot…”

“There’s no need to insult yourself.”

“I was cursing at you.”

“Eh?”

What does this have to do with me?

“Forget it, forget it… What do you want to eat?”

He finally sighed, pushing himself to his feet.

“Kuyan Fire Village! Extra large cup! With toppings!”

“I thought you’d ask for something with a little more class…”

“What’s class?”

“You wouldn’t understand even if I told you.”

There he goes, treating me like an idiot again.

“By the way, Seaweed Ball.”

“Anything else you want to eat?”

Why does it always seem like you think all I do is eat?

No, no.

I shook my head and told him what I was about to say: “I think… I remembered something about myself.”

“Hmm?”

He looked a bit confused: “Is it where you hid some snacks, or something you stole and ate behind my back?”

“I never stole food! That’s not it! And stop using food to describe me!”

“Alright, alright, then what did you remember?”

I frowned, describing the fragmented images: “A really dark place, a small window, lots of children laughing, and… a door, a green door.”

“…What are you talking about?”

“Scenes! Memories!”

“How is anyone supposed to know where that is from such abstract descriptions?”

“How is it abstract? It’s already pretty clear! How else am I supposed to say it?”

I glared at him, hating how dense he was.

Forget it, it’s like a chicken talking to a duck. I’ll just report it to the Response Division, but who knows if it’ll get anywhere.

“Okay.”

I nodded.

As he opened the door to leave, I suddenly spoke: “Seaweed Ball, you’re not going to abandon me, right? Right?”

His hand paused on the doorknob, then his voice came:

“I don’t want to get fired just yet.”

With that, he closed the door.

Everything returned to silence.

Oh, wait, except for the ever-present beeping in the background.

How do you turn this thing off?

“Hmm… all your test results are normal, so you can be discharged.”

An elderly doctor with graying hair said this.

I sat in a chair, sipping an extra large Kuyan Fire Village with red berries.

“What about other aspects? Like mental state or any unusual issues?” Lu Xiu pressed.

“Hmm…” The doctor frowned, looking at me.

My hand froze on the straw.

“W-what’s wrong?”

“Other than your teeth being a bit unsightly, everything’s fine.”

Lu Xiu finally gave up. “No wonder your voice sounded so familiar.”

“You’re Doctor Monkey?!” I shouted in surprise.

“Ahem, it’s just a side job, just a side job…”

“But aren’t you a dentist?”

“That’s why it’s a side job.”

Seeing an old acquaintance put me at ease, so I simply sat cross-legged in the chair, gulping down my milk tea.

Gulp, gulp——

The cup was sucked flat, making a strange noise.

“So, I’m really fine?”

“Who’s the doctor here, you or me?”

Lu Xiu had no comeback and could only give in, taking me out of the doctor’s office.

On the way, he held my hand the entire time, as if afraid I’d disappear in the next second.

***

Until we returned home.

Home, familiar as ever.

I instinctively pounced onto the sofa, kicking up a cloud of dust.

“Achoo——!”

So much dust!

“Seaweed Ball, how long has it been since you cleaned?!”

“You didn’t even ask before diving onto it, did you?”

He retorted, fanning his nose with his hand.

“Oh right, don’t take off those Prayer Beads on your wrist. I went through a lot to get them to keep you alive.”

“Eh?”

Only then did I notice the restraint on my left wrist had been replaced by a string of multicolored round stones. They looked especially bright.

“Are these edible?”

“You can try, but I definitely won’t save you next time.”

“Fine.”

I rolled over, raising my hand so the light shone through the beads, making them glow from within.

“What about the restraint?”

“I took it off.”

I sat up in surprise.

“Don’t get me wrong, I only removed the one on your left hand. This is so that when I’m not around, you at least have a way to defend yourself.”

He leaned back against the sofa. “So, from now on, you have to strictly follow the rules and never harm others. Otherwise, I’ll have to suffer with you. If you don’t want us both to die.”

“I promise I won’t eat people.”

He kept staring at me.

“Alright… and I won’t eat random things…”

“That’s more like it.”

He stretched lazily, then turned and headed upstairs.

“Yawn——I’m going to sleep. Remember, no causing trouble, and don’t break the rules.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know.”

As soon as he entered his room, loud snoring echoed out.

He fell asleep that fast?

I waited a while. Hearing no movement, I licked my lips.

“There’s no way I’m just going to do nothing.”

I hopped off the sofa and ran straight for the white cube, rubbing my hands together.

Hehe, food, food.

I’ll eat it all up!

Bzzzzt—

The moment my hand touched its surface, the restraint instantly discharged electricity, zapping me so hard I landed on my butt.

“Puh-hah——”

I spat out a breath of stale air and shook my head.

He won’t even let me steal things when he’s asleep!

Lu Xiu, you’re the worst!

How can you be so mean!

Fuming, I got up from the floor and trudged back toward the sofa, but in the corner of my eye, I spotted a red lid on the dining table. I hesitated, then my body couldn’t help but change course toward the table.

Lifting the lid, I saw two red berries on a fruit plate.

Beside them was a crooked line of writing I didn’t recognize.

“Ha! Food.”

Not that it mattered—faced with delicious treats, I had no time for anything else.

Munch munch munch—

Sweetness filled the air, making me squint with happiness.

Suddenly, I felt this kind of life wasn’t so bad.

I ate one berry and stashed the other in my big mouth. This way, if I save one a day, soon I’ll have more berries than I could ever eat!

I really am a genius!