Back at the dormitory, before she could even wash up, Clara received a strange message on QTalk.
“Clara dear, would you like to work together long-term?”
It was from Beast Fox Bell…
Her avatar was three fluffy tails…
It was a selfie of Beast Fox Bell; it seemed she was quite confident in her tails.
For a fox, the prettiness of the tail is probably like a human beauty’s chest? Is this a display of attractiveness?
Unfortunately, apart from her face and tails, the rest of her body was quite disappointing by human standards.
“I can hire you as my assistant?”
It seemed that Beast Fox Bell had taken a liking to Clara’s drawing speed and wanted to recruit her as an assistant.
Being an assistant to a well-known manga artist was a good springboard for Clara; in the future, she could even hitch a ride on the other’s popularity to promote her own manga.
But unfortunately, Clara still had her work as a Hero (undercover) and her own manga to deal with, so she couldn’t accept the olive branch thrown by Beast Fox Bell.
But as a temporary part-time job, she could still accept it.
After all, Beast Fox Bell was definitely going to pay her a salary, which could somewhat alleviate her current financial struggles.
Without hiding anything, Clara sent over her considerations and thoughts, and received a positive reply from the other party.
It was undoubtedly good news; this matter was now settled.
“Senior, I’m running the hot water. You go ahead and wash first.”
Lucia knocked on the door and said from outside.
***
This dormitory apartment was high-end, but the only drawback was that only the master bedroom’s bathroom had a large bathtub.
Since everyone wanted to use it, they naturally had to queue.
“Oh, I’m on my way!”
It was getting late, and both of them had work the next day. Clara couldn’t delay, because after she finished, she had to let Lucia use it.
She took a change of clothes from the drawer and headed toward the master bedroom’s bathroom. Passing through the living room, Lucia was sitting on the sofa playing with her phone while waiting.
Maybe some wire got crossed, or perhaps maintaining a female form for so long had affected her thinking, but Clara’s mouth slipped and she asked:
“Lucia, do you want to bathe together?”
“Huh?”
As soon as she said it, she regretted it. That was her own sister.
From Lucia’s previous positive attitude, Clara thought she wouldn’t refuse, but the latter shook her head repeatedly, rejecting the proposal.
“N-no, that’s okay. Senior, you wash first~”
‘Was she getting closer to her, or distancing herself?’
“…Uh, okay.”
The bathroom was still the same.
But because Lucia had run the water beforehand, the tub was already half full when Clara came in. After she washed herself and sat down, she could fully immerse her body in the warm water.
It was definitely more comfortable than yesterday.
“Hmm~”
In a good mood, Clara couldn’t help humming a little tune. A young girl’s hum is always cute and pleasant, even if she was tone-deaf, it didn’t matter; her voice was just that nice.
After a quick rinse, Clara couldn’t wait to sit in the large bathtub where her legs couldn’t even touch the sides.
She had been flying around in the sky today, catching a lot of cold wind, and she was looking forward to this enjoyment.
“Ahh~ comfortable~”
If she hadn’t remembered that Lucia was waiting outside, she could have soaked here for an hour.
But accumulated fatigue also swept over her at this moment. A little girl’s body couldn’t stay up late, and Clara started dozing off even while sitting in the water.
“If you fall asleep in this bathtub, you’ll drown,” Nyx warned.
“Drown? But I’m a squid…”
The bottom of the tub had an anti-slip wavy texture, so Clara sitting there wasn’t likely to slide down easily.
Then, a change that snapped her awake occurred.
Clara noticed that the bathwater, which should have been warm, was rapidly turning cold.
The speed of cooling had already exceeded normal heat dissipation efficiency, and it continued to drop even after reaching room temperature.
It was on the verge of freezing.
“What’s happening?!”
Startled, Clara tried to climb out of the freezing tub, but she suddenly noticed that a large amount of black hair was sprouting from under the water, wrapping around her body and binding her limbs, making it difficult to escape the tub, and even trying to pull her head underwater.
Obviously, that wasn’t her own hair.
She was under attack? Was it the Fourth Calamity again?
Clara’s body began to shiver.
Then, she felt the bottom of the tub disappear.
She started sinking; water rose above her chest, above her neck, about to cover her mouth and nose.
“Huh?”
Covering her mouth and nose wasn’t a big deal for a fish loli—not a serious problem.
“Nyx!”
[No entity has been detected.]
“Hel—”
Trying to drown a squid was impossible, but before she could finish her words, she completely disappeared beneath the water’s surface.
Stimulated by the cold, Clara opened her eyes again.
“Ugh…”
Sitting up wet, she found herself transported to a classroom.
‘…How is this possible?’
She stood up, leaning on a student’s desk.
There were rarely any schools in Central City.
Most of the population had finished their education on the surface before coming to Central City for work, and later they would choose to return to Earth to enjoy their old age. After all, strictly speaking, this wasn’t a livable city, at least for ordinary people.
Even if there were schools in Central City, they were modern facilities within skyscrapers.
How could there be a classic large classroom like the one in front of her?
This looked exactly like the township school in her memories.
Turning her head to look out the window, it was pitch black.
‘Is this the real world?’
“No, I’m afraid it’s a nightmare,” Nyx said.
Nyx’s thoughts coincided with Clara’s. She had fallen for it so many times, how could she not guess?
But even if she guessed, what then? Clara had no way to escape from here.
Whoever it was, they had come to settle scores.
‘So, is it President Qiexiya, or the Supreme Leader?’
“Supreme Leader Naitemel is known as the ‘True Dream Demon.’ According to rumor, any damage suffered in the nightmare he weaves will be reflected onto the real Combat Body,” Nyx reminded.
“Don’t let your guard down just because it’s a nightmare.”
Clara didn’t dare to relax either, but how could she possibly fight against them? Rather, there wasn’t even anyone to communicate with in the dream.
She could only beg for mercy with a crying face:
“I’m sorry, I give up. Can we stop playing?”
No response.
The other party clearly didn’t intend to let her off easily.
“What should I do, Nyx?”
“If this is punishment for you, then you should accept it. Treat it as a horror game; there must be a key point set here,” Nyx said.
“Th-this is scarier than a fine.”
The classroom’s furnishings matched her distant memories, from the lectern to the desks—all wooden.
But stepping on the old wooden floor made a piercing creaking sound, and the musty smell in the air lingered, impossible to ignore. She had no idea how many years this school had been abandoned.
Being all wood, there were even mushrooms growing in the corners, of an unknown type.
The classroom lights naturally couldn’t be turned on. Though the outside was pitch black, a faint, cold light seeped in, making it even more eerie and sinister.
The source of fear was the familiar strangeness.
And outside the classroom door, there was only pitch-black unknown.