Chapter 40: Put This On

Snowman: [It was right there at the pedestrian street.

It’s over—the location matches perfectly!

Snowman: After we parted in the morning, even though we had no plans, being able to meet again made me really happy.

A happy emote.

Snowman: I wanted to go up and say hello, but in the end I held back.

Nothing after that.

She didn’t mention that he had been walking with another girl.

But why bring it up out of nowhere?

And that terrifying gravity that had leaked from the phone…

Was it a warning?

Unease gnawed at Xu Lin. He began probing carefully, trying to draw more out of Lin Shen Xue.

Finally he learned that the moment she “saw him” was outside the pedestrian street—when he had been alone, hurrying toward the location Luo Qiu Zhu had given him.

The heart he had clenched in his chest loosened slightly.

So the crisis had been accidentally averted?

…That made sense. The fact she was only mentioning it now probably proved it.

Xu Lin couldn’t imagine what would happen if Lin Shen Xue had actually witnessed him walking with another girl.

But it definitely wouldn’t be this calm.

Yet the moment he relaxed, his heart tightened again.

A new thought struck him.

…At the coffee shop—had she really not seen them?

In the crowded pedestrian street, she could recognise his back at a glance…

A chill ran down his spine.

But Lin Shen Xue hadn’t mentioned it at all, and he certainly didn’t dare ask.

…

After that, he chatted with her a while longer with lingering apprehension until she finally gave a clear signal to end the conversation.

Xu Lin set the phone down and refused to pick it up again.

As a modern person, the phone was practically an extension of his body—once picked up, it was hard to put down.

But thanks to Lin Shen Xue, he had more or less been forced to quit using it.

Now, unless absolutely necessary, he would never touch the thing again.

However, once the phone was down, he realised he had nothing to do alone in this room.

Leaving the room was out of the question for the time being.

And inside the room—there wasn’t even a computer, let alone a single book.

Was he supposed to just sit on the bed and stare into space?

…

Knock knock.

Xu Lin, who had been staring blankly at the magic circle on the wall, jolted awake.

After that, he had spent several restless hours pacing the room.

The only sounds had been his footsteps and breathing. Finally, another noise.

But he didn’t open the door immediately.

“Young Hero.”

Only when he heard Li Zhi Ran’s voice did he pull it open.

“Finished with your research?”

When he opened the door, her expression was the same as always.

Unsure why she had come, Xu Lin could only ask that.

“It’s done.”

Li Zhi Ran nodded.

“Young Hero, go to the wardrobe and pick out a pair of pyjamas you like.”

The sudden change of topic caught him completely off guard.

“It’s time to get ready for bed already?”

He had checked the time not long ago—it was just past nine.

Putting aside whether he was sleepy or not, Lin Shen Xue definitely wouldn’t be asleep this early, would she?

“Not yet.”

Her answer relieved him.

Then she continued.

“Because there is still one very important thing we haven’t done.”

“What thing?”

Xu Lin instantly grew curious.

Before dinner, Li Zhi Ran had discussed tonight’s plan to study and counter last night’s dream.

But she had only given a rough outline.

Namely: whether outside or inside the dream, they needed to thoroughly research the characteristics of the dream. Only then could the problem be completely solved.

Outside was simple—Li Zhi Ran would watch over him while he slept, observing exactly how Lin Shen Xue’s magic affected him.

Was it magical interference with his dream, or was she using magic to drag him into her own dream realm?

Inside was more complicated—it involved how Li Zhi Ran would synchronise with Xu Lin’s dream.

She had only said she already had an idea and needed a little more time to perfect it.

That was exactly what she had gone to work on after dinner.

And she was still keeping the specifics a secret.

“A bath.”

“Huh?”

Xu Lin blinked.

He had expected something related to research progress, not this word out of nowhere.

“Young Hero, you’ve had a tiring day. If you don’t take a proper bath, you won’t be able to fall asleep comfortably.”

That wasn’t entirely true—if you were dead tired, you could sleep anywhere.

“Moreover, this is a crucial step in tonight’s defence against the Gravity Witch.”

Wait—what? Taking a bath is a key part of resisting Lin Shen Xue?

He could somewhat accept the “bath → better sleep” logic.

But connecting bathing with resisting Lin Shen Xue—he genuinely couldn’t see the link.

Unless bathing until he smelled amazing would somehow make the dream-version Lin Shen Xue spare him.

If he soaked in Six Gods Blessed Florida Water, maybe.

“Young Hero, please go pick out pyjamas. Then I’ll take you to the bathroom.”

Li Zhi Ran clearly had no intention of explaining further and urged him again.

No choice. Seeing how resolute she was—and truthfully wanting a bath himself—he turned toward the wardrobe.

Xu Lin opened it, didn’t bother choosing carefully, and just grabbed one of the sets.

Actually, he had already looked inside earlier and discovered it was full of clothes.

At first he had worried they might be the kind that would socially kill him if worn outside, but everything turned out surprisingly normal and even matched his taste.

And when she said she’d prepared everything—she really meant everything. A small drawer was stuffed full of underwear that fit him perfectly…

Holding the pyjamas, Xu Lin followed Li Zhi Ran through the apartment.

His heart pounded the whole way.

After all, in his whole life this was the first time staying over at a girl’s place—and the first time showering at a girl’s place.

Surely… he wouldn’t see anything he shouldn’t in the bathroom…

Soon they arrived.

Li Zhi Ran flipped the switch. Normal white incandescent light flooded the space.

The layout was instantly visible.

It was a standard apartment bathroom—not the kind where the bathroom alone takes up an entire room.

The actual shower was just one compartment inside the larger bathroom area.

The whole space also contained a toilet cubicle, a vanity area, and a laundry section.

As expected from an apartment.

“Young Hero, this is the washroom. From now on, feel free to come here whenever you need.”

“And over there—the blue cup and the toothbrush inside it, plus the blue towel hanging beside it—are for you.”

Li Zhi Ran pointed at the vanity.

There were two cups: one blue, one black, each holding a toothbrush.

The blue cup was completely ordinary, and the toothbrush was a common brand.

The black one, however, looked like the evil chalice a witch would use for brewing potions in an anime, and inside it was what appeared to be a gnarled, dried twig.

That… was probably her toothbrush…

The towels followed the same pattern: the blue one normal, the black one covered densely in magic runes. It looked less like a towel and more like a forbidden scroll.

“Inside there is the shower. This area here is for undressing.”

Li Zhi Ran continued the tour.

Xu Lin had already seen the shower.

Thankfully, the partitions weren’t frosted glass that teased the imagination—they were solid, completely opaque material.

The changing area even had a proper pull curtain.

“Young Hero, just put the clothes you take off in the basket beside the changing area. The water spirits will clean them for you later.”

Water spirits—another new term. This time not a familiar anymore?

“Young Hero, when you go in, please shower first. Do not touch the bathtub.”

“Got it. I’m not used to bathtubs anyway.”

“Young Hero, you may go change now.”

Li Zhi Ran didn’t give any special explanation about the shower itself.

Probably because the equipment was perfectly ordinary and needed no introduction.

“Oh, right. Young Hero—when you enter the shower, please put this on.”

Xu Lin had already started walking, but Li Zhi Ran called him back.

He turned—and saw her solemnly holding out a pair of men’s swim trunks.

He froze.

He subconsciously glanced at her face. No change in expression.

Was she worried he’d sleep commando under the pyjamas?

Wait!

Something clicked.

“This is swim trunks?”

“Correct. Young Hero, you absolutely must wear these. Even while showering.”

Li Zhi Ran stood there, clutching the swim trunks, looking at Xu Lin dead in the eye with utmost seriousness.