Tang Nai lounged comfortably on the balcony, her eyes catching the peculiar expressions on the faces of the two who had just returned.
A spark of amusement flickered in her mind, and the corners of her lips curled into a faint, mischievous smile.
“So, how’d the picking go? Let me have a look,” she teased.
Su Mu stuck out her tongue at Tang Nai, ignoring her completely.
‘If it weren’t for you and that ridiculous swimsuit stunt, none of this would’ve happened.’
Her mind was still replaying the chaotic scenes from the clothing store earlier that day.
‘Being cornered by Lando didn’t seem that terrifying, did it?’
‘After all, she was rather gentle—’
The thought barely surfaced before Su Mu shook her head vigorously, snuffing it out.
Cornered against a wall, and you’re still thinking about how nice she was?
Su Mu, oh Su Mu, don’t tell me you’re actually starting to enjoy being pushed around…
“Do I just sit here?”
“Yes… wait, you could also hold my hand. It’ll make the magic flow faster,” came the reply.
Su Mu hesitated for a split second before spinning a small lie, coaxing Luo Jialan to extend her hand without a second thought.
Staring at that delicate hand, smaller than her own, Su Mu couldn’t resist.
She reached out, giving it a gentle squeeze.
Soft as if boneless, exquisitely small.
‘What am I even thinking?’
Her heart was a tangled mess, and somehow, she’d tricked Luo Jialan into offering her hand.
‘Was this your doing, Irina?’
“Don’t make excuses, little Su Mu,” Irina’s voice chimed in her mind, teasing.
“This is all your truest desires bubbling up. Saying ‘no’ in the fitting room, but now you’re the one making moves. Admit it—you just want to take charge.”
“Take charge? My foot!” Su Mu snapped back, flustered.
Calming herself, she pulled out her handheld device and switched it to scanning mode.
“Detected: One high-energy lifeform in close contact. Would you like to record and mark it?”
‘Close contact? It’s just holding hands!’
Staring at the screen, Su Mu wavered briefly before confirming the entry.
On the team interface, a pixelated icon of Lando popped up between Miti and herself, adorned with a tiny red heart in the corner.
Su Mu’s cheeks flushed crimson in an instant.
‘This device is rigged! That jerk must’ve installed some shady system!’
Deep within her mind, Irina stifled a laugh, eavesdropping on Su Mu’s inner turmoil.
‘Should I tell her that everything the device shows is just a reflection of her own heart’s fluctuations?’
Teasing her was proving far too entertaining—Tang Nai’s antics were starting to make sense.
“Due to ongoing physical contact with subject Luo Jialan, a mental bridge can be established for interactive dreamscape diving.”
“(Note: This option carries uncontrollable risks. Proceed with caution.)”
What did that mean?
“It means you can slip into Luo Jialan’s dreams,” Irina explained.
“You’ll access things the scanner can’t—like memories or restricted data, like what happened with Miti last time. If you want to deal with that desire witch business, this is your only shot.”
“And the risks?” Su Mu pressed.
“You’ve barely crossed the D-rank threshold. You can just about stay lucid in a second-layer dream. One wrong move, and you might get lost in her dreamscape—trapped, at her mercy, day and night.”
‘What, like keeping a pet in my own dreams? Playing with it whenever I want, in that secret, private space, with no restraints… all sorts of tricks…’
A shiver ran down Su Mu’s spine.
“Don’t even think about chickening out,” Irina warned.
“Next time she loses control, I won’t bail you out. Besides, you’ve been playing hard-to-get this whole time.”
“That’s not true! It’s completely different!” Su Mu protested.
“What’s there to fear with me around? If you get lost, I’ll just toss you two some fun little toys.”
‘This is getting absurd! You’re just Tang Nai in disguise, aren’t you?’
Irina let out a soft chuckle.
“Alright, alright, I’ll pull you back safely. Get ready to dive into the dreamscape. Can’t believe your first time’s in someone else’s dream, but you’ll have to get used to it eventually.”
Su Mu had heard Irina mention dreams countless times.
Did they hold some special meaning for magical girls?
Irina, however, wasn’t ready to explain just yet.
The only way to find out was to dive in and see for herself.
“Don’t let go of my hand, no matter what,” Su Mu said, her small face deadly serious.
“Something bad might happen if you do.”
Luo Jialan nodded quickly, gripping Su Mu’s hand in return, which only made Su Mu feel a touch more awkward.
Steeling herself, Su Mu took a deep breath, like a diver poised at the edge of the sea, and pressed the button.
A sudden weightlessness engulfed her, dragging her into an unknown abyss.
Her legs flailed in panic.
Faintly, the sound of rippling water brushed past her ears, urging her to hold her breath.
The weightlessness gave way to a sluggish resistance, as if she were truly submerged in a deep ocean.
“Current dream depth: 51, 52, 53…”
“Submersion level: 10%”
Even without the device in hand, the data flashed directly into her mind, a marvel that left Su Mu awestruck.
“Depth approaching 100. Preparing to enter a second-layer dreamscape.”
The second layer Irina had warned her about.
Eyes squeezed shut, Su Mu felt a heavy resistance below, slowing her descent to a crawl.
The process was agonizingly long, tempting her to peek.
“Warning: Do not extend perception during the dive. Interruption at the boundary may result in entrapment.”
“You’d end up with half your body in the first layer and half in the second, stuck in the wall,” Irina chimed in gleefully.
“Lando’s surface consciousness could toy with you in the first layer, while her deeper self… well, she’d have free rein in the second. ‘Kukuku’, total chaos!”
The mental image was horrifying.
Su Mu clamped her eyes shut tighter, refusing to budge.
The passage through the boundary stretched on endlessly.
She felt her magic dissolve the strange resistance around her until, at last, that familiar falling sensation returned.
“Second-layer dreamscape reached. Dive halted.”
The oppressive weight of the deep sea receded like a tide, and Su Mu’s body felt light again.
She exhaled softly, relieved.
“You can open your eyes now.”
Su Mu lifted her gaze, taking in her surroundings.
The scene was strikingly familiar.
It was the martial arts dojo from her own dreams, down to the last detail.
Dust particles danced in beams of sunlight, almost tangible.
The dark wooden ceiling loomed overhead…
The only difference?
Luo Jialan was nowhere to be seen.
Glancing down, Su Mu gasped.
At some point, she’d donned an intricate magical girl outfit.
“Irina, what’s going on?”
“Don’t make a fuss,” Irina replied.
“That’s your magic attire. Regular clothes would’ve turned to ash mid-dive. Imagine looking down and realizing—Luo Jialan would’ve gotten a nosebleed watching you from the outside.”
That’s way too much!
Shaking her head, Su Mu resolved to unravel the mysteries of this second-layer dreamscape.
Then, a cold, sharp voice sliced through the air.
“Who are you?”
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