In late May, a warm breeze drifted through the open balcony into the living room. Lu Chen could feel the weather getting hotter.
He pulled an ice-cold Coke from the fridge and sat down leisurely at the kitchen table, casting a helpless glance toward the living room.
Why wasn't he sitting on the sofa? Simple—because it was already completely occupied.
The whole household was sprawled lazily across it: Venti, immersed in music with new headphones; Yae Miko, legs crossed, flipping through a light novel; and Qiqi, clutching the remote, quietly engrossed in her favorite show, Animal World.
She seemed especially fond of TV programs with small animals. Lu Chen had even caught her staring out the window at the sparrows on the power lines for an entire day.
It made sense now.
Maybe she envied those little, lively creatures—so full of life.
Lu Chen took a big gulp of Coke, the cold rush refreshing him—just like his current life.
"Ugh... the male lead in this story is so romantic..." Yae Miko set her novel down and looked at Raiden Ei, who had just returned to the living room.
"Really? Haven't you read tons of stories like that already?" Ei asked, glancing around before heading toward Lu Chen in the kitchen.
"You don't get it. The male lead in this novel reincarnated thousands of times just to find his true love!" Miko explained passionately. "But fate kept getting in the way, and in every life they failed to be together—until the very last one..."
"They finally make it in the last life?" Lu Chen reached for Ei's hand and pulled her into a seat beside him.
"Hmm..." Miko tilted her head. "Okay, the plot's kind of cliché. Normally, I wouldn't like something so unoriginal. But the writing is beautiful—so elegant, it really moved me!"
"Oh."
Lu Chen and Ei weren't all that interested. Sitting together on little kitchen stools, they started chatting about funny things happening at school.
Like how Kenshin Zhou and his deskmate were clearly becoming a thing, or how Lu Chen planned to join the school team, much to the fencing captain's alarm... blah blah blah...
Miko pouted as she watched the two exchanging glances and completely ignoring her.
"Philistines who don't appreciate the beauty of literature... So vulgar! Always flirting and not even taking me with you..."
"How am I a philistine?" Lu Chen shot her a look. "I've lived long enough to read plenty of the classics, thank you very much."
"Then read this part!" Miko perked up. "The male lead confesses under a cherry blossom tree at sunset, with enemies in hot pursuit. So focused, so heartfelt, so romantic..."
"Oh." Lu Chen said again.
Yae Miko stared at him expressionlessly. Lu Chen had to respond more seriously this time.
"Just as Editor Yae said, the writing here is indeed lovely, and the atmosphere is very well done..."
"Ehhh—" Miko suddenly narrowed her fox-like eyes, a thought striking her. "Wait, have you ever properly confessed to my Ei?"
Ei pursed her lips and turned to smile at Lu Chen.
"Huh?" Why did it feel like the gossip had suddenly turned on him?
"Have you? Have you? Have you?" Miko pressed eagerly.
"Of course I—" Lu Chen drew out the syllable.
Miko's eyes sparkled with curiosity, and even her fox ears twitched.
"Of course I..."
"Well?"
"—That's a secret."
He and Ei exchanged a look and shared a quiet smile. No words were needed.
That sunset confession was their special memory. No matter how much time passed, they'd never forget the scent of that little dessert shop on the street corner.
And the little bear rolling in the snow.
"Lu! Chen!"
Miko couldn't take it anymore. She tossed her novel aside and stormed over to them, fuming.
"How could you?! Can't you just satisfy my curiosity?"
"If you let me rub your ears and pat your belly, maybe I'll think about it." Lu Chen grinned slyly.
That did it—Miko exploded. She hated when he brought up those childhood memories. Her ten pale-pink fingernails lunged at him.
"Hey! Dodging now!" Lu Chen ducked just in time, leaving her swiping at air.
"How's that? Thirty years east, thirty years west—don't underestimate the resilience of Inazuma's top fighter! I grow too, you know!"
He kept flashing that infuriating smug grin, pushing Miko's rage off the charts.
"I'm going to pin you down and beat you senseless!"
"You two..." Raiden Ei looked helplessly at the chaos spilling from the kitchen to the living room. Would they ever calm down?
A full-on scuffle broke out in the living room. Amid the clatter, Venti calmly took off his headphones, let them hang around his neck, and glanced at Qiqi.
"Can't watch a show without a drink. Qiqi, want some coconut milk?"
Qiqi blinked her big eyes. "Coconut milk... yes, please..."
...
Meanwhile, up in the seaside villa on the hillside, Gu Cheng was anxiously waiting.
His manager was gone. Only two bodyguards remained. He wandered into the kitchen and popped open a bottle of champagne.
No word yet from Wang Ge, but with their skill and experience, Gu Cheng was sure the job would be done—it was just a matter of time. He was probably just being too impatient.
After a sip, a twisted smile crept onto his face.
He could no longer think rationally. His eyes held only hatred.
"Even if I die, I'll drag you to hell with me..."
The doorbell rang. Gu Cheng shot to his feet.
"It's us!" came a deep voice from outside.
"It's Wang Ge!" Gu Cheng waved off his bodyguards and eagerly welcomed the group into his home.
Wang Ge's scarred, sinister face made the guards uneasy, but Gu Cheng didn't care. He even invited them into his bedroom.
Once the door shut, Gu Cheng turned to them impatiently.
"Did you do what I asked?"
Wang Ge glanced at the closed door, then curled his lips into a sneer.
"Well... there was a little hiccup."
"A hiccup?" Gu Cheng frowned, clearly dissatisfied. "I paid you a fortune and you can't handle a simple task? Then why even bother coming here?"
When the group only laughed, his anger flared. "What are you sitting around for? Here to drink my booze? Get back out there and finish the job, or you're not seeing a single coin of the final payment!"
Then, a heavy fist slammed into his jaw.
Gu Cheng hit the floor, dazed, blood on his lips. It took a long moment for him to regain his senses.
"What... what are you doing?"
Wang Ge locked the door. The group surrounded Gu Cheng, grinning maliciously.
"If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have gone through all that hell."
He remembered the moment his jaw was nearly broken—and those three people who were like demons.
Wang Ge glanced nervously at the window, swallowed hard, then looked back at Gu Cheng with a vengeful smirk.
Gu Cheng scrambled back in terror.
"What... what are you doing? You—"
The bedroom fell silent.