Like this, I don't know how long has passed---

Seigetsu Zhu hid under the covers, staring at the halo of light emitted by the light bulb above, but after a while, her eyes began to sting. So she changed her target and stared blankly at the corner of the ceiling.

And during this time, the intruder was under her bed, showing no intention of crawling out.

She had no ability to resist, so she tightly closed her mouth, afraid to speak, even breathing cautiously.

She didn't even want to move, not even to adjust her body position to relieve the stiffness. She would subconsciously hold her breath and concentrate.

If she made any sudden movements and disturbed the intruder, she didn't know what the monster under the bed would do to her.

Seigetsu Zhu had also thought about pretending to go to the bathroom or get a drink of water, and take this opportunity to leave the room and call for help.

But the reason why she didn't do so was the same---

She didn't dare.

Every time the girl gathered her courage to try to get up, she would only hear the sound of nails scratching the bed board coming from under the bed as soon as she moved her fingers.

Seigetsu Zhu imagined herself getting off the bed and just putting on her slippers, only to be grabbed by the ankle by the hand reaching out from under the bed... so she didn't dare to move.

The more she thought about it, the more her courage would be exhausted, and she would become more and more timid.

The sound of breathing from under the bed gradually enveloped the entire room.

Like this, Seigetsu Zhu couldn't sleep well for almost the whole night. Occasionally, she would open her eyes and look at the ceiling, and occasionally, she would fall into a drowsy state due to fatigue, but she would be awakened again by the strange noises in the room or the ominous premonitions in her mind.

Strangely, the intruder really just stayed under the bed, without any other actions.

If the monster's purpose was really to harm her or take her somewhere else, the light in the room wouldn't be able to stop it; it could even choose to break through the bed from below and grab her.

But the intruder didn't do that.

It seemed to be just watching her. It's just that this method of surveillance was too terrifying, not to prevent the target from discovering, but to make the target dare not discover...

Seigetsu Zhu thought for a long time but couldn't come to a conclusion.

On this night, the girl lying on the bed had several nightmares in the endless torment. Every time she woke up, she would forget the contents of the dream completely, leaving only a vague impression.

But judging from the lingering feeling of fear, it was probably a very terrifying dream...

When the long night came to an end and the first ray of light rose from the horizon, dawn was about to come, a dull sound suddenly came from under the girl's bed.

This strange sound made Seigetsu Zhu completely awake. Of course, she still didn't dare to make a sound, but she turned her face to the side, seemingly closing her eyes tightly, but in fact, she narrowed them to observe the scene in the room.

Soon, Seigetsu Zhu saw a figure crawling out from under her bed using both hands and feet, like a spider with only four legs.

Seigetsu Zhu tried hard to suppress the trembling feeling from deep within her body and watched "it" crawl stiffly across the floor, climb onto the desk, and then the sound of the body touching the books and the sound of the pen holder being pushed off and falling off the desk, making a mess of the items on the table.

The monster opened the window and crawled out as if taking a leisurely walk.

After a long time, Seigetsu Zhu turned her head and let out a long breath.

She could finally close her eyes peacefully while looking at the ceiling, feeling a sense of powerlessness throughout her body.

It was already the next day.

There was no doubt that the girl had a terrible night.

*

In the early morning, Sunny Xu opened his eyes.

He picked up the alarm clock on the table and glanced at it. Today was another day of waking up on time.

The bright sunlight fell on the floor, and the fresh air brushed through the curtains, making people feel refreshed.

Had a good sleep...

He could wake up on time under the influence of his biological clock, which meant that he had a dreamless and peaceful night.

Nothing happened, and he didn't have nightmares like the other classmates were worried about.

Of course, the experience from last night was indeed thrilling. However, perhaps it was because he was too tired, he slept particularly soundly.

He got up, got dressed, and went to the bathroom.

...

His sister still hadn't come home.

She was called twice last night, indicating that there was urgent work to be done. Based on past experience, she might not be able to come home for several days.

Judging from the time, it might be related to the case of the intruder at school. Sunny Xu brushed his teeth while thinking.

Regardless, because the siblings hadn't been together for a while, being able to see her in the evening was already satisfying for Sunny Xu.

After coming out of the bathroom, he sat back on the chair in the living room.

The desk faced the vibrant potted plants on the windowsill, and the sunlight shining through the railing fell on the table. Sunny Xu took out his English textbook from his school bag and began his day of recitation.

Usually, when Lin Starry woke up after hearing him reading, she would get up. When she came out after getting dressed and washing up, he could start preparing breakfast.

This was how Sunny Xu started his calm day.

This living habit had almost started from the second day when Lin Starry moved into their house.

The girl still lived in Li Qinglian's room, and Sunny Xu moved into the storage room across from it.

Sunny Xu didn't put too much effort into tidying up his bedroom, just changing the mattress and pillows. Sister Lian usually used that room when she was at home.

Although a young man and a young woman who were not a couple or lovers lived under the same roof, the two high school students didn't have the usual rules and regulations like ordinary tenants. They relied on their unspoken understanding to maintain their living arrangement.

...However, the situation this morning seemed a bit different.

Sunny Xu waited for a while, but Lin Starry still didn't come out of her bedroom.He didn't think there was anything particularly strange. After sighing, he stood up from his seat and walked towards her room.

A person's life can follow rules and regulations, but when two people live together, things can easily become unpredictable.

The peaceful life he used to have might never return—Sunny Xu had already mentally prepared himself for this before asking his sister for that favor.

It's normal for Starry Lin to occasionally be lazy and stay in bed...

Sunny Xu knocked on the door, thinking this to himself.

"Are you awake?"

The first time he knocked on the girl's door, he was so nervous that he even stumbled on his way there. But now, he was more familiar with it.

After knocking twice, there was no response from inside.

"If you don't get up soon, I'm coming in, okay?"

Sunny Xu made a harmless joke.

Starry Lin still didn't answer. It wasn't until he waited for a while that he heard a faint response from the room.

"You can come in."

"...Huh?"

Sunny Xu was taken aback.

"What...what did you say? Can I come in?"

"Yeah."

The girl's answer was short, and he couldn't tell what emotions were hidden behind it.

But with just that one word, it felt like a huge stone had been thrown into the lake of his heart, stirring up the calmness that Sunny Xu had until just now.

Is she letting me in?

Is this...a prank? Or does she have some other intention?

It's not appropriate to casually enter a girl's room, right?

But since Starry herself agreed...

Sunny Xu took a deep breath, and his thoughts became a jumble in his mind, like a pot of porridge.

The last time he was so conflicted in front of a door was when he was outside a haunted house.

And just like last time, Sunny Xu's body made a decision faster than his mind—

He looked down and realized that his hand was already on the doorknob.

"Click."

The doorknob turned, and the door opened a crack.

Now it seemed like there was no turning back!

Sunny Xu gritted his teeth and stepped into the room.

"...So you really came in."

After entering the room, Sunny Xu realized that Starry Lin was still lying in bed.

"Didn't you let me in?"

At first, Sunny Xu was a bit hesitant to look over there, afraid of seeing something he shouldn't and making her angry. If this girl mistook him for a pervert, it wouldn't be so easily resolved with just a slap.

But he quickly noticed that the possibility of her accidentally exposing herself was zero.

Because Starry Lin's attitude seemed even more nervous and cautious than his own. She held onto the corner of the blanket, completely wrapping herself up like a dumpling, with only her delicate face exposed, her round eyes staring at him without blinking.

"Um..."

Sunny Xu scratched the back of his head and quickly changed the subject.

"Why aren't you getting up so late?"

"...I didn't sleep well last night." Starry Lin fell silent for a moment before answering softly, "I was thinking about things."

"What things?"

"A lot of things."

The girl sighed.

"Things about the possessed monster, the haunted house, Little An, the police, and...Seigetsu Zhu."

"Seigetsu? What happened to her?"

Sunny Xu asked instinctively.

"It's all because of you."

Starry Lin glared at him fiercely.

"Me?"

He looked puzzled.

"Don't you think you told her too much?"

It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from "pawread dot com".

"Well..."

Sunny Xu crossed his arms and recalled his conversation with Seigetsu Zhu last night.

The information he revealed mainly focused on the fact that Starry Lin's ability was to summon invisible beasts rather than telekinesis, and the different ways he used his own psychic abilities.

He didn't keep this a secret from his good friend. The reason he used this explanation was partly out of caution and partly to avoid scaring or overthinking Seigetsu Zhu.

"I don't think there's a problem..."

"Why did you tell her about the haunted house?"

Starry Lin frowned and subconsciously tried to sit up from the bed, but quickly realized that she was still not wearing any clothes and hurriedly retreated back under the covers.

Even so, Sunny Xu, who had been staring at her the whole time, was lucky enough to catch a glimpse of some exposed skin, including her fair shoulders, a glimpse of the bra strap, and delicate collarbones.

"Cough."

Sunny Xu coughed twice, feeling a bit embarrassed by this small accident. To prevent Starry Lin from getting angry, he quickly replied:

"Well, isn't the reason easy to understand? Because that place is really dangerous. But even if we go around telling people the truth, not many would believe us. So, we can only do our best to let more people know."

He didn't think too much about it before talking to Seigetsu Zhu, but he did mention it during their conversation for this reason.

Starry Lin fell silent.

After a while, she whispered softly, "I thought you were conducting an experiment."

"Huh?"

Sunny Xu was a bit confused.

"Our abilities awakened after we entered that haunted house, right? Although we can't be sure whether the house gave us the power or if we already had this talent and the house was just an external stimulus, there is definitely some connection between the two."

Starry Lin sighed.

"I was thinking that if we had one more example, maybe we could find the answer. If she's really interested..."

"...Are you saying that I'm trying to guide Seigetsu Zhu to take risks in that house?"

Sunny Xu was extremely surprised and couldn't help rubbing his face.

"Do I look that sinister in your eyes?"

"..."

"Rather, it's you, Starry, who would think of something like this!"

Starry Lin snorted, not refuting, but just turned her head and buried her face in the pillow."Besides, Zhu wouldn't do such a thing."

Sunny Xu shook his head, trying to persuade her again.

"Come on, you can get up now, right?"

"......"

The girl lay face down in the quilt, not responding.

"Starry?"

"......"

No response.

"Miss Lin?"

Still no response.

"I'm telling you, if you don't get up now, you'll be late for school—"

"—Then why aren't you leaving already?"

Starry Lin's muffled voice came from the bed.

Sunny Xu suddenly realized and quickly turned around to leave the bedroom.

......

A few dozen seconds after he closed the door, Starry Lin finally let out a sigh of relief.

She lifted her head from the pillow, propped up her upper body with her arms, and looked out at the clear blue sky.

Her waterfall-like black hair fell on the soft quilt, and the sunlight gently shone on her bare arms and back. Her white skin sparkled in the bright spring day.

The girl's innocent face was slightly flushed in the morning light, whether from heat or embarrassment was unknown.

As for the anticipation of a new day, it made her lazy black eyes shine again.

For Starry Lin, this kind of anticipation that she hadn't felt in the past few years was still a novel experience.

She patted her face, pulled her long legs out of the quilt, and finally began to slowly get dressed and put on her shoes, all the while mumbling to herself.

"Really?... You seem to trust her a lot... even saying she's cunning... If she's in danger next time, don't expect me to save her!"