Sunny Xu slowly opened his eyes.

The bright sunlight poured into the center of his pupils.

After the old man from the haunted house disappeared, the gloomy and decaying aura lingering in the open space gradually dissipated.

Starry Lin released her control over the muddy stream, causing the monster resembling the head of the grade group leader to dissolve into the earth and disappear. The person-faced spider controlled by Seigetsu Zhu, just like before, swiftly leaped a few times and left the place at an unimaginable speed.

When Sunny confirmed that there were no more ghostly auras around him, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. He knew that everything had settled, so he promptly released himself from the spiritual state.

"How do you feel?"

As soon as he opened his eyes, Sunny saw Seigetsu Zhu squatting down, hands on her knees, looking at him with concern.

"...I'm fine."

As soon as Sunny moved his head, he felt a soft and elastic touch on the back of his head, making him feel a little uncomfortable.

Leaning on a girl's thigh and talking to another girl who cared about him, he felt something was off.

He propped himself up with his hands, wanting to get up from Starry Lin's lap.

Starry Lin felt his movement and silently released her arms from around his neck, supporting Sunny's shoulders as they both got up from the ground unsteadily.

The three people standing in the open space looked at each other in silence.

"What's the situation with that ghost now...?"

Sunny asked tentatively.

"Don't worry, it won't appear again. I saw it disappear with my own eyes."

Seigetsu Zhu spoke softly, with a relaxed smile on her face that made people feel at ease.

"Did it escape? Or did it really..." Sunny paused, feeling that it sounded strange to ask if a ghost had 'died', so he changed his question, "Did it completely disappear?"

Seigetsu Zhu lowered her head in thought for a moment before answering.

"I can't be sure, but it feels like I resolved it..."

She waved her hand in front of him.

"By the way, did you two see this?"

Sunny and Starry Lin looked at each other, both seeing the confusion in each other's eyes, and shook their heads at the same time.

The pale hand that was spread out was naturally empty, but to Sunny, Seigetsu Zhu couldn't be playing a trick on them, she must really want to show something to them... they just couldn't see it.

"I can't see it."

Seigetsu Zhu sighed, "I thought people with special abilities like you might be able to see it, but it turns out only I can see it..."

"I want to ask a few questions first."

Starry Lin's expression was serious, her eyes fixed on Seigetsu Zhu.

The spider monster, was it summoned by you? And what about the old man from the haunted house, what was that all about? Was that also your doing?"

"Yes."

Seigetsu Zhu nodded.

"I met the person-faced spider that was about to escape on the road, so I decided to use it as an experiment. As for the ghost, I wanted to see if I could control it through the 'thread' above its head, but I failed. Although I grabbed the 'thread' on its body, it managed to escape in a way close to self-destruction."

...So, it chose to self-destruct because it saw no way out and didn't want to be someone else's puppet?

Sunny suddenly realized. No wonder the old man from the haunted house, who had been so imposing until just now, disappeared so cleanly, even a bit inexplicably. He didn't expect that it had chosen to collapse on its own...

As for its outcome—according to the martial arts moves, it would be important to know whether the old man's performance was "escaping like a cicada shedding its shell" or "dissolving like a demon."

"'Thread'? Is that your ability?"

Starry Lin continued to ask persistently, showing more interest in Seigetsu Zhu's abilities than in the old man from the haunted house's fate.

...Of course, Sunny was equally curious, he just couldn't ask as openly as Starry Lin.

At present, excluding Little An, who was summoned by Starry Lin, the supernatural creatures with the ability to interfere with reality that cannot be seen by ordinary people can be divided into three types: the long worm type that possessed the three troublemakers, the person-faced spider that possessed Teacher Yang, and the old man from the haunted house that was manipulated behind the scenes.

Sunny's idea was that the monsters with humanoid appearances should have some special characteristics, because they were more like traditional "ghosts"; even if this intuitive guess was excluded, judging from their power, the old man from the haunted house was clearly different from the other two monsters.

In terms of the difference in strength and body size between the possessed individuals, the person-faced spider was greater than the long worm; but the old man from the haunted house was different, it had a presence from the moment it appeared, and even the surrounding world would be contaminated by the dark energy it emitted.

But Seigetsu Zhu's ability could even control the old man from the haunted house...

This at least indicated that the special abilities displayed by the girls were not bestowed by the old man from the haunted house, its appearance only served as a stimulus similar to an external factor. Otherwise, it would be impossible to explain how Little An, who was powerful enough to drive it away, and even manipulate it to the point of self-destruction to escape the "claws" of Seigetsu Zhu.

"It looks like a 'thread'."

Seigetsu Zhu answered honestly.

"But I'm not sure about the true nature of it, maybe it's something else."

"...You can see some kind of thread-like substance and use it to control monsters, is that right?"

"Basically, yes."

"What does it work on?"

Starry Lin's expression became even more serious.

"That person-faced spider, the 'old man from the haunted house' you mentioned, and..." Seigetsu Zhu answered honestly, "the monster you created, Lin."

"——So, it really works on Little An?"

"Little An?"

The short-haired girl tilted her head, looking a bit puzzled, but still gave an answer based on her own guess.

"Are you talking about the 'power' that Starry Lin used to destroy the classroom that night? It felt like a rampage caused by a huge monster... It seems to be true?" Seigetsu Zhu quickly got the answer from Starry Lin's face and smiled in response, "If that's the case, I haven't had a chance to witness it yet. I'll try it when I do."

Starry Lin didn't ask any further, but remained expressionless and silent.

Sunny Xu felt the atmosphere was a bit tense... no, more accurately, it should be "ominous". It was even more uncomfortable than the dark atmosphere brought by the appearance of a haunted house.

He cleared his throat, attracting the attention of the two girls, and then smiled and said, "By the way, Starry, didn't you say to me before, 'in terms of the result, we saved her, so I don't need to worry about it'; but in fact, this time the result is that she saved you, shouldn't you show some gratitude?"

"What are you talking about?"

Starry Lin came to her senses, crossed her arms, and snorted a little displeased.

"I was the one who was saved too, what's there to be proud of?"

"I, I did delay the time after all, which allowed Seigetsu to come and save us in time." Sunny Xu felt a bit embarrassed, he felt that his face had become thicker, "But you're right, both of us were the ones who were saved, so we should find a way to repay..."

"You don't need to worry about it."

Seigetsu Zhu said with a smile.

"For me, the most important thing is to eliminate that monster. I should be the one to thank both of you."

"...It's up to you how you want to think about it."

Starry Lin shook her head. She took a deep breath, no longer hesitated, and said in a loud and steady voice, "Seigetsu Zhu, thank you for saving me! And, I scolded you without understanding the situation beforehand... I'm really sorry! You can scold me back, no, you can even hit me!"

Sunny Xu was stunned for a moment, and quickly followed suit.

"And me, if Seigetsu Zhu hadn't arrived in time, this could have been really troublesome, thank you for saving both of us! Also, if you really want to hit Starry, I can take the hit for her!"

"Idiot, who asked you to take the hit for me!"

Starry Lin glared at him, almost about to hit him.

"I was just kidding..." Sunny Xu seemed indifferent, and whispered, "Actually, Seigetsu won't hit anyone, we all know that."

Starry Lin turned her head and saw the short-haired girl covering her mouth with a delicate hand, looking genuinely happy.

It's quite rare for people of the same age to be so serious about thanking each other. People of this age tend to have a hard time putting their feelings into words, even if they are truly touched, they might just say a barely audible "thank you".

However, the debt of saving a life is not something that can be brushed off with a casual laugh.

Sunny Xu stole a glance at Starry Lin.

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After the long-haired girl said "thank you" loudly, her beautiful face blushed slightly, whether it was out of embarrassment or pure restraint, he didn't know.

But Sunny Xu was secretly grateful to her. If Starry Lin hadn't made an honest response just now, he might still be hesitating.

"..."

Seigetsu Zhu didn't speak for a while.

"Well, actually..."

She looked thoughtful, propping her chin with her hand, and slowly answered.

"If it was the old me, I might not have come, and even if I did, I might have taken a long time to make a decision, and by then, I might have missed it... Thanks to you, Sunny Xu, I've become a little braver."

After hearing this, Starry Lin immediately looked at her with a suspicious look, as if to say "What did you do to her?", her eyes were really piercing.

But Sunny Xu was equally puzzled, feeling a bit confused.

After all, he and Seigetsu Zhu had only chatted a few times, and their relationship was not as close as with the classmates other than Starry Lin.

"...Anyway, as I said just now, how to think about it is our business, and gratitude cannot be just lip service." Starry Lin muttered, scratching her head with a bit of distress, "But, you seem like someone who lacks nothing."

"That's not necessarily true." Seigetsu Zhu shook her head, "There's one thing I hope I can ask of you, something that is easy to achieve as long as both of you are willing."

Sunny Xu looked into her eyes and suddenly realized what she was going to say.

"Can I become friends with you?"

"..."

"..."

Sunny Xu and Starry Lin looked at each other again.

"So, were you serious about what you said to me last time?" Starry Lin seemed to have remembered something and couldn't help muttering softly.

"I've always been serious."

Seigetsu Zhu's expression did look serious. Although she had been smiling, the determination in her clear eyes was evident to anyone.

...What did she say last time?

Noticing the exchange between the two girls, this time it was Sunny Xu's turn to ask Starry Lin with his eyes, but she just shook her head and didn't answer.

"What's your answer?"

"I still say the same thing, Seigetsu." Sunny Xu hesitated a bit, "'Becoming friends' is not something that can be achieved just by saying it, right? It's a natural process of getting to know each other..."

"Others are others. I am me."

Seigetsu Zhu's voice was gentle but firm.

"Let's make an inference, Sunny Xu. For both of you, am I the second person you know, besides each other, who has special abilities?"

"Yes.""So, our connection is destined to become closer after today, right?"

"...I think so."

Sunny Xu nodded unconsciously in agreement.

After today, if he and Starry Lin encounter another supernatural event, they would definitely subconsciously notify Seigetsu Zhu.

Even if they didn't ask for her help, as people currently in the "same world," there would still be a certain level of tacit understanding.

Just like in the past, the reason they didn't want Seigetsu Zhu to know about their actions was the opposite: they didn't want ordinary people to be involved.

"Now we are already 'the same kind of people,' and to some extent, we can also be considered friends, right?"

Seigetsu Zhu pointed to her face, smiling as she replied:

"But in my opinion, even if the relationship really becomes closer, I still won't feel at ease without hearing your answers with my own ears."

"If we only consider the same kind, then I am the same kind as all the students in the world, but I am not friends with everyone; does it depend on the closeness of the relationship? People from Class 15, people from the same grade, people from the same class, my desk mate, the person in front of me, the person behind me, the person who studies with me, the person who goes to the bathroom with me after class, the person I do sports activities with... So, where does it start to count as a friend?"

"I think it doesn't count from anywhere. And the evidence is," Seigetsu Zhu pressed her chest with her hand, "although I am very clear that there are some people around me who can definitely be considered 'friends' in the eyes of others, I still don't feel anything at all."

"In that case, I have been thinking, should I start with the words 'I am your friend'? It may sound strange to you, but this is my true thought."

Sunny Xu didn't say anything. He looked at Starry Lin, also with a silent expression.

Perhaps it was because they had never considered such a complicated matter... No, more accurately, perhaps some young people had once had such sensitive emotions, but most of them would not analyze them one by one like Seigetsu Zhu.

People who were inseparable at first, but then the relationship slowly faded; or clearly only two people at first, but one of them gradually behaved more familiar with others, and even after just one holiday, they would have doubts about whether "this person/that person really counts as my friend"... Similar thoughts often just flashed through their minds.

Especially for boys, as long as everyone was together, having fun and chatting happily was enough.

But Seigetsu Zhu seemed to be not satisfied with just that.

"So, what are your answers?"

Seigetsu Zhu repeated her question.

Sunny Xu stared at her face.

Every time he looked into the eyes of the class leader girl, he couldn't help but feel that her pupils were really clearer and more beautiful than any kind of gem in the world; but in such clear eyes, there was always some kind of complex and incomprehensible emotion, making it difficult for people to fathom.

"...Wait a minute, Miss Zhu, let's talk about this later."

Sunny Xu suddenly raised his hand.

His gaze looked to the other end of the alley, with a serious expression.

"I feel like there's a strange aura approaching, like the feeling of a person, but it seems like there's something else accompanying this person—"

*

Half a minute later, a man in a beige windbreaker, with slightly curly black hair, around thirty years old, leisurely stepped into the open space.

Meng Zheng noticed a boy in school uniform waiting there, and at his feet, there lay a man in a coma.