Unmasked

Upon hearing a friend’s doubt, the gray-haired girl stood proudly, her chest heaving with indignation as she declared,

“Are you blind? Of course, I’m a man! A true, upright man!”

Villy furrowed her brow at the unexpected answer, assuming that Liu Yu had merely adopted this appearance to avoid attention. But now, it seemed that Liu Yu genuinely identified as male….

“What’s the matter? Here’s a perfect opportunity, take my headbutt, you fool!”

Villy effortlessly deflected the gray-haired girl’s attack, expertly seizing her hands and pulling her into a tight embrace. During their struggle, Villy’s touch occasionally brushed against sensitive areas that made their skin tingle.

…….At least, no male features were apparent in her build.

But perhaps that was for the better?

Based on her recent behavior, it seemed Liu Yu’s preferences were leaning toward women.

Villy pushed the small cat back onto the bed, and as Liu Yu stared in stunned disbelief, Villy boldly cupped her breasts, solemnly stating,

“You claim to be a man, yet who has ever seen a man with such a large figure?”

“…….”

Liu Yu’s face flushed red.

This was a bit too much, I shouldn’t have such an interest in a child with an immature mind……should I?

“Th-th-this is just a prop! I stuffed it with cotton, you know, the artificial silicone kind! No matter how you touch me, I won’t feel a thing!”

With a newfound excuse, Liu Yu’s confidence soared once more.

No, she’s still being stubborn.

At Villy’s insistent invitation, she found herself once more forced to squeeze, and as Liu Yu fled in a panic, Villy, satisfied, turned to more pressing matters:

“Now, can you explain what exactly happened to you?”

Startled by the repeated assaults on her sensitive areas, Liu Yu scrambled to the other side of the bed, her cheeks still flushed as she defensively asked,

“I don’t know what happened. This morning, or rather, last night when I returned home, I suddenly transformed into this strange form, and even my shadow changed.”

As she spoke, a thin layer of black mist enveloped the girl, unlike the dark, dense shadow of before, now it seemed weak and unstable.

Perhaps it was time to give her some suppressant.

Remembering her agreement with Yao Jing from last night, Villy fingered the box hidden in her pocket, pondering how to make Liu Yu drink the suppressant without her knowing.

Regarding whether to reveal the truth to Liu Yu, the three at the meeting had surprisingly reached a unanimous decision: they would not.

After all, a child’s nature was too impulsive, and if anything went wrong, the entire city of Dongchuan would struggle to contain her. For the city’s safety, it was best to keep her in the dark for now.

“Hey, what are you daydreaming about?”

The girl’s face drew near once more, apparently, her previous bold actions hadn’t significantly diminished her affection.

“I’m thinking about what’s happening to you.”

Villy explained solemnly.

“Ha! You? What can a mere mortal like you possibly think of? You’re just a cricket, a common bug, while I soar through the skies like a majestic bird. You’re nothing more than a worm, destined to eat my dust for the rest of your life.”

……This kid speaks with such audacity.

Villy suppressed the urge to strike her and began to fabricate:

“Hmm, let me think…… Perhaps it’s because I’m hungry.”

“How do you know I haven’t eaten in a day!”

Liu Yu’s face was a picture of shock.

No, I meant the shadow was hungry……

But this gave me a perfect excuse to make her take the medicine.

Villy stood and walked toward the small kitchen, saying,

“May I use your kitchen? Let me show you my culinary skills. Where do you keep your ingredients?”

“Wait, don’t go in there.”

Ignoring Liu Yu’s shout, Villy opened the kitchen door, only to be greeted by a nauseating, fermented odor and a pungent stench. Looking closer, the room was crammed with various packaging bags and empty drink bottles, a true garbage dump.

“Bang!”

Villy shut the door again, looking at the girl peeking from the bed, her expression a mix of exasperation and disbelief. Villy was certain that without the shadow’s protection, this girl’s personal hygiene would have easily led to a serious illness.

“What’s the matter, did I not tell you not to go in there? You’re the one who didn’t listen, so don’t blame me!”

Feeling a bit unsettled under Villy’s gaze, Liu Yu tried to shift the blame onto Villy.

“Fine, fine, it’s all my fault. Sigh, little lazybones, don’t just lie there, get up and get dressed, I’ll take you out for a meal.”

“Yay!”

Instantly forgetting her previous grievances, the gray-haired girl bounced on the bed, eagerly dressing while excitedly muttering,

“Big meal, big meal, treat me to a big meal, free ride to a big meal.”

“Ew.”

Just thinking about this girl living in such a filthy environment made Villy feel sick. She sniffed herself and Liu Yu, relieved to find no strange odors, before escorting her downstairs.

The sun began to set.

Unknowingly, it was already afternoon.

The two sat in a spicy hotpot restaurant.

Villy rested her chin on her hand, her chopsticks hovering above the table, unable to move as she watched the gray-haired girl devour her food.

Though reluctant to admit it, Liu Yu’s appearance perfectly matched her preferences, and just watching her was a feast for the eyes.

“Why aren’t you eating? Are you trying to lose weight?”

“You don’t need to worry about me, just focus on how to explain skipping class to Roza.”

Liu Yu paused, her expression turning somber as she stared at Villy, her pained look making Villy’s heart ache for her.

“……”

“Stop staring, I’ll help you deceive Roza.”

Unable to bear the sudden shift in the lively girl’s demeanor, Villy reluctantly agreed. However, she emphasized the “deceive” part, hoping Liu Yu would soon realize her mistake.

“Yay, as expected of my good friend, Roza’s up to you.”

Unfortunately, the girl immediately resumed her eating, showing no sign of appreciating Villy’s sincere concern.

But……good friend huh.

Villy recalled her daring actions in the bedroom, wondering if she had been too impulsive.

“But I can only help you this once……Staring at me won’t change that.”

“Pfft.”

Realizing her tactic wasn’t working, Liu Yu gave up pretending, asking bluntly,

“So what am I supposed to do? Am I supposed to go to school like this?”

“Well, that’s not impossible.”

“Huh?”

“If you hide your hair, wear thicker clothes, and disguise yourself, using the excuse of not feeling well, no one should recognize you. Plus, didn’t you promise Unique last night to protect her younger brother, the classmate of Liu Yu?”

“What promise?”

Looking at Liu Yu as she struggled to remember, Villy reminded her,

“You promised Unique to protect her younger brother, the classmate of Liu Yu.”