The Corridor’s Revelation

You two, wait for me here for a moment.

A crucial insight had suddenly dawned upon me. Leaving a bewildered Xiaobai and Ruka sister to wait in the bathroom, I ventured alone into the storage warehouse within the ‘Chrysalis’ mansion to retrieve a few items.

‘It can’t be,’ I mused to myself.

As my hands frantically rummaged for the necessary items, the intriguing clues I had been pondering surfaced with the effervescence of newly boiled water.

The peculiar phenomenon of ‘things inexplicably vanishing from my vicinity only to fall mysteriously upon my head’ was something that only ever occurred to me. Yet, could it truly be so random?

Each time an incident transpired, Xiaobai was, in some way, involved. Before the first supernatural occurrence, she had been gently patting my shoulder, offering comfort. The second time, I was sitting intimately beside her, helping with her homework. And the third instance had just happened, as I caressed Xiaobai’s head in the bath.

In other words, a consistent element across all these events was the physical contact between Xiaobai and me.

Furthermore,

There was yet another commonality, one only I could have perceived: each time, just before an incident… I, I…

Could it truly be as I suspected?!

Was it actually true?!

If everything unfolded precisely as I predicted, then, oh, then, this was absolutely incredible!!!

The heat on my face had spread to the tips of my ears, and the corners of my mouth, alight with excitement, slowly curved into a triumphant smile. Were my hands trembling?! A thrill surged through me, my heart pounding a frantic rhythm.

“I found it!”

With a quick request to the maid outside the door to tidy the dishevelled warehouse, I snatched up the massive parasol, which towered even above me, and sprinted towards the bathroom.

It was time to put my theory to the test!

****

“Haaah— haah— could someone help me carry this…?” Using the unwieldy parasol as a makeshift cane, I shakily pushed open the bathroom door, utterly breathless.

Honestly… my current physical endurance was pitiful… I detested it!

“Whoa, are you alright?!”

A look of genuine concern etched across her face, Xiaobai rushed to steady me, as if I were about to collapse. Ruka sister, too, relieved me of the enormous parasol.

“Leidi, why on earth did you bring a parasol?” Ruka sister questioned, a hint of bewilderment in her voice. “This size is practically for the beach!” She clearly couldn’t fathom my reasons for bringing such a massive item into the bathroom at this particular moment.

“Hehe~ you’ll both find out soon enough!”

Mustering a strained smile, I allowed Xiaobai to guide me to the edge of the bathtub. I pressed a button, and the water began to flow.

“Huh? Are you taking a bath?” Xiaobai asked, a faint wry smile playing on her lips. “Though, to be fair, you did work up quite a sweat…”

“Not at all~ I’m filling it with cold water, aren’t I~?” I chuckled, beaming at her. Honestly, she was so oblivious.

Ah, no, no, I had to restrain myself. Otherwise, bringing the parasol would be utterly pointless. Hold back, hold back!

“Oh, right… Wait, no! Why are you filling it with cold water?!” After a charming moment of confusion, Xiaobai, utterly baffled, gave me a little shake.

Just a little longer, I thought. It would be perfect once there was a bit more water in the tub.

“Ruka sister,” I requested, turning to her, “could I trouble you to hold the umbrella for us? Please keep it lowered, though. Ideally, just enough to graze the top of our heads.”

I turned to Ruka sister, who was meticulously inspecting the umbrella in her hands. She was likely trying to determine if it possessed any special properties. Regrettably, it was merely a standard, oversized beach parasol; its only distinction being that its price tag was several dozen times higher than an ordinary one.

“Eh? Alright,” Ruka sister responded, her expression still etched with puzzlement. Nevertheless, she complied, opening the parasol and holding it aloft above our heads.

And so—

The experiment commenced!!!

Breaking free from Xiaobai’s supportive grasp, I abruptly rose to my feet. In one swift motion!

I wrapped my arms tightly around Xiaobai!!!

“Eh?! Leidi, what are you doing?!”

Ah, Xiaobai’s voice was truly delightful.

“Watch out for heavy rainfall~” I said, grinning up at her. I was absolutely certain that everything that followed would unfold precisely as I desired.

“Hmm—?!!!” Ruka sister’s voice rang out, laced with profound shock.

Hehe~ It seemed my suspicions were correct~

“CRASH———!!!!”

A tremendous crash echoed from above, followed by a torrent of water that surged from the umbrella’s edges, cascading down in a roaring deluge!

“Whoa?! What in the world is happening?!” Xiaobai exclaimed, her face a picture of fright. Haha, how adorable~

Peeking through the watery curtain, I glanced at the bathtub. Oh? The entire tub was completely dry?!

From a small mobile phone and a makeup mirror, to larger, heavier tables and chairs, and now, an entire bathtub’s worth of water—the scale of the phenomenon was undeniably escalating.

The magnitude had clearly intensified, confirming that these occurrences were indeed influenced by me.

Upon closer reflection, this sudden disappearance followed by an equally sudden reappearance—

Couldn’t it be achieved by utilizing the ‘Corridor’?!

It was just like a few days prior, when Ruka sister had absorbed the department store’s customers and then released them. The only distinctions lay in the scale of what was stored, the duration of its containment, and the unpredictability of its reappearance point upon release.

Therefore—

The so-called invisible enemy simply did not exist.

This was the ‘Corridor’ created by the ‘Gate’ residing within me!

It was the ‘Corridor’ born from my fervent desire to embrace my gentle and adorable Xiaobai!