After finishing dinner, I went straight to bed.
“Chirp!”
In my drowsy state, I heard Yamashita Izumi’s call. After running around all day, my body was exhausted, and I didn’t even have the strength to open my eyes. I remembered locking the door before going to sleep, so there was no way Yamashita Izumi could have gotten in. The only way to enter the room, besides the main door, would be through the balcony railing. Given that my home is on the thirteenth floor, even a thief would hesitate, let alone Yamashita Izumi with her petite frame.
I felt her breath on my ear, tickling me and making me scratch it involuntarily. What a strange dream, I thought, as I turned over and continued sleeping. I’ve had lucid dreams before, but this one didn’t seem any different. What puzzled me was that I could smell Yamashita Izumi’s distinctive milk scent. I could clearly feel her breathing, both inhaling and exhaling, right on my face.
In reality, the more you avoid someone, the higher the chance of encountering them in your dreams—around 90%. Yamashita Izumi had been persistently asking me to be her boyfriend, which I wasn’t willing to do. I never expected that, after being rejected in reality, she would try to get close to me in my dreams. I let out a cold laugh, deciding that even in my dreams, I wouldn’t give her a chance. All I had to do was play dead, after all, it was just an illusion, and she would disappear once I woke up.
“Hey, Izumi, come down. Even in a dream, you can’t act so freely.” I had planned to keep playing dead, but she climbed onto my body. Despite my attempts to stay still, I could feel her invading presence. Her small hands caressed my face, neck, and arms, making it impossible for me to sleep. With my eyes closed, I could still see Yamashita Izumi clearly. She was wearing the same clothes as during the day.
This time, I got a close look at Yamashita Izumi. Her head rested on my chest as she breathed deeply. Her arms pinned mine down, and her fiery red fox tail swayed from side to side, almost as if it were alive, looking excited. Of course, it must be a dream; tails can’t move on their own.
I ignored Yamashita Izumi and moved my leg, kicking the blanket to the foot of the bed.
“Chirp, I’m scared. Can you hold me?”
Yamashita Izumi stretched out her body and lay on top of me, her slender arms wrapping around my neck. She pressed her face against mine, forcing me to look directly at her.
How am I supposed to sleep like this? Even in a dream, you can’t be so aggressive! I have to go to school tomorrow! I shifted my left side, trying to throw her off, but she balanced herself perfectly, moving with me and preventing me from rolling over.
“Izumi, please let me go. I have to go to school tomorrow. I’ll see you then, so just disappear, okay?”
“No way,” Yamashita Izumi weakly replied, burying my head in her embrace. Her breath was sweet, but her body was quite thin. It lacked the fullness of Xia Yinuo’s figure, and the hard bones of her ribs dug into me uncomfortably.
“Chirp, am I pretty or is Xia Yinuo prettier?”
It must be a dream, and it seems like a confession dream. I recalled the good deeds I had done, like helping an elderly woman cross the street and getting scammed for fifty yuan. Since then, I realized that my kindness shouldn’t be easily given to others, or it could lead to many unexpected problems.
I would never easily help others, and being someone’s boyfriend is out of the question. Yamashita Izumi doesn’t truly love me; if she did, why doesn’t she connect with me on a deeper level? Clearly, she’s only interested in my body.
Beauty is subjective, and there’s no absolute standard. I wouldn’t favor one girl over another just to please someone. I just don’t understand why Yamashita Izumi is so obsessed.
“Go to sleep, go to sleep.”
This question is like asking whether to save a girlfriend or a mom if both fall into water—it’s not a normal scenario. Any answer would hurt someone, so I’ll just go with it in the dream. I grabbed the bedsheet with one hand and hugged Yamashita Izumi’s small frame with the other. I felt her body tremble slightly before settling down. She didn’t speak anymore, her head resting peacefully on my neck. It seemed like she was content.
The fabric I touched was her animal ear costume. I just don’t get it; why would a girl with such a thin body wear clothes? It only accentuates her lack of curves. The only consolation was that the fabric was incredibly smooth and her skin felt amazingly soft.
“Chirp, you finally accepted me.” Yamashita Izumi blinked her sparkling eyes, her face flushed with excitement.
“Don’t talk, I’m really tired.” To prevent her from disturbing my sleep again, I pressed her head down, making her lips touch my neck. My consciousness faded, and I drifted back into a deep sleep.
That night, Yamashita Izumi slept more comfortably than ever. After spending four hours entwined with Chirp, she reluctantly got up. She had to go home; if her parents found out she hadn’t returned all night, they would surely kill her.
“Goodnight!”
Yamashita Izumi tidied up her clothes and took Chirp’s underwear with her. She gave one last tender look at the sleeping figure on the bed before silently leaving the room.
Xia Yinuo went to bed at 8 AM, tossing and turning until midnight, unable to sleep. Her mind was filled with thoughts of Chirp, and she decided to go find him, wanting to sleep with him. For some reason, Yamashita Izumi’s appearance made her increasingly worried. She feared Chirp would be hurt or taken away.
On her way to Chirp’s house, Xia Yinuo had made a copy of his key, making it easy for her to enter without waking him. Half an hour later, Xia Yinuo arrived at Chirp’s house. She carefully turned the key.
Click!
The door opened with a soft sound, and Xia Yinuo quietly entered, closing the door behind her like a thief. She took off her shoes and walked barefoot into Chirp’s room. To her surprise, Chirp was sleeping on the floor. Xia Yinuo approached him, instinctively wanting to pick him up, but she hesitated. Looking at Chirp’s adorable face, she couldn’t bear to disturb him.
“What a cute sleeping position, just like Chirp!”
Xia Yinuo crouched beside Chirp and lay down next to him, one arm wrapped around his back. Xia Yinuo barely dared to shift her gaze, as Chirp wasn’t sleeping in his usual way; he was completely naked, making her feel a bit embarrassed.
“Hmm, what’s this?” Xia Yinuo noticed many deep kiss marks on Chirp’s neck.
“Who did this?” Xia Yinuo’s mind raced with possibilities, finally settling on Yamashita Izumi. The lip prints on Chirp’s neck were small, looking like they were left by a child.
“Damn, she took advantage of me while I wasn’t there.” This thought made Xia Yinuo feel a deep sense of crisis. If she didn’t fully conquer Chirp, there was a risk of him being stolen away. She knew that many boys had a thing for lolitas, something she couldn’t compete with.
Xia Yinuo looked at Chirp’s gray-brown hair and his tender face, feeling a pang of concern. She bent down and picked him up, holding him in a princess carry, and placed him on the sofa. Xia Yinuo covered him completely, feeling satisfied as she closed her eyes.
Chirp, even in his sleep, was peaceful, with his long eyelashes fluttering as if he might wake up at any moment. His thin lips curved slightly, as if in a smile.
Xia Yinuo wrapped herself around Chirp like an octopus, contentedly lying on top of him and slowly closing her eyes.
Ouch!
“It hurts!”
I felt a soft, heavy weight pressing down on me, making it hard to breathe. When I opened my eyes, the room was empty, and there was no one else in bed. Strange, I struggled to get up from the bed, still feeling incredibly sore all over.
“Ghost pressing?” I let out a heavy sigh, thinking about the events of the dream, feeling a deep sense of unease. I got dressed and went to the bathroom to wash my face. In the mirror, my neck was covered in purplish bruises. There were also scratch marks on my arms.
“Ghosts, they were really ghosts.” I remembered being assaulted by two ghostly figures in my dream, but I couldn’t recall their faces.
After washing my face, I checked the time; it was already 7:40 AM. I had only 20 minutes before class started. I didn’t have time to eat; I rushed to school. My grades weren’t great, but I never arrived late, always managing to get to the classroom just before class began.
“Morning, Chirp.”
Yamashita Izumi greeted me outside the apartment complex, wearing two braids and a black dress with black sandals, looking incredibly cute and small.
“What are you doing here? Were you waiting for me?” I ran over and walked with her. My place wasn’t far from school, only a five-minute walk.
“Mm-hmm,” Yamashita Izumi nodded repeatedly, keeping her head down as she walked. In a soft voice, she said, “You must be wondering how I know where you live, right? Well, about a year ago, I followed you and watched you enter the complex. I know you live on the thirteenth floor. I didn’t want to tell you this, but to show my sincerity, I’ll tell you everything without hiding anything.”
“What? A year ago? That was when I was in middle school? Izumi… why didn’t you tell me then?” Yamashita Izumi’s words surprised me. I had been followed for so long without knowing it.
“Yes, that’s right.” Yamashita Izumi answered, looking very anxious, completely different from her confident self yesterday. She glanced at Chirp: “I, I couldn’t.”
“Couldn’t…” I never expected the aggressive Yamashita Izumi from yesterday to say something like that. It didn’t fit her usual style. Yesterday, she chased me with a knife for nearly a hundred meters. Thinking of her fierce appearance, I suddenly shivered.
“Do you have any knives or dangerous tools on you?” I asked, quickening my pace and keeping a meter away from Yamashita Izumi. If she showed any sign of unusual behavior, I could escape immediately.
“I, I only brought a fruit knife.” Yamashita Izumi blurted out, startling me so much that I jumped back, shouting, “Throw it away, throw it away!”
Yamashita Izumi didn’t expect my reaction. She lifted her skirt and pulled out a knife from her calf, tossing it into a nearby trash can.
“Fruit knife? This is a fruit knife?” Yamashita Izumi pulled out a gleaming cleaver, about ten centimeters longer than the fruit knife, sharp and threatening. If I hadn’t asked, who knows when she might have stabbed me from behind with it.
“Why are you carrying a knife? We’re going to school! You look like you’re out for revenge.” I increased the distance between us again, but Yamashita Izumi’s short legs were surprisingly fast, and she quickly caught up to me, grabbing my hand and pulling me close.
“Chirp, don’t be afraid. I won’t hurt you. I just want to protect you…” Yamashita Izumi stammered, unable to finish her sentence. Her true intention was to keep other girls away from Chirp. If any girl with ulterior motives tried to get close to Chirp, her cleaver would be ready.
“I think you’re more interested in killing me than protecting me.” I sped up, seeing the school just thirty meters ahead, with a large clock at the entrance showing 7:45.
“Hehe, nothing can hide from you, Chirp.” Yamashita Izumi giggled innocently.
In my eyes, her innocent smile was like that of a devil.
“Do you have any other weapons? Just, just hand them over.” I swallowed nervously, always on guard against Yamashita Izumi.
“No, no more,” Yamashita Izumi shook her head vigorously, avoiding my gaze.