Morning sunlight slipped through the gaps in the curtains, falling softly across the two figures on the bed.
Xia Jiuwei glanced at her phone. The screen showed seven o’clock.
She stretched lazily and rolled over, preparing to get up for class.
A hand suddenly reached out from behind and pulled her back into an embrace.
“Sleep a little longer…” a half-awake voice murmured beside her ear.
…Alright. Ten more minutes.
When Xia Jiuwei woke again, she instinctively checked the time.
Almost eight.
She shot upright instantly, staring at the clock in disbelief.
She slowly turned toward the culprit beside her—
Lu Nian’an.
Sleeping peacefully.
The more she looked, the angrier she became.
The next second, Xia Jiuwei grabbed her shoulders with both hands and shook her violently.
“Lu Nian’an! Look what you’ve done!”
“Mmm…?” Lu Nian’an was shaken awake, blinking sleepily in confusion.
“Look! It’s almost eight! This is all your fault, all your fault!”
“What did I do?” she asked blankly.
“You’re the one who wrapped your arm around me and told me to sleep longer!”
Lu Nian’an froze for a moment, recalling what she’d done that morning. She scratched her head awkwardly.
“…Sorry, sorry.”
“Hah—my entire commute time got wasted sleeping with you. What am I supposed to do now?”
“You could just teleport through the Under-Reality. Didn’t you leave an anchor point at school?”
“Are you kidding?! Using teleportation in familiar places makes it way too easy for people to notice something strange…”
She shot upright instantly, mouth slightly open, her entire body freezing in shock.
“But you only got that new ability yesterday. And I spent thirty million yen on it, so you should use it properly!”
“That thirty million was something you insisted on giving me yourself… whatever.”
Xia Jiuwei shook her head, then suddenly grinned, revealing a few small white teeth.
“Thanks.”
She rolled out of bed and hurried into the dressing room, quickly changing out of her pajamas.
“Nia, I’m heading out!”
She poked her head out through the doorway and looked toward Lu Nian’an, who was now fully awake.
“I’m not making breakfast today. Go grab something from the Under-Reality yourself—I remember there’s still food left in the villa.”
“Bye!”
Just as Lu Nian’an was about to reply, the little head sticking out from the doorway disappeared again.
“…Honestly. You always insist on ‘experiencing life,’” she sighed.
The next instant, Xia Jiuwei appeared in a crowded university hallway.
Students hurried past her in every direction, seemingly without noticing her existence at all.
Good. It was working.
As she briskly walked toward her calculus classroom, she gradually raised her own sense of presence.
Ever since entering the psychology department, she’d increasingly felt the major should really be renamed “Human Analysis Studies.”
Most of the coursework revolved around statistics.
As for things like “I can read your mind” or “predict your predictions”—those had basically nothing to do with psychology.
Still, since she was already here, she might as well get good grades and earn the diploma.
So she settled into a routine of attending classes punctually while barely listening.
Exams were effortless for someone like her.
At the same time, she felt she should experience more of real life.
Otherwise, after staying in the Under-Reality for so long, she felt increasingly disconnected from reality itself.
She looked toward the professor currently explaining the product rule on the podium, and her eyes widened slightly.
Ever since her eyes turned violet, she could see the “resentment” attached to people.
And this time, another thick black thread had appeared behind the professor.
She glanced around the room.
Most people only carried faint gray strands—
probably just minor everyday conflicts that would dissipate quickly.
She lowered her head and looked at herself.
…Even doing good deeds still attracted pale gray resentment?
Most of it likely came from the irrational anger of the perpetrators themselves, and would fade soon enough.
Not long after, boredom set in.
She pulled out her phone.
Mia: What are you doing? (curious.jpg)
Nia: Hmm? Don’t feel like listening to class again?
Mia: Didn’t I already say this? The point of university isn’t studying, it’s experiencing life~
Nia: Sure, sure. Experiencing life and making friends. So, have you made any friends yet?
Mia: No. (sigh.jpg)
Nia: ……
Mia: ARE YOU LOOKING DOWN ON ME?!
Nia: No, no. I don’t have any friends besides you either, so we’re about the same.
Mia: Hehe.
…
Nia: Oh right. Come back early today and go with me to my dad’s birthday banquet.
Mia: Sure.
“Xia Jiuwei, want to go urban legend hunting tonight?”
Just after ending the chat and preparing to head to her next class, two girls from her class walked over.
“Hm?”
“We’re planning to test every urban legend we can find! And we invited some handsome guys from other departments too! It’s a perfect chance to meet people. Wanna come?”
Xia Jiuwei looked puzzled.
“Aren’t you afraid some urban legends might actually be real?”
“That’s what makes it fun! If things get scary, we get an excuse to cling to hot guys!”
“And if insanely low-probability things can really happen, then that super famous ‘Maiden J’ rumor lately must be real too!”
“…Maiden J?”
She froze briefly.
She hadn’t expected herself to become this famous in only half a year.
“You haven’t heard of her? A white-haired girl who helps people and punishes evil! If something really happens to us, she’ll definitely save us!”
The girls sounded completely confident.
But Xia Jiuwei slowly frowned.
“And your hair is also—”
The girl suddenly paused mid-sentence.
…What was she about to say?
The Xia Jiuwei standing before her suddenly seemed completely ordinary.
“Thanks, but I already have plans tonight, so I can’t go.”
After politely refusing, she turned and left.
For the rest of the day, she couldn’t focus during class.
An indescribable emotion churned within her.
She had helped many people.
But—
Why was she helping them?
At first, it was to avoid being dragged down by the Under-Reality.
Those resentments eroded her mind.
But now, she was already strong enough to withstand them.
So why continue?
By afternoon, Xia Jiuwei stepped out of Building H at the university.
Waiting outside was Lu Nian’an’s black car.
“Get in already! We still need to pick out dresses for tonight!”
Out of habit, Xia Jiuwei opened the passenger door and slipped into the seat smoothly.
“We have to wear dresses too? Ugh—I hate those restrictive clothes more than anything.”
“I already had several custom-made for you. Easier to move around in, but still formal enough. You can pick whichever you like.”
“That good?!”
“Mhm.”
“But speaking of it, aren’t you on pretty bad terms with your parents? Why are you even going to the birthday banquet?”
“Can’t be helped.” Her tone was calm.
“People like me still have to maintain appearances. Some formalities can’t be avoided.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll protect you at the banquet, hehe!”
Xia Jiuwei grinned proudly beside her.
Hearing her laugh made Lu Nian’an feel a little lighter too.