“Forgot to ask Makoto to pick up red bean buns for me.
Oh well, never mind, I’ll go myself.” Buyuan suddenly remembered he needed to buy red bean buns for Yanagi.
He bought a lot in one go.
If the shop hadn’t refused to let him buy them all out, he would’ve taken the entire stock home.
After putting the red bean buns away, he noticed Makoto still wasn’t back yet and decided to go see if Belle was awake.
Pushing open the video store door, he was treated to the rare sight of Belle’s figure.
“Astonishing.
To see Belle in the morning.” Buyuan’s expression was exaggerated.
“What’s that supposed to mean!
Working the HDD hard every day is exhausting.
Sleeping in a little is totally normal.” Belle instantly bristled at Buyuan’s words, chomping down on her bun as if she were biting him instead.
“So?
Why are you up so early today?” Buyuan pulled up a chair and sat beside her.
“An old friend of ours found out our Phaethon account was gone and came by to recommend some new commissions.” Belle deflated a little at the thought of having to start over from low-income commissions and work her way back up.
“Belle, the HDD’s all debugged.
Fairy and the Shepherd have compiled a lot of commissions.
How are you holding up?” Wise pushed open the archive room door.
“Yeah, no problem.” Belle finished off the rest of her bun and stood up, full of energy.
“Buyuan, you’re here.
Had breakfast?” Wise noticed Buyuan sitting off to the side.
“With Baal around, I wouldn’t miss a single meal.
You guys are busy.
I just dropped by to say hi, so I’ll leave you to it.” Seeing they were about to start handling commissions, Buyuan figured he’d head back and see if Makoto had returned.
Coming out of the video store, Buyuan spotted two unexpected figures.
One was Soldier 11, eating ramen at Waterfall Soup.
The other was Corin, standing by the entrance of the 141 convenience store, seemingly waiting for someone.
He didn’t rashly approach to say hello.
They were strangers, after all.
As military personnel, Soldier 11 wouldn’t become your friend over a few pleasantries.
Corin, there was even less rush — and she was far too shy and introverted.
Suddenly approaching her would only make things awkward.
Lost in thought, Buyuan soon found himself seated on his own couch at home.
“Back?” Makoto emerged from the kitchen.
“What do you want for lunch?” “Anything’s fine.
Maybe some sweet and sour pork.” Buyuan recalled that Ellen seemed to like sweet foods.
“Alright.
I’ll go prep.” Having received a clear mission, Makoto headed into the kitchen.
Buyuan picked up his phone, planning to ask Ellen when she’d arrive.
Damn Fox: What time are you getting here?
A moment passed before he got a reply.
Sharkie: Right now.
Damn Fox: Right now?
Then Buyuan heard a knock at the door.
This “right now” — Buyuan hurried to open the door.
Ellen, wearing the same casual outfit as last time, was impatiently tapping her foot by the door.
“So slow.” “It’s been less than five seconds from knock to door.” Buyuan rolled his eyes at this impatient shark.
“Come in.
Oh, I saw your Victoria Housekeeping little maid Corin earlier.” Buyuan sat with Ellen on the couch.
“Yeah, I know.
I was just taking her to the metro station to meet up with Boss Lycaon.
She’s going with him to the Dead End Hollow for a commission.” Ellen unwrapped a lollipop from the coffee table and popped it in her mouth.
Her mood visibly lifted.
“I see.
Victoria Housekeeping sure keeps you busy.” Buyuan now had a rough idea of what was coming.
Corin and Lycaon would run into the Dead End Butcher and get separated.
Perfect — tomorrow he’d bring Ellen and the Proxy along and save them both.
“Speaking of which, I’ll need you to come with me into the Dead End Hollow tomorrow as well.” Buyuan gave Ellen advance notice, just so Lycaon wouldn’t reassign her elsewhere.
“Got it.” The moment she heard “commission,” Ellen’s mood soured.
“Your face really does change fast.” “Who’s ever happy about working?” Ellen was unmoved by Buyuan’s critique.
“Come to think of it, will you be calling me ‘Master’ tomorrow?” Buyuan suddenly thought of something.
“…” “Shut up.” Ellen’s gaze towards Buyuan carried a hint of disgust.
Yes.
That look.
That tone.
“Please, one more time.” Buyuan didn’t mind.
At this level, it was a reward.
“Didn’t you say you were going to record your second song?
Can we start now?” Ellen felt that scolding him would just make him happy, and not scolding him would make her unhappy.
In the end, she could only change the subject.
“Mm-hm.
Let’s start now.
We’ll be done just in time for lunch.
Then you can take a nap right here.
After that, I’m guessing you’ll go find Ruby and the others.” After speaking, Buyuan returned to his room to change.
“Pretty sharp.” Ellen didn’t refute it.
That was indeed her plan.
Going all the way back just to nap was a hassle.
Besides, she’d slept here last time anyway.
After changing, Buyuan opened the bedroom door and let Ellen in.
“What are you singing this time?” This time, Ellen didn’t use Buyuan’s phone but filmed with her own.
“Wind Drives the Rain.” Buyuan was quite fond of this song.
He felt it sounded far better as a guitar ballad than with accompaniment.
He’d loved listening to G2er’s version in the past.
Highly recommended.
“There’s no sun at this hour.
Ellen, do you know how to adjust filters?” Buyuan noticed the sunlight wasn’t coming through at this time.
They’d have to rely on color grading.
“Yeah, a little.” …
“You can start now.” Ellen signaled that everything was ready and began recording.
“The sky grows dim, the sun not yet sinking west.
Riding on the wind, I stumble into rain.
It falls on me—no turning away, no stepping aside.
Lost within the clouds and rain…
where did I come from, where am I bound?” The singing was soft, as if carrying longing.
Ellen felt this song’s style was vastly different from the last.
The guitar was soft, the sound of plucked strings and tapped body giving a sense of melancholy.
“Sorrow born at the sky’s edge, as the rain falls.
Once more I recall holding an umbrella, passing beneath the bridge.
Yet it is you I think of, bidding farewell again and again.
Dreary, dismal, desolate — a trace of fading red, reaching to catch the rain.
I listen to a song of longing, entrusted to you~” Soon, the song was done.
Buyuan set the guitar aside and went over to Ellen to look at the phone.
“Hm?
You didn’t use a filter either.
Filming my face this clearly — this can’t be posted on a video site.” Buyuan looked speechlessly at Ellen, who had just snapped back to attention.
“No, I didn’t.
I’ll take it this afternoon to Ruby and the others.
We’ll do the color grading and filter together.
Then I’ll send it to you tonight.” Ellen put her phone away, not planning to dwell on this topic.
“Fine.
Then I’ll leave it in Miss Ellen’s capable hands.” Buyuan wasn’t stupid.
He knew exactly what she was up to.
“Come to think of it, you’re only 18, right?
How do you write lyrics with this kind of intense longing?” Ellen found it hard to understand.
“Uh, currently 18, I suppose.” Buyuan was a bit awkward.
Whether or not he’d written the song aside…
he was mayhaps a thousand-year-old fox.
No wait!
A quality male fox is forever 18.
After sitting back on the couch, Ellen had already uploaded the video to her group chat with Ruby and the others and started discussing what filter to use.
Buyuan sent Astra a message, letting her know the video would be posted that evening.
She didn’t reply — Buyuan wasn’t surprised.
Her online hours were very fixed, after all.
“Time to eat.” Makoto called to the two of them.
“Coming.” Buyuan and Ellen began eating.
Makoto went off to her charging dock to recharge for a while.
“You installed a voice module in your Bangboo?” Ellen was a bit surprised.
She hadn’t expected this guy to actually spend that kind of money.
“What about it?
Baal takes care of my daily needs, after all.
I don’t have the free time to learn Bangboo-speak.” Buyuan was deeply resistant to learning Bangboo-speak.
It was way harder than English.
The whole thing relied on tone for translation.
“Here, try this.
I specifically had Baal make sweet and sour pork.” Buyuan nudged the dish towards her.
Sure enough, it earned her praise.
“How do you make this?
Teach me.
I want Rina to make it for me.” Ellen’s words made the corner of Buyuan’s mouth twitch.
Let the woman who rivals Makoto’s little sister cook this?
Sharkie Ellen, you really are hard to kill.
Forget it.
Guess I’ll just have to put poor Wolf Butler through the wringer.
“I’ll send you the recipe tonight.” Buyuan wasn’t worried about Lycaon dying of food poisoning.
After all, Ellen couldn’t possibly not notice something was wrong.
Someone would call an ambulance.
It had to be admitted — on a drowsy afternoon, after eating and drinking one’s fill, sleepiness came easily.
Ellen lay down on the couch, ready for a glorious nap.
“Want to sleep in my room?
A bed’s better than a couch.” Buyuan looked at Ellen, who was about to sleep on the couch, and offered.
“No need.
In Ruby’s words, you’d probably — uh, what was it — something about an ‘epic deep inhale’ on the bed after I leave.” Although Ellen didn’t fully grasp the meaning, she felt Ruby was probably right.
“This is slander against my foxhood!” Buyuan instantly bristled.
This Ruby — he’d treated her like a bro, and she was sabotaging him.
“But wouldn’t you on the couch also allow for an epic deep inhale?” Buyuan suddenly spotted a key point.
“…” This line silenced Ellen.
She suddenly found it made a lot of sense.
So Ellen headed towards the bedroom.
Buyuan immediately followed — and was blocked.
“Why are you coming in?” “Cuddle together, duh.” Buyuan puffed out his chest righteously.
“Get lost!” “Wait!
I’ve got an idea.” Buyuan naturally knew he’d be rejected.
But he had a brilliant idea.
Suddenly, a burst of white mist rose.
When it cleared, Buyuan was nowhere to be seen.
“Buyuan?
Where’d he go?” Ellen looked around and found he’d vanished.
“Down here!” A familiar voice reached Ellen’s ears.
When Ellen looked down, an adorable little white fox was sitting on the floor, wagging its tail.
“You?!
You’re Buyuan?” Ellen was too stunned to speak.
“Is it really that surprising?” Buyuan instinctively licked his paw and inwardly gave Ellen a thumbs-up.
Good awareness.
Wearing safety shorts.
“Can we sleep together now?” Buyuan deliberately tilted his head.
In Ellen’s eyes, a cute little white fluffball was tilting its head, extending a nap invitation.
“How did you do this?” In the end, Ellen couldn’t refuse.
She crouched down and picked Buyuan up.
“Special bloodline.
Regular humans are just regular humans.
Thirens are a one-to-one ratio of human to animal.
You can think of me as a two-to-one ratio of animal to human.” Feeling the softness pillowing his head, Buyuan was utterly content.
“That’s hard to wrap my head around.” “Good that it’s hard.
There probably isn’t another one like me in all of New Eridu.
Sleep now.
If you’re not sleepy, I am.” Buyuan found a comfortable position in her arms and prepared to sleep.
At this moment, he was mentally berating his morning self.
Who said this ability was no good?
This ability was amazing.
New Eridu afternoons always had a way of making one drowsy.
And so, one person and one fox slept.
But some unlucky souls were still hard at work completing commissions, still hard at work attending meetings.
Ellen’s alarm failed to wake the two.
In the end, it took Ruby’s frantic phone calls to rouse Ellen.
Poor Buyuan was subjected to Ellen’s sleepy rampage, thoroughly ravaged.
Buyuan now sat on the couch, expression not particularly pleasant.
His hair was a complete mess.
“No matter what, you owe me a feel of your tail.
Otherwise, this is not blowing over.” Buyuan cast an ill-intentioned gaze at Ellen’s tail.
“N-Next time.
Next time, for sure.
We overslept, and Ruby’s rushing me.” With that, Ellen fled out the door.
“Young people.
So hasty and flustered.” Buyuan went to the bathroom and tamed his messy hair.
Seeing Makoto still charging didn’t surprise him.
After all, he forbade her from charging every single night.
Her battery was probably bound to bottom out by now.
Buyuan checked his phone and saw it was past 5 PM.
He messaged Yanagi asking when she’d arrive.
Yanagi: About three more minutes until I reach the station.
Buyuan: Good.
Message me when you get here.
Buyuan waited on the couch for quite a while, but no message came from Yanagi.
“Hm?
Something’s off.
She’s already on the metro — no backing out at this point.
Why hasn’t she replied after all this time?” Buyuan looked at his sent message, which also hadn’t received a reply.
“Phone out of battery?
That’s not good.
I never told her where I live.” Buyuan put on his shoes and headed downstairs to find Yanagi.
He searched from the metro station all the way to the alley behind Waterfall Soup and still couldn’t find her.
At last, by the back door of the arcade, he spotted Yanagi leaning against the wall.
As Buyuan drew closer, Yanagi suddenly spoke.
“Who’s there?” “Hey.
Yanagi, it’s me.
Buyuan.” Looking at the woman before him, Buyuan quickly recalled — due to her modifications, she had certain side effects.
“Is that you, Buyuan?” Yanagi seemed somewhat conflicted.
“Can you not see?” Buyuan slowly approached her side and asked.
“Mm.
It’ll pass soon.” Yanagi hesitated a moment, then continued.
“I…
underwent some minor human experimentation in the past.
Thanks to that, I was able to keep up with everyone in Section 6 without dragging them down.
But there were side effects.
The most noticeable is deteriorating eyesight, occasionally accompanied by temporary blindness.
Could you keep this a secret?
I don’t want them to worry.” Yanagi’s voice was soft.
“Yeah.
Don’t worry.
I won’t tell them.” Buyuan leaned against the wall beside her.
“Thank you.” “Is there any way to fix it?
Anything I can do to help?” Buyuan looked at Yanagi, who seemed so fragile in this moment, and spoke gently.
“Could I…
hold your hand?
When everything is pitch black, it might feel a little easier to bear.” Yanagi tilted her head slightly away from Buyuan.
“Of course.” Buyuan reached out and took Yanagi’s hand.
The two stayed like this for over ten minutes.
“Thank you.
I can see again now.” Yanagi released Buyuan’s hand and adjusted her glasses.
“Come on.
I made a point of buying lots of red bean buns.” Buyuan didn’t think to tease her at this moment.
He simply led her back to his place to pick up the buns.
Since Yanagi still had many documents to process, Buyuan wasn’t able to keep her for tea.
He’d wanted her to take all the red bean buns with her, but Yanagi said she couldn’t carry that many and would leave them at his place for now.
“Nice.
Our little nest has gained another randomly spawning Agent.” Buyuan was rather pleased.
In the game, he’d have to wander the streets and try his luck.
But now, thanks to his efforts, they’d start spawning right at his doorstep.
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