56: Spirited Away

After handling these loose ends, he left the old school building, which was still permeated with a cold and ominous aura, together with Kirisu Mafuyu.

The night breeze was cool, gently brushing past as if to take away the last lingering shadows of the old school building, yet it could not blow away the quiet, indescribable residual warmth between the two. The surroundings returned to the tranquility that a summer night should have, with only the chirping of insects whispering in the grass.

Walking out of the rusty school gate and stepping onto the path leading to the main road, Mafuyu's footsteps slowed down unconsciously. She looked down at the tips of her shoes, kicking at the small stones on the road one after another, her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her uniform skirt, while her mind kept replaying the absurd, terrifying, yet... heat-inducing fragments that had just occurred.

But at this moment, the reason her disobedient heart was beating faster in her chest did not seem to be entirely due to fear—it was more because of the person beside her. From beginning to end, he seemed to walk half a step ahead of her, a distance that could protect her without making her feel pressured, yet whenever she stumbled slightly due to restlessness, he would imperceptibly slow his pace, maintaining that tacit protection.

"You weren't scared, were you?" Lin Luo suddenly spoke, his voice lighter and gentler than the night, breaking the silence.

"N-no, I wasn't!" She denied it almost immediately, looking up subconsciously, only to crash into his smiling eyes unexpectedly. The cold moonlight flowed over his shoulders, softening his usual, slightly detached nonchalance. At this moment, the silhouette of his profile under the moonlight actually seemed unbelievably gentle.

This gentleness made her heart tremble slightly, as if it had been gently bumped by something soft. She hurriedly looked away, feeling a wave of heat uncontrollably crawling up to her earlobes; fortunately, the night covered it. To hide this momentary panic, she muttered softly, trying to steer the topic to a safe zone, "L-let's go back quickly, I'm getting a little hungry."

Lin Luo was about to answer, but suddenly thought of something, his lips curling into a sly arc: "Let me think, I'd better go to your place. It's been so long since I've been there, your apartment probably needs cleaning too."

"That's not true!" Mafuyu immediately retorted, her cheeks flushed a faint red from being looked down upon. "I've been working hard to improve my housekeeping skills too. At least... at least it's not that dirty and messy anymore!" Her voice grew quieter as she spoke, clearly lacking confidence in her own defense.

"Oh?" Lin Luo raised an eyebrow, deliberately drawing out his tone. "Is that so—our Mafuyu-chan is getting more and more capable."

"How humiliating..." Mafuyu was left speechless by his teasing tone, emitting a small whimper, and lowered her head in shame and annoyance. She knew she really had no talent for housework, but being teased so bluntly still made her ears burn.

Time quietly slipped to the dusk of the next day.

Near Fujisawa Station, the shopping mall lights began to flicker on, and the commuter crowd bustled about, the air filled with the unique relaxation and fatigue after work.

Following the instructions of the software's location, Lin Luo waded through the surging crowd and stopped in front of a bakery located in a corner of the mall. The warm yellow light shone through the glass window, reflecting the dazzling array of breads on the display shelves, and the freshly baked sweet aroma was tempting enough to make one's mouth water.

However, his gaze passed over these and fixed on an extremely abrupt figure in front of the counter.

It was a young girl wearing a black bunny girl outfit. Fishnet stockings, high heels, a tail with a fur ball, and a bodysuit that outlined a hot figure—every detail was eye-catching. She was leaning forward slightly, pointing at a fresh cream bread dotted with plump strawberries in the display case, her voice carrying a hint of soft expectation:

"That one... please give me this cream bread."

However, the clerk behind the counter seemed to have heard nothing at all, and had not seen her at all. The clerk continued the sorting work at hand with a blank expression, not even lifting an eyelid.

What was even more bizarre was that in this bustling station mall, such a provocatively dressed "bunny girl" was standing in front of the bakery, and the pedestrians passing by acted as if they had agreed upon it, none of them cast curious or scrutinizing glances, as if she were just air, an insignificant decoration in the background.

Except for Lin Luo, who had come specifically for this.

He stood quietly a few steps away, watching this discordant and slightly bizarre scene. The afterglow of the sunset filtered through the glass dome of the mall, casting a long shadow at his feet.

He did not step forward immediately, just like an ordinary bystander, observing this "bunny girl" who could not be seen by ordinary people, and the strawberry cream bread she persistently wanted to buy.

"Please give me this cream bread." The girl repeated her request, a hint of imperceptible fatigue in her voice.

But the clerk really didn't react. He seemed to have not seen the hot bunny girl in front of him at all, naturally turned to the office worker queuing behind, took the money, and skillfully handed a pineapple bun to a middle school girl. The whole process was smooth, only skipping her.

"Trouble giving me a cream bread." Lin Luo's voice sounded calmly, intervening at the right time.

After taking the paper bag containing the bread from the clerk, he turned around and handed it directly to the bunny girl.

The girl was slightly startled, a trace of genuine surprise flashing in her crimson eyes. She looked up at Lin Luo: "You can see me?" Her reaction was very peculiar; she didn't show shyness or embarrassment because her bold outfit was seen by a strange man, but rather, as if she had discovered something interesting, she looked at Lin Luo with a probing gaze.

But she didn't take the paper bag Lin Luo handed over, just turned around calmly, her tone detached: "Then let's part ways here."

"Wait," Lin Luo called out to her, "You are Sakurajima Mai, right? I am Lin Luo, I am here to..."

Before he could finish, he was interrupted by the girl. Her expression was flat, as if she were used to this kind of pickup: "I am Sakurajima Mai. But I'm not in the mood to give you an autograph right now. Alright, I should go." She paused, as if remembering something, and added, "By the way, Mr. Lin Luo, here's a piece of advice."

"Hmm?"

"Forget what you saw today." She didn't wait for Lin Luo to explain, and continued, "Because if you tell anyone about this, you will be considered a person with a brain problem, and live a life with a brain problem."

"I see," Lin Luo nodded, his tone showing no waves, "That is indeed advice."

"Also, never get involved with me."

"..."

"If you understand, answer 'yes'."

"..."

Mai looked at the silent Lin Luo, a flash of displeasure on her face, but then she returned to that listless appearance and turned to leave again.

"Wait." Lin Luo stepped forward and followed her without hesitation, clearly not taking her "advice" to heart.

Mai frowned, her tone clearly impatient: "I've already told you, why are you still following me? Do you want an autograph?" She seemed to have concluded that this was just another form of entanglement.

Lin Luo was speechless: "You didn't even let me finish, and you're leaving. Isn't that a bit disrespectful?"

"Forget it, forget it," he waved his hand, his tone softening, "I understand how you feel right now. Sakurajima Mai, I am here to deal with the trouble you are currently encountering." He stated his purpose directly.

"?? You, you're not joking, are you?" Mai stopped and turned around, her eyes full of suspicion and a trace of offended anger. "I went to the police station to report it many times, but every time they turned around and forgot. You're telling me you're here to solve the trouble I'm encountering? The reason for hitting on me is indeed quite unique, but I hate people investigating me the most!" Her voice turned cold, clearly regarding Lin Luo as some crazy fan or paparazzi who obtained her private information through extraordinary means.

Lin Luo didn't say much, just raised his hand and snapped his fingers crisply.

As if a water droplet had been dropped onto a vast, empty lake of the soul, Sakurajima Mai only felt an indescribable sense of coolness pouring down from the top of her head. The chaotic emotions of irritability, vigilance, and even a bit of self-abandonment were miraculously calmed down. That feeling was not forced suppression, but more like being combed and soothed by some gentle force, allowing her to temporarily escape from the whirlpool of chaotic emotions.

She widened her eyes slightly, a trace of genuine surprise flashing in her crimson eyes. The look she gave Lin Luo contained a bit more scrutiny and investigation: "You..."

"Let's find a quiet place first and have a simple chat." Lin Luo rubbed his eyebrows, his tone unquestionable, but without any intention of forcing, more like a rational suggestion.

Perhaps the strange sense of calm brought by the snap was still working, or perhaps it was the attitude Lin Luo was showing at the moment that was too open, Sakurajima Mai hesitated for a moment, and actually nodded involuntarily: "...Okay. I'll go change my clothes."

She turned and walked towards the mall restroom. About a quarter of an hour later, when she appeared in front of Lin Luo again, she had changed her outfit. A simple plain dress replaced the provocative bunny girl outfit, outlining her pure and moving temperament, a completely different person from her previous image. The only thing that seemed a bit abrupt was that she had an extra medium-sized paper handbag in her hand, the opening of the bag slightly tightened, but one could vaguely see some soft items inside—that should be the bunny girl outfit she had just changed out of.

"Let's go." Mai's tone was much calmer, but there was still a trace of vigilance deep in her eyes. "I know a cafe nearby, it's not crowded at this time."

Lin Luo nodded and walked side by side with her. The afterglow of the setting sun stretched their shadows and cast them onto the bustling street.

In a corner filled with the aroma of coffee, Lin Luo listened to the girl's troubles.

"Ever since I went to that shrine," Sakurajima Mai gently stirred the latte in her cup with a spoon, her voice low, "I found that I was gradually 'disappearing'... or rather, my 'presence' is being erased from the public's line of sight and cognition. At first, it was just occasional people ignoring me, but then the situation became more and more serious. Now, everyone around me can neither see nor hear me. I tried going to farther places, looking for people who should theoretically still know me... but I can feel that the impact of being 'forgotten' is spreading, and they are also beginning to slowly ignore my existence."