77: Shiina Mahiru doesn't want to forget

She had woken up at some point, perhaps startled by the roar of the final battle and the shockwaves from the dissipation of the evil energy.

Her hands gripped the balcony railing tightly, her knuckles turning white from the force, while her petite body trembled slightly in the night breeze.

Those clear eyes were currently peering through the thin night, looking down in disbelief at the battlefield below, which seemed to have been ravaged by a giant beast, and at the center of the battlefield stood the only figure remaining—a figure that was both familiar and strange—Lin Luo.

The moonlight outlined his calm profile, forming an incredibly stark contrast with the Hell-like scene surrounding him.

She saw the shattered ground, the dissipating black smoke, and the rapidly decaying corpse of the evil monk that had once brought her endless terror.

All her terror and all her confusion turned into immense shock and bewilderment in this moment, freezing on her face which was filled with astonishment.

Lin Luo seemed to sense something and slowly raised his head.

Their gazes met from afar amidst the cold moonlight and the lingering smoke of battle.

(A short time later, the Rapid Response Force arrived at the scene.)

The official Rapid Response Force moved extremely quickly, and efficient cleanup operations began immediately.

Since this was mostly a matter of clearing the battlefield, Zhong Tao, who was well-acquainted with Lin Luo, did not come.

Facing this neighborhood that looked like it had been bombed, the person in charge on site did not show much surprise or anger, appearing well-trained.

"It doesn't matter if the ground is ruined, we'll just report it as road construction. It doesn't matter if the walls are broken, trust in the capabilities of our infrastructure team." He said to Lin Luo in a calm tone, but his gaze immediately shifted toward the balcony of the apartment where Shiina Mahiru was—though the person on the balcony had long since retreated indoors due to shock.

"However, there was a witness present." The person in charge's tone turned serious. "According to protocol, we need to erase the relevant memories."

"I will handle her," Lin Luo interjected, his tone unquestionable. He then looked at the dried corpse that Kongō Masarao had turned into. "But as for this place..."

"Our cleanup efficiency is very high, Mr. Lin need not worry too much about the site." The person in charge nodded, showing understanding, but then changed the subject, taking out a document stamped with an official seal. "However, regarding this 'abnormal entity' and the power you displayed tonight, although we have received your preliminary explanation, according to orders directly from above, until the in-depth investigation is complete, your personal range of movement will be restricted, and you will need to cooperate with all subsequent inquiries."

Lin Luo nodded. "Understood."

He knew very well that although there was a reason for it, he had ultimately killed a powerful abnormal entity in the middle of the street. That the authorities did not take stricter measures on the spot was already the result of Zhong Tao and even "Mr. Long" behind him stepping in to mediate and protect him. Being restricted in his movements and having to cooperate with the investigation was, both publicly and privately, an obligation he had to fulfill as a "law-abiding citizen" willing to follow the rules.

"Thank you for your cooperation, Mr. Lin, you can leave this to us."

He gently pushed open the unlocked door. The living room was pitch black, with only a faint light shining from under the bedroom door gap. He walked over and pushed open the bedroom door.

"Lin Luo, have you come to deal with me?"

The voice was weak, with a thick nasal tone. Shiina Mahiru looked like a little rabbit that had retreated into its burrow after being frightened, wrapping herself tightly in the quilt, with only her eyes visible as she looked at the doorway.

This caused Lin Luo, who had just entered the room, to pause slightly. He sighed silently and reached out to press the switch on the wall, and the warm light instantly dispelled the darkness in the room.

Under the light, the tear stains on her delicate face had not yet been wiped away, and her red eyes looked like ripe peaches; anyone who saw them would feel a pang in their heart.

Lin Luo walked to the bedside, intentionally putting on a stern face, and said in a feigned fierce tone: "Since you know my secret, I cannot keep you."

However, his clumsy performance made her burst into a giggle, her tear-filled smile like sunshine after the rain.

"Lin Luo, that's so fake." She muttered, her tense body relaxing significantly because of it.

"It's good that you can laugh." Lin Luo's tone instantly returned to its usual gentleness. He reached out and gently stroked her messy golden hair, his movements full of reassurance. "You must have had a hard time lately... Why didn't you tell me and Tohru?"

"I didn't know Lin Luo was so amazing." Shiina Mahiru subconsciously enjoyed Lin Luo's stroking, like a cat being petted. But immediately, she became nervous again, tilting her small face up with worry in her eyes. "Am I... going to have these memories erased? It feels like I've touched upon the truth of the world and learned something incredible."

"Yes." Lin Luo did not deny it, his voice gentle but firm. "After all, the experiences of these past few days haven't been good. If you don't remember them, it will be easier for you."

Hearing this, Shiina Mahiru lowered her head, her long eyelashes casting a small shadow, her sadness evident.

Lin Luo was a bit surprised. "What's wrong? You don't want to forget?"

Shiina Mahiru pursed her cherry-blossom-tender lips and nodded gently. Her voice was very soft, yet carried an unquestionable sense of cherishing: "Because... Lin Luo is very warm."

Because in her most fearful and darkest moments, it was Lin Luo who appeared like the sun, dispelling all the gloom. She did not want to forget this warm feeling, even if the memories associated with it were terrible.

Lin Luo gazed at her trying to hold back tears, and finally sighed softly. "Sleep."

The voice applying spiritual power was very gentle, like the mildest breeze in spring, brushing warmly across her heart, making Shiina Mahiru's tense nerves relax involuntarily, and a deep sleepiness welled up.

She tried hard to keep her eyes open, wanting to imprint the clear outline of the person before her deep into her Soul, but her eyelids were as heavy as lead and closed slowly and uncontrollably.

In the instant before her consciousness completely sank into darkness, a crystalline tear broke free from her eyelashes and slid quietly down her fair cheek.

She really... didn't want to forget at all.

But...

The subsequent words could no longer be heard, all vanishing into the arrival of sleep. Only that teardrop remained, refracting a faint light under the lamp, like her unspoken, most sincere wish.

The next morning.

The sunlight passing through the window was like gentle fingers, stroking her long eyelashes. In the dappled halo of light, her lovely brows furrowed slightly, as if she were still pursuing some vague figure in her dreams.

Her long eyelashes fluttered slightly like butterfly wings and slowly opened, revealing a pair of clear eyes filled with the haziness of just waking up.

Shiina Mahiru blinked a little blankly, looking at the familiar ceiling. Consciousness was like a slowly rising tide, gradually filling the beach of her thoughts. However, the anticipated blankness did not appear; on the contrary, vivid and shocking fragments of memory crashed into her mind like a bursting flood—

The shattered ground under the night, the dissipating black smoke, that hideous dried corpse, and... Lin Luo, standing in the ruins, calmly raising his head and meeting her gaze.

All the fear, all the shock, and the final plea filled with tears, and that gentle sleepiness that brushed across her heart... everything was remembered clearly.

She sat up abruptly from the bed, looked down at her own hands, and confirmed that this was not a dream.

Immediately, a knowing smile, carrying a touch of reproach and even more complex emotions, rippled at the corners of her lips. She spoke to the empty room, as if speaking to the person she was complaining about, softly chiding: "You mean person."

At Lin Luo's doorstep.

Shiina Mahiru took a deep breath, carefully adjusted the hem of her school uniform skirt, clenched her slightly trembling fingers into fists and then relaxed them, finally making up her mind...

"Ding-ling~"

The echo of the doorbell had not yet faded when a clattering noise came from inside, mixed with Tohru's Origin Qi-filled shouts and someone's helpless reminder: "Slow down! Don't fly inside the house!"

The door swung open violently, and the blonde Dragon maid rushed out like a ray of sunshine, pulling the petite girl into her arms without saying a word: "Little Mahiru! I'm so glad you're okay! Lin Luo told me everything, why didn't you tell me about such an important matter? If you had let me handle it, a single Dragon breath would have solved all the problems!"

Shiina Mahiru let out a soft grunt from being squeezed, but for the first time, she did not struggle, instead quietly gripping the edge of Tohru's apron.

"Tohru, you're strangling Shiina." Lin Luo's voice followed immediately, accompanied by the light sound of a hand chop landing precisely on the Dragon maid's head.

"I was just worried about Little Mahiru!" Tohru puffed out her cheeks aggrievedly but relaxed her hold slightly.

Lin Luo slowly walked into Shiina Mahiru's line of sight, the morning light creating a soft glow behind him. His gaze paused slightly when it met Mahiru's, his tone calm yet gentle: "Breakfast is ready, Tohru prepared it, do you want to eat together?"

He then seemed to remember something, raised his hand to point at a plate of tempting-looking roasted meat in the center of the dining table, and specifically emphasized to Mahiru, "Oh right, you can't eat that roasted meat, it's poisonous!"

"How is it poisonous!" Tohru immediately jumped away from Mahiru, rushed to the dining table indignantly, and pointed at the plate of roasted meat, arguing loudly, "I already removed all the toxins from my tail! Now there's only plenty of nutrition and love!"

Shiina Mahiru heard this, her eyes widening slightly, and she subconsciously exclaimed in a low voice: "It, it really is poisonous..."

"Then didn't you still eat it happily last time!" Tohru immediately turned her spearhead toward Lin Luo, her golden eyes full of the grievance of being "betrayed."

Lin Luo helplessly rubbed his forehead and sighed: "That was just so I wouldn't waste your efforts. Besides, how much can I eat? In the end, most of it was 'returned to the owner' and ended up in your own stomach."

Listening to this Origin Qi-filled, almost bickering conversation between the two, Shiina Mahiru stood at the doorway and suddenly felt a warm current welling up from the bottom of her heart, rapidly spreading through her entire body.

She felt as if she were completely enveloped by warm sunlight, and the last bit of coldness and loneliness remaining in her heart was, at this moment, completely dispelled and melted by this noisy yet incredibly real warmth.

A truly relaxed and warm smile unconsciously rippled at the corners of her lips.