Mr. Zhongli, we can't slack off anymore!

“Elheisen.” Tinari frowned slightly, his fluffy fox ears twitching with helplessness. He cast a pleading yet reproachful look at Elheisen, clearly hoping he would discipline this overly curious “visitor.”

“She only has memories of being eight years old, a time when she is very interested in her surroundings. Human intervention might cause her to develop resistance to a certain subject.” Al-Hysen crossed his arms and leaned against the door frame, making no attempt to stop me.

His gaze calmly followed my figure inside the room, as if he were observing an interesting experimental subject.

“Uh… at least she has a fully developed brain, so she’s not entirely a child.” Tinari questioned Elheisen’s words, her emerald eyes flashing with rationality.

“That makes sense.” Elhesen pondered for a moment, then strode forward, his warm hand gently grasping my wrist. “Don’t touch any creatures other than me. Some seemingly harmless creatures might be aggressive.”

"Oh..." I reluctantly let go, my fingertips still lingering a few centimeters from Tina's ear.

Those fluffy ears and tail were so tempting that I couldn't resist wanting to feel them.

“What are you saying… Never mind, you guys come in first. The herbs will be ready soon.” Tinari gave up on continuing the conversation with Elheisen, shook his head slightly, and turned to walk towards the workbench.

His large tail swayed gracefully behind him, like a soft cloud, making me want to look at it a few more times.

*

After consuming the special herbal concoction from Tina, I immediately felt a refreshing sensation spreading through my mind. My headaches, which had been lingering for days, were greatly relieved, as if a thin mist had been gently parted, and even my thoughts became clearer. My previously heavy eyelids also felt lighter, and I felt as if I had been infused with new vitality; my spirits had returned.

Although the ranger Tinari, who had furry ears, wouldn't let me touch them, his assistant, Sister Cole, was a very kind person.

She had a gentle smile and a patient attitude, and she would take me to the open space outside the treehouse, which was full of wildflowers, to catch pretty little butterflies.

Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting a soft glow on her light green hair.

When I was with Elhesen and Kavi, I always unconsciously played the role of an adult, deliberately controlling my words and actions, for fear of causing them trouble.

This behavior seems to be the survival strategy of animals described in science books—deliberate imitation, adjusting one's behavior patterns to gain a sense of security in unfamiliar environments.

But I feel really relaxed when I'm with Cole.

There's no need to pretend or be careful; you can freely show your most authentic self.

I seemed to see the innocence of a child in Cole, that clear, unworldly gaze and heartfelt joy in her, which made me want to get closer.

Kolei said that if you stay until night, you can see fireflies and unique fluorescent plants in the rainforest, and her words are full of love for this forest.

This promise made me even more reluctant to leave; a dreamlike scene of fireflies and glowing plants intertwining in the forest at night had already appeared in my mind.

I had to figure out a way to get Elhesen to let me stay here, and that thought prompted me to climb the rope ladder leading to the treehouse.

Using the light footwork I had just learned from Cole for catching butterflies, I quietly approached the half-open door, peeking out like a cautious kitten.

"Do you really think there's no need to change her current state?" The older brother, with his hairy ears, asked through the crack in the door.

They seem to be talking about me? Curiosity made me stop and hold my breath, wanting to hear what they were saying next.

"..."

“Xumi is dying, we must find a way to restore her memory. The more people we have, the better our chances of winning.” Tinari’s voice turned serious, and the unfamiliar phrase “Xumi is dying” made my heart tighten.

"..."

"Have you already found a way to restore her memory?" Tinari pressed, a hint of expectation in his voice.

"...I'm not ready." The person who had been silent finally spoke; it was Al Heisenberg's voice.

His tone carried an unusual hesitation, a fluctuation of emotion rarely seen in him.

“At this point… personal feelings shouldn’t be taken into account,” Tinari said hesitantly, her voice soft yet firm.

"No..." Elhesen's words were interrupted by Cole's voice calling me from outside the door.

“Lu Ren? Why aren’t you going in?” Ke Lai walked up the stairs step by step, her footsteps making a soft sound on the wooden staircase. Her voice was clear and melodious, but at this moment it shattered the silence like a thunderclap.

"I..." I stammered, my cheeks burning from the shameful act of eavesdropping.

The embarrassment of being caught red-handed made me want to disappear into a crack in the ground.

Al-Hysen flung open the door, and we stared at each other awkwardly.

"Can I play with Cole until tonight?" I asked, mustering my courage, my voice trembling slightly with nervousness.

*

We didn't speak to each other on the way home.

The forest path was bathed in the golden light of the setting sun, and our shadows stretched long behind us.

The air was filled with the fresh scent of earth and vegetation after the rain, and the occasional chirping of birds broke the silence of the forest.

Our usual way of interacting is that he rarely initiates conversations with me, and I rarely initiate conversations with him. Sometimes he will just stare at me without saying anything, his focused gaze as if he is deciphering a complex puzzle, until I get goosebumps all over and run out of his sight.

But today, he neither looked at me nor spoke to me, which struck me as odd.

This silence was different from usual; it carried a heavy weight, as if something invisible lay between us.

He got angry because I overheard him talking?

This guess made me uneasy. I stole a glance at him; his sharply defined profile looked exceptionally handsome in the afterglow of the setting sun.

I've never seen him angry; he only makes Kavi so angry that he turns red in the face and shouts himself hoarse.

The stark contrast between his composed calm and his current silence made me even more convinced that something unusual must have happened.

"Don't you have anything to ask me?" Elhesen suddenly spoke, instantly breaking the silence.

"Huh? Did I ask? I wasn't asking why you wouldn't let me stay until the evening. You said you'd give me pocket money if I went home with you." I replied, confused.

This conversation did indeed take place; he used this condition to persuade me before leaving Huacheng Guo.

“Aren’t you curious about lost memories?” he asked, turning his head to look at me.

If I regain my memories, will I have to do homework? Go to school... and become an adult like Kavi, working late into the night, being harassed by clients, and being forced to live with a roommate I really hate.

These thoughts made me frown.

I feel pretty good right now, eating and sleeping well. At least I don't have to deal with those troublesome adult worries.

And he didn't know how to take me home, which I had already asked him.

If that's the case, why be so fixated on regaining memories?

"Are you afraid that I'll leave you once I regain my memories?" I asked a question I didn't even know I'd thought of myself, only realizing how blunt it was after the words had slipped out.

“I’m just a little worried. But there’s no real basis for it.” His voice remained calm.