Seele: Hold me tighter, okay?

Lin Hai tightened his grip on the Lucky Star, and the familiar faint light enveloped him once more.

The next moment, he was standing firmly in the middle of his living room.

Outside the window, the city's neon lights silently illuminated half the room. Compared with the dim, oppressive Underworld he had just left, it was like another world.

No.

They were two different worlds!

Meanwhile, the translucent panel quietly appeared in his mind:

[Contracted Lucky Star]

[Contractee] Seele

[Congratulations. You have completed one full journey, fully activating the connection between the two of you]

[Current favorability] 89

Lin Hai wasn't surprised to see the highest value so far.

He had just personally taken part in providing a little aid to that suffering land, and he had seen the hope ignite in Seele's eyes.

Lin Hai set the heavy suitcase beside the coffee table and undid the clasps. Inside, neatly stacked gold bars gleamed heavily under the light.

These things, useless in the Underworld, now gave him complete confidence that he could keep his promise.

Without wasting a moment, Lin Hai picked up his phone and began a shopping spree unlike any he had ever undertaken, using delivery and shopping apps.

Rice, flour, cases of instant noodles, the most affordable cooking oil, canned food...

Next came all kinds of durable pots, bowls and utensils, thick winter clothing, and fluffy, soft new bedding.

He chose the best-value goods he could find, knowing full well what these seemingly ordinary things meant to a world short on resources.

They were hope for survival!

Once everything was ready, Lin Hai gripped the Lucky Star again.

The light flickered, and Seele appeared beside him.

Back in this warm, bright world, Seele looked noticeably more relaxed.

She settled naturally into the soft sofa, her face alight with a long-absent, almost dreamlike joy.

"It feels like... I can finally see a little light," she said softly, her gaze a little distant. "A light that can truly change Belobog and give everyone a better life."

Seele was curious about everything here. No longer as wary as she had been on her first visit, she examined the smooth coffee table and ran her hands over the furniture. Then her gaze was drawn to the half-open bathroom door.

"Water..."

In the Underworld, clean water was precious too.

"I'd like to... take a bath. May I?"

Seele looked up at him, a trace of girlish anticipation in her eyes.

"Of course." Lin Hai led her to the bathroom door and patiently showed her how to adjust the hot and cold taps and use the bath products.

Seele listened carefully, looking amazed by these everyday fixtures.

While she bathed, Lin Hai quickly ordered two new, high-quality bathrobes through a delivery app.

The patter of water came from the bathroom for nearly half an hour.

When it stopped, Lin Hai gently hung the bathrobe he had prepared on the door handle.

A moment later, the door opened slightly, and billowing steam filled the air with the fresh scent of body wash.

Seele walked out wearing the newly bought white bathrobe, water still dripping from the ends of her wet hair.

Lin Hai took a hair dryer from a cabinet and handed it to Seele.

She picked it up curiously. "How... do I use this?"

Lin Hai was about to demonstrate, but his gaze involuntarily paused.

The warm steam had given Seele's fair skin a faint blush. The loose folds of her bathrobe overlapped at the neckline, faintly revealing her slender collarbones and the soft curve of her neck.

All her tension had fallen away, leaving her looking fresh and soft. Her graceful figure was partly visible beneath the soft fabric, an unguarded, breathtaking beauty.

Lin Hai took a deep breath, steadied himself, and took the hair dryer to carefully show her how to use it.

"These buttons here—press this one to turn it on. Press this one to switch between hot and cold air."

Seele tried it, and a rushing sound came from the hair dryer.

She bent forward to dry her hair, her wet strands spreading out in the hot air.

Seele bent naturally at the waist, and the casual movement made the loose neckline of her bathrobe droop slightly, revealing glimpses of the slender, soft curve of her back and her shapely figure.

The warm light fell on her skin, giving it a hazy glow.

Standing to one side, Lin Hai found his gaze drawn to her.

He knew full well he was being rude, yet for a moment he found it hard to look away.

It was a beauty caught between youthful innocence and maturity.

Intoxicating!

Through gaps in her hair, Seele noticed him watching.

Unexpectedly, she showed no displeasure and made no attempt to cover herself. Instead, as if by chance, she gently adjusted her posture, making the lines of her body look even more graceful and alluring beneath the bathrobe.

Lin Hai quietly admired her for a moment, then restrained himself and looked away, turning to sit back down on the sofa.

Before long, Seele switched off the hair dryer and walked over, fresh from her bath. She sat down right next to him as naturally as could be.

They were very close.

The faint scent of her bath lingered in the air, mingling with the fresh fragrance of her hair.

Seele said nothing, simply sitting there quietly. That subtle closeness was like a silent tease, understated yet enough to stir his heart.

Just as Lin Hai was about to say something, the doorbell rang at just the right time.

The supplies he had ordered earlier had arrived.

Cardboard boxes and packages of all sizes were piled outside the door, containing bags of rice and flour, sets of cookware, and thick, soft new bedding.

Lin Hai carried the supplies into the living room one by one, sorted them into categories, and deftly packed them into several sturdy woven sacks for easier carrying later.

Seeing this, Seele immediately got up and offered to help carry and sort them.

But Lin Hai gently stopped her and shook his head. "You just had a bath, so don't bother. This work will make you sweat, and then your bath will have been for nothing."

Seele's outstretched hand stopped in midair, and she froze for a moment.

Such thoughtful, simple concern was unfamiliar to her, yet it warmed her.

She lowered her eyes, her voice much softer than usual. "It's been a long time... since anyone cared about me like that."

In the Underworld, everyone was busy struggling to survive, and few people paid attention to such details.

"You have someone now," Lin Hai said gently, looking at her.

Seele raised her head and met his gaze.

A faint blush crept onto her cheeks. She didn't insist any further, only murmuring a soft assent before quietly returning to her seat.

As she watched him continue working, an indescribable mix of emotions moved in Seele's eyes.

"Then will you... always care about me?"

"I will."

Lin Hai stood up, walked over to Seele, and said with great seriousness:

"I've seen the place where you live and the way the people there live. We have the means to change things, and we're already changing them, aren't we?"

A powerful emotion welled up inside Seele, hard to suppress. She slowly stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Lin Hai.

She was, after all, only a young girl.

She was at an age when she should have been carefree and romantic, living out her youth to the fullest, but she was trapped in the Underworld, bearing responsibilities far beyond her years.

Lin Hai held Seele tightly too and whispered in her ear, "You don't have to be so tense anymore. Everything will change!"

Seele's heart beat faster. "Hold me a little tighter, okay?"