Friends

"Ah?"

Anna wasn't sure if she had misheard.

After all, she knew Luo Di quite well; he was the cold and aloof type, and there was no way he would say such a thing.

Anna also knew that Luo Di and her best friend had once had a deep relationship.

"I said, stay here with me."

"Wouldn't that be a bit inappropriate? This is a studio apartment, and it seems there's only one bed."

"I'll sleep on the sofa, you sleep inside."

"Oh, I see~ That works too."

Although Anna is a strong-willed Russian girl, she rarely interacts with men her own age.

Despite having a pretty face, her large size was truly intimidating. During her time at First Middle School High School, no boys approached her; instead, a group of girls liked to follow her.

Her past experiences with Luo Di made her develop feelings for him, but these feelings remained purely platonic.

She later tried to invite Luo Di to her house for a barbecue party, but he always refused for various reasons.

After learning about the relationship between Wu Wen and Luo Di, she stopped contacting them proactively.

Their next meeting took place at Wu Wen's funeral.

After witnessing Luo Di punch Wu Wen's biological father, and seeing this boy do what she wanted to do but never dared to do, a special feeling arose in her heart.

Afterwards, he kept inquiring about Luo Di's information and kept planning to go to Pluto City.

To her surprise, she ended up staying overnight at the man's house as soon as they met.

"I've been sitting in the car all day and I'm a little dirty. I'm going to take a shower first."

"Go."

Luo Di simply sat quietly on the living room sofa, staring at the television set that was not turned on at all.

The small bathroom was just big enough to fit Anna's body; any smaller and she would probably have to move sideways.

After taking off her clothes, Anna didn't rush into the shower room. Instead, she stood in front of the sink and looked at her reflection in the mirror.

Six-pack abs, large frame, and seemingly excessive muscle mass.

When piled together, they form a robust physique far exceeding that of ordinary people.

Growing up in a family environment that glorified physical intimacy, Anna always felt happy and proud of her physical growth.

For some reason, she felt a slight aversion to her body tonight, wishing she could be like a normal girl, not having to wear the largest size clothes, and not making any harsh noises when sitting on the sofa.

Sizzle~

Hot water was being poured over my whole body.

My mind, still flushed from the alcohol, was much clearer, but my face remained red.

"Why did Luo Di ask me to stay? Is there something he wants to tell me... After Wenwen left, he was alone and was locked up in Mental Hospital for two whole months. He was not only in solitary confinement, but even some of his physical activities were restricted."

He just got discharged from the hospital, does he want to be with me...? Impossible.

Since he's Wenwen's boyfriend, he must like that kind of body type, not my bear-like body.

Why did he keep me here? Did he want to discuss the Investigation Bureau with me, or did he just want to chat? He was probably just bored being cooped up in the Mental Hospital and wanted someone to talk to.

That should be the case.

But if...

Anna seemed to be stuck in a mental rut, and before she knew it, she had been washing for more than half an hour.

Standing in front of the mirror, blow-drying her hair, she still couldn't come up with an answer in her mind, and was even a little hesitant to push open the door and go out, completely unaware of Luo Di's intentions.

Take a deep breath and tense all the muscles in your body.

Anna summoned the courage of counter Imposters, and pushed open the bathroom door.

The outside lights had been turned off at some point, and the curtains had been drawn. Only the hallway light leading to the bedroom remained on, and the overall brightness of the room had been reduced to below a safe level.

Luo Di remained seated on the sofa, maintaining the same posture, without moving.

Seeing the strange atmosphere, Anna also felt a sense of fear.

"Luo Di, if there's nothing else, I'll go in and get some sleep."

"Anna, come here for a second."

Luo Di, who had been motionless, began to wave rhythmically, looking like Pseudo-Human.

But Anna still moved her body slowly closer, her mind completely blank.

As she walked to the sofa, Luo Di continued:

"I've thought about it. Since we're 'friends,' and you and Wu Wen are also very good 'friends,' there's something I need to make clear to you."

Anna's thoughts immediately jumped to a previous idea she had, and she quickly explained, "I just came to see you, nothing else..."

"Shh!"

Luo Di made a shushing gesture, seemingly to remind Anna not to speak, or perhaps to remind her that what was about to happen needed to be kept secret.

He took the backpack in front of him, ready to open it.

Anna suddenly realized that ever since she met Luo Di, he had been very concerned about the bag, glancing at it from time to time, whether walking, eating, or returning home.

Luo Di unzipped the zipper and then slipped his hands inside along the edge.

Even though the room was dimly lit, Anna still saw the contents of the backpack as they were gradually moved out, and she was so startled by the sight of the black hair that she took a step back.

Until the whole thing was taken out and placed on a tissue.

Anna's brain completely shut down. Her expression changed from initial terror to blankness, and then her tear ducts began to secrete fluid involuntarily.

He knelt heavily on the ground, gently stroking his cold, black hair.

She didn't speak, she just cried.

Luo Di simply watched all of this quietly, or rather, he carefully observed the class monitor; this could be considered a kind of "experiment."

I'd like to try and see if my former best friend or playmate can rekindle that connection, or at least spark some superficial activity.

Unfortunately, nothing happened.

Five minutes passed, and Anna, who had gradually regained control of her emotions, also slowly returned to her senses. She asked excitedly, "Could this be related to the world you connected to, Luo Di? And wasn't Wenwen's body already retrieved?"

"I ate her pituitary gland, but I didn't digest it."

"It's actually possible! Can Wenwen really be brought back to life?"

"Have no idea."

Anna's excitement quickly turned into anxiety. "Even if she's resurrected, she'll still be Pseudo-Human, right? She'll still be influenced by the Corner's Whisper, so it's all meaningless."

"That's not necessarily true. Although the pituitary gland's nature hasn't changed, the way it reconstructs the brain is different from this world. As long as she can truly wake up, even if she's still affected by the corner, it will be greatly reduced."

Moreover, Wu Wen is a rather special type of Pseudo-Human, who is able to resist the influence of the corner, otherwise she wouldn't have been so easily killed by me.

I'm looking for a way to wake her up, and it seems there's hope.

As Anna listened to this explanation, an indescribable excitement welled up from the depths of her soul.

Unable to control his emotions for a moment, he picked up Luo Di out of gratitude and pressed him completely against her body.

He then immediately realized the inappropriateness of his behavior and repeatedly apologized to the class monitor standing beside him.

In this way,

Anna finally understood the problem she had been pondering in the bathroom, and she no longer felt any psychological burden living with Luo Di, since they were no longer considered a man and a woman.

At the same time, Anna also thought of a question:

"Luo Di, you always carry Wenwen on your back. Won't you get caught? If the Investigation Bureau finds out, it'll be a big problem, won't it?"

"I have verified that she was not exposed whether she was facing Pseudo-Human or going to the lobby of the City Investigation Bureau. Even though she only has this head, Wu Wen's pituitary gland is working, maintaining her best skill of 'disguise'."

If you were able to hide everything before, you can do it again now.

Moreover, I just verified something else.

If I were to openly display the class monitor's head on the street, passersby would only see some kind of spherical object. But when I displayed it to you just now, you saw the true nature of the head.

This means the class monitor wants you to see it.

This means her consciousness still remains within it.

After this account, Anna, who had just calmed down, couldn't hold back anymore and burst into tears, instinctively wanting to hug her head tightly and squeeze it.

"Oh, right, Anna."

"What's wrong."

"What you just mentioned, 'segmented cerebrospinal fluid injection' and 'heterodoxemia,' can these be applied between Pseudo-Human?"

Anna fought back her tears, carefully recalling what she had learned at the Investigation Bureau during this time, and kept shaking her head.

"The pituitary gland of Pseudo-Human is 'absolute poison' to other Pseudo-Human. Once ingested, it will produce an unimaginable rejection reaction."

This is precisely why, aside from "Crevice screening," Pseudo-Human rarely engage in cannibalism in daily life. "Luo Di, you absolutely mustn't think about feeding the class monitor pituitary glands; it's extremely risky."

Luo Di did have this idea, but it seems he has to abandon it for now, which puzzles him quite a bit.

"The fact that Pseudo-Human cannot devour each other's pituitary glands must originate from the corner itself, with the aim of reducing infighting among Pseudo-Human."

Strangely, the corner allows humans to devour, absorb, and accept the pituitary gland to gain abilities.

What exactly is a corner?

What purpose does this thing serve in this country?