Was I Really Not Dreaming?

"Mm..."

Lin Li opened her eyes, momentarily stunned by the familiar ceiling before her.

Was she at home now?

Lin Li turned her head and looked to her left.

A familiar bedside table, a familiar lamp.

It seemed she really was home now. So had everything just now been a dream?

What a vivid dream... She had actually felt pain in it.

Then again, if it had been a dream, it was no surprise. Only in dreams could something as absurd as a "Herrscher" exist, along with a strange girl like Elysia, who was somehow impossible to truly dislike.

Still, it was a bit of a pity. She had even had a system in her dream! But it was completely different from the ones in transmigration novels. It was actually a money-making system, the kind that looked incredibly low-tier at a glance.

She still owed that system over fifty thousand. It wouldn't chase her from the dream into reality, would it?

Come to think of it, she had been so cool in that dream. Holy crap, she had looked downright awesome. Her accuracy with that bow had been better than her aim in CSGO.

But in the end, it had only been a dream. No matter how amazing she had been in it, in reality she was still a shut-in girl who occasionally cosplayed characters she liked from LoL...

Wait, LoL!

Why had she been dreaming? Shouldn't she have been sitting in her gaming chair, playing LoL? What happened to her pentakill?

Lin Li's sleepiness vanished in an instant, and she shot upright in bed.

How was this her familiar room? Other than the ceiling and the bedside table, not a single part of it resembled her room.

"Huh? Xiao Li, you're awake."

From her right came a light, lovely voice.

Without time to think, Lin Li immediately looked over.

A pink-haired girl rested her chin on her left hand, while the index finger of her right hand idly traced circles over the bedsheet.

Her sapphire-blue eyes blinked as she looked at Lin Li, the delight in them clearly visible.

"You're... Elysia?" Lin Li asked uncertainly. In her memories, that strange girl had been called by that name.

"Mhm, mhm! That's right! Good thing you still remembered me, Xiao Li. If you'd forgotten me, I would have been angry, you know." Elysia smiled.

"..."

Hearing that familiar form of address and that familiar accent, Lin Li felt her mind go hazy.

She raised a hand and pinched her own cheek hard.

"Hiss—That hurts." Why did this feel so familiar?

"Oh my! What are you doing, Xiao Li? Pinching yourself isn't good, you know."

Seeing this, Elysia moved Lin Li's hand away and used her other hand to rub Lin Li's cheek.

Her hand felt so delicate and soft. Though she had touched Lin Li plenty of times while tidying her up not long ago, this was truly the first time Lin Li had been awake for it.

Nice feel?

"..."

Lin Li stared blankly at Elysia.

Only after a long while, when Elysia's hand finally left her face, did she slowly ask:

"I'm really not dreaming?"

"Hm? Why would you say that, Xiao Li? Um... I suppose it makes sense. You slept for two whole days. Did you faint from hunger? I'll get you something to eat right away."

With that, Elysia prepared to leave. It took Lin Li quite a while to react, but by the time she wanted to call out and ask what was going on, Elysia had already left the room.

"..."

After a while, Lin Li remembered that she still had a system, so she quickly summoned it.

"System, system, are you there?"

I am always here, Host.

"Am I really not dreaming right now?"

That is correct. Host is now a transmigrator, without a doubt.

By the way, Host still owes more than fifty thousand. Please repay it promptly.

"..." Don't bring up the debt at a time like this!

Lin Li still couldn't quite believe it.

But she had no way to verify whether this was a dream or reality. Even pain had failed to wake her.

So she would reluctantly accept that she had really transmigrated.

Elysia had just said that she had been unconscious for two whole days... Lin Li remembered wearing a filthy dress at the end of the battle, along with white stockings. How had she ended up wearing nothing but a thin nightgown now?!

"Xiao Li, you can come out now."

Elysia's call came from outside the room.

Perfect. Lin Li wanted to find her and get some answers, so she prepared to get out of bed.

But she discovered that only the upper half of her body could move. Her lower body felt paralyzed, completely unable to move!

Seriously? Was she actually paralyzed now? What was the point of living then?

Host, rest assured. This is a side effect of using a loan to increase your strength. It is not paralysis.

The system thoughtfully reminded her.

"Whew, you should've said so sooner. You scared me to death." Lin Li let out a sigh of relief. "If I were really paralyzed, I think I might as well start over."

But she still couldn't move. If she wanted to get out of bed, she could only be carried by someone.

And at the moment, that someone seemed like she could only be Elysia.

But honestly, she and Elysia had only spent a short time together. Though they had both saved each other, she just couldn't bring herself to call out loudly.

So Lin Li simply sat on the bed in a daze. Elysia would definitely come back anyway, so she might as well close her eyes for a little longer.

Though she really did seem to be starving...

"Xiao Li?"

Just as Lin Li expected, Elysia appeared in the doorway.

Less than twenty seconds had passed since Elysia called for her. In other words, Elysia had come straight to Lin Li's room after calling out.

Put another way, perhaps she had never intended for Lin Li to get up by herself, but rather...

"Xiao Li must be tired, right? How about I carry you over?" Elysia looked at Lin Li expectantly, and those bright, watery eyes made it hard for Lin Li to refuse.

"...Okay."

Lin Li nodded.

The next moment, she could clearly see the expression on Elysia's face change.

Her earlier anticipation immediately turned into slyness, with even a hint of a scheme having succeeded.

Lin Li instantly sensed trouble, but Elysia had already gently lifted the blanket.

Lin Li, wrapped in her nightgown, was fully revealed before her.

Elysia skillfully scooped Lin Li up in a princess carry, so practiced that it seemed she had done it many times before.

And that was indeed the case. Over the two days Lin Li had been unconscious, Elysia had carried her like this several times nearly every day, as though... she had been preparing for today?

Feeling the girl's warmth, Lin Li's cheeks somehow flushed faintly.

Maybe it was because this was the first time in her life someone had held her like this? It felt strange, and she wasn't used to it.

Honestly, getting along with a girl was completely different from arguing with people online.

She couldn't even curse at anyone now. It was unbearable.

"Why is Xiao Li blushing? Could it be that you're embarrassed just because I'm carrying you?"

Elysia found her reaction amusing. She deliberately walked slowly, gazing into Lin Li's eyes.

"..."

Awkwardly, Lin Li turned her face away and looked toward the dining table.

There was a bowl of steaming white porridge, along with sandwiches, eggs, and other food.

As she recalled, it had been a long time since she had eaten something like breakfast, so even seeing it now felt a little unfamiliar.

Elysia placed her on a chair, then picked up the white porridge and moved close to Lin Li.

"What are you doing?" Lin Li asked in confusion. She thought the porridge was for Elysia, so she picked up a sandwich and began eating it.

It was soft and chewy, with a strawberry flavor. It tasted good... but she wasn't used to sandwiches.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm feeding you, of course." Elysia scooped up a spoonful of porridge and held it to Lin Li's lips. "Come on, open up~"

"..."

Lin Li was speechless and took the porridge and spoon from Elysia's hands.

"Mm... How could you? You won't even let me feed you..." Elysia puffed out her delicate cheeks, looking terribly wronged.

But Lin Li ignored her, quickly finished the porridge and sandwich, then tried to stand up.

She really could stand, but her legs were still weak. If she forced herself to walk, she would probably fall.

She looked at Elysia, wanting to say something but not knowing how to begin. She merely pointed toward the sofa.

"Do you want me to carry you to the sofa, Xiao Li?" Elysia understood her meaning and asked.

"Mhm."

Lin Li nodded.

Then Elysia carried her over to the sofa.

The soft feeling beneath her made her stretch lazily.

Elysia sat beside her, watching her with a smile.