When the first rays of sunlight streamed into the living room that morning, Zhao Xi woke up on an unfamiliar sofa. She shook her head hard, feeling as though she had just experienced an incredibly long nightmare. It took her quite a while to shake her head clear and piece together her scattered, fragmented memories. Only after a full minute did she finally remember what had happened.
Hao Ren was already sitting on the sofa opposite her, waiting. When he saw the female Demon Hunter wake up, he greeted her with a smile. "Oh, you're awake?"
"Mm... Thank you," Zhao Xi said sincerely as she sat up and straightened her clothes. She had slept in her clothes the previous night, so all she needed to do now was tidy herself up. She glanced around and saw that Ryūsei had woken up even earlier than she had. He was sitting in the corner of the living room, playing chess with Izax.
"I really never thought... that one day I'd end up staying in a place like this," Zhao Xi said, rubbing her temples. After emerging from the medical equipment yesterday, her mind had still been somewhat muddled, and she had quickly gone to rest while her thoughts were sluggish. Now that she had recovered, she couldn't help feeling deeply moved by the experience. "Our first meeting wasn't exactly pleasant."
"Let bygones be bygones. Anyway, the top boss and second-in-command of the Demon Hunters are both at my house now. Logically speaking, we're practically family," Hao Ren said magnanimously, waving his hand. "How are you feeling now?"
Zhao Xi checked her physical condition and nodded. "I've completely recovered, and it doesn't look like I have any aftereffects."
By then, everyone else in the house knew that Zhao Xi was awake, and they