The next day.
Sunlight spilled across the bed. By the time He Xi woke up, the clock on the wall was already pointing to ten.
He did not get up immediately. Instead, he carefully examined both arms and his chest, even pulling back his eyelids in front of the mirror.
Only after confirming that no strange purple spots had appeared on his skin and that there was no itchy sensation in his mind did he let out a long breath.
After seeing the purple mushrooms growing out of poor senior Vite's skull, he felt that no amount of caution was excessive.
Zoya had left the house three hours earlier.
This little elf kept a highly regular schedule: she woke promptly at four in the morning and did basic training in the courtyard—though occasionally, she would also spend some time reading novels with highly suspicious covers.
According to her, elves needed only four hours of sleep to restore their bodies to peak condition.
He Xi did not envy her in the slightest.
Come on, who could refuse a solid lie-in on a cool weekend morning?
"Tata, is the bread warmed up?"
He Xi yawned as he headed downstairs, rubbing his slightly messy hair.
"It's already warmed up, meow!" Tata bustled about in the kitchen with a little apron tied around her waist, her cat ears bobbing with her brisk steps.
He Xi sat at the dining table, took a bite of white bread stuffed with thick bacon and crisp lettuce, and began planning out the day.
Today was the weekend.
According to the understanding he and Zoya had reached earlier, he was in charge of weekend dinners.
At first, He Xi simply had not wanted to dump all the housework onto Zoya. Even after Tata came along, that arrangement had continued.