The Sleeping Girl

Xiao Xiao slipped both hands into his coat pockets and lowered his eyes to the Ear Mouse, which was crouched three steps away, looking exceptionally well-behaved.

"Pfft~" Since when were monsters well-behaved? Had he not gotten enough sleep last night?

And if you were going to pretend to be good, at least try to rein in those unsettling eyes of yours. Xiao Xiao couldn't help grumbling inwardly, though his expression grew even more tense.

Evidently, the Ear Mouse's docile behavior didn't put Xiao Xiao at ease. If anything, it made him more wary.

A monster that had been so arrogant from the moment they first met that it looked down on everyone was now being so "humble." Whatever it was dealing with must be a huge headache, even for the Ear Mouse. Xiao Xiao knew his own limits well enough to sincerely doubt he could be of any help.

But now that he was here, he couldn't very well turn around and leave, could he?

Besides, he'd be pretty troubled if the Ear Mouse kept following him without giving up.

So, when Xiao Xiao realized he had no other choice, he was silent for a moment before quickly steeling himself and deciding to get this over with.

"Is there something you need my help with?"

The Ear Mouse's eyes lit up at that, and it gave a rather reserved nod.

What a tsundere. Xiao Xiao's mouth twitched slightly. It was asking for help, yet it still had the nerve to act so arrogant.

"What is it?" As soon as he asked, Xiao Xiao realized how foolish he was being. The Ear Mouse wasn't Ling Yao; it couldn't speak human language. The problem was, he didn't understand monster language either.

While Xiao Xiao was busy agonizing over it, the Ear Mouse got up and came over to him. It wrapped its fluffy, soft tail around his lower leg and tugged, signaling for him to follow.

All right. Xiao Xiao hesitated briefly, then decided to see what it wanted.

Actually, he was more than a little curious about what could make this monster ask a human for help. No—he was very curious.

Even though he still knew far too little about monsters, he understood how difficult it must be to make one lower itself before a human and act so meek, even ingratiating.

Whatever it was must be extremely important to the Ear Mouse, right?

As Xiao Xiao made wild guesses, he followed the Ear Mouse through campus.

The Ear Mouse was clearly keeping his pace in mind, frequently looking back to make sure he was still following.

Only now did it show any outward signs of impatience.

Since Xiao Xiao had agreed to see what was going on, he wasn't about to drag his feet. Seeing this, he quickened his pace and even broke into a light jog.

Huh? Xiao Xiao was surprised to find that he'd lost the Ear Mouse.

But he didn't mind. The Ear Mouse would come back to find him anyway.

And if it didn't, even better. He'd just pretend none of this had happened.

Where was he? Xiao Xiao glanced around and raised his brows in surprise. This place really was familiar.

At the start of the semester, Xiao Xiao and the others had happened upon this place while exploring the campus.

But the door had been locked, so all they could do was admire the riot of colorful flowers inside through the glass.

After that, they never came back. They weren't little girls who liked flowers and plants, after all.

That's right. This was a greenhouse.

It was just as beautiful as it had been when he first saw it. The riot of color inside seemed all the more precious amid the ice and snow, like a hidden paradise unto itself, untouched by the frost, wind, rain, and snow outside.

"Click~" In the quiet surroundings, the sound seemed almost deafening. Xiao Xiao whipped around, startled to discover that the greenhouse's glass door had opened by itself?!

Only when the Ear Mouse came to his feet and rubbed against him a few times did he realize that it had opened the door.

Xiao Xiao followed the Ear Mouse through the greenhouse door.

A strange, inexplicable sense of tension came over him. Feeling his heartbeat gradually quicken, Xiao Xiao lamented that he really was still too green. Something this small had already left him unsettled.

Xiao Xiao pressed his lips together and looked around the greenhouse.

Seeing the flowers in person was naturally even more enchanting than looking at them from outside.

The flowers grew in brilliant, colorful clusters, their full blossoms glistening as if with dew. They had clearly been very well cared for.

Xiao Xiao took a deep breath, filling his lungs with the rich fragrance of flowers. It wasn't cloying; instead, it was refined and soothing.

This really was a wonderful place to relax.

Xiao Xiao's expression softened slightly.

At the far end of the greenhouse, the Ear Mouse stopped.

Xiao Xiao tore his gaze away from the flowers around him and looked ahead. He couldn't help freezing in place.

A young girl was asleep on a chaise longue, her hands clasped over her stomach and a floral blanket covering her from the waist down.

Her naturally wavy, fluffy hair spilled over her, with a faint chestnut tint.

Her slender face accentuated her delicate features. She had a cool air about her, yet she was captivating.

The girl's delicate brows were slightly furrowed, and her long lashes, like butterfly wings, cast faint shadows as they trembled ever so slightly.

Her straight nose and pale lips seemed to suggest that her health wasn't very good.

But either way, she really was an elfin girl.

Xiao Xiao quietly admired the lovely sight for a while. After all, everyone appreciated beauty. With no awareness whatsoever that he was staring at someone else's sleeping daughter, he even remarked inwardly, What a feast for the eyes.

But an elfin girl in a greenhouse? What kind of development was this?

Xiao Xiao reluctantly drew his gaze away, finally remembering why he was here.

He looked to the side and saw the Ear Mouse crouching by the chaise longue. In an instant, he understood that this girl was the one it wanted help with.

Still, she was a deep sleeper. A stranger had been here for quite some time, and she showed no sign of waking up.

Maybe it was because she knew the greenhouse door was locked? It wasn't as if just anyone had a monster to help them open it, the way Xiao Xiao did.

Since the girl was the key to all this, Xiao Xiao looked back at her. This time, however, he wasn't simply admiring her; there was a measure of scrutiny in his gaze.

Xiao Xiao crept a few steps closer and bent down. Even from this close, the girl's face was flawless, warm and translucent like the finest white jade. The only imperfection was her lack of color.

Hmm? Xiao Xiao twitched his nose and leaned in a little closer.

The girl's scent was cool and elegant, like a lotus, or perhaps an orchid—clean and ethereal.

But there seemed to be another scent mixed in with it.

That scent... Xiao Xiao immediately understood. It was monster energy. He was a little surprised, then decided it made sense. Of course it was monster energy. The Ear Mouse had clearly asked him for help with something related to monsters. He'd already suspected as much, and now his guess had been confirmed.

But this monster energy... why did it seem somewhat familiar? Xiao Xiao furrowed his brows.

Could it belong to a monster he'd met before?

By now, things were beginning to fall into place. The incongruous scent on the girl was monster energy.

And it belonged to a monster Xiao Xiao knew.

Of course, it wasn't the Ear Mouse. Xiao Xiao wouldn't make such a basic mistake.

So which monster was it?

Xiao Xiao carefully recalled the monsters he'd met and their scents.

Qiuqiu fish? No.

Qin Yuan? Not right.

Mottled Dove? Ghost Owl? Obviously not.

Ling Yao? Even less likely.

Gu Diao? That couldn't be right. Hadn't Ling Yao eaten it? Could there have been another one?

It wasn't impossible, but it was unlikely. Monsters were born of nature and had no sense of kinship. They were fiercely territorial, so in theory, two monsters of the same kind wouldn't live in the same area.

Then what other monsters had he met?

Xiao Xiao racked his brains. Inside, he was already tearing his hair out, but outwardly he maintained a calm, thoughtful expression.

Only the deep crease between his brows gave away his confusion.

Wait, there was one more!