A Date

The Doll hadn't expected Li Yúnyān to say that. She covered her face shyly, then raised her sign.

[No, no, we're just colleagues (ω)]

"Something's definitely going on!" Li Yúnyān muttered.

Hearing Li Yúnyān, Li Yèlái first grumbled, "Is being kept really the only thing you can think about?"

Then, realizing what she'd said, he asked in surprise, "Aren't you afraid?"

The Doll was completely confused. She quickly checked to see whether a strand of hair was showing.

Li Yúnyān shook her head. Her curse made it impossible for her to look directly at any living thing besides Li Yèlái—humans, animals, even living plants.

That was why Li Yèlái always had to kill the fish for her at the market. Vegetables were unavoidable, so Li Yúnyān just had to keep her distance.

More than once, she'd seen Li Yèlái carry a bag of weird, terrifying things into the kitchen, only for him to turn them all into perfectly ordinary dishes.

"Maybe it's because I can't see her real self?" Li Yúnyān said, studying the Doll. "All I can see is a cute snowman doll. Why does she dress like that?"

The Doll raised her sign in reply. [People are afraid when they see me (_)]

She didn't hide her curse. Instead, she openly told Li Yúnyān about it.

"That's the opposite of mine, then," Li Yúnyān remarked. "I'm afraid of everyone I see."

The Doll seemed startled, then looked at Li Yèlái.

Li Yèlái gave her a slight nod and whispered, "The captain knows, but please keep it secret."

[Of course! I'm great at keeping secrets (｀＾)ノ]

The Doll and Li Yúnyān's curses were exact opposites.

In Li Yúnyān's eyes, everyone looked like a monster, and she was afraid of them all.

To other people, the Doll looked like a monster, and they were all afraid of her.

To escape her curse, the Doll wore a costume that hid her from everyone's gaze.

That kept the curse from taking effect, since no one could see her real self.

As a result, Li Yúnyān's curse didn't work on her either. All she saw was a snowman doll.

"So if I put a costume on every living thing in your field of vision, you wouldn't have to be afraid anymore?" Li Yèlái mused.

"That sounds like a stupid solution to me," Li Yúnyān said.

Having understood the situation, the Doll reminded them, [Your sister isn't in a state to stay out on the street for long. Let's go. I called the Logistics Team (ωυ)]

The Logistics Team was a unit within the branch dedicated to cleanup and support. It belonged to the logistics department, but its members weren't psychics.

The driver who'd come to help Li Yèlái move his belongings, for example, was an ordinary person.

During psychic operations, they usually transported Psychic Weapons or the Handlers.

So the driver didn't ask any questions. He nodded to Li Yèlái and the Doll, then silently loaded their belongings into a van.

He drove the three of them onto the road, and only then did Li Yèlái and Li Yúnyān relax.

Li Yúnyān didn't look at the "monsters" outside the window. Instead, she focused on chatting with the Doll.

Maybe it was because this was her first face-to-face conversation with an outsider in years.

Or maybe it was because she and the Doll shared a similar kind of loneliness.

Either way, she and the Doll chatted happily.

They went from discussing what seasonings to put on the sesame cakes from Border City No. 3 to Lava Mine City's extravagant style of carpet-bombing with plasma cannons and thermite bombs.

They had something to talk about nonstop.

Soon, the three of them reached the Family Apartments.

After showing their Disaster Management Bureau IDs, Li Yèlái and the others were allowed into the complex.

Yáng Chén had made thorough preparations, picking out several well-located apartments for Li Yèlái to choose from.

Once Li Yúnyān picked one, they could pay and sign the papers right away.

They could move in that very night.

Around midnight, Li Yèlái and Li Yúnyān finally settled into their new home in the Family Apartments.

It was a three-bedroom apartment on the seventh floor of Building Three, Unit One. It was said to cost twenty-five Merit Points, but Captain Yáng Chén had covered the fraction, calling it a previous commendation.

After getting everything in order, Li Yèlái turned to the Doll, who was standing at the door. "Thanks for your help."

Without Yáng Chén and the Doll, the move would have taken him much longer. Li Yèlái was grateful.

The Doll held up her sign. [It's nothing! I had fun chatting, too (..)]

"Are you free tomorrow?" Li Yèlái took the opportunity to ask. He remembered his promise to treat the Doll to a meal.

He'd even asked his Antique Shop boss for the day off. The boss had excitedly asked, "You finally figured it out?" before Li Yèlái hung up.

[Yes! (**)] The words on the sign practically radiated joy.

"Then how about lunch tomorrow?"

[Sounds great! ヾ(ゞ)]

Only after the Doll cheerfully left did Li Yèlái close the door.

Then Li Yúnyān said with a strange look, "She's a yandere, big bro!"

"What yandere?" Li Yèlái asked, bewildered. He had no idea what his sister meant.

"Your colleague just now. The Doll," Li Yúnyān said, counting on her fingers with a mysterious expression. "She followed you home without you knowing, and she's so enthusiastic about you. She kept looking at you in the car, too. She even helped you move so she could have a meal with you sooner. Doesn't that make her a yandere?"

"And then there's that beautiful senior who takes such good care of you. She sounds so mature and dependable." Li Yúnyān grinned mischievously. "A love triangle's about to start. Exciting!"

"What are you even talking about?" Li Yèlái frowned and tapped Li Yúnyān on the forehead. "She just rarely meets anyone with enough resistance to her curse to talk to her normally. Don't read too much into it."

He knew all about the three great illusions of life.

Li Yèlái knew himself too well to ever entertain fantasies like that.

Li Yúnyān rubbed her forehead and gave a little huff.

She understood that her brother still didn't realize just how much someone living in a lonely world would long for and cherish a person they could talk to normally.

Thinking of that, Li Yúnyān said, "Big bro, dress nicely tomorrow. What happened to that suit you wore last time?"

Li Yèlái thought about it. The suit from last time was probably still with Cheese.

"Then let's go buy you one. We just paid for a house in full, so we can afford to splurge!" Li Yúnyān waved a hand and settled the matter.

Meanwhile, after returning to the branch, the Doll immediately opened her communicator and contacted some female Handlers she was friendly with.

She asked what she should wear and how she should do her makeup the next day.

"The Doll's... going on a date???" The female Handlers who received her message were stunned. Their gossip-loving hearts ignited at once.

Aside from Cheese, who was busy preparing for her promotion and couldn't spare a glance at her communicator, several other female Handlers immediately joined in.

The Doll was powerful, but also someone people couldn't help feeling sorry for. She got along well with quite a few Handlers at the branch.

After quickly getting the story, the Handlers made up their minds.

"Tomorrow, we'll make sure the Doll has a date she'll never forget!"

"Set it up! We absolutely have to make this happen!" The Plague Doctor, who loved a bit of gossip, gave the order. "Get every off-duty logistics team member moving!"

So, at noon the next day, Li Yèlái, wearing his new trench coat, spotted the Doll at the intersection outside the Family Apartments.

Today, she'd changed into a little brown teddy-bear costume. Compared to yesterday's snowman outfit, this one looked more slender and fitted.

She was standing at the intersection, playing with a few children who'd passed by.

When she saw Li Yèlái, she waved at him from a distance.

Once he came closer, words flashed across the sign in her hands.

[You look so handsome in that! (..)]

"Thanks." Li Yèlái smiled at the generous compliment. "Is there a restaurant you'd like to eat at?"

When the Doll shook her head, Li Yèlái thought for a moment, then pointed to a conspicuous restaurant in the distance. "How about this one?"

The Doll looked it over and nodded. She didn't seem to care where they ate.

So they walked side by side down the busy street.

Neither of them knew that two groups of people were watching them.

One group was made up of Handlers hidden along the street.

"So that's the Night General? He's pretty handsome!"

"Are they heading to Lund Restaurant?"

"Call the manager there and get them the best private room!"

"We're going, too. Nothing can ruin the Doll's rare date!"

"Have the band play love songs!"

The Handlers coordinated in secret and sprang into action.

The other group was hiding in a car by the roadside. They stared at Li Yèlái in the distance with hostile eyes.

"That's definitely him. The Wang Family's testimony confirms it. He's the one who destroyed the altar!" the driver said. "He even moved last night. The place was empty by the time we got there. He's pretty sharp!"

"Don't underestimate him. Black Umbrella Master took a hit from him!" said the person in the passenger seat.

"Black Umbrella Master got caught off guard. When you're dealing with an official Handler, you should take out their limbs first, not politely try to make friends." The muscular man in the back seat continued, "Follow him! Cripple him before he can call for backup, and avenge Black Umbrella Master!"

Meanwhile, as Li Yèlái drew closer to the restaurant, he recognized Lund Restaurant.

It was a famous restaurant at the boundary between the Old City District and the Ring District. Prices weren't cheap; a meal would cost at least several hundred Mega City Coins.

I'm really getting carried away. Now I'm even going to Lund Restaurant. Li Yèlái grumbled to himself, but didn't hesitate to lead the Doll inside.

He might usually be stingy, but he wouldn't skimp at a time like this.

As soon as they entered, a tall, broad-shouldered waiter in a crisp shirt approached them.

Li Yèlái assumed the man was going to say something like, "You can't come in wearing a costume."

Instead, the familiar-looking waiter smiled and said, "Welcome! Congratulations, you're the ninth couple to visit us today, and nine is our lucky number. Your entire bill is half price, and we'll provide you with a premium private room!"

"Um, we're not a couple," Li Yèlái explained, staring at the waiter. He felt like he'd seen the man somewhere before. What was more, he thought he recognized a few faces in the dining area, too.

"Not a problem, not a problem," the waiter said warmly. "You're a perfect match, and you came in at just the right time. It must be fate! This way, please."

Li Yèlái wanted to ask how the waiter could call them a perfect match when the Doll was wearing a cartoon bear costume. Besides, it was 11:32. What was so special about that?

"What do you think?" Li Yèlái asked the Doll instead. She covered her face shyly but didn't seem to object.

Well, there's a discount. Why not take it? Li Yèlái thought, and followed the waiter into the dining room with her.

The other diners didn't seem to mind that someone in a doll costume had come in. Instead, they smiled warmly at Li Yèlái and the Doll.

Things are going unusually smoothly today. Looks like I get lucky sometimes, too. Li Yèlái thought, then entered the private room on the second floor.

That had been his plan all along. The Doll couldn't let strangers see her, so a private room was the only option.

They'd barely placed their order when all the dishes arrived.

"We're really lucky today," Li Yèlái remarked.

The Doll raised her sign. [Could you turn around? I want to change clothes (ω)]

Li Yèlái understood and turned away.

Since her curse didn't affect him, she probably didn't want to keep wearing the costume while they ate together. She'd likely never eaten with anyone else in her normal appearance.

Hearing a rustle behind him, Li Yèlái tried his best not to imagine anything.

Only when he heard a soft voice say, "I'm ready," did Li Yèlái turn around.

A beautiful young woman stood among the discarded pieces of the Doll costume.

She wore a white blouse patterned with tiny flowers, her fingers pinching the hem of a black pleated skirt. Below it were long, ivory-white legs.

Her hair fell loosely over her shoulders, framing a flushed, bashful face.

Her already beautiful features looked even more captivating with a light touch of makeup.

When she saw Li Yèlái looking at her, her face reddened further. Then she stepped out of the costume in a pair of white, round-toed Mary Janes.

She looked as if she'd stepped straight out of a painting.

"Let's eat," the Doll said gently, meeting Li Yèlái's eyes.

Meanwhile, outside Lund Restaurant—

"We're sure that guy went into this restaurant. He's nowhere in the dining area, so he's probably in a private room upstairs. That's even better. No one else will get involved."

"But be careful. His strength is no joke, and we don't know what his ability is!"

"What's there to worry about?" the muscular man sneered. "I'm a second-time Awakened psychic, and you two are first-time Awakened. The three of us can't take down one guy? He didn't even bring a weapon! Don't forget, if we can make Black Umbrella Master happy, we might get our hands on some magic potion ingredients."

Then the muscular man led the other two up and shoved open the restaurant's front door.

He grabbed a waiter and demanded, "Where's the guy who came in with the person in the doll costume? Which private room?"

Strangely, in the next instant—

The dining room went dead quiet. A dozen pairs of eyes turned toward the muscular man in unison.

"..." The muscular man frowned, about to curse.

But his face suddenly turned deathly pale.

"So the Night General's curse about running into enemies whenever he went out was real?" The Handlers posing as diners and waiters laughed.

The waiter the man had grabbed patted him on the cheek. "Well, look who showed up right on time!"