This was an utterly ordinary question, yet Lin Aida looked somewhat flustered and evasive.
Azu smiled but did not press further, instead taking a step back to advance.
"It's fine. You don't have to say anything if you don't want to."
Lin Aida struggled for a moment before saying, "Mr. John, it's not that I don't want to tell you. I'm afraid you won't believe me. You'll think I'm a freak."
Azu laughed and waved over a waiter, ordering several dishes.
Only then did he lower his voice and say, "Actually, people often think I'm a freak too. Sometimes, they even call me a 'monster' or a 'pervert' in their hearts."
He shrugged. "But I don't care."
"You have such a good attitude," Lin Aida said enviously.
She drew closer to the corner of the wall, as if pressing against it gave her some sense of security.
"I don't have many friends."
"And nobody talks to me like this."
"Alright."
The girl took a deep breath, seemingly gathering courage for herself, then said, "Mr. John, do you know about sleepwalking?"
Azu picked up the teapot beside him and poured a cup each for Xiao Lin and himself. "I do."
Hearing the tea pour into the cups, Lin Aida thanked him and continued, "When sleepwalkers wake up, they find themselves in unfamiliar places."
"My situation is similar."
"Of course, I'm not a sleepwalker. I just... how should I put it?"
She thought for a moment and organized her words before saying, "For example, I live on the fourth floor of an apartment building, but sometimes, when I open my door to go out, I'll suddenly be on a busy street."
"Sometimes it's clearly daytime, but when I step outside, it's already night. Um, I know from the temperature and from what