He had just returned from the Tree of Existence.
The bone-chilling sense of Nihility from atop the tree still lingered deep in his mind like ice that would not melt.
But now, he sensed three additional presences in the manor.
"Hm? Why are they here?"
He tilted his head.
Even without seeing them directly, Jiang Lianqiu instantly recognized the three familiar people who had appeared in the house just from their auras.
There was also an extremely faint lingering trace—the scent of a cat.
Jiang Lianqiu raised an eyebrow. The faint clatter of controller buttons came from the living room.
"One, two, three," followed by the frustrated voice of a girl.
"...Just a sliver of health left!"
It was Silver Wolf.
Then another equally familiar voice spoke.
"Bronya will not let you win."
The living room lights were off.
The television screen was the only source of light, its cold blue glow covering half the wall.
Silver Wolf sat cross-legged on the carpet, her silver-gray ponytail hanging loosely over her shoulder, with a few stray locks sticking up behind her ear.
She wore a loose gray-blue striped pajama top with an absurdly wide collar, leaving one collarbone and an entire smooth shoulder exposed beneath the blue light of the screen.
Her bare legs rested on the soft beige carpet, her pale little feet planted against it.
Her pajama bottoms had been tossed somewhere unknown. The hem of her top barely covered the tops of her thighs, and as she sat cross-legged, glimpses of creamy pale skin between her legs were tinted with a cool, soft glow by the screen.
Silver Wolf held a lollipop between her teeth, her controller clacking furiously.
"Take this combo—nice!"
Flames burst across the screen.
Bronya sat beside her in almost the same posture.
But unlike