Ark Simulator: Don't I Not Have a Physical Body?

"[Ladybug.]" Su Rui's voice held a hint of surprise. "[They're rarely seen this time of year.]"

Bai Xue carefully caught the little creature with her fingertips, watching it crawl on her skin, its six thin legs bringing a slight tickle.

"The ladybugs bring good luck," she said softly, unconsciously softening her breathing, afraid of disturbing the little creature.

The ladybug suddenly spread its translucent wings and flew away with a "buzz." Bai Xue's gaze followed the little red dot until it disappeared into the twilight.

Do you believe this?

"Hmm..." She tilted her head and thought for a moment, "I didn't believe it before."

The sensation of a ladybug crawling still lingered on her fingertips, and she unconsciously rubbed that patch of skin.

But now I hope it's true.

The evening breeze suddenly became gentle, ruffling the stray hairs at her temples. Bai Xue reached up and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, the Silver Butterfly Hairpin trembling slightly with the movement, as if chasing after a ladybug that had flown away.

Lady Wenyue stood before the lattice window of the tea room, her folding fan half-covering her lips. From this angle, she could clearly see Bai Xue's vivid expressions as she spoke to the air, as well as her unconscious little gestures—

For example, right now, the girl is gesturing at the koi in the pond, her fingertips creating ripples on the surface, startling the fish into scattering. She wrinkles her nose in annoyance, an expression that reminds the lady of how she knocked over her inkstone when she was ten years old.

With a swift "whoosh," Lady Wenyue turned and instructed the maid behind her, "Go and prepare some cherry blossom cakes, and add double the amount of honey."

Just as the maid was about to leave, she was called back, "Take another pot of plum wine, in that celadon bottle."

Bai Xue sat on a rock by the pond, her feet immersed in the cool water. The setting sun cast a long shadow of hers, which connected with her reflection in the water, like a swaying bridge.

"Su Rui," she suddenly kicked at the water, "If you had a physical body, what would you be doing right now?"

Water droplets traced arcs in the air before landing on the lotus leaf and shattering into even smaller rhinestones.

[I wouldn't do something so childish.]

"Liar!" Bai Xue kicked again, this time splashing water even higher. "You clearly even crawled through the blanket roll."

That was a tactical assessment!

"Oh?" She scooped up a handful of water with a mischievous grin. "And this?"

With the palm tilted, the water transforms into a golden waterfall in the setting sun.

[...]

Su Rui stopped talking, but Bai Xue could feel him awkwardly turning away in her Sea of Consciousness. She chuckled and scooped up another handful of water, this time deliberately letting it leak through her fingers, as if performing a slow magic trick.

"Actually, I know," her voice suddenly softened, "If you had a physical form, the first thing you'd do would be check for any potential safety hazards around you."

The sound of water droplets falling suddenly became clear.

[The second thing.] Su Rui's voice held an unusual hesitation, [is to try that honey cherry blossom cake.]

Bai Xue was stunned, then burst into laughter, almost slipping off the rock and into the pool. The Silver Butterfly Hairpin swayed with her movements, as if it too was amused by the sudden confession.

"And the third one?" she asked, wiping away tears from the corners of her eyes.

The water calmed down, reflecting her expectant expression.

After a long silence, the answer was as light as a feather falling on water:

[Let me tell you...]

"Sir Bai Xue."

A maid's voice suddenly came from the corridor, and Bai Xue turned around abruptly, almost throwing her hairpin away.

"Madam has prepared tea and refreshments."

A maid carried in a lacquered tray, the cherry blossom cakes on it emitting a sweet aroma, and plums could be vaguely seen floating in a celadon vase beside it. Bai Xue's stomach rumbled loudly, making the maid chuckle to herself.

"Th-thank you..."

She scrambled to her feet from the rocks, the water droplets from her feet leaving dark marks on the wooden floor. The maid put down the tray and left, thoughtfully closing the garden gate behind her.

Bai Xue stared at the plate of cherry blossom mochi for a long time, then suddenly whispered, "I guessed the third thing."

She picked up a cherry blossom mochi; the pink crust was slightly dented at her fingertips.

"You're watching the sunset with me, right?"

The sweet aroma of cherry blossom cakes melted on the lips and teeth, and the taste of honey sweetened the heart. In the tea room in the distance, Lady Wenyue covered the corners of her mouth with a folding fan, while Su Rui was saving this moment of sunset into a folder.

Volume 15, page 825 suggests preparing the materials first before putting them into print...

When Bai Xue pushed open the paper door to her bedroom, her wooden clogs tapped lightly on the threshold. The twilight light shone through the paper window, bathing the room in a warm amber hue. She casually removed the silver butterfly hairpin from her hair, and her long hair cascaded down like flowing water, spreading over her shoulders.

"Su Rui, today's training was absolutely exhausting!"

Her voice abruptly stopped.

A semi-transparent progress bar floated in the air above the bed, clearly displaying the number: [100%].

Bai Xue's pupils suddenly contracted, and the hairpin in her hand fell to the tatami mat with a "clatter".

"Su Rui..." Her voice trembled slightly, "This is..."

[Um.]

The response in her Sea of Consciousness was clearer than usual, almost like a whisper right in her ear. Bai Xue felt a strange electric current surge up her spine, and her fingertips went numb involuntarily.

"Then, can we do it now--"

[Theoretically yes, but it's recommended to prepare in advance--]

"Physicalize!"

She almost shouted it out, her hands unconsciously clenching the cuffs of her kimono.

For a moment, the air in the room seemed to freeze.

The first thing to appear was a pair of snow-white ears.

The furry, pointed ears, identical to the stoat's head on Bai Xue's head, gleamed like pearls in the twilight. They twitched warily, then—

"Whoa!"

Bai Xue suddenly took a step back, her back slamming into the paper door.

A naked, beautiful young man slumped onto her bed, his long, silvery-white hair cascading down like a waterfall, partially obscuring his body. But what he couldn't hide was his fluffy ferret tail, larger than her own, which was now bristling with shock, like a fluffy cotton candy.

"White, Snow!"

Su Rui's voice was no longer the ethereal feeling in his Sea of Consciousness, but real, warm, and even trembling slightly with embarrassment and anger. He hurriedly pulled the blanket over himself, the tips of his ears under his silver hair turning almost transparently red.

You should at least have told me beforehand!

Bai Xue's mouth was agape, her mind Blank. She noticed a faint scar on Su Rui's collarbone; his fingers were long and slender with distinct knuckles, but they were now pale from gripping the blanket tightly; his ankles were thin and graceful, and now they were curled up in tension.

The most fatal thing is--

Those ears, exactly like hers, were twitching incessantly because of their owner's emotions, and it looked...

So cute it's unfair.

"I... I forgot..." She finally found her voice, but then realized she couldn't look away. "You... you really have ears..."

Su Rui's tail slapped the bed. "Is that the point?!"

Bai Xue suddenly realized what was happening and hurriedly turned around to rummage through the wardrobe. "Clothes! Yes, clothes!"

She moved too hastily and accidentally knocked over the low table next to her, scattering the teacups all over the floor with a clatter. Su Rui sighed, her tail wagging helplessly.

"Calm down." His voice had regained its usual composure, though a hint of helplessness lingered. "I'm not going to disappear."

Bai Xue paused in her movements.

These words were like a bucket of cold water poured over her head. She slowly turned around, her eyes already red without her realizing it.

"... Really?"

Su Rui was stunned. He saw the girl standing amidst the disheveled clothes, her kimono sleeves stained with spilled tea, her hair disheveled from the commotion, but her eyes shining with an astonishing brightness.

"Really," he said softly, unconsciously loosening his grip on the blanket. "I'm right here."

Ten minutes later, Su Rui managed to put on a men's kimono that Bai Xue had found—although it was clearly a size too small, the sleeves were too short, and the trousers barely reached her ankles.

"Just make do with this..." Bai Xue explained, blushing, "This is what I used to disguise myself with..."

Su Rui looked down at her exposed wrist, then at the hole in the hem that had to be cut because of her tail, and her ears drooped helplessly. "Like an idiot."

"No, that's not true!" Bai Xue suddenly leaned in and pinched his ear. "So cute!"

"Hello!"

Su Rui suddenly stepped back, but because he was not used to the solid form, he tripped over his own tail and fell backward. Bai Xue instinctively tried to pull him up, but the two of them ended up falling into a pile of bedding together.

The distance between the tips of their noses.

Bai Xue could clearly smell a cold aura emanating from Su Rui, like a pine forest after a snowfall, mixed with a faint scent of rust—a trace left behind from his time as a sniper. His silver hair was spread out on the dark bedding, like moonlight pouring down; his eyelashes were long, casting dappled shadows beneath his eyes; his breathing was slightly erratic, and his warm breath brushed against her cheek.

The worst part was that the ears were twitching sensitively, occasionally brushing against her cheeks, the furry touch making her heart race.

"... I'm sorry." Su Rui came to her senses first, turned her face away, and the blush on her ears spread all the way down to her neck.

Bai Xue hurriedly got up, but accidentally pressed his tail.

"Hiss--"

"I'm sorry!" She pulled her hand back as if she'd been electrocuted. "Does it hurt?"

Su Rui shook her head, but carefully tucked her tail to her side. "It's just... very sensitive."

The atmosphere became somewhat awkward. Cicadas chirped outside the window, the sun was setting, and the room gradually darkened.

"Um..." Bai Xue broke the silence, "Should we tell Madam?"

Su Rui was trying to control her tail from wagging wildly when she heard this, and her ears perked up. "Now?"

He glanced down at his ill-fitting clothes, the tip of his tail unconsciously curling up slightly. "At least wait..."

Before he could finish speaking, his stomach suddenly let out a loud "gurgle--".

Both of them were stunned.

"You... you're hungry?" Bai Xue's eyes widened.

Su Rui awkwardly tucked her ear behind her head. "After materializing, you'll have normal physiological needs..."

His voice trailed off as Bai Xue's eyes suddenly shone with an astonishing light.

"Wait!"

She jumped up and rushed towards the door, then suddenly turned back, pulled a scarf from the closet, and wrapped it around Su Rui's neck without a word: "Cover your ears! I'm going to the kitchen to get some food!"

"Wait, there's no need to be in such a hurry--"

But Bai Xue had already rushed out of the room, the clatter of her wooden clogs fading away at the end of the corridor.

Su Rui sighed, looked down at his disheveled appearance, and wagged his tail helplessly. He reached up and touched his ears, then pinched his cheeks, as if still trying to confirm that it was all real.

Outside the window, the first star lit up.

Lady Wenyue was enjoying tea in the tea room when she suddenly heard a commotion coming from the direction of the kitchen.

"What's going on?" She put down her teacup.

The maid, Aju, rushed over, her face beaming with undisguised joy. "Lord Bai... she took all the desserts for tonight."

"All?"

"Yes, Madam." Aju tried to remain serious, but the smile in her eyes was hard to hide. "Including that plate you specifically asked me to save for the cherry blossom viewing party tomorrow, and the three bowls of sweets and pastries."

Lady Wenyue tapped her chin lightly with her folding fan, gazing thoughtfully toward Bai Xue's room. Warm light shone through the paper window, and two figures could be vaguely seen—one of them clearly had an unnatural head shape.

"I see..." The lady stood up gracefully, "Then let the kitchen prepare another one."

A meaningful smile played on her lips, "For two."

Volume 15, Chapter 826: When you're hungry, you have to eat.

Bai Xue returned to the room, panting, carrying a tray that was almost overflowing.

"I brought it! There are taiyaki, dango, and three bowls of sweets..." She kicked the door shut, then looked up and froze.

Su Rui stood by the window, the moonlight gilding him with a silvery edge. He had adjusted his scarf, his ears well concealed, only his tail still had to droop behind him. Hearing the sound, he turned around, his eyes reflecting the starlight.