The lingering warmth of breakfast had yet to fade when the doorbell abruptly rang.
Luo Li and Castorice both froze.
Who could it be at this hour? The landlady had just collected the fees, and Yang Shan knew he was usually catching up on sleep during the day...
Luo Li motioned for Castorice to return to her room first, then walked to the door and cautiously peered through the peephole.
A young man stood outside, about twenty-three or twenty-four years old. He was tall, wearing a loose T-shirt printed with an anime character Luo Li didn't recognize. His hair was dyed a somewhat flamboyant ash green, and several glittering studs adorned his ears. Everything about him radiated an air of "I'm trendy, and I'm a total anime geek."
Seeing that face, Luo Li relaxed, though he was also a little surprised.
He opened the door. "Ze? What brings you here? No work today?"
The visitor was Qingqiu Ze, a senior two years ahead of Luo Li whom he had met in their university's anime club.
After graduating, Luo Li had become a gaming streamer, while Qingqiu Ze had used his good voice and B-rank Sound Wave Control ability to get into a local streaming guild. He mainly did entertainment streams, occasionally taking commercial voice-over jobs.
They were more or less in the same line of work and had always been on good terms.
"Ah, don't even ask. I stayed up all night recording raw vocals, just finished catching up on sleep, and got hit with a burst of inspiration. I had to come share the joy!"
Qingqiu Ze squeezed through the doorway with practiced familiarity. His gaze swept habitually over Luo Li's cluttered living room, then... stopped on Castorice, who had just poked half her head curiously through the gap in her bedroom door.
Qingqiu Ze's eyes instantly went wide.
Castorice was wearing her bunny pajamas today, her long silver-purple hair falling smoothly around her. Her breathtaking face, free of makeup, held the drowsy innocence of someone who had only recently woken up, and her violet eyes resembled the purest amethysts.
Looks of that caliber, combined with her unique presence, hit a veteran anime geek like Qingqiu Ze with the force of a nuclear bomb.
"Holy... shit..."
Qingqiu Ze's jaw dropped, and the USB drive in his hand nearly fell to the floor. He whipped his head toward Luo Li, his eyes brimming with shock and admiration that said, "You sly dog! You've been holding out on me!"
Oh, no, Luo Li thought. He hurried forward to block Qingqiu Ze's overly blatant stare and explained with an awkward laugh, "Ze, don't get the wrong idea! She's my... my distant cousin! Right, my cousin! She's staying in Jiangcheng for a few days!"
"Your cousin?"
Qingqiu Ze drew out the words, disbelief written all over his face. He leaned close to Luo Li and lowered his voice, waggling his eyebrows. "Look at you, Li Zi! Where'd you find a top-tier 'cousin' like that? Those looks, that presence... she's more than qualified to debut as a star! You lucky bastard!"
"She really is my cousin!" Luo Li's scalp prickled as he forcibly changed the subject. "You said you had a burst of inspiration? What new stuff have you cooked up this time?"
Sure enough, that caught Qingqiu Ze's attention. He smugly waved the USB drive in his hand, temporarily dropping the subject of the "cousin."
"Exactly! This is some seriously heavyweight new material! I guarantee it'll blow the roof off your stream!"
He excitedly pulled Luo Li over to sit at the computer, making himself completely at home.
Helpless, Luo Li could only give Castorice a look, signaling that she needn't be nervous and could go back to her room for now.
Castorice glanced at the oddly dressed, highly excited stranger, obediently nodded, and gently closed her door.
"Come on, give it a listen!"
Qingqiu Ze eagerly plugged the USB drive into the computer, opened an audio file, and looked at Luo Li expectantly.
Dubious, Luo Li put on his headphones.
A strongly rhythmic electronic intro with a heavy dose of cheesy internet dance music began playing. Then Qingqiu Ze's voice, enhanced by his sound-wave ability and packed with penetrating, infectious power, roared out:
"Across Amphoreus, Casti fly!"
"Daughter of the River of Souls, my heart is yours!"
"Violet eyes and silver hair steal my soul!"
"For you I'm lovesick, for you I'm wild!"
Luo Li: "..."
The corner of his mouth twitched. The cheesiness hit him square in the face...
But Qingqiu Ze was clearly immersed in his creation. His voice climbed higher, his emotion so full it was practically spilling over:
"Battlefield Saintess, darling Castorice!"
"The Death Curse has faded away!"
"Luo Li's heart holds only you!"
"Hand in hand for life, we'll never part!"
"Swing your scythe and cut through thorns!"
"Pollux will keep you safe!"
"Though this apocalyptic world is dangerous!"
"I'll stay beside you and keep you safe!"
"Castorice, Castorice, look at me!"
"My love for you burns like a flame!"
"Though Yuan Ge's puppets move so smoothly!"
"They can't compare to one glimpse of your eyes!"
Verse after verse, every line had seven Chinese characters. The rhymes were painfully forced, and the emotion was so blunt and fiery that the words practically burned his tongue. It was pure internet hype-chanting, yet Qingqiu Ze's professional-quality voice and exaggeratedly overflowing emotion somehow gave it a peculiar... addictive charm.
Listening to Qingqiu Ze shout himself hoarse through his headphones, belting out "My love for you burns like a flame" and "Luo Li's heart holds only you," Luo Li went from initial bewilderment to embarrassment, until he finally couldn't help snorting with laughter. Then he gave Qingqiu Ze a thumbs-up.
"Ze... that's fucking amazing! You're a goddamn genius!"
Those lyrics! Take tackiness far enough, and it becomes trendy! This would be peak stream entertainment!
Encouraged by the praise, Qingqiu Ze grew even smugger. "Well? Wasn't this burst of inspiration brilliant?
"A god-tier confession song custom-made for your... uh, for that game character you like!
"With your shut-in gamer image, wouldn't a passionate confession like this send your stream's entertainment value through the roof?"
Luo Li didn't know whether to laugh or cry, but he had to admit that, tacky as it was, it really was... addictive.
And in a way, it truly did express his feelings toward Castorice in an extremely uninhibited fashion.
"I'll keep it. If I get the chance... well, I'll consider it."
Luo Li gave a vague promise.
They bantered for a while longer, and the conversation gradually drifted toward how things had been going lately.
Qingqiu Ze sighed and rubbed his temple. "Honestly, the guild's been putting a lot of pressure on me lately too. They keep pushing me to change my content or take more 'mainstream' commercial jobs.
"But how could it be that easy? In times like these, even entertainment isn't an easy industry to get by in."
He looked at Luo Li, his tone carrying a little envy and a barely perceptible seriousness. "Sometimes I think I'd really be better off like you, relying on a C-rank ability and playing games at home. You might not earn as much, but at least you're safe and free.
"Unlike me..."
He paused, his voice dropping. "Our guild's been working with the patrol teams lately. I heard... a few days ago, the night shift lost another two guys clearing out a C-rank vampire nest on the edge of the western district. Another was badly injured, and his ability core was nearly shattered."
The smile faded from Luo Li's face.
He knew Qingqiu Ze's ability was B-rank Sound Wave Control. Beyond streaming and voice acting, it had powerful combat potential-whether through wide-area ultrasonic detection, high-frequency sonic blasts, or disruptive noise fields, it could severely hinder and damage vampires that hunted by hearing and perception.
With his ability, if he wanted to, he was fully qualified to join a patrol team and enter the combat ranks, enjoying better benefits and greater honors.
"Ze, your ability... really is suited to the front lines," Luo Li said quietly.
Qingqiu Ze gave a self-deprecating laugh and wiggled his studded ears. "Oh, come on. I'm too used to being laid-back. I couldn't stand the restrictions and pressure.
"Besides, with my delicate skin, wouldn't I just be an extra meal for the vampires?
"I'd better stick to my streams and voice acting. Bringing people a little joy with my voice counts as contributing to human civilization too, right?"
Despite his words, Luo Li could see a trace of complexity deep in his eyes.
In an era when ability users were regarded as humanity's hope against vampires, possessing a powerful combat ability yet choosing to remain in the relatively safe rear inevitably brought pressure from others, and even from within.
By comparison, someone like Luo Li, whose C-rank ability was universally considered "trash," could choose to slack off without much psychological burden-he would only be feeding himself to the enemy out there anyway, so he might as well stay home and play games.
"Everyone has their own way of living."
Luo Li patted his shoulder and said nothing more.
Qingqiu Ze stayed a little longer, then got a call from the guild and stood to leave.
After seeing Qingqiu Ze off, Luo Li returned to the living room and discovered that Castorice's door had opened a crack again at some point. She was quietly peeking outside through the gap.
"He's gone."
Luo Li said.
Only then did Castorice come all the way out, a trace of curiosity still on her face. "That person just now... his voice had a lot of power.
"That... rhythmic speech he sang, was he expressing... affection?"
She had faintly heard the addictive hype chant too.
Luo Li blushed and gave two embarrassed coughs. "That's called 'hype chanting.' It's a rather... special form of expression here.
"As for the content... well, yes, it was expressing affection. The delivery was just a little... overly enthusiastic."
Castorice nodded, only half understanding. Blinking her violet eyes, she asked softly, "Then... Luo Li, can you... 'hype chant' too?"
Luo Li: "..."
He remembered the embarrassing time in university when Qingqiu Ze had dragged him into learning a few lines. His toes instantly curled hard enough to carve out a three-bedroom apartment.
"Well... a little. Just a little."
He hedged, hurriedly changing the subject again. "Oh, right, the breakfast dishes still haven't been washed. I'll go clean up!"
Watching Luo Li all but flee, Castorice stood where she was, recalling those blunt, passionate, even somewhat noisy "hype chant" lyrics. Then she thought of Luo Li's embarrassed expression, and the corners of her mouth unconsciously lifted.
The ways people expressed themselves in this world... were strange, but they didn't seem unpleasant.