Extra: What did you two do last night?

When the electric scooter was parked outside the side entrance of the Mourning Funeral Home, Luo Li felt her palms sweating.

It wasn't because of the fact that he had brought Castorice back—which had happened many times before—but because fragments of last night's Remembrance were still lingering in his mind, and at that moment Castorice was getting off the back seat, her movements a little... unnatural.

"Thank you," she whispered, the tips of her ears still red.

"You're welcome."

Luo Li answered mechanically, his eyes avoiding looking at a certain spot on her neck—a red mark he had only noticed that morning, unsure if it was a mosquito bite or something else...

"Sister--!"

A crisp sound interrupted his reverie. Polyxena slipped out of the door like a cat, a few strands of her light purple hair sticking up in the morning light.

Although her eyesight was poor, the expression on her face at that moment was frighteningly sharp.

"You two..." Her gaze swept back and forth between Luo Li and Castorice, her misty eyes gleaming with the light of a detective discovering a clue.

Where did you go last night?

Luo Li's heart skipped a beat.

"The electric scooter ran out of power," Castorice said calmly—too calmly, which seemed suspicious—"I found a place to charge it and rest."

"Oh~" Polyxena drawled, "Recharge and rest. Where do we recharge and rest?"

"A hotel." Castorice remained unfazed.

"An inn~" Polyxena's smile grew brighter and brighter, "Which inn? How's the room? Is the bed soft?"

"Polyxena." There was a warning in Castorice's voice.

But her sister clearly wouldn't let them off so easily.

Polyxena, leaning on her white cane, slowly walked around to Luo Li, tilting her head to "look" at him. "Luo Li, you don't look well. Didn't you sleep well last night?"

"It's... it's alright." Luo Li subconsciously touched her face.

"Just 'okay'?" Polyxena leaned closer and lowered her voice—but just loud enough for Castorice to hear.

"My sister's walking posture is a bit strange today, you guys wouldn't...?"

"Polyxena!"

Castorice was genuinely angry this time; her face turned bright red.

"If you keep talking nonsense, I'll tell Ms. Amonet that you secretly used her account to buy a novel online last week."

Polyxena immediately raised her hands in surrender. "Okay, okay, I'll shut up."

But her smile clearly said, "I know everything."

Luo Li felt she should leave the battlefield as soon as possible.

"Well, I'll head back now..."

He turned to start the electric scooter, only to find the key in Castorice's hand—she had taken it when she got off.

Their eyes met.

Castorice blinked, then belatedly handed over the keys. "Sorry."

Her hand trembled slightly as she handed over the keys.

Polyxena's lips curled up three pixels higher.

"See you this afternoon." Luo Li took the keys and practically fled.

On his way home, Luo Li's brain was still working at high speed—not with his superpower, but with his analytical abilities as a high school boy about last night's events.

How far have they gotten?

Remembrance are like shattered puzzle pieces: the touch of a kiss, the warmth of skin, Castorice's soft "it hurts," my repeated "I'm sorry," and the image of her curled up in my arms when I woke up in the morning...

But the crucial parts, the decisive details, are shrouded in mist.

"Damn it," he muttered under his breath, unsure whether he was cursing himself for not remembering clearly or for possibly doing something he shouldn't have.

On second thought, if she really did it, Castorice's attitude this morning was far too calm—although she was naturally calm, this was far too calm.

Unless... she doesn't remember either?

This thought both relieved him and left him with a strange sense of loss.

"Oh, you're back?" Luo Mingyuan wiped his sweat; the man in his forties was still in good shape. "Where did you go last night? Your mom called but your phone was off."

Luo Li Li's heart tightened. "My phone's dead... I was at a class reunion."

"A class reunion?" Luo Mingyuan narrowed his eyes—a habitual gesture when he suspected someone. "Which classmate? Yang Shan? Kong Yan'er?"

"Um... there are others," Luo Li mumbled, looking down as if checking the car tires.

"It's okay to relax a bit after the college entrance exam..." Luo Mingyuan patted his shoulder. "But don't go too crazy. Your mom left you breakfast, go eat it."

"Good."

Luo Li slipped into the stairwell as if granted a pardon.

However, what he didn't expect was that the real test would happen at the dinner table.

"Did you have fun last night?" Zhou Wan, his mother, asked as she served him porridge, her tone as casual as if she were asking about the weather.

"It's alright." Luo Li took the porridge, not daring to look her in the eye.

"Who are you with?"

"Just... Yang Shan, Kong Yan'er, and a few other classmates." Luo Li tried her best to make her voice sound natural.

"Oh." Zhou Wan sat down opposite him, holding her teacup. "I heard that Castorice also did well on the exam?"

Luo Li's hand trembled, and the spoon almost fell into the porridge.

"Yes, yes." He lowered his head and gulped down his porridge.

"She's a good girl," Zhou Wan said slowly.

"Although her family circumstances are special, she is very self-disciplined and has good grades. You should learn from her."

"Uh-huh."

Luo Li nodded vigorously.

"However..." Zhou Wan changed the subject.

"Boys and girls your age are prone to impulsiveness after the college entrance exam. Mom isn't a traditional person, but I still have to remind you—"

Luo Li choked on the porridge.

He coughed violently, his face turning red.

Zhou Wan quickly got up and patted his back, her tone both amused and exasperated. "Why are you so nervous? I just wanted to say, be careful when you go out, don't drink alcohol, don't stay up late, and don't go to dangerous places."

"I understand," Luo Li said weakly.

"And also..." Zhou Wan sat back down in her chair, looking at him with that "I'm an open-minded parent, but I know everything" kind of look. "You have to respect girls. No matter what the relationship is, you have to respect the other person's wishes, understand?"

Luo Li felt her face was big enough to fry an egg on.

"Mom!" he protested.

What are you saying?!

What did I say?

Zhou Wan looked completely innocent. "I was just reminding you to respect your classmates. What were you thinking?"

Luo Li: "..."

He was certain that his mother had definitely guessed something.

The most terrifying thing about teachers' families is that they understand teenagers all too well.

After finishing this agonizing breakfast, Luo Li fled back to her room, closed the door, and collapsed onto the bed.

My phone vibrated.

It was a message from Castorice:

"Polyxena kept asking me questions."

Luo Li smiled wryly and replied, "My mom is too."

A few seconds later, Castorice sent another message: "She asked me what the red marks on my neck were."

Luo Li's heart skipped a beat.

What did you say?

"I said it was a mosquito bite."

"She believed it?"

She said, "Oh, that mosquito really knows how to pick its spot."

Luo Li buried her face in the pillow and let out a muffled groan.

My phone vibrated again.

This time, Yang Shan created a group chat called "Gaokao Liberation Front," and the members included himself, Kong Yan'er, Luo Li, and... Castorice and Polyxena?

Luo Li sat up abruptly.

Yang Shan: "@All members, let's go out and have some fun this afternoon! To celebrate liberation!"

Kong Yan'er: "I second that. I suggest we collect data and analyze the entertainment behavior patterns of high school students after the college entrance examination."

Polyxena: "Great! Where should we go?"

Castorice: "..."

Looking at the ellipsis next to Castorice on the screen, Luo Li could imagine the helpless expression on her face.

Yang Shan: "How about that newly opened escape room? I heard it's super scary!"

Kong Yan'er: "Horror-themed escape rooms can effectively stimulate dopamine secretion; I suggest adopting this approach."

Polyxena: "My sister shouldn't be afraid of horror themes, right? After all, her work environment is much scarier than that (laughs)."

Castorice: "..."

Luo Li stared at the screen, her fingers hesitating on the keyboard.

If everyone went out together in the afternoon, the subtle atmosphere between him and Castorice would definitely be noticed—especially by the detective Polyxena and the analytical Kong Yan'er.

But if they don't go out, it would seem too suspicious.

While he was struggling with this, Castorice messaged him privately:

"Are you going?"

Luo Li stared at those three words, then suddenly smiled.

He replied, "Go ahead, they've already guessed it anyway."

Castorice: "... What did you guess?"

Luo Li: "I guessed we were together last night."

There was a long silence on the other end.

Luo Li thought she wouldn't reply for a long time before her phone vibrated, "Oh."

Just this one word.

But Luo Li inexplicably felt that Castorice's face must have turned red again on the other side of the screen.

At 2 PM, in front of an escape room in the city center's commercial street.

When Luo Li arrived, the others were already there.

Yang Shan and Kong Yan'er were arguing about which topic was more terrifying, Polyxena, leaning on her white cane, "observed" the billboard at the store entrance—although she couldn't see it clearly, she pretended to be quite convincing.

And the Castorice...

She wore a light purple shirt today, with the collar higher than usual, which covered her neck.

Her silver-purple hair was tied into a neat ponytail, revealing her fair nape.

Luo Li's gaze lingered there unconsciously.

"Hey, Li Zi's here!" Yang Shan spotted him, walked over, and hooked his arm around his neck.

"Where did you go last night? You didn't answer your phone."

"... My phone is dead."

Luo Li used the same excuse.

"Is that so?" Yang Shan raised an eyebrow, glancing between him and Castorice.

"I heard that someone's motorcycle 'ran out of power' last night and they had to find a place to 'charge and rest'?"

Luo Li froze.

Polyxena! It was definitely Polyxena who said it!

He looked at Castorice and noticed that she was also being "interviewed" by Kong Yan'er: "According to my observation, Castorice's neckline is 3.2 centimeters higher than usual today. Is it to cover something? Is it a skin injury or some other mark? If it's a mosquito bite, I suggest using menthol balm; it's more effective than covering it up."

Castorice's expression was calm, but the tips of her ears were red. "It's just changing clothes."

"I see."

Kong Yan'er pushed up glasses that weren't actually there and said with a smile.

"By the way, when Luo Li looked at you just now, her pupils dilated by about 18%, which is a sign of high concentration. Is there any unresolved 'issue from last night' between you two?"

Castorice: "..."

Luo Li: "..."

Yang Shan burst out laughing, "Kong Yan'er! Is this how you use your superpower?!"

"Data collection is a science."

Kong Yan'er was very serious.

Polyxena laughed too, tapping the ground lightly with her cane. "Alright, alright, stop teasing my sister—though I'm also curious about what happened last night."

She turned to Luo Li, her smile bright, "But it's alright, Luo Li, I believe you're a responsible person."

These words sounded like a compliment, but Luo Li always felt there was something more to them.

"Choose a theme! Choose a theme!" Yang Shan interrupted the "interrogation" in time. "Let me see... ' Hospital Vengeful Spirits,' ' Ancient Mansion Fright,' ' Zombie Laboratory '... Which one to choose?"

"Either is fine." Luo Li just wanted to end the topic as soon as possible.

"An old house, perhaps?" Castorice suddenly said.

Everyone looked at her.

"Historic house themes usually have more mystery elements," she explained calmly, "Than simply chasing thrills."

"That makes sense!" Yang Shan clapped his hands. "Then let's go with the old house!"

Buy tickets, store bags, and listen to the rules explanation.

Before entering the escape room, the staff gave them walkie-talkies and an oil lamp as props—the room was actually dimly lit, but the oil lamp was for atmosphere.

The heavy wooden door closed behind me, and the secret room began.

As Castorice said, the escape rooms in the old house theme are indeed more about solving puzzles than scares. The first few rooms involve finding clues, piecing together patterns, and solving combination locks.

Luo Li was initially worried that being alone with Castorice would be awkward, but in the secret room, everyone's mind was on solving the mystery, so it felt much more natural.

Until they entered the fourth room.

The room was decorated like a funeral parlor, with a coffin in the center—a prop, of course, but made very realistically. It was surrounded by white curtains and an altar, and eerie music drifted from hidden speakers.

"Wow, this atmosphere..." Yang Shan rubbed his arms.

"According to design psychology, a funeral setting can evoke a person's instinctive fear of death."

As Kong Yan'er spoke, she calmly inspected the props on the altar.

Polyxena was quite excited. "Wow, this coffin looks so real! It's much better than the cardboard coffin we had for our class's cultural festival!"

Castorice didn't comment, but she went over and carefully examined the material and workmanship of the coffin.

Looking at her professional eyes and movements, Luo Li suddenly recalled the mysterious aura she had when she first met her, a aura associated with funeral homes.

Back then, how could he have imagined that this seemingly unattainable girl would one day be with him...?

"Li Zi! What are you daydreaming about!" Yang Shan smacked him. "Quick, look for clues! There's definitely a trap in this room!"

The five people split up to search.

Luo Li was in charge of checking around the coffin, Castorice checked the altar, Yang Shan and Kong Yan'er searched through the cabinets, Polyxena tapped the walls and the floor with her cane—her hearing was very sharp, and she could tell where the hollow parts were by the sound.

Suddenly, the music changed.

The eerie background music changed into shrill funeral music.

"Holy crap!" Yang Shan jumped up in fright.

At the same time, all the lights in the room went out.

Only the oil lamp in Luo Li's hand was still lit, but that faint light seemed even more eerie in the complete darkness.

"Don't panic, everyone!" Luo Li raised the oil lamp. "Some mechanism must have been triggered!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than the coffin lid burst open with a "bang".

A "ghost" dressed in white sat up inside—of course, it was a staff member in disguise, but it was still quite frightening in this environment.

Yang Shan instinctively stepped back and bumped into the altar.

Kong Yan'er calmly analyzed, "Based on its movement trajectory, this 'ghost' can't move faster than 1.5 meters per second, so its threat level is low."

Polyxena tilted her head. "The footsteps were very light, the weight should be around 50 kilograms, and it was a female staff member."

Castorice... Castorice is doing something that will shock everyone.

She stepped forward, nodded to the "ghost" who had just sat up in the coffin, and said in a calm tone:

"Thank you for your hard work. Your posture when you stand up is very good, with your back straight, which puts less pressure on your lumbar spine. Very good."

The "ghost" was clearly taken aback.

Luo Li: "..."

Yang Shan: "..."

Kong Yan'er: "Data update: Castorice's tolerance for horror scenes exceeds the normal range."

Polyxena burst out laughing, "Sis! This is your professional habit kicking in!"

The staff member dressed as a ghost was probably encountering this kind of reaction for the first time, and for a moment he didn't know how to continue the performance, so he was frozen in the coffin, unable to move forward or backward.

Finally, Luo Li, suppressing a laugh, stepped forward to defuse the situation. "Um... excuse me, is the clue in the coffin?"

The staff member, relieved, quickly nodded, pointed to the inside of the coffin, and then lay back down, thoughtfully pulling the lid halfway shut—presumably to end the awkward situation as soon as possible.

Luo Li held the oil lamp close to the coffin and, sure enough, found a note inside.

"What does it say?" Yang Shan asked.

Luo Li read aloud, "'The eyes of the dead gaze upon the truth'..."

Before the words were even finished, the room lights came back on, and the music returned to normal background noise.

The staff member inside the coffin is gone—they probably slipped away through a secret passage.

"So the clue is 'eyes'?" Kong Yan'er looked around.

Is there anything in this room shaped like an eye?

The five of them resumed their search.

This time, it was Castorice who discovered it first.

"Here."

She pointed to a statue on the altar—the statue's eyes were two black beads.

Luo Li walked over and tentatively pressed the button.

The bead became concave.

The sound of machinery turning came from the wall, and a hidden door opened.

"It's untied!" Yang Shan cheered.

Before passing through the hidden door, Polyxena suddenly grabbed Luo Li and whispered, "When my sister was talking to the 'ghost' just now, you kept looking at her, and your eyes were... how should I put it, gentle?"

Luo Li's face flushed.

Polyxena smiled, "Don't worry, I won't ask anymore. But..."

She paused, her voice even lower:

"Treat my sister well. She's actually quite naive; she just pretends to be calm."

Luo Li paused for a moment, then nodded seriously:

"I will."

The Castorice in front turned around. "What are you talking about?"

"It's nothing!" Luo Li and Polyxena said in unison.

Castorice blinked in confusion, but didn't ask any further questions. She turned and walked into the hidden door.

Luo Li watched her retreating figure, recalling the hazy Remembrance of last night, the way she curled up in his arms this morning, and the earnest yet adorable way she said "Thank you for your hard work" to the "ghost".

He smiled and followed.

Regardless of what happened last night, whether you remember it or not.

The important things are now and later.

There were several more rooms in the secret chamber, but Luo Li felt there was nothing left to be afraid of.

After all, he had a girl by his side who wasn't even afraid of a real funeral home.

And he seemed to somewhat like her unusual "dorkness".

I like it very much.

(PS: I really had no inspiration this morning, so I thought I'd write a side story.)