The amethyst hair clip gleamed softly in Castorice's hair, like a touch of lively starlight adorning her cool, aloof air.
Watching her, Luo Li felt that his heartbeat sounded particularly clear in the quiet living room.
The slight improvement to his [Remembrance Weaving] skill had sharpened his perception of the emotions and memory fragments around him.
At that moment, he could faintly sense a warm fluctuation emanating from Castorice, a mixture of delight, shyness, and some deeper sense of security.
The feeling intoxicated him.
"Um... should I get back to streaming?"
Luo Li scratched his head, somewhat reluctant to break the warm silence.
He had streaming hours to make up, and... he also needed a little time alone to process the soaring affection level and his newly enhanced ability.
"Mm."
Castorice nodded gently, her fingers still unconsciously stroking the crystal butterfly wings on the hair clip.
Back at his computer, Luo Li took a deep breath and put on his headset.
The viewers waiting in his stream immediately flooded the chat to welcome him back.
"Sorry, everyone. Just now... well, I had some household matters to deal with." He smoothly brushed it off and joined the ranked queue.
Yet his form seemed especially different that day.
As the game loaded and his fingers touched the familiar keyboard and mouse, a strange sensation emerged.
[Remembrance Perception] seemed to be working passively.
He could faintly "read" the vast, familiar memory fragments clinging to these peripherals-intense plays across countless days and nights, the exhilaration of victory, the frustration of defeat, and the emotional traces of all the times he had joked into his microphone...
These "battle memories" of his own, accumulated day after day, now seemed clearer, as though an invisible buff had been added to his feel for the game.
Not only that, but as his Yuan Ge moved through the canyon, he found that his predictions of enemy heroes' movements seemed more accurate.
This was not the pure increase in hand speed provided by [Super-Speed Reaction], but something more like an intuition based on "experience" and "pattern recognition."
For instance, a subtle movement tendency from the opposing jungler seemed to instantly overlap with a similar situation from a previous match, allowing him to decide whether to evade or counterattack a few tenths of a second earlier.
"Holy shit! That prediction from Li Dog! Godlike!"
"That game sense! Did he open his heavenly eye?"
"That spacing on Yuan Ge-he's got something!"
The chat erupted in amazement.
Luo Li himself was a little surprised.
Was this how the Path of [Remembrance] could be applied to gaming? Passively improving access to memories of his own plays and recognizing enemy behavior patterns through "déjà vu"?
He tried concentrating harder, actively "perceiving" the "battle memories" flowing through the match.
For a time, every clash and every exchange of skills in the canyon seemed to leave a deeper impression on his mind, subtly resonating with his vast memories of past matches.
Although he still made embarrassing plays and still got ganked, his overall mechanical fluidity and decision-making accuracy had clearly risen a notch.
He sailed through several matches in a row, Yuan Ge's puppet dancing in ever more elusive, unpredictable ways. Both the entertainment value of his stream and his results were quite good.
After ending the stream, Luo Li flexed his wrists, still wanting more, and gained a new understanding of the potential of the Path of [Remembrance].
This ability seemed more interesting than he had imagined.
He left his room and found only the newly acquired pothos, with its thick leaves, quietly breathing in the moonlight in the living room. Castorice's bedroom door was shut.
She must have gone to bed.
Luo Li felt a little disappointed, but more than anything, he felt a brimming sense of satisfaction.
After washing up, he lay on the sofa and summoned the system panel out of habit.
Affection at 88%! Portable Space at 1.5 cubic meters! [Remembrance Weaving] enhanced!
Quite a haul.
His gaze fell on the unfinished quest-
[Quest three: The courage to be honest. Tell Castorice that your 'Path' power originates from her (you may choose to disclose only some information), and observe her reaction.] [Reward: Improved affection detection precision (allows a vague perception of the target's current mood), a slight enhancement to the effects of the 'Remembrance Weaving' skill.]
Be honest?
Luo Li hesitated.
Just say, "My power awakened because of you"? Would that be too abrupt? Would it put pressure on her?
But the quest reward was tempting, especially that "improved affection detection precision." It was practically a divine tool for dating... er, for winning her over.
As he agonized over it, he unknowingly drifted into a deep sleep.
The next day was the weekend, and Luo Li had a rare lie-in.
He was awakened by an extremely faint whine that sounded directly inside his head.
"(´-ω-｀) Ugh... I'm so bored... Master is still asleep... and the pretty lady won't come out either..."
It was Xiao Hong.
Luo Li replied helplessly in his mind, "Why are you making a fuss so early? Running low on energy again?"
"(◡‿◡✿) Nope~ I had plenty to eat last time! It's just... I'm just so bored... Master, can we go out and play again? Find something 'exciting'?"
"Don't even think about it!" Luo Li refused flatly.
"It's broad daylight! What are you thinking?"
"(;′⌒`) Oh..."
Xiao Hong answered dejectedly and quieted down for a while.
But within a few minutes, its mental fluctuations became active again, this time thick with curiosity.
"(☆▽☆) Master, Master! What's that square, glowing thing with lots of little people moving around inside? The pretty lady sometimes stares at it for ages!"
Luo Li knew it meant the television.
"That's a television. You use it to watch programs."
"(⊙o⊙) Programs? Are they something tasty... ah, no, something fun? Can I watch?"
Xiao Hong amused Luo Li. Aside from eating, the little fellow was curious about everything.
He got up, went into the living room, switched on the television, and picked a morning news channel at random.
"(◕ᴗ◕✿) Wow! There really are people moving inside! What are they saying? They sound so serious..."
Xiao Hong focused its mental perception on the television, asking questions nonstop like a curious child.
Luo Li gave perfunctory explanations of words such as "news," "anchor," and "report" while preparing to wash up.
Just then, the news footage changed, and the anchor delivered a local report in a steady voice:
"...Last night, a joint operation by the police and the ability-user patrol successfully dismantled a low-ranking vampire gathering point in the abandoned industrial district in the western suburbs.
Cleanup at the scene is largely complete, and preliminary assessments indicate that the nest has been completely eradicated.
The relevant authorities remind residents to remain vigilant in the coming days and promptly report any suspicious activity..."
Several processed, slightly blurry clips of footage from the scene appeared on-screen. It was precisely the place Luo Li and Castorice had visited a few days earlier.
Luo Li stopped brushing his teeth.
The nest... had been dismantled?
Was it because their actions that night had left traces and attracted the authorities' attention?
Or was it purely a coincidence?
"(⊙ˍ⊙) Master, isn't that... where we went to 'eat' before?"
Xiao Hong had recognized it too, its mental fluctuations carrying a trace of belated nervousness.
"Maybe."
Luo Li answered indistinctly, feeling both relieved and shaken.
Luckily, they had acted fast and gone early. If they had run into the official extermination team, they would really have been in for it.
It also confirmed that the area had indeed been under official surveillance all along.
It seemed he would have to be even more careful about taking Xiao Hong out to "forage" in the future. In fact... it would be best not to go again.
"Don't even think about that place again, understood?" Luo Li warned Xiao Hong sternly.
"(;´д｀)ゞ Got it..."
Xiao Hong responded listlessly, even the red glow on the surface of its sphere dimming a little.
At that moment, Castorice's bedroom door opened softly.
She seemed to have just woken up too. Wearing her bunny pajamas, her long silver-purple hair hanging loose and slightly disheveled, her face still drowsy with sleep, she looked as languid as a satiated cat.
Seeing Luo Li in the living room and the television switched on, she blinked her violet eyes and greeted him softly. "Morning, Luo Li."
"Morning." Looking at her soft, utterly unguarded appearance, Luo Li felt his heart race helplessly again. His earlier conflict over "coming clean" was instantly pushed out of his mind.
Better... wait a little longer.
Find a more suitable moment.
Yet while he did not want to bring it up, someone... or rather, some spirit, still had it on its mind.
While Castorice went to wash up, Xiao Hong furtively spoke to Luo Li through mental communication. "(｀･ω･´) ✧ Master, Master! I think this is a great opportunity!"
"What opportunity?"
"(★ ω ★) An opportunity to come clean with the pretty lady! Look, she just woke up, so she should be in a good mood!
"And the atmosphere is perfect! Go on! Tell her your great power awakened because of her! She'll definitely be touched!"
Luo Li said, "...Just shut up."
Had this Memory Spirit been reading too many romance novels?
(Though it could indeed absorb all kinds of memory fragments.)
"(〃＞＿＜;〃) Master, why are you chickening out? This is the perfect chance to farm affection! Based on the romance memories I've absorbed, honesty is a key step toward deepening a relationship!"
"That's when both sides have a stable relationship and things fall into place naturally! We... aren't at that stage yet!"
Luo Li tried reasoning with this Memory Spirit that knew nothing about human relationships.
"(￣~￣;) Tsk, Master, you really don't understand a girl's heart! Look how well the pretty lady treats you! She cooks for you, worries about you, and even goes out to... 'play' with you! She must be interested in you too! Coming clean now is called striking while the iron is hot!"
"Strike your head!"
Luo Li felt it was simply impossible to communicate with this thing.
Just then, Castorice finished washing up and came out. Seeing Luo Li standing there with his expression shifting, she asked in puzzlement, "Luo Li? What's wrong?"
"(★ゝ∀・☆)ノ Master, say it!"
Xiao Hong urged him frantically in his mental space.
Luo Li opened his mouth, but looking into Castorice's clear, questioning violet eyes, all those prepared half-truths suddenly caught in his throat.
He realized that he was actually a little... afraid.
Afraid that saying it would shatter the warm balance they had now.
Afraid that it would make her think his kindness toward her had an ulterior motive.
Afraid of seeing distance or confusion appear in her eyes.
In the end, he only forced a smile and shook his head. "Nothing. Just wondering what to have for breakfast."
"(;´д｀)ゞ Sigh... Master, you're hopeless..."
Xiao Hong sighed in exasperated disappointment.
Castorice looked at him without pressing further, gave a soft "Oh," and headed toward the kitchen. "Then... I'll go make something."
Watching her slender retreating figure, Luo Li sighed inwardly.
Sure enough, he still lacked that "courage to be honest."
[Ding! Detected that the host failed to complete 'The courage to be honest' due to misgivings. The quest will remain available. Please try again when you consider the time appropriate.]
The system notification was calm and flat, yet it left Luo Li feeling a little defeated.
He needed more... confidence.
Or rather, he needed to be more certain of her feelings.
Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Castorice was slightly lost in thought as she skillfully beat the eggs.
Just now, she seemed to have faintly sensed an instant of intense fluctuation in Luo Li's mind, as well as... the extremely active mental residue of that red Memory Spirit, carrying a sense of encouragement.
Were they... discussing something?
Was it about... her?
She lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes casting faint shadows beneath them.
Luo Li... seemed to have so many secrets all the time.
But that was all right.
She poured the beaten eggs into the pan with a sizzle, and their aroma spread.
As long as he remained by her side, as long as this warmth remained real, the rest... did not seem so important.
She softly hummed a passage from an ancient requiem of Amphoreus. The ethereal melody lingered in the kitchen, blending strangely with the faint, sweet warmth in her otherwise peaceful mood.
Outside the window, the blood-eclipse clouds still hung low, but the temperature indoors was just right.