novellhall Chapter 14 Co-renting
Chapter 14 Co-renting
The tide of memories receded abruptly.
In the living room, the light from the laptop flickered as the news anchor delivered his report in a flat, monotone tone:
"...We would like to remind the residents of Holly City to pay attention to the behavior of those around them. If you encounter any acquaintances behaving strangely or repeatedly inviting you to secluded locations at night, please remain vigilant..."
Bai Yuzhe placed the carefully prepared food on the table, turned to look at the girl beside him, and called out:
"Okasan, dinner's ready!"
"They're here."
However, when the excited girl arrived at the table and saw that there were only vegetarian dishes such as braised pork and tofu fish soup, she immediately pouted in grievance.
"Onii-chan!"
Her voice carried a hint of coquettish complaint.
"Don't you love me anymore? It's always the same bland food. My super invincible divine power is almost exhausted. I want to eat meat, the kind that's fresh and full of life energy..."
Bai Yuzhe remained silent for a moment.
Put down your bowl and chopsticks.
The voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable firmness:
"Oh, hang in there a little longer. Once I join the company, we'll never have to worry about food again. Besides, because of the calamity that just happened here this afternoon, magical girls have already set their sights on this area, so it's not a good time to eat meat."
"I won't listen! I won't listen!"
The girl started to throw a tantrum, and a faint black mist began to uncontrollably dissipate from around her body.
"I want to eat meat! Right now!"
She was clearly out of control.
Next second,
Without warning, her cherry-like mouth suddenly opened in a way that defied the laws of physics, forming a huge, bottomless dark hole that instantly swallowed Bai Yuzhe, who was standing by the table!
Darkness enveloped everything once again.
Bai Yuzhe offered no resistance, even relaxing his body and letting the warm, sticky feeling of being enveloped completely overwhelm him. He could feel Yeyue's tentacles exploring his body, as if confirming something, or perhaps simply savoring the experience.
After a long time,
The darkness then slowly receded.
He was vomited out and landed back on the chair next to the dining table, completely unharmed.
The girl smacked her lips, a hint of lingering satisfaction on her face, but her once innocent eyes now held a complex, indescribable emotion. She muttered softly:
"Okay, I'll hold back a little longer. But next time... you have to find me some meat, or I really won't be able to resist."
Bai Yuze silently picked up his chopsticks.
He placed all the plumpest pieces of meat from the plate into Yeyue's bowl.
The other person has truly suffered while following me in Dongqing City for the past three or four years.
This can be seen from the other person's height.
It used to be three or four meters.
Now it's only 158.
Unconsciously,
Bai Yuze turned his gaze to the magical girls flying around outside the window.
or......
But soon,
He shook his head.
Although the magical girl leader was indifferent, they still fulfilled their duties, sealing the entire neighborhood with a magic circle.
In particular, three or four magical protective shields were erected near their home to prevent the spread and pollution of the abyssal miasma.
This shows that
The atmosphere of this adjudication team is simply incomparable to that of other cities.
Just as I was thinking,
Their doorbell suddenly rang.
Bai Yuze glanced subconsciously at Ye Yue behind him, who was frowning as she ate, but he didn't rush to make her hide. Instead, he opened the door directly.
After spending a long time together, he discovered that neither the magical girls nor the humans in the vicinity seemed to be able to see Yeyue.
He didn't know why either.
When he first lived in Ninomiya City, many magical girls could see Yatsuki, and some even said that Yatsuki was very cute.
They need to hug and cuddle.
However, as Yeyue spent more time with him, and was in a state of going hungry for three days and nine meals a day, the magical girls around him gradually lost their sense of her.
Basically, unless Yezuki takes the initiative to eat or do something, the magical girls around her will ignore her presence.
How to put it...
Somewhat similar to the symptoms of the bunny girl senpai...
Other than that,
Yeyue's figure also shrank, even though she used to have a mature and elegant figure.
Bai Yuze suppressed his guilt and disappointment.
Looking towards the door.
They found no one outside the door, only a plastic bag containing some brand-new federal currency, and nothing else.
It's over,
In the eyes of these magical girls, he had truly become a beggar.
Bai Yuze did a quick count.
Around 15 photos
This is a huge sum of money for a college student who can't even afford breakfast.
Thinking this way,
Bai Yuze's nose twitched slightly. He could smell that the money had just been withdrawn from the bank and still carried a strong scent of ink. He made a quick note of the girl's scent on the note, knowing that he would need to repay this favor if he could find her later.
Ok,
How should I return it?
Of course, I'd be her boyfriend!
Such a kind magical girl,
He likes it the most!
"Onii-chan, you're drooling."
Ye Yue leaned closer without him noticing, tiptoed, and gently wiped the corner of his mouth. Then, tilting her head, she asked, "What are you thinking about so intently?"
"Magical girl."
"Eh? Little sticky rice cake wants to eat magical girls too?" Yezuki's bright, watery eyes suddenly lit up, and her aura instantly turned dangerous.
"I haven't had this in ages! What flavor do you like? Spicy? Icy? Or chewy?"
Upon hearing this title,
A cold sweat broke out on Bai Yuzhe's back, and he instantly regained his composure, hurriedly pulling the eager girl back:
"Oh, no rush, no rush. It's not time yet. Wait a little longer, after I graduate, you can have whatever flavor of magical girl you want."
The girl's face immediately fell, and she pouted:
"Then you can't lie to me, Onii-chan."
Bai Yuzhe immediately assured him, "From childhood to adulthood, when have I ever lied to Okasan? But our most urgent task right now is to move."
"Okay then, where shall we move to?"
Ye Yue skipped and hopped over to Bai Yuze's side. When she saw the photos of houses in Maple Leaf District displayed on Bai Yuze's phone, she immediately beamed with joy.
"Yay! I heard that's where the most magical girls are..."
"Forehead."
Bai Yuzhe remained silent for a moment, then quietly moved the location from Maple Leaf District to the adjacent Hanjiang District, and whispered:
"The houses in Maple Leaf District are too expensive and not convenient for our movement, but Hanjiang District might be relatively better. I plan to go there to look at houses tomorrow."
He watched as the light in Ye Yue's eyes dimmed little by little, and hurriedly added:
"The food in Hanjiang District isn't the best, but it's consistent and won't attract attention from above. While Maple Leaf District has a lot of good food, eating out there is too risky and could easily get you caught. Besides, Hanjiang District has many clothing stores; you've always wanted to go shopping, right? Once we move there, I'll take you shopping!"
"Oh well!"
Seeing that Yeyue's mood had improved again,
Bai Yuze's mood immediately improved a lot. Seeing the other person happy made him happy too.
Next second,
dong dong——
The piercing knocking sounded in their ears again.
Bai Yuze remained silent for a while.
Judging from the noise, it's definitely not someone coming to deliver money to him.
Open the door,
Two slightly wary figures stood outside the door, dressed in black suits and white gloves, looking somewhat like funeral processions.
"Who are you?"
Bai Yuze glanced at them. Although the two wore standard smiles, their eyes were filled with fatigue and vigilance.
"Hello, is this Mr. Bai Yuze? We are from the Municipal Archives Administration. We are currently updating the basic information on permanent residents every three years, which may take a few minutes of your time."
The lead staff member showed a seemingly legitimate work ID and spoke in a calm tone.
"The Archives Administration Bureau? Lu Zihai..."
Bai Yuzhe glanced at it briefly; it certainly didn't look like one of those fake IDs that cost fifty yuan a piece. Thinking this, he opened the door and took a step back.
"Please come in."
however,
Neither of the two staff members went inside; instead, one, holding a tablet, remained outside. Lu Zihai said with a smile:
"Bai, don't be nervous. We're just asking some simple questions."
Saying this,
The other party took out a paper form and handed it to Bai Yuze.
"Mr. Bai, could you please fill in your name, ID number, registered address, and other basic information..."
"OK."
Bai Yuze looked somewhat puzzled, but he was still quite willing to cooperate.
See here,
Lu Zihai's attitude had also improved considerably, but while Bai Yuzhe was filling out the forms, the other party kept asking him questions:
"Bai, do you remember what you ate last Wednesday night? Which elementary school did you attend? Do you remember your high school homeroom teacher's full name, and do you have any suggestions for the community, etc..."
This series of questions
Even Bai Yuzhe was struggling, but fortunately, these were not difficult questions to answer. Even if he couldn't think of them right away, Lu Zihai wouldn't rush him but would give Bai Yuzhe ample time to respond.
About a few minutes
Lu Zihai put away the paper forms on the table and smiled, "Thank you very much for your cooperation, Bai. Next, you will be finished after we collect your fingerprints and facial images once."
Speaking of which,
A staff member standing outside the building came in carrying a device that looked like a tablet.
See here,
Bai Yuze tensed up involuntarily.
After being questioned for so long, how could he not know what the other person did?
He wasn't worried about being asked questions.
However, he still felt somewhat uneasy about this kind of testing that involved contact with instruments.
Although he's not a fake, he's not a human being either!
But on the surface,
He still cooperated fully by extending his finger to have his fingerprints recorded.
Almost at the moment of contact,
The fingerprint collection device instantly released an extremely weak pulse of magical energy.
It penetrated the surface of his skin.
Almost instantly
The body instinctively wants to retaliate.
But Bai Yuzhe gritted his teeth and forcefully suppressed his anger, and walked the whole way with a curious expression.
A moment later,
Another staff member looked at the tablet and saw that all the data was green, and nodded almost imperceptibly to Lu Haizi beside him.
See here,
Lu Haizi slowly put away the form, adopting a casual, conversational posture, and said:
"Bai, I see you're studying at Holly University in Maple Leaf District. It's almost a two-hour commute from Parrot District to Maple Leaf District. Haven't you ever thought about moving to Maple Leaf District?"
Bai Yuze gave a few bitter laughs.
"The security situation in Parrot District is not bad, but it's absolutely terrible. I would like to move there, but the cost of living and rent are too high. It's definitely not something I can afford on my own."
Lu Zihai was silent for a moment, then slowly said:
"A calamity occurred here this afternoon, so it's no longer suitable for us to live here. Bai, do you have any plans?"
Bai Yuzhe hesitated for a moment, then nodded slightly.
"Yes, I'm planning to move to Hanjiang District for a while. Although the environment there isn't as good as Maple Leaf District, it's much safer than Parrot District. I was lucky today; if I hadn't been so lucky, I probably would have been eaten by this invisible monster."
"Are you planning to take out a loan?"
When Lu Zihai came to investigate, he naturally found out everything about Bai Yuzhe. This student Bai was no ordinary person. He had studied at Dongqing University for three or four years and yet he hadn't taken on any loans, which was quite amazing.
Bai Yuze nodded slightly, his face filled with bitterness.
"Yeah, landlords in the Parrot District mostly won't refund the rent for houses here."
"..."
Lu Zihai was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "Have you considered sharing an apartment with someone else?"
"I've considered it, but I'm unfamiliar with the area..."
"Here's what we're saying: my roommate is being transferred to Qinghe District, so the room's been sitting empty anyway. Why don't you move in? I see you're a student at Dongqing University, so you probably aren't a bad person."
"This...this isn't quite right..."
Lu Zihai glanced at him and said slowly, "Fine, if you're not happy, then forget it."
"Yes, yes, then I'll have to rely on Brother Lu from now on." Bai Yuze nodded hurriedly, looking embarrassed.
"This is my phone number. You can contact me if you're ready to move tomorrow."
"Okay, okay."
Bai Yuze quickly took the card and key.
boom--
The door closed.
Bai Yuze felt the cool touch of the key in his hand, pondered for a moment, then turned his head and saw Ye Yue drooling all over the ground beside him, which made him chuckle.
"Okay, stop thinking about it. Go wash up and go to bed."
"Oh~"
Ye Yue pouted.
He went back to his room with a reluctant expression.
She had been waiting for the machine to flash red.
That way she can have an extra meal.
downstairs,
Lu Zihai wiped the beads of sweat that had inexplicably appeared on his forehead, dialed a number on his phone, and reported in a low voice:
"Team Leader Qiao, the target's biosignals are stable, memory anchors are clear, and cognitive logic is coherent. Initial investigation has ruled out the possibility of a fake human."
"Yeah, thanks for your hard work." Captain Qiao's voice came through the receiver, sounding relaxed. "Let's call it a day, everyone go back and get some rest."
"clear."
Lu Zihai responded, but didn't hang up immediately. He hesitated for a moment, then spoke:
"Captain Joe, there's something I don't quite understand. Why are we paying so much attention to this student? He looks... just like an ordinary college student."
A soft chuckle came from the other end of the phone.
"Ordinary? Someone who gets an S-level scholarship all year at Holly University, can you call that ordinary?" Captain Qiao's tone was relaxed, yet confident.
"Once the AET exams are over next month, these top students will be assigned internships. Being in such a good position gives them an advantage; shouldn't we start preparing them up early?"
Lu Zihai choked for a moment:
"Uh... but would they even consider this place?"
"So," Captain Qiao's voice was clearly teasing, "isn't it your turn, Lu University elite, to step up? Show off your personal charm."
"Captain Joe, I'd rather sell my talent than my body!"
"roll!"