Chu Muge spent the night lying on a flesh carpet.
The flesh carpet, though disgusting in appearance, was at least soft and surprisingly comfortable to sleep on. You just had to be careful not to get a crick in the neck.
This was a new experience for her. Chu Muge's vertical pupils in her red irises fixated on the carpet of flesh beneath her, unsure if she should try it. "I've never slept on this before."
From the memories she had acquired, it seemed like every time she came to a place like this, it ended up with her being attacked.
Gu Yao, the master of this place, was generous. She tilted her head and extended a finger, pointing at the wriggling flesh mass.
Chu Muge followed her finger, looking at the writhing mass, not immediately understanding what Gu Yao meant. After a moment, her eyes widened, and her fur bristled as she exclaimed, "You... you want me to sleep next to that?"
Gu Yao nodded.
"No way!" Chu Muge shook her head, her eyes wide in disbelief, repeating emphatically, "No way!"
Zombies couldn't make facial expressions, so Gu Yao had to remain expressionless as she silently stared at Chu Muge, waiting for an explanation.
Chu Muge glanced at the flesh mass: "o??o?"
Her cat ears twitched slightly, and she made a clear face of disgust. "It's gross."
Gu Yao: ?
What? Say that again?
Gu Yao turned to look at the flesh mass.
Gross? Where? It's obviously adorable!
Unconsciously, Gu Yao's sense of aesthetics had changed. As she looked at the flesh mass, it was as if it had been layered with a thick filter, making it seem incredibly cute.
How could Chu Muge say that about it???
Just as Gu Yao was about to stand up for the little cutie inside the flesh mass, Chu Muge's soft voice interrupted:
"So, senior, do you think I look better, or does that thing on my head bother you?"
Gu Yao hesitated for a moment, following her true feelings, and slowly moved her pointing finger to Chu Muge.
Gu Yao: You! ovo
Chu Muge chuckled softly.
"Well, that's settled then. Later, you can even cuddle with me while we sleep.
...Who said anything about cuddling with you?
Gu Yao thought it might be best to keep some distance between them.
Of course, it wasn't because of any issue between them. Nor was it about feeling shy; she had fewer and fewer emotions lately. It was just about respecting her.
And... it wasn't at all because Chu Muge smelled so nice that she might just end up biting her in her sleep. Definitely not.
But Chu Muge didn't want that kind of respect. "I don't mind being the one who does the cuddling, senior, if you don't want to do the cuddling."
Gu Yao shook her head coldly, refusing.
Chu Muge pouted, feeling a bit wronged. "...You were okay with it before."
Her eyes, wide and glistening, looked up at Gu Yao, who had to suppress the urge to give in and stubbornly shook her head again.
Was I okay with it? That was just because I couldn't control my body and had no choice!
Now that she had better control over her body, Gu Yao felt more confident. No matter what Chu Muge said, she wouldn't let her cuddle!
Chu Muge puffed out her cheeks, her small hands, hidden in her sleeves, clenched slightly as she glared at Gu Yao in frustration.
She huffed, put the pillow she had taken from the furniture store on the second floor on the flesh carpet, and lay down, turning her back to Gu Yao. "I'm going to sleep!"
Gu Yao looked around at the dim environment and nodded without mercy.
With the absence of light and the silence of the night, everything would automatically fall into a state of silent sleep.
Zombies didn't need sleep, so Gu Yao sat against the flesh mass, her gray eyes half-open, staring blankly at the void in front of her.
Time passed.
At some point, she suddenly felt something creeping closer.
In fact, she had noticed it earlier—the body that had been lying on the flesh carpet was slowly inching toward her. Gu Yao remained still until the furry ears lightly brushed against her arm, finally prompting her to react.
She reached out and gently patted the head that was trying to rest on her lap.
"...!"
Chu Muge immediately grabbed her hand, slowly moving it away from her cat ears, whispering softly, "Don't touch, don't touch..."
Alright then.
Gu Yao shrugged.
It seemed that Chu Muge was very sensitive there and did not like to be touched.
Chu Muge quietly moved closer, gently resting her head on Gu Yao's lap. Even without looking down, Gu Yao knew that Chu Muge must have had a faint smile on her face.
Chu Muge spoke softly again, emphasizing:
"Goodnight, senior."
Got it, got it.
Gu Yao heard her.
-
"Wear it, please? Just once?"
Chu Muge held a maid outfit she had brought down from the third floor, looking at Gu Yao with anticipation.
Gu Yao didn't move, only slightly raising her eyes to look at the top of Chu Muge's head.
The cat ears were gone.
TNote :(( why
Gone!
Even the eyes had gone from red back to their black color!
Gu·Cat Enthusiast·Yao: ??? Disappointed.
Chu Muge hadn't fully awakened her abilities yet. Earlier, she had only forcefully activated them using the memories she had acquired, so naturally, the traits of the abilities had faded away.
Gu Yao was unsatisfied as she looked at the maid outfit in Chu Muge's hands, getting more frustrated the more she thought about it.
She still wants me to wear this? And she won’t even let me touch her ears!
Chu Muge, sensing Gu Yao’s thoughts, waved the maid outfit pitifully and said, "Please, senior? Next time... next time I'll let you touch them."
Chu Muge put down the outfit, brought her hands to her head, and lightly flapped them, blinking at Gu Yao.
Chu Muge: ???o?o???
Pretty-please?
Gu Yao remained silent.
Chu Muge's pitiful look wasn't the soft, cute kind of act. It was more like a sly, mischievous cat temporarily acting, playing nice to get something better.
Gu Yao knew this well, but she still couldn’t resist the temptation in the end.
...Fine.
After a long pause, she nodded slowly, holding back.
Chu Muge’s eyes lit up, and she quickly picked up the maid outfit, rushing over to Gu Yao as if afraid she might change her mind. "Come on, senior, let me help you put it on!"
No, no, I can do it myself.
Just as Gu Yao reached for it, Chu Muge asked, with a soul-piercing question: "Do you even know how?"
Gu Yao: ...
No.
Amidst the fumbling—
"Let’s take some photos outside."
Once they were done, Chu Muge insisted stubbornly:
"It’s too dark here; the pictures won’t come out well."
She held a phone in her hand, its battery showing 16%.
Chu Muge glanced at the yellow battery indicator on the screen and pouted, "I’ll look for a place to charge it next time."
She then opened her backpack and stuffed a pair of white stockings inside.
Gu Yao: ...
No matter how good-looking you are, that’s still creepy!
Chu Muge, oblivious to this, zipped up her bag and turned her attention back to Gu Yao, her gaze dropping to the black stockings on Gu Yao’s legs.
She murmured, "Senior, you really look sexy in this."
Gu Yao: ... Thanks, I guess.
-
Click,
Click,
"Senior, say cheese~"
No, thanks. You're nuts.
In the early morning, on an empty square, Chu Muge held up her phone, pointing it at the expressionless Gu Yao, sticking out her tongue playfully. "One more!"
Scattered objects were carelessly discarded across the square, and a gust of wind blew a promotional flyer into the air.
Gu Yao glanced at an abandoned amusement park car next to her: the cartoonish, three-dimensional Happy Sheep on the front had its paint peeling off from years of exposure to the elements, its eyes faded and rolled back.
As Gu Yao watched Chu Muge enthusiastically taking photos with the dilapidated Happy Sheep, she felt like a dead fish inside.
...She really didn’t see what was so great about this.
But as they looked through the photos together afterward, Gu Yao felt even more strongly that there was nothing special about them.
**First Photo:** She stood rigidly by an empty fountain, motionless, like a statue.
**Second Photo:** She stood rigidly in front of a cracked carousel, motionless, like a statue.
**Third Photo:** She stood rigidly beside a celebrity billboard, motionless, like a statue.
...
**Seventh Photo:** She stood rigidly beside the amusement park ride with the white-eyed Happy Sheep, motionless, like a statue.
As Chu Muge swiped through the photos, her eyes sparkled as she praised, "Senior, you look just like a wooden figure."
Then, she added with lingering satisfaction, "But the pictures turned out great, the black-and-white maid outfit really suits you."
Gu Yao: ...
Girl, are you serious?
Gu Yao silently looked at the photos again.
No, what’s so great about them? Every single scene is eerie as hell!
And she really did look like a wooden figure! It was as if she had been cut and pasted into each image with no variation in her pose at all.
Rather than a casual photo session, it felt more like someone on the run, taking snapshots with a mystical camera of the vengeful spirit stalking them.
...Terrifying.
Gu Yao had managed to scare herself.