Soon after, he lifted the covers and lay on his side.

However, as soon as he entered the covers, the soft and warm An Le snuggled up next to him.

"Mmm..."

Yan Huan stared blankly at An Le, who was holding him tightly as if she was reluctant to part. It seemed he realized she hadn't completely fallen asleep just now.

Fortunately, the conversation with Meow-chan earlier was entirely in his mind, and An Le couldn't hear it.

For some reason, Yan Huan spoke with a hint of apology,

"Sorry, did I wake you?"

"...No, I just...worried Xiao Huan might catch a cold...wanted...to warm Xiao Huan's body..."

Yan Huan opened his mouth slightly, then gently bowed his head, once again embracing An Le bit by bit,

"I...feel really warm right now, An Le...thank you."

"Hehe...that's...good..."

An Le chuckled foolishly, not knowing what happy thought crossed her mind.

But as she laughed, she gradually relaxed...

Until she completely fell asleep in Yan Huan's embrace.

...

...

"Crack..."

"Bang!"

At this moment, late at night, inside the deserted Akihabara shopping mall.

After remaining silent for a long time, the locker at the entrance was finally gently pushed open.

Inside the deathly silent mall, the petite girl who had been curled up for countless hours was too weak to walk anymore.

As soon as she pushed open the locker door, she fell to the ground, unable even to stand, only able to crawl forward with difficulty.

"Mmm..."

But even while crawling in the darkness, every scene from before seemed vividly clear.

The image of tentacles engulfing Spencer, her being powerless...

The sight of An Le kissing the President, thoroughly captivating him...

The more she thought, the more the petite girl on the ground suffered.

"Mmm..."

She furiously hammered her small fist at the cold ground, but her weakness made the sound dull and muted.

Besides causing herself pain, she accomplished nothing.

If only her body wasn't so fragile...

Then she wouldn't have fainted from a mere kiss with the President and become a burden to Spencer, leading her to be consumed by tentacles.

If only she weren't so cowardly...

Then she wouldn't have been frightened into hiding in the locker, waiting until deep night, when no one was around, before daring to crawl out now.

If only she weren't so foolish...

Then she wouldn't have ruined her martial arts, destroying her relationship with the President.

If only she wasn't...

The overwhelming regret, like a mountain crying and a sea roaring, threatened to crush everything in Sakuragi Hitomi.

She lay there on the ground, clenching her pink fists until her nails embedded deep into her palms.

"Mmm...mm..."

However, just as Sakuragi Hitomi cried in remorse, a brilliant light gently descended before her eyes.

The comforting light gradually illuminated her sight, covering all her fatigue, pain, and weakness at the moment.

"..."

Sakuragi Hitomi's body slightly stiffened, then she looked up incredulously.

In her bloodshot eyes, a mask floated right before her.

It was a mask in the shape of a fox.

From any aesthetic, in any style, at any angle, the mask was incomparably beautiful.

Its material and color were precisely perfect, beyond any reproach.

The well-traveled Sakuragi Hitomi instantly felt...

No craftsman, no material in the world could create such an extraordinarily beautiful mask.

But...

Wasn't the Personality Mask supposed to only appear in the Barrier?

Now, lying in this semi-open-air mall, she hadn't cast any Barrier at all.

Yet that fox mask floated ever so realistically before Sakuragi Hitomi.

"..."

But, Sakuragi Hitomi could no longer think.

She just lay there, disheveled, blankly staring at the exquisitely beautiful mask...

After observing for a long time, she finally reached out her delicate hand towards the mask, trembling.

And that floating crystal mask in mid-air, with a thousand-legged centipede's shadow fleetingly passing in its eyes, just looked at her hand approaching...

Closer and closer.

(End of Volume)

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