Chiyotsuki didn’t press further. Instead, she made a move that Zero never expected.
She reached out, gently placed her arm around Zero’s shoulder, and pulled her close.
Before Zero could react, she felt a soft sensation against the back of her head.
It was Chiyotsuki’s soft and gentle thigh.
“What are you doing…”
“Lap pillow.” Chiyotsuki’s voice came from directly above, still as gentle as water. “I saw your eyes were about to close. Rather than leaning against that hard wall and sleeping, it’s more comfortable to lie here with me.”
Zero fell silent. Even with her current physical condition, she could go days without sleep without any real problem. But mental fatigue was hard to relieve. Still, she decided to be a little stubborn for the sake of her barely existent dignity. After all, in her past life she’d been a tough guy—she couldn’t just live off a girl’s kindness. Though her little sister’s kindness didn’t count.
“I didn’t say I wanted to sleep.”
“But your body isn’t exactly honest.”
Chiyotsuki’s fingertips returned to her hair, combing through her smooth white locks one stroke at a time. “You’re always too tense. You maintain your image at school, take care of Xiao Jiu’s feelings at home, and help Fengxue with her troubles at night. You’ve been holding up on your own for so long. Sometimes you need a rest.”
Zero wanted to retort with ‘I don’t need this,’ but for some reason, the words stuck in her throat. Maybe she really was too tired lately. Leaning on someone else every now and then wouldn’t hurt.
The rooftop was quiet.
The wind blew from a distance, carrying a hint of autumn chill. Chiyotsuki’s thighs were soft, and the faint scent of black tea drifted from her, mixed with the light fragrance of shampoo from her hair.
Sometimes Zero couldn’t figure out how many emotions she couldn’t read lay hidden in Chiyotsuki’s always-gentle eyes. Was it sympathy that made her treat Zero so well? Or a sense of duty? Or could it be… ‘Is it because…’
‘Why are you so good to me?’ Zero finally asked the question that had been buried in her heart for a long time, closing her eyes.
Chiyotsuki’s hand paused in her hair, then she let out a soft laugh. “Because you’re a cat I picked up. But—” Her voice grew even gentler than usual. “If I’m being honest, it’s because you remind me of my younger self. Back then, I was just like you—always putting everything on my own shoulders, refusing to show weakness to others. I always felt the people around me needed my protection. But then, who protects you? You little idiot.”
Zero didn’t answer.
Her breathing gradually steadied, her long eyelashes casting a faint shadow in the afternoon sunlight.
Chiyotsuki looked down at the white-haired girl sleeping peacefully on her lap. Her expression was completely different from when she was awake. Gone was the cold distance that kept others at bay, gone was the unreadable calm she wore so often. All that remained was a delicate, defenseless little face, like an ordinary little girl.
“So stubborn when you’re awake,” Chiyotsuki murmured, gently brushing aside the stray hairs on Zero’s forehead, her voice so low it was almost a whisper. “You actually look pretty cute when you’re asleep. If Fengxue saw you like this, she’d probably—”
She didn’t finish, just narrowed her eyes and smiled.
Time passed. The school broadcast rang out the warning bell for the end of lunch break.
Zero’s brows twitched slightly, but she didn’t wake up.
Chiyotsuki watched Zero still sound asleep. Then she made a small, selfish decision.
She didn’t wake Zero. Instead, she adjusted her sitting position to make her pillow more comfortable. “Five more minutes, little idiot. I’ll wake you up in five minutes.” She said it softly, then looked up at the distant sky. Her golden eyes were filled with the afternoon sunlight—and also with a tenderness she herself was reluctant to admit.
While asleep, Zero had a dream.
In the dream, she was still the ordinary male college student from her past life, sitting in his dormitory playing games. His roommate was slurping instant noodles and trash-talking while they played. There were no Supernatural Abilities there, no golden-eyed girl’s gentle lullaby service. Only a lonely orphan named Lin Ling, worrying about next month’s living expenses.
It was that ordinary loneliness that made her cherish the ‘daily life’ she had now.
“Mm…”
In reality, Zero nuzzled against Chiyotsuki’s thigh like a kitten begging to be petted.
“…Time to wake up, little idiot.” Chiyotsuki’s voice came from above, as gentle as ever. “If you don’t get up, I’ll send a picture of you sleeping to Fengxue.”
Zero’s eyes snapped open.
Chiyotsuki was smiling at her, phone already in hand—who knew when she’d pulled it out. “Just joking. But the expression you had just now was pretty cute. Consider it a reward.” With that, she took a small individually wrapped cookie from her pocket and placed it in Zero’s palm.
“…Do you always keep cookies in your pocket?”
“For a stray cat I can’t stop worrying about.”
With those words, Chiyotsuki stood up and smoothed the wrinkles on her skirt. “If you want a lap pillow again, you can book in advance. Owner’s priority.”
Zero popped the cookie into her mouth, got to her feet, and brushed the dust off her skirt. She watched Chiyotsuki’s elegant back disappear down the stairwell, and suddenly noticed the corners of her own mouth had lifted by a few pixels more than usual.
Then she headed toward the stairwell.
“See? I told you I’m not a stray cat.” Her mutter was carried away by the afternoon breeze, dissipating between the teaching buildings.
The rooftop was empty again, only the lingering warmth on the railing proving that everything just now hadn’t been a dream.
Zero walked slowly down the stairs, fingers unconsciously touching her slightly burning earlobes.
When she reached the bottom step and turned the corner of the hallway, she saw three familiar figures at the entrance to Class 2C.
Lin Jiu was at the front, her sapphire-blue eyes lighting up the moment she saw her sister emerge from the stairwell.
Ye Fengxue stood with arms crossed, leaning against the classroom door. She let out a hum and turned her head away when she saw Zero, but her gaze still clung to her.
Hua Jianxi had a lollipop in her mouth. Her eyes darted between Zero’s reddened ears and the direction Chiyotsuki had left, then she flashed a knowing smile.
“Sis, where did you go at noon?” Lin Jiu asked, tilting her head, her voice very gentle.
Hua Jianxi, as if she’d found something amusing, deliberately fanned the flames. “Zero, you weren’t secretly sneaking off on a date with President Qian Dai, were you?”
Ye Fengxue whipped her head back around and snorted. “I don’t care where you went at noon! And remember, you absolutely have to come after school!!!”
Zero walked past the three of them expressionlessly and entered the classroom. “I just slept on the rooftop.”
“With who?” Three voices chimed in unison.
Zero sat down at her seat, flipped open her textbook, and covered her face with it, pretending she was dead.