Chapter 1 Nina Goes to School

"Uncle Duncan, I'm off to school!"

With a cheerful greeting, Nina bounded down the stairs. She turned and waved towards the second floor before heading towards the door.

The holidays were over, and today was another school day.

But before she reached the door, Nina suddenly stopped. She saw a figure moving behind the shelves not far ahead—the figure stepped out, and it was Shirley.

"Ah, Shirley," Nina said happily, stopping and waving to the girl. "I was wondering where you'd gone—are we walking together?"

"Walking together?" Shirley blinked in confusion. "Walking where?"

"To school, today is—" Nina started to say, but stopped halfway, a slightly embarrassed expression on her face. "Ah, sorry, I forgot...."

Shirley wasn't her classmate, nor did she attend school. The pleasant time they'd spent together on campus had only been an act. Nina knew this herself, but it had still happened, and often, she forgot.

Shirley's expression also turned strange for a moment, and a look of apology flashed in her eyes, but she quickly recovered and shook her head gently, "I won't go with you. My… 'investigation' at that school is already finished."

"I see," Nina pursed her lips, quickly returning to her usual cheerful demeanor. "Sorry, I forgot. I'll be going then?"

"Yeah," Shirley nodded, but then seemed to remember something, adding, "Oh, right, Nina… I'm going home today."

"Home?" Nina was taken aback, as if in just two days, she had come to regard Shirley as one of the family. When she mentioned going home, Nina was a little slow to react. "You're not staying here?"

"I have to go home. I'm only staying here temporarily," Shirley said, waving her hand, speaking words she had long wanted to say. "I told Mr. Duncan too, and he agreed."

Nina was silent for a moment, a little dazed. After several seconds, she hesitantly asked, "Then… will you come back?"

If possible, she really didn't want to come back in the future, and even wanted to steal a boat ticket and run off to Frost to avoid the storm.

A heartfelt desire to run away flashed through Shirley's mind, but then she felt a gaze falling on her from above. She quickly shrank her neck. "...I'll come to see you when I have the chance. My home isn't too far away after all, ha, haha..."

Nina tilted her head, for some reason feeling that Shirley's reaction just now was a little strange, but she quickly dismissed the thought. She was happy again, satisfied by Shirley's promise to "come to see her when she had the chance." She waved happily, then turned and ran out the door like a gust of wind, disappearing onto the street outside the antique shop.

Shirley stared blankly at Nina running off like a gust of wind, and after a moment, she snapped back to reality, realizing that a figure was standing on the stairs not far away, watching her quietly.

She quickly turned around, bowing and greeting him with a politeness rarely seen in her: "...Good morning, Mr. Duncan!"

"You're much more polite now. That's how a girl your age should be," Duncan said calmly, walking down the stairs. "You explained things to Nina? You're going home today?"

"...I explained," Shirley said, head lowered, her voice barely audible, afraid that the big boss would change his mind about what they'd agreed on. "You agreed too, that I can leave today."

"Why are you getting nervous again? You were fine yesterday. Does your nervousness reset every morning?" Duncan shook his head with a wry smile, stepping forward to pat Shirley's slightly thin shoulder. "Relax, I never said I was going to imprison you anywhere. I just invited you to stay here as a guest for a couple of days. You can go back whenever you want—and you can come back whenever you want."

"I… I understand," Shirley nodded repeatedly, then said with some helplessness, "A-Actually, I'm not that nervous. It's A'gou who's nervous all the time. Whenever you get close, it instinctively gets nervous, and then its nervousness is transmitted to me."

"A'gou, huh… well, there's nothing I can do about that. Its nervousness seems to stem from a deep-sea demon's sharp senses," Duncan shrugged, then looked at Shirley again. "But are you really not considering it? You can stay here. The place where you and A'gou live seems a bit simple, and it's not safe enough at night. This place is much safer in comparison."

An apostle of subspace saying his lair was a safe place was both reasonable and outrageous. Shirley thought about it for a long time but couldn't find a point to refute (mainly because she didn't have the guts), so in the end, she could only let out a series of silly laughs: "...Ahahaha..."

"That…!"

"Never mind, I was just saying. Don't worry about it," Duncan waved his hand, seeing her reaction. "Go ahead and leave. Anyway, you already know how to contact me. If you find any new clues about those Sun Cultists, remember to call me anytime."

Shirley nodded silently.

After two dreamlike days, she finally got permission to leave, a chance to get away from this terrifying presence. But when the opportunity really came… she suddenly found herself a little lost.

Chatting and joking with a "friend," living under the care of an "elder," a warm bedroom, bright lights, delicious food, and a peaceful life without fear of nightmares or the need to hide from guardians.

Now, she was allowed to leave.

For some reason, an absurd thought popped into Shirley's head—

A bright world had briefly opened its doors to her, and now, those doors were about to close.

Clearly, not long ago, this was what she had dreamed of—in fact, it still was. She… was just… a little conflicted.

In their mental link, she suddenly heard A'gou's low murmur, "Our life is going back to normal, Shirley."

"Yeah, it's going back to normal."

Shirley murmured softly in her mind, then she looked up, wanting to say goodbye to Mr. Duncan.

But at that moment, the expression on Duncan's face suddenly changed slightly.

In the darkness, he sensed a presence flash by in the distance. This… was one of the marks he had left behind!

"Mr. Duncan?" Shirley noticed the sudden seriousness on his face, and she became a little nervous. "Are you…?"

"I sensed a presence," Duncan said softly, interrupting Shirley. He looked up into the distance. "It seems to be coming from that direction."

Shirley didn't understand for a moment. "A presence?"

"It's a spark I left on that little bug," Duncan lowered his head slightly, looking into Shirley's eyes. "Do you remember that umbrella-wielding weirdo who attacked you at the edge of the dream?"

Shirley was stunned for a moment, then her eyes widened. "The fragment you sent back home?… But that was in the dream world…"

"Yes, that was an attacker who appeared in the dream world," Duncan's tone became meaningful. "But now I'm sensing that mark in the real world."

Shirley stared wide-eyed. She suddenly remembered what Mr. Duncan had said to her in that nightmare:

Perhaps, it wasn't just a dream.

"Shirley," Duncan's voice suddenly broke into the girl's memories. He lowered his head slightly, a smile on his face. "Before you go home, would you like to investigate with me again? Of course, if you don't want to…"

"I want to!" Shirley replied immediately before he could finish, her attitude so resolute that even she was taken aback. Then, as if to ease the awkwardness, she explained, "...That thing appeared on the streets after the fire. It must be related to the fire back then…"

Duncan put his hand on Shirley's shoulder. "Then we'll go together."

"How are we going?" Shirley took a deep breath. "Can you pinpoint the thing's exact location? Are we going to take the bus like last time…?"

Duncan shook his head with a smile. "I have a more convenient way of getting around now."

Shirley was stunned for a moment. She was about to ask what kind of convenient way of getting around, when out of the corner of her eye, she suddenly saw a shadow flying down from the second-floor staircase, accompanied by a series of sharp, strange female voices: "To Erxian Bridge, take Chenghua Avenue… Big seat! There's a big seat in the back…"

"…Sunflower seeds, drinks, mineral water! Move your feet in!"

The sudden shadow and strange voices startled Shirley, and when she saw what it was, her eyes widened even more: It was that bizarre pigeon! The pigeon that could eat nearly its own volume in French fries in one meal!

In the next second, as Shirley watched in astonishment, Ai Yi quickly circled in the air, green flames rising from its body. In the blink of an eye, the once-adorable white pigeon transformed into a terrifying spirit bone pigeon.

Shirley "...!"

She turned her head stiffly, as if to confirm something with Duncan, but before she could speak, she felt a blur before her eyes…

Amidst Ai Yi's constant nagging of "Big seat, there's a big seat in the back," a vortex like a flaming doorway flashed, and in the next second, a swift white pigeon burst out of the antique shop, flying straight into the distance.