Chapter 239 Epilogue - New World Arc (Thirty-Six)

My nasal cavity was instantly filled with the scent of another person.

Yu Qingzhou struggled to sit up in bed, but E027, as always, possessed incredible strength and, taking advantage of its home field, almost pinned Yu Qingzhou down.

"What...what exactly do you want?"

After a while, realizing that she had no chance of winning, Yu Qingzhou stopped wasting her energy and asked, panting.

In the stillness of the darkness, he heard the overlapping heartbeats, so frantic and intense that he couldn't tell which one was his own.

"...Shouldn't I be asking you this kind of question?"

After a long while, Yu Qingzhou finally heard E027's somewhat deep voice: "So, who is the uninvited guest after all?"

Unlike the tone that was always playful or feigned innocence in my memory, his voice was filled with deep weariness.

It felt like waking up from a dream.

If that were truly the case, it probably wouldn't be a beautiful dream.

He couldn't see the other person's face, so he couldn't imagine their expression.

The image of E027 in her mind merged with the darkness before her eyes, and Yu Qingzhou felt a long-lost sense of unease.

"If that's the reason, I'm sorry I didn't get back to my bunk before lights out and disturbed your rest."

"..."

Yu Qingzhou waited in the darkness for a while, then tentatively asked, "Can you let go? It's very uncomfortable like this. I'll get down now so you can continue sleeping—"

"Can't."

Hearing such a firm answer, Yu Qingzhou was taken aback.

I didn't know whether to be angry or amused... This guy really thought I was asking him a question.

As I was thinking this, I suddenly felt a lightness in my body.

Yu Qingzhou thought that E027 had changed her mind and was about to sit up when a pair of arms suddenly reached out from behind and hugged her around the waist.

My whole body froze uncontrollably.

Yu Qingzhou is ticklish, especially on her neck and lower back.

However, the current situation is—

E027 wrapped her arms around Yu Qingzhou's waist and rested her chin on the boy's shoulder.

The cool tip of my nose pressed against the soft flesh of my chin, and the gentle breath swept over me, stirring up silent shivers.

Yu Qingzhou didn't even need to lift his clothes to know that the surrounding area was probably covered in goosebumps.

The muffled sound of E027 came from a lower position.

"Is this better?"

Yu Qingzhou was stunned for a moment before realizing that the other person was responding to what she had said earlier, which made her very uncomfortable.

So you only listen to half of what you're told, huh...?

Yu Qingzhou was speechless, but there was no reasoning with E027.

Yu Qingzhou wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he felt that E027's behavior was becoming increasingly childish.

Furthermore, this change is directly proportional to the amount of time the two people spend together.

By the time Yu Qingzhou came to his senses, he could hardly remember what the other person looked like when they first met—although he also couldn't picture what E027 looked like now in the dark.

In fact, Yu Qingzhou had an even deeper impression of the roommate who later disappeared.

Could that person be my future self?

Suddenly, a thought popped into Yu Qingzhou's mind.

He still can't figure out what E027 wants from him... He gets ambiguous answers almost every time he asks a question.

What do I have?

It was nothing more than a body covered in old scars beneath the clothes, and a face that was only passable in appearance.

Aside from his unappealing appearance, his inner self is utterly empty.

Do you love me?

How could Yu Qingzhou, who didn't even have this herself, create something out of thin air and give it to the other party?

Yu Qingzhou was lost in thought when she suddenly noticed a damp, cool sensation on her collarbone, which felt like...like...

"are you hungry?"

Upon hearing Yu Qingzhou's sudden question, E027 paused noticeably.

After a while, he finally spoke up and asked, "Why do you say that?"

Yu Qingzhou hesitated for a moment, but decided to tell the truth anyway, because he remembered that E027 was usually quite clean...

"It looks like you just drooled on me."

"..."

silence.

A suffocating silence hung between the two.

Yu Qingzhou suddenly realized that she might have been a bit presumptuous.

He should have been more tactful, probably...

Just as Yu Qingzhou was thinking this, a soft, slightly cool spot suddenly pressed against her collarbone.

Before he could react, he was suddenly bitten. It didn't hurt much; he could feel the tip of his tooth pressing against the skin.

It was then withdrawn just before it was about to pierce the skin.

Then, as if to express apology, he replaced it with gentle, soothing licks and kisses with his lips and tongue.

However, for Yu Qingzhou, it would be better to simply bite him, leaving him covered in blood.

After all, pain can be tolerated, but an unbearable itch can really drive you crazy.

Not just psychological...

The boy held back for a moment, but finally couldn't help himself. He was going to say something to stop the other person, but instead, a low groan escaped his lips first.

It was like flipping a strange switch.

The tingling, itchy sensation spread from my neck like fireworks, all the way to the top of my head.

Yu Qingzhou's mind went blank for a moment, then he felt so ashamed that his whole body burned... because he had actually reacted to E027's licking and kissing.

Yu Qingzhou didn't know if E027 had noticed, but all his attention was focused on this at the moment. He was afraid that the other party would discover his body's abnormal reaction.

However, they were too close together.

Even if it's not face-to-face, some things are hard to go unnoticed no matter how hard you try to cover them up.

In particular, Yu Qingzhou's body not only became stiff, but her body temperature also increased significantly.

At this moment, E027's low body temperature almost had a redemptive quality, making Yu Qingzhou instinctively want to get closer.

But no, absolutely not...

We must leave here, get away from E027, before things escalate further... otherwise, we will definitely...

Just as Yu Qingzhou opened her mouth, she was interrupted by E027's muffled laughter.

"Maybe it's like you said—"

(Like... I said?)

"I am indeed a little hungry, so—"

(so?)

"Having some late-night snacks doesn't seem like a bad idea, don't you think?"

Yu Qingzhou didn't think it was very good.

If he still can't guess what the other person means by "late-night snack" at a time like this, he might as well be dead stupid.

Of course, in this situation, he would rather die stupidly on the spot.

However, at this point, it's probably impossible to get E027 to be released.

Just as E027 could sense the changes in Yu Qingzhou's body, Yu Qingzhou could also sense the other party's current situation.

It is even clearer and more concise.

At worst, I'll just pretend I was bitten by a dog, or that I was assaulted by a dog—

Yu Qingzhou tried to mentally prepare himself, but in the end, he couldn't fool himself. He still couldn't accept this!

Yu Qingzhou made up his mind to give it his all. He figured the worst that could happen was that he'd end up like his predecessor, completely forgotten. Even that would be better than nothing... better than nothing...

Unfortunately, he was ultimately a step too late.

The moment E027 reached out and touched that spot, the boy was so shocked he almost jumped off the bed.

Unfortunately, he failed to do so as well.

"What did I say?" E027 murmured softly.

The teasing whispers so close at hand burned Yu Qingzhou even more than a red-hot iron.

"We...we're all the same."