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

Amid the cheerful greetings, Nina ran down the stairs. She turned around and waved in the direction of the second floor, then ran towards the door.

The day off is over and today is the day to go to school again.

But before she reached the door, Nina suddenly stopped. She saw a figure swaying behind the shelf not far ahead - the figure walked out, it was Shirley.

"Ah, Shirley," Nina said happily, standing still and waving at the girl in front of her, "I was wondering where you were going - do you want to go with me?"

"Together?" Shirley blinked in confusion. "Where to?"

"School, today is..." Nina said subconsciously, but she realized it halfway through and showed a slightly embarrassed expression on her face, "Oh, sorry, I forgot..."

Shirley was not her classmate, nor did she attend classes at school. The previous pleasant experience of getting along with her on campus was just a play - Nina herself knew this, but it was something that really happened after all, and many times she would still forget it.

Shirley's expression became strange for a moment, and she showed apology in her eyes again, but she quickly recovered and shook her head gently: "I won't go with you. I have completed my...'investigation activities' in that school."

"That's right," Nina pursed her lips and quickly returned to her usual smiling face. "Sorry, I forgot. Then I'll leave first?"

"Yeah," Shirley nodded, but then seemed to remember something and added, "By the way, Nina, I...I'm going home today."

"Go home?" Nina was stunned. It seemed that after only two days, she had already taken Shirley for granted as a member of this place. When she mentioned the word "go home", she was a little slow to react. "You're not here anymore?"

"I have to go home. I'm only staying here temporarily," Shirley waved her hands, saying what she had wanted to say for a long time. "I've also talked to Mr. Duncan about this, and he agreed."

Nina didn't say anything for a while, just a little dazed, and after several seconds she hesitated and said: "Then...will you come again in the future?"

If possible, I really don't want to come here in the future. I even want to steal a boat ticket and run to Hanshuang to avoid the limelight.

Shirley suddenly had the urge to run away, but then she felt as if a gaze was passing through the second floor and falling on her. She subconsciously shrank her neck and said, "I... I'll come to see you when I have the chance. After all, I don't live too far away. Ha, haha..."

Nina tilted her head. For some reason she felt that Shirley's reaction just now was strange, but she soon stopped thinking about it. She was happy again because she was satisfied with the other party's promise of "coming to her when there is a chance". So she waved her hand happily, turned around, and ran out of the door like a gust of wind, disappearing into the street outside the antique shop.

Shirley looked at Nina in a daze as she ran away. After a moment, she suddenly reacted and realized that there was a figure standing on the stairs not far away, looking at her calmly.

She quickly turned around, bowed and greeted him with a rare politeness in her life: "Good morning, Mr. Duncan!"

"You are much more polite now, which is what a girl of your age should be like," Duncan said calmly, and walked down the stairs slowly. "Have you explained it to Nina? Are you going home today?"

"I've made it clear." Shirley lowered her head, not daring to speak too loudly, fearing that the boss would go back on his word if he was unhappy. "You also agreed, I can leave today."

"Why are you nervous again? You were fine yesterday. Can you reset your nervousness every morning?" Duncan shook his head, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. He stepped forward and patted Shirley's slightly thin shoulders. "Relax, I never said I would lock you up somewhere. I just invited you to be my guest here for two days. You can go back when you want to - and you can come anytime you want."

"I...I understand," Shirley nodded repeatedly, then said helplessly, "Actually...I'm not that nervous. It's Agou who's always nervous. As long as you get close to him, he'll get nervous instinctively, and then his nervousness will be transmitted to me."

"Agou... well, there's nothing we can do. Its nervousness seems to be due to the keen perception of the Deep Demon." Duncan shrugged, then looked at Shirley, "But don't you really want to consider it? You can stay here. The place where you and Agou live seems a bit shabby, and it's not safe enough at night. In comparison, this is a very safe place."

A shadow in the subspace said that his lair was a safe place. This statement was both reasonable and outrageous. Shirley thought about it for a long time but couldn't find a point to refute this statement (mainly because she didn't have the courage to refute it), so in the end she could only let out a series of silly laughs: "Ah...ah haha...that..."

"Forget it, that's all I'm saying. Don't worry about it." Duncan knew what was going on as soon as he saw the other party's reaction. He waved his hand and said, "Go if you want to. Anyway, you already know how to establish contact with me. If you find any new clues about the Sun Cultists, remember to call me at any time."

Shirley nodded silently.

After two days that seemed like a dream, she finally got permission to leave here and got the chance to get away from this terrifying existence, but when this opportunity really came... she suddenly found herself at a loss.

Chatting and playing 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 hiding from guardians.

Now, she is allowed to leave.

For some reason, Shirley had an absurd idea.

A bright world had briefly opened its door to her, and now, that door was closing.

Obviously, not long ago, this was what she had always dreamed of - in fact, it is still the same now, she is just... a little conflicted.

In the mental connection, she suddenly heard Agou's low muttering: "Our lives are going to get back on track, Shirley."

"Yeah, getting back on track."

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

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

Somehow, he sensed a breath flashing by in the distance. This breath... was one of the marks he left behind!

"Mr. Duncan?" Shirley noticed the sudden serious expression on the other person's face. She suddenly became a little nervous, "You..."

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

Shirley didn't react for a moment: "A breath?"

"It's a small fire I left for that 'little bug'," Duncan lowered his head slightly and looked into Shirley's eyes. "Do you still remember the weird man with an umbrella who attacked you at the edge of the dream?"

Shirley was stunned for a moment, then her eyes widened: "Is it the fragment you put 'back home'? But...but that is not in the dream world..."

"Yes, that was the attacker who appeared in the dream world," Duncan's tone became meaningful, "but now I can sense that mark in the real world."

Shirley stared, and she suddenly remembered what Mr. Duncan had said to her in that nightmare:

【“Perhaps, it was not just a dream.”】

"Shirley," Duncan's voice suddenly came, interrupting the girl's memories. He lowered his head slightly with a smile on his face, "Before going home, do you want to go explore with me again? Of course, if you don't..."

"Yes!" Shirley answered immediately without waiting for the other party to finish speaking. Her attitude was so firm that even she was shocked. Then, as if to ease the embarrassment, she explained, "That... that 'thing' appeared on the street after the fire. It must be related to the fire that year..."

Duncan pressed Shirley's shoulder and said, "Then let's go together."

"How do we get there?" Shirley took a deep breath. "Can you confirm the exact location of that thing? We still have to take the bus like last time..."

Duncan smiled and shook his head: "Now I have a more convenient way of transportation."

Shirley was stunned for a moment. She was about to ask what kind of convenient transportation method it was when she suddenly saw a shadow flying down from the second floor stairs out of the corner of her eye, accompanied by a series of sharp and strange female voices: "Go to Erxian Bridge, walk along Chenghua Avenue... Seats! Seats at the back... Melon seeds, drinks, mineral water! Keep your feet away!"

Shirley was startled by the sudden appearance of the shadow and the strange sound, and when she saw what it was, her eyes widened even more: it was that strange pigeon! The pigeon that could eat almost the same amount of fries as itself in one meal!

The next second, under Shirley's stunned gaze, Ai had already circled rapidly in the air, with green flames rising from its body. The adorable white dove a second ago turned into a terrifying spirit bone pigeon in the blink of an eye.

Shirley: “……?!”

She turned her head stiffly, as if she wanted to confirm something with Duncan, but before she could open her mouth, she felt her eyes blurred...

As Ai kept urging "Master, there's a master behind," a vortex like a door of fire flashed by, and the next second, a swift white dove rushed out of the antique shop and flew straight into the distance.