⚠️ SPOILER ALERT!! ⚠️
This post contains a detailed spoiler for a date that has not been released in EN yet! Feel free to notify me if there are any mistakes in the translation~
The afternoon sun passes through the gauze, softly covering the puppy’s belly that rises and falls with its breathing, like a floating dandelion.
The “furball” nestled on the ground stretched out and rose to chase the flashing light beam.
Looking at its carefree back and thinking about my physical and mental exhaustion these days, I couldn’t help but sigh.
Lucien : What’s the matter? You seem to have something on your mind.
Lucien sat down beside me and handed me a cup of warm black tea.
MC : You may not believe it, but I recently encountered a bizarre thing.
MC : Over the past two weeks, I’ve often woken up to strange noises while sleeping, and lately they’ve become stranger.
MC : I bought a bag of snacks yesterday morning, but the bag was empty when I woke up in the afternoon. I can’t remember when I finished eating it!
Lucien : …
Lucien put down the teacup thoughtfully.
Lucien : In this case, it may be due to continuous work that leads to neurological fatigue and memory fragmentation.
I shook my head firmly.
MC : Memory fragmentation is only a temporary phenomenon, but I get it every day…
Seemingly aware of the somewhat tense atmosphere, Furball stopped playing and obediently walked around at my feet.
Lucien reassuringly held my hand and looked down vigilantly.
Lucien : There’s another possibility.
Lucien : I remember, two weeks ago happened to be the date you promised to help your colleague take care of it. Maybe it’s secretly messing around?
Furball : Woof!
Probably understanding what Lucien said, Furball barked aggrievedly. I hurriedly turned around and held it in my arms.
MC : I have also considered this possibility, but I don’t think it’s Furball’s fault.
MC : Furball has always been very well-behaved. He’s not the kind of dog who loves to mess the house.
MC : And I put it in the cage every day before bed. It can’t get out, so naturally, it can’t cause a mess.
Lucien raised his eyebrows slightly when he heard the words and looked at me with interest.
Lucien : It seems that you have a guess.
I nodded and spoke hesitantly.
MC : I have checked a lot of information in the past few days, and now I have a bold guess…
MC : Lucien, I may have been sleepwalking.
Lucien : Sleepwalking?
Lucien was stunned for a moment, then tilted his head a little. His shoulders raised imperceptibly in the face of the question.
MC : ….is this inference funny?
In dissatisfaction, I gently pulled Lucien’s face back towards me, and the corners of his mouth were still held up.
Lucien : I just thought of a previous discussion with you.
Lucien : Nowadays, many people’s first reaction after feeling unwell is not to seek medical treatment but to self-diagnose after an online inquiry.
Lucien : A certain someone didn’t understand it at the time, but I didn’t expect her to “follow in footsteps” so quickly.
I sniffed and heaved a whine.
MC : I am different. Influenced by Professor Lucien, I conducted rigorous reasoning and checked a lot of literature!
As I said, I put the furball aside, found the screenshot of the paper saved on my mobile phone, and raised it in front of Lucien.
MC : Here, “Excessive intake of caffeine not only affects sleep quality but also stimulates the nerves and increases the chance of sleepwalking.”
MC : And I just happened to drink a lot of coffee because of overtime!
MC : Isn’t this a perfect match with sleepwalking, from the cause to the phenomenon?
Furball barked in agreement. Lucien took it from my arms, gently raised its paws, and made a gesture of asking questions.
Lucien : In that case, I have three points for you to discuss with me.
Lucien : First, sleepwalking is associated with delayed cerebral cortex development. If there is no history of the disease in childhood, the possibility of sudden onset in adulthood is very little.
Lucien : Secondly, mainly sleepwalking occurs during deep sleep, which is not consistent with what you said.
Lucien : Finally, the most important point-
Lucien imitated my serious tone and slightly raised his eyes.
Lucien : Judging from my past experience of sleeping with you, you have no sign of sleepwalking.
MC : But…
For a moment, I couldn’t think of anything to argue, and the tips of my ears slightly flushed. Lucien let go of Furball’s claws in a good mood and changed the conservation.
Lucien: But in science, examples are far more powerful than theories.
Lucien : Maybe you’re the one who suddenly sleepwalks as an adult.
Lucien : So, if I can observe your relevant behavior, my argument above will naturally no longer hold.
MC : So…if Lucien is not so busy at the institute tonight, just accompany me to sleep with Furball once.
MC : Just consider it an observation of my “pathological activity” ~ my passion for science, I really don’t want to delay a moment!
Lucien arched his eyebrows and pulled the strands of my hair behind my ears.
Lucien : I certainly won’t refuse to be so exploratory with you.
In the soft light, the sound of the keyboard which had been going on for several hours finally stopped. I leaned back in my chair and suddenly heard the sound of Furball barking at my feet.
I looked down and saw that the furball was looking at me with the dog sausage.
MC : Do you want some?
I tore open the package and took one out to it. The Furball swallowed, and pushed the other sausage towards me.
I couldn’t help laughing, put the rest of the sausage on the table and patted its head.
MC : It turned out to be for me, thank you little furball~ but I don’t need this to cheer up.
After feeding the sausage to it, I turned around and sent a video invitation to Lucien.
After only waiting for a few seconds, Lucien’s face appeared on the screen. I smiled and waved my hand.
MC : Good evening, Professor Lucien~ are you still busy?
MC : Furball, say hello with me!
Furball : Woof!
Furball raised its paws cooperatively.
The corners of Lucien’s mouth showed a smile, and he rubbed his forehead relaxedly.
Lucien : Calling now, are you ready to rest?
MC : Of course not. It’s just that I couldn’t help being distracted when I thought of our “observation” agreement, so I wanted to call you earlier.
MC : However, I don’t seem to be calling at the right time.
My eyes fell on the heavy document in his hand. Lucien looked in the direction of my line of sight, with a hint of clarity in his eyes.
Lucien : It’s actually not as heavy as you might think-
MC : But it was late at night to get home.
I spoke tacitly, and shook my finger at Lucien.
MC : We’ll talk about it when you get back, but for now, let’s not talk too much. Let’s count down to three seconds and we’ll start concentrating on our work, shall we?
Lucien let out a smile, half leaning on the table, looking at me tenderly. My sight was held back, and the beat of my countdown slowed down a bit.
The words came out, and I finally looked away from the screen. Soon, the sound of tapping the keyboard came from the earphones.
Time passed quietly, only Furball was still giving away in my arms from time to time, looking curiously at Lucien in the screen, my gaze also subconsciously drifted over.
Lucien was pondering with his eyes down, the cold light showed light and dark on his profile.
I involuntarily showed a smile but was caught keenly.
Lucien : Did you find anything interesting?
Lucien stopped the movement of his hand and looked at me with interest.
MC : I just found that every time I video call with you, I feel that the work at hand doesn’t seem to be so tiring.
MC : The effect is comparable to that of the ginseng soup served to the Emperor in the TV series.
MC : It seems that if I have important work in the future, I will have to work with you.
Lucien’s smiling eyes flickered on my face for a moment before he closed the book’s page.
Lucien : But my concentration is not as good as yours.
Lucien : Every time I see you, my eyes can’t help but linger on the screen for a long time and get distracted.
Resisting the urge to make fun of him at the corner of my mouth, I made a soft “oh” sound and deliberately blocked the camera with my hand.
MC : If I just let you hear my voice, will you be able to concentrate?
Lucien shook his head, his voice slightly helpless.
Lucien : That’s even worse.
Lucien : I will unconsciously wonder what you are doing at home and what kind of expression you have.
Lucien : Even the only remaining focus was gone.
At dusk, the lights outside the window gradually lit up the night view of the city.
After hitting the enter key hard, I breathed a long sigh of relief, and finally put a stop to the planning that had been going on for days.
I searched for the position of the slippers with my toes and unexpectedly touched a piece of warmth. Looking down, Furball fell asleep at some point.
I gently carried it back to the cage with my hands and feet, and then put it back on the bed. I’m looking at Lucien lazily.
Perhaps there was a problem, Lucien lowered his eyes faintly, and gently pressed the pen cap with one hand.
I unconsciously softened my voice.
MC : Is there much more?
Lucien looked at me when he heard the words, his eyebrows softened a bit.
Lucien : Well, it’s over now.
Lucien : Are you going to sleep now?
MC : Wait a minute. I’m not very sleepy yet, so I’ll stay with you for a while.
MC : You focus on your work, don’t talk to me! Hurry up, finish writing, and go home~
A faint chuckle came from the earphone, and Lucien turned his eyes to the side.
Perhaps it was because I felt reassured when I looked at this person, but hearing the rhythmic percussion of the keyboard, I gradually felt sleepy.
I yawned tiredly, put my fingers on his face, and slowly closed my eyes.
Looking at my phone, Lucien seems to have become smaller, just by my hands around.
He was looking at me tenderly, every smile and every movement seemed to be slowed down and became incomparably clear.
I unconsciously clenched my fingers, whispering dreamily.
MC : Lucien, I’m a little sleepy… If I fall asleep later, remember to observe.
Lucien : Okay, I’ll keep an eye out.
MC : …you have to remember… come back early…
I slammed and closed my heavy eyes, letting the drowsiness like a flood slowly sweep me.
The world became soft and gentle, emitting a soft glow like a mist of moonlight. Lucien’s face is also gradually faded.
After an unknown time, footsteps suddenly sounded in the depths of the fog.
I tried to sink my eyes, distinguishing the light and shadow of the eyes in front of me. After a while, I finally recognized that Lucien was slowly approaching me.
His slender figure gradually shrank as he walked, so small that he sat on my finger after stepping out of the screen, and looked up at me in a serious manner.
He seemed to want to tell me something.
I leaned in breathlessly, trying to discern what he was saying.
Crash!
The sound of shattering exploded coldly in my ears. I woke up suddenly from the dream and sat up from the bed panting.
The light is still warm, but the vase originally placed on the bedside table is broken on the ground.
The rest of the place was also a mess, with slippers and empty sausage bags scattered on the carpet.
I got used to it for a few seconds and quickly picked up the phone.
MC : Lucien, did you see what happened?
I lowered my voice, walked briskly to the cage to release Furball, and looked around cautiously.
MC : The doors and windows are well locked, so there shouldn’t be a burglar, right? Lucien… Lucien?
The phone was silent and did not respond. In hindsight, I looked at the screen, only to realize that the window had turned gray.
But the increasing call duration proves that the video has not been interrupted. My heart skipped a beat, and I tried to ask again.
MC : Lucien, where are you? Can you hear me?
After a mottled noise, Lucien’s voice finally sounded.
Lucien : I’m almost home, don’t worry.
Lucien : I could hear everything. There’s probably a problem with the signal.
I rubbed my phone tightly and hesitantly asked him for confirmation.
MC : Just now-
Lucien : There are no thieves, and you are not sleepwalking.
As soon as I finished speaking, the familiar footsteps sounded outside the corridor. I opened the door, and Furball rushed out impatiently.
The puppy circled around Lucien’s feet excitedly, barking loudly from time to time.
Lucien softly shushed, picked up the furball from the ground and raised it in front of me.
Lucien : This observation experiment has already reached a conclusion.
Lucien : The reason lies in this little guy.
My gaze turned around on Furball’s face, and I looked at Lucien hesitatingly.
MC : Are you sure?
Furball : Woof!
The furball broke out of Lucien’s hand aggrievedly, went into my side and whined.
It only showed its butt to face Lucien. Lucien patted it a few times but there was no response.
Lucien reluctantly retracted his hand, handed me the phone, and scooped up the furball.
Lucien : As I mentioned before, examples are far more powerful than theories.
Lucien : Before you feel sorry, would you like to see what I recorded first?
Lucien said, holding up Furball’s neck and put him in front of the phone. I immediately clicked on the video.
The room was quiet and looked nothing unusual.
Until the sleeping furball in the cage moved his ears and tentatively pulled the cage door several times.
I stroked the furball’s paw. Vaguely aware that something was wrong, the sound of its throat suddenly became lower.
In the picture, it sticks its small claws out of the gap and flicks it gently. With a sound, the cage door opened.
Then it went straight to the bedroom, rushed to the table, and ate all the sausages in the bag. It jumped on the bed and circled me twice before kissing my face.
When he looked up again, the oil on his mouth was gone.
MC : …
When I thought of the wetness I felt when I woke up, I took a deep breath after realizing it.
MC : Fur-ball-
Furball, who had slipped a few steps quietly, shook his body, and I sneered and pinched his ears.
Seeing that the situation was not good, the furball struggled to escape from my hands, and tugged pitifully close to Lucien and curled up in a ball, not daring to come out.
Lucien made a gesture to shield it, his tone of voice is soft.
Lucien : Do you want to continue watching?
MC : Of course! This is all incriminating evidence!
I said looking at the screen, looking at the furball in the picture, shaking its head with my slippers. Without knowing that the vase behind him was shaking, he stepped back.
The vase shattered in the silence with a loud bang.
The furball jumped up in shock, and with a kick of his calf, he quickly got back into the cage, turned around a few times in a hurry, and bit the wire to restore the cage door to its original position.
Little paws lightly plucked, re-locked himself…
I narrowed my eyes and looked at the furball with only one pair of ears exposed, and my voice grew longer.
MC : You’re two-faced!
Furball : Woof!
Lucien patted Furball on the back with his hand, his voice softened.
Lucien : If you don’t apologize, I can’t help you this time.
Finally recognizing the current situation, Furball walked out from behind Lucien with a gift and handed it over to me as a tribute.
MC : Now that the truth is out, I want to deduct your canned food for the next three days. Do you have any objections?
Furball swallowed twice and gave himself up on the sofa. Lucien scratched its chin, and his eyes fell on me leisurely.
Lucien : In fact, in addition to furball’s trouble-making process, there is another picture that is also very interesting.
MC : What is it?
Lucien raised his hand and dragged the progress bar. I leaned up curiously and saw my sleeping face.
MC : What’s so interesting about this…
Lucien unhurriedly turned up the volume and motioned to me to listen carefully.
The next second, I saw myself in my sleep, opening my lips slightly and whispering.
MC on video : Lucien...
Lucien : Can you tell me what happened in the dream?
Lucien’s tone was very sincere, but his eyes flashed with a little bit of cunningness.
Unable to resist his gaze, I recalled the dream for a moment and explained it truthfully.
MC : It’s actually a very bizarre dream…you become the size of a palm and can fit in my pocket.
I raised my hand in front of Lucien for comparison and asked again.
MC : By the way, is there any scientific explanation for dreaming that the person you like becomes smaller?
Lucien thought for a moment and spoke.
Lucien : From the perspective of dreams, the interpretations vary.
Lucien : Maybe it’s the images you see before you fall asleep that have some effect on your psyche.
Lucien : Or maybe a book has impressed you so much that you unconsciously recreate its plot in your dreams.
Lucien paused and suddenly chuckled.
Lucien : But from the analysis of your explanation just now, one thing can be determined.
MC : What is it?
Lucien : MC should really want me to stay by her side all the time.
Facing the trace of Lucien’s smile, my face became hot unconsciously, and I deliberately present him with a tough question.
MC : Now that Professor Lucien knows this, how do you plan to solve this problem?
Lucien : From a realistic point of view, it is indeed difficult to be inseparable.
Lucien : But cherishing every moment together may also be a way to improve the sense of companionship.
Lucien’s final sound lifted slightly, and his slender fingers covered my palm at some point, interlocking with my fingers.
Furball : whimper
Furball, who had been left out for a long time, let out a low cry.
Struggling to jump out of our shrinking gap…