Early the next morning, Luo Wei opened his eyes with two huge dark circles beneath them.
The bed beside him was empty, Helena had gone somewhere.
He yawned tiredly, having had an indescribably difficult night's sleep...
Cuddling with the tentacles that had once killed him was undeniably nerve-wracking, making the entire night incredibly tormenting.
Moreover, Helena was a restless sleeper. Her tentacles kept moving against his body, sometimes suddenly growing spikes or hard scales in response to her dream state...
Luo Wei helplessly rubbed the red, swollen marks on his body.
Grumbling inwardly, he opened the door and went to the bathroom to freshen up.
After washing up, Luo Wei suddenly smelled a delicious aroma wafting through the house.
Perhaps due to his sleepless night, his stomach growled loudly.
Following the scent, he arrived at the dining room.
"Is big brother awake?"
Helena, wearing an apron, poked her head out from behind the kitchen door. A series of clanging sounds could be heard from inside.
"Yes, I'm up..."
"Are you preparing breakfast?"
Luo Wei looked over curiously, wondering why making breakfast was causing such a commotion.
As he rounded the long dining table and entered the kitchen, he understood what was happening.
He saw Helena using one tentacle to hold a frying pan, another to crack eggs, and two more chopping sausages on a cutting board nearby.
That wasn't all. Luo Wei noticed her remaining two tentacles fiddling with a toaster in the corner of the kitchen...
With a "ding" sound, slightly crispy and steaming toast popped up.
Watching Helena "use six hands at once," busy yet meticulous, preparing breakfast in an orderly manner...
Luo Wei suddenly felt less frightened of those tentacles...
Who could have imagined that the eerie tentacles that had killed him and made him "cold to the core" just two days ago were now sprinkling seasoning on a sandwich?
The whole scene had become rather strange.
...
"Ta-da!"
Helena winked playfully as she placed an elaborate and attractive heart-shaped breakfast on Luo Wei's plate.
Luo Wei looked at the expectant Helena, picked up his fork, and took a bite of the fried egg.
A rich flavor filled his mouth. The yolk was cooked perfectly, neither burnt nor too raw. Helena had even spread some ketchup on top and added a pinch of black pepper.
Luo Wei gave her a thumbs up, not speaking but instead swallowing the entire fried egg in one go.
Then, without pause, he picked up the bacon and vegetable sandwich and took a large bite.
In the early morning, the sunlight was just right, falling gently on their faces through the window.
Helena sat next to Luo Wei, resting her chin on her hand, quietly watching her brother eat.
There couldn't be a more perfect morning.
Even if it was just an ordinary, uneventful day like this, as long as her brother was there, Helena felt happy.
She truly hoped that every day in the future would be like this...
Helena's gaze on Luo Wei became somewhat distant.
"I'm full."
Luo Wei finished everything on his plate and gulped down his milk.
Finally, he burped contentedly and looked at Helena.
"Why are you daydreaming? Aren't you hungry?"
Luo Wei forked a piece of fried egg and held it up to Helena's mouth.
"Open wide! Aah—"
The aroma of the fried egg brought Helena back to reality.
She smiled happily and bit the egg Luo Wei offered.
"Mmm... it's too big..."
"I couldn't bite it all..."
Helena only managed to eat a small bite, and the rest of the fried egg fell to the floor.
"Silly girl."
Luo Wei glanced at her with mild reproach, "Now you've wasted food! What were you thinking about earlier?"
A tentacle picked up the fallen fried egg as Helena smiled, her eyes crinkling like crescent moons, "I was thinking about some happy things, all about you, brother!"
"Oh? Is that so?"
"Can you guess what it was, brother?"
"Hmm... I guess... maybe something about our lunch?"
"What? Why are you always thinking about food?" Helena pouted, exasperated.
"Haha... Did I guess wrong?"
Luo Wei scratched the back of his head, "Given the situation and your dreamy expression, I thought you were pondering one of life's 'three great questions' — what to eat for lunch? But I guess not..."
The young girl rolled her eyes dramatically.
Although Luo Wei's joke wasn't particularly funny, she still couldn't help but smile afterward.
The girl's smile was as beautiful as a flower. She grabbed Luo Wei's arm and began to shake it playfully.
"Brother, keep guessing!"
"I can't guess..."
"Come on! Just try~"
...
On this sunny morning in the spacious house, the siblings' laughter came and went, just like any warm family's breakfast time.
However, beneath Luo Wei's gentle smile,
His mind was constantly calculating.
So far, everything was progressing smoothly. After showing remarkable patience, Helena's condition was becoming increasingly stable.
By nightfall, his skill cooldown would reset.
If he wanted to forcibly contain her tonight, there would still be some danger, though he could possibly use the [Suppression Potion] hidden on the second floor.
But Helena wouldn't sit idly by; a fight would surely break out.
Luo Wei wanted to avoid combat.
If he didn't act rashly and waited patiently for another day...
Containment would be more secure, with nearly 100% success rate by the third day.
Luo Wei weighed these two options in his mind repeatedly, while looking at the happily smiling girl before him.
And her scattered tentacles.
The seemingly harmless tentacles could pierce through his chest or head in an instant, with incredible speed and range.
He absolutely couldn't let his guard down.
So, he decided to wait and see, first observing her condition tonight.
To stay alive, he had plenty of patience.
For the next few days...
Luo Wei barely left Helena's sight, focusing on keeping her company at home.
Helena's condition became increasingly normal, even appearing indistinguishable from an ordinary girl her age.
More importantly, after these two days of companionship, Helena had come to believe that Luo Wei wasn't lying to her.
'Brother really isn't going to school anymore, but is willing to stay home with me.'
Although this meant Helena no longer had to worry about someone taking her brother away...
But still...
Helena looked at Luo Wei with some guilt.
Whenever she saw the occasional "dejection" or "boredom" on her brother's face, her sense of self-reproach intensified.
Someone like her brother shouldn't be confined in a "cage," right?
After all, he used to be so impressive, investigating many cases, traveling to various places, and meeting many remarkable important people...
Walking on the dark side of the world, free and unrestrained...
Perhaps what I'm doing is wrong?
Helena secretly observed Luo Wei, thinking that if he was too bored, she could find some things for him to do.
Even if he behaved well, letting him go out in the future wasn't out of the question...
On the other side, Luo Wei was unaware of Helena's thoughts, only sensing a vague feeling of being watched.
The progress over these two days had been so smooth that it felt... unreal, as if he were dreaming.
Helena was even willing to let him "have some air"...
Luo Wei could leave the house, walk around, and explore a bit.
But he believed that if he did so, Helena would certainly follow him secretly...
It was still early; the action wouldn't begin until eleven at night.
Luo Wei did plan to go out for a while. He wanted to buy Helena a stuffed animal.
He vaguely remembered that Helena quite liked such toys that young girls fancy. In the previous storyline, she had subtly expressed this preference.
However, at that time, he had turned the dating game into a detective game and had cast Helena aside as a mere tool, nearly forgetting about this setting...
Luckily, it wasn't too late now.
Although he didn't know why she liked stuffed animals, having something she enjoyed might make her more docile...
A purely benefit-based analysis.
Luo Wei, wearing a smile, changed his clothes and called out to Helena.
"I'm going out for a bit to buy something. I'll be right back!"
"I understand, brother."
Helena was leaning on the sofa reading a book, showing no unusual reaction and agreeing naturally.
However, after Luo Wei turned around, Helena put down the magazine and began to steal glances.
Luo Wei walked to the entryway and picked up his coat.
Just as he was about to change his shoes, a sudden knock on the door sounded.
For some reason, this unhurried knocking made Luo Wei's heart suddenly race.
He had a bad feeling about it.
"Brother?" Helena appeared behind Luo Wei, seemingly out of nowhere.
It startled him greatly.
"Who is it?"
"How would I know?" Luo Wei exchanged a puzzled look with her.
At this time, in such a remote location, who would come looking for them?
The knocking continued, one after another, as if determined not to stop until the door opened.
Helena glanced at Luo Wei, seeming to believe his words, then walked to the door.
"Stop knocking, please. Who are you?"
The knocking abruptly ceased.
Luo Wei heard a voice that sounded somewhat familiar.
"Hello, you must be Xiao Wei's family member! I'm Xiao Wei's teacher, Evelyn."
"I'm sorry to disturb you, but I wanted to make a home visit today."
"He hasn't come to class for two consecutive days. Skipping class is a minor issue, but I'm worried there might be something wrong with his health."
Outside the door was a gentle and magnetic female voice.
It was also very pleasant, the kind of voice that makes you think the person must be beautiful just from hearing it.
It's actually Teacher Evelyn...
Why would she suddenly come for a home visit?
This home visit couldn't be more ill-timed.
Luo Wei suddenly felt a bit uneasy and quickly looked at Helena beside him.
Helena's face was expressionless.
"Brother, your teacher cares about you a lot, huh?"
Her tone was low, as if suppressing some emotion.
In these two days, the Helena who always wore a smile seemed to have disappeared all at once.
Luo Wei hurriedly explained, "Well, Teacher Evelyn is very responsible. She's like this with everyone, not just me..."
Helena said quietly, "Didn't you say that Teacher Evelyn was acerbic and bitter, like she was going through early menopause?"
Luo Wei immediately felt awkward, "Uh... who knows, it's not easy to pin down someone's personality..."
"Oh? Is that so?"
Those azure eyes stared at him without a hint of emotion.
"Xiao Wei."
"That's such an intimate nickname. No one has ever called brother that before..."
Luo Wei's smile became even more awkward. How was he to know that Teacher Evelyn would address students this way?
This is killing me!
"Also..."
Helena looked at Luo Wei, who had just changed his clothes, her tone becoming intriguing.
"You're in such a hurry to go out. Brother, did you and your Teacher Evelyn arrange to meet at this time?"