After agreeing to communicate via email later, Muxiao Xiao finally departed.
It wasn't until the tentacle monster's figure vanished into the night that Natsumi Sakura let out a sigh of relief. She had been genuinely scared—scared that once Muxiao left, he might never return, disappearing from her life forever.
Why did she feel this way?
The fear of him vanishing… Natsumi touched her chest, her lips parting as she took a deep breath. "Haa…"
No good—her heart was still racing.
It had been pounding like this ever since Muxiao swooped in like a hero, crashing through the window to save her. She'd suppressed the fluttering in her heart before, but now, knowing Muxiao would be staying at her place, Natsumi's excitement surged, her heartbeat quickening even more.
"I need to be careful not to let Mom or Dad find out. They'd probably have a heart attack if they saw him, right?"
Natsumi only now fully registered Muxiao's appearance. His form meant he could never live openly in the light, even at her house—he'd have to hide from her family. But that was okay. She would keep him company.
She wouldn't let Muxiao feel alone.
It was strange, though. His appearance was terrifying—far scarier than the humanoid monsters at school. She knew her family wouldn't accept him, so why could she? Why didn't she care about his looks at all? Instead, she found him… cute. And even… even started to develop some special feelings for him. Ugh.
Having those kinds of thoughts and feelings for a tentacle monster was just too weird! Was she… was she some kind of pervert?
She knew it was wrong, but she couldn't control it…
"Summer—!"
Armed police officers with riot shields stormed into the school. Natsumi was pulled into her mother's embrace. While comforting her mom, she discreetly scanned her surroundings. The police were one thing, but there were also some plainly dressed, important-looking figures.
The most eye-catching were two women who arrived in a yellow Ferrari.
The blonde, wavy-haired beauty looked around in shock. "This is insane. Even for you, Mako, wiping out this many zombie tentacle monsters would be tough, right? Who did this?"
"Who knows? I'm just the muscle. Leave the investigating to the professionals…"
Natsumi couldn't hear the rest of their conversation, only catching the name Yuria Harudera faintly. As for survivors, only a dozen or so remained in the school, some collapsing on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably from the trauma of their rescue.
Natsumi also spotted Houichi and the others, but as her childhood friend glanced her way, she lightly averted her gaze.
"These people seem very professional. Muxiao, you can't get caught by them…" Natsumi whispered a silent prayer in her heart as she looked away.
[Evolution Points: 115/500]
"I've hit my limit," Muxiao muttered, standing on the rooftop railing, gazing at the distant rescue teams and police. The school was now shrouded in darkness, reeking of blood and littered with corpses—a scene straight out of hell.
So few students had survived. No matter how they tried to cover it up, this would cause a massive uproar once word got out. The only silver lining was that the infectious zombie tentacle monsters had been completely eradicated.
But that had little to do with him. Aside from clearing out a wave of monsters to boost his evolution points, his gains were limited. The zombie monsters were all gone—he'd milked this place dry. It was time to leave.
"This world is definitely not simple…"
Another reason for leaving: his [Intuition] ability was warning him of danger. There were some formidable people among the rescue team. Better to play it safe. Muxiao quietly slipped down the building, using his [Intuition] to evade the police, darting through shadows and corners.
He froze against a wall as footsteps and flashlight beams swept by. Blending into the darkness, Muxiao realized how incredibly useful [Intuition] was. That instinctive premonition had become part of his body, a natural reflex.
Whether for escaping, assassinating, fighting, sneaking, or even stealing… it was invaluable.
A true all-purpose superpower.
He checked—evolving it to [Super Intuition] would require 1,000 evolution points. Tch, no way that's happening anytime soon.
As for why he'd mentioned stealing… Muxiao gazed at the unfamiliar city after slipping out of the school. Thankfully, he could read Japanese—a small but helpful perk. Surviving in this strange city with his tentacle monster form would require some tricks.
Muxiao dove into the water, drifting downstream along the river. Once he was a safe distance from the school, he quietly climbed ashore. Conveniently, there was a park nearby, bustling with kids playing, young couples strolling, and elderly folks relaxing.
Rustle rustle rustle—
The sound of him slipping into the bushes didn't disturb a lovey-dovey couple on a bench, lost in their PDA. Annoyed at their display, Muxiao extended a tentacle, silently snaking around from the side, slipping into a pocket in a spot no one could see.
Girl: "Oh, stop it~ Why're you touching me~"
Boy: "???"
My bad, my bad, Muxiao apologized internally as he nabbed a wallet. Didn't mean to brush against you. He gleefully counted the cash inside—thick stacks of bills. Wow, so much money!
Glancing up at the girl's face under the dim streetlight, he froze.
"What the—?! She's ugly?"
He'd assumed there were no unattractive girls in this 2D world. Damn, my mistake. And with that heavy makeup—thick foundation, tch tch tch…
No, no, I can't mock her. She contributed all this cash, after all. It's not her fault she's not pretty. Muxiao rummaged through the guy's pockets next but found nothing, his expression darkening.
"So you're just a freeloader…"
Poor guy, must be tough. No wonder you're with someone older and unattractive—you're in it for the money. Respect for the hustle.
A sharp ringtone startled the couple. The older, unattractive woman jumped up. "Who's there?! Wait—my wallet—!"
Muxiao vanished with the cash. His phone pinged with an email from Natsumi, sent from an unfamiliar number. Probably worried he wouldn't be convinced by the email alone, she followed up with a call.
"Moshi moshi? Hello? Muxiao? Why aren't you saying anything? What's wrong—?! Wait, are you okay?!"
Muxiao's face darkened. You think I look like I can talk?!
"Are you an idiot?"
He hung up and texted back grumpily.
"…Oops, I forgot. Sorry, hehe."
Natsumi replied instantly.
Hehe, my foot!
"I saw the address you sent, but I don't understand it. I can't find it."
"Ugh, you're right. And it's risky for you to come to me—you might get spotted. Muxiao, send me your location and stay put. I'll come to you~"
Muxiao: "???"
Fifteen minutes later, the high-ponytail beauty arrived at the park, weaving through the crowd and past a bulletin board. She spotted the lone tentacle monster hiding in the bushes, seemingly lost in thought.
He looked like an abandoned animal, tugging at Natsumi's heartstrings.
"Muxiao~"
She rushed over and hugged him, gently stroking his jellyfish-like head. "It's okay, Muxiao. No matter what you look like, I'll always stay by your side. I won't leave you~"
???
What are you doing?
What's with that weird look? That gentle, caring expression—are you sick or something?