His facial contours blended softness with resolute beauty; his skin was fair and delicate like finely carved jade; his sword-like brows stood straight and powerful, pointing toward his temples; his eyes were deep as an abyss, containing a soul-stirring power—every detail was stunningly beautiful, impossible to look away from.
"Captain... Bai?" Huangfu Jun murmured.
A slight smile curved Bai Lin's lips. He raised his hand and waved, and the sea of clouds instantly swallowed him. He had come abruptly, and left just as abruptly.
Huangfu Jun instinctively reached out. "Wait, Captain Bai. Is the cat demon thing over just like that?"
Only silence answered her. The mist dispersed. No trace of a figure remained. Even in her brainwaves, he no longer spoke.
On the other side, before Huangfu Jun could figure out the situation, a faint green light floated before her eyes.
Huangfu Jun blinked. It was a firefly.
To her surprise, she saw the demeanor of the Jinhua Cat in the firefly's eyes.
[Sassy, ungrateful little black cat demon, is that you?] Huangfu Jun asked doubtfully in her brainwaves.
The little black cat demon, now only a remnant consciousness: "..."
It flew proudly. "Hmph! Although I've been taken away by Bai Lin, I still have to say something!" It said fiercely.
Huangfu Jun rolled her eyes. [If it's rude, I won't listen! And not until you apologize!]
The little firefly paused, then suddenly landed at her feet, flapping its wings and bobbing up and down, as if genuinely kowtowing in apology.
"Huangfu Jun, I was wrong. I apologize to you. After I leave, please take care of Li Ying. Give her someone to rely on. Don't let her think I abandoned her, okay? She's really lonely." The little firefly's voice became choked, as if the last bit of its emotional attachment was about to vanish like night stars meeting the morning sun.
Huangfu Jun's expression turned serious.
She recalled the memories she had seen when she entered Li Ying's subconscious just now.
In those memories, Li Ying wasn't good at expressing herself and often made mistakes in trivial matters. Later, due to some petty disputes, she was isolated by her roommates.
After being isolated, whenever Li Ying entered the dorm, she was met with others' disgusted looks. Although direct eye contact eventually stopped, it was replaced by deliberate neglect.
Li Ying didn't say it openly, but she was deeply hurt inside.
Her emotions were so tense that she nearly broke down. She dared not even go back to the dorm.
Only when feeding the poor, thin little black cat did her world gain some warmth. The little black cat was also weak, always bullied by other cats and dogs, pitifully unable to even scavenge for trash.
She took it to get treatment, bought it the best cat food, and watched it grow fatter day by day, as if she herself had found redemption.
But even that small joy was discovered by her roommates. They mocked her for being a scheming bitch, pretending to be nice.
Li Ying dared not go back to the dorm even more. Until lights-out, she would hide on the rooftop of the teaching building. There, the little black cat would always accompany her.
But she didn't know that the black cat rubbing against her legs often emitted a fierce light.
Although it was Li Ying's subconscious, Huangfu Jun's ability to "see" still showed her the other half of the cat demon's story.
It had disguised itself as a pitiful kitten, originally intending to eat Li Ying. Because it had just awakened and its demonic power was still weak, it urgently needed a human energy field.
But every time it tried to strike, Li Ying would bring out all kinds of delicious cat food. A second ago, it had bared its claws to attack her, but the black cat immediately lost its nerve and turned into a greedy little kitty.
Couldn't help it—the cat food was too delicious~
But it was a Jinhua Cat, a seducer. Cat food couldn't help it cultivate a human form.
Yet over time, after long companionship, it suddenly felt that being with Li Ying was fine. It didn't seduce her or lead her astray. Eating her cat food for a lifetime would be good.
After she died, it would find another target and then become a qualified Jinhua Cat.
But it overlooked one thing: demons naturally absorb the energy field of the Second World's ruler, especially Jinhua Cats.
Even if it didn't take the initiative, as their bond deepened, the demonic energy connection line's damage to Li Ying grew.
Back to reality, the little firefly, not getting a reply from Huangfu Jun for a long time, anxiously flew in front of her and started crying. "I just wanted to be friends with Li Ying... Please, help me!"
Pulling back her thoughts, Huangfu Jun looked at the anxious little firefly and curved her lips into a smile. [I'll think about it.]
At five o'clock the next morning.
Huangfu Jun changed back into her new blue suit and left the house.
The sky wasn't fully light yet. A black cat, as if hearing Huangfu Jun's movements, meowed and came out from the alley.
On normal days, Huangfu Jun always carried some food. This time, she had none.
The black cat meowed, pitifully rubbing against her pant leg.
Huangfu Jun gently raised her hand. A firefly emitting a soft glow floated out from her sleeve.
With this faint but steady light slowly drifting toward the black cat's forehead, after a gentle "meow," it quietly left as if its mission was complete.
Watching the black cat's receding figure, Huangfu Jun silently prayed: "Go. Li Ying is a better girl than I am. I can't feed you anymore. You must accompany Li Ying well for me~"
...
Back at the Monster Bureau in the distant suburban forest, Huangfu Jun walked forward and called out in her brainwaves: [Am I an awakened half-demon? Are there many humans who awaken supernatural powers midway and become half-demons?]
Bai Lin: [Only you. Other half-demons are offspring of human and demon unions, strictly controlled by the Half-Demon Supervision Bureau from birth. So you are a bug.]
Huangfu Jun: [...]
After watching Inuyasha for so many years, it turns out I'm the half-demon~
Author's Note:
None