MTLNOVEL Chapter 94 - Lead
A week passed in the blink of an eye.
During these seven days, which neither felt long nor short, YouYu’s life could be described as a nostalgic “return to the past,” particularly reminiscent of the time after Liu Meng’s return.
After all, on the day Liu Meng first investigated his life before becoming a Negative Beast, YouYu had failed to perceive her mood in time, inadvertently stepping on a landmine. Though the situation didn’t spiral out of control, the memory still left him uneasy.
The next day, knowing he couldn’t rush progress, YouYu proposed a different method to assist her—essentially, helping around the house by doing chores or cooking meals.
At first, Liu Meng was hesitant. But after listening to his reasoning and pondering for a while, she finally agreed.
And so… the “nightmare” began.
Not that anything truly nightmarish happened—it was more about how her attitude toward him became increasingly strict after he made the offer to help.
The extent of her strictness and the events that unfolded are difficult to describe. To put it bluntly, imagine the scene of being nagged incessantly by an overbearing mother.
It was warmth mixed with a hint of torment.
“Even though I’m no longer human, this is still a bit much to handle,” YouYu lamented, sitting on the living room sofa.
“And this morning, she went out again. Who knows what she’s up to this time.”
“Well, I’ll just wait and see.”
Noticing that the clock on the wall was nearing the agreed-upon time, YouYu closed his eyes and continued waiting.
Since it was a day off, Liu Meng had mentioned that morning that she would bring him a surprise. She had left early, practically skipping out the door with a smile on her face.
Watching her cheerful departure, YouYu realized that this was an excellent opportunity.
If he could figure out what had lifted her spirits, he would have more options for his future plans.
For now, all he had to do was wait for her to return.
…
“Click!”
“I’m back!”
Not long after, Liu Meng opened the door and stepped inside.
Hearing her change her shoes and walk into the living room, YouYu opened his eyes in a groggy manner and rose from the couch.
“You’re finally back, Liu Meng.”
“So, what had you so excited this morning?”
“Huh? Didn’t I tell you? I was going to bring you a surprise.”
“You’re not still half-asleep, are you?”
“…Yeah,” YouYu admitted with a ‘reluctant’ nod after some thought.
Seeing his response, the excitement in Liu Meng’s expression gradually faded. She sighed and said, “Follow me. I’ll show you the surprise—it’s in the other room.”
“Alright.”
Following Liu Meng’s lead, YouYu walked to the door of the room where he had stayed previously. She asked him to wait outside while she went in to prepare something.
“…”
Moments later, YouYu sensed the faint flow of mana inside the room—the kind that occurred when a magical girl activated her abilities.
“YouYu, you can come in now,” Liu Meng called, poking her head out from the door.
“Alright.”
Watching Liu Meng open the door and lean out, YouYu pretended as if nothing had happened, casually stepping into the room.
“Huh? What’s this?”
He immediately noticed a white bed placed in the corner of the room.
Turning toward Liu Meng with a look of surprise, he asked, “Liu Meng, did you… buy this bed?”
“Yep! I went to the big mall this morning and bought it.”
“Buying it, I can understand. But how did you get it in here?”
“Just a little magic—nothing major. Mainly, I wanted to save on assembly fees, and hiring someone to bring it up here would’ve been a hassle.”
“But that’s not the important part,” she continued, clearing her throat and smiling. “Go ahead and try it out. See how it feels.”
“…Alright.”
Under her expectant gaze, YouYu walked to the bed, sat down, and lay back.
After days of sleeping on the sofa, the newfound softness was a relief. He exhaled deeply, visibly relaxing.
Then, as he turned over, his gaze caught a line of black text in the corner of the bed. He froze.
Unaware of his discovery, Liu Meng chuckled at his reaction. After a moment, noticing his puzzled expression, she coughed lightly and said, “You probably don’t remember, but I did say I’d get you a proper bed for your room.”
“I’ve just been so busy with work these past few days that I couldn’t make it to the mall until now.”
“You’ve been resting on the couch all this time while also helping out with chores. Thinking about it now, I might’ve been a bit too strict with you.”
“So, during today’s day off, I went to pick out the best bed I could find. I hope you like it.”
“No complaints here,” YouYu replied, shaking his head. “Having a bed to sleep on is already great. But I do have one question…”
“Why are these words written on the bed?”
“Words? What words?”
“…”
Hearing his question, Liu Meng paused. Then, realizing what he meant, she climbed onto the bed to check.
After a long silence, during which she seemed lost in thought, she sighed and got off the bed.
Turning to face YouYu, she said calmly, “You should step out for now. I’ll handle those words myself.”
“…Alright.”
Not surprised by her response, YouYu nodded and left the room.
Leaning against the door outside, he began recalling the text he had seen:
“For the little sister we all love…”
“…”
“And there was mana lingering around those words.”
“Though it was an accidental discovery, I now have a lead.”
“Her wish… it’s related to her sister?”