Yes, I did all of this!

"...Okay, three packs of taiyaki and three boxes of takoyaki, plus two sundaes."

As he spoke, Duanmu Mo called over the shop assistant. Other vehicles stuck here had already been packed up, so the shop was no stranger to this practice and quickly packed up the large pile of items.

The only strange thing was that the store's expression was a bit odd when delivering the sundaes. After all, the ice cream was only stored to prevent it from melting, and the store didn't expect anyone to actually buy it.

"Didn't Mr. Duanmu already eat this morning?" Shen Wuling asked, placing the box between the two of them after opening it and finding that the amount inside was more than she had expected.

He then picked up a seed and fed it to Duanmu Mo: "Here, Mr. Duanmu."

"I have a big appetite, it's okay—hold on tight."

As he spoke casually, Duanmu Mo ate a takoyaki ball and chewed it in his mouth. He then stepped on the gas, and the car began to steadily drive uphill.

The road quickly stabilized, and Duanmu Mo continued to drive as usual.

"Ah~"

Shenwu Ling had already opened a sundae box, scooped up a piece, and handed it to Duanmu Mo.

"Yes, thank you."

Duanmu Mo opened his mouth and took it in, nodding as he was about to say something, when he saw Shen Wuling also use the spoon to scoop up a piece of ice cream and eat it herself.

"...That's one I used."

"So what? I don't care." With a spoon in her mouth, Shen Wuling smiled at Duanmu Mo: "Could it be that Mr. Duanmu is shy?"

"...Who taught you all this?"

Helplessly, he flicked Shen Wuling's head and saw her scoop up another spoonful of sundae and hand it to him: "Here, Mr. Duanmu."

"I'll use the other spoon." Looking at the spoon, Duanmu Mo pondered for a moment, then shook his head.

"In that case, we won't have that much space to put our food."

There was only so much space between them. If they opened the sundae and used the spoon, they would have to find somewhere to put it. Otherwise, even a slight bump in the vehicle could cause the sundae to fall to the ground. Shinmai Rin said this with concern.

However, upon hearing this, Mu Mo laughed and said, "Open the cabinet in front of you and take a look. There are some disposable spoons in there, which are leftovers from my sundae."

"what?"

Shen Wuling opened the cabinet, saw a few wooden spoons in the corner, paused for a moment, and then a helpless look appeared on her face:

"I'm really impressed by you..."

She took her own spoon into her mouth, her tongue gently licking the part that Duanmu Mo had just been sucking on, while Shen Wuling fed him a sundae with another spoon.

—It was probably during rush hour, so there were quite a few vehicles on the road, and with the slippery road, there were also many traffic jams. So, with all the stopping and starting, it took quite a while, but the two of them managed to finish their breakfast before arriving at the bookstore.

"Ha, I'm full." After putting the breakfast back into the bag and wrapping it up, Shen Wuling looked out of the car. They had already arrived outside the bookstore.

With Duanmu Mo's help, Shen Wuling sat in a wheelchair, her expression turned serious, and she reverted to her usual aloof demeanor.

If it weren't for her appearance, Duanmu Mo would have almost forgotten that when he first met her, she was a girl with no money, no job, and no connections.

However, this was also due to her years of lying in the hospital. Through her interactions with Xia Yan and others, she became cheerful and reborn. However, in public, she still had to pretend to be a sickly girl.

He patted her head and led her into the bookstore.

This is the bookstore where he and Yu Zhi came last time. Duanmu Mo still remembers that Yu Zhi gave him a ring after that.

Thinking of this, Duanmu Mo glanced at his right middle finger, where the ring was still on his hand.

"What kind of books does Mr. Duanmu like to read?" Shen Wuling asked casually after glancing around and seeing that there were not many people in the bookstore.

"I read a wide variety of books, but there's nothing I really like. If I had to pick one, it would be this one."

Duanmu Mo took out a magazine from the side and waved it in front of Shen Wuling.

"What a boring hobby..." Shen Wuling shook her head helplessly and pointed to the comic book section: "How about we go check that out?"

Nodding, Duanmu Mo pushed her into the comic book section, where Shen Wuling picked up a comic book and started flipping through it.

"Mmm..."

In this day and age, you can find all kinds of comics online, but reading these physical books offline has its own unique charm.

She took out another shoujo manga and started reading. The content of this book was very simple: a romance manga about a beautiful high school girl and a CEO.

Such a huge age gap made Shen Wuling secretly glance at Duanmu Mo behind her, only to find that he was already engrossed in reading the magazine.

With a slight pout, Shen Wuling waved the comic books in her hand and placed the few she could see on her lap: "This is it. Alright, Mr. Duanmu, go buy the textbooks."

"These books of yours... are they also for class?" Looking at the books on her lap, Duanmu Mo said helplessly, "Your sister didn't ask you to buy these, did she?"

"My sister didn't tell me to only buy those kinds of books," Shen Wuling smiled. "Besides, these aren't unusable in class for me."

"I wonder what Yin will say about me when we get back..." Duanmu Mo sighed and shook his head, about to push her away.

Upon hearing his words, Shen Wuyin smiled mischievously:

"You can't always listen to her, brother-in-law!"

Chapter 419: Comics

Upon hearing her playful words, Duanmu Mo suddenly coughed:

"Ahem—what nonsense are you spouting?"

"Don't you think so, Mr. Duanmu?"

Shen Wuling tilted her head, a mischievous smile flashing across her face for a moment.

"...I'd like to know why you call me that."

In response to Duanmu Mo's question, Shen Wuling carefully counted on her fingers:

"That's normal. Mr. Duanmu, you saved my sister before you even opened your agency, so she must have a deep impression of you. Under these circumstances, you quickly learned about her secret as a magical girl, and then Mom and Dad started talking about your marriage to her..."

She recounted his interactions with Shen Wuyin one by one, but kept the fact that she hadn't seen them from her sister and Duanmu Mo:

"After all you've been through so much together, it's only natural for me to call you brother-in-law, right?"

"What's normal?"

Duanmu Mo looked helpless and tapped Shen Wuling's head.

"Don't say things that could be misunderstood."

"Alright, alright, Mr. Duanmu."

Shen Wuling looked straight ahead as Duanmu Mo pushed her away from the spot.

She didn't tell the whole story; the relationship between Duanmu Mo and her sister was more complex than what she described.

In Shen Wuling's view, perhaps Duanmu Mo had already sensed that Shen Wuling was aware of what had happened between him and Yin—or perhaps she hadn't.

However, none of this matters. Shen Wuling didn't say it explicitly, nor did Duanmu Mo make it clear. Let their tacit understanding continue.

—Thoughts flashed through her mind. After buying some more books that she would actually need for class, Shen Wuling and Duanmu Mo left the bookstore.

Yuzhi's school has excellent facilities and a high level of difficulty in its courses. So, although the school provides books to freshmen, there are also some extra assignments, which are what Shenwuling has bought.

There were quite a few books. After sitting in the passenger seat, Shen Wuling casually tossed her textbooks to the back and picked up a comic book to read.

"Is this good? What's it about?"

Duanmu Mo sat to the side, curiously peering over, only to have Shen Wuling abruptly close the book: "This isn't something someone your age can understand, uncle~"

"You really are..."

Duanmu Mo was helpless. When she was with him, he could clearly feel that Shen Wuling had a different demeanor than she showed to others. It was a kind of mischievousness that Shen Wuling had never shown before.

Thinking about it carefully, since Kamirin has been lying in the hospital since she became seriously ill, she had to become more mature so as not to worry her family. From this point of view, Kamirin's change can be considered a good thing.

Thinking of this, Duanmu Mo couldn't help but sigh and shake his head, then drove away from the place.

"Is there anywhere else you'd like to go?"

"—The place where the Key to the Underworld is." Shen Wuling said casually, raising her head: "...Although I'd like to say that, let's just take it one step at a time for now."

"Okay." Duanmu Mo drove her around the area, asking as he did so:

"Can the power of that Key to the Underworld block your senses?"

"Mm." Shen Wuling nodded:

“Yuzhi also said that the monster’s power ‘killed’ her senses. At first, I didn’t understand what that meant, but after fighting it for a while, I understood—that monster can corrupt everything, weaken and then erode power.”

Duanmu Mo nodded, letting Shen Wuling continue.

Shen Wuling raised her hand and looked at the dark gold gem on her wrist:

"I have examined my body. Even though we are still in the form of ordinary people, as magical girls, we still have energy that is released in a subtle way. This energy released in secret serves to sense monsters and protect ourselves."

"In other words, that strange person is constantly corrupting the surrounding forces, which is why you can't feel it, right?"

Duanmu Mo said, making sure to keep this in mind. With this method, he would have much more freedom to act secretly in the future.

Shen Wuling raised her hand and rubbed her temples helplessly: "In the past, we could always find out what the monsters were going to do immediately, and we gradually became dependent on this power. But after this ability was countered by the enemy, I was actually a little unaccustomed to it for a while."

"Don't say that. The ability to sense monsters is your magical girl's ability. Saying you don't depend on it is the same as canceling your transformation ability," Duanmu Mo shook his head and corrected him.

Shen Wuling paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "That's true... But now, finding the Key to the Underworld will be difficult."

But that happens to be my area of ​​expertise.

Duanmu Mo moved the corners of his mouth, thinking to himself.

"Let's go take a look around first."

Duanmu Mo drove aimlessly, his gaze sweeping to the side, when he suddenly asked in confusion, "Hmm? Why are there so many assault police over there?"

"Oh?"

Shen Wuling turned her head and looked in the direction Duanmu Mo was looking. In an unknown private hospital, there were already many police officers gathered at the entrance, and some police officers wearing exoskeletons could be seen looking around.

“That is…” Shen Wuling looked in that direction, a data-like glint in her eyes, “Mr. Duanmu, please stop.”

Duanmu Mo nodded and stopped the car by the roadside.

Soon, Shen Wuling learned the information: "...The identity of that strange man has been found. Is he the director of this hospital?"

"You think you can even find someone who's just skin and bones?"

Duanmu Mo showed surprise on his face, but remained calm inside. After all, it wasn't by chance that he brought Shen Wuling here; he had planned to do so for a long time.

"Well... but besides that, there was also a piece of human skin that had been torn open from the inside. After the doctor cleaned it up, it was confirmed that it belonged to the director of this hospital."