Once the affection level is maxed out, the rivalry begins!

"Oh, please have some water..."

Xia Xingzhi handed a cup of hot water to the black-haired girl sitting on the sofa.

"Thanks."

Lin Tingwan accepted it somewhat awkwardly.

After a brief emotional outburst, she stopped crying and realized how embarrassing it was to have burst into tears in someone else's entryway. She was now in a state of blissful sagehood.

"I never expected that the witch who was targeted by the phantom thief and Aze were childhood friends."

With the truth laid bare, there was no need for further concealment in the conversation. Xia Xingzhi cautiously said, "Um, you probably hate it when I'm here bothering you, right? I suppose so, after all, I'm a detective who's practically a nuclear waste collector..."

She stood up and walked towards the door: "I'm leaving now. It doesn't matter if I sleep on the streets, encounter danger, or get killed! It's no one's fault!"

"Isn't that a bit too cunning of you to say?"

Lin Tingwan grabbed her sleeve. "And you're still wearing my pajamas."

"Then, I'll take it off and give it back to you."

"Stop right there!"

She quickly stopped Xia Xingzhi, who had already rolled up the hem of her clothes, revealing her snow-white belly.

"I'm the one being targeted by the phantom thief. It's too capricious of me to kick out the detective who came to help."

Although she had just given in to her willful desires and wanted to refuse the other person's presence here.

But Lin Tingwan has now evolved into a mature lady!

"So you can stay here without worry."

She made a promise, seemingly in the tone of the host.

Xia Xingzhi patted her chest in relief: "That's great... If Miss Witch hadn't tried to stop me, I would have had to wait until you left and then sneak back to have Aze open the door."

"You're actually a natural-born dark strategist, aren't you?!"

Lin Tingwan suddenly couldn't feel at ease.

"I've heard that you possess the ability to get yourself involved in unusual events."

She had a sudden inspiration: "For my safety, I should stay here too!"

"Then you'll have to squeeze into the guest room together."

Bai Ze, with a towel draped over his arm, walked out of the bathroom.

Thank goodness, he finally got to take a shower!

By the way, Mingming, who was in his pocket, had been knocked unconscious by the smell of slime and was now being washed in the washing machine.

Dinner was takeout ordered by Lin Ting, and the three of them sat at the table and enjoyed pizza and fries together.

Normally, he and Lin Tingwan would have endless bickering.

But today, the two fell into an unusual silence, tacitly avoiding each other except for necessary exchanges.

The previous "argument" that revealed the truth was like a tiny but very noticeable thorn stuck between the gears of their conversation.

Although the resentment would naturally fade with time, Lin Tingwan ultimately couldn't wait any longer and asked:

"How...did you get persuaded by Rhea to join the Bureau of Spirit Disasters?"

Didn't she tell you?

Bai Ze swallowed the sweet-tasting cheese and asked in return.

"She said that you didn't want to be protected by me as an ordinary citizen who knew nothing, and you longed to step into the abnormal world and fight alongside me... something like that."

The girl's face grew redder and redder as she spoke, like the sky gradually being taken over by twilight.

In a sense, that's not entirely wrong.

"...Also, she said that the junior girl joined because she was following you."

Miss Rhea, look what you've done!

Lin Tingwan's feelings for Lu Xingyao have greatly diminished.

Bai Ze looked at her and said, "I'd like to ask you the other way around: do you think I'd be happy if you hid my identity as a witch from me?"

"Actually, besides safety concerns... I'm more afraid of being feared by you."

Since you've already been this open, wouldn't it be okay to confide a little more about your inner thoughts?

Lin Tingwan lowered her eyes: "If you hate me, I don't mind letting the phantom thief steal the witch's power."

That's why she asked Bai Ze that question when she received the notice.

If the thief is eyeing something she doesn't need, what's wrong with giving it to him?

Snapped.

"It hurts!"

Bai Ze withdrew his hand from flicking the forehead and stared expressionlessly at the girl Xuexue who was crying out in pain.

"Are you an idiot? Even if you say you are a projection of an ancient god from a higher dimension, and your true form is an indescribable tentacle monster, I won't be afraid."

"After all, the only person I know is Lin Tingwan, who is my childhood friend, a bit clumsy, and prone to crying and throwing tantrums whenever she encounters setbacks."

"So, don't let the phantom thief succeed, otherwise, without the witch characteristic, your persona will just be that of an ordinary childhood friend."

I guess I've been spending too much time with my junior, and I've even picked up her way of speaking.

But as long as the meaning is conveyed, that's fine.

"I think the most important persona I have is that of a childhood sweetheart!"

Lin Tingwan lowered her hand from her forehead and corrected her, "But since you've begged so earnestly, I'll reluctantly beat any phantom thief to a pulp."

Her lips curled up like a cat's whiskers, forming a big smile, and even the tear stains that had not yet dried seemed to sparkle.

Xia Xingzhi looked away with a hint of envy at the scene.

Being feared because of her abilities—that was also what she feared most.

Moreover, compared to Lin Tingwan, she had experienced similar feelings countless times.

Even her closest family members would surely despise her for bearing the burden of a chain of sins.

The witch's power is simply immense, but her abilities bring misfortune and calamity.

How wonderful it would be if someone were willing to step into an abnormal world for her sake.

If, if it were someone who could accept the former, and wasn't afraid of her physical condition, and was even willing to let her stay at home—

Could it be that this would also provide her with a place to stay?

"Miss Xia? Miss Detective?"

The female voice calling from in front of her interrupted her thoughts. Xia Xingzhi came back to her senses and blankly said "Ah".

Lin Tingwan withdrew her hand that had been waving in front of her.

"Should we go to our room now?"

Only then did she realize that all the lights in the living room were off.

You actually thought about this kind of thing and your mind wandered for so long!

Xia Xingzhi slapped her cheeks and shook her head vigorously, as if trying to shake the chaotic thoughts out of her mind.

She followed the girl in front into the guest room and found that a blanket had already been laid out on the floor next to the bed.

"You're a guest, so the bed is yours!"

Lin Tingwan sat cross-legged on the spread-out quilt, talking while playing on her phone.

—She might actually be a good person.

Xia Xingzhi couldn't help but think this, but words that shouldn't have come out of her mouth:

"Isn't Ah Wan a guest too?"

Seeing the witch suddenly seem to have been touched on a sore spot and was about to cry, I felt a strange sense of smug satisfaction.

"That's that one, this is this one, anyway, I'm different—speaking of which, the way you address me has changed."

Lin Tingwan looked up from her phone screen and at the girl lying on the bed.

"Ah... because you seem to dislike me calling Aze that, so I was wondering if it would be better to treat you fairly?"

Although she is socially anxious and timid, she is by no means clumsy. In fact, it would be strange if a detective couldn't figure out the reason.

"You like him, don't you?" Xia Xingzhi asked, resting her chin on her hand and peeking out from the bedside.

A young girl's love affair is as obvious as the lipstick on a cheating man's collar.

"No, no, no, that's not true!"

Yeah, that's probably what they call being tsundere.

The detective felt that she should use her professional skills to demonstrate her flawless reasoning process, ultimately leading to the conclusion that Lin Tingwan should confess her feelings immediately.

But for some reason, she remained silent.

—Then I'll take it, that's fine, right?