Having found a demon, I've decided to raise her.

The landlady seemed a little anxious and said—

"Did you actually talk about it? Tell me honestly."

"What are you doing, checking my criminal record?"

"Stop talking nonsense. I'm demanding you tell the truth in my capacity as the landlord."

The landlady spoke with a somewhat weak voice, as if she were a little guilty. She knew that she didn't actually have the right to interfere so much.

Chen Ming crossed his arms, thought for a moment, and said—

"Hmm... Does online dating count? I once confessed my feelings to someone while playing a game, but it didn't work out, so I quit."

"What? That's it?"

The landlady waved her hand listlessly.

Chen Ming smiled and said—

"Well, I was young back then, only in junior high school, so it's forgivable that I was deceived by an older sister."

"I forgive you. It's nothing. I'm going back to sleep."

The landlady was about to head back.

Chen Ming stroked his chin and said—

"And there was one other time I don't know... never mind, it shouldn't be a big deal."

"...What? Speak quickly."

The landlady stopped in her tracks.

Chen Ming smiled and said—

"Back when I graduated from high school, someone confessed to me, and I told her I liked her too... Um, it's getting late, I'm going home now..."

"Wait a minute?"

The landlady grabbed his hand, her eyes turning fierce, and said—

Explain yourself clearly!

Chapter 42 Who does the loli landlady like? Who is it?

Chen Ming and the landlady sat by the flower bed.

He was actually somewhat reluctant, and said—

"It was just a momentary impulse, and why are you so agitated?"

"I...I'm not excited at all..."

The landlady looked away and said—

"I just don't want my tenants to have any impure relationships."

"But I'm already an adult, so what's wrong with not being pure?"

"Tsk... If you don't tell me now, I won't let you pat my head anymore."

The landlady puffed out her cheeks and turned her head away, her legs, clad in white pantyhose, swaying back and forth as she secretly glanced at him a couple of times.

Chen Ming scratched his head and said—

"It's normal for kids to be curious... I used to be a top student in high school and I would explain problems to a lot of people."

"and then?"

"And that's how it is... that's all we ever had in common, and then after graduation she suddenly called to confess her feelings."

To be honest, Chen Ming wasn't completely unfamiliar with that person, but there was nothing particularly special about them. He was somewhat expecting them to suddenly call and confess their feelings; he wasn't oblivious, and he could usually detect obvious emotions. (Sister: ?)

But it was actually a bit of a surprise that they actually called.

Chen Ming rested his chin on his hand and said—

"Perhaps I was influenced by Japanese harem anime at that time. I was pretty good to girls? I could sense some ambiguity, but that was all. It wasn't really like that."

"Not like that?"

"It's a little embarrassing to say... but... it's not like love."

Chen Ming scratched his head, feeling a little shy talking about love and romance like a grown man. So he continued, "—"

"Besides, everyone is in their final year of high school, so they're not adults yet."

"...It's just an excuse; you simply don't like it. Or rather, you don't like it that much."

"Perhaps."

If he truly liked her, he would have made a move long ago; that's just how he is. The landlady breathed a sigh of relief, smiled, and said—

"And what about the confession? What did you say back then?"

"Hey, hey, hey, do you even need to hear this? This is a matter of privacy."

"Hmm... how about this, you tell me the details of your confession, and I'll tell you something private of mine, is that fair?"

The landlady put her feet on the edge of the flower bed, hugged her knees, and smiled at Chen Ming.

Chen Ming blinked and said—

"I just can't do anything with you... I don't remember the specifics, but she called, and we talked for a bit. I noticed she seemed a little off, and her voice sounded like she was about to cry..."

"Then, just before she was about to confess, I confessed to her first, because I felt it would be too bad to force a girl to confess while crying. I also had a responsibility to flirt with her, so I spoke first."

"Then she complained that taking care of someone like that made it harder for me to let go... She asked me why I didn't confess to her at school if I really liked her. I said... because we're still young, and we don't know where we'll go in life. I can't take responsibility for that."

As Chen Ming finished speaking, a hint of apology and guilt appeared on his face. He glanced at the landlady, then looked at the ground, and said—

"I lied. All my words were just excuses. In the end, I just... don't like it."

Even when I confessed my feelings to him in return, it was just a temporary measure to ease his emotions; I never took it seriously. Looking back now, that was actually the worst approach I could have taken.

So such a confession is not the beginning of a relationship; it's just equivalent to him saying, "I don't want to hurt you."

Then the other person understood and stopped contacting them.

The landlady was unsure how to react. She wanted to feel relieved, but it also seemed rude... She felt like a really bad girl.

She sighed and said—

"Really... you always get yourself into so much trouble because of this."

"What do you mean by 'like this'?"

"Mind your own business, central air conditioning."

"..."

Chen Ming felt he had been insulted quite harshly; central air conditioning was practically equivalent to public... never mind.

The landlady jumped off the flowerbed, clasped her hands behind her back, then turned around sideways, her twin ponytails cascading down with gravity. She smiled and said—

"Since you've already confessed, I'll do as you asked and tell you something private of mine."

Chen Ming also dusted himself off and stood up, saying—

"It's basically about watching certain anime or something..."

……

"I have someone I like."

……

Silence fell; Chen Ming seemed to be petrified.

The landlady curled the corners of her lips, secretly delighted by his dumbfounded expression.

Leaving him alone, the landlady returned to her room.

Bang!

The door was closed.

……

……

Dong Yi, probably spurred on by Chen Ming, began practicing flying sword in his room, maneuvering the sword around the room.

Her brown eyes occasionally darted towards Chen Ming, who was combing the dog's fur, then she nudged Lucifer, who was studying recipes on the computer, and said—

"Hey, has Chen Ming been acting a bit strange since he came back?"

"Hmm...it seems so."

Lucifer nodded, his red eyes turning to Chen Ming, who was unconsciously grooming his fur. Cerberus in his arms was already ecstatic, but he had no intention of stopping.

"Woof." (Enough, enough, this can't go on... Ugh...)

Cerberus felt incredibly comfortable as he was constantly stroked, and by the time he tried to struggle, he was too weak to do so.

He pleaded with Chen Ming to stop, saying that if this continued... things would get strange...

But Chen Ming continued to pet the dog mercilessly, completely ignoring her requests, and his technique became increasingly skillful.

Cerberus's white fur feels amazing to the touch; petting it is very relaxing, and he becomes increasingly addicted to it when he's thinking.

No, it won't work...

Cerberus stuck out his tongue.

Lucifer, Lucifer, why are you just watching? I'm almost...

Lucifer looked into Cerberus's eyes, met her gaze for a moment, then decided to ignore her for now and asked Chen Ming—

"What's wrong? You seem to have something on your mind?"

"Lucifer...do you think love should be fair?"

"Isn't that unfair?"

Lucifer, resting his chin on his hand, said—