Great, we're doomed now!

"Why don't you just let Ruri and Yotsuya keep you company?"

"Humph~"

Seeing that she reluctantly accepted, Ye Shou quietly wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Qianhua, you never choose a better time. If it were when no one was around, I might have given in to you if you called me "good brother"... But this is in front of Liuli!

-

"Thank you, Auntie!"

See you tomorrow~

Jianzi's mother-in-law's house is currently only occupied by her aunt. She originally had another place to live and would visit her mother-in-law during the day, but Jianzi's mother called to say that her daughter had brought guests back, so the aunt took some time to come over, tidied up the house a bit, and aired out the quilts and such.

Although it was strange that Ye Shou brought his classmates back during a holiday or when students weren't on summer vacation, his aunt still warmly welcomed Ye Shou and his friends.

In addition to staple food, side dishes, and river fish, dinner also included a platter of seasonal fruits and vegetables. Ye Shou could not say it was lavish, but it showed that he put thought into it.

No one actually finished the buckwheat noodles at Obik's, and whether it was an illusion or not, everyone was still very hungry, so they gratefully enjoyed the meal.

There were only two guest rooms, so even without Qianhua's suggestion, the girls ended up in groups of three, leaving Ye Shou alone in an empty room.

-

The lights in the room went out, plunging the country cottage into darkness. In the quiet silence filled only with the chirping of insects, a pair of eyes as red as berries slowly opened, and a beast the size of a young black bear slowly emerged from its extravagantly large pet house.

Its fur color made it seem to melt away in the darkness; if it weren't for those exceptionally bright eyes in the night, its presence would be completely undetectable.

With its thick, fleshy paws concealed, Little Black moved silently, calmly leaving the courtyard.

Are you going out?

"!"

At that moment, the big cat suddenly turned around, already on all fours, but when it saw the other cat clearly, it was startled and immediately relaxed its guard, its tail drooping down.

In the corridor, Ye Shouzheng, dressed in Japanese-style pajamas, sat cross-legged, propping his face up with one hand and quietly observing its every move.

"Meow~"

"I don't quite understand, is there something you need?"

"Meow."

"Hmm, it seems so... I can roughly guess what it is."

Ye Shou and the big cat stared at each other, trying to glean something from those calm red eyes, when suddenly he smiled.

"Little Black, you're actually a monster too, aren't you?"

"Meow~"

"Can't you speak human language? Or are you limited by this body?"

"Meow~"

"Oh... then I'll give you a whiteboard another day and teach you how to write?" Ye Shou thought of a pet named Elizabeth, and his smile became even brighter.

"Meow~" Little Black seemed to think it was good and nodded.

"Then let's go."

Ye Shou said gently, "She probably wants to see you too."

"..."

The black cat bowed its head to Ye Shouwei, then turned and disappeared into the darkness.

Looking down from the night sky, you can see a thick, dark figure darting quickly along the country road where light and shadow intertwine, speeding towards the hospital.

"Everyone says dogs are loyal, are cats the same?" Ye Shou stroked his chin. "If that's the case, then it should be fine."

Not all monsters are trustworthy!

Such a large cat, let alone its demonic power, its physical abilities alone far surpass those of an adult human. It would be strange if Ye Shou were completely unprepared for it.

However, given the cat's gratitude towards its grandmother, and considering the process of being adopted by her when it was on the verge of death... it's quite a heartwarming and healing story.

With just a little thought, Ye Shou could easily create a short story about "the elderly and their pets taking care of and healing each other."

This kind of setting usually doesn't hide anything dark or cruel!

—If you want to create a dark and grotesque image, you would usually make the black cat look harmless, rather than giving it such an obvious body shape.

"Obik...sigh~"

I still feel a bit resentful about it.

Ye Shou had been having people search for "Japanese pyramids" and ancient ruins, and he also paid attention to some names he remembered, such as Dr. Yamata, who invented the Max propulsion system.

Not to mention those guys on the Victory Team!

So far, I've only found some people with the same name... I never expected that something so unexpected would turn out so well, and I could run into an acquaintance while just traveling.

It's a monster, too bad!

Daigo, my half-brother, when will you be able to come out and reunite with me?

-

Today is a good day~

Hehehe hahaha~

Humming a little tune, Obikla moved forward in the darkness, happily carrying his mobile food cart along the familiar mountain path.

It's in such a good mood today that it's decided not to scare anyone!

Originally, it seemed that things were beyond repair and the village was destined to be completely changed. It was difficult to stop it by force, as it was hard to bear harming innocent people—after all, those workers were also doing this to support their families.

Obik was too kind as a monster, which rendered it powerless against the wheels of time.

But today, after being given a rude awakening, it realized that there are patterns on the wheels!

If you can find a way, you can hide inside and escape being run over!

Ye Shou, what a good person he is!

I hope he has many wives and concubines, and many children and much happiness~

Hey! Old man! Guess what good news I have for you today!

"Um~~~"

After parking his car in front of a cave, Obik kicked a child Bodhisattva statue (Ksitigarbha) by the roadside. With a bang, a cloud of smoke rose, and a monk in a robe and glasses appeared on the spot, bowing deeply to Obik.

"Young Master Ayan, you're here again... The master usually sleeps these days and doesn't want to see anyone at this time."

"Sleep? What's the point of sleeping in the middle of the night!" Obik scratched his bald head and shouted into the cave, "Hey, I have something very important to discuss with you!"

"Uuuuuuu~"

"Tsk! You old man~"

With so many descendants, could you do me a favor? It would benefit you all too.

If I weren't single, I wouldn't be begging you. Don't push your luck!

"Obik... troublemaker... come in."

A dull, hoarse voice, as if it were leaking air, came out. Obik frowned and subconsciously covered his nose.

"Good heavens, how long has it been since you brushed your teeth?"

"……you?"

"Don't look at me like that, I'm in the food service industry, I'm much cleaner than you!"

Obik strode into the cave, casually waving his short stick, and torches lit up the rock walls.

The further in it went, the worse the stench became, causing it to frown deeply: "What's going on? Where have all these little guys gone?"

"They... went to find me food... I'm so hungry~"

At this moment, Obik broke through the illusion and arrived at a place deep within the cave known as the Dragon's Lair. Upon seeing the master of this place, his eyes widened in surprise—

The raccoon he remembered wasn't this slovenly.

A fat raccoon cat, resembling a Buddha statue and standing four or five meters tall, sat sprawled on the tatami mat. The ground around it was wrinkled and the edges were curled up, telling the story of its ever-increasing weight.

The once-clean clothes are now soaked in some kind of oil, emitting a strange smell that is a mixture of fragrance and pungent odor. The original color of the fabric can no longer be seen, only a brownish color that seems to be flowing.

The hair that I remember was always so neat is now a messy tangled mess, covered in mud and grime, forming filthy braids. The long beard that hangs down to my abdomen is especially unsightly now.

The nails were as sharp as if they hadn't been filed in years...

Obik looked up into the big raccoon's eyes and found that the other was not looking at the group chat about him, but at the bowl in his hand, and even took a very satisfied sip.

He couldn't help but ask curiously, "What are you drinking? It tastes weird."

"Sweet dew~"

"liquor?"

"Human alcohol... I suppose."

The raccoon wiped the liquid from the corner of its mouth, then licked it off with its tongue, and said happily, "I really like drinking this now, and I got it all from humans."

"Oh~"

Obik did not suspect anything, because tanuki were such monsters that they mingled with humans, liked human things, and were notorious for petty theft.

"Let's not talk about that for now. Listen up, old man. I've found a way to protect this mountain and the villages below. You need to lend me a few people so I can... uh, as that young man put it, 'hype' it!"

"Popularity...?"

"That's right, as long as we have a high enough profile, we'll have a chance to drive all those projects away!"

Obik looked excited: "Then we can live behind closed doors, occasionally scaring tourists for fun, what do you think?"

"Hmm~ Sounds good~"

The raccoon thought for a moment. It seemed to be getting old and its thinking was a little slow, but it still nodded: "You're right... I'll have them help you."

"That's good, that's good~"

Obik wanted to turn and leave after receiving the promise, but after taking two steps, he turned back in confusion and carefully examined the tanuki.