" Small Dimple ..."
As night deepened, Ah Jun remained wide awake today—a stark contrast to his younger self who would have yawned by now. Under the soldiers vigilant watch, the boy kept exploring the northern territories nonstop, completely oblivious to his own condition. Fortunately, he felt no physical discomfort except for a slightly hoarse voice.
The starry sky of the plateau and the extreme light of the full moon made the night continent particularly bright, which also gave a little sense of security to the confused Ah Jun.
He kept on rushing and straining his eyes to search, not daring to be careless—— until he came to a small hill near a wood, where Ah Jun stopped.
According to the soldiers, this is the moonlight hot spring attached to the military camp, which has the wonderful effect of restoring physical strength and repairing injuries, and there are also barriers to protect it. Outsiders can not enter it, so there should be no problem...
But obviously, for Ah Jun at this moment, such an absolute answer was still not convincing... Even if there was a tiny possibility, he had to search, after all, this was the only remaining unknown here. And there had been no smoke signals!
"Well, I know, but I want to go and see... everyone has worked hard, I can go by myself, go and come!"
Ah Jun is a very kind boy. He saw the soldiers running around with him in the middle of the night, all with panda eyes. It was really hard—— So it was the boys decision to act alone, and of course the others were relieved.
The moonlight bathed the small hill, shimmering with reflections from the hot springs. The interplay of light followed the ever-changing waves, creating a musical variation. The steam from the hot springs transformed the air into a sauna, creating a hazy, mysterious atmosphere that seemed almost otherworldly.
So Ah Jun felt his way across the river in the fog, looking carefully. He hoped that the kitten had disappeared because he was playing, so there might be her footprints here.
"La la~ la~ la~ la~ la~ la~ la~..."
Suddenly, a beautiful song came into Ah Juns ears from somewhere. It was very faint, almost undetectable, but it was enough to attract the boys attention.
—— Could it be... the code for a bounty assassin? No way... Wait, what is that?
As he pondered, Ah Jun gradually raised his guard and continued to explore. Then, a figure gradually appeared before his eyes—— However, because of the fog, Ah Jun had to open his eyes wide and look carefully.
The figure grew clearer and clearer. What did it look like? It looked like a girl... Ah?
Hmm, with her long hair cascading down and petite frame, whats she doing? Wait, her ears? Where are they on top of her head? And—— the bath towel, hot spring, splashing water... Oh, soaking in a hot spring! This season, awesome!
"Bathing? Then she... um, ah? This is... nosebleed!"
But just as Ah Jun was looking and thinking, seemingly discovering some clues, suddenly, he felt his face flush, then something seemed to be falling from his nose—— Why was there snot... So, the boy casually wiped it away and glanced sideways, only to realize too late, scaring both of them.
" who!"
Then there was a scream from the opposite side. The stupid boy had just looked up, but he had to turn around quickly and stand still, apologizing in panic...
—— Do not look at what is improper, and do not sin if you do not know!
Then, after waiting for a long time, Ah Jun slowly came to his senses. Then, he calmly sensed his surroundings and found them unusually quiet—— Where was she...?
So, the cautious boy decided to turn around immediately. He covered his eyes with one hand and then quietly opened his fingers to peek. But he found that the figure had disappeared!
—— Who is she? Is it related to the disappearance of the little dimple?
At this point, the sane Ah Jun began to think that according to the soldiers, no one could be here now, let alone come to take a bath in the middle of the night?!
—— damnation!
Suddenly, a terrible thought came to —— mind of Ah Jun and a pulse of his heart followed. He decided to track down the soldiers immediately. Due to the urgency of time, he had no time to meet them.
Then, as soon as he saw that, Ah Jun quickly started the smoke signals and went into action alone.
——With Lingbos dance, we should be able to make it in time. After all, the terrain here is much more familiar now, and we have the wristbands guidance. Further north lies that forest – no one can enter it freely. To the east of the hot spring lies the Abyssal Stream, while the ancient city itself remains under strict surveillance...
Based on his own reasoning, Ah Jun decided to explore southwest. Fortunately, that direction was near the return route, so the safety factor was not low.
However, after all the calculations, Ah Jun did not realize that after so long a search mission, his physical strength had been consumed by half, and his body was gradually becoming disobedient—— after all, not resting during the time of sleep is self-mutilation, and the consequences are quite serious.
"I... can, hold on a little longer, the dimple... wait for me!"
But at this moment, Ah Jun couldnt afford to think too much. He kept pushing forward, giving himself pep talks—— Of course, this was a method he often had to use in the past. Deep down, there seemed to be another version of himself that could provide him with more energy, especially during critical moments—it really worked!
"Give me a little more energy... just a little bit. I think were about to find it——. Thats..."
Soon after, the sky began to brighten slightly, and the morning light was taking over from the moonlight.
After a night of hard work, Ah Juns physical strength has reached its limit—— his feet are slowly slowing down, his center of gravity is gradually unstable, he is dizzy and his small eyes can not help but squint into a thin line.
At this moment, a sudden figure in front of him filled the boys eyes with expectation and alarm—— He saw from a distance that the familiar figure also had a pair of cat ears, found!
So, as Ah Jun stumbled along, he tried to solve the mystery—— The two sides were getting closer and closer, but his vision was becoming blurred, leaving only a point in the middle that could be focused on.
As he worked out the battle strategy, he stared with wide eyes and focused until the moment he got close, when his hopes were completely dashed...
—— How could that figure be Ninger...
Indeed, the one now facing Ah Jun was the Saintess who had made a rapid U-turn upon seeing the signal flare. She remained dignified and graceful, though her expression seemed slightly unnatural—— Her partner Xiaoxi, who had been hurrying to the girls side after Ah Jun arrived, still showed no signs of fatigue. However, Ah Jun failed to notice this.
" Small Dimple?"
After a night of mental exertion, Ah Jun was exhausted. After seeing the reality, he could no longer pay attention to anything else—— Only with a drooping look of despair, he muttered to the saintess, his eyes full of bloodshot eyes.
" mew～"
Suddenly, a familiar call pierced into Ah Juns ears and knocked down the stone in his heart—— Ah Jun glared and looked up. To his surprise, Xiao Jiuwo was squatting on Ning ers shoulder.
—— My eyes recovered... No, then it was an illusion...
" mew!"
Then, Xiao Jiwoos repeated calls made Ah Jun certain that this was most likely true. She had finally returned safely—— At this moment, Ning er and the kitten exchanged a glance, then...
"Small dimples... Ah Jun?"
Just as Ning er was about to address Ah Juns confusion, the scene before her eyes overwhelmed her with panic—— The boy who once risked everything for his obsession, who had devoted himself to that tiny dimple, now reached out his trembling hand toward her. Yet despite his desperate efforts, his weary form slowly slumped back down. At this moment, her heart felt as if it had been gently touched...
—— Why is it so uncomfortable? Is this the bond of friendship that grandpa mentioned?
Jinger was used to being alone since childhood, with no friends and little understanding of emotions—— However, now she suddenly feels different. Her former rationality and calmness have become uncontrollable, leaving her at a loss for what to do. After all, men and women are different, so she can only sigh helplessly.
Fortunately, there was now a nimble little chubby boy beside the girl. Just ——, Xiao Xi, with all her might, swiftly slid over and caught Ah Jun, who was about to fall to the ground, shielding her brother like a soft cushion of flesh. This instantly put the girl at ease.
This... How did my hand get hit by a water droplet? The illusion... Oh, its raining? Fine, my dimples are fine. Whats the harm in getting a little rain? I hope its real. If not, its just a dream... Maybe... Ah, so sleepy... Oh!"
" mew ——"
"Ajun!"
"Move—— Well, uh... Carry him back to the bedroom!"
" you ..."
"—— Hows it going?"
"Well, I was so tired that I fell asleep!"
"Um!"
"What——, dude, why are you still laughing... Hmm? Looks like youre tired!"
Zzz—— Snore... creak!
"Its here... Why is it so dark? Wheres the uncle... Hmm! Is it daylight? Ah, its raining—— Im... in my own bedroom—— Was that just a dream...""
Half-awake, Ah Jun weakly squinted his eyes. After a quick glance, he instinctively stretched lazily before struggling to sit up. The numbing soreness in his limbs left him disoriented... Before he could move, he stumbled to the bedroom door, hesitated briefly, then opened it—— The living room light was on, but something felt oddly familiar.
Driven by memory, he went to the toilet door and saw that the light was on inside, with faint sounds coming from time to time, very familiar. So this time, Ah Jun didnt even think twice and immediately pushed open the door——How is this like in the dream? Could it be...
" mew!"
But just as he wanted to turn around and confirm the next point, a familiar voice came late, dispelling all his anxiety—— only to see a cute little American short-haired cat, crouching obediently right under his eyes, as if with some fear, calling out.
"Small dimples! Great, so it was really a dream..."
When Ah Jun saw Little Snout, he felt a surge of excitement—— He bent down and picked up the kitten without hesitation, completely forgetting whether she would agree... This time, however, Little Snout didnt seem as resistant as before. Though her expression shifted from fear to alarm, it was clear she had begun to accept... right?
"Brother, what are you doing here? You seem to be recovering well!"
However, this warm moment was soon interrupted by three uninvited guests—— Xiao Xi stood behind Ah Jun, rubbing her sleepy little eyes and looking at him with confusion; while Yuwen Lu remained cold-faced, leaning against the side reading his book.
"Ajun, you..."
The saint was the last to arrive. She came slowly to Ah Jun, keeping a certain distance—— Her face looked a little bad, but she still maintained her elegant demeanor. While talking, she looked at the kitten in his arms with a little nervousness.
However, before she finished speaking, Ah Jun was eager to tell everyone about his dream. Then, he stopped again and looked at his arms. Suddenly, he felt that something was missing...
—— Hmm? The dimples... the cat is missing again!
It turned out that just as Ning er began to ask questions, the little dimple became a little strange. In front of everyones eyes, she quickly jumped from Ah Juns arms, jumped on his shoulder, and immediately leaped into the arms of the Holy Maiden to hide herself.
—— Ah... Oh! Its my fault I forgot. The little dimple always allows only girls to hug her, haha...
Ah Jun, who was still reacting slowly, touched the back of his head and smiled at the kitten—— while the little dimple glanced back at him. Their eyes met, and Ah Jun was full of apology, but it was not understood.
It seemed that the cat chose to be isolated again, which made Ah Jun wonder. He even thought that her behavior was very similar to Lan ers when she was angry—— Was it the little dimples that scared me?
——Hmm... my mistake! Ill get her some delicious food, her favorite chocolate, and shell be happy. Otherwise, its not good for her health.
"Brother, are you asleep... confused between reality and fantasy?"
At this moment, Xiao Xi looked at her dazed second brother and reminded him with a puzzled expression—— Yuwen Lu, however, gave a cold snort and turned away. Then, at Ning ers suggestion, everyone sat down on the sofa in the living room and began chatting freely.
As Yuwen Lu suggested, Ninger took charge of the review. Xiao Xi, serving as the lead debater for the affirmative side, had been rambling on for quite some time before Ah Jun gave him a thorough reprimand. This finally succeeded in awakening his memory—— It turned out that last night, the kitten had been lured out by some mysterious sound, only to get lost in its playful wanderings...