Chapter 15: Elias's Suspicion

Early in the morning, Elias woke up with two enormous dark circles under his eyes.

The space beside him was empty, Luna was nowhere to be found.

Yawning tiredly, he reflected on the almost indescribable night's sleep. Sleeping next to Luna, who once had tentacles that had killed him, was nerve-wracking, to say the least. 

The whole night was an ordeal, with Luna's restlessness and the constant movement of her tentacles on his body. Sometimes, they would even transform in response to her dreams, sprouting barbs or hard scales...

Rubbing the red marks on his body, Elias begrudgingly headed to the bathroom to freshen up.

After washing up, Elias was suddenly greeted by a delicious aroma wafting through the house. His stomach growled loudly, likely due to a night without sleep. Following the scent, he found himself in the dining room.

"Bro, are you awake?"

Luna, wearing an apron, peeked her head out from behind the kitchen door, where clattering sounds echoed.

"I am..."

"Are you making breakfast?"

Elias looked curiously towards the kitchen. Why such a commotion for breakfast?

Upon entering the kitchen, the scene became clear. Luna was a whirlwind of activity: one tentacle holding a frying pan, another cracking eggs, two more slicing sausages on the counter. And in the corner, her remaining tentacles were busy with the bread maker...

With a 'ding', perfectly toasted bread popped out.

Watching Luna skillfully manage six tasks at once, Elias found his fear of her tentacles slowly diminishing. 

Who would have thought that these once terrifying appendages, which had brought him so close to death, were now delicately seasoning sandwiches?

The whole scenario was surreal.

...

"Ta-da!"

Luna winked playfully, presenting a beautifully arranged heart-shaped breakfast on Elias's table.

Elias, looking at Luna's eager expression, took a bite of the fried egg with his fork. The taste was rich and perfectly cooked, neither burnt nor too raw, with just the right touch of tomato sauce and a sprinkle of black pepper. 

He gave her a thumbs up, not needing words, and devoured the entire egg in one go.

He then quickly moved on to the bacon and vegetable sandwich, eating hungrily.

In the early morning light, the sun shone warmly on their faces.

Luna sat quietly next to Elias, watching him eat with contentment. Nothing could be more perfect than this simple, everyday moment. As long as she was with her bro, she felt immense happiness.

She wished every day could be just like this...

Luna's gaze on Elias became dreamy.

"I'm full."

After finishing everything on his plate and gulping down the milk, Elias let out a satisfied burp and looked at Luna.

"Why are you daydreaming? Aren't you hungry?"

He forked a piece of egg and held it to Luna's mouth.

"Open wide! Ahh—"

The scent of the egg brought Luna back to reality.

She smiled happily, her lips closing around the fried egg Elias handed her.

"Mmm... So big..."

"Oh, I didn't take a good bite, it fell..."

Luna only managed a small bite before the rest of the fried egg slipped off and fell to the floor.

"You little goofball."

Elias shot her a slightly scolding glance. "See, now you've wasted food! What were you daydreaming about?"

As a tentacle picked up the fallen egg from the floor, Luna smiled broadly, "Just some happy thoughts about you, bro!"

"Oh? Is that so?"

"Guess what I was thinking about?"

"Hmm... I guess... maybe it's about our lunch?"

"What? No!" Luna pouted, "Bro, why are you always thinking about food?"

"Ahaha... Did I guess wrong?"

Elias scratched his head, "Given the situation and your distant gaze, I thought you were pondering one of life's great mysteries—what to have for lunch. Guess I was wrong..."

Luna rolled her eyes dramatically.

Despite his lame joke, she couldn't help but giggle, pulling at Elias's arm coquettishly.

"Keep guessing, bro!"

"I have no idea..."

"Just guess! Try!"

...

In the cozy morning sun, the spacious house echoed with their laughter, resembling a warm family breakfast time.

However, beneath Elias's gentle smile lay a calculating mind.

Everything was progressing smoothly. With incredible patience, Luna's condition was stabilizing.

Come evening, the skill cooldown would reset.

Forcing containment tonight would still be risky, and he could use the Suppression Potion hidden on the second floor. But Luna wouldn't go down without a fight.

Elias wanted to avoid conflict.

If he waited patiently for one more day...

Containment would be safer, almost a guaranteed success on the third day.

Weighing the options, Elias looked at the girl laughing happily before him, and her sprawling tentacles.

Those seemingly harmless appendages could pierce his chest or head in a blink, with frightening speed and range.

He must not let his guard down.

Elias decisively planned to act on the third day, even if unpredictable events might occur in the interim.

A long night full of dreams? He had the patience, and one more day wouldn't hurt.

In the following days...

Elias hardly left Luna's sight, devotedly keeping her company at home.

Luna's behavior became increasingly normal, indistinguishable from any girl her age.

More importantly, after two days together, Luna believed Elias wasn't deceiving her.

'Bro really quit school to stay with me at home.'

Though this meant no one could take her bro away...

But...

Luna looked at Elias with a tinge of guilt.

Whenever she noticed fleeting expressions of "loneliness" or "boredom" on his face, her guilt intensified.

A person like her bro shouldn't be trapped in a "cage"...

After all, he was once so remarkable, solving many cases, traveling to various places, and meeting many significant figures...

Roaming the world's shadows, unfettered...

Maybe, what I'm doing is wrong?

Luna quietly observed Elias, thinking she could find some activities for him if he was getting bored. She even considered, if he behaved, letting him return to school someday...

Meanwhile, Elias, unaware of Luna's thoughts, only sensed a faint feeling of being watched. The progress over these two days felt too smooth, almost dreamlike. Luna even seemed willing to let him "get some air"...

Elias could leave the house to walk around, to browse. Yet, he was sure Luna would secretly follow him...

There was time yet; action wouldn't begin until eleven at night.

Elias planned to go out, intending to buy Luna a stuffed toy. 

He vaguely remembered her liking such childish things, a preference she subtly expressed in the past storyline. 

Back then, he'd been so engrossed in turning a romance game into a detective game that he almost forgot this detail...

But now, it wasn't too late.

He didn't know why she liked stuffed toys, but maybe owning something she liked would make her more settled. Such leverage was always good to have.

With a smile, Elias changed his clothes and called out to Luna.

"I'm stepping out to buy something, I'll be right back!"

"Okay, bro."

Luna, lounging on the sofa reading a book, responded naturally without any hint of suspicion.

However, as soon as Elias turned his back, she put down her magazine, her gaze stealthily following him.

Elias reached the entrance, grabbing his coat, about to put on his shoes, when a knock sounded at the door. The knocks, not hurried, somehow sent his heart racing. A bad feeling.

"bro?" Luna appeared behind him, startling him.

"Who is it?"

"How would I know?" Elias looked back at her, puzzled.

At this time, in such a secluded location, who could it be?

The knocking continued, insistent, as if determined to be answered.

Luna glanced at Elias, seemingly believing him, and then approached the door.

"Stop knocking, please. Who are you?"

The knocking ceased abruptly.

Elias heard a voice that sounded somewhat familiar.

"Hello, you must be a family member of Elias! I'm his professor, Lsabella."

"Sorry to disturb you, but I wanted to make a home visit today."

"He's been absent for two days straight, and while truancy is a minor issue, I'm concerned about his health."

Outside the door was a gentle, magnetic female voice.

Moreover, her voice was enchanting, the kind that made one imagine her as strikingly beautiful just by hearing it.

It was Lsabella, his professor...

Why would she suddenly come for a home visit?

Such timing couldn't be more inconvenient!

Elias felt a sudden unease and quickly glanced at Luna beside him.

Luna was expressionless.

"bro, your professor seems quite fond of you, doesn't she?"

Her voice was low, as if suppressing some emotion.

The ever-smiling Luna of the past two days seemed to have vanished in an instant.

Elias hurriedly explained, "Well... actually, Ms. Lsabella is very responsible, she's like this with everyone, not just me..."

Luna's response was faint, "Didn't you say Ms. Lsabella was rather harsh, like she's going through an early menopause?"

Elias felt a bit awkward, "Uh... who knows, people's personalities aren't so easy to pin down, right?"

"Oh? Is that so?"

Her deep blue eyes stared emotionlessly at him.

"Elias."

"That's quite an affectionate way to address you. No one's ever called you that before..."

Elias's smile turned even more awkward, unaware that Ms. Lsabella would address a student so familiarly.

This was troubling!

"And..."

Luna, eyeing Elias in his freshly changed clothes, spoke with a hint of insinuation.

"So eager to go out, bro, were you perhaps planning to meet with your Ms.Lsabella at this time?"