Volume 8 - CH 10

Chapter 10: Going to Sleep

Location: Lake Town  Time: 9:21 PM

After I returned to the room, the pillow war inside had already come to an end.

The whole room was filled with floating cotton, and several torn-up pillow covers were lying tragically on the floor or beds, showing just how intense that fight from a moment ago was.

In that second, I suddenly felt very fortunate that I was one step faster to run out of here. Otherwise, right now on the floor, other than the pillow corpses, there would definitely be my corpse that got beaten to death from the start on the ground too.

Chifuyu and the others were standing at different places and glaring at one another. Each of them had a bunch of feathers stuck to their bodies, which looked a little awkward and also a bit funny. That sort of appearance was like how some damn kids would look after rolling around in the mud.

As soon as I came in, everyone shifted their gaze over to me.

“Uh, you guys can pretend that I don’t exist, please continue.” I waved my hands, and carefully stepped across the feathers on the floor as I made my way toward the only Pure Land in the room, walking toward the side of Yido’s table.

Yido put down his book, “Don’t let them continue, otherwise, we’ll have to change to another room to sleep today.” He took out his earplugs and elegantly stood up. “You guys over there, I’ll have to trouble you to clean up the room. With the place like this, instead of calling it a room, it would be more appropriate to call it a big nest. I do not want to sleep in a nest full of feathers tonight.”

After a while, it was Yado who was the first to move. He wordlessly patted off the feathers on him and then bent over to pick up the pillow corpses by his feet. After that, Chifuyu and Leido also started cleaning the messy room.

Honestly, I feel that they really are strong to be able to fight up to this extent. There were about half a dozen torn-up pillows, and white feathers were scattered everywhere. It felt quite spectacular.

“Yang Yang, did your hand come in contact with water just now?” Standing beside me, Yido stretched his hand out to me.

“Eh? No, I was very careful when I took a bath just now. I used a bag to wrap it up first.” I stretched my hand out as well, and put it on his. That kind of feeling was quite similar to having a doggy handshake and the like. “Is something wrong?”

His action would make me think of the words senior Gasai had previously said. Till now, I still feel a little creeped out. Hopefully this wound wouldn’t have any weird changes.

“Nn…It shouldn’t be too big of a problem, but before we sleep, I’ll help you change the bandages again, alright?” Yido was still smiling very gently, “After all, you can never have too many checkups, isn’t that right?”

Looking at his smile, I foolishly nodded. “Then I’ll have to trouble you.” It seems to be rather hard for me to refuse his words. I wonder why.

Yido has always given off a gentle and elegant feeling. The first few times when we just met and weren’t that familiar, I felt that he was a bit difficult to approach. But after we gradually became close, instead, I felt that he was just like the big brother in the neighbor’s house, who was always so tolerant, and smiling by the side.

To me, this seems to be a kind of rare…feeling.

Before entering the school, other than a minority, the majority wouldn’t stand beside me, let alone being tolerant or helpful. That was almost a kind of luxury for me.

Carefully removing the bandages on my hand, Yido took out medical tools from his backpack, and then started disinfecting and changing the dressing. The whole sequence went very smoothly and easily, which caused me to deeply feel—

Sure enough, it’s just not the same when you have two brothers who often get injured from fighting. His degree of proficiency made me think that he could go test for a medical profession.

At the same time that the dressing was nearly done, the room was also quickly cleaned up until it was almost restored to its original look. “Yido, do you want to use the bathroom first?” Carrying a large box of feathers, Leido poked his head over and asked.

“Chifuyu, please use it first.” While answering, Yido rapidly cleared away the medical tools. “After that, it’ll be yours and Yado’s turn. Just now you guys fought up to that extent. It won’t be good if you don’t wash up.”

I followed by turning around. Leido and the others still had feathers on them. It definitely won’t be good if they don’t wash up, since all of them look like they’re in quite a sorry state.

Otherwise, were you guys risking your lives to attack each other just now?

“You guys can go first, I don’t mind.” Chifuyu swiftly gave a response, but he no longer had that kind of murderous anger from before. He picked up his glasses from the side and put it back on his face, sweeping off the remaining feather pieces on him.

“Chifuyu can go wash first. I want to wash together with Yado.” Pushing Chifuyu’s shoulder, Leido “hei hei” laughed.

Rolling his eyes at him, Chifuyu actually obediently complied.

“I don’t want to wash together with you.” Roughly finished cleaning off the feathers on him too, Yado coldly threw over that sentence.

“Yado, that’s too much. The two of us are not only brothers, we’re also twin brothers. And you actually pushed me away like this.” Directly pouncing over, Leido hugged his brother, and both of them simultaneously tumbled down on the bed behind.

“Get lost!”

“Don’t wanna!”

I was stunned as I watched the twin brothers rolling around on the bed until they were about to start fighting. All of a sudden, there was a second when I felt that this must have been really exhausting for Yido. If I had these kinds of brothers, I probably would’ve had a brain seizure.

“I’m sorry that you had to see this.” Yido sighed helplessly, obviously accustomed to it.

“Uh, I don’t mind.” It’s just that their energy is really not the ordinary exuberant kind. It’s clearly not long ago since they’ve fought that deadly pillow war, and yet, now they’re starting to kill each other again.

After both of them rolled around and kicked on the bed for a while, it was Leido who won as he laid on top of his brother’s back. “Hurry up and say that you give up, and then say ‘sorry Uncle Leido, next time I will obediently listen to you.’ ”

A punch directly moved back and hit Leido’s cheek.

And then, I saw the two people, who were said to have a very strong telepathic link, simultaneously holding onto their faces, and die.

After a few seconds of pain, Leido once again pounced and held him down on the same spot. On the bottom, Yado, who was originally about to get up, was pushed back onto the bed. “Bastard, get lost!”

I saw Yado’s veins popping out, and it’s very likely that in the next second, he’d perish together with his brother.

“Hei, no way, unless you go wash together with me.”

“Don’t be crazy.” The person underneath directly poured a bucket of cold water on him.

“Hmph hmph, believe it or not, I’ll tickle you.” Leido freed his right hand and started wriggling his fingers.

“If you dare, I’ll break your fingers.”

I was thinking, could it be that Yado’s afraid of being tickled…why was his reaction so fierce…

“If you want to break them, then we’ll break them together. Besides, I won’t be the only one to suffer.” His face having completely turned into that of an evil pimp smoking a pipe, Leido was very gutsy as he threw down those words.

Yado didn’t reply, his face becoming even uglier.

“I’m really gonna tickle you, oh.” Threateningly putting his hand on his brother, Leido began giving a final warning.

“Alright, Leido, don’t go too far.” Finally opening his mouth to stop him, Yido helplessly sighed.

“Don’t worry, I’m only enhancing our brotherly love.”

I think you’re only one-sidedly enhancing your brotherly love. Yado, who’s on the bottom, looks completely unwilling to be enhancing it with you, and there’s also a kind of feeling like he’s going to beat you up as soon as he gets up.

“If you still don’t get up, I’ll break my own fingers.” A few seconds later, Yado gloomily said, “Since we’re going to break them anyway.”

Unexpectedly, Leido actually stood up, his two hands up in surrender. “Alright, I’m sorry.”

With a cold snort, as soon as he flipped himself up, Yado gave his own twin brother a punch on the face at lightning speed.

At that same second, the bathroom door also opened.

Just so happened to have finished bathing, Chifuyu was stunned as he looked at those twins holding onto their black eye in front of him. I believe he must have the same feeling as me right now, with black lines all over his head.

“What the hell were you guys doing?”

***

As a result, in the end, Yado didn’t go into the bathroom with his brother to enhance their brotherly love.

The very lonely Leido was like an abandoned old person, glumly holding his clothes as he went into the bathroom, and then slammed the door.

“Yang Yang, where do you want to sleep?” Drying his hair as he searched for a bed in a more remote area, Chifuyu asked me.

“Uh, anywhere is fine.” But aren’t you sleeping a bit too far away, dear classmate? I saw that he’d found the furthest spot, and even pulled his bed away to put a small gap between it and the other beds.

Turns out the thing you hate the most is sleeping in a big, wide bed together, right?

“Do you want to sleep beside me?” Chifuyu pointed to the bed next to the horizontal groove.

“Sure, or should that bed be saved for senior Gasai…” I paused, and looked up to see Chifuyu totally frozen.

Was it necessary to be that shocked?

“What, whatever makes you happy.” Immediately pushing up his glasses, Chifuyu turned his head to the side, and then took out a small booklet from his backpack. “Then I’ll just sleep over here.” After saying that, he began reading that small booklet on his bed.

To tell the truth, since the beds were all pushed together, the entire thing was very wide, so it wouldn’t be a problem even if a couple more people come to sleep here.

After the whole room quieted down, I also felt a little sleepy. After all, I’d been walking for the entire time today, and there was a bunch of stuff that happened. To say that I’m not tired would definitely be a lie.

Glancing around at the beds, I first put my backpack on the nearby cabinet, and then I randomly found a place to lie down on.

I guess Chifuyu would still want to sleep with his brother more, since this is a rather hard-to-come-by opportunity.

But if during the middle of the night, it’s the little black snake MeiMei who jumps on the bed, then I have no way of helping you either, so please stand in silent tribute, dear classmate.

Just a few minutes after I’d laid down, I was already starting to feel hazy, when a tremendous “peng” sound immediately woke me up. I instantly got up, and was stunned when I saw the source of the loud noise.

Leido, who kicked the bathroom door open, was the source of the noise. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I accidentally kicked it too hard.” He grinned, completely ignoring the whole room of people rolling their eyes at him. “Sure enough, after toiling for a day, taking a warm bath is the most comfortable thing to do. Yado, it’s your turn.” Once he said that, I immediately saw a certain someone, who was still covered with water drops, directly dive into his bed like a flying squirrel.

All the beds lined up severely shook for a moment.

“Leido, dry off your hair.” His twin brother frowned, and threw a towel on him.

“Oh oh, I was so happy to see the bed that I forgot about it.” Taking the towel off his face, Leido was still grinning that crazy smile. Then he got up, sat up on the bed, and started drying his hair. “That’s right, just now I seemed to have seen an automatic washing machine in the corridor outside. I don’t know if it can still work or not, as there’s no way to send the dirty clothes back.”

Once he said that, I just realized this problem.

The clothes that have been changed should be dealt with at once, or else if we were to stay here for five or six days, I’ll run out of extra clothes to change into too.

“It should still be able to work. Although the people here have disappeared, the electricity and water supply are still quite abundant.” Sitting by the table and flipping through a book, Yido lightly said.

“Heh, then later I’ll…”

“Then I’ll bring all the clothes there after I finish washing.” Cutting off his brother’s words right away, Yado said. “After Yido goes in and changes his clothes, I’ll bring them there together.”

You’re afraid that your brother will play around and break someone else’s washing machine?

“Tsk.” Leido snorted, but didn’t have any other reactions.

After Yado communicated with his brother…they should have properly communicated with each other, he entered the bathroom and shut the door. The room instantly quieted down.

“In that case, while Yado is bathing during this time, those of you who have clothes that need to be washed, please take them out.” Closing the book, Yido smiled slightly as he looked at us.

“I could just bring mine there myself…” Chifuyu was the first to react, immediately shaking his head to refuse.

To be honest, I would also feel it’s very weird, to give my dirty clothes to someone else to wash. No matter how I think about it, it still feels weird.

“Me too, I’ll just bring mine there myself.” Facing Yido’s gaze, I swallowed and hastily said.

“You guys don’t have to be so polite. And anyway, it’s only throwing all the clothes into the washing machine. It’s not like they’re going to be scrubbed by hand, one at a time.” Leido rolled over to us on the bed, and then rolled back, causing several water marks to appear on the sheets.

“No need.” Very insistent on bringing his own clothes, Chifuyu turned his head to the side, and didn’t acknowledge him any further.

“Don’t mind so much about this. During this time, everyone should help each other out, do what we can, and take time to rest whenever possible. After all, no one knows for certain what will await us tomorrow.” Yido was still wearing that gentle smile, his hazel eyes staring at Chifuyu. “Isn’t that right?”

I noticed that Chifuyu froze for a moment, but he soon recovered like nothing had happened. “I’m sorry, I understand.” He said, and actually didn’t talk back. Moreover, he even obediently took out his neatly-folded clothes that he had changed out of.

Classmate Chifuyu, could it be that you’ve changed your personality?

I remember that this classmate of mine not only loves talking back, but also frequently refuses to cooperate. I never thought that he would actually obediently listen to Yido. Sure enough, people who are big brothers are different. There’s a feeling of making one feel naturally convinced.

About twenty minutes later, Yado quickly finished washing and walked out of the bathroom.

“Yido, it’s your turn.” Wiping his hair briefly, Yado looked at his older brother at the side.

“Nn.” Very straightforwardly getting up, Yido took his supplies and went into the bathroom. Not long later, he handed over his clothes to be washed.

Quickly putting everyone’s clothes into a big bag that he got from who knows where, Yado threw the last towel inside before carrying the bag and walking out.

“Yado, wait a minute.” I immediately jumped off the bed, “I’ll come along and help.”

I guess, it would be rather troublesome for Yado to do so alone.

Looking at me, Yado gave a slight nod.

“Sorry to trouble you.”

***

Once again stepping out into the corridor, the corridor was still so quiet, without even a tad bit of sound.

“This way.” Yado pointed in the opposite direction of the balcony where senior Gasai was, and then walked toward the staircase that we had come up on. I hurriedly followed his footsteps.

In the silent corridor, all I could hear was the sound of my footsteps. Yado was walking so quietly that there was nearly no sound at all.

I found out that this always seems to be the case when these guys are walking. Whether it’s Yado or Leido, they’re just like Senior, Chifuyu, and Gasai; even the five-colored rooster head, Miao Miao and the others are the same: their footsteps are extremely light, with a seemingly ghostlike feeling.

After passing through the entrance of the staircase and walking for another short distance, sure enough, we found the public automatic washing machine at the corner. This sort of feeling was very odd, because I kept thinking that the thing I would see might be something else…Uh, anyway, it’s just something that was probably not a washing machine. However, the thing appearing before us was actually a washing machine that couldn’t be any more ordinary, just like those things that we could see anywhere in our own world.

Really too odd.

Turns out this place actually has a normal side.

“Nn…There’s nothing that needs any special attention in order for this to work.” Yado opened the washing machine and dumped all the clothes in.

Wait a minute, all of them?

“Don’t the clothes have to be separated?” I remember that different colors and different types of clothes have to be washed separately…And what’s more, I was wearing a cheap T-shirt, so what if the dye later transfers onto the other clothes!?

Yido and the others were all wearing high-quality clothing, I’m afraid I won’t be able to afford it!

“It’s fine. It will wash them separately.” Yado looked at me, and very calmly threw down this sentence.

Can you tell me how it washes them separately?

An ordinary washing machine shouldn’t be able to separate them by itself, right!?

After dumping all the clothes in, Yado closed the washing machine’s cover, and inserted a coin into the coin hole. “It will take about fifteen minutes or so for it to wash and dry them. Let’s wait over here for a while.”

“I, I don’t mind.” Fifteen minutes, right?

I was wrong. I shouldn’t have believed that there were any normal things in this world. Now even if it finishes washing and folds the clothes into squares by itself, I won’t be surprised, really.

After pressing the button, Yado stood at the side. The entire aisle became unusually quiet. Even the washing machine that was currently washing the clothes didn’t make a single noise.

“Yado.” I looked at the side of his face, and slowly said, “Can I ask you something?”

“Please do.” Yado was still so quiet that even his words weren’t a lot.

“What time are you and Leido standing guard?”

After saying that, I saw Yado turning around to look at me, but his expression didn’t look surprised at all. “The last two shifts.” Pausing, he tilted his head and thought for a moment, before he continued: “You don’t have to worry about this kind of problem. Just as Yido said, sometimes you have to just do what you can, and if you are currently able to do something up to a certain extent, then just do it up to that extent.”

“I understand.” Earlier, senior Gasai had also mentioned a similar topic, so I know what Yado was trying to say. “Then, can I ask when you and Leido had gotten your white robes?”

To change the subject, I randomly thought up a question.

“During high school, got it together with Leido and Yido.”

“Eh? Together?” Their brotherly bonds really are super good, I once again realized this.

Yado nodded, “No matter what, Yido would always wait for us. So, he is the most special person to us.”

Hearing him say so, I remembered what Leido had said before, how they’re taboo children and how no one likes them. But, the me right now really likes them. I came to know them not as some taboo children but as two very, very good people.

Even if more and more people call them a “taboo,” in my eyes, they’re still the same as Senior, Chifuyu or the five-colored rooster head, with no difference at all.

“I’m so envious, my older sister would just kick me away and tell me to go take the test by myself.” That black witch’s direct descendant. As soon as I thought of Ming Yue, I started feeling a little cold. The tragedies of being oppressed by her from young till now were too much to even count…

“Your sister?” It’s rare for Yado to actually be interested in this, directly turning around to face me. “What kind of person is she?”

“What kind…” I scratched my head. All of a sudden, I couldn’t think of how I should describe her. I can’t just very well say that she’s a dark witch’s successor, right? “Just a really strong girl, sort of like Senior.” In fact, I once suspected that my sister and Senior might be long-lost siblings.

“…”

I guess Yado’s expression should be the hard-to-imagine kind. “At any rate, she’s just someone with a rather strong personality, but she’s not a bad person.”

Lowering his head to look at me for a moment, Yado slightly nodded. “I know. Just by looking at you, and I know.”

Just by looking at me, and you know? Is it really that godly? Could it be that my face has these big words, “my sister is not a bad person,” carved on it?

“That’s right, what’s your sister’s name?”

“Eh?” I never thought that Yado would ask me this question. It can’t be that he’s interested in that dark witch. “My sister…My sister’s full name is Chu Ming Yue. That’s right, you guys seem to be around the same age. She’s also a first year in college.”

For a couple of seconds, I think Yado seemed to be stunned for a moment.

Is something wrong?

Breaking that moment of silence was the sound of the washing machine. It was probably a small tune to indicate that the clothes were finished. Hearing that sound, it was only then that Yado had recovered. “It’s done.” He turned around, opening the washing machine’s cover.

Why did I feel like he seemed to have wanted to say something just now?

One by one, the cleaned, and even dried, clothes were taken out, though they weren’t automatically folded. “This will do.” Quickly folding all the clothes, Yado picked up the entire pile of clothes. “Let’s return to the room.”

“Oh, okay.”

***

I kept feeling that Yado seemed to have something that he didn’t say from that time.

After returning to the room, Leido was already snoring on the bed. Yido and Chifuyu, who were still flipping through their books, simultaneously looked up at us. “Thanks for the hard work.” Putting the book down, Yido stood up and helped us return the clothes back to their owners.

After Chifuyu received his clothes, he quickly said thanks, and then he put the clothes away, and at the same time his book as well. “It’s getting late now. I’ll go to sleep first. Goodnight everyone.” Taking off his glasses, he pulled up his blanket and fell back on the bed.

“Good night.”

Closing the book that he was currently reading, Yido curved into a smile. “Then it should be about time for us to go to sleep too.”

“Oh, alright.” I immediately took off the indoor shoes and climbed into the bed from before. Separated by a large empty space, on the other side slept Leido, completely rolled up together with the blanket like a dead caterpillar. His pointed ears were drooping down, totally different from its usual energetic look.

After a long while, Yado climbed onto the empty bed beside me, lying next to his brother.

“Yang Yang, good night.”

“Good night.”

After saying goodnight, Yado quickly fell asleep.

At the same time, the surroundings of the room grew dark.

To tell the truth, I was a little scared, because no one had turned off the lights, but it grew dark by itself; at that second, I thought that some ghosts would pop out and haunt us. But the people around me were all sleeping, so it looks like that was just the hostel’s own installment.

Starting tomorrow, I wonder what sort of things we will face.

Also, I hope that tomorrow we can find the others and Senior. I suppose based on their abilities, nothing should’ve happened to them.

Beside me came the sounds of steady breathing, and a while later, I started feeling a bit sleepy too.

Tomorrow will probably be another exhausting day. It’d be great if this matter could be quickly settled.

While I was in a hazy trance for who knows how long, I seemed to have heard the subtle noises of someone getting up and leaving, and someone opening the door and coming in. The empty bed beside me lightly sank a little, and then it was silence.

I probably knew who that was.

Before falling asleep, I heard the sound of a very low sigh.

“Good night…”

And then, the night grew late.