Love, Death

Sunlight gradually filtered in through the window. Although blocked by heavy curtains, Li Yue woke up sensitively. She felt a slight dizziness, likely from sleeping too late the night before.

“Time to get up. Didn’t you say you had a class this morning?” Li Yue poked Clo, who didn't want to move at all. The latter wriggled slightly and burrowed back into the quilt, seemingly devoid of energy.

“I originally wanted to ask for leave... then I forgot. A Yue... help me call in sick...” Clo murmured softly, her voice completely soft and sweet, carrying a hint of acting spoiled.

“Wasn't the original reason for requesting leave to take care of me? But I don’t need that anymore.” Li Yue stretched, took off her pajamas, and leisurely buttoned her shirt while simultaneously poking the bed-lingering Clo.

“I don’t want to go to work...” Clo rolled over to the center of the double bed, her limbs fully splayed out, seemingly letting herself go completely.

“If you’re going to be like that, then I won’t be polite.” Li Yue poked Clo’s shoulder and then quickly gave it a small pinch. Clo immediately sat up in pain, her face, which had faint dark circles under the eyes, showing a bit of embarrassment and annoyance.

“How... I only pinched you lightly...” Clo looked at Li Yue’s fair fingers. The nails were trimmed cleanly, unlike her own long, pale blue nails.

It wasn't because of the nails either...

“What are you staring at my hand for? Does it still have your scent on it?” Li Yue smiled and poked Clo’s shoulder again. The other girl hissed in pain twice. “It won't... I actually washed my hands when I got up for water in the middle of the night. And honestly, there wasn't much of a scent to begin with.”

Her originally fair shoulder was now flushed red. However, this wasn't because Li Yue had pinched too hard; she had only given it a light squeeze. As for the pain, it came from the clearly visible bite mark on her shoulder.

“How... the mark hasn't faded yet. My self-healing... shouldn't be this poor...” Clo was dumbfounded. She pulled her pajamas down a bit to look at the clearly visible, still slightly aching bite mark, her face filled with shock and chagrin.

“I am a magic user who has ascended to godhood, after all. My teeth, you could say, are essentially a minor god's remains.” Li Yue’s lips curled into a slight arc, revealing a faint smile with a hint of a little devil in it.

“How could this be...” Clo sat paralyzed on the bed, feeling weak. Suddenly, she seemed to think of something, and her gaze quickly fixed on the area below Li Yue’s collarbone—a large patch of fair skin where nothing remained.

“You can’t even bite me hard enough to cause pain, yet you wanted to leave a mark?” Li Yue read Clo’s mind, opened her mouth, and showed off her extremely sharp fangs.

“Alright, get up now.” Li Yue gave a shallow smile. The blood-red tint in her eyes faded slightly, replaced by a tiny glimmer of light. Love and doting appeared in her eyes, something she had never expected of herself.

“Ugh... fine...” Clo yawned, her face wearing a little “crying” expression as she stood up reluctantly. Her pajamas were half-off, and her eyes were half-closed, as if she were still overcome by sleepiness.

“You’re the one who crawled over to my side; you have to bear the consequences yourself.” Li Yue pulled open the curtains. Although her face still bore its signature fatigue, she seemed somewhat refreshed.

“If I’d known, I would have bullied you more before you regained your memories...” Clo sighed, reaching out to take the clothes Li Yue handed her.

“By the way, regarding last night’s dinner... from the first bite, I knew it wasn't made by you.” Clo glanced at Li Yue, who was holding a hair tie in her mouth while tidying her white hair.

“Is that so? I guess the flavor I imagined is quite different from what I actually cook.” Li Yue paused, carefully recalling the taste of last night’s dinner. It did indeed seem quite different from her own cooking.

“Do you remember what you told me before?” Li Yue suddenly thought of something and couldn't help but smile.

“What?”

“My scent. You said I smelled like strawberry shortcake.” Li Yue thought for a moment. “I just thought of Clo’s scent.”

“Blueberry ice cream? That’s what you used to say.”

“Actually, it’s sea salt.”

“You bastard!” Clo’s face flushed red. Her left hand quickly threw a pillow, which Li Yue easily dodged. Then, unwilling to give up, she threw a second one. This time, however, Li Yue didn't dodge at all, letting the pillow hit her square in the face.

“Alright, alright, don’t be angry.” Li Yue sat down. Although Clo had a good temperament, when she did get angry, she needed a bit of coaxing—just a little bit.

“I’ll prepare a surprise for you today.” Li Yue smiled. “Not a big surprise, just a small one.”

“It better actually surprise me,” Clo pouted.

Li Yue responded with a smile as she caught a third flying pillow with her hand. She had made up her mind: she would go buy some ingredients and, despite her sleepiness, make Clo a lunch—the kind packed in a lunch box, layered and full of surprises.

She thought of last night, how Clo had sobbed softly, slowly crawling onto her and whispering for her not to leave. Thinking of this, her expression turned lonely for a moment. What she wanted to see least right now was that expression—not a hysterical crying fit, but that kind of soft sobbing that was intensely sad yet still considerate of her.

Love is a very strange feeling. Even Li Yue, who had discarded many of her emotions, was helpless against it.

Love and death are similar. They are the most solemn yet most humble of matters in the human world, the most inevitable of grand events. You cannot predict when they will arrive, and once they happen, there is no turning back.