Chapter 21: Cleanup After the Fact

Misty water vapor filled the bathroom, and steaming heat swirled under the warming lamp. Lin Xiaolu scooped a handful of water and splashed it on her face, leaning back in the bathtub as her expression gradually shifted from dazed to relaxed.

After staring blankly for a while, her scattered pupils regained their luster; she slowly buried her face in the hot water, and bubbles exhaled from her mouth rose to the surface with a "glug-glug" sound, making a "plop-splash" noise.

It was still the afternoon, but time was nearing late afternoon; Lin Xiaolu was washing away the grime of battle in her own bathroom.

After lathering with body wash several times, rinsing through multiple cycles, and combing her hair while rinsing it several more times, she finally sat into the bathtub with a sense of relief, able to properly soothe her nerves.

Undoubtedly, today's battle with the Remnant Beasts, though full of problems and accidents, brought considerable gains.

Besides gaining combat and cooperation experience, she also gained some understanding of the rare Solvent Cavity type Remnant Beasts. At least after such a battle, Lin Xiaolu felt she had truly learned something.

Senior Cuique's teaching method was successful.

Her respect for Senior Cuique increased a bit more; Lin Xiaolu couldn't help but close her eyes, imagining the day she would become the ideal magical girl under Senior Cuique's guidance.

At that time, she would surely be mature, cool, powerful, and beautiful...

The daydream in her head made Lin Xiaolu's face involuntarily break into a smile; her lips curled slightly upward, her eyebrows arched, clearly indicating her mood had improved greatly.

— "Done soaking?"

"Wah!" The sudden voice from beside her ear made Lin Xiaolu jump.

Turning her head, she saw Xia Liang standing beside the bathtub wrapped in a bath towel, smiling at her.

Her wet black hair still held traces of water vapor, obviously she had just come out of the nearby shower.

"No, no."

Lifting her face from the water, Lin Xiaolu complained: "Letting you shower while I'm soaking is already an act of great mercy. Finish rinsing and go wait outside; this is my house, and I won't give up the bathtub to you."

"Eh—but I got covered in dirty water too, I want to get in and soak quickly."

While speaking, Xia Liang moved closer to the bathtub: "How about I squeeze in? I don't mind, okay?"

"I do mind! It'll be crushed! You're so gross!"

Reaching out to block the bathtub edge, Lin Xiaolu directly rejected her three times in a row: "Do you even know what host and guest distinction means? Don't push your luck!"

"Then please?" Xia Liang clasped her hands together, blinking and pleading.

"Lowering your attitude won't help! Get out quickly!"

"I'm reaching."

"Don't come over, and don't just come in! I said don't—"

The noise in the bathroom grew louder; though the specific content was unclear, Lin Xiaolu's loud, frantic voice could be heard even in the living room.

Senior Cuique sat upright on the living room sofa with her legs crossed, staring blankly at the object in her hand.

It was a half-broken green disc-shaped metal piece, corroded until it was pitted and uneven, its original appearance unrecognizable.

She had found this object in the remains of a Remnant Beast just before leaving the previous battlefield; finding it somewhat unusual, she had casually brought it back.

Staring at the disc, she felt the thing seemed a bit like a... valve?

Why would such a thing be inside a Remnant Beast's stomach?

Feeling as though she had grasped a clue, some dormant memories in her mind were awakened; Senior Cuique simply leaned back, resting her upper body against the sofa backrest, and tilted her head to think.

— Click.

The bathroom door nearby suddenly opened, and the previously muffled noise became distinct.

"Hurry up—get out!" Lin Xiaolu's angry voice followed.

"Ah! Don't pull so hard, you'll rip the towel off!"

Then came Xia Liang's voice.

Lin Xiaolu ignored whatever she said and pushed Xia Liang out the door herself: "You're so annoying!"

Bang!

Then, the bathroom door was slammed shut forcefully.

Left outside the door, Xia Liang wrapped herself in the bath towel and walked out of the bathroom, passing through the living room where she met Senior Cuique's gaze, who was looking up.

Unlike their first meeting a few days ago, Xia Liang's appearance now differed significantly.

The highlights in her bangs had been washed off at some point, and her slightly curled ends had been straightened back to straight hair. Without the enhancement of light makeup, her youthful features were fully revealed, clearly showing she was just a middle school student.

If Xia Liang's image in the electronics district was that of a flashy, fashionable girl, then the current Xia Liang, smiling calmly, would only make one think of a well-behaved, quiet good child.

Senior Cuique's previously scattered gaze gradually focused; seeing Xia Liang dressed only in a bath towel, she paused for a moment and suggested:

"How about you find a bathrobe to put on?"

"Hmm? That sounds good?"

Xia Liang readily agreed, but soon encountered a new problem: "But do we have a bathrobe here?"

"Clean bathrobes are kept in..."

Senior Cuique instinctively wanted to answer, but remembered she was not Lin Yun right now. Although she was in her own home, she could not reveal her identity as the homeowner; on the surface, she was just a guest like Xia Liang.

So she changed her tone without showing any emotion: "If there's a storage cabinet at the bathroom entrance, maybe it's in the cabinet? You can also ask Bai Mei."

"Bai Mei? Oh, hehe, then I'll go ask her again."

For some reason, Xia Liang was so enthusiastic about provoking Lin Xiaolu; realizing she had another reason to bother Lin Xiaolu, she immediately walked back to the bathroom with a light laugh.

Probably because poking her would make her explode like a startled small animal? It seemed fun?

Based on the personalities of the two, Senior Cuique could arrive at such an answer.

She didn't mind Xia Liang's obviously harmless provocation; as long as no hatred was formed, it was just young people joking and playing around.

However, watching Xia Liang's gradually receding figure, her noticeably more advanced development compared to her peers made Senior Cuique feel a bit of parental concern for Lin Xiaolu.

Her daughter, could she end up being short in the future?

Although at fourteen years old there was still hope, with many years left for Lin Xiaolu to catch up and achieve a counterattack, right now there was absolutely no sign of it.

Logically, as Lin Xiaolu's parents, Lin Yun and An Ya's heights, while not exceptionally superior, were definitely above average. As the father, Lin Yun's height exceeded 1.8 meters; as the mother, An Ya's height was close to 1.7 meters. There was no reason for Lin Xiaolu to be shorter than her peers, yet her current height was a mere 1.43 meters, far below the average line.

What exactly was the reason?

Senior Cuique set the broken disc in her hand aside, rose silently, and walked toward the kitchen.

She stood on tiptoe by the sink, rinsed her hands clean, then opened the sterilizer cabinet and took out several teacups.

Skillfully arranging the teacups side by side and sprinkling in tea leaves, she pressed hard with her toes, expressionless, propelling herself a bit higher, then lifted the thermos and poured boiling water into them.

Given Lin Xiaolu's personality, she would never have thought to brew tea for guests; such matters could only be handled by her.