Chapter 886: Prank?

Ge Lei Xiu nodded, completely missing the subtle change in Heimu's tone.

"Back then the lounge had a bunch of fun videos. Uncle Qianjie was pinned on the Training Room mat by Brother Kevin, who said stop forcing yourself, and Uncle Qianjie's face turned all red. Sister Ailixiya said that's called a contrast cuteness, and it would be fun to draw."

She paused, then added, "I think it's also very fun."

Ge Lei Xiu stopped after saying that.

She lifted her head, glanced at Sakura, then at Kesi Mo, and tightened her hold on the sketchbook.

"And then?"

Heimu asked, her voice carrying a calm that hinted she had already given up struggling, "She told you to draw, so you drew?"

Ge Lei Xiu blinked.

Her lips moved slightly, and in a serious tone she repeated word by word.

"Little Ge Lei Xiu~ Look, aren't these videos super fun? Uncle Qianjie's awkward ghost expression when Kevin pins him down is ultra—cute, right? Draw it, draw it, drawing it will be even more interesting! Think about it, freeze these wonderful moments on paper so everyone can look back later— isn't that the meaning of art? And you draw so well, it'd be a waste not to draw! Come, come, the brush is here, the paper is here, start drawing~!"

When Ge Lei Xiu said that, she deliberately raised her tone by half a step.

Although her expression remained demure and shy, and her voice still steady and soft, the imitation of the tone was so precise that Heimu felt Ailixiya herself was standing on the platform.

"And also—"

Ge Lei Xiu added another line, this time lightly clapping both hands in front of her chest, mimicking Ailixiya's clasped‑hands gesture, "—When you draw, you can unleash your own creativity, draw however you like, just render the most beautiful scene you imagine! Don't limit your imagination! Art is free!"

After finishing the imitation, Ge Lei Xiu returned to her normal tone.

"That's exactly what Sister Ailixiya said."

The entire platform fell into a death‑like silence.

Sakura closed her eyes.

Her lips pressed into a thin line, and her right hand released the hilt and gripped it again, gripped and released again.

Her facial expression remained cool and restrained, but a vein on her forehead twitched slightly.

She then exhaled heavily, raised her hand, and steadied her forehead.

"…this Ailixiya."

Sakura's voice was pressed low, each word sounding as if cut by a Foot‑long dagger before being released.

"What exactly does she teach Ge Lei Xiu all the time?"

Heimu silently tugged her hat brim down again.

Her conscience pricked slightly, since, strictly speaking, she was the one who posted those 'interesting videos.'

Ailixiya merely added fuel to her foundation, upgrading 'watching' into 'drawing.'

But she didn't intend to say so.

At least not now.

She cleared her throat, and in as natural a tone as possible took over: "So, Ailixiya told you to draw the content of the videos, and you did. Then why are these sketchbooks appearing here, on the public seats of this subway station?"

Ge Lei Xiu blinked.

"I don't know."

Her tone was one of sincere puzzlement, not feigned.

"After I finished, Sister Ailixiya said she would keep them for me. I don't know how they ended up here."

Sakura and Kesi Mo simultaneously made a hand‑to‑forehead gesture.

One held her forehead, the other held her visor.

Though the poses differed, the core spirit was identical: "I should have guessed Ailixiya would be up to mischief in this."

Heimu lowered her head to look at the sketchbook still in her hands; the little cat on the cover appeared especially innocent under the faint green light.

She turned a page, then another, gazing at the comics whose artwork was meticulous, composition professional, dialogue so cheesy it made one want to bang into a wall, and then slowly closed the book.

Ailixiya placed these sketchbooks here on purpose.

Just as she positioned Ke Lai Yin at the subway entrance to ask questions, these sketchbooks are also part of the 'stage content' she set up.

But what's the purpose?

Purely for a prank?

Or do these sketchbooks themselves have some special function?

For example, a kind of data storage medium, like a Crystal Flower, that requires a specific person's touch to activate?

Heimu weighed the sketchbook in her hand, then casually slipped it into her inner pocket.

The motion was natural, as if tidying her own bookshelf.

Sakura gave her a glance, saying nothing.

Kesi Mo's gaze followed the sketchbook as it moved from Heimu's hand into the pocket, and a hesitant buzzing sounded from beneath the helmet.

"Hold onto these sketchbooks for now."

Heimu patted the pocket and said in a tone that suggested she had everything under control.

"I just scanned the area; there's nothing else noteworthy nearby, only these sketchbooks are unusual. They're probably some storage medium linked to Le Tu's data core. Take them for now; they might be useful later."

Kesi Mo stood in place, silent for a while.

She wanted to say 'Can I discard my own book?', wanted to say 'The contents of that book must never be seen by anyone', wanted to say 'Will Sister Su, after seeing that sketch, never speak to her again?', but all those words jammed in her throat, colliding into an indecipherable tangle that no one could extract.

She opened her mouth and then closed it again.

In the end she simply straightened her back a bit more than before and, in a standard tactical report tone, said, "…Understood."

Heimu looked at her.

Sakura also looked at her.

Ge Lei Xiu stood up, clutching the drawing board, tilted her head and gave her a glance; in her ice‑blue eyes reflected the warm orange lines on the armored visor that were flashing at an extremely high frequency.

"Sister Kesi Mo, your visor is flashing."

"... I know."

"It flashed faster than before."

"... I know."

"Is it too hot?"

"Ge Lei Xiu." Kesi Mo's voice came through electronic reverberation, "........ It's fine!"

"Oh." Ge Lei Xiu obediently nodded, lowered their head and continued flipping through the picture book in their hands.

They turned two pages, then looked up.

"Can you bring that—"

"Don't mention anything. I beg you."

Heimu witnessed the whole process from the side.

She pressed the brim of her hat down again, turned around, and stepped toward the direction of the train.

She took two steps, paused, turned her head aside, and in a voice that was not loud but very clear said, "Let's go, get on. The car has probably been waiting too long."

Then she walked toward the still‑open car door without looking back, warm yellow light spilling from the carriage, outlining the silhouette of her ash‑white long hair with a gentle rim.