The purpose of Riguang has always been only one.

Fang Qi's eyes snapped open!

His whole body shot up from the yoga mat!

"Hiss—!"

A sharp pain jolted through his scalp!

Something was tugging at his hair!

"Whoa! Master!"

Liguang's flustered voice rang in his ear!

The silver-haired girl threw herself at him, frantically pressing down on his head!

Her slender fingers clumsily undid the little braid she'd been halfway through.

"I'm sorry, Master, I'm sorry!"

She undid it while rubbing his head.

She rubbed so hard his head wobbled back and forth with her movements.

"Master, are you okay?"

"Does it hurt?"

"Liguang will rub it better!"

"Liguang will blow on it!"

With that, she leaned in close, her warm breath brushing against his scalp, ticklish.

Fang Qi let her rub his head, but his gaze was fixed blankly on his own hands.

That just now...

A dream?

In his dream...

He thought he'd heard some strange voice?

Calling him "Senior"?

Telling him to "wake up"?

Fang Qi's pupils slowly focused... and then...

Jerked wide again!

...Wake up?!

Ah...!

"Master?"

Liguang's soft, sweet voice suddenly sounded by his ear.

It made him shiver slightly!

Fang Qi turned his head slightly to look at her...

Liguang's lovely face wore a guilty expression.

Her little hand was still rubbing his head, her movements so gentle.

"Master... are you alright?"

She spoke cautiously, apologizing pitifully.

"It's all Liguang's fault. Liguang was so focused on braiding Master's hair that she forgot to give Master a massage..."

Her voice trailed off, lower and lower, more and more hurt.

"Before, when Master slept, Liguang would always give Master a massage..."

"Just now Liguang forgot, so Master had a nightmare..."

"It's all Liguang's fault!"

With that, she pressed down a little harder, and Fang Qi felt his shoulders sink...

His mind still in a mess, the back of his head once again touched that softness.

"Master, sleep now. Liguang will give you a massage."

Her little hand brushed his cheek.

"This time, Master won't have any more nightmares, okay..."

Ah...

Fang Qi blinked.

Through the light blue house dress, he could feel the warmth radiating from her legs.

His wife's lap pillow.

Her fingers slipped into his hair, and her fingertips found the exact pressure point at the base of his neck.

She pressed with just the right amount of force.

Circle after circle.

Her small hands kneaded his head, and every single spot she touched was exactly where he felt the most sore and tense.

A warm, tingling, numbing sensation spread from his neck.

It traveled all the way down his spine, melting away the cold sweat from being startled awake.

...His wife's lap pillow really was comfortable.

He felt...

His eyelids starting to droop again.

His consciousness starting to blur again.

The nightmare...?

Lin Xiaoyou...?

Both faded away under Liguang's massage.

His wife was rubbing so well. Sleeping a little more wouldn't hurt.

After all...

That was just a dream just now, right?

A nonsensical dream.

A...

Like hell it was!

Fang Qi's eyes snapped open!

He shoved both hands against the ground and sprang up!

Who had time to sleep?!

"Whoa!"

Liguang let out a startled yelp!

Her whole body lurched backward, nearly toppling off the yoga mat!

"Slap!"

Fang Qi slammed both hands against his own face!

His cheeks stung, but he felt much more awake!

...Not a dream!

Definitely not a dream!

That voice was way too real!

Something was definitely wrong!

Lin Xiaoyou's voice!

She and An Lian had their souls torn apart by him, and their bodies were devoured by the mosaic...

Who knew what happened to them while they were submerged in that mosaic!

By now, everything here was already a complete mess!

Besides, Lin Xiaoyou was crazy enough—there was nothing she could do that would surprise him!

So maybe it really was her...!

Fang Qi took a deep breath, then...

"Slap!"

He hit his face again.

Hey, wake up!

Even if it was just a dream, it was still a warning to him!

He couldn't keep going on like this!

Fang Qi held his reddened cheeks, his gaze trembling as it swept across this "safe house."

The yoga mat was laid out beside the workbench, still bearing the indentation where his head had rested.

The blanket was folded neatly—they'd found it in some room, and Liguang said it made sleeping more comfortable.

On the workbench, the alcohol lamp had gone out, the water in the beaker still warm.

Cans were sorted by flavor, lined up in rows on the table's edge.

Beside them was the glowing pixel-mass they'd picked up from Star Sea Cottage, its faint blue light drifting slowly inside the glass jar, serving as a little nightlight.

He was slightly dazed.

All of this...

Was what Liguang had slowly arranged over the past while.

And he...

Had actually been thinking about staying here forever!

He wanted to stay right here, with Liguang, just the two of them—exploring every day, then coming back to this cozy safe house, resting his head on her lap, letting her braid his hair...

And just live like that, day after day?

He rubbed his head hard!

Unbelievable!

How could he have thought that?

That wasn't right, was it?

Sister An Lian and Lin Xiaoyou were both still waiting for him to save them!

Was he just going to enjoy himself here and abandon them?!

And besides...

What was this place?

A crack in the world where rules were chaos!

A corrupted space polluted by fragments of fate!

Even if it had somehow become cozy and warm, even if those mosaics had started trying to please them, its fundamental nature hadn't changed!

Who knew what was really going on with those rules!

Who knew what was behind all that "granting wishes" flattery!

Wake up!

And Liguang too!

Fang Qi whipped his head around to look at the silver-haired girl still kneeling on the yoga mat.

Crazy Girl! You need to wake up too!

And then he saw...

The silver-haired girl kneeling on the mat, her hands still hovering in midair in the same massage position they'd been in when he was resting on her lap.

That amber eye...

Was looking at him with tears welling up!

"Master..."

Her voice was so aggrieved, trembling with hurt.

Tears threatened to spill from the corners of her eyes!

"Has Master..."

"Already tired of Liguang's lap pillow...?"

She bit her lower lip, gripping the hem of her dress...

Looking so pitiful it hurt.

Fang Qi: "..."

Ah... my heart aches...

Crazy Girl!

Can you not use this move every single time?!

"No, Liguang."

He quickly raised his hand and lightly rubbed her head.

Liguang's small head wobbled back and forth, but her amber gaze still stayed fixed on him, wet and glistening.

Pitiful and helpless.

Fang Qi looked at her seriously:

"Liguang's lap pillow is very comfortable. Master loves it very much. That just now wasn't your fault."

"It's just..."

He took a deep breath...

Then suddenly stood up!

His mind cleared quite a bit in that instant!

Phew!

"It's just that Master has woken up!"

He looked down at the silver-haired girl kneeling on the ground, looking utterly confused, and his tone turned serious!

"Liguang, we can't keep sinking into this comfort anymore!"

The silver-haired girl knelt at his feet, tilting her head up to look at him, cocking her head with a confused expression.

Her little face was blank, as if she didn't quite understand.

Er...

Fang Qi's eye twitched.

His wife right now... felt so dumb!

"Liguang, we really need to snap out of it!"

"We've already wasted too much time!"

The silver-haired girl blinked, even more bewildered.

"Wasting...?"

"That's right!"

Fang Qi tousled her head with force!

"Don't forget our original goal!"

Liguang froze for a moment at his question...

Then immediately straightened her back!

"Of course Liguang hasn't forgotten!"

She lifted her chin to look at Fang Qi, wearing a "don't underestimate me" expression.

"Our original goal is to find a way out of here!"

"Liguang and Master have always been exploring and searching, it's just..."

Then she pouted.

"We just haven't found it yet..."

Then she looked at Fang Qi with tearful eyes:

"How can Master think Liguang forgot? Liguang isn't stupid..."

Fang Qi's mouth twitched.

Not stupid?

Are you sure?

And also...

Always exploring and searching?

How come he felt like they'd just been playing the whole time?

Playing around like there was no tomorrow!

He stared at the aggrieved silver-haired girl in front of him, reached out with both hands, and grabbed Liguang by the shoulders!

"Liguang!"

He lowered his head, fixed his gaze on her single amber eye, and spoke with a serious tone!

"We need to get a grip! We can't keep playing around like this!"

"Sister An Lian and Lin Xiaoyou are still waiting for us to save them!"

But she just blinked her eyes, still wearing that innocent little expression.

So cute it was almost annoying!

Fang Qi: "..."

Can you please stop being so cute!

Then Liguang moved.

She suddenly wrapped her arms around his!

Looked up at him with a grin!

"Master is so serious, so tense."

"How about we go to the 'Star Sea Cottage' and relax a bit?"

She rubbed her cheek against Fang Qi's arm, tilted her head with eyes curved like crescent moons:

"Liguang can sing a new song for Master!"

"Or we could step on bubbles at 'Living Hill', watch the aurora at 'Mist Sea', kick water at the 'Sea at the End of the World'..."

She playfully shook his arm again.

"Pretty please, Master~"

Fang Qi was taken aback.

Star Sea Cottage.

That room full of glowing pixel mushrooms.

Ah...

Being there really was relaxing.

Just standing there, watching her stand in the middle of the starry sea, the starlight dancing for her, and her dancing for him...

Yeah, it really was...

...Wait, no!

Fang Qi shook his head violently again, then glared at the silver-haired girl before him!

What the heck!

"Liguang! Don't you dare change the subject!"

He pinched her soft cheeks hard and pulled them outward.

"Master is talking to you about something serious!"

With her face being pulled, Liguang's little mouth was stretched into a straight line.

"We can't indulge in illusions!"

Fang Qi glared at her.

And she blinked her amber eye, pouting her little mouth...

"But... but Master..."

She muttered.

"As long as I'm with Master, everywhere is real..."

"Liguang doesn't think this place is fake. Here there's Master, there's Liguang, there are the names we gave our rooms together, the colorful footprints Master left behind..."

Her eyes were wet as she looked at him.

"These are all real."

Fang Qi opened his mouth.

This...

"And besides..."

She muttered again.

"Even if we get out, is that really real...?"

...Huh?

How is being outside not—!

Oh.

Actually, it kind of isn't...?

Fang Qi was left speechless, unable to argue for a moment.

Liguang took the chance to break free from his hand on her face...

Then threw herself into his arms!

She pressed her cheek against his chest and rubbed hard!

"And also, Master, it's not a conflict...!"

Her muffled voice came from his chest.

"What's wrong with being here?"

"Once we get out, everything will be restored!"

"Miss An Lian and Miss Lin will get better..."

"But before that..."

She rubbed against him again, then lifted her head slightly, glanced at Fang Qi...

Then quickly buried her face again!

"Liguang also wants to be happy with Master...!"

She continued in a muffled voice.

"What's wrong with that...?"

"We can play while looking for the exit. It doesn't interfere..."

Play while looking for the exit.

No conflict.

Fang Qi was slightly lost in thought.

This Crazy Girl's words actually made some sense.

Yeah...

It really didn't clash.

Ultimately, they still had to save them, but...

Who said the journey of rescue had to be full of hardship and suffering?

Couldn't they save people while being happy?

He and Liguang had been exploring the maze together. Every time they went out, they looked for paths, doors, and exits—it's just that...

They played a little along the way.

What Liguang said wasn't wrong either...

...No!

He shook his head violently again!

Damn it!

She'd led him astray again!

What "play while looking for an exit"!

He'd been completely immersed before, with barely a shred of "looking for an exit" left!

Every morning he woke up thinking "where are we exploring today"!

He got happy seeing the corridor change color when he opened the door, got excited discovering new rooms!

He came back, lay down on the yoga mat, and started looking forward to tomorrow, too lazy to even keep track of the days!

If he was thinking like that, then Liguang...

He looked down at the silver-haired girl still nuzzling against his chest!

This Crazy Girl had definitely been thinking the same!

She was ditzy now, ditzier than him. She wouldn't be thinking about "playing while looking for an exit"!

She just purely wanted to stay here with her Master and be happy forever!

She probably hadn't thought about anything else!

Woman, I don't believe a word you say!

Fang Qi forcefully cupped Liguang's face!

Her raised pretty face showed her amber eye looking at him innocently, her cheeks red from where he'd pulled them earlier.

He reached out again and precisely pinched her cute little nose...

Gave it a hard twist!

"Mmm—! Mas—!!"

Liguang let out a series of protests from the twist.

"I never said we couldn't play!"

Fang Qi glared at her, exasperated!

"But! We should focus more on finding the exit, right?"

"Even if we play, we should at least find a way out first!"

Liguang stopped struggling and looked at him with tearful eyes again.

Fang Qi pressed his lips together.

Fine.

He really couldn't stand that expression of hers!

So he let go of her nose and pinched her soft cheek flesh again.

"Liguang."

His tone softened a little.

"Master isn't saying he doesn't want to spend time alone with you. Master wants to. A lot."

"But..."

He paused, pulling Liguang back into his chest.

"Master wants to go home."

He whispered softly in her ear.

The silver-haired girl in his arms stiffened for a brief moment.

He gently fiddled with the little star on her earlobe.

"Back to our home."

"I want to drink the tea you brew."

"52-degree tea."

Liguang's body slowly relaxed, and she buried her head deeper into his chest.

But she didn't say another word.

Fang Qi rubbed the back of her head, his gaze sweeping past the nape of her neck.

As her silver hair fell aside, a small display window on that delicate skin was glowing faintly.

100%.

Oh!

Fang Qi's eyes lit up!

Right as he woke up, Liguang had just finished charging!

Perfect! No time wasted at all!

"Liguang!"

He immediately lowered his head, looking at the still-sulking silver-haired girl in his arms.

"The battery's full now. Master's about to..."

He turned his gaze toward the core calibration device that had remained unused the whole time.

“I can help you—put Red Eye back in!”

Then he looked down at Liguang, who still lay motionless in his arms.

“All this time, you’ve only had one eye, right? That’s got to be uncomfortable.”

He rubbed Liguang’s little head with some force, the tension in his chest easing quite a bit.

“The charge is full now. We can—!”

“It’s not charge, Master.”

A murmur came from his embrace.

…What?

Fang Qi’s movement froze.

Huh?

He looked down.

The silver-haired girl still had her face buried against his chest.

He blinked.

Did she just say something?

Not what?

Charge?

…Huh?

But Liguang slowly lifted her head.

It was still that same silly, innocent, naive little face.

Her right eye was covered with a slightly worn white gauze, and her amber left eye looked at him.

And then—

Fang Qi’s pupils contracted!

Because he saw it: in that eye that had always been so dazed and foolish…

A wisp of deep blue light suddenly flickered across it!

…What?

Fang Qi stared at her, dumbstruck.

Her original core…

Had it awakened?

Fang Qi’s eyes widened as he fixed on her left eye—but…

That deep blue was already gone.

The amber pupil still looked at him, glistening, clear and innocent.

Exactly like that silly little fool from before.

…Huh?

Wait…?

“Master, this number, you see…”

Liguang extended a slender finger and lightly tapped the display window on the back of her own neck.

Under her fingertip, the number “100%” flickered faintly.

She tilted her head.

Looking at Fang Qi, her pretty face broke into a silly, sweet, and soft smile.

“…has another meaning, you know~”

Fang Qi stared at her, stunned.

Liguang, you…

But Liguang just kept giggling with that foolish laugh.

She raised both hands, gently wrapped them around Fang Qi’s neck, and pressed her whole body up against him.

She leaned close to the side of his face.

Warm breath brushed past his ear.

“Master wouldn’t think that Liguang, without Red Eye…”

Still in that silly, sticky, soft tone.

“…is really, really obedient, would you?”

Her finger lightly tapped on his carotid artery.

Tap. One.

“Right, Master?”

Tap. Two.

“Right?”

She drew back slightly, her chin resting on his chest, brows arched and eyes curved as she looked up at him.

A foolish, innocent smile still hooked at the corner of her lips.

Fang Qi, however, felt a chill run down his spine.

He stared blankly at the silver-haired girl, who seemed only more adorable by the moment.

“And, Master just asked what Liguang’s original purpose was…?”

“Hehe!”

Liguang let out another giggle, then buried her face back into his chest!

Her voice came out, muffled and silly.

“Liguang’s original purpose has always been just one thing.”

“To stay with Master…”

“Forever and ever.”

Fang Qi stood there, frozen.

In his arms was a soft, warm body; against his chest was a gentle, warm breath; at the tip of his nose was that familiar strawberry sweetness.

The hairs on the back of his neck…

Rose one by one!

…Huh?

What does that… mean?