Glass Light, Wait for Me

He narrowed his eyes and leaned closer to the screen.

A sunhat, a white dress, silver hair billowing in the wind, amber-and-crimson heterochromia…

Everything looked beautiful. Perfect, even.

But somehow…

Something seemed to be missing.

What was it?

It was…

…Ah!

His eyes suddenly widened.

He realized it all at once.

On the Liguang wallpaper displayed on the screen…

Her earlobe was completely bare.

The little star he had given Liguang was nowhere to be seen.

Fang Qi pursed his lips.

…That made sense, too.

There was no way that little star could exist here.

After all, he had won it for Liguang at an amusement park in another worldline.

It hadn’t even been an earring at first. It had just been a cheap plastic star keychain.

Liguang had turned it into an earring so she could wear it all the time.

So it was normal for it not to be there.

It shouldn’t be there…

…Huh?

Wait…

Had he forgotten something?

…Ah!

Fang Qi suddenly realized something and whipped his head around to look at the silver-haired girl figurine on the desk!

The figurine was still kneeling there, holding a tiny white porcelain teacup in both hands, smiling demurely.

Yet on the figurine’s small, exquisite earlobe…

That little star was reflecting the faint glow from the screen!

Fang Qi: “...?”

His thoughts came to a complete halt.

…What?

He stared at the little star as his pupils slowly contracted.

Then he turned back toward the computer desktop!

There really was no little star on the Liguang shown in the wallpaper.

He immediately opened the game again!

On the home screen, the Liguang sitting behind the tea table and looking at him…

There was no little star on her earlobe either!

Fang Qi: “...!”

His grip on the mouse tightened slightly.

The Liguang in the game and the Liguang in the wallpaper both had no little star.

That was what made sense.

Because in this worldline, there was no Fang Qi who had given that little star to his Liguang.

And yet, the figurine…

He turned his head once more and looked at the even smaller little star dangling from the figurine’s earlobe.

…?

Why…?

Just now…

He really hadn’t noticed this problem at all.

Because Liguang had…

always worn that little star.

Ever since the day at the amusement park, she had treasured it like it was priceless.

When she slept, she kept it in a transparent little box beside her bed. She never even took it off while charging.

And he had long since grown used to seeing that star sway beside her ear.

Sometimes, when he pinched and played with her earlobe, the little star would swing gently against his fingertips.

Aside from the one time he had deliberately confiscated it, the only other time the little star had ever left her ear…

Fang Qi lowered his brows slightly.

…was at the seaside.

Her battery was about to run out, and she mistakenly believed that he had abandoned her, plunging into complete despair.

She had planned to throw herself into the sea and end her life, but even then…

she had carefully placed the little star inside a seashell and tucked it into a crack between the reefs.

—Master is a liar.

—But Liguang still loves you.

Fang Qi stared at the little star on the figurine’s earlobe. His pupils trembled faintly…

Then he suddenly shook his head!

No…

Don’t think about that anymore!

Don’t!

Although this time, he had indeed lost Liguang just as he had back then…!

Although this time, he couldn’t find her either…!

But…

But the circumstances were different!

They were completely different!

What happened before couldn’t happen again. It couldn’t…

Suddenly, a cool sensation rose in his mind.

That calm power belonging to Liguang once again suppressed the agitation in his heart.

Fang Qi closed his eyes and breathed slowly.

It seemed his wife didn’t want him to become too anxious, either.

So he opened his eyes, lifted his head…

and looked once more at the tiny plastic star on the figurine.

His eyes narrowed slightly.

Fang Qi, don’t get too emotional. Think rationally.

Why, exactly?

Why was the little star absent from both the game and the desktop wallpaper…

yet present on this figurine custom-made by “Dawnlight Official”?

The little star on the one-seventh-scale figurine was tiny—so tiny that it could easily be overlooked.

But precisely because it was so small, it looked even more delicate.

Every edge was sharply defined. It swayed faintly from the figurine’s earlobe, as though…

Fang Qi’s eyes slowly widened.

As though it were real?

And besides…

Only his Liguang could possess this little star!

Could it be…?

“Liguang…?”

Fang Qi murmured.

“Could this really be you?”

He reached out and carefully lifted the figurine from the desk, raising it to eye level.

The figurine’s Liguang continued to smile demurely, her heterochromatic eyes quietly gazing at him.

She was exactly like the Liguang in his memories.

He reached behind the figurine’s neck and gently flicked the tiny switch.

Click.

The crimson eye lit up again.

A scarlet glow seeped out from deep within the pupil, flickering faintly inside the eye socket.

Fang Qi met the gaze of the little figurine in his hands once more.

The fingers holding it trembled slightly.

“Liguang… this is you, right?” he asked softly.

“Come back to me, okay?”

The figurine’s crimson eye continued to glow faintly. It gave no answer.

Fang Qi’s fingers tightened slightly.

“Don’t hide from your master anymore.”

“I really…”

“I really don’t want to live another day without you…!”

Even with his powers suppressing him, even with that calmness that didn’t belong to him struggling to hold him together…

his lips still trembled faintly as he said those words.

The wind outside seemed to have grown stronger.

The curtains swayed gently, and moonlight flickered across the figurine’s face.

The crimson eye continued to emit its dim red glow.

Fang Qi held his breath.

Then—

“Master, your tea.”

The figurine suddenly spoke!

Fang Qi: “?!”

The voice was gentle and obedient.

“The temperature has been adjusted to your preferred 52 degrees Celsius.”

And then…

it fell silent.

Holding the figurine, Fang Qi opened and closed his mouth, staring blankly at it for a long while.

But in the end…

his shoulders slowly slumped.

The curve of his lips turned somewhat bitter.

Sigh…

It seemed this was simply what it said automatically whenever the switch was turned on.

When he had activated the figurine for the first time, Liguang’s figurine had suddenly spoken just like this.

It had said the exact same line.

It had done so just now.

And it was doing so again now.

Heh heh…

He propped up one arm and slowly covered his face.

W-what a w-wonderful f-f-feature…!

He was practically gnashing his teeth!

But then he calmed down once more.

…No.

No!

That little star was definitely the key!

He looked at the figurine again, narrowing his eyes.

In any case…

Only his Crazy Girl would have that little star!

Only she would know how important it was!

So…

“Liguang, are you in there or not?!”

There was no response.

The crimson eye continued to glow faintly.

Fang Qi gritted his teeth…

and suddenly turned the figurine upside down!

Then he began tickling it around the waist!

“Are you going to talk or not?”

He tickled the figurine’s Liguang.

“Are you going to talk or not?”

As he tickled her, he interrogated her in a lowered voice.

“Is hiding in a place like this really fun?”

“Come out right now!”

But…

the figurine still showed no reaction at all.

Fang Qi: “...”

He turned the figurine upright again…

The figurine’s pretty face still wore that same gentle smile.

Those crimson eyes gazed at him, glowing with a faint red light.

It even made the smile look somewhat amiable.

…Ahem.

Fang Qi gave a light cough.

Then his old face flushed red.

Yeah.

It really wasn’t her.

…Thankfully, no one else had seen what happened just now.

He carefully put the Liguang figurine back on the desk, then cautiously straightened the hem of her pale-blue house dress.

But the resin skirt didn’t need any straightening.

Fang Qi was speechless.

It seemed this figurine really was just a figurine.

Still…

Fang Qi took a deep breath.

The questions kept piling up.

He didn’t lose heart.

Instead, as he looked at the obedient little Liguang figurine, the corners of his mouth slowly curled upward.

…Excellent.

Although the figurine wasn’t Liguang, this little star was definitely a clue!

The “Dawn Company” that had made this figurine was absolutely at the root of the problem!

He puffed out his chest, took a deep breath, then turned toward the screens.

Now, let’s see…

Dawn Company, just what are you…

Exactly what are you?!

What, exactly…?!

…

…

“Ring—!”

Fang Qi was jolted awake by a call from Lin Xiaoyou.

He opened his eyes groggily and discovered that he was sprawled across his gaming desk.

His arm had gone numb from being pinned beneath him, and his neck ached as though Liguang had gnawed on it.

…?

He slowly pushed himself upright.

By now, the computer had gone into sleep mode, and all five monitors were black.

Fang Qi frowned slightly.

Wait…

When had he fallen asleep last night?

He couldn’t quite remember.

Apparently, he had grown drowsy while searching for information about Dawn Company, eventually collapsed onto the desk…

…and fallen asleep.

Strange…

Just then, the ringtone stopped.

Then…

“Ring—!”

It started again.

He glanced at the phone screen. It was still Lin Xiaoyou.

Come to think of it…

What was Lin Xiaoyou like in this world, exactly?

Was Miss Genius still a genius?

Rubbing his neck, Fang Qi pressed the answer button.

“Ah, Senior…!”

Lin Xiaoyou’s voice came through the receiver.

“Senior, you finally answered! It’s already past eight, and you still haven’t come in. I was worried…”

“I took the day off.”

Fang Qi spoke, his voice slightly hoarse.

“Huh? Oh… oh!”

The other end stammered twice before cautiously asking, “Um… Senior, did you see the message I sent last night?”

Her voice immediately took on a hint of a sob.

“I’m sorry, Senior!”

“I said such awful things to you on the phone last night, accusing you of fooling around and everything…”

“I was really wrong about you. Please don’t ignore me, Senior!”

Fang Qi was still not fully awake and felt a little dazed.

What was this woman supposed to be now…?

“Actually… actually, there wasn’t really any work yesterday,” Lin Xiaoyou continued, her voice growing more aggrieved with every word.

“I just… I just couldn’t get in touch with you, and I was worried something had happened, so I exaggerated on purpose…”

“I’m sorry! I really didn’t mean to scold you!”

“I just… I just…!”

She continued apologizing in a complete tangle of words.

Fang Qi: “…”

He fell silent for a moment.

The Lin Xiaoyou on the phone seemed to have reverted to that silly, sweet, money-loving junior again.

The genius madwoman, Lin You, was gone.

The person on the other end was now just an ordinary girl who seemed to have a bit of a crush on her senior.

Well.

It seemed she wouldn’t be much help anymore.

“…It’s fine.”

Fang Qi spoke, his voice still slightly hoarse.

“I’m not angry. I’ve just been sick these past two days, so I took time off to rest at home.”

He casually made up an excuse.

Silly-sweet Lin Xiaoyou should believe it with no more than a single sentence.

“What?!”

Lin Xiaoyou’s voice immediately rose.

“Senior, you’re sick?!”

“How bad is it? Do you have a fever? Have you seen a doctor? I… I’ll come visit you right now!”

Hook, line, and sinker.

“No need.”

Fang Qi refused.

“I want to be alone for a while.”

“…All right, then.”

Lin Xiaoyou sounded pitiful.

“Senior, make sure you get plenty of rest…”

“Mm.”

Fang Qi was about to hang up.

“Senior!”

Lin Xiaoyou suddenly spoke again.

“Um, that Liguang you mentioned yesterday… What game is she from?”

“Tell me!”

Her tone immediately brightened.

“I want to play it too!”

“I want to see what kind of girl Senior likes!”

Fang Qi: “…”

That was certainly a statement.

“Better not…”

He was just about to brush her off when his eyelid twitched.

A thought suddenly occurred to him.

There was a character named “Lin Xiaoyou” in the game…!

So what would happen if Lin Xiaoyou played it?

Would it…

His eyes narrowed slightly.

Would it reactivate Miss Genius’s brain?

Hmm…

“…The game is called My Yandere Mechanical Wife.”

Fang Qi stated the title without batting an eye.

There was a noticeable silence on the other end when Lin Xiaoyou heard the name.

“…Senior, you really are a hardcore otaku.”

Lin Xiaoyou muttered.

Fang Qi: “…”

Then the other side hurriedly began going, “Ah, ah, ah!” as she tried to explain.

“No, no, no, I wasn’t making fun of you, Senior!”

“I think it sounds great!”

“I’m sure I’ll like any game Senior likes!”

“I’m going to play it right now! Immediately! To hell with this lousy job—I quit!”

“But Senior, you have to get plenty of rest!”

The two ended the call.

Fang Qi rubbed his eyes.

…She really had gone back to being silly and sweet.

Lin Xiaoyou, Miss Genius…

I hope your brain comes back soon.

Help me find Liguang.

And…

Your Sister Xiaoqing is still waiting for you.

You…

Huh?

Out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly noticed a faint red light flickering.

Fang Qi: “…?”

He lowered his head and looked toward the corner of the desk…

At the Liguang figurine, which was still emitting a dim red glow.

The figurine remained docile, kneeling there with her crimson eyes quietly fixed on him.

Fang Qi felt a brief flash of tension.

That expression, combined with those flickering crimson eyes…

Hmm.

Very amiable.

This little figurine was somehow more frightening than Liguang herself…

Fang Qi gave an exasperated smile.

After gently working the stiffness out of his neck from sleeping on the desk all night, he nudged the mouse…

The computer screens lit up.

…Was that an email interface?

Fang Qi paused, then remembered.

Ah.

That’s right.

While searching for information about Dawn Company last night, he had scoured all kinds of websites, but in the end…

The only thing he had found was that corporate email address.

In the end, he had sent a message to it on the off chance that it might work.

“I’d like to pay you a visit.”

That was what he had written.

And then…

He must have fallen asleep on the desk.

Now…

Fang Qi held his breath slightly as he stared at the email interface.

Then…

He refreshed the page.

A new email immediately popped up!

Sender: [Dawn Company]

Fang Qi: “!”

His movements froze!

They had replied?!

He held his breath, his finger hovering over the mouse. Only after a long moment did he finally click.

[Dear Mr. Fang Qi:]

[Hello. Thank you for your continued support of and enthusiasm for My Yandere Mechanical Wife.]

[You are our company’s most valued player, and we warmly welcome you to visit our offices.]

[The following are our address and contact details. Please get in touch with us at your convenience, and we will arrange your reception.]

[We look forward to welcoming you.]

[Chenxi Company]

The address was included at the end of the email. It was somewhere he had never been, and he didn’t even recognize the name of the street.

Yet he stared at those lines, reading them over and over again.

Then…

The corners of his mouth slowly lifted.

…Excellent!

Unable to resist, he reached out and picked up the Liguang figurine from the desk.

He wanted to pinch her cheeks.

But the figurine’s face was too small, so his fingertip could only brush lightly over the delicate resin surface.

So he stroked her hair instead.

Her long silver hair was made of resin, with none of the soft, silky feel of the real thing.

Yet the smile on Fang Qi’s lips only grew wider.

“Liguang, wait for me.”

He whispered softly.

“I’ll find you very soon.”

The figurine’s crimson eyes glowed faintly, as if responding to him.

Fang Qi placed her back on the desk, stood up, and picked up his coat.

Liguang.

Wait for me.

I couldn’t find you by the sea before.

But this time…

I’ve been through a lot.

I also have the authority you gave me.

…I’m not useless anymore.

This time…

I will definitely find you.

He reached the door, then glanced back once more.

The Liguang figurine was still kneeling at the computer desk, her crimson eyes quietly watching him.

He looked away and stepped out of the room.

Even if the search for you…

takes me across the entire world.