DSMC Chapter 152.2

Gu Wenzhu continued asking, “Was it more fun after you got separated? I’m actually kind of jealous of people who have siblings.”

Yan Weilan quietly continued eating without speaking.

Yan Weiqing, however, was clearly the talkative type. “Of course it was more fun. My Dage and Didi are always trying to keep me in line. Not being in the same class with them is the best thing ever.”

Yan Weilan swallowed his food, his eyes full of grievance. “I wasn’t trying to control you. You just get scolded by the teachers every single time. I only remind you once in a while not to break the school rules.”

Yan Weiqing waved him off. “Alright, alright. Don’t start crying again. I wasn’t bullying you. Otherwise you’ll just report me to Dage again.”

Keeping his head lowered, Yan Weilan quietly replied, “I didn’t tattle to Dage.”

The relationship between the three brothers seemed surprisingly complicated. Shouldn’t siblings simply love and care for one another? This was practically turning into a family drama.

Mealtime was short, passing by in the blink of an eye.

Yan Weiqing still had a task their eldest brother had assigned him, and the patience on his face was nearly gone.

Yan Weiqing: “I’ll walk you back to the dorm, then I want to go play some basketball before taking a shower. Don’t tattle to Dage.”

Yan Weilan: “Dage can see you going to the basketball court. He doesn’t need me to tell him.”

Yan Weiqing: “Come on. It’s such a tiny thing, yet Dage always makes such a huge fuss over it. Aren’t you perfectly fine?”

Listening to him talk, Yan Jiyun genuinely wanted to punch him. He was far too impatient with his younger brother.

Yan Jiyun took the initiative and said to Yan Weilan, “I’m heading back to the dorm too. Want to go together?”

The Class Monitor nodded. “Okay.”

The moment Yan Weiqing realized he no longer had to accompany his younger brother, he looked as though he’d been set free. As happy as a bird released from its cage, he dashed toward the basketball court the instant they left the cafeteria, completely unconcerned that his younger brother’s life might be in danger.

In Yan Jiyun’s eyes, there wasn’t really anything wrong with Yan Weiqing’s behavior. He was carefree and careless, exactly how a child his age ought to be. On the contrary, Yan Weilan acted far too much like a little adult.

Gu Wenzhu asked Yan Jiyun, “Do you want us to come with you?”

Yan Jiyun lowered his voice. “No. You two go find the Class 5 class monitor. He’s also a possible poisoning target.”

Gu Wenzhu and Qiu Xi left. 

The little Class Monitor seemed curious about what the three of them had been discussing. “Do you guys also have some secret that can’t be told to other people?”

Yan Jiyun shook his head before nodding. “Mm, it’s a secret. But I’ll tell you, as long as you don’t tell anyone else~”

The little class monitor nodded solemnly. “I definitely won’t tell anyone.”

Yan Jiyun led him away from the crowd and whispered into his ear, “We formed a detective squad. We want to investigate the things that have been making everyone so nervous lately.”

Yan Weilan looked surprised. “So… are you protecting me right now?”

Yan Jiyun nodded earnestly, saying with innocent sincerity, “Don’t you think participating in a major case like this would be especially exciting? It’ll become proof of our childhood, our own great achievement!”

Yan Weilan seemed convinced. Eager to try, he asked, “Can I join your detective squad? I can lure the snake out of its hole.”

Yan Jiyun blinked. “You even know the Art of War strategy of luring the snake out of its hole?”

Walking beside him, Yan Weilan replied, “I like reading books. It’s written in them. Do you like reading too?”

Yan Jiyun shrugged. “I guess.” 

Yan Weilan: “Do you like comics?”

Yan Jiyun: “I do.”

Yan Weilan: “Then I meet the requirements to join your detective squad now, right?”

Yan Jiyun: “Of course you do. My mission right now is to protect you.”

Yan Weilan: “How are you going to protect me?”

Yan Jiyun answered matter-of-factly, “I can grab your hand and run.” After all, he had no intention of suffering on behalf of an inhuman NPC. He was a genuine cat.

Yan Weilan: “…”

By casually probing from the side, Yan Jiyun figured out which dormitory was his. He planned to head to the communal bathhouse together with Yan Weilan.

Each of them carried a washbasin, towel, soap, shampoo, and various bathing supplies; they were thoroughly prepared. Elementary school kids these days really did live refined lives.

Of course, sending children this young to a boarding school meant the parents were either too busy, too carefree, or simply hard-hearted. He wondered which category the triplets’ parents belonged to.

Bathing together with other little kids shouldn’t be a problem, right?

Just as Yan Jiyun stepped out carrying his basin, he bumped into Qi Feng, who had just returned to the dorm. Unexpectedly, Qi Feng’s dorm room was right next to his.

Seeing the towel draped over Yan Jiyun’s shoulder and the bright green washbasin in his hands, Qi Feng asked, “Where are you going?”

“I made plans to go to the bathhouse with our class monitor. I’ll protect him while we’re at it.” As he spoke, he sneezed. “Achoo.”

Qi Feng looked at him, almost seemed to be catching a cold. “Wait for me. I’ll go with you.”

Yan Jiyun nodded. “Sure.”

The little Class Monitor soon appeared carrying his own basin, looking rather happy. “Let’s go.”

Yan Jiyun said, “Wait a little longer. Another member of our detective squad is coming too.”

Qi Feng packed up quickly. “Detective squad?”

Yan Jiyun turned around and repeatedly winked at him. “Yeah. Aren’t we secretly investigating why the class monitors from the other classes got sick? We just established the Invincible Detective Squad.”

Qi Feng played along flawlessly. “Mm. That’s right.”

The moment Yan Weilan saw Qi Feng, the smile in his eyes faded noticeably. Both Yan Jiyun and Qi Feng caught the subtle change.

Yan Jiyun felt that there’s a hint of possessiveness in his eyes. Yan Weilan was not nearly as pure and innocent as he looks. His suspicions about Yan Weilan’s identity deepened.

Of course, now wasn’t the time to sour their relationship. Yan Jiyun introduced Qi Feng in a hushed voice. “He’s the captain of our detective squad.”

It was embarrassing and cringe, but as long as it worked, everyone just had to commit to the act.

Qi Feng found himself surprisingly in sync with the newcomer’s train of thought. Back in the [Mermaid] instance, he’d used almost the exact same trick to coax information out of NPCs. Now the newcomer was using the same over-the-top detective roleplay to fool an NPC. The key point was that Yan Weilan actually seemed to believe it.

The little Class Monitor appeared to love this sort of make-believe game and immediately warmed up to Qi Feng. “Captain, what can I do?”

Qi Feng reacted instantly, fully stepping into his detective captain persona. “What do you want to do?”

Yan Weilan answered, “I’m good at deduction too.”

Qi Feng continued naturally, “Then your reasoning skills must be excellent. Once you join us, you’ll help us search for clues, share what you find, and work together to deduce who the culprit is.”

Yan Weilan immediately developed a favorable impression of Qi Feng. He even looked a little excited. “But we’re going to take a shower now. How are we supposed to search for clues?”

Qi Feng answered, “We’re working in shifts. Three other team members are searching for clues right now. After we finish bathing, we’ll take over for them.”

The little Class Monitor nodded admiringly. “That sounds impressive. Why weren’t you the class monitor of Class 6?”

Qi Feng answered without hesitation, “My grades aren’t as good as our class monitor’s. I didn’t score a perfect hundred.”

Yan Weilan looked genuinely regretful. “Oh. That’s a bit of a pity.” He had begun admiring Qi Feng.

After reassuring Yan Weilan, the three of them headed to the communal bathhouse.

This school was rather old-fashioned; it still used a communal bathhouse.

Yan Weilan and Qi Feng each entered their own shower stall.

Children all had pretty much the same body shape anyway, there wasn’t much to look at.

Standing beneath the showerhead, Yan Jiyun suddenly realized a serious problem. He couldn’t take a shower!

Hearing water already running from both neighboring stalls, he immediately set his things aside and shouted, “I ate too much greasy food tonight! My stomach hurts! I’m going to use the bathroom first. Bring my things back for me later!”

Of course, it wasn’t because he didn’t want to bathe. His Human Form Time Card was almost out of time, and he didn’t want to renew it.

Today’s usage had already nearly exceeded what he considered acceptable. This instance didn’t require him to stay transformed the whole time, so if he could save the card, he would.

Qi Feng finished showering quickly, because he had only been going through the motions anyway. Did Yan Jiyun really upset his stomach? It didn’t seem like there was any reason for him to lie. Maybe he simply had a weak stomach.

That inevitably reminded Qi Feng of Caramel. Earlier, he and Lan Mo had practically turned over every patch of greenery on campus without finding even the shadow of a cat.

It was honestly rather discouraging. He had been playing this game for three years, yet he hadn’t even managed to protect his own cat. What worried him even more now was whether Caramel would still recognize him after entering this instance.

The more Qi Feng thought about it, the more his heart ached. By the time he finished showering, his face was gloomy.

Since Yan Jiyun wasn’t around, he and Yan Weilan walked back to the dorm together, bringing along Yan Jiyun’s completely unused toiletries.

Yan Weilan even tried comforting him. “Don’t be too sad after we find the culprit.”

Qi Feng shook his head. “I’m not sad because we haven’t caught the culprit.”

Yan Weilan looked up at him innocently. “Then why?”

Qi Feng answered quietly, “My family is missing.”

Yan Weilan: “What does your family look like?”

Qi Feng: “A very, very adorable black cat.”

Little Class Monitor suddenly stopped walking. Just now, he thought he’d seen a black shadow dart past them.

Qi Feng noticed it too. At that very moment, several boys in shorts came running after them.

“Hurry! Chase that kitten!”

The instant Qi Feng saw what was happening, he threw down the washbasin in his hands.

At that moment, Yan Jiyun’s mind contained only two words: ‘Holy shit!’

After transforming back into a cat in a secluded corner outside, he’d intended to wait by the bathhouse entrance for Qi Feng. But on his way back, he’d spotted a man hiding in the bushes. So he’d leaped onto a washstand and knocked a bar of soap onto the ground beside a child who was squatting outside washing his hair. The child had indeed been startled, but unfortunately, Yan Jiyun had exposed himself in the process!

What else could he do but run!

The problem was that with his tiny legs, he couldn’t run nearly as fast as he could as an adult cat. Before long, he had created quite a commotion.

Fortunately, Qi Feng had already finished showering. 

Yan Jiyun ran until he was completely out of breath. As evening fell, his black fur blended into the darkness. Unable to catch him, the children eventually gave up.

Damn it. Kids really were natural enemies of kittens!

Yan Jiyun had no choice but to run toward the public restroom. When someone else entered, he immediately used his Human Form Time Card and walked back out as a human.

He even deliberately clutched his stomach, looking confused as he asked Qi Feng, “Why did you two come running over here?”

Qi Feng anxiously asked, “We’re looking for a black cat. Did you see a little black kitten run in here?”

Yan Jiyun shook his head. “No. I’ve been squatting in there so long my legs have gone numb.”

He quickly changed the subject. Looking behind Qi Feng, he noticed Little Class Monitor hadn’t caught up. “Where’s Yan Weilan?”

Qi Feng immediately turned and ran back, Yan Jiyun hurried after him.

When they reached the entrance of the communal bathhouse, they found bathing supplies and dirty clothes scattered all over the ground. They belonged to the three of them.

Yan Jiyun’s expression changed. “This is bad.”

Had Little Class Monitor been abducted by that perverted man?

Qi Feng sighed. “I’m sorry. I failed to keep an eye on him.”

Scratching his head, Yan Jiyun admitted, “I was at fault too. So… I shouldn’t have gone to the bathroom?”

Qi Feng’s expression softened slightly. He reached over and pressed a hand onto Yan Jiyun’s head. “No. I was the one who got distracted.”

Yan Jiyun felt the warmth of Qi Feng’s palm, then he sneezed.

At the same time, the mission that had yet to appear finally arrived.

[New Main Mission 1: Find Yan Weilan.]

Seeing that Qi Feng still seemed rather downcast, Yan Jiyun grabbed his hand once more and pulled him along to search for Yan Weilan.

Qi Feng: “…”

Did he really look like some pitiful little kid who needed comforting?