In the evening, Yumikou had not returned home yet as she was busy with work.
In a private residence in City A, Alister walked out of the kitchen and placed a bowl of tomato egg drop soup on the table, looking at the abundant dinner and letting out a sigh of relief.
"Phew, I'm really tired..." Alister wiped the sweat off his forehead with a tissue and said leisurely, "But with four dishes and a soup, it looks appetizing."
At this moment, Alister felt someone gently tugging at the corner of his clothes, and a light fragrance lingered around his nose.
Turning back, he saw a girl with light blue hair, smiling innocently like a deer, asking him:
"Daddy, daddy~ When will mommy be back?"
Alister ruffled Luorou's head and looked at her enjoying expression. He pondered for a moment and comforted her, "I don't know. Maybe there's traffic on the way, but she should be back soon."
"Oh, I see~" Luorou's smile was more angelic than angels, and she held Alister's hand, "Then, before mommy comes back, can you touch me a bit more, okay?"
"Sure, sure." Alister bent down slightly to fulfill her request, "You've always been such a good girl. Be careful not to be deceived by bad people."
Upon hearing this, Luorou pouted her cheeks and looked up at Alister, saying seriously, "I won't! Even if I get deceived, daddy will come to save me!"
Alister sighed, his dark eyes filled with concern, and asked softly, "I'm not a god, and there will be times when I'm negligent. What will you do then?"
"When that happens..." Luorou felt a little disappointed at first, but then her eyes brightened. "I'll ask little Himizuki to save me. You and little Himizuki can take turns to save me, and I'll always be safe!"
Meanwhile, in the living room, Himizuki, the eleventh member of Perpetual Night's Lament, heard her name being called and shifted her gaze. Her crimson eyes flickered with concern as she looked at Alister.
On Himizuki's fair neck, a delicate pet collar stood out, and the leash trailed along her beautiful body, falling into the gap between the sofa pillows.
Alister followed Luorou's gaze and turned his head, meeting Himizuki's gaze.
"What are you looking at?" Himizuki obviously didn't like being called "little Himizuki" and said with a huff, "If you keep staring, I'll let you stare all you want, woof woof woof!"
"Little Himizuki, you can't do that!" Luorou frowned slightly, scolding her with a hint of anger. "You're not allowed to scold daddy!"
"Alright, alright." Alister placed Luorou back in her chair and instructed her, "Your mommy hasn't come back yet, so you should eat first, or the food will get cold."
"Okay~" Luorou obediently picked up her chopsticks, her small feet swinging happily, and said, "Daddy's cooking is the most delicious~"
Himizuki glanced at Luorou, who was being pampered, snorted disdainfully, and then sauntered over to Alister, her black stockings-wrapped legs moving gracefully, and sat beside him.
She crossed her arms over her soft chest, looking haughty and imperious, and with the tone of a princess issuing a decree, she said coldly, "I want you to pat my head too, right now."
Alister smiled and, not too pleased, pinched Himizuki's soft cheek and reprimanded her, "How do you speak to me? Is this the attitude to ask for something?"
As he pinched her cheek, Himizuki remained steady, and her eyes twitched slightly. After taking a breath and weighing the pros and cons, she finally lowered her pride and coquettishly said, "Alright, I'm asking you to pat my head. Is that good enough for you?"
While Alister patted Himizuki's head, the front door was opened.
Yumikou, who had returned from work, shook her cloud-like long white hair lightly and then glared coldly at Alister and Himizuki with the dignity of a lawful wife.
The atmosphere fell into silence for a moment, and only Luorou's cheerful humming soothed the hearts of those present.
Yumikou walked calmly to Alister's side, gently pushed Himizuki aside, and whispered something in Alister's ear:
"I'm sorry I came back late and made you worry..."
"Why do you sound so sad?" Alister sighed, embraced Yumikou, and patted her back gently. "Dinner is ready; let's eat before it gets cold."
Yumikou sniffed Alister's scent coldly and made a soft "Hmm" sound before placing her canvas bag properly and sitting opposite Luorou.
And the dejected Himizuki also raised her chin, walked over with a sense of superiority, and said with an arrogant tone:
"I didn't expect you to experience setbacks too. It's quite surprising to me."
Alister: "..."
Okay, there's no need to continue experiencing this world.
Alister had been aware of the situation all along but wanted to experience the authenticity of the artificial dream. However, he ended up with this ending.
Sigh... What a bad dream...
Alister sighed with emotion and then used the power of the "Shadow Monarch" to quickly wake himself up from the dream, erasing everything!
In an instant, the world rewound, and he returned to the hall of the wishing event.
In his "Shadow" form, he perfectly returned to reality.