A little later, in the living room of Yang Mo’s house.
The sky hadn’t completely darkened yet, and dinner time was about to end.
On most days, Yang Mo did the cooking herself, but when Yang Xia came to visit, Yang Xia would take over.
Tonight’s dishes were stir-fried shrimp and stir-fried water spinach.
Judging from the meager leftovers on the plates, both of them were fairly satisfied with the food.
Since Yang Xia needed to catch the Last Bus home, the task of washing the dishes usually fell to Yang Mo.
After Yang Xia put the plates and bowls away in the Kitchen, she began packing her things, ready to leave.
“I’ll head off now. If that Human-shaped Doll shows up again, remember to contact me, okay?”
“Mm…”
Yang Mo followed Yang Xia to the door to see her off.
But just as Yang Xia’s hand was about to touch the doorknob, she suddenly turned her head and looked past Yang Mo.
Yang Mo asked calmly, “What’s wrong, Sister?”
“I feel like someone’s watching us.”
“Watching…? Don’t scare me, Sister.”
“I think it came from over there. Wait for me, I’ll go check it out.”
Trusting her instincts, Yang Xia cautiously stepped deeper into the first floor, stopping at the Storage Room door.
Looking inside, she spotted a rectangular object in the corner, covered by a Cloth.
Was that the same Crate from before? Why is it covered with a Cloth now?
Since the light in this room was broken, the rectangular object remained shrouded in darkness.
Her instincts told her something was off.
So she stepped quietly closer, then in one swift motion, pulled the Cloth away.
What she found was—the Crate from before, empty as ever.
“Just my imagination… It’s fine now, Yang Mo!”
Hearing her call, Yang Mo, who had followed along, let out a visible sigh of relief.
“Even if something weird happened earlier, there’s no need to get so nervous, right?”
“You’re right, I really should be going now.” Yang Xia gave a wry smile.
The two returned to the door. This time, Yang Xia really did pull the door open.
“See you, Yang Mo.”
“Mm, see you, Sister.”
Yang Mo waved to her.
With a loud bang, the door shut. As Yang Xia’s footsteps faded into the distance, a sneaky figure appeared behind Yang Mo, a corner of its body peeking from around the doorway.
Anyone who saw it could easily tell: it was a Cardboard Box, open side facing down.
“All right, Qian Ling, my sister’s gone!”
Yang Mo, who had lingered by the door for a while, turned back and called out.
In the next instant, a doll-like little hand reached out from the gap between the Cardboard Box and the floor, then slightly lifted one side of the box.
Qian Ling’s red eyes glowed faintly from the shadows cast by the Cardboard Box. After confirming the threat was gone, she sprang up from her crouched position, sending the box flying behind her.
“Mission accomplished.”
She flashed a Scissors Hand Gesture at Yang Mo.
In truth, she really had been hiding in the Storage Room earlier. The Crate covered with Cloth was just a decoy; her real hiding place was this Cardboard Box, blending perfectly with the surroundings.
This was true Urban Hermitage!
Thinking this, she couldn’t help but feel proud.
Yang Mo, looking just as delighted, walked over to Qian Ling.
“Yay! We did it!”
The two high-fived in perfect sync.
“Now we can finally relax.”
Qian Ling rolled up her sleeves, revealing some stubborn grime still clinging to her arm.
“I want to get myself really clean now.”
“In that case, how about taking a bath?” Yang Mo suggested.
“A bath, huh…”
Honestly, Qian Ling had no idea what would happen if this body got wet.
But I’m a Magical Doll, not some kind of robot. It should be fine, right?
With that thought, she decided to give it a try.
“I’ll just borrow your Bathroom for now.”
“Mm…” Yang Mo puffed up her cheeks, “It’s not just borrowing or temporary, use it whenever you want.”
“Alright, alright, I get it.”
Though Qian Ling replied that way, she was thinking to herself: So troublesome, was the original Yang Mo really this type?
After a moment, the two arrived at the Bathroom door.
This Bathroom was deeper inside the house than the Storage Room, close to the Kitchen. Along the way, they even passed a tightly shut door, which Qian Ling guessed must have led to where Yang Mo’s family once lived.
The Bathroom was like any standard one, with a Toilet as well.
Square tiles covered the walls and floor, the Toilet sat near the entrance, and further inside were the Shower and Bathtub.
“I still have to wash the dishes, Qian Ling, you bathe on your own first.”
After showing Qian Ling where the bath supplies were and how to use the Hot Water Heater, Yang Mo closed the door and left. The faint clinking of dishes and plates came from outside.
Qian Ling stood alone on the Bathroom’s smooth floor, knowing that the moment… had finally arrived.
She slipped on the slippers, then took off all her outer clothes, leaving only her underwear. All her body’s joint seams were exposed.
She looked at herself in the Bathroom Mirror.
Honestly, it felt strange seeing her body so clearly in such a non-human form.
Not to mention… there were two subtle bulges on her chest.
In the past, Qian Ling seldom looked in the Mirror, afraid that her reflection might one day turn horrifying without her noticing.
Over time, the impression of her own appearance faded from memory. So now, with a completely unfamiliar body, she didn’t feel particularly out of place.
If it were someone else who transformed like this, what would they feel?
Probably not as calm as she was.
But for Qian Ling, there were more important things than sighing over her situation.
Carefully, as if handling explosives, she began to remove her white underwear.
Please, Magical Doll Witch, don’t mess with me, alright?
She prayed silently.
Yet her caution unconsciously turned into nervousness. Her hand slipped, and the underwear dropped to the floor.
“……”
Qian Ling’s mind went utterly blank. She stared down, unable to say a word.
Despite all her mental preparation, she ended up kneeling on the floor with her face buried in her hands, mouth agape in disbelief.
She could feel her face radiating with unprecedented heat. If she dunked her head in the Bathtub right now, maybe she wouldn’t even need to heat the water.
“Calm down… stay calm…”
Qian Ling comforted herself.
Any feelings she had could wait until she met the Magical Doll Witch.
To settle her nerves, she started preparing for her bath.
When there was a Bathtub, Qian Ling usually soaked first, then washed, but since she wasn’t sure which parts of her body were still dirty, she decided to make an exception.
After quickly rinsing off with the Shower, she lifted one leg into the filled Bathtub.
The temperature checked out, so she sank her whole body into the hot water, hugging her knees and squatting in the tub.
Just as she’d expected, neither the quick rinse nor the soak let water into her body. At last, she could truly relax.
Come to think of it, do I even need to breathe?
On a whim, she submerged her face beneath the surface, emptied her mind, and simply gazed at the bubbles she exhaled.