As they moved along, the wind over the town occasionally swept past the two of them. Yang Mo, who had initially looked flustered, gradually regained her composure.
Of course, this was thanks to Qianling’s efforts.
She did her best to minimize the bumps while moving; otherwise, Yang Mo’s experience would have been no different from riding a roller coaster.
“It’s just like…flying through the air.”
Yang Mo stared absentmindedly at the scenery below. Even though she had lived in Xinghu Town for over ten years, she had never seen her everyday surroundings from this perspective.
However, Qianling didn’t feel nearly as carefree at the moment.
So itchy…
Because of the wind, Yang Mo’s hair had been brushing against Qianling’s skin since just now, including sensitive spots like her neck and near her ears.
Just to avoid ruining the atmosphere, she decided not to mention it.
After a while, Qianling carried Yang Mo over the barbed wire fence and landed on the rooftop of a library.
There were tables and chairs set out for guests, but probably because it wasn’t open to the public at this hour, they were the only ones on the rooftop.
Once Qianling set her down, Yang Mo walked to the edge of the rooftop, grabbed the green wire fence, and gazed into the distance.
Right next to her hand, a purple morning glory was twined around the fence.
Yang Mo turned to Qianling with emotion. “No wonder you said you got used to it. With this ability, you could find a great view anytime.”
“That’s right. So, what do you think of this power? Was it fun?”
“It was actually really fun, sort of like riding an amusement park ride.” Yang Mo smiled as she answered Qianling’s question.
But then she scratched her face and voiced some concern.
“It’s just… Qianling, is your Stealth Magic still active?”
“It’s off.”
“It wouldn’t be good if someone saw us now, would it? I mean, it doesn’t seem like the place is open.”
“Even if I wanted to use it, it wouldn’t work for two people at once. It only worked earlier because we were touching…ah.”
At that moment, Qianling realized the solution.
Then all they had to do was touch again.
Thinking this, she stretched out a hand toward Yang Mo and said, “Would this work?”
Yang Mo immediately understood her meaning and happily reached out her own hand.
And so, the hand of a doll intertwined with the hand of a human.
It was just holding hands—nothing to be embarrassed about… probably.
It had seemed like nothing when she thought about it, but when it came to actually doing it, she started to lose her nerve.
For always showing such feelings at moments like this, Qianling felt a subtle sense of annoyance at herself.
But now that they were holding hands, it was too late for regrets.
Qianling accompanied Yang Mo on a stroll around the rooftop. They watched the butterflies in the flowerbeds together and finally sat down at the tables and chairs to rest. Throughout it all, their hands never parted.
Originally, Qianling had naturally intended to sit across from Yang Mo, but just as she was about to take her seat, she realized something was off.
Imagine: two people sitting across from each other, holding hands over the table.
It reminded Qianling of a certain picture she’d seen on the internet in her previous life.
Two people wearing masks sat hunched across from each other, smiling masks on their faces, but each held a knife behind their back with their free hand.
That’s not what Yang Mo and I are like at all.
Qianling thought to herself.
Even without that picture, sitting that way would still be strange.
In the end, Qianling decided to sit right next to Yang Mo.
Seeing that their hands no longer needed to hover awkwardly over the tabletop, Yang Mo and Qianling exchanged a slightly embarrassed smile.
Even though it was nearing dusk, the sunlight was still dazzling. Fortunately, there was a canvas canopy overhead, so there was no worry about being blinded by the glare.
The two of them still held hands, sitting in the shade, facing the direction of the morning glory.
“I’ve actually come here more than once before.”
Yang Mo began sharing some memories with Qianling.
“Especially during holidays, I’d often see people who looked like college students sitting here, talking about their projects and assignments. Back then, I’d think: Wow, everyone is so mature, so fashionable, so special. I really looked forward to living like that.”
But to Qianling, this sounded like a typical middle schooler’s impression of college students.
She had never experienced college life herself, but stories and jokes about “college students” were easy to find online.
So she told Yang Mo, “If you really think that, you might be disappointed when you get to college.”
“How do you know, Qianling?”
“Well… You could say learning about these things is part of my research on humans.”
Qianling casually made up another lie to brush off Yang Mo’s question.
As always, Yang Mo believed her without question.
“I see. I really don’t know much about college, since there isn’t one in this town.”
“Then where were those people from?”
“They probably came back from the center of Lanchuan City. I only saw them here during holidays.”
Once their conversation wound down, Yang Mo thoughtfully touched her lips.
“Now that I think about it, what kind of person will I be in college? It’s hard to imagine. Will I really be able to make it to college?”
Seeing Yang Mo lost in thoughts about the future, Qianling felt a strange, inexpressible emotion.
In the original story, Yang Mo never got that chance…
With that in mind, she replied decisively, “Of course you can. If you can’t get in, I, the genius doll, will watch you study twenty-four hours a day.”
She raised her index finger at Yang Mo. “If that happens, even an idiot with only nine intelligence points would be able to get into college.”
Yang Mo was startled at first, then simply tossed the burden back to her: “As expected of Qianling. Then I’ll leave it to you if I fail.”
“Don’t treat failing as the default outcome.”
Qianling’s words made Yang Mo press her finger to her lips and giggle.
That look of hers made Qianling feel much more at ease.
However, while thinking about Yang Mo, Qianling became acutely aware of another problem.
That is—she herself was just like Yang Mo.
In the original story, Yang Mo lost her chance to go to college forever. And Qianling was the same.
Doubt began swirling in the depths of Qianling’s heart.
I gained a puppet’s body that allows me to act freely, but the price is that I will never grow again.
I will absolutely protect Yang Mo’s future, but what about my own future?
I’m just a wandering spirit who doesn’t belong to this world.
Can someone like me even be considered human?
Just like this puppet hand holding Yang Mo’s, even though it was warm like a human’s, it was only a fake, imitated with gears and magic.
For the first time since arriving in this world, Qianling began to waver about her own humanity.
She’d almost noticed it more than once before, but each time she desperately lied to herself, trying to muddle through it.
But now, it finally exploded in full force.
Even so, Qianling knew that she absolutely could not reveal these feelings in front of Yang Mo.
That child was chatting idly with her, her face free of any shadow.
So… let me be the only one to worry.
Qianling buried her unease deep in her heart, showing no sign of it before Yang Mo.
This was also the first time she realized that even this face could fake a smile.
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