My Demon Friends

The sunset was orange-red like fire.

Brother Nan sat on the swing chair on the balcony, rocking back and forth. She hugged a cushion in her arms, and her small, snow-white legs swayed along with it.

"I've realized how incredibly comfortable you have it! You can watch the sunset from this balcony, the sunrise from the other, and even see Dian Lake. And right downstairs is a whole street of delicious food—wow, I can't handle it…"

"It's alright."

"It's just a little too empty, but for someone like you, you probably prefer the quiet," Brother Nan said, hugging the cushion.

"Right."

"Is living here convenient?" Brother Nan asked again.

"Not really."

"Huh?"

"There's no farmers' market downstairs. The vegetables at the produce store are expensive, and there isn't much variety," Zhou Li said after some thought. "Plus, if I want to go to a large supermarket, a mall, or watch a movie, I have to travel quite a distance."

"You don't cook anyway."

"What if I want to in the future?"

"That's true!" Brother Nan nodded lightly, causing the tuft of hair on top of her head to bend too. "These days, guys should know how to cook!"

"Why are you asking in such detail?"

"Just asking!"

Brother Nan then turned her head to look at Baozi and Tuanzi, saying, "This living room of yours is pretty big; it's suitable for small gatherings. Invite a few good friends over to cook hotpot, crack open a few bottles, eat and drink… Are all the apartment layouts here like this?"

"They're more or less the same. If you want to come over and hang out, you're welcome anytime, and you can bring your roommates too."

"Hmm~~"

Brother Nan paused before suddenly saying, "Tomorrow night, the Supernatural Society is holding an Immortal Pen event. Did you get the notification?"

"I did."

"Are you going?"

"I..." Zhou Li snuck a glance at Brother Nan.

"Let's go then," Brother Nan said. "Brother Nan has never played this kind of thing in my entire life! It sounds like fun, and it would be even better if there were a couple of scared-yet-pretty girls to join us."

"Oh."

"Hey…"

Speaking of scared-yet-pretty girls, Brother Nan suddenly turned to look at Baozi, saying, "Baozi, we have a Supernatural Society event tomorrow. How about the three of us go together? Zhou Li says he's scared, but he won't be if you join us."

Baozi turned her head, looking at her as if she were an idiot, and said indifferently, "I'm going to a nursing home tomorrow."

"Why are you going to the nursing home?"

"It's a Volunteer Association activity, visiting lonely elderly people."

"How kind-hearted!"

"I'm bored anyway, and I thought I'd go and see if I can take some photos," Baozi retracted her gaze.

"Do you think your Little Cousin is timid?" Brother Nan turned back and asked Zhou Li in a low voice.

"I can't tell."

"..."

Zhou Li walked Brother Nan and Little Cousin to the entrance of the residential complex only after the red in the sky had completely faded. At Brother Nan's invitation, they had a barbecue meal downstairs in the complex. Afterward, Zhou Li stood by the roadside, watching Little Cousin sit sideways on the rear rack of Brother Nan's bicycle. He couldn't help but remind them to be careful at night and not to ride too fast, only to get teased by Brother Nan for it.

"Sigh…"

Zhou Li shook his head.

Women… honestly! They're such a handful!

Upon returning home, Huai Xu was sitting on a chair in the dining room, his eyes bulging as he looked at him. "You ate barbecue!"

"Ah!"

"That's not fair!"

"Oh!"

Zhou Li sat down on the sofa and, while stroking Tuanzi's back with the fur, asked her softly, "Did you enjoy playing with Baozi?"

"Not at first, but I was later on."

"Why is that?"

"Because she kept wanting to touch Lord Dumpling, and Lord Dumpling is very aloof..." Tuanzi's voice grew fainter, her grumbling tone suggesting she wasn't very pleased.

"And why did you become happy afterward?"

"Because Lord Dumpling found her petting felt good, almost like a massage," Tuanzi said, rolling onto her back and extending a paw to push away Zhou Li's hand, which was randomly stroking her.

"What was the massage like?"

"It's like this, like that…"

"Does it really feel good?" Zhou Li looked skeptical, paused for a moment. "Could you demonstrate for me?"

"Sure!"

Tuanzi rolled over, got up, and eagerly ran to Zhou Li's side. Her front paws pressed down on Zhou Li's thigh, occasionally giving a little scratch, then moving to knead and press different spots, observing Zhou Li's reactions.

Tuanzi was a frail little kitten with hardly any strength, so all Zhou Li could feel was the soft touch of her jellybean toes.

After just a short while, she got tired and withdrew her paws.

"Just like that," she said.

「The next day, evening.」

Zhou Li sat by the door putting on his shoes while Huai Xu, already neatly dressed, stood in front of him.

"I want to play Immortal Pen too!"

"..."

Zhou Li looked up, saw Huai Xu's eyes dart around, and knew he was up to no good. Huai Xu probably had the same thought as some lecherous old men hoping for a chance with timid yet pretty girls while participating in the Immortal Pen game.

"I'm going to a class meeting," Zhou Li said after a moment's thought.

"You're trying to fool me!"

"I really am going to a class meeting," Zhou Li said. "You're so perceptive, it's not like I can hide it from you anyway."

"And after the class meeting?"

"Play Immortal Pen."

"I'll go with you." Huai Xu had his excuse ready. "I've checked it out; Immortal Pen is just a way to summon ghosts and spirits. If I don't go, wouldn't you be playing for nothing?"

"??"

"Think about it, a game to summon ghosts, but you're not letting a ghost participate? What kind of ghost-summoning game is that?" Huai Xu stated, as if it were perfectly logical.

"Impressive!"

"Isn't it!"

Zhou Li finished putting on his shoes and left the house.

They had just finished the sports meet, so they indeed had a class meeting. The Supernatural Society had scheduled the Immortal Pen activity for quite late. Typically, there could still be evening self-study sessions on Sunday nights, ending at 8:40 PM. Therefore, until that time, classrooms in the academic building were likely to be occupied. The school would only quiet down significantly after nine.

The class meeting was a requirement from the leadership, and Zhou Qianqian was very perfunctory about it; she wanted to be there even less than the students. Especially since she had brought her child along.

So, during the class meeting, Brother Nan and Zhou Li ended up looking after her child the entire time. The child was mischievous and noisy, and probably a third of the students were paying more attention to him.

「A little after nine-twenty.」

It was still that secluded academic building, with vines creeping over the walls. In the moonlight, the shadows of branches swayed eerily.

When Zhou Li and Brother Nan arrived, only a few classrooms in the building were lit, occupied by some senior students preparing for their postgraduate entrance exams. Room 404, reserved for the activity, was lit only by candles and looked exceptionally eerie from a distance.

The Club President was already seated inside, waiting and checking his phone occasionally. Several people had gotten cold feet at the last minute, which disappointed him.

When Zhou Li and Brother Nan entered the classroom, about a dozen people were already seated, but no one spoke.

In the darkness, silhouettes wavered with the flickering candlelight.

A window was open, letting in a breeze.

「Nine-thirty.」

The Club President cleared his throat and said in a mysteriously eerie tone, "All the living are here, so let's begin. This Immortal Pen session will only last for an hour, until ten-thirty. Then everyone can get back to the dormitories in time, heh heh..."

"I'll ensure everyone's safety. Are you ready?"

"Answer me."

"Ready."

A jumble of voices answered, some even trembling.

Zhou Li, however, keenly caught a familiar voice among the many. Looking in the direction of the voice, he saw a thin figure sitting upright in a corner.

The Club President, holding a candle, walked to the center of the group.

He had prepared several pens, plenty of candles, and sheets of paper with many characters written on them, then started explaining the procedure to everyone.

Zhou Li had looked it up online before; most Immortal Pen games are played by two people, but the Club President said that Immortal Pen with fewer than three people was just a game. This was probably because many people had come.

The process he described was also different from the online tutorials, seeming more complicated and terrifying.

"I've finished explaining. Now for the taboos," the Club President's expression grew more serious. "Girls on their period can't play, you can't ask the Immortal Pen how it died, you can't..."

"Finally, you cannot let go of the pen before properly sending the Immortal Pen away. Even if you get frightened, you can't run away!"

"Or something terrible will happen!"

"Don't think I'm just fearmongering. Such things have happened before in the Supernatural Society; it happened to the members from two terms ago..."

The Club President had no trouble scaring most of them.

"Now, to begin. I need a few volunteers to demonstrate with me. Any brave souls?"

"Me!"

Brother Nan, ever the thrill-seeker, quickly raised her hand without a second thought and also pulled Zhou Li's hand up too.