In the end, Rinka agreed to my deal—

Sometime during summer break, she’d spend a day with me, completely dropping the act and showing me her true self.

But that was easier said than done. Just like Yan Liuzhuan had pointed out, she had worn her mask for so long that she could barely tell who she really was anymore.

Yare yare… I never thought I’d be the one evaluating someone else.

Honestly, if I just told her there was no time limit on her transformation, that problematic personality of hers would come out sooner or later.

But if I wanted to correct it, I had to do so before she transformed.

That’s right! As long as she knew I held the power over whether she could turn into a girl or not, she’d have no choice but to listen to me. I could use "becoming a girl" itself as leverage.

This trick might not have worked on Lei Meow Meow, but for Rinka—who dreamed of becoming a girl more than anything—it would be devastatingly effective.

The BBQ feast was, of course, out of the question. After everything that had happened, Rinka just wanted to be alone for a while—no way she was in the mood to treat me to dinner.

Old Feng’s missing food stall wasn’t an option either, which meant I’d have to go home and see if Dad had cooked anything.

What a depressing turn of events.

Old Feng, Lei Meow Meow, Rinka… Every single one of these unlucky souls I picked has been nothing but a headache.

"I'm home."

The moment I stepped through the door, I knew something was off.

Silence.

No response at all. The lights in the living room were on, the AC was running… Had Dad gone out to buy groceries?

No, that wasn’t possible. There was no way he had the courage to go out alone.

I slipped off my shoes and quietly walked into the living room—only to find Dad sprawled stiffly on the floor between the couch and the coffee table, completely motionless.

A spilled cup of coffee dripped onto the floor, the whole scene looking eerily like a crime scene straight out of a horror movie.

I crouched down and checked under his nose—thankfully, he was still breathing.

“Dad?”

I patted his face a few times, trying to wake him up, but there was no response.

A panic attack from his gynophobia?

If no strange woman had broken in, then that left only one possibility—the laptop.

He never watched videos, so the only reason he would’ve used it was to treat his fear of women through galgames.

But he’d been doing this for over half a month now. So why was today the day it all fell apart?

I glanced at the screen.

The game title read Doki Doki Literature Club.

Displayed on-screen was a character named Monika, resting her chin in her hand, staring straight ahead.

At first glance, it looked like any other visual novel. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

So then… what the hell had traumatized Dad this badly?

I barely managed to drag him back to his room, clean up the coffee-stained floor, and throw together a quick bowl of noodles for dinner.

When I checked on him again, he still hadn’t recovered. Something wasn’t right—this time, it was lasting too long.

After thinking for a moment, I unlocked his phone with his fingerprint and pulled up his contacts.

I scrolled until I found the name Wu Qinglan.

He was the one who had originally recommended galgames as therapy, which basically made him Dad’s "attending physician." If anyone had a clue, it’d be him.

I dialed.

"Hello? Uncle Chang?"

He picked up almost instantly, but his voice was sluggish, like he’d just woken up.

"Hey, it's Chang Kai. My dad’s acting weird—I wanted to check with you."

"Hmm? Oh, yeah, I remember you. What's wrong with Uncle Chang? He seemed fine when I dropped him off."

"He was playing a visual novel. Seems like he got really shaken up. He’s basically unresponsive now."

"Probably hit a bad ending. What was the game called?"

"Doki Doki Literature Club."

"…"

Silence.

“…Xiao Kai. Have you played that game before?"

"Uh, no."

"Don’t. Just delete it from your dad’s laptop."

"…What kind of game is it?"

"It’s the kind that turns normal people into your dad. Damn it, this probably made his condition even worse."

"It’s that bad?"

"This treatment method might be at its limit. I’ll have to think of something else."

"Got it. Thanks for your help."

I hung up and deleted the game from Dad’s laptop.

But, you see…

Humans are hardwired to be reckless.

Back in my own room, I couldn’t help myself—I hopped onto Gteam and downloaded the game.

It wasn’t very long.

And when I finally reached that scene—the one with Monika resting her chin in her hand, gazing directly at me—my entire spine went cold.

I had braced myself for something messed up, but even so, my brain nearly crashed.

This was a horror game pretending to be a romance game.

…How the hell did Dad even find something like this?

I checked on him one last time before bed. He was still asleep.

Occasionally, his brows furrowed, and he whimpered as if even in his dreams, he was still trapped in Monika’s grasp.

Midnight.

I erased Yan Liuzhuan’s name from my notebook.

Goodbye, exhibitionist.

Then, even though I hesitated… I erased Rinka’s name as well.

Was she crying right now?

Had she figured out who she truly wanted to be?

The next morning, Dad still hadn’t fully recovered.

Wu Qinglan had to half-carry him to the car. He was stumbling so badly that he looked like a drunkard.

And so, for the next few days, my life returned to that of a typical stay-at-home loser—lounging around, guzzling coke, and playing video games.

On the weekend, Haitang, Tangerine, and Zhao Zhao (who had finally escaped his summer school hell) came over for a board game session.

Technically, Haitang and Tangerine wanted to go out, but Zhao Zhao and I were not having it. We clung to the floor with everything we had, refusing to let her drag us outside into the blistering heat.

Going out? In this weather? Who in their right mind—?!

Haitang just bared her teeth and promised that one day, she’d strap me to the back of her Yamaha R6 and drag me across the sun-scorched asphalt for a personalized sunburn treatment.

That’d kill me.

Aside from that, I called Rinka every now and then to check in, trying to guide her toward some introspection.

Sometimes, I cleaned the house or cooked—my skills weren’t half bad. Even Wu Qinglan started coming over to mooch off my meals.

Life was peaceful.

Until the unspeakable horror arrived.

August 1st.

A new month meant the return of my assessment quota stress.

But that wasn’t the real problem.

The real problem… was my new neighbor.

The house next door had been sitting empty for years. Maybe the owner couldn’t find a buyer? No idea if they finally sold it or just rented it out, but today, a man and a young girl moved in.

…At least, I think they were father and daughter.

Not that it mattered.

What mattered was that their moving-in process was absolutely terrifying.

Ten sleek, black luxury cars.

A horde of men in sunglasses and suits.

Hauling who knows how many packages out of the trunks and into the European-style mansion next door.

Where the hell did these guys come from?

The mafia?!

Also—could they be any slower? Wouldn’t a moving company have been faster?!

I crouched low behind my window, peeking through the balcony, making damn sure I didn’t get spotted.

One wrong move and I might get silenced.

Compared to this, Lei Meow Meow’s so-called “gang” looked like a bunch of wannabe delinquents.

The man was exactly what you’d expect from a mafia boss—suit, sunglasses, a scarf, and a freaking Panama hat.

From up here, all I could see was the brim of his hat, so his face was still a mystery.

But it was 39°C outside.

Even if he was trying to look cool, that outfit was pure suffering.

In contrast, the little girl looked downright adorable—dressed in a white sleeveless dress, her arms fair and delicate, a deep blue headband resting atop her soft hair.

Round cheeks. Big, bright eyes. The very picture of an obedient, well-mannered child.

…And yet, all I could think about was the fact that I was now living next door to what was probably a high-ranking member of the underworld.

I am not emotionally prepared for this.

After a while, the black luxury cars finally pulled away, leaving me with a brief moment of relief.

And then.

Then.

The mafia boss himself casually shrugged off his jacket, picked up a few shopping bags…

And stepped out of his gate.

And then—

He turned.

And walked straight into my yard.

…

Ding-dong!

The doorbell rang.