MRSG Chapter 6

You Qi’s figure was large enough to almost completely envelop Zhou Mu. When he finally straightened up, sunlight once again fell upon Zhou Mu’s face. His gaze was slightly dazed, as if the dangerous exchange of auras just now had stolen his focus. His lips were slightly parted, making him seem even more vulnerable to being taken.

You Qi’s throat moved slightly as he let out a breath, then suddenly shifted into his original form. His massive beast form was black with streaks of cyan patterns. The muzzle restraint transformed with him, preventing him from directly grabbing Zhou Mu. Instead, he turned his head and uttered a low, commanding word: “Get on.”

Though Zhou Mu’s scent was gradually fading again, a few older students, still lingering under the effects of You Qi’s earlier aura, instinctively gazed at him with an almost predatory hunger, eager to chase the lingering traces of that intoxicating scent.

Chun Shijiu’s face darkened at the nearly uncontrollable scene before him, his voice filled with warning: “Zhou Mu!”

Yet, surrounded by the ravenous stares of others, Zhou Mu did not hesitate. He chose to climb onto the back of what should have been the most dangerous presence in the area, wrapping his arms tightly around You Qi’s neck.

With a gust of wind, You Qi took off, vanishing in an instant.

The remaining students stood there in a daze, as if soulless, until someone finally snapped out of it— Wait, where did You Qi take him? Is he planning to keep the feast all to himself?!

……

You Qi landed atop the school’s clock tower. This place was rarely visited; every noon, the ancient bell would ring on its own. Right now, it was eerily silent, offering a panoramic view of the dense forests and campus buildings below.

He shifted back into his human form, holding Zhou Mu with one hand.

Even though Zhou Mu had re-applied his concealment talisman, You Qi’s heightened senses still recalled his scent with clarity, lingering in his nose as if it had never faded…

His gaze was sharp, trailing over Zhou Mu with tangible intensity.

Zhou Mu slowly opened his palm, revealing a concealment talisman.

The very same one that You Qi had shoved into his hand earlier. So that was why You Qi’s own beastly aura had leaked out—he had taken off his own talisman and given it to Zhou Mu instead.

“Thanks.” Zhou Mu’s eyes flashed with mild surprise before he smiled. His tone was affectionate, even slightly sticky with warmth.

Again with this…

Too naive.

You Qi, for some reason, felt a twinge of irritation. He coldly stared at Zhou Mu. “Do you always assume the best of people? What makes you think I gave you the talisman to help you and not so I could keep you hidden and enjoy you all to myself?”

Zhou Mu blinked, looked around at the dusty surroundings, then hesitated before replying, “But… it’s really dirty here. Wouldn’t that ruin the experience?”

…Well. There were sanitary dead corners everywhere on the bell tower.

Zhou Mu’s reasoning was so straightforward and practical that You Qi found himself momentarily speechless.

Just then, Zhou Mu’s phone rang. He pulled it out to see a video call from Director Cui Jue. He tapped the screen.

“Zhou Mu, where are you?! AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!”

The moment the call connected, Cui Jue’s panicked shouting erupted, so loud that it was piercing even without speaker mode. The sheer volume shattered the silence of the clock tower.

Zhou Mu quickly held his phone further away, causing both him and You Qi to appear in the frame. At this moment, You Qi was still holding Zhou Mu by one hand. “Teacher, calm down, I’m on the clock tower. Where are you?”

Who cares where I am?! Wuwuwuwuwu…

Cui Jue, who had nearly suffered a heart attack upon receiving the earlier report, had mentally cursed out his subordinates a hundred times. Seeing them safe on the other end of the video, he finally exhaled in relief, wiping away the emotional tears forming at the corners of his eyes.

Then, he widened his eyes. “What are you two doing?! You Qi, take your hands off Zhou Mu’s neck! That’s dangerous! DANGEROUS!! Let go of him!!! Hurry up and come to me—no, wait, I’ll come find you and bring a concealment talisman!!!”

You Qi frowned, thinking Cui Jue was unbearably noisy—like an overgrown talking alarm bell. “I already gave him mine.”

Cui Jue: “……”

Cui Jue: “I don’t care, I’m coming over now!!!”

Less than a minute later, the Director personally broke school rules by using a teleportation technique to ascend the clock tower. He clutched his chest as he caught his breath, clearly terrified that something irreversible might have happened in those mere sixty seconds.

But seeing You Qi still holding Zhou Mu up like luggage made Cui Jue’s expression twist in frustration. He immediately threw a new concealment talisman to You Qi and barked, “Alright! Now let go of your classmate’s neck!”

You Qi: “…Are you an idiot?”

His hand wasn’t even on Zhou Mu’s neck; he was just holding him up.

Cui Jue: “And don’t call your teacher an idiot!”

“Teacher, my foot got bitten. You Qi was just trying to help. Could you support me a little?” Zhou Mu said, his voice soft and pitiful.

Cui Jue: “…………”

Cui Jue: “……Did You Qi bite you?”

You Qi: “???”

Zhou Mu: “It was Senior Little Howl. It really hurts, wu wu…”

Little Howl?! Cui Jue suddenly felt like he really was going to go insane. His face contorted as he reached out to support Zhou Mu, who was standing on one foot, clearly inconvenienced by his injury. Instead of making him walk, Cui Jue let him sit on the stone railing.

After taking a deep breath to compose himself, Cui Jue finally spoke again.

“Zhou Mu, I owe you an apology. On behalf of the school and Little Howl, I sincerely apologize. I’ve only just received a rough report, but based on the initial assessment, this was our oversight. We failed to account for Little Howl’s growth—he has now reached a stage where he can partially bypass concealment talismans and detect your aura. That’s what led to this incident, causing distress among the freshmen and nearly… nearly leading to disaster.”

He solemnly apologized to Zhou Mu, reflecting on the oversight. Judging by the lingering fear on his face, it was clear his remorse was genuine.

Hualing Academy had maintained a record of zero student casualties for fifty years. Many had assumed that record would finally break with You Qi’s enrollment—only for today’s incident to be caused by the school’s own divine dog instead.

You Qi stood off to the side, leaning against the wall, unsurprised.

Cui Jue shot him a complicated glance. If You Qi hadn’t held back today, the consequences would have been disastrous.

“We’ll handle the aftermath properly and conduct a thorough investigation. If necessary, we’ll develop new restrictions for Little Howl… and consider relocating You Qi from dorm 1203…”

You Qi let out a cold laugh.

Before Cui Jue could finish, Zhou Mu cut in. “Why? 1203 is You Qi’s dorm. Why are you making him move?”

You Qi glanced at Zhou Mu.

…Now that was unexpected.

He knew how close he had come to losing control, and Zhou Mu had clearly been scared. Even though he had stupidly thanked him afterward, it didn’t make sense for him to still want to share a dorm with him.

“I just think… you two aren’t suited to live together. Nothing happened this time, but what if—” Cui Jue tried to gently explain.

Just because nothing had happened yet didn’t mean it was truly safe.

Even just watching them together made Cui Jue’s heart race with anxiety.

“But, Director, everyone seems like they want to eat me,” Zhou Mu pointed out, tapping the muzzle around You Qi’s mouth. You Qi gave him a sharp look, making Zhou Mu quickly retract his hand, as if afraid of being bitten. “Isn’t that proof that You Qi is actually the safest person on campus? He can’t eat me, even if he wanted to.”

Cui Jue: “……”

You Qi: “……”

…That was certainly a fresh perspective. And, if one thought about it (however crooked the logic might be), it did kind of make sense.

“I learned a saying from humans: If others do not provoke me, I will not provoke them.” Zhou Mu smiled. “I believe that after so many years at Hualing, You Qi wouldn’t harm me for no reason. Today, he even gave me his concealment talisman to help—doesn’t that prove it?”

Cui Jue froze for a second, his mind going blank. He fell into deep thought.

Zhou Mu tilted his head. “Director Cui?”

Cui Jue lowered his gaze and pondered for a long while before finally making a decision. “Alright… Zhou Mu, you do have a point.” He then turned to You Qi. “You Qi, I just want what’s best for… both of you. I hope you understand.”

Understand? Not really. Used to it? Definitely.

Though Cui Jue seemed particularly lenient today—probably because of Zhou Mu.

You Qi’s voice was indifferent. “Then, do you need to slap another talisman on me?”

Cui Jue let out an awkward chuckle. “That won’t be necessary. Just… be careful. Look out for each other, follow school rules!” He then added, “Oh, and Zhou Mu, I heard you qualify for a… certain minority demon scholarship. Don’t forget to claim it!”

After a final glance at Zhou Mu’s injured ankle, he paused for a moment before leaving.

……

Once Cui Jue was gone, You Qi looked up at Zhou Mu. Because of where Zhou Mu was sitting, he was slightly higher than You Qi, backlit by the sunlight. For a brief moment, You Qi saw the curve of a smile in the light before Zhou Mu hopped down.

Straight into You Qi’s arms.

This time, his reflexes didn’t seem to kick in—he instinctively caught him.

Given their height difference and Zhou Mu’s weakened state, the embrace was less of a hug and more of Zhou Mu clinging onto him like a hanging koala.

If You Qi so much as lowered his head, the muzzle around his mouth would be right next to Zhou Mu again.

This weak, delicious little monster really didn’t seem to care at all. Instead, after everything that had happened, he now trusted You Qi. His soft body pressed close, completely unguarded. Even… dependent.

Or maybe Zhou Mu was simply trusting in the talisman-bound muzzle? As he himself had pointed out—every student on campus seemed to want to eat him, yet only You Qi was physically restrained from doing so.

You Qi had never speculated about Zhou Mu’s species before, but now he couldn’t help but wonder—just what was he? And more importantly, how had a creature like him survived up until now?

“We should head back to 1203,” Zhou Mu murmured. His soft cheek naturally brushed against You Qi’s chest before he looked up, smiling. “You Qi, the Director said we have to look out for each other. If this happens again, you have to protect me with your life!”

You Qi: “……”

The instant Zhou Mu’s face brushed against him, a strange, tingling sensation spread through You Qi’s chest. It curled and stretched inside him, forming something unfamiliar, something more than just hunger. A peculiar, inexplicable feeling of… satisfaction. Strange.

Physical closeness had never felt like this before. It was better than the times he had casually ruffled Zhou Mu’s hair.

He couldn’t help but lift a hand and lightly touch Zhou Mu back.

A thought flickered through his mind.

There was a term in biology—symbiosis.

Textbooks defined it as: “A relationship in which two different organisms live together in close association, benefiting from each other. Animals, plants, fungi, and other organisms may form symbiotic relationships, offering mutual aid in survival.”

For example, a tiny frog might protect a tarantula’s eggs, while the tarantula, in turn, guarded the frog. The frog’s secretions could even enhance the tarantula’s attacks.

For example, sea anemones rely on hermit crabs for movement, while hermit crabs use sea anemones for camouflage and defense.

There are also many examples within the demon race, such as the Bìjiān Beast: “Qióngqióng and Jùxū can walk, while Jué seeks out beautiful grass. If danger arises, Qióngqióng and Jùxū will carry Jué and flee, which is why they are called the Bìjiān Beast.”

You Qi narrowed his eyes slightly.

He could feel the warmth in his arms. Hugs were common enough, but this kind of close, skin-to-skin contact—free of malice, filled with trust and reliance—was foreign to him. It sent an unfamiliar tremor through his body, a tingling sensation spreading from his chest to his limbs, making him tense up.

Though Zhou Mu had concealed his aura, a faint, soothing herbal fragrance still lingered on him—calm, warm.

“…Alright, I’ll stop them,” You Qi murmured, his dark eyes locked onto Zhou Mu.

In return…

With ease, he lifted Zhou Mu—whose legs were still weak—so that he was practically sitting in his arms. The metallic sheen of his muzzle caught the light, framing the faint movement of his lips. Between each word, glimpses of his crimson tongue and sharp canines flickered in and out of sight. The wind, sensing his mood, brushed past them, ruffling their hair as his voice carried softly into the air: “And in return, I’ll try not to eat you.”

The author has something to say:

You Qi: [bares teeth]

Zhou Mu: “Wow! You have little fangs! Cute!”

You Qi: “???”