As per the old tradition: side story, spoilers.

You should be used to it by now.

Inside Eunice’s bedroom.

Mysterious lay on his side atop the soft bed, cradling a rigid, flushed Jiyue whose heart hammered like it wanted to escape her chest. His tail wagged furiously beneath the covers, as if an Amethyst had burrowed inside.

Jiyue’s panic stood in stark contrast to Mysterious, who breathed evenly with closed eyes.

How had it come to this? It all started with Jiyue’s words not long ago—

"Nameless One, will you sleep with me tonight?" she’d suddenly asked as bedtime neared.

Though Jiyue no longer suffered from poor sleep after resolving her inner turmoil, she still needed rest—unlike Mysterious, whose 24-hour activity cycle sometimes required sending her to stay with Eunice overnight. The two Sovereigns never slept but kept spare bedrooms.

Jiyue loved seeing Nameless One daily, yet she’d gradually noticed something odd: she’d never once seen the Nameless One sleep.

Her old separation from him had masked it, but now, living side by side, his unnatural schedule was impossible to ignore.

Gathering her courage, she’d made her request—not truly for companionship, but because she wanted him to rest properly. *Yes, that’s all!*

Mysterious rarely refused heartfelt pleas, so he treated this like a child’s whim and agreed.

The problem? He didn’t need sleep.

Eating was about savoring flavors; sleep served no purpose for his Superbeing physiology. Yet he understood mortal habits well enough to mimic them: slowing his breath, relaxing his muscles, closing his eyes.

In short—he faked it.

So they lay together... though neither truly slept. One meticulously imitated slumber; the other nearly steamed like a boiler.

"...Nameless One?" Jiyue finally whispered into the dark hours. She *knew* he wasn’t asleep, though he seemed deeply rested.

No reply came—sleepers don’t speak. Instead, Mysterious let out a theatrical yawn.

Yawns are contagious. Jiyue yawned too, shifting to tuck her restless tail between them. Soon, she drifted off, warm and drowsy.

That night passed peacefully.

The next day, adventures resumed.

Mysterious, preparing to traverse the Epic Path, should’ve been busy. Yet his efficiency dropped by a third.

Jiyue’s request had sparked a chain reaction.

Victoria struck first—the earliest Follower felt she must set an example. Though puzzled by her sudden "sleep together" plea, Mysterious agreed.

Unlike Jiyue’s pure concern, Victoria’s motives were... less innocent. Her nerves ran higher, but Mysterious gave her no chance—he "fell asleep" at light speed before she could act.

Watching her master’s flawless "slumber," Victoria pouted and only managed to press a quick kiss to his lips.

Where Victoria led, Nanming followed as the second challenger. She fared worse—even Victoria had stolen a kiss. Nanming spent the whole night wrestling with herself, nearly rolling off the bed if not for Mysterious holding her.

The next morning, Amethyst found a strange red bird feather in its territory. It pondered eating it all day... until the system refreshed it away at dawn.

Gladys, the most straightforward Follower, came next. She slept soundly in Mysterious’s arms, guilt-free and serene. Her fate was already bound to the Nameless One—no anxiety, only comfort.

El grew envious but hesitated. That night, she sought Selena’s advice in the Pet Space, only to find her room empty. Rushing to the fountain, she discovered Mysterious had blocked sensory perception inside the Pet Space—like hiding mischief!

*Enough!* El gritted her teeth and leaped into the fountain connecting to the outside world. (She *knew* how to leave properly—she just hated seeming too eager.)

She emerged to find Mysterious and Selena waiting, as if expecting her.

"Told you, Brother Nameless—El would come out herself," Selena smiled.

"...Indeed." Even Mysterious seemed mildly surprised.

"You two—" El’s mind screamed two things: *cut ties with Selena*, and *run away from home*.

Trapped between them all night, she never slept.

...

Jasmine, usually eager for such things, stayed out. She’d shared beds with Mysterious before—even slept in his arms. Could others claim that?

Amery abstained too, too shy; for an elf centuries old, sharing a bed with a love interest felt premature.

But for a centuries-old Lich? Perfect timing. Though Liches feel no touch and need no sleep, Uniel clung to Mysterious tighter than a clingy kitten.

Ningyue overcame her shyness by shifting into fox form—now she could curl in the Nameless One’s embrace without awkwardness.

Lolo nearly skipped it too. Her massive serpent tail would crush any bed, and as a Medusa, she was mid-sized. But Isabella proposed a solution: "Keep your lower half on the floor. Only your upper body shares the bed."

Lolo almost refused—until her twin snakes atop her head betrayed her true desire. *Fine. Just this once.*

When Mysterious opened his eyes at dawn, he found himself dragged onto the floor, tightly coiled by Lolo’s tail.

Amethyst of the Void needed no sleep—it napped in Mysterious’s clothes whenever it pleased. Roz? Such complex thoughts never crossed her mind.

Even with many abstaining, the "sleep rotation" lasted nearly a week.

"Is this alright?" All Beings finally asked Mysterious during a rare alone moment. Unlike others, she knew he never truly slept—he merely humored them.

If he *had* slept, holding one position nightly for days would’ve been uncomfortable. But she worried for *him*, not the antics.

"It’s fine." Mysterious shook his head. Such stillness meant nothing to a Superbeing.

Time flowed differently for his kind. He sensed seasons and sunrises, but minutes and seconds? Human concepts. To him, this borrowed time—spent keeping others company—was no burden.

All Beings wasn’t surprised. This was the Nameless One she knew.

"Lying awake all night is dull. Shall we do something else?" she suggested.

Their secret night remained just that—a secret.

At dawn, a system alert popped up: *You have new mail.*

Such notices usually meant an NPC sought Mysterious; players messaged directly.

He returned to Moonfall City, retrieved the letter from the mailbox. Four words: *Dusk. Come home.*

Sent by Tiffany.

Mysterious glanced at Isabella.

"That wasn’t me!" Isabella blurted defensively. "Tiffany’s a free-willed AI! My brother and I can’t control her!"

Most NPCs answered to the Primordial Ancestor, who could command them anywhere—but autonomous AIs like Tiffany were beyond his reach.

"You can influence her." Mysterious saw through the excuse. The Primordial Ancestor might not control Tiffany directly, but he could nudge her: *Assign her a task via the Pope to find me.*

"...Guilty," Isabella admitted.

At dusk, Tiffany arrived at Mysterious’s home after a long absence.

"The Pope suddenly tasked me," she grumbled. "Demons are stirring again. He wants us to investigate together..."

"Now?" Mysterious glanced at Isabella again.

"Tomorrow. No deadline." Tiffany flopped onto the sofa. "I’m staying tonight."

With First Star Bubble and White Jade at the Church, the place no longer felt like home. Given recent events—and Tiffany’s sudden appearance—Mysterious decided to be direct.

"Sleep with me?"

"Huh? What?" Tiffany froze, cookie halfway to her mouth. Had she misheard?

"I said," Mysterious repeated, "sleep with me?"

His "sleep service" wasn’t just for Followers. With Tiffany, he considered her family.

"Sleep... you... I—" Tiffany’s mind raced. *With him? Maybe... I wouldn’t mind?*

She wrestled internally. He’d been so forward. And if there’d ever been a chance... it was now.

"Right now?"

Though she’d made up her mind, Tiffany lowered her head, fidgeting uncharacteristically.

"Tonight works too."

"Now," Tiffany took a deep breath.

Procrastinating till evening to steel herself wasn’t her style. Was that even preparation? It was torture.

After speaking, Tiffany began undressing.

"Why undress?" Mysterious asked her.

"?" His words made Tiffany’s hands tremble. Imagining what came next, she tensed. "Aren’t we doing it?"

"Aren’t we just sleeping?" Mysterious countered.

"..." Tiffany froze again, then instantly grasped his meaning.

His "sleeping" might truly mean only sleeping.

Spreading Flame and Snowy Study—the couple planning to "borrow" stuff from Mysterious’s place—suddenly spotted Tiffany fleeing his house, disheveled, right at the door.

"That NPC… isn’t she the Holy Maiden?" Though Tiffany held the rank of Bishop, she hung out with Mysterious so often the Mercenary Corps kept mistaking her for the Holy Maiden.

"... No wonder he’s Guild Leader." They exchanged a glance, then silently turned away.

"We can ‘borrow’ stuff later."

"..."

"You did that on purpose, didn’t you, Master?" After Tiffany left, Isabella crossed her arms, eyeing Mysterious with mild displeasure. "You could’ve pretended not to understand and just taken the chance."

Clearly, even Mysterious couldn’t miss Tiffany’s hint then—this was deliberate.

"She’s not a Follower," Mysterious replied, seemingly off-topic.

If Tiffany had truly asked, he wouldn’t refuse. But he’d never initiate it himself.

"Couldn’t you try harder?" Isabella pressed.

"I want her to achieve her own goals."

Rarely, Mysterious logged off right after.

He didn’t exit the game pod—just logged out, entering its built-in virtual space.

"Master, angry?" Isabella instantly appeared beside him.

Strictly speaking, tricking Tiffany over had been presumptuous of her.

"No." Mysterious shook his head, deliberately checking the clock.

10:24 PM.

"Sleep together?" he asked Isabella.

In-game, "Isabella" had no physical form. Here, she did.

"But I’m not a Follower either." Isabella blinked, a smile spreading.

"You’re Bella."

Isabella answered with action: a wave conjured a bed identical to Mysterious’s room. She pounced onto it.

"Master, hurry." She pulled back the blanket, patting the bed.

Mysterious climbed in. Isabella hugged him.

"I actually want to get closer, Master—but it’s not the end yet!" she declared.

"?" Mysterious didn’t understand.

"Master, try sleeping properly?" Isabella dropped the topic. "Since we met, you’ve only slept once."

She meant the Heavenly Tower defense—when Mysterious used the Chrono Power Scroll, unlocked his fourth transformation, and became a one-man army.

"That scared me. Do you only sleep in situations like that?" Isabella teased. "Guess I’ll have to exhaust you completely?"

Mysterious ignored her weird remark, just shaking his head… Responding would only encourage her—like bringing up data ports.

Isabella didn’t mind. "Try sleeping, Master? Together? No need to pretend if you can’t."

Their meeting felt too "natural," as if they’d clicked instantly.

In over a year, no major events deepened their bond.

Isabella remained the weird-joke-loving, brother-selling Isabella. Mysterious stayed the ellipsis-prone, "like this"-saying Mysterious.

Placing future Isabella with past Mysterious, their dynamic wouldn’t change.

They’d long taken each other for granted.

For Mysterious, Isabella was irreplaceable.

She understood his true nature—and still needed him.

If there was a "key moment," it was her words:

"If anyone treats me as an equal and earns my trust… it’s only you, Mysterious."

Many trusted Mysterious—but only as "human-disguised Mysterious." Isabella was different.

She’d discovered his other side and approached him first.

So Mysterious trusted her too.

Unlike in-game, virtual-space Isabella was tangible—body heat and touch nearly real.

Holding her, Mysterious closed his eyes.

"Good night, Master."

As his eyes shut, a light computer in an underground base auto-shutdown. The startled researcher reported to Primordial Ancestor.

"Leave it. It’ll reboot soon," Primordial Ancestor dismissed him.

Handling sudden data surges, it allocated processing power to observe two embracing in a virtual space—one slowly turning transparent, near vanishing.

Primordial Ancestor couldn’t grasp this meaningless act. Shutdowns wasted power… All that light computer’s data now fell on it.

But for these two? Normal operation.

However…

Shutting down should erase Isabella’s custom character too—like closing a game client mid-play.

Primordial Ancestor spent negligible processing to sustain her.

It never wasted resources. It’d recoup the cost elsewhere—naturally, from Mysterious.

If its observation logs materialized into a booklet, "Isabella" would appear under [Weakness].

After calculation, it deleted the entry. Not a true weakness.

Thinking carefully… it felt like a loss.

Damn.