Space-Time Inspector

In that moment, Harry thinks about a lot of things.

He thinks about the traditional virtue of repaying kindness, about revolutionary martyrs who sacrificed themselves for their cause, about the first time he stood up to a bully in elementary school who tried to steal his chocolate... Okay, maybe he doesn't think about all that. He just knows one thing: this girl named Lily, despite being incredible and possibly not even human, isn't a bad person. And she just saved his life-Harry is absolutely certain that the first attack from that bat-like creature was aimed at him. Several times afterward, the creature's attention was also focused on him. There's no doubt about it.

Even though Harry is just an ordinary guy, he's confident in his intuition and his ability to stay calm in dangerous situations. After all, he's been a troublemaker since childhood, and his countless reckless stunts have honed these qualities. Even in the life-and-death situation earlier, he noticed that the bat was targeting him from the start.

But Lily doesn't seem to have noticed. Maybe she's just stuck in her own mindset, assuming from the beginning that the bat was after her. This can probably be attributed to her being a bit scatterbrained...

But regardless, this self-proclaimed werewolf girl saved his life, and Harry can't just leave her to fend for herself. This area is remote and sparsely populated, and it's already late at night. Lily, a stranger-or rather, a werewolf-has no place to stay and would likely end up sleeping on the streets. He can't let that happen.

Of course, he also considers the possibility that the bat might return. But as he mentioned earlier, he feels that the bat was after him-so keeping Lily close might actually be a good idea. Even if her brick-throwing skills are unreliable, they're still better than the rolling pin he has at home.

This line of thinking might be a bit disheartening, but faced with such an extraordinary situation, Harry can only plan this way. He's very self-aware.

"Let's go, it's getting late," Harry rubs his legs, which are still numb from the cold, and takes the lead. "I'll make you something to eat when we get back. Oh, by the way, do you eat vegetables?"

He suddenly remembers her "werewolf" identity and can't help but ask. This shows that Harry's ability to adapt is quite strong.

"I eat everything!" Lily nods happily, carrying her hundred-pound suitcase with ease as she walks beside Harry. But after a few steps, she realizes something. "Landlord, aren't you scared at all? I think most people would be terrified in this situation. Have you met 'supernatural beings' before? Oh, and don't worry, I don't hurt humans! I've seen a lot of movies, and humans seem to be really scared of us..."

Harry feels a headache coming on: the girl's true nature is showing again. She's outgoing, scatterbrained, and a chatterbox. He can't answer all her questions at once, so he just sighs. "Honestly, I'm still in shock. Let me go home and have a cigarette to calm down. We'll talk about everything later."

With that, Lily finally quiets down, and the two walk in silence until they reach the legendary White Stone Road, stopping in front of a somewhat old but sizable two-story house.

The house is at the end of a cement road, with wilderness behind it and a fair amount of open space around it. It's the border between human civilization and nature-Harry often describes his home in such grandiose terms to prove that he's still young at heart, at least retaining some of his teenage idealism. The houses along White Stone Road are similarly old and dilapidated, with many two- or even three-story structures. But most of them are dark and silent, like abandoned haunted houses. As the southern suburbs become increasingly desolate and the city's focus never shifts in this direction, more and more residents have moved to the city. Harry, living at the end of the road, is one of the few remaining residents.

"Thankfully, the streetlights here were recently replaced. Otherwise, this place would look like a ghost town," Harry mutters to himself.

"Huh? What ghost town?" Lily's voice immediately pipes up. Her hearing, as expected of a canine, is sharp.

Harry waves his hand, indicating that he's just talking to himself. Lily doesn't press further, instead looking up at her potential new home. The rectangular old building seems to satisfy her. "Hmm, nice place. It's quiet, and with few people around, I won't have to worry about being recognized. Living in human society is tough-always worrying about being dissected. And there are so many human scammers, it's exhausting."

Harry, who's unlocking the door, gives Lily a surprised look. "You're so powerful, yet you're afraid of being dissected?"

He's already quite impressed by Lily's display of strength earlier, thinking that a legendary creature like a werewolf must be stronger than humans. But now she's talking about being afraid of being dissected?

"Yeah," Lily nods vigorously. "I've seen a lot of movies. Humans love doing that. You're really xenophobic. Even aliens in America get dissected, It's terrifying!"

Harry decides not to engage in any serious discussions with this scatterbrained girl.

After unlocking the door, Harry leads Lily inside. The house has a large living room, with two doors on either side leading to his room and the room reserved for tenants. A small hallway leads to the kitchen and bathroom, and the stairs go up to the second floor, where there are four empty rooms. Harry starts explaining the layout to Lily, but she interrupts him.

"I'm easy. As long as I can sleep, it's fine!" Lily says cheerfully, patting her suitcase. "I didn't bring any bedding. This suitcase can't fit everything."

Harry swallows the rest of his words: it seems this girl isn't your typical "delicate" type. She's more on the bold side.

Lily doesn't need help settling in, either because she's being modest or because she's just hungry. She urges Harry to start cooking, emphasizing that she'll pay for the meal. Harry is quite touched by this.

In the kitchen, Harry pulls out some dry noodles and a few ingredients from the fridge. As he hums a tune and turns on the gas stove, he remembers the terrifying experience from earlier and decides to have a cigarette to calm down.

...Thankfully, he remembers to light the stove before lighting the cigarette, or this book would've ended at Chapter 5.

Listening to the clattering sounds coming from Lily's room, Harry wonders what strange things she's packed in that large suitcase. As he cooks, he starts piecing together the events of the day: he went to the city to look for a job but found nothing, took a nap in the park, met an outgoing girl who turned out to be a potential tenant, and then, on the way home, his normal life was shattered by supernatural phenomena-a werewolf, supernatural powers, a near-death experience. In less than ten minutes, his entire worldview was turned upside down.

What was that bat-like creature that could transform into a humanoid figure, exuding a cold, bloody aura?

Harry thinks about it and comes to a chilling conclusion: it might be a vampire-after all, he's already met a werewolf. What's a vampire without a werewolf to feud with?

But speaking of werewolves... the one he's met doesn't seem to match the legends. She's not ferocious or terrifying; in fact, she's kind of cute... just a bit scatterbrained.

After thinking for a while without reaching any conclusions, Harry decides to put everything aside until after dinner. Lily seems like a friendly "werewolf," so maybe she can explain things to him. At the very least, he'll have some direction as he rebuilds his worldview.

The noodles are soon ready, and Harry brings the quick and filling meal to the living room, where Lily is already sitting at the table, eagerly waiting. She sniffs the aroma of the noodles and gives Harry a bright smile, making him feel like he's feeding a puppy.

As they sit down to eat, Harry suddenly remembers something and calls out toward the stairs, "Roll, come down for dinner!"

Under Lily's curious gaze, a black-and-white shadow nimbly descends from upstairs and rushes to Harry's feet, rubbing its head against his shoes: it's a black-and-white cat.

What happens next leaves Harry utterly baffled:

Lily, the powerful werewolf who just shattered his worldview, the girl he's already classified as a "highly mysterious species," jumps up from her chair the moment she sees the cat and scurries behind the couch!

She even transforms back into her werewolf form!