### Chapter 26: Hiss and Slither
The scene shifts.
Night Lan and the others return to Zero Meow’s room through the Theater Door.
Back in their familiar habitat, the little Lolis finally relax their bodies.
Star Yoon plops right on the bean bag and whips out her game console, ready to “fish” around and play games.
“Night Lan’s a liar! The theater is totally not a place for fishing. The atmosphere is just… weird…”
Star Yoon’s tone is a bit melancholic; she’s clearly not accustomed to the theater’s vibe.
Night Lan scratches her head sheepishly.
“Hehehe…”
Aside from her, the theater really isn’t a hangout for ordinary folks.
That place has an oppressive, eerie vibe — not relaxing at all! Only Night Star Lan can tolerate it.
If Star Yoon tried to fish around there, she wouldn’t be able to ease her mind or body at all. It would be super uncomfortable.
“Well~ Don’t dwell on these little issues! You just gotta get used to it…”
Neko Shinna feels the same way.
Now she’s starting to feel a bit insecure.
Can her cooking really make those amazing folks enjoy it?
She’s so nervous about it!
Meanwhile, Zero Meow bounced back from her timid self in the theater and drags Night Lan over, plopping her on the bed.
“Quick, spill it! Are you hiding something from me? If you don’t come clean, I’ll cling to you all night long, meow!”
“I’m not hiding anything! I’m very honest,” Night Lan insists, looking innocent, making it hard to tell if she’s actually holding back something.
“Meow… really? Why does it feel like you’re keeping something from me? If you’re lying, I’ll devour you whole!”
Zero Meow sticks out her cute little tongue and gives Night Lan’s flawless face a lick, as if she’s tasting it.
Hiss~
Night Lan freezes, then turns toward White Fish, casting a desperate look for help.
Pinned down by the stronger Zero Meow, she’s totally helpless.
“Really…”
White Fish chuckles helplessly and preps to spring into action with some tickle tactics to rescue Night Lan.
But just then, the doorbell rings.
Ding-dong~
That sound captures several Lolis’ attention, and Zero Meow lets go of Night Lan.
“Who is it, meow?”
A familiar voice comes through.
“Are you guys in there? How about I take you out to play?”
“It’s my sister,” White Fish recognizes the voice.
Outside is none other than White Fish’s sister — White Paint.
Upon realizing this, Night Lan and the others exchange glances, releasing a collective sigh of relief.
They really made it back in time; otherwise, White Paint might have caught on that they vanished!
Zero Meow decisively opens the door, allowing White Paint to come in.
Seeing all the little Lolis around, White Paint can’t help but break into a rare, gentle smile.
“I don’t have work tonight. Interested in going out for a bit?”
White Fish bounces over and snuggles into White Paint’s embrace.
“I want to go with my sister!”
Now that’s some serious sisterly love!
Even though Night Lan and the others just got back from Qi Yuan City and are completely satisfied, they look like they’ve been lounging in the room all day. Getting some fresh air with White Paint sounds like a much better option.
“I’m going too, meow~”
“Me too!”
Once Zero Meow and Night Lan agree, Star Yoon and Neko Shinna have no reason to refuse.
To help Night Lan keep her secret, they have to work extra hard and absolutely cannot let any weirdness slip!
So, off the little Lolis go, following White Paint out of the room.
From a distance, the sight of the silver-haired girl with five Lolis surrounding her makes it look like she’s just picking up her little sisters from elementary school.
Seeing this, a passing Night Watcher couldn’t help but wonder when the Night Watcher Base got so many kids!
Later that night.
After wandering around, Night Lan and White Paint head back halfway to the Fish Playing House.
Night Star also returns from the Theater Door and snuggles up to Night Lan.
“Cuddly~”
“Snuggly~”
The two of them hug and tumble onto the bed, basking in each other’s warmth and missing the outside world.
“The Grand Performance in Qi Yuan City ended splendidly, thank goodness those sudden Star Eclipses didn’t ruin it.”
“Speaking of which, I heard those Star Eclipses got thrashed by Lianhua’s Hero Puppet. That’s seriously ruthless…”
Night Star glances over at the Little Lian puppet that’s sitting nearby.
Though the Little Lian puppet looks harmless and simple, it actually hides more than half the power of Doll City — it’s the main body!
Lost in thought, Night Star gets up, walks over, and scoops up Little Lian into her arms.
“Little Lian should have some awareness, right? Would leaving you alone in a room make you lonely? Or is it better to take you to the theater?” Night Star muses softly.
Little Lian remains silent but starts reaching out her hands, seemingly responding to Night Star’s embrace.
Just then, Eypar suddenly pops up from the wall, looking like she just got back from her escapades outside.
She hasn’t been hanging out at the theater lately.
Since Night Star didn’t bring her to Qi Yuan City today, she had to bide her time in Yun Chang City waiting for Night Star to return.
When Eypar spots Night Star, she instinctively flies over to hug her, but then catches sight of Little Lian in her arms and comes to a screeching halt in mid-air, slowly retreating back.
“Whoa! That’s a super scary puppet!”
Eypar yells, her little tufts of hair bobbing like crazy, clearly wary of Little Lian.
Hearing this, Little Lian silently turns her head and glares at Eypar, her eyes suddenly glowing with a terrifying red light, as if she’s annoyed by Eypar’s intrusion.
“She’s mad!”
Witnessing this, Eypar bolts away faster than you can say “ghost,” zooming through the wall to escape.
Seeing this, Night Star helplessly pats Little Lian.
“Seriously, stop scaring Eypar. She’s a part of our little family too. You have such strong powers, so can you be a bit more tolerant? She’s not inherently bad, you know. Though, teaching her a tiny lesson once in a while is fine, as long as it’s not too much.”
Little Lian gives a gentle nod, not saying a word.
After that, Night Star sets her down on the bedside and heads off to take a shower with Night Lan.
After all the high-energy performances earlier in Qi Yuan City, she’s already worked up a good sweat.
Night Lan is in similar shape; although she didn’t sweat from strolling around with White Fish and the others, returning to Yun Chang City to hang out with White Paint left her feeling a bit gross.
Now’s definitely the time to unwind and wash away today’s fatigue.
“I love baths~ Waaaah~”
“Time to get squeaky clean~ La la la~”
The two little Lolis sing incomprehensible lyrics.
Night Lan and Night Star merrily step into the bathroom, ready to soak away their worries in a luxurious bubble bath.
Next door.
A dashing black-haired youth leans on the railing after opening his door, smiling as he gazes out at the night view, lost in thought about the future.
Just then, he notices a ghost lingering at the door next door, looking rather hesitant to enter.
“Heh~”
Bet she got herself into trouble.
What a laugh.
Back to the main topic.
That Grand Performance today really wore him out.
He might as well take a day off tomorrow at the Night Watcher Base to rest up at home.
