The next morning, sitting in the classroom, Eternal Meteor made a solemn vow:
Once I have enough money… the first thing I'm buying is a body pillow about my size.
She yawned. Just thinking about what happened yesterday made her head hurt.
Since when did Rudolf get such ridiculous control issues?
After Gold Ship's half-vague, half-pointed words, Meteor had walked back to the dorm last night trembling, endlessly replaying and dissecting every syllable—until she literally bonked her forehead into the door and decided thinking was overrated.
If soldiers come, block them. If floods come, dam them.
Gold Ship hadn't said anything outright—so the best move was to do nothing, wait, and watch what she did next.
Meteor was exhausted. She chatted with Rudolf for a bit, then turned off the lights and went to sleep.
Except… maybe she'd drunk too many beverages, or maybe the sudden all-meat feast wrecked her stomach—because in the middle of the night, she kept running to the bathroom.
And that… was where things went wrong.
Meteor didn't want the bathroom light and phone noises to wake Rudolf—Rudolf still had office work tomorrow—so she went to the public restroom instead.
Meanwhile, Rudolf had a nightmare and jolted awake.
A nightmare about Eternal Meteor.
And, as if the universe wanted to be cruelly precise, it happened at the exact moment Meteor slipped out to use the bathroom.
Rudolf shot upright in bed and snapped her head toward Meteor's side of the room.
Messy blanket.
No Meteor.
All drowsiness vanished.
Her ears and tail sprang up. Without even changing out of her sleepwear, Rudolf yanked her charging phone off the bedside table, threw on slippers, and sprinted out.
As she ran, she called Meteor again and again, praying she'd pick up.
"…Hm? President? What is it?"
"Where are you right now?!!!"
Every second of ringing felt like torture.
The moment the call connected, Rudolf practically shouted the question.
"I'm… in the bathroom? Did something happen?"
"…Good. Good. If you're fine, then hurry back after you're done."
"Huh? Okay."
Meteor hung up.
Rudolf—finally—relaxed…
…Or not.
Remembering Meteor's recent behavior, Rudolf suddenly feared something else: What if she's hiding in the bathroom because something happened?
She was about to turn and search—
When she saw Meteor emerging from the restroom, walking slowly toward her.
Meteor, for her part, had almost been scared half to death.
She'd been watching funny videos mid-bathroom break when the sudden call alert hit like a horror-movie jump scare.
Thankfully, she had the caller ID saved.
Seeing the three big characters—"卤豆腐"—gave her the courage to answer.
And then Rudolf's roar nearly knocked her soul out of her body.
She'd held the phone right by her ear—she nearly bit her tongue.
Meteor muttered to X, pointing at her head:
"Do you think Rudolf has… something wrong up here?"
"If anything's wrong," X replied, "it's probably because you drove her there."
"What does that have to do with me? I'm obviously kind and universally beloved."
"Ugh."
Meteor used her argument with X as morale support while she walked back through the dark corridor.
Because the hallway was pitch black, and that phone call really did feel like the opening scene of a horror film.
Tonight the moon was hidden behind clouds too, making everything darker than usual.
Meteor regretted not bringing a knife.
The old her wouldn't have been afraid of this kind of thing—fear was just a symptom of insufficient firepower. Give her a fully automatic rifle and she'd suddenly be fearless.
With her phone flashlight on and her head lowered, she walked—
And suddenly saw a pair of feet right in front of her.
Her heart dropped.
Cold sweat crawled down her back.
Hands shaking, she slowly tilted the flashlight upward—
It was Rudolf.
Only then did her heart fall back into place.
"President! Do you know I was this close to screaming?!"
Rudolf didn't answer.
She just examined Meteor carefully, checking and rechecking until she was certain Meteor was truly fine.
Only then did she finally let the tension go.
"Come. Back to the dorm."
Meteor tilted her head, baffled, and followed.
Inside the room, Rudolf shut the door, turned on the lights, and sat on the bed facing Meteor.
Her expression was visibly uneasy.
Meteor could see it plainly.
"Why didn't you use the dorm bathroom?"
"I didn't want to wake you up, because—"
"I'm not afraid of being woken up!"
Rudolf cut her off sharply.
Then, seeing Meteor's surprised look, she immediately softened.
"…Sorry. I panicked."
She rubbed her temples, as if trying to massage the anxiety out of her skull.
She didn't even understand why she was this frightened.
It was just a bathroom trip.
And yet… she couldn't shake the feeling that Meteor was like a night-blooming epiphyllum.
Like a real shooting star.
If Rudolf looked away for even a moment—
Meteor would vanish without a trace.
And Rudolf would lose her forever.
"…Go to sleep. I'll turn off the light."
In the end, Rudolf decided not to chase the thought further.
Meteor was here—right in front of her—alive and real.
All she had to do was pay closer attention from now on.
Meteor nodded too.
Rudolf stood, patted Meteor's head, and walked to the light switch by the door.
Only after Meteor was fully tucked in did Rudolf turn the lights off.
She returned to her own bed, lay down, then turned her head toward Meteor—who was facing her—and smiled.
"Goodnight, Eternal Meteor."
"Goodnight, President."
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 175)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 115)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League (Chapter 126)
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter105)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter100)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter82)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter134)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 70
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 87
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 79
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 64
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 73
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 45
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 49
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 45
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 45
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