He didn't mean to look. He really didn't. But that angle, that light, that distance so close he could almost touch it—it wasn't intentional.
The problem was that Gojo Satoru had definitely noticed.
Because the hand that was massaging his calf suddenly paused.
Xiao Bai." Gojo Satoru's voice carried a clear hint of amusement, "What are you looking at?
"Nothing." Tu Bai stared at the Ceiling, his voice tense.
If you weren't looking at anything, then why did you turn your face away?
Hot.
The air conditioning is set to twenty degrees tonight, so how is it hot?
Tu Bai fell silent. He could feel his ears heating up at a rate visible to the naked eye, the heat burning from the tip of his nose all the way to the base of his ears, causing even his cheeks to start burning.
Gojo Satoru gently placed his legs back under the Small Blanket, but instead of lying back down, he propped himself up on his arms and leaned closer.
Your face is so red." He leaned in a little closer, his voice lowered significantly, "What did you see just now?
Tu Bai buried his face in the Pillow: "I didn't see anything."
Oh—" Gojo Satoru drew out the end of his sentence, "Then, do you want to take a closer look?
Tu Bai had not yet realized the meaning of those words before his hand was grasped. Gojo Satoru grabbed his wrist and pressed his palm against his own abdomen.
Through that thin black vest, he clearly felt it—the texture of muscles, the firm sensation, the faint heat beneath the Fabric.
A buzzing sound rang in his ears.
It felt as if a firework had exploded inside Tu Bai's brain.
You—you—you—
What?" Gojo Satoru's tone was incredibly casual, even carrying a hint of smugness, "It's not like anything will happen if you touch it once. I'm very generous.
Tu Bai wanted to pull his hand back, but Gojo Satoru held it firmly; he wasn't using force, but simply pressing it steadily to prevent him from escaping.
The sensation beneath his palm became increasingly clear. He could even feel the slight rise and fall of the abdomen with every breath.
Tu Bai felt like he was about to burst into flames.
It wasn't just his face; it was his entire head, his entire Upper Body. That Heat pumped out from his Heart, racing through his Blood Vessels and burning through his Limbs, burning so intensely that even his Fingertips were trembling.
Then, his Ears popped out.
It wasn't a metaphor, it was literal—with a heavy sensation atop his head, a pair of fluffy black Rabbit Ears popped out with a "poof," standing alert in the air and twitching slightly.
Gojo Satoru stared at those Ears, stunned.
Tu Bai was also stunned.
In the next second, he used all his strength to pull his hand out of Gojo Satoru's palm, yanked up the Pillow, covered himself from head to toe, wrapping himself up tightly.
I'm going to sleep!
The sound coming from under the Pillow was muffled and hurried.
Gojo Satoru stared at the lump rising under the blanket and the Black Rabbit Ears peeking out from the edge of the blanket, which were still trembling slightly, froze for two seconds.
Then he burst out laughing.
It wasn't that kind of restrained, polite laughter; it was the kind he couldn't hold back, his shoulders shaking.
The lump under the Pillow moved, the Ears pressed even lower, clinging tightly to the surface of the Pillow, as if trying to stuff the entire pair of ears inside to hide them.
"Stop laughing!" a muffled voice came from deep within the Pillow.
"Fine, no more laughing," Gojo Satoru said, though he was clearly still smiling.
He cleared his throat, barely managing to suppress his smile, his tone became just a tiny bit more serious: "Xiao Bai."
The Pillow did not move.
In exchange—" he deliberately drew out the tone, "shouldn't you also let me touch your abdomen?
The Pillow shook violently.
No!
The refusal was absolute, leaving no room for negotiation.
Gojo Satoru wore a regretful expression: "How stingy."
A muffled, indistinct sound, much like someone cursing, came from beneath the Small Blanket. It was impossible to hear exactly what was being said, but the tone was quite rude.
Gojo Satoru chuckled again and stopped teasing him. He lay back down, reached out to dim the desk lamp, stared at the Ceiling while resting his head on his arm.
After a while, he turned onto his side and looked at the tightly wrapped Pillow beside him.
At the edge of the Pillow, that pair of Black Rabbit Ears was still peeking out, drooping softly and twitching occasionally.
Gojo Satoru looked at those ears and said softly, "Goodnight, Xiao Bai."
There was no response from under the Pillow.
But the Rabbit Ears twitched slightly, as if unconsciously.
Gojo Satoru closed his eyes.
---
A long time later, so long that Gojo Satoru's Breathing became long and steady, Tu Bai quietly pulled the Pillow down just a little bit.
Exposing a pair of Eyes.
The desk lamp cast its last ring of dim yellow light, tinting the room in warm tones. Gojo Satoru slept beside him, the light outlining his profile with soft contours. With his eyes closed, those pale blue eyes were hidden, making his entire face look several years younger than during the day.
Tu Bai stared at his sleeping face for a while.
Then he gently turned over, his back to Gojo Satoru.
His heart was still beating a bit fast. His ears wouldn't retract yet, resting fuzzily against the Pillow.
He pulled his hand out from under the Small Blanket and placed it on his abdomen—it was still very flat, but he could feel that mass of warm Energy, like a tiny, pulsing Fireseed.
"Your Dad is an Idiot," he said to his Belly, using a Voice that only he could hear.
That mass of Energy pulsed quietly, as if in response.
Tu Bai closed his Eyes.
He was far too soft-hearted tonight. He would have to be more careful tomorrow.
He told himself this in his heart. But his fingertips still retained the touch from those few seconds just now—warm, firm, full of vitality.
He curled his fingers and pulled that hand back under the Pillow as well.
Moonlight from outside the window leaked through the gaps in the Curtain, casting a slender white streak at the foot of the bed.
In a few more days, once the money in the account is transferred to the third batch, the information for the False Identity can complete the final procedure.
After a while longer, once his belly got a bit bigger, once Gojo Satoru trusted him even more..
Tu Bai opened his eyes, looking at the Ceiling in the darkness.
How much time does he have left?
One month? Two months? Or three months?
He didn't know. He only knew that time was running out.
And he found that he seemed.. increasingly uncertain whether he actually wanted to run or not.
As soon as this thought surfaced, he suppressed it ruthlessly.
He stopped thinking about it.
He closed his Eyes.
I thought too much tonight.
I must be more careful tomorrow.
Definitely.
Chapter 27
At nine in the morning, Tu Bai sat at his Desk, an Architectural Design Atlas spread out before him. He held a pencil in his hand, doodling in the nearby Sketchbook, but his mind was nowhere near the task at hand.
He hadn't slept well again last night. It wasn't because of leg cramps—ever since Gojo Satoru started giving him Calcium Tablets and having him do stretches before bed, the frequency of cramps had indeed decreased. It was something else. Messy dreams, fragmented scenes that he couldn't remember upon waking, leaving behind only a heavy, indescribable sense of oppression.
He put down his pencil and rubbed his temples. His Demon Power consumption had been quite high lately. To prepare that "stock," he had been using Construction Technique for several days straight to replicate those high-priced Baby Care Products. Although the amount each time wasn't much, the frequency was relentless. On top of that, the Pregnancy itself was continuously consuming his Demon Power..
He felt the power within his body was like a pool of water, with the water level slowly dropping. Although it was still far from drying up, this sense of uncontrolled loss made him feel uneasy.
The Desk faced the Window, the Morning Light shone in at an angle, casting a bright square upon the Wooden Floor. Tu Bai stared at that patch of light, his Eyes feeling a bit blurred.
He let out a yawn, a few tears welled up in his Eyes. He raised his hand to wipe them away, leaned against the Chair Back, closed his Eyes, wanting to rest for a moment.
His consciousness began to become a bit blurred. He seemed to hear the sound of water coming from the Kitchen, along with the sound of Gojo Satoru humming—the tune was completely off, but after listening for a while, it actually felt somewhat pleasant to the ear.
Right at that moment, he felt a slight itch on the top of his head.
It wasn't an itch on his scalp, but somewhere higher up. A slight, fuzzy Touch, as if something were about to crawl out from beneath his skin.
Tu Bai snapped his eyes open.
He subconsciously raised his hand to touch the top of his head. His Finger touched something soft, warm, covered in fine fuzz..
He froze.
A few seconds later, he practically bounced up and rushed to the Bathroom, facing the Mirror.
The person in the mirror had a somewhat pale complexion, his eyes were wide with surprise, amidst that black curly hair, two long, fluffy Rabbit Ears stood out prominently. The ears were black with white tips, they were trembling slightly due to his panic.
Tu Bai stared at the Mirror, his Heart pounding.
The Ears have popped out again. They appeared on their own, without any control whatsoever.
It is unstable Demon Power. Definitely. Due to excessive consumption during this period, combined with the influence of Pregnancy, his control over his body is declining.
He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, attempting to concentrate his Spirit to retract his ears. As his Demon Power circulated through his body, his ears trembled and slowly retracted a little, but they quickly popped back out, shaking even more vigorously than before.