Returnee(s)

m1zushi: chapter​⁠⁠‍‌‌‌‍​⁠​‌‍‍⁠⁠​⁠​​‌‌‌‍ title explanation: the novel’s name can also be translated as the snowstorm awaits the returnee(s) bcs 人 can either mean person or people. the official english title (at least what’s on the novel’s official book cover is ‘a hero lost in the snow’ which is why i opted for the singular ‘person’ meaning (as in: the snowstorm awaits an yu’s return). the same thing applies to this chapter but since we get more than one returnee i added the plural, but i also like the singular noun so i added (s) bcs i think it fits the aesthetics. tbh this is just some sleep-dreprived ramblings i’ll probably change it tmr

When An Yu woke again, dazzling sunlight was already spilling through the floor-to-ceiling windows. As soon as he sat up, he instinctively raised a hand to shield his eyes.

Qin Zhilu was sitting in the nearby armchair reading. When he looked up, this was the sight that met him: a slender body cocooned in snow-white blankets. The bed was large, and the sheets almost blended with the man’s skin tone, making the frantic marks left on his body appear even more vivid. It was a sensual scene, yet the sunlight cast a glow on An Yu’s pale cheeks and lit up those vacant, clear golden eyes, making him look almost holy.

So holy that Qin Zhilu felt a heavy thud in his chest.

He set his book down, walked over, and leaned down to kiss him. An Yu had gone from being completely inexperienced to being very well-trained quite quickly. He didn’t have much sense of formal shame; no matter what the Commander did to him, he only gave the most honest, instinctive reactions.

Just like now, he was clearly not yet fully awake yet naturally tilted his head back to allow the Commander to kiss him. As his breathing grew ragged, he reached out to grip the Commander’s shoulders, pulling him down so hard he almost lifted his own upper body. They kissed like that for a long while with necks strained. Qin Zhilu slowly straightened his back, lifting An Yu completely off the bed while one hand firmly supported his bottom.

He had a very thin frame, but his bottom was still soft and full in the palm of a hand.

For no reason at all, Qin Zhilu thought of the rabbit from the cartoon and couldn’t help but squeeze and knead it. After a while, he adjusted his posture, using his forearm for support instead. Qin Zhilu was lean and sturdy; An Yu could clearly perceive the muscles tensing occasionally beneath him where his weight rested on the Commander’s arm.

An Yu wrapped his arms around the Commander’s neck. Using the height advantage of sitting on the man’s arm, he leaned down to peck at the Commander’s lips. It wasn’t about being on equal footing; he was simply moved by pure affection. Even though his body was exhausted, he still instinctively wanted to kiss him, wanted to stay pressed intimately against this body forever.

As he kissed Qin Zhilu, the Commander tilted his head slightly and his dark eyes were filled with him. There was none of the usual gloom, and it was instead replaced by a kind of piety.

After more lingering, An Yu was finally set down. He sat on the soft bed, but no matter how he sat, he felt uncomfortable. As he sighed and pulled on his clothes, he grumbled, “I seem to have become very prone to oversleeping again.”

A trace of a smile flickered in Qin Zhilu’s eyes. “This time, it’s normal.”

Dazed and groggy, An Yu tried to pull on his socks with both hands, but as soon as he bent one leg, he let out a sharp hiss of pain.

Qin Zhilu knelt on one knee before the bed. He carefully pulled the socks onto An Yu’s feet, smoothing out the areas near the toes where they tended to bunch, then gave his feet a gentle squeeze.

“Grape whipped up something sweet. He asked everyone to get together tonight.”

An Yu’s ears perked up. “What is it?”

In the past, Qin Zhilu would never have remembered the long list of dessert names Zhu Tao recited, nor would he have participated in the “juniors’'” gatherings. But this time, he answered naturally, “Chocolate maple nut cinnamon rolls.”

A smile appeared in An Yu’s eyes. He didn’t even notice it himself, but Qin Zhilu caught it.

The corners of Qin Zhilu’s mouth curled up as well. “If they’re good, ask him for the recipe directly. It’s time the shop had a new product.”

An Yu hesitated. “Will he charge me for it?”

“He will, but we can find a way to dodge it.” Qin Zhilu pondered for a moment. “Just tell him you want to launch a collaboration between Corner Bakery and the Spire— a gift for the people of the Main City to bid farewell to winter. If he’s willing, you’ll waive his ‘partnership fee,’ and you can even print his grape emblem alongside the Spire emblem on the cinnamon roll boxes.”

An Yu’s eyes went wide.

“Ling Qiu was right,” he lamented from the bottom of his heart. “Among those in high positions, there really isn’t a single good person.”

“You’re becoming increasingly outspoken,” Qin Zhilu laughed, sealing those red lips as punishment.

“If we don’t say goodbye now, winter really will be over.”

Zhu Tao kneaded the dough vigorously, large nuts mixing into the fermented dough. Nearby, Tang Feng used a spatula to stir the chocolate cinnamon sauce. The space was thick with a dizzying sweetness.

Read at Mizushi Novels

Visit Mizushi Novels

Tang Feng glanced at Zhu Tao, looking like he wanted to say something but stopped himself.

Support the original translation

Read on Mizushi Novels

“Paying for naming rights? It costs money?” Zhu Tao weighed the popularity of Corner Bakery in his mind, then weighed An Yu’s level of stinginess. He almost didn’t dare ask further, fearing an astronomical figure.

Don't scrape

Don't copy

Tang Feng’s handsome, steady face was practically twitching.

Read at Mizushi Novels

Visit Mizushi Novels

“Deal!”

Support the original translation

Read on Mizushi Novels

-Qin Zhilu read Zhu Tao’s temperament perfectly. I proposed the ‘technical equity’ phrasing. I thought he was destined to be crushed by our combined efforts.

Don't scrape

Don't copy

An Yu replied:

Read at Mizushi Novels

Visit Mizushi Novels

-I know. Hoarding resources is your innate talent.

Support the original translation

Read on Mizushi Novels

Tang Feng gave An Yu a very, very long look before turning back in silence to preheat the oven.

Don't scrape

Don't copy

An Yu asked, “What about Bo?”

“Still taking a break in the Polar Region, but he said he’ll definitely make it back.”

An Yu gave a small “mhm.” He hesitated for a moment before asking, “Codex… I mean, Mizutani Mo…”

Zhu Tao suddenly went quiet, looking down to stir the fully mixed dry ingredients. After a while, he said, “He didn’t say. Maybe… he won’t come.”

The stirring rod stirred through the bowl rhythmically, yet Zhu Tao’s gaze had drifted far away, looking at the distant snowfields outside the window.

The accumulated snow was receding day by day. Much of the past seemed destined to dissipate along with that white expanse. The speeding train had hit the brakes with His departure.

Not only that, but when He left, another group of random Protectors experienced entropy reduction, luckily regressing back into humans; especially those low-level Protectors whose genetic entropy wasn’t high to begin with; almost all of them “devolved.”

The other high-ranking members weren’t so lucky. Chao Wu still had to spend the rest of her life with that lawless red hair, and Bo still had a pair of sleek wings. Aside from An Yu and Qin Zhilu, only Zhu Tao and Tang Feng had completely devolved. An Yu guessed it was because they were nearby when He woke up.

The special case was Codex.

He was lucky; in An Yu’s time-trick, he kept a shred of hope for survival. But he wasn’t as lucky as Qin Zhilu. He and the book had long since merged deeply; that page contained both him and a sliver of His cognition.

Lacking that tiny, insignificant piece of cognition, He still departed freely. But after He left, that sliver of cognition was severed from Mizutani Mo. What was left was an ordinary human boy who had lost some of his memories, and book pages scattered across the floor covered in mysterious characters and totems.

Mizutani Mo was a boy. After he was stripped of the essence of “Cognition,” his gender was finally perceived by everyone—

He was just a gentle, warm boy who liked to read. A part of his own memories was swept away by that sliver of cognition, remaining on those pages. Thus, his own recollections and emotions were somewhat fragmented. He said he wanted to find a quiet place to organize his thoughts and dived into the church’s top floor, refusing to come out. An Ning sent him simple meals every day.

An Ning said Mizutani Mo was polite and gentle to him, but clearly not as close as before.

“An Yu.”

Zhu Tao finally spoke softly, “If he doesn’t remember me, I won’t be able to accept it.”

The bonds between people are hard to explain clearly.

For example, Codex joined the Spire for a short time, but he and Zhu Tao became close friends over time.

Zhu Tao is kind to everyone, popular with all people he meets, and naturally likes everyone.

But he also had someone he liked the most: besides his Commander, it was Codex.

“His sliver of hope for survival was left by you.” An Yu suddenly looked up, his gaze falling into those deep purple eyes. “He might forget anyone, but he won’t forget you. It was you who tore him from the book that was destined for death.”

“The book… destined for death…”

An Yu swallowed the last sip of hot chocolate from the bottom of his cup. On the windowsill, Zhu Tao had used a pot of grapevines to press down the scattered page he had retrieved; it had been sitting there for several days.

The characters on the page were unrecognizable, but four characters written on the final page were simple and easy to read. Perhaps they came from that fragment of Mizutani Mo that had been entwined with His cognition.

“Burn after reading,” An Yu said softly.

“But before burning it, you personally tore off a page.”