Chapter 116
Extra 2: Big Sootball Raises Little A-Ran
【Reading Guide】【This is a fantasy extra, the follow-up to Big Sootball meeting Little A-Ran in the future timeline of the main story】
All demons knew that ever since the mysterious human guest of His Excellency Delmoko disappeared, this usually unpredictable and dangerous demon had become even more difficult to predict.
Some demons even felt that the sudden appearance and disappearance of that human might have been an illusion, not a real human.
After all, he was incredibly handsome, they had never seen such a beautiful human!
But he hadn’t taken that precious invisibility cloak with him when he left.
So this invisibility cloak became the greatest proof that the handsome human had been there.
Many demons who carefully studied His Excellency Delmoko’s schedule even discovered that almost every day at 5 PM, His Excellency Delmoko could be seen silently staring at this cloak in the castle’s study hall.
“His Excellency Delmoko is using the power of the moon to trace that ‘himself’ again, remember not to approach him during this time.”
The demon attendant seriously warned the visitors who were trying to see him, and the demons instantly fell silent.
There was once a visitor who, relying on his noble status, insisted on barging in and interrupting. No demon had seen him since.
Some demons suspected that that arrogant guy had probably been turned into a crystal, completely shattered and scattered on the dry riverbed of the Demon Energy River.
This last demon of the Luna Clan was extremely cruel and indifferent.
Completely different from the small black fluffy ball in his memories!
It was hard to imagine that this incredibly fierce adult demon was actually such a fluffy and soft little cutie in his childhood.
Although some demons swore that they had seen His Excellency Delmoko transform into a cub, actively jumping into that handsome human’s arms and acting coquettishly, even being held and kissed for a long time.
Making those soft “Cheep cheep” sounds, just to please the human!
“Ah… that’s too scary, I can’t imagine that scene! Stop talking, it’s too terrifying!”
However, the demons in the tavern who heard this secret all shook their heads in horror, saying that he must be drunk, how could His Excellency Delmoko make such “Cheep cheep” sounds?
Moreover, humans had such a low status now, how could any demon be willing to act coquettishly with a human? And he was even that demon from the Luna Clan?
Although some daring demons, thinking that they had found a “weakness,” tried to attract His Excellency Delmoko’s attention by using similar humans, actively saying that they had found clues about the whereabouts of that human named “A-Ran.”
But this demon did successfully attract His Excellency Delmoko’s attention and was immediately visited by him, who expressionlessly discovered the “fake.”
“Not him at all.”
Just one glance was enough for him to sentence the other party to death.
“Your Excellency Delmoko, this is A-Ran! I swear to you… ugh!”
The demon who created the fake tried to argue, but he lost his breath the next second, watching as purplish-black magic crystals gradually covered his entire body.
The consequence of this incident was that the entire fake human town and the demons involved in the forgery were completely purged.
Since then, no one dared to touch this taboo again.
Although more and more demons were privately curious, did that human’s story really exist? Then why had so many demons tried to find him but found nothing?
Until hundreds of years later, in the Luna Clan’s palace, an elder with a long beard finally carefully handed a mirror to the great demon in front of him.
“Your Excellency Delmoko, after our clan’s research, we are certain that the other party should have used some kind of secret technique to trace back time, which is why you cannot find him in this timeline.”
“But this simplified Time Mirror might allow you to travel to the past and find him!”
Nemo silently took the mirror and looked at his reflection.
He was already an adult demon in the mirror, his dark red eyes mysterious and noble, his long black hair with a few wolf-tail strands falling by his ears, and his brow bone prominent.
“As far as I know, you still have an item with his scent, right? Using that item as a medium, there’s a certain probability of finding him in the river of time… eh?”
Before the elder could finish speaking, he found that the mirror had emitted a strong light, and the study in front of him was already empty.
Only the dark red curtains by the window were slightly lifted by the evening breeze.
“Meow…”
A soft cat’s meow sounded. The calico cat lowered its head and ate the small jerky, a small figure squatting beside it.
It was a bit cold this winter. The little guy looked to be at most five or six years old, wearing a slightly old but clean baby blue cotton-padded jacket and a beige scarf around his neck, quietly and obediently squatting beside the cat, staring at it without blinking as it ate.
His dark eyelashes were thick and long, illuminated into a light amber color under the light, extremely beautiful.
His fair cheeks, exposed from the scarf, were slightly flushed from the wind, but he was still focused on the cat.
“Meow? Meow–”
However, as footsteps approached, as if sensing some kind of danger, the cat instinctively tried to run away.
Lin Ran was a little dazed and instinctively reached out, wanting to stop the cat.
Xiao Hua had always let him pet her before leaving, and sometimes she would even jump into his arms to be hugged and kissed.
“Here you go.”
The next second, he found that Xiao Hua had been firmly caught by the scruff of her neck by a large hand with distinct knuckles, motionless as if frozen, and then handed to him.
Lin Ran, holding the cat, looked up and found that it was a strange, unfamiliar man.
The man was extremely tall, even taller than Uncle Gu at the village entrance. His slightly long, dark hair fell by his ears, and his eyes were a deep dark red.
But he was very handsome.
Even more handsome than the male actors Grandma liked to watch on TV.
And while Lin Ran was observing him, Nemo was also observing A-Ran.
A-Ran had become smaller…
He had become a tiny little one.
Perhaps the time he targeted with the Time Mirror was off.
After all, too much time had passed since the invisibility cloak, and the scent on it was faint. It was already a miracle that he could even find it.
But Nemo also hadn’t expected that A-Ran would live such a life in his childhood.
Although the baby blue cotton-padded jacket was clean, he could still see the carefully sewn small patches, not to mention the worn-out sneakers that didn’t quite fit.
Noticing the other party’s gaze on his shoes, Lin Ran tried to cover them up with a slightly flushed face.
These were the sneakers he only wore for PE class today. Grandma only made cloth shoes, so these sneakers were borrowed.
“Meow——!”
Xiao Hua, who was startled, jumped away the moment Lin Ran subconsciously loosened his grip. The aura of a demon was an unbearable fear for ordinary animals.
“Ah Hua? She ran away…”
The little guy no longer cared about his shoes and looked at the cat disappearing into the fields with disappointment, not even finishing the small jerky he had brought.
The corners of his eyes drooped slightly, and even his expression became a bit aggrieved, his soft, fluffy black hair falling down.
He didn’t know how cute he looked with such an expression as a small human cub!
Even Nemo was momentarily at a loss, after all, it was his presence that had scared the stray cat away.
“Cheep.”
Lin Ran: ?
A few seconds later, Lin Ran looked at the small black fluffy ball in front of him in a daze. He had clearly been human a second ago, but he had suddenly turned into a fluffy creature.
But… so cute.
Even cuter than Ah Hua!
Just by looking at the fluffy and soft black fur of this demon, it was obvious that it felt much smoother than Xiao Hua, a stray cat from the fields.
Not to mention that this fluffy creature was only a head shorter than the six-year-old A-Ran. If he wanted to hug him, he would have to open his arms wide and bury his face in his fur to barely manage!
As if sensing that A-Ran wanted to touch him but was a little hesitant, Nemo wagged his triangular tail and tilted his head again, softly chirping.
This time, A-Ran finally pursed his lips, blinked, and tried reaching out to touch this small black rice ball.
So soft.
“Are you a monster?”
Only monsters in storybooks could transform from humans into fluffy creatures.
Little A-Ran’s voice was also very soft.
“Cheep cheep.”
Nemo rubbed against his palm, certain that A-Ran had forgotten the sadness of the cat being scared away by him.
“Then, may I hug you?”
Lin Ran hesitated for a long time, then couldn’t help but ask politely in a low voice.
“Cheep!”
Unexpectedly, this mysterious fluffy creature actually nodded as if it understood.
The next second, A-Ran opened his arms and gently hugged him, as if afraid of hurting him, carefully controlling his strength.
And he quickly let go after the hug.
A true “hug”!
However, when Nemo tried to ask A-Ran to play for a while longer, he found that A-Ran shook his head with a smile, saying that he couldn’t play anymore.
“Sorry, but I have to go today. If I don’t go home, Grandma will be worried.”
Lin Ran also found that after he explained, the originally happy fluffy creature in front of him visibly became dejected, its black fur slightly swaying in the night wind.
He looked a bit pitiful.
And recalling his human appearance just now, although he didn’t know the specific name of that kind of clothing, Lin Ran only knew that it didn’t look very thick, it seemed quite thin.
Wearing such thin clothes in winter would make him catch a cold, just like how he would sneeze and have a fever when he caught a cold.
Perhaps he had even fewer clothes than him?
So before leaving, Lin Ran hesitated for a moment, slowly untied his small beige scarf, and carefully tied it around the small black fluffy ball’s neck.
He even attached the small rabbit embroidered by Grandma on it, so it wouldn’t come loose.
The small black fluffy ball wearing the small beige scarf, the color combination inexplicably harmonious and lively, especially since his big eyes were still staring at A-Ran.
“See you again, Mr. Sootball?”
Although when he said this nickname, Lin Ran simply thought that the small fluffy ball in front of him looked a bit like the small coal balls Grandma used for the stove.
The little guy’s eyes curved into a smile as he softly said goodbye to Mr. Monster, his voice like a newly hatched chick, fluffy and soft.
And Nemo, being called “Sootball,” just squatted there blankly, watching as A-Ran left with his small backpack.
“Aiya, did you lose your scarf?”
Grandma Huang Guiying, anxiously waiting at the door, saw her good boy finally appear and smiled, handing him the steamed rice cakes she had prepared, but found that his scarf was gone.
“It’s okay, it’s just a scarf, were you cold on the way? Look, the tip of your nose is a little red from the cold.”
Before Lin Ran could apologize guiltily, Grandma reached out and touched the tip of his nose. No matter how many times, she was still charmed by her little grandson.
How could there be such a cute little guy?
But Grandma was also very worried about Lin Ran’s health. After all, he had once had a fever and insisted on not saying anything, only being discovered when his face was flushed red. That time, he had cried so much that Grandma’s eyes were swollen for a long time.
Fortunately, she touched his forehead just now and found that he didn’t have a fever.
“How was PE class today? Was it fun playing dodgeball?”
Grandma wasn’t that old yet at this time, she could even stay up late sewing, and she had made five beautiful small sandbags for her grandson.
“It was fun, everyone liked Grandma’s sandbags, and a little friend even came to play with me…”
The cub’s voice was soft as he quietly recounted.
“That’s good, you made a friend, right? You can give him a few sandbags next time, and he’ll be even happier to play with our Lin-zai.”
Grandma was even happier hearing this.
Lin Ran nodded obediently, then felt that something wasn’t quite right.
It seemed like it was the sandbags who made the friend, not him.
But his shoes were a bit big, and he was always half a beat slower when running, so no matter how beautiful the sandbags were, everyone was still unwilling to be on his team.
Perhaps he would be left alone again during the competition.
He quietly sighed.
Just as Grandma was taking little Lin-zai to the courtyard for dinner, a small black fluffy creature quietly squatted under the loofah leaves on the courtyard wall, still wearing the scarf with the rabbit on it.
He watched everything.
Therefore, a few minutes later, the only children’s clothing store about to close in the nearby city welcomed a mysterious customer.
“Uh, are you sure you want to exchange this gemstone?”
The shopkeeper looked at the purple gemstone in his palm, feeling that it could buy the entire store.
And looking up at the other party, the shopkeeper almost wondered if they were filming a variety show, was this an actor?
He was so tall and handsome, at least 1.9 meters tall, right? The quality of his clothes was clearly extraordinary at a glance.
“Forget it, why don’t you take a look first and pay me next time? I don’t dare to take this gemstone, it seems too precious.”
The shopkeeper hesitated for a while and said that he could choose something first.
This mysterious customer looked at him, seriously said “thank you,” and then started choosing intently.
He seemed to want to buy a pair of children’s sneakers?
But when Lin Ran finished dinner, brought a small stool, sat at the table to do his homework, he was startled by the fluffy creature that suddenly appeared.
“Why are you here again? Are you hungry…”
He asked softly, blinking his big, watery eyes.
“Cheep.”
The black ball magically produced a pair of brand new children’s sneakers and placed them in front of Lin Ran.
Little A-Ran’s eyes widened.
These sneakers were even more beautiful than all the sneakers on the shelves of the small supermarket in the village! They were incredibly exquisite.
“But, but I can’t wear them now.”
Lin Ran hurriedly stopped Sootball, who wanted him to try them on, and explained in a low voice.
“It would be strange if Grandma saw them.”
And why did this Mr. Monster know that he wanted a pair of shoes?
Could he read minds?
If Nemo were to say it, it was because A-Ran’s wish was practically written in his big eyes.
After hesitating for a moment, Nemo took the shoes and hid them in his backpack, signaling to A-Ran that he could wear them to school tomorrow!
Even when Lin Ran woke up the next day and went to Blue Sky Primary School in the village for first grade, he felt that his backpack was unusually heavy.
Because they were new sneakers, so they were especially heavy?
But why did he suddenly give him a pair of sneakers? He couldn’t figure it out even after thinking about it all night.
Could it be because his wish this year had come true?
Anyway, Lin Ran was looking forward to PE class for the first time.
But no matter how expectant he was, he still obediently picked up his pen and listened to the teacher.
To be honest, in the noisy classroom of the village school, this small figure sitting in the corner and listening attentively was very conspicuous.
And the little guy’s face was fair and tender, like fresh snow in winter, and his dark eyes were always sparkling. No teacher wouldn’t like such a focused little guy.
Precisely because of this, the little boy with dark skin who was pulling Lin Ran’s arm was only noticed by Lin Ran after a while. When Lin Ran slowly looked over, the boy’s first reaction was to blush shyly, feeling that he was even prettier than a little girl.
But the next second, he became a little annoyed:
“Hey, are you unwilling to talk to us?”
Lin Ran shook his head, glanced at his notebook, and found that he had missed a few words. He was anxious to listen to the teacher’s lecture, but also wanted to hear what his classmate was saying.
His conflicted expression was incredibly cute, easily attracting the teacher’s attention.
“Lu Chao! What are you doing? It’s one thing that you don’t want to study and would rather go home and farm, but you’re even disturbing Lin Ran’s learning!? Stand in the back with your book!”
Teacher Xu, noticing the commotion, immediately yelled.
The woman was in her fifties, with a sturdy build and permed hair. She had dedicated her entire life to this village school and had a fiery temper to control the noisy class.
The little guy called Lu Chao immediately let go of Lin Ran’s arm, kicked the stool, and pretended to be indifferent as he was taken to the back.
Although Lin Ran felt that Teacher Xu protecting him like this wasn’t very good, he didn’t know what to do.
After all, this kind of subtle and complex interpersonal relationship wasn’t so simple for a cub.
But what Lu Chao didn’t know was that if Teacher Xu’s voice had been a second later, a dark purple demonic aura would have almost eaten his arm.
Because Nemo, squatting on the big tree outside the classroom, had a cold expression, his demonic aura boiling and overflowing.
Seeing the slightly dazed A-Ran, the boiling demonic aura quietly subsided.
It wasn’t until PE class, when everyone changed into their sneakers, that Lin Ran carefully opened his backpack and was surprised to find that not only were the brand new sneakers inside, but there was also a whole new set of sportswear and a children’s thermos.
The thermos was shiny and even had cute cartoon patterns printed on it.
“My god, so beautiful–”
The children who noticed the commotion exclaimed, but they hesitated when they wanted to approach Lin Ran, because the teacher had said that they couldn’t push or bully him.
“Lin Ran, come to my office!”
Teacher Xu happened to appear at the back of the classroom and called Lin Ran over.
The surrounding children instantly fell silent and glanced at Teacher Xu, and Lin Ran also closed his backpack and ran over.
Teacher Xu was usually only so gentle with Lin Ran, completely different from how she was with everyone else.
This usually hot-tempered middle-aged woman’s expression also softened unconsciously when she saw the cub standing at the office door. She took out a pair of shoes from the office drawer and tried to give them to Lin Ran.
“The PE teacher said your shoes don’t fit, take these and wear them for PE class…”
But halfway through, Teacher Xu noticed that the little guy was already wearing a brand new pair of shoes!
“Aiya, did your family buy you new shoes?”
Teacher Xu, thinking of Lin Ran’s family situation, felt both happy and distressed, not knowing how long the elderly had to work to afford such a pair of shoes.
“Mm…”
Lin Ran couldn’t explain and could only nod.
“Okay, okay, then go to class, if anyone bullies you in the future, you must tell the teacher.”
Teacher Xu didn’t know that her actions actually made the other children think that Lin Ran liked to tattle, she simply couldn’t stand those who didn’t intend to go to university holding Lin Ran back.
So this time, before leaving, Lin Ran nodded, then quickly shook his head.
“Teacher, actually… no one bullied me, they just wanted to talk to me.”
The little guy’s voice was soft and warm, making people feel happy listening to it.
Teacher Xu was a little dazed after watching the little guy shyly leave.
No one bullied Lin Ran? Just curious and wanted to talk? Then she had been mistaken.
Unexpectedly, just as Lin Ran came out, he saw Lu Chao, who had also been called to the office, being scolded for talking in class.
But Lu Chao’s gaze towards Lin Ran was complicated. He wanted to talk but felt awkward, especially after hearing the conversation in the office.
So it wasn’t Lin Ran who tattled every time! Then it must be someone else!
Shi Da, the class monitor who was responsible for informing Lu Chao to come to the office, looked a little guilty and subconsciously made way for Lin Ran.
But a few days later, when Lu Chao found out that Shi Da was the one who tattled and went to find Lin Ran, he discovered that Lin Ran no longer needed a partner to practice dodgeball with.
“Thank you, Lu Chao, but someone is already practicing with me.”
Lin Ran smiled, waved goodbye, and went to find his Sootball with his backpack.
In the empty courtyard, a small black fluffy creature was squatting a few meters away, watching as little A-Ran tried to throw the sandbag and catch it!
After he caught it, he would flap his wings and fly back, so that A-Ran wouldn’t have to run around and pick up the sandbag, which would be tiring.
The next time he flew back, Sootball would deliberately fly half a meter further, encouraging A-Ran to successfully throw it over.
“Whoosh——!”
Little A-Ran puffed up his cheeks, took aim, and threw the sandbag, successfully achieving his best result!
“Cheep cheep cheep!”
Nemo also instantly cheered for A-Ran.
The next second, he was happily hugged by A-Ran.
The little guy’s face was flushed from throwing the sandbag, and his already fair cheeks were now a light pink, incredibly cute.
Nemo was a little dazed, being obediently held in his arms, like a large plush toy.
And a week later, during the dodgeball competition in PE class, the unexpected first-place winner was Lin Ran!
All the children “wowed” as they watched the sandbag fly far, far away before landing.
Even the PE teacher was dumbfounded, wondering if there was some kind of superpower involved.
However, seeing A-Ran’s expectant and excited look, the PE teacher still held the little guy’s arm up: “The first-place winner is Lin Ran——everyone, congratulate him!”
Applause instantly erupted, Lin Ran pursed his lips, touched his cheek shyly, and obediently let the teacher put a small red flower on him.
After excitedly showing the small red flower to Grandma at night, Lin Ran still couldn’t help but run to the small courtyard to find his “good friend.”
“I actually won, Sootball! Half of this small red flower is yours!”
Pouncing on Sootball, who had practiced throwing sandbags with him, A-Ran happily shared his joy with his good friend.
But the next second, he was picked up by Nemo, who had transformed back into human form, and carefully rubbed little A-Ran’s head, just like how A-Ran used to pet him.
A-Ran’s hair was also soft.
Lin Ran’s eyes widened instantly looking at Sootball, who had transformed back into human form, and he seemed to sense something from his unusual silence.
“Are you leaving? Because I won first place?”
Was his sudden appearance just to help him win first place?
“Mm.”
Nemo hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
The Time Mirror naturally had limitations, and the time he had stayed was already close to breaking the rules, so this understanding wasn’t wrong.
“If I had known, I wouldn’t have wanted to win first place, if you’re going to disappear…”
The next second, the cub’s low voice sounded by his ear, even with a hint of grievance and confusion.
His dark eyes were moist, and even his long eyelashes were wet and clumped together, trembling slightly.
It made Nemo’s heart tremble slightly.
So cute.
And he liked him so much.
It turned out that no matter what age A-Ran was, he could still make him like him so much…
Then did A-Ran feel the same way when he met Sootball at different times?
Actually, A-Ran also liked this version of him, it was just that time was up and he had to go back.
When the Time Mirror’s light erupted, Nemo opened his eyes again and found himself back in the study, sitting in the main seat.
The elder’s originally slow and sluggish movements instantly became smooth.
“Your Excellency Delmoko, you’re already back!?”
After all, the flow of time in the Time Mirror wasn’t necessarily the same as the outside world.
However, the elder, in his shock, forgot his manners and stared at the great demon in front of him, his gaze landing on the small beige scarf with a rabbit on it around his neck.
This was clearly too out of place.
He couldn’t imagine any demon being able to put such a childish scarf on His Excellency Delmoko and still be alive.
But this soft scarf with a rabbit on it was being worn by him.
“Mm, I’m back.”
Nemo touched the scarf and looked at the small red flower sticker on it.
“Could this be something he left for you?”
Nemo looked up at the elder, as if silently asking, “So what?”
“Then with this new item, perhaps after the Time Mirror is fully charged next time, you can more accurately locate his coordinates in the river of time! You can even invite him to visit us…”
As soon as the elder finished speaking, he saw the usually emotionless great demon suddenly stand up.
But if A-Ran could come here again, shouldn’t he make this world a little better first?
Otherwise, if A-Ran saw it, wouldn’t he think he was bad? He had to hide this side of him.
In his long and boring demon life, Nemo, touching this small scarf with a rabbit on it, truly felt an indescribable anticipation for the future for the first time.
