Heartbeat Hide and Seek, Game Over if Discovered

[Ding, detecting host confusion. Challenge System warm reminder: The current marking on the host's body is a punishment forcibly imposed due to failure in the dream ring battle. However, although it's a punishment, this marking is a good thing for the host!]

In Weiyang Apartment 1603, in the bathroom filled with fragrant steam.

As Su Mo stood up from the fragrant bathtub and inadvertently discovered a small marking.

A familiar electronic synthesized voice rang in her mind.

A punishment, yet a good thing?

Hearing her little sister system's description of the marking, just as Su Mo wanted to complain about what good could come from pink patterns placed on a girl's lower belly.

She heard the electronic synthesized voice ring in her mind again.

[Ding, because the host's dream entry skill this time completely satisfied the Utena outfit, detecting the host's weak body and overly slow heartbeat, this punishment grants the marking: Charm Mark.]

[Charm Mark: Legend says this is a special mark exclusive to otherworldly lewd elves. Possessors of this mark will subtly strengthen their physical abilities after each lewd encounter, and the mark pattern will gradually undergo beautiful changes as the host's body's lewdness level increases. Additionally, possessors of this mark will have a refreshing sweetness characteristic of elves in their body scent.]

Hearing two consecutive reminders from her little sister system.

After seeing the specific effects of the Charm Mark, Su Mo's feelings were complex.

After all, Su Mo had always had weak physical constitution since childhood.

Having this mark that could improve her body sounded quite appealing to Su Mo.

But thinking about this mark's pink marking, the description of 'getting stronger with more lewdness,' and its growth settings.

No matter how she heard it, Su Mo felt something was wrong.

It quite resembled the female protagonist's corruption settings in H games!

Especially that last part about the body becoming sweet?

Why did it always feel so criminally tempting?

Curious about how the mark had changed her scent, Su Mo instinctively opened her crimson little mouth, putting her fair little hand from the bathtub in front to try tasting herself.

Slurp

But after one lick, Su Mo froze completely in place.

Because with that one lick, Su Mo actually experienced many different sensations.

There was the freshness of orchids, the elegance of lavender, the sweetness of lotus, the jasmine... Unlike White Rabbit Candy's rich sweetness, her own taste was like a fusion of various fresh teas.

One taste gave a sweet, refreshing sensation.

An impulse to try another taste.

Feeling this special change in herself, Su Mo felt like crying.

After all, if the four beautiful girls knew about this thing that enhanced taste, she felt the frequency of being eaten would definitely increase more and more in the future!

Silently shaking her head, she pushed these inappropriate thoughts from her mind.

After all, this was during Hide-and-Seek—the immediate priority was completing the Heartbeat Hide and Seek ② mission!

Remembering the important matter, after walking out of the bathtub and drying her body with a fluffy towel,

Su Mo walked to the mirror, instinctively looking at the area directly below her navel in the mirror.

After seeing that pink marking from the front, Su Mo couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Because that marking wasn't large, only the size of Su Mo's little navel, with the cute marking and little navel complementing each other, looking particularly adorable.

Looking at this marking that obviously hadn't grown yet.

Recalling that she was at the final step of completing the Heartbeat Hide and Seek ② mission, Su Mo felt somewhat relieved.

After all, if this marking had appeared earlier, she would definitely have been bullied terribly by the four beautiful girls.

But now, if she really completed the Heartbeat Hide and Seek ② mission and could rewind time, knowing the plot, she could re-challenge Hide and Seek ① and become a boy again.

Then she wouldn't need to worry about this marking's side effects!

Thinking of this, Su Mo didn't dwell further on the marking's details.

Instead, she focused her attention on the final phase of Heartbeat Hide and Seek ②.

Wrapping herself in a bathrobe, walking out of the bathroom, seeing the wall clock already pointing to 2:50 PM, with only over an hour until the final summary post publication.

Su Mo couldn't help but consider a problem.

Namely, how should she play Hide-and-Seek now that all her trump cards were exhausted?

Continue changing clothes, using Twilight Disguise to masquerade as a passerby?

After brief consideration, Su Mo shook her head.

After all, she had disguised herself once before, and now the police officers were also going all out to catch her.

With the chest binding cloth already shattered, if she went out disguised again, she'd definitely be caught no matter how she thought about it.

Going out was too risky.

Directly ruled out!

As for hiding at home?

After brief consideration, Su Mo also shook her head in denial!

After all, although home was safe, the four beautiful girls had house keys.

If cornered at home, it would be a complete dead end!

As she opened the wardrobe, the appearance of two keys made Su Mo's eyes light up.

These two keys were for Chu Tianlan's 1802 and Lin Muyao's 1103 apartment doors respectively.

Looking at these two keys, Su Mo's eyes couldn't help but brighten.

Because leaving the apartment building would make her easily discoverable.

But if it was within the same building of Weiyang Apartments, wearing the tracking-blocking 'Anya Star Hair Clip,' wouldn't the exposure risk be much lower?

Thinking of this, Su Mo immediately put on clothes and pocketed both keys.

Just as Su Mo was pondering whether to go to apartment 1103 or 1802 for the final phase,

Click~

As the wall clock reached 3 o'clock, one hour before the summary post publication,

Su Mo's mind rang with her little sister system's reminder.

[Ding, Challenge System warm reminder: Heartbeat Hide and Seek ② final summary post will be published in one hour. Please check. Current Heartbeat Hide and Seek ② exposure count 0/2. Please continue maintaining!]

Seeing this reminder, Su Mo clicked view without much thought.

...

Dear Hide-and-Seek players,

I've wanted to play a large-scale Hide-and-Seek for a long time.

I'm very happy everyone could accompany me in this mischief—I really had a great time this round!

Although everyone didn't catch me, which is somewhat regrettable, didn't everyone also find some childhood innocence and beauty from this Hide-and-Seek game!

Cough cough

... Alright, alright, I'll publish my acceptance speech later!

Now everyone has one final chance!

After jumping from the canal, my whereabouts were like this... (800 words omitted)...

At the end of the summary post was a cute headshot of Su Mo just after bathing, showing only her little head.

And an aerial photo of Weiyang Apartments, with obvious intent.

...

Reading this final summary post, Su Mo couldn't help but breathe a long sigh of relief.

After all, although the summary post indicated she was at Weiyang Apartments.

It was only giving a general location—overall, not too harsh.

Just as Su Mo was putting on clothes and the star hair clip while holding her head and looking out the window, continuing to wrestle with the previous topic of whether to go to 1802 or 1103.

A car Su Mo was incredibly familiar with suddenly entered her view at the Weiyang Apartments entrance.

It was An Xiaoqian's huge tank car that Su Mo had just hidden in a few days ago.

Seeing that car, Su Mo couldn't help but feel troubled.

Something was wrong!

The summary post hadn't been published yet—why were the four already back?

This wouldn't work—she really had to escape!

Applying makeup at the fastest speed, considering that President Chu's two little ones would be getting out of school soon, if President Chu went home she'd be immediately exposed,

After brief consideration, Su Mo could only head toward room 1103.

After all, although going to room 1103 was also dangerous, it was still much safer than room 1603 where the summary post was about to be published!

Perhaps having learned some Hide-and-Seek techniques from recent days, before leaving, recalling that the bathtub water in the bathroom hadn't been drained.

To create a diversion, Su Mo, wearing the star hair clip, after confirming no one was at the door.

First carried some water stains to fake taking the elevator, then strode to the stairwell and began escaping toward room 1103.

Just as Su Mo successfully entered room 1103 and was searching for a hiding place, the four beautiful girls who had parked their car had already boarded the ascending elevator.

As girls, especially same-age girls with good relationships.

If it were any other time, the four with common topics would definitely share interesting stories.

But at this moment, in the small elevator, all four beautiful girls' faces showed faint blushes, as if pondering something.

What were the four thinking about?

The reason was somewhat incredible—after Su Mo jumped into the river, because the incident was too frightening,

All four beautiful girls, worried about Su Mo and severely shocked, chose to take small naps at noon after fruitless searching.

In their dreams, all four beautiful girls had bizarre dreams.

In the dreams, Su Mo had become an incredibly cute magical girl.

Because those dreams were quite embarrassing and not suitable for sharing with others,

After waking, all four beautiful girls had been silently reminiscing.

None had actively broken the silence.

Ding dong~

The ascending elevator unknowingly reached the 16th floor.

Because Su Mo had recently appeared in 1603, the four beautiful girls had always used Su Mo's room as their base.

As landlord Chu Tianlan opened the door,

Su Mo's unique faint fragrance entered all four's nostrils.

Smelling this refreshing scent,

At this moment, the four beautiful girls finally snapped out of their dual mood of dream memories and worry for Su Mo.

"Senior Mo Mo seems to have been back—look, there's a towel on the bed!"

Yun Xia, who reacted first, after taking off her shoes at the entrance, ran into Su Mo's bedroom.

Seeing the towel on the bed, she couldn't help but call out joyfully.

Hearing Yun Xia's call, An Xiaoqian, too excited to remove her shoes, ran directly toward the bathroom.

Arriving at the bathroom's automatically heated bathtub, An Xiaoqian instinctively put her little hand into the bathtub.

She wanted to judge from the water temperature how long ago Su Mo had left.

As her fair little hand explored the bathtub, what disappointed An Xiaoqian was

The bathwater had already cooled.

Su Mo who had bathed should have left long ago and escaped.

Just as disappointed An Xiaoqian casually shook her little hand, wanting to shake off the water.

During the shaking, An Xiaoqian made a novel discovery.

Eh... was it an illusion?

Why did this bathwater seem to have a faint sweet fragrance?

Somewhat puzzled, An Xiaoqian instinctively crouched by the bathtub, curiously scooping up some water.

As her crimson lips parted slightly, the next second, An Xiaoqian's incredulous loli voice rang in the bathroom.

"How is this possible? My wife's bathwater has become broth—so fragrant?"

"This isn't right—let me try another sip!!!"