Beneath the White Fur

For years, Team KSG had accepted one unbreakable truth: their head coach, ZiQi, was a mysterious genius who rarely left the strategy room and almost never showed emotion. The players respected him, feared him, and followed every draft without question.

Then one early morning, their manager arrives at the dorm carrying a sleeping white wolf.

Before anyone can ask why there's a wild animal in their apartment, the manager calmly drops a bombshell.

The wolf isn't a pet.

The wolf is their head coach.

As the team struggles to understand how someone can be both one of the league's greatest tactical minds and an actual wolf, they'll have to learn to protect the biggest secret in professional esports—while surviving a season where winning games might be easier than hiding their coach's true identity.

Work Text:

The knocking wouldn't stop.

Knock.

Knock knock knock.

Li Ziwei groaned from beneath his blanket, burying his face deeper into his pillow.

"...Five more minutes..."

The knocking only became louder.

"Coming..." he mumbled, though no one could hear him.

He rolled out of bed, nearly tripping over a discarded hoodie before dragging himself toward the apartment entrance. As the oldest member of the team—and unfortunately the lightest sleeper—it usually fell to him to answer the door whenever something happened before eight in the morning.

His teammates were impossible to wake.

Especially JuHao.

The jungler could probably sleep through an earthquake.

Ziwei rubbed his eyes as he unlocked the door.

The moment it swung open, he froze.

"...Manager?"

Standing outside was their team manager, impeccably dressed despite the hour.

But that wasn't what caught Ziwei's attention.

Cradled carefully in both of the manager's arms was...

"...a wolf?"

A small white wolf.

Its snowy fur looked impossibly soft despite being slightly ruffled from sleep. Its ears twitched every few seconds, and its fluffy tail lazily wagged against the manager's sleeve as if it were dreaming about chasing something.

The wolf looked...

Cute.

Ridiculously cute.

"What...?"

The manager gave him a tired smile.

"Is everyone awake?"

Ziwei blinked.

"...Manager, what's going on?"

"I'll explain."

The manager glanced down the hallway before lowering his voice.

"But please..."

He shifted the sleeping wolf slightly, making sure its head remained comfortably supported.

"...we need to go inside."

Still too sleepy to fully process what was happening, Ziwei stepped aside.

"Oh... right."

The manager entered as though this were perfectly normal.

It absolutely wasn't.

Ziwei shut the door behind him.

The apartment was still quiet.

JuHao's room was closed.

LiuLang's room was closed.

FengXiao's room was—

A yawn echoed from the hallway.

"What time is..."

FengXiao emerged wearing an oversized hoodie and messy bed hair. He blinked twice before staring at the manager.

"Oh."

Another blink.

"...Manager?"

Then his gaze dropped.

"...Dog."

"It's a wolf," Ziwei corrected automatically.

FengXiao stared another few seconds.

"...Big dog."

The manager sighed.

"It is not a dog."

"It's fluffy enough."

"It's still a wolf."

FengXiao walked closer, crouching until he was eye level with the sleeping animal.

"...Can I pet it?"

"No."

"...Just one—"

"No."

"...One finger?"

"No."

Before FengXiao could argue further, another bedroom door opened.

LiuLang stepped out, already wearing glasses despite having clearly just woken up.

"...Why are you all standing in the living room?"

He noticed the manager.

Then the wolf.

Silence.

"...Am I still dreaming?"

"No," Ziwei answered.

"I was hoping you were going to say yes."

JuHao finally stumbled out last, hair sticking up in every direction.

"...Breakfast?"

"No," four voices answered simultaneously.

"...Then why's everyone awake?"

He scratched his head before finally noticing the newcomer.

"...Manager."

His eyes shifted downward.

"...Puppy."

"It's a wolf," Ziwei sighed.

"...Tiny wolf."

"It is not tiny," the manager said.

JuHao tilted his head.

"...Medium wolf?"

The room fell into confused silence.

The white wolf continued sleeping peacefully, completely unaware that four professional players were having an existential crisis over its existence.

Its tail gave another gentle wag.

FengXiao clasped both hands together.

"...It's smiling."

"It isn't."

"It definitely is."

LiuLang adjusted his glasses.

"...Manager... are we... adopting a mascot?"

"No."

"...Is this for content?"

"No."

"...Sponsor?"

"No."

JuHao raised his hand.

"...Did someone accidentally order a wolf online?"

"...What?"

"I don't know."

The manager closed his eyes for a brief second, looking as though he'd expected this exact conversation.

"Everyone."

The four players immediately looked over.

"I know this is strange."

"That's an understatement," LiuLang muttered.

"But I need all of you to remain calm."

The room somehow became even quieter.

Ziwei frowned.

"...Manager?"

Without another word, the manager carefully adjusted his grip before gently lifting the sleeping white wolf a little higher for everyone to see.

The wolf let out a tiny sleepy huff but didn't wake.

The manager took a deep breath.

"...This is our head coach, ZiQi."

The apartment fell completely silent.

No one even remembered how to blink.

Silence.

Complete, absolute silence.

The manager's words hung in the air.

"...This is our head coach, ZiQi."

No one moved.

No one blinked.

The white wolf continued sleeping peacefully, entirely unaware that he'd apparently just become the center of the most unbelievable conversation any of them had ever had.

JuHao was the first to react.

"...No."

The manager sighed.

"I expected that."

"No," JuHao repeated, pointing dramatically at the fluffy animal. "That's a wolf."

"Correct."

"And Coach ZiQi..."

"Yes?"

"...is a person."

"...Also correct."

JuHao frowned so hard it looked painful.

"...Those two facts don't go together."

"They do today."

FengXiao slowly raised his hand like he was in school.

"Manager..."

"Yes?"

"...Did you hit your head?"

"No."

LiuLang adjusted his glasses.

"Should we check if you hit your head?"

"No."

Ziwei, who had remained unusually quiet, finally spoke.

"...Is this a prank?"

"No."

"Hidden camera?"

"No."

"Sponsor campaign?"

"No."

"A new reality show?"

"No."

JuHao snapped his fingers.

"I knew it!"

Everyone turned toward him.

"You did?"

"It's AI."

"...What?"

"The wolf."

"It's not AI."

"It looks really realistic."

The manager pinched the bridge of his nose.

"It is a real wolf."

"So..." FengXiao said carefully. "Coach was replaced by a wolf."

"No."

"The wolf ate Coach?"

"No!"

"The wolf is Coach?"

"...Yes."

JuHao looked around the room.

"...Did anyone else understand that?"

Three heads shook in perfect synchronization.

"Nope."

"Not even a little."

"I think I understood less."

The manager inhaled deeply.

"All right."

He gently sat down on the couch, still cradling the sleeping wolf against his chest.

"I suppose I should explain from the beginning."

Four pairs of eyes locked onto him.

The manager glanced down at the peacefully sleeping ZiQi before speaking.

"This isn't something Coach tells people."

"I can see why," LiuLang muttered.

"It's... a family condition."

"...Condition?" Ziwei echoed.

The manager nodded.

"Everyone in his family has it."

JuHao frowned.

"...The ability to become wolves?"

The manager hesitated.

"...Essentially."

The room was quiet again.

FengXiao blinked.

"...You're serious."

"I wish I weren't."

"When Coach becomes extremely stressed..." the manager continued, "...he involuntarily transforms into a wolf."

JuHao slowly looked toward LiuLang.

"...Did he just say stress turns Coach into a puppy?"

"It's a wolf."

"...A fluffy wolf."

"It is still a wolf."

The manager ignored them.

"It doesn't happen often."

"So..." Ziwei said slowly, trying to process this. "He can normally control it?"

"Most of the time."

"What about now?"

The manager looked exhausted.

"This week."

That was enough for everyone to understand.

Their scrim schedule had been brutal.

Back-to-back practice.

Draft reviews.

Individual VOD analysis.

Sponsor obligations.

Media interviews.

Strategy meetings that somehow always lasted longer than expected.

Even the players had been exhausted.

Coach ZiQi...

Probably had it even worse.

"He was barely sleeping," Ziwei murmured.

The manager nodded.

"Exactly."

He looked down at the wolf.

"He kept insisting he was fine."

"He always does," FengXiao quietly agreed.

"I noticed he was drinking more coffee," LiuLang added.

"And muttering to himself during draft meetings," JuHao said.

The manager gave a helpless smile.

"I should've known it was getting bad."

"...When did you find out?" Ziwei asked.

"About... all this."

The manager chuckled weakly.

"I had almost the same reaction all of you are having."

"You didn't believe him?"

"Would you?"

No one answered.

The manager leaned back against the couch.

"It happened about two years ago."

His expression softened with the memory.

"I went to his apartment because he wasn't answering his phone."

"He had missed a meeting."

"I thought he'd collapsed from overworking."

"So I used the spare key."

He paused.

"And found a white wolf asleep on his couch."

"I screamed."

JuHao nodded sympathetically.

"Reasonable."

"I was convinced someone had broken into his apartment."

"What happened?"

"The wolf woke up."

The manager smiled despite himself.

"It walked over."

"I backed into the wall."

"It sighed."

"You know..."

He laughed quietly.

"A disappointed sigh."

"As though I was the one inconveniencing him."

The players exchanged glances.

"...That sounds like Coach."

"It really does."

"Then..."

The manager spread one hand.

"He transformed."

All four players leaned forward.

"Right in front of me."

"I thought I was hallucinating."

"But there he was."

"Perfectly human."

"Very embarrassed."

"And apologizing because apparently this had happened since childhood."

"He explained everything."

"The stress."

"The family."

"How sleeping usually helps him transform back."

"So..." Ziwei said carefully.

"Usually he sleeps..."

"...and wakes up human again."

"Exactly."

"But this time..."

The manager looked down at the wolf once more.

"He pushed himself too far."

"He fell asleep before he could recover."

"And he hasn't changed back."

"So I couldn't exactly leave him alone."

LiuLang frowned.

"...Couldn't you just keep him at your place?"

"I considered it."

"But if another staff member visited..."

He didn't need to finish.

The image alone was horrifying.

Imagine opening the manager's office.

Only to find the head coach had been replaced by a fluffy white wolf.

Rumors would spread through the club within minutes.

The internet would somehow know before lunch.

"So..." the manager concluded, "...bringing him here was the safest option."

A beat passed.

Then JuHao slowly raised his hand.

The manager already looked tired.

"...Yes?"

"So..."

"If the other staff finding out would be catastrophic..."

He gestured around the apartment.

"...And we aren't?"

The manager opened his mouth.

Closed it.

Opened it again.

"...You have a point."

"You've trusted us with every strategy this team has ever run."

"You've never leaked anything."

"You've protected each other."

He looked at each of them in turn.

"I trust all of you."

The apartment grew quiet.

No one joked this time.

Being trusted with something this enormous...

It felt heavier than any secret playbook.

Ziwei nodded first.

"We won't tell anyone."

LiuLang followed.

"Not a word."

FengXiao smiled.

"I kind of like having a fluffy coach."

"It's a wolf," everyone corrected automatically.

JuHao grinned.

"...Still fluffy."

As if on cue, the little white wolf let out a long, sleepy yawn.

Its ears twitched.

One pale blue eye slowly blinked open.

Then the other.

ZiQi stared blankly at the ceiling for a moment before his gaze drifted.

Familiar faces.

His players.

His manager.

All staring directly at him.

The sleepy haze vanished instantly.

His ears shot upright.

His tail froze.

His expression shifted from confusion...

...to pure, unmistakable horror.

The moment their eyes met, Coach ZiQi knew.

They knew.

Every single one of them knew.

His pale blue eyes widened.

His ears flattened.

His tail puffed into a fluffy white bottlebrush.

No.

No, no, no.

Before anyone could react, the little white wolf twisted with surprising agility.

"Coach—"

The manager barely had time to loosen his grip before ZiQi wriggled free, landed neatly on the floor, and sprinted across the living room.

He disappeared beneath the couch.

Silence.

Only the tip of a white tail remained visible.

It slowly disappeared underneath as well.

The entire apartment was quiet.

JuHao blinked.

"...Did Coach just..."

"...Hide under the couch?" LiuLang finished.

FengXiao clutched his chest dramatically.

"He's adorable."

Under the couch came an offended huff.

FengXiao's eyes somehow sparkled even brighter.

"Did you hear that?"

"He huffed!"

"He is not adorable," the manager said automatically.

"He is our head coach."

"Both can be true."

The manager opened his mouth.

Closed it again.

"...I suppose."

FengXiao immediately crouched beside the couch.

"Coach..."

Nothing.

"We're not laughing."

Still nothing.

"I just want to pet you once."

A white paw immediately reached out from beneath the couch.

Not toward FengXiao.

Toward the nearest slipper.

The slipper shot out from underneath and smacked FengXiao squarely in the shin.

"...Ow."

JuHao nodded thoughtfully.

"...That definitely felt like Coach."

From under the couch came another irritated huff.

"I deserved that," FengXiao admitted.

"You absolutely did," Ziwei agreed.

Meanwhile, JuHao had wandered into the kitchen.

He returned carrying a bowl.

"...Manager."

"Yes?"

"What do wolves eat?"

"..."

"...Meat?"

"So..."

JuHao frowned.

"Raw?"

"I don't know."

"You've been taking care of him."

"I've never had to feed him like this before!"

"Oh."

JuHao looked down at the bowl.

"...Can wolves eat instant noodles?"

"No."

"Rice?"

"No."

"Chicken breast?"

"...Probably?"

He immediately nodded.

"I'll cook some."

Before anyone could stop him, he disappeared into the kitchen, already muttering to himself.

"...Less salt..."

"...Maybe boil it..."

"...Can wolves have seasoning..."

The manager stared after him.

"...He's taking this surprisingly well."

"He accepts strange things very quickly," Ziwei said.

Across the room, LiuLang had somehow already opened his laptop.

His fingers flew across the keyboard.

"What are you doing?" FengXiao asked.

"Research."

"...Research?"

"I'm trying to determine whether there's documented precedent for temporary supernatural transformations."

"...You think Google knows?"

"It knows everything."

The search results were...

Unhelpful.

"Werewolves in mythology..."

"Ten famous wolf spirits..."

"Can stress cause physical transformation?"

"No."

LiuLang frowned.

"...Well."

"...That answer isn't useful."

He tried another search.

"What if your coach turns into a wolf?"

"..."

"...Nothing."

"No one has apparently had this problem before."

The manager pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I can't imagine why."

Meanwhile...

Ziwei quietly walked over to the couch.

He crouched down.

He couldn't see ZiQi entirely, only a pair of blue eyes staring cautiously back from the shadows.

For a few moments...

Neither of them spoke.

Finally, Ziwei smiled.

"...Coach."

The ears twitched.

"I know this isn't how you wanted us to find out."

The wolf looked away.

"But..."

Ziwei rested one hand against the side of the couch.

"It doesn't really change anything."

A pause.

"You're still the one yelling at us during reviews."

The wolf's ears flicked.

"You're still the one who notices every mistake before we do."

A tiny twitch of the tail.

"You're still our coach."

Another pause.

"And..."

Ziwei smiled a little wider.

"...you're still terrifying when you're angry."

The white wolf slowly looked back toward him.

"There isn't a single person here who's going to respect you any less."

Behind Ziwei...

The others had gone quiet.

Even FengXiao.

The manager watched without interrupting.

Another few seconds passed.

Then...

A white nose cautiously emerged from beneath the couch.

Followed by one eye.

Then both ears.

Progress.

JuHao chose that exact moment to return carrying a plate.

"I made plain boiled chicken."

Everyone turned.

"...Already?"

"I cook quickly."

He knelt beside Ziwei.

"...Coach?"

The wolf looked suspiciously at the chicken.

"...Can he eat from a plate?" JuHao whispered.

"I don't know."

"Should I shred it smaller?"

"I don't know."

"Do wolves prefer warm food?"

"I don't know."

"Should we call a vet?"

"No!"

"...Right."

"...Hospital?"

"No!"

"...Supernatural doctor?"

"...Where would we even find one?"

LiuLang looked up from his laptop.

"...The internet has no answers."

"Thank you, LiuLang."

"I thought you should know."

The atmosphere was finally beginning to settle.

ZiQi slowly crawled a little farther out.

Not much.

Just enough that half his body was visible.

FengXiao immediately gasped.

"Coach!"

The wolf froze.

"...You're even fluffier in the light."

Another glare.

"...Can I pet—"

Absolutely not.

ZiQi took a deep breath.

Enough.

He was still the coach.

He needed to restore order.

He opened his mouth, intending to say,

"Everyone, calm down."

Instead—

"Yip!"

A tiny, indignant bark echoed through the apartment.

Silence.

Complete silence.

ZiQi froze.

His own eyes slowly widened.

The players stared.

The manager stared.

Even JuHao stopped holding the plate.

No one said a word.

Then—

WuYan, who had just walked out of his bedroom after somehow sleeping through everything until now, took one look at the tiny white wolf sitting halfway under the couch...

"...Pfft."

Another second.

"...HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

He doubled over laughing, one hand clutching the wall for support.

"I'm sorry—"

"Hahahaha!"

"Coach—"

"I can't—"

"The bark—"

"Hahahahaha!"

The little white wolf slowly turned his head.

His blue eyes narrowed.

His ears tilted back.

Then he fixed WuYan with a glare so cold, so disappointed, and so utterly familiar that the room instantly fell silent.

It was the exact same glare they received whenever someone ignored a draft instruction.

Or forgot to ward.

Or made a greedy play that threw an otherwise winnable game.

WuYan's laughter died immediately.

"...Sorry, Coach."

The glare lingered for another second.

Then ZiQi gave a single, dignified sniff.

Despite being a fluffy white wolf no taller than a coffee table...

There wasn't a single person in the room who doubted, even for a moment, that this was Coach ZiQi.

By noon, the impossible had somehow become... normal.

Or at least, as normal as living with a wolf-shaped head coach could be.

The team's apartment no longer felt like the site of a supernatural revelation.

Instead, it felt like... Tuesday.

"...Coach, should we review yesterday's scrim?"

The little white wolf, curled up on one end of the couch, looked up from his nap.

He gave a single, firm bark.

JuHao looked toward the manager.

"...What's that mean?"

The manager sighed.

"He said yes."

"You understood that from one bark?"

"I've known him for years."

"...Huh."

JuHao accepted the answer surprisingly easily.

"Coach, should we review Game Two first?"

ZiQi barked twice.

"No," the manager translated automatically.

"...Game Three?"

One bark.

"Yes."

"..."

The players slowly turned to stare at the manager.

"What?"

"You..." LiuLang began carefully, "...can understand Coach?"

"I have to."

"Since when?"

"Since the first time this happened."

The manager rubbed his temples.

"Eventually, you start recognizing the difference."

"The length."

"The tone."

"The expression."

"The ear position."

"The tail movement."

"It's... surprisingly expressive."

"...That's ridiculous," WuYan muttered.

The manager shrugged.

"Coach just said you were the ridiculous one."

WuYan whipped around.

"He did not!"

The manager looked at ZiQi.

The wolf calmly blinked once.

"...He actually did."

WuYan stared at the wolf.

The wolf stared back.

"..."

"...Sorry, Coach."

ZiQi looked satisfied.

FengXiao burst into laughter.

"So Manager really is Coach's translator!"

"I'm not."

"You literally just translated an insult."

"I wish I weren't."

The afternoon settled into an odd rhythm.

The manager sat at the dining table with his laptop.

The players reviewed scrim footage.

Coach ZiQi remained in wolf form, perched on the couch like a particularly judgmental cloud.

Every few minutes—

LiuLang would pause the video.

"Coach?"

One bark.

The manager answered without looking up.

"Replay that team fight."

Another pause.

JuHao pointed at the minimap.

"I should've invaded here?"

One bark.

"Yes."

"...Even though we were down gold?"

A low growl.

"...That's a yes with disappointment."

"It is."

WuYan leaned back.

"...This is actually terrifying."

"What is?"

"The fact that Manager is fluent in Coach."

"I am not fluent."

"You translated disappointment."

"I've been exposed to it enough."

FengXiao rested his chin on the table.

"I wonder if Coach has different barks."

The manager answered immediately.

"He does."

"Seriously?"

"A short bark."

"A long bark."

"A warning bark."

"A disappointed bark."

"A 'why did you make that decision' bark."

"A bark that somehow feels like a lecture."

The players looked toward ZiQi.

The little wolf looked away with the dignity of someone pretending not to listen.

"...Coach."

His ears twitched.

"...Can you understand everything we're saying?"

ZiQi slowly turned his head.

One bark.

"Yes," the manager translated.

WuYan groaned dramatically.

"So we really can't talk behind his back."

Another bark.

The manager smiled.

"He says you never could."

"..."

"...That's definitely Coach."

After lunch, FengXiao quietly sat beside the couch.

"Coach."

Blue eyes opened.

"...You know."

"I still think you're adorable."

ZiQi stared at him.

Completely expressionless.

FengXiao smiled hopefully.

"...Can I pet you now?"

The wolf slowly lifted one paw.

For one hopeful second...

FengXiao thought it was permission.

Instead—

The paw gently pushed his forehead.

Just enough to create distance.

"...Rejected."

One bark.

The manager nodded.

"Correct."

FengXiao sighed dramatically.

"One day."

ZiQi looked entirely unconvinced.

Everything felt strangely peaceful.

Almost comfortable.

Then—

Buzz.

The manager's phone vibrated on the dining table.

He glanced at the screen.

His relaxed expression disappeared instantly.

"..."

"...Manager?" Ziwei asked.

The color drained from the manager's face.

"...No."

He read the message again.

"...No, no, no..."

"What happened?" LiuLang asked.

The manager looked up with the expression of a man whose day had just become infinitely worse.

"The general manager."

Everyone straightened.

"What about him?"

"He's coming here."

"...Now?"

"This afternoon."

"...Why?"

"He wants to discuss next month's media schedule."

The apartment fell silent.

Every pair of eyes slowly turned toward the couch.

Coach ZiQi had frozen.

His ears stood perfectly upright.

His tail had stopped moving entirely.

The little wolf looked at the manager.

Then at the players.

Then toward the apartment door.

Pure panic filled his blue eyes.

"...Coach?" Ziwei said gently.

Without warning—

ZiQi jumped off the couch.

Padded across the living room.

Dove underneath the couch again.

Not just halfway this time.

Completely.

Only darkness remained beneath it.

"..."

"...Coach?" the manager called carefully.

Nothing.

"Coach."

Silence.

FengXiao crouched beside the couch.

"Coach?"

No response.

JuHao knelt as well.

"...Should I bring the chicken?"

Nothing.

LiuLang peeked underneath.

"I can only see his tail."

The tail immediately disappeared deeper into the shadows.

"...He's hiding," WuYan observed.

"Thank you, WuYan," the manager said dryly.

"I gathered that."

The manager crouched in front of the couch and let out a long sigh.

"I don't blame him."

"If the general manager finds out..."

He didn't finish the sentence.

He didn't need to.

The image alone was disastrous.

The head coach of one of the league's professional teams...

Hidden beneath a couch in wolf form...

While senior management visited the dorm.

Ziwei rested one hand on the edge of the couch.

"It's okay, Coach."

"We'll figure something out."

There was no answer.

Only a tiny, anxious huff from somewhere in the darkness.

For the first time that day...

None of them had any idea what to do.

"No."

The manager crossed another idea off the rapidly growing list on LiuLang's notebook.

"We're running out of places," LiuLang muttered.

The apartment suddenly felt much smaller than it had that morning.

WuYan looked around the living room.

"What about under one of the beds?"

The manager immediately shook his head.

"The general manager isn't an idiot."

"He could look."

"Fine."

WuYan thought for another second.

"The closet."

"No."

"Why?"

"The closet is dusty."

"...And?"

The manager looked toward the couch.

"Coach sneezes."

Everyone blinked.

"...He what?" FengXiao asked.

"When he's in wolf form."

"He has a very sensitive nose."

JuHao looked genuinely fascinated.

"...Coach sneezes?"

One bark sounded from beneath the couch.

The manager sighed.

"He says stop talking about him."

"...Sorry, Coach."

LiuLang tapped his pen against the notebook.

"What about the laundry basket?"

"No."

"The kitchen cabinets?"

"No."

"The balcony?"

"No."

"The storage room?"

"No."

"We don't even have a storage room," WuYan pointed out.

"Exactly."

"...Fair."

JuHao slowly raised his hand.

"I have an idea."

Four pairs of eyes turned toward him.

"...Pet carrier."

Silence.

Then...

A low, dangerous growl emerged from beneath the couch.

Everyone slowly looked toward the darkness.

Even without seeing him, they could feel the intensity of Coach ZiQi's glare.

JuHao visibly shrank.

"...I take it that's a no."

The manager nodded.

"Very much so."

"I'll cross that out."

FengXiao leaned against the couch.

"...What if we tell the general manager Coach adopted a dog?"

Another growl.

"...Wolf," Ziwei corrected automatically.

"Right."

"...Coach adopted a wolf?"

"No one would believe that."

"What if we say it's my emotional support wolf?"

"...Absolutely not."

LiuLang sighed.

"We're out of ideas."

A long silence settled over the apartment.

No one spoke.

No one moved.

Only the faint sound of an air conditioner humming filled the room.

Finally, the manager crouched in front of the couch.

"...Coach."

Nothing.

"We need you to come out."

Silence.

"...Coach."

Still nothing.

Ziwei walked over and crouched beside him.

He smiled helplessly.

"I've never seen you avoid a problem before."

A tiny huff answered him.

"It won't go away just because you're hiding."

Another huff.

"I know you're embarrassed."

The tip of a fluffy white tail became visible for just a second before disappearing again.

Ziwei continued softly.

"But we can't leave you under there."

A pair of blue eyes slowly appeared from the shadows.

The manager let out a relieved breath.

"There you are."

ZiQi stared at both of them.

Completely unimpressed.

The manager held out both hands.

"Come on."

The wolf looked away.

"...Coach."

Nothing.

"Please?"

Nothing.

FengXiao watched the scene unfold before whispering to WuYan,

"...Why does this feel like watching parents negotiate with a stubborn child?"

"I was thinking hostage negotiation."

JuHao nodded solemnly.

"It really does."

The manager sighed.

"Coach."

"If you stay under there..."

"..."

"...the general manager will eventually notice."

ZiQi's ears twitched.

"You know that's true."

Another long silence.

Finally...

The white wolf slowly crawled forward.

Only halfway.

Then stopped.

The manager reached out.

ZiQi immediately backed underneath the couch again.

"...Progress?" JuHao offered.

"No."

"Regression."

The manager rubbed his forehead.

"We're doomed."

Ding-dong.

The apartment froze.

No one breathed.

The doorbell echoed through the living room like the tolling of a bell.

"..."

"...He's early," the manager whispered.

A second ring came almost immediately.

Ding-dong.

"Manager?"

The general manager's voice drifted faintly through the front door.

"I know you're inside."

The manager's eyes widened.

"Oh no."

"He never waits."

A third ring.

"...Open up."

Everyone looked at each other.

Panic spread across the room.

"We need to hide Coach," WuYan whispered.

"Now."

The manager dropped to his knees.

"Coach!"

Nothing.

"Coach, please!"

Silence.

Ziwei didn't hesitate.

"I'll do it."

Before anyone could stop him, he knelt beside the couch and carefully reached both arms underneath.

For a brief second...

Nothing happened.

Then—

A soft whine.

Followed by determined wriggling.

"Coach..."

"I'm sorry."

The little white wolf stubbornly resisted, planting his paws against the floor.

"I'm really sorry."

With remarkable care, Ziwei finally managed to lift him free.

ZiQi squirmed immediately, trying to twist back toward his sanctuary beneath the couch.

His ears were flattened.

His tail was tucked tightly against himself.

The expression on his fluffy face somehow managed to communicate absolute panic.

"I know."

Ziwei held him securely but gently.

"I know."

Another impatient knock sounded from outside.

"Hurry!" the manager hissed.

Ziwei hurried down the hallway.

He reached the bathroom first.

Without wasting another second, he opened the door.

The light flickered on.

He crouched and gently placed his coach on the cool tiled floor.

The white wolf looked up at him with an expression that somehow combined betrayal, embarrassment, and resignation.

Ziwei's heart pinched.

"I'm sorry, Coach."

He hesitated before offering a small, apologetic smile.

"Please don't make a sound."

ZiQi stared at him for a long moment.

There was no anger in his eyes now.

Only reluctant acceptance.

Slowly...

He turned around.

He padded into the corner beside the sink.

Then curled into himself, wrapping his fluffy tail tightly around his body.

As though trying to become as small and invisible as possible.

Ziwei swallowed the guilt rising in his chest.

"I'll come get you as soon as they're gone."

The wolf gave the tiniest nod.

Or perhaps it was just wishful thinking.

Quietly, Ziwei closed the bathroom door.

Just as the manager unlocked the apartment entrance.

The general manager stepped into the apartment with the ease of someone who had visited dozens of times before.

"Sorry for the short notice."

The manager forced a smile as he shut the front door.

"Not at all."

"We were just reviewing scrims."

The general manager nodded approvingly as he looked around the living room.

JuHao was sitting at the dining table with a notebook.

LiuLang had his laptop open with game footage paused on the screen.

WuYan leaned casually against the couch.

FengXiao was pretending to scroll through his phone.

Ziwei had quietly taken his usual seat beside the coffee table.

Everything looked...

Perfectly ordinary.

If one ignored the fact that their head coach had been hidden inside the bathroom less than ten meters away.

"Good."

The general manager placed a folder on the coffee table.

"I won't take too much of your time."

Everyone smiled.

Please do.

Just... don't stand up.

Inside the bathroom...

ZiQi sat curled beside the sink.

The cold tiles beneath him did little to calm his racing thoughts.

He could hear everything.

Every voice carried through the thin apartment walls.

"...Media day is next Thursday."

"...The sponsors also requested individual interviews."

"...Content team wants another challenge video."

He shut his eyes.

This was torture.

Normally he'd be sitting in the living room, correcting schedules, reminding everyone not to embarrass the organization.

Instead...

He was hiding in a bathroom.

As a wolf.

He buried his nose beneath his tail.

Please let this end quickly.

Outside...

The meeting continued.

The general manager flipped through several documents.

"The team's recent engagement numbers are excellent."

The players nodded.

"The scrim clips have been performing well."

Another nod.

"So..."

He smiled.

"I was thinking we should do something more personal."

No one liked that smile.

"What kind of personal?" WuYan asked carefully.

The general manager looked delighted.

"A 'Day in the Dorm' behind-the-scenes video."

Silence.

"..."

Every player froze.

The manager nearly dropped his coffee.

"A whole day following everyone."

The general manager continued enthusiastically.

"Morning routine."

"Breakfast."

"Practice."

"Room tours."

"Fans love that sort of thing."

The apartment suddenly felt ten degrees warmer.

JuHao gave the weakest laugh imaginable.

"...Haha..."

"What a..."

"...Great idea."

Ziwei subtly kicked him under the table.

"...Ow."

The general manager looked between them.

"Something wrong?"

"No!"

Five voices answered simultaneously.

"...Good."

He looked pleased.

"I'll have the media team arrange everything."

The players exchanged horrified glances.

A camera crew...

In the apartment...

If Coach happened to...

No.

Absolutely not.

Inside the bathroom...

ZiQi heard every single word.

"Day in the Dorm."

His ears flattened.

Absolutely not.

There was no universe where he would allow cameras into the dorm while this condition remained a possibility.

His tail twitched anxiously.

He shifted his weight.

The pipes inside the wall suddenly groaned.

Water rushed somewhere above him.

The unexpected sound made him jump.

His nose twitched.

Dust.

There was dust beneath the bathroom cabinet.

He immediately turned away.

Don't.

His nose twitched again.

Not now.

Outside, voices continued.

"...We'll probably film next week."

Don't sneeze.

"...Maybe start around eight in the morning."

His ears flattened harder.

Don't.

His nose twitched again.

He squeezed his eyes shut.

In the living room...

The manager noticed something.

He knew that expression.

Or rather...

He knew what usually came after that expression.

His own eyes widened.

Please don't...

The general manager happily continued.

"I think fans would especially enjoy seeing Coach ZiQi visit the dorm more often."

The manager laughed a little too loudly.

"Haha!"

"...Would they?"

"Of course."

"He always looks so serious."

"It'll humanize him."

Ziwei almost choked.

Humanize.

The irony was painful.

Inside the bathroom...

Ah...

ZiQi buried his nose beneath one paw.

Ah...

No.

Ah-

He pinched his nose against the floor.

The urge slowly faded.

He let out the smallest sigh imaginable.

Crisis... avoided.

"...Anyway."

The general manager closed the folder.

"Everything looks good."

The room collectively relaxed.

Then—

"Oh."

He stood.

"...Mind if I use your bathroom?"

Everything stopped.

The manager stood so quickly his chair scraped loudly across the floor.

"I do!"

Silence.

"..."

The general manager blinked.

"You... do?"

The manager laughed awkwardly.

"I mean..."

"It's..."

WuYan shot to his feet.

"I need to use it first!"

"No, you don't," LiuLang hissed.

"I suddenly do."

JuHao also stood.

"I'll go!"

"You were sitting down!"

"I can develop emergencies."

FengXiao practically threw himself into the hallway.

"I'll clean it first!"

"...Why?"

"It..."

He desperately searched for an excuse.

"...Needs cleaning!"

The general manager looked increasingly confused.

"...Is something wrong with your bathroom?"

Five players.

One manager.

Everyone talked at once.

"No!"

"It's fine!"

"Actually—"

"Wait—"

"You don't—"

"It's occupied!"

The apartment descended into complete chaos.

Then...

A click.

Everyone froze.

Slowly...

The bathroom door opened.

A familiar figure stepped into the hallway.

Human.

Completely human.

Coach ZiQi adjusted the sleeves of his hoodie before casually pushing his glasses back up the bridge of his nose.

His hair was slightly messy.

Otherwise...

He looked exactly like himself.

Calm.

Collected.

Professional.

He offered the general manager a polite, apologetic smile.

"I'm terribly sorry, sir."

His voice was as even as ever.

"I have a rather bad stomachache."

He made a faint grimace.

"The bathroom might be..."

He paused delicately.

"...a little bit disgusting right now."

The entire apartment fell silent.

The players stared.

The manager stared.

Coach ZiQi met their stunned expressions for the briefest moment.

His face remained perfectly composed.

Only the nearly imperceptible twitch at the corner of his mouth suggested he knew exactly how close they had all come to disaster.

The general manager immediately took one step backwards.

"Oh."

His face turned a shade paler.

"I... see."

Coach ZiQi offered an apologetic smile.

"I'm terribly sorry."

"No, no."

The general manager waved both hands.

"Nothing to apologise for."

"If you're unwell, you should've said so."

ZiQi inclined his head politely.

"I didn't want to interrupt today's discussion."

"You should've."

The general manager frowned with genuine concern.

"You look exhausted."

Only now did everyone else really look at him.

Coach ZiQi's hair wasn't as neatly combed as usual.

There were faint shadows beneath his eyes.

Even his normally immaculate posture looked just a fraction more relaxed.

He truly did look like someone who hadn't rested properly in days.

"I've been managing," ZiQi answered calmly.

The general manager shook his head.

"Managing isn't resting."

His expression softened.

"I think you should head home after this."

"You've been working too hard."

"I'll postpone tomorrow's strategy meeting if necessary."

ZiQi smiled politely.

"Thank you, sir."

"I appreciate the concern."

Behind them...

The players were collectively forgetting how to function.

WuYan leaned slightly toward JuHao.

"...Did..."

"...Did Coach just..."

"...Become human?"

JuHao whispered back without taking his eyes off ZiQi.

"I watched it happen."

"I still don't believe it."

FengXiao blinked repeatedly.

"...Where did his clothes come from?"

LiuLang adjusted his glasses.

"More importantly..."

"...Where did they come from?"

"...That's what I just asked."

"No."

"I mean literally."

"The conservation of mass appears questionable."

Ziwei quietly pinched the bridge of his nose.

Wrong time, LiuLang.

Across the room, the manager looked equally stunned.

He had seen ZiQi transform before.

But never...

Like this.

One moment there had been a white wolf behind the bathroom door.

The next—

His head coach had calmly walked out wearing his usual hoodie, trousers, trainers and glasses, as though nothing extraordinary had happened.

Even after years of knowing the truth...

It was still surreal.

The general manager cleared his throat.

"By the way."

ZiQi looked up.

"I sent you several messages this morning."

"I didn't receive a reply."

"Oh."

ZiQi's expression shifted into one of quiet embarrassment.

"My phone was on silent."

The answer came instantly.

"I'd intended to catch up after getting some sleep."

He smiled apologetically.

"I'm afraid I overslept."

The general manager laughed.

"So even you oversleep occasionally."

"Apparently."

"I suppose that's proof you're human after all."

Five players nearly choked.

ZiQi maintained his perfectly composed smile.

"I do my best."

The manager had to look away to hide his expression.

If only you knew...

The general manager nodded sympathetically.

"Well, considering your... stomach."

He tactfully avoided saying more.

"I won't keep you."

"We've covered everything important."

"The media team can wait until you're feeling better."

"Thank you."

"And please..."

The general manager pointed toward him.

"Rest."

"I will."

"You've earned it."

ZiQi bowed his head politely.

"I appreciate it."

A few minutes later...

The apartment door finally closed.

Click.

Silence.

Nobody moved.

Then—

JuHao pointed.

"Coach."

ZiQi looked at him.

"What..."

"...was that?"

FengXiao immediately joined in.

"How did you transform?"

"Where did your glasses come from?"

"And your clothes?"

"And where do they go?"

"Can you choose your hoodie?"

LiuLang had somehow already opened a fresh page in his notebook.

"I've prepared several questions."

"There are several inconsistencies I'd like clarified."

"The apparent conservation of—"

WuYan cut him off.

"I just want to know if Coach remembers barking."

"...WuYan."

"What?"

"That's an important question."

"It really isn't."

Within seconds, everyone had surrounded ZiQi.

Even the manager stepped closer.

"I..."

He hesitated.

"...actually have questions too."

ZiQi looked around at the circle of expectant faces.

He let out a long, tired sigh.

"I suppose..."

He lifted one hand.

"...I'll explain what I—"

He stopped.

His expression changed.

"...Coach?" Ziwei asked immediately.

ZiQi blinked once.

"...That's strange."

His shoulders suddenly dipped.

The sleeve of his hoodie looked...

Too long.

"Manager?"

The manager's eyes widened.

"Oh no."

ZiQi looked down at himself.

"...Not again."

His voice seemed... higher.

His hands rapidly became smaller.

The players watched in stunned silence.

His glasses slipped down his nose—

Then vanished.

Not fell.

Vanished.

His hoodie seemed to dissolve like mist, disappearing together with the rest of his clothes.

"Wait—"

WuYan barely got the word out.

ZiQi shrank further.

His hair turned snowy white.

His ears appeared.

A fluffy tail emerged behind him.

Within seconds...

Where their head coach had been standing...

Sat the same small white wolf from that morning.

He blinked up at them.

Completely unharmed.

Completely clothed...

Or rather, completely furred.

His tiny front paw slowly rose to cover his face.

"..."

JuHao broke the silence first.

"...Coach."

The wolf lowered his paw slightly.

"...Welcome back?"

ZiQi let out the longest, most exhausted sigh a wolf could possibly manage.

No one moved.

The little white wolf remained sitting in the middle of the living room, one paw still covering his face as though he could somehow erase what had just happened.

"...Coach?" Ziwei asked gently.

ZiQi didn't respond.

Instead, he slowly lowered his paw, avoiding everyone's eyes.

His ears drooped.

His tail hung low behind him.

Then, without making a sound, he turned around.

Tap.

The small white wolf quietly trotted down the hallway.

No one tried to stop him.

He reached the bathroom door with practiced familiarity, nudged it open with his nose, and disappeared inside.

A second later, the players heard him settle into the exact same corner beside the sink where Ziwei had left him earlier.

Curled into a tight ball.

His back facing the doorway.

As if hiding from the world again.

Ziwei stood there for a long moment before quietly closing the bathroom door.

"..."

"...Coach..."

There was no answer.

Only silence.

Back in the living room, the atmosphere was completely different from before.

The excitement was gone.

The relief from surviving the general manager's visit had disappeared.

In its place was concern.

Real concern.

WuYan was the first to speak.

"...Is he okay?"

The manager slowly sat down on the couch.

"I..."

He hesitated.

"...I don't know."

That answer caught everyone off guard.

"You don't know?" JuHao repeated.

The manager rubbed both hands over his face.

"I've never seen this happen."

LiuLang frowned.

"You've known Coach for two years."

"I have."

"And this has never happened?"

The manager shook his head.

"Not once."

He looked towards the hallway.

"Every other time..."

"He transformed."

"He slept."

"And when he woke up..."

"He was human again."

"...That was it."

"So..."

FengXiao leaned forward.

"...He never transformed twice?"

"No."

"Never transformed back immediately after becoming human?"

"No."

The apartment fell quiet again.

Ziwei slowly returned from the hallway and sat opposite the manager.

"When Coach explained everything to you..."

"What exactly did he say?"

The manager closed his eyes, trying to remember.

"He said..."

"...stress triggers it."

Everyone nodded.

"He also said..."

"...once whatever caused the stress was gone..."

"...he'd usually sleep."

"And when he woke up..."

"...he'd return to normal."

"Usually."

The word lingered in the air.

"Usually?" LiuLang echoed.

The manager sighed.

"I asked him if it was dangerous."

"He told me no."

"I asked if he needed a doctor."

"He laughed."

"I asked whether it happened often."

"He said..."

The manager smiled faintly despite himself.

"'Only when I forget I'm human.'"

"...That's such a Coach answer," WuYan muttered.

"It really is."

"But..." Ziwei said quietly.

"...He never mentioned..."

He looked towards the bathroom.

"...this."

"No."

The manager shook his head.

"He didn't."

"He never said anything about transforming back..."

"...and then changing again minutes later."

JuHao scratched his head.

"So..."

"...Is this because he transformed too early?"

"I don't know."

"Is it dangerous?"

"I don't know."

"Can he get stuck?"

"I..."

The manager stopped.

"...don't know."

That frightened them more than anything else.

The manager always had answers.

Even this morning, he'd been able to explain everything.

Now...

He looked just as lost as they were.

LiuLang quietly closed his laptop.

"...We're outside the known information."

The manager gave a tired nod.

"Apparently."

WuYan leaned back against the sofa.

"...Coach always makes backup plans."

"If this has happened before..."

"He would've told you."

"Which means..."

The room grew still.

"It probably hasn't."

No one argued.

Because it made sense.

ZiQi wasn't reckless.

If there had been even the slightest chance of this happening before, he would have prepared for it.

He would've left instructions.

Made contingency plans.

Done something.

Instead...

He'd simply hidden himself in the bathroom.

As confused as everyone else.

A soft sound came from the hallway.

All five of them instinctively turned.

Nothing.

Just the faint creak of the bathroom floor.

Ziwei stood.

"I'll check on him."

The manager nodded.

"Don't push him."

"I won't."

Ziwei walked quietly down the hallway.

The bathroom door wasn't completely shut.

Only slightly ajar.

He gently knocked twice.

"...Coach?"

No response.

He opened the door just enough to peek inside.

ZiQi was exactly where he'd expected.

Curled into a tight white ball beside the sink.

His eyes were closed.

Whether he was asleep...

Or simply pretending to be...

Ziwei couldn't tell.

"...We'll figure this out," he said softly.

"You don't have to explain everything today."

One ear flicked.

That was all.

Ziwei smiled faintly.

"I'll take that as you heard me."

He carefully closed the door again.

When he returned to the living room, everyone looked at him expectantly.

"He's resting."

The manager let out a slow breath.

"Maybe that's for the best."

No one disagreed.

For the first time since that morning...

There were no plans.

No strategies.

No explanations.

Only one certainty.

Their head coach had encountered something none of them understood.

And until ZiQi had the strength to explain it himself...

All they could do was wait.

By the time night settled over the apartment, the atmosphere had become eerily subdued.

No one had the energy to play games.

No one argued over dinner.

Even WuYan had been unusually quiet.

The television in the living room played softly in the background, more for the sake of filling the silence than because anyone was actually watching it.

The manager sat at the dining table with his laptop open, though he'd barely typed a word in the past hour.

Every so often, someone would glance toward the hallway.

The bathroom door remained closed.

"Captain."

Ziwei looked up.

The manager rubbed his tired eyes.

"Could you... check on Coach again before everyone goes to sleep?"

Ziwei nodded immediately.

"I was going to."

Without another word, he stood and walked down the hallway.

Behind him, the apartment fell silent once more.

The bathroom light was still on.

Ziwei knocked gently.

"Coach?"

No answer.

He slowly opened the door.

The familiar sight greeted him.

The little white wolf was still curled beside the sink.

Exactly where he'd been that afternoon.

Exactly where he'd been several hours ago.

He hadn't moved.

Not even an inch.

"...Coach."

Still nothing.

Ziwei crouched beside him.

The wolf's breathing was slow and steady.

His fluffy tail remained wrapped tightly around himself.

The tiled floor beneath him felt cold even through Ziwei's trousers.

He frowned.

He can't stay here all night.

No matter how thick his fur was, sleeping on bathroom tiles couldn't possibly be comfortable.

Especially after everything that had happened.

"I'm going to move you," Ziwei murmured.

"I'm sorry."

Carefully, he slid one arm beneath the little wolf's chest and another beneath his hind legs.

He expected resistance.

A stubborn wriggle.

An offended growl.

At the very least, another glare.

Instead...

Nothing.

ZiQi remained completely limp in his arms.

The small wolf didn't wake.

Didn't even instinctively brace himself.

He simply rested against Ziwei's chest as though he no longer had the strength to protest.

Ziwei's smile faded.

"...Coach?"

One ear flicked.

Weakly.

Much slower than usual.

Not the sharp, irritated twitch he'd become familiar with throughout the day.

Just...

A sluggish movement.

"...Coach?"

A tiny whine escaped the wolf.

It was barely audible.

Almost pitiful.

Something about it made Ziwei's chest tighten.

"Coach..."

He adjusted his grip slightly.

The moment his hand brushed beneath ZiQi's neck—

He froze.

"..."

Warm.

Far too warm.

His eyes widened.

"No..."

He pressed the back of his fingers gently against the wolf's forehead.

Then behind one ear.

Then against his side.

Everywhere.

Heat.

Burning, unnatural heat.

Like holding a hot water bottle beneath thick white fur.

"...Coach."

His voice came out quieter this time.

The little wolf stirred weakly but didn't open his eyes.

Another soft whine escaped him.

That was when it truly registered.

This wasn't exhaustion anymore.

ZiQi...

Had a fever.

Ziwei's heart dropped.

He turned toward the hallway.

"Manager!"

His voice, usually so calm, echoed through the apartment.

Every bedroom door flew open.

Footsteps thundered down the hallway.

"What happened?" the manager asked, already halfway there.

Ziwei looked up, still holding the limp white wolf carefully against his chest.

His expression had gone completely pale.

"...Coach's burning up."

The manager's face drained of colour.

"What?"

"He's got a fever."

For the first time since this impossible day had begun...

Real fear settled over every face in the apartment.

Because none of them knew whether this was just a fever.

Or whether it had anything to do with a condition that none of them truly understood.

"Coach's burning up."

For one heartbeat, nobody moved.

Then the apartment exploded into motion.

"What?"

The manager was the first to reach Ziwei, immediately placing the back of his hand against the little wolf's forehead.

His expression fell.

"...He's really hot."

JuHao hurried into the bathroom.

"I'll get towels."

"I'll boil water—"

"No," LiuLang interrupted. "Not before we know whether lowering the temperature too quickly is safe."

WuYan was already searching through his phone.

"Nearest hospital..."

FengXiao looked between the tiny wolf in Ziwei's arms and everyone else.

"...Human hospital?"

"...Or a veterinary clinic?"

The room went silent.

It was an awful question.

Because nobody knew the answer.

The manager rubbed his forehead.

"...I don't know."

Every eye turned towards him.

"I honestly don't know."

He looked completely helpless.

"Coach only ever told me about transforming."

"He never mentioned getting sick like this."

"He never told me what medicine he could take."

"Or whether human medicine still works when he's..."

His gaze fell to the little white wolf.

"...like this."

Ziwei adjusted his hold carefully, making sure ZiQi's head rested comfortably against his shoulder.

The heat radiating through the thick white fur was impossible to ignore.

It felt even worse now.

"...He's getting hotter," Ziwei said quietly.

JuHao returned carrying a clean towel.

"What do we do?"

No one answered.

WuYan looked up from his phone.

"The nearest veterinary clinic is only fifteen minutes away."

FengXiao immediately objected.

"But Coach isn't a wolf."

"He just looks like one."

"But if we bring him to a human hospital..."

JuHao finished the thought.

"...We're walking in carrying a wolf."

"...Exactly."

LiuLang adjusted his glasses.

"Assuming they even allow us inside."

"And assuming they don't call animal control," WuYan added.

"They absolutely would."

The apartment fell quiet again.

Every option sounded ridiculous.

Every option sounded dangerous.

The manager clenched his fists.

"There has to be something..."

A soft sound interrupted them.

"...Mm..."

Everyone looked down.

ZiQi stirred.

His ears twitched weakly.

His breathing became uneven.

Slowly...

Very slowly...

His pale blue eyes cracked open.

For a moment they were unfocused.

Then they landed on Ziwei.

Recognition flickered.

"...Coach?"

Ziwei smiled with obvious relief.

"You're awake."

The little wolf blinked once.

Twice.

He looked around at the worried faces surrounding him.

The manager.

JuHao.

LiuLang.

FengXiao.

WuYan.

Everyone.

His ears drooped.

A weak, frustrated whine escaped him.

It sounded apologetic.

"I'm sorry," Ziwei whispered instinctively.

"You don't have to apologise."

ZiQi tried to lift one paw.

It barely moved before falling back against Ziwei's arm.

The effort alone seemed to exhaust him.

The manager crouched beside them.

"Coach."

"If you can understand me..."

The wolf slowly blinked once.

"...Can you change back?"

ZiQi closed his eyes.

His breathing steadied.

The room became so quiet that everyone could hear the air conditioner humming.

Then...

Something happened.

A faint shimmer passed over his fur.

Like sunlight reflecting across water.

His body trembled.

The white fur seemed to ripple.

JuHao leaned forward.

"...It's working?"

For a brief second...

His front paw looked almost human.

Longer fingers.

Paler skin.

Then—

The shimmer shattered.

Everything snapped back.

The paw became furry again.

ZiQi's entire body sagged.

Another strained whine escaped him, this one filled with unmistakable frustration.

He'd tried.

He'd genuinely tried.

And failed.

"No..."

The manager whispered.

ZiQi buried his nose weakly against Ziwei's sleeve.

His breathing had become heavier.

Even keeping his eyes open seemed impossible now.

Within seconds...

They closed again.

The tiny wolf fell back into uneasy sleep.

No one spoke.

Because they had all seen it.

The transformation had started.

Then simply...

Stopped.

As though his body no longer had the strength to finish it.

Ziwei looked at the manager.

His voice was calm.

But only because someone had to remain calm.

"We can't wait anymore."

The manager nodded slowly.

His expression had hardened into one of determination.

"...No."

"We can't."

He looked toward LiuLang.

"Get me Coach's personnel file."

LiuLang was already moving.

"On it."

The manager took one last look at the feverish little wolf curled in Ziwei's arms.

"There's one thing we haven't tried."

"What?" WuYan asked.

The manager drew a slow breath.

"Calling his family."

If anyone knew what to do...

It would be the people who had lived with this condition their entire lives.

LiuLang returned less than five minutes later.

He was breathing slightly harder than usual, one hand gripping a thick personnel file.

"I found it."

The manager immediately stood.

"Anything?"

LiuLang flipped through several pages.

Contract.

Medical forms.

Insurance.

Emergency contacts.

Nothing unusual.

Then, tucked neatly into the very back of the file, held in place by a silver paperclip, was a folded sheet of lined paper.

"...This wasn't in the official paperwork," LiuLang murmured.

The handwriting across the front was unmistakably ZiQi's.

Neat.

Precise.

As though he'd written it after thinking very carefully about every word.

The manager unfolded it.

There wasn't much.

Just a single note.

Older sister.

Only call if it's genuinely serious.

If I'm unconscious or can't explain things myself, she'll know what to do.

The apartment became silent.

"...I think this qualifies," WuYan said quietly.

No one disagreed.

Beneath the note was a phone number.

The manager stared at it for several seconds.

"I really hope she doesn't answer with, 'Who is this?'"

JuHao looked towards the bedroom, where Ziwei had carried ZiQi to keep him warm beneath a blanket.

"...Me too."

The manager took a deep breath and pressed the call button.

Everyone unconsciously leaned closer.

The phone barely rang twice.

Click.

A woman's voice answered immediately.

"What did my little brother do this time?"

She sounded tired.

Amused.

The sort of amusement that came from years of cleaning up someone else's disasters.

The manager blinked.

"...Hello?"

"I'm the manager from KSG."

"Oh."

A pause.

"Did he overwork himself again?"

"...Yes."

"I knew it."

"I told him last month that if he skipped sleeping to review another week's worth of scrims, I'd personally drag him home."

The manager let out an awkward laugh.

"...It's... slightly more complicated than that."

"Mm?"

The amusement was still there.

"He transformed."

"Oh."

"And..."

The manager glanced toward Ziwei.

"...he transformed back."

"So he finally rested."

"...Then..."

"He transformed again."

Silence.

Complete silence.

The change was immediate.

Every trace of teasing disappeared.

"...What?"

Her voice had become frighteningly calm.

The manager swallowed.

"He became human for a few minutes."

"Then changed back into a wolf."

"After that..."

"He developed a high fever."

"And..."

"He can't transform back anymore."

Nothing.

Not even breathing.

The apartment was so quiet that everyone could hear the clock ticking in the kitchen.

When she spoke again, her voice was clipped and direct.

"Listen to me carefully."

The manager straightened instinctively.

"Yes."

"First."

"Keep him warm."

"Blankets."

"Body heat if necessary."

"But don't overheat him."

"Second."

"Do not give him any medication."

"Nothing."

"No fever reducers."

"No painkillers."

"No herbal remedies."

"No supplements."

The manager quickly grabbed a pen.

"Right."

"Nothing."

"Third."

"Is he conscious?"

"He wakes briefly."

"But falls asleep again."

A sharp exhale came from the other end.

"I'm leaving now."

The manager blinked.

"...You're coming?"

"I'm already grabbing my keys."

"I should be there in..." she paused, clearly calculating.

"...About forty minutes."

No one interrupted.

No one even dared to.

She continued before anyone could ask another question.

"If anything changes before I arrive, call me immediately."

"I don't care what time it is."

"I'll answer."

The manager nodded automatically before remembering she couldn't see him.

"Understood."

He hesitated.

"...Can I ask one question?"

"You can."

"...How serious is this?"

Silence lingered for several seconds.

Long enough for everyone's stomach to tighten.

When she finally answered...

Her voice was softer.

And somehow that made it far worse.

"...This has only happened once before."

Everyone looked at one another.

"To him?" Ziwei asked quietly, forgetting she couldn't hear him.

"No."

She answered the manager.

"Our grandfather."

No one breathed.

"He also transformed twice."

"He also developed a fever."

"He ignored it."

The apartment suddenly felt much colder.

"I won't let my brother make the same mistake."

The manager tightened his grip on the phone.

"We'll take care of him."

"I know you will."

There was the sound of a car door opening.

Then...

One final sentence.

Quiet.

Urgent.

"...Don't let him fall asleep alone."

The manager frowned.

"...What?"

"If his fever gets any higher..."

She stopped.

As though choosing whether or not to say the next words.

Then she did.

"...He might start forgetting he's human."

Click.

The call ended.

No one moved.

No one spoke.

The words echoed through the apartment long after the line had gone dead.

He might start forgetting he's human.

JuHao looked towards the bedroom.

"...What..."

"...does that mean?"

No one had an answer.

Not even the manager.

For the first time since this impossible day had begun, the transformation itself no longer seemed like the biggest problem.

It was what might happen if ZiQi never found his way back.

The apartment had never been this quiet.

The television had long since been switched off.

The lights in the living room were dimmed.

No one felt like sleeping.

No one even suggested it.

ZiQi lay bundled in blankets on the couch, his small white body rising and falling with shallow breaths.

Ziwei sat on the floor beside him.

The manager occupied the armchair opposite.

The others lingered nearby, pretending to keep themselves busy.

In reality...

Every pair of eyes drifted back to the little wolf every few seconds.

"...He's hotter."

JuHao's voice was barely above a whisper.

The manager checked again.

His expression darkened.

"...He is."

There wasn't anything else they could do.

No medicine.

No hospital.

Just...

Wait.

A quiet whine escaped ZiQi.

Ziwei immediately leaned closer.

"Coach?"

No response.

The little wolf shifted beneath the blanket.

His ears twitched.

Then flattened tightly against his head.

"...Coach."

Nothing.

His breathing became uneven.

His paws paddled weakly against the blanket as though he were trying to run in a dream.

Another soft whine.

"It's all right," Ziwei murmured.

"We're here."

For just a moment...

The wolf stilled.

Then Ziwei reached out, intending to gently stroke between his ears.

The reaction was immediate.

A low growl rumbled from ZiQi's chest.

Everyone froze.

It wasn't loud.

It wasn't threatening.

It sounded...

Afraid.

Ziwei slowly withdrew his hand.

"...Coach?"

The little wolf opened his eyes.

Only halfway.

They weren't focused.

They swept across the room without recognition.

Past Ziwei.

Past the manager.

Past everyone.

Searching.

Confused.

When FengXiao shifted his weight—

ZiQi flinched.

His ears flattened even further.

He tried to crawl backwards.

Away.

Toward the corner of the couch.

His weakened legs barely cooperated.

"..."

"...He doesn't recognize us," WuYan whispered.

No one answered.

Because everyone had reached the same conclusion.

JuHao crouched several feet away.

"Coach?"

The little wolf immediately let out another frightened growl.

Not at JuHao.

At the unfamiliar voice.

Then, despite barely having enough strength to lift himself, he tried to hide.

He pushed his nose beneath the folded blanket.

As though if he couldn't see the world...

The world couldn't see him.

Ziwei's chest tightened painfully.

"He always answers when we call him..."

This time...

Nothing.

No flick of an ear.

No glance.

No acknowledgement.

Only instinct.

Exactly as his sister had warned.

The manager looked at the clock.

"...She should be here."

Almost on cue—

The apartment doorbell rang.

Everyone stood at once.

The manager reached the door first.

The moment he opened it—

A woman stepped inside.

She looked to be in her early thirties.

Her resemblance to ZiQi was unmistakable.

The same sharp eyes.

The same calm expression.

The same habit of scanning an entire room in a single glance.

She carried a large duffel bag over one shoulder.

"You must be..."

"The manager."

He nodded quickly.

"Yes."

She didn't waste another second.

"Where is he?"

The manager silently pointed toward the couch.

She crossed the room in long, hurried strides.

The moment she saw the tiny white wolf curled beneath the blanket...

She stopped.

For several long seconds...

She simply looked at him.

Her shoulders lowered.

She closed her eyes briefly.

Then sighed.

"...Honestly..."

Her voice carried more guilt than frustration.

"...I should have checked more often."

The players exchanged uncertain glances.

Without another word...

She placed her bag on the floor.

"I need some space."

Everyone instinctively stepped back.

Then—

Something impossible happened.

Again.

A soft amber light surrounded her.

Her figure blurred.

Shrank slightly.

Then lengthened.

Within moments...

Standing where the woman had been...

Was a wolf.

Much larger than ZiQi.

Medium-sized.

Covered in rich brown fur that gleamed warmly beneath the apartment lights.

She moved with effortless confidence.

Not hurried.

Not panicked.

Simply...

Certain.

JuHao stared openly.

"...There's another one."

WuYan elbowed him.

"Obviously."

"I know, but..."

"I've just never..."

"...Seen siblings turn into wolves?"

"...Exactly."

The brown wolf padded quietly toward the couch.

ZiQi stirred weakly.

His ears flattened.

Another frightened growl escaped him.

She didn't stop.

She lowered her head.

Made no threatening movements.

No sudden sounds.

Just a quiet, familiar rumble deep in her throat.

It was unlike anything the players had heard before.

Soft.

Steady.

Comforting.

ZiQi froze.

His nose twitched.

He sniffed weakly.

Once.

Twice.

Then...

The frightened growling stopped.

The tension left his tiny body all at once.

The brown wolf leaned down.

With incredible gentleness...

She took hold of the loose fur at the scruff of his neck.

Exactly as a mother wolf would carry her pup.

Not enough to hurt.

Just enough to lift.

ZiQi didn't resist.

He simply hung there limply.

She carried him only a short distance before carefully laying him down again.

Then she lowered herself onto her stomach.

Slowly.

Deliberately.

She nudged the little white wolf until he rested safely between her front legs.

Protected on both sides.

Only then did she begin grooming him.

Gentle strokes of her tongue smoothed the fur around his face.

Across his ears.

Over the top of his head.

Occasionally she paused to nudge him with her nose, as though reminding him where he was.

The rhythmic grooming continued.

Again.

The apartment remained silent.

No one dared interrupt.

After several minutes...

The change became visible.

ZiQi's frantic breathing gradually slowed.

The rigid tension in his tiny body eased.

His ears, which had remained tightly pinned back for nearly an hour, relaxed little by little.

His nose nudged weakly against the brown wolf's chest.

Not in fear.

In familiarity.

In comfort.

The brown wolf rested her chin lightly over his back, surrounding him with warmth.

Only then did she glance up at the stunned players.

Her golden eyes were calm.

Understanding.

And tired.

She spoke without transforming back, her voice carrying the same composed tone they had heard over the phone.

"He's remembered one thing."

Everyone leaned in.

"What?" Ziwei asked softly.

She looked down at her little brother.

"...That he's not alone."

No one in the apartment realised they had been holding their breath until that moment.

They all exhaled together.

It wasn't over.

Not even close.

But for the first time that night...

ZiQi no longer looked like a frightened animal trying to disappear.

He looked like someone's little brother.

Safe between family.

The apartment remained quiet.

ZiQi slept soundly between his sister's front legs, his breathing finally evening out beneath the steady rhythm of her grooming.

Every now and then, she'd nudge his shoulder or smooth the fur behind his ears with a few gentle licks.

The tiny white wolf barely stirred.

For the first time that night...

He looked peaceful.

The players unconsciously relaxed.

Even the manager let out a breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding.

"...So," Ziwei began carefully, "what exactly is happening to Coach?"

The brown wolf lifted her head.

"When our condition gets worse..."

She glanced down at the sleeping white wolf.

"...our instincts become stronger."

"What kind of instincts?" LiuLang asked.

"Our wolf instincts."

She rested her chin lightly on ZiQi's back.

"We instinctively seek out familiar pack bonds."

"People we trust."

"People we consider family."

"Safe places."

"When our human minds become... fuzzy..."

She searched for the right word.

"...those feelings remain."

"So..." JuHao said quietly.

"...Coach hid under the couch because..."

"He was frightened."

"And later?"

She looked at Ziwei.

"He let you carry him."

Ziwei blinked.

"...Because he trusted me?"

She nodded.

"Even if he couldn't properly recognise faces anymore..."

"He still knew..."

"...you were safe."

Ziwei looked down at the sleeping little wolf.

His chest tightened.

After several minutes of comfortable silence...

WuYan cautiously raised one hand.

"I have a question."

The brown wolf looked at him.

"Yes?"

She was still entirely in her wolf form.

Which somehow made the conversation even stranger.

WuYan scratched the back of his head.

"Coach told Manager that he only transforms when he's stressed."

She nodded once.

"And then..."

"He transforms back after he sleeps it off."

"Right."

"So..."

He frowned.

"...why did you..."

He gestured vaguely.

"...transform?"

The brown wolf stared at him.

Then...

She sighed.

"...Idiot."

She gently nudged the sleeping white wolf with her nose.

The tiny wolf let out the weakest, sleepiest swat of one paw without even opening his eyes.

"Jie..."

It sounded more like a sleepy complaint than an actual protest.

She ignored him.

"He really didn't explain everything, did he?"

Five players and one manager exchanged glances.

"...Apparently not," Ziwei admitted.

"We can transform back into humans."

Everyone nodded.

"...But..."

She tilted her head.

"...not like that."

Silence.

"...What?" JuHao asked.

The brown wolf looked genuinely confused.

"Being a wolf is easier."

"Easier?" LiuLang echoed.

"We release emotions more naturally."

She flicked one ear.

"Stress."

"Fear."

"Frustration."

"Happiness."

"They're simpler."

She smiled faintly.

"So most of us..."

"...choose to transform whenever we feel like it."

Everyone stared.

"...Whenever?" FengXiao repeated.

"Whenever."

"We go for walks."

"We sleep."

"We visit family."

"We simply..."

She shrugged as much as a wolf could shrug.

"...exist."

"Being human is tiring."

The room was quiet.

"...I'm guessing..."

She looked down at the sleeping white wolf again.

"...my idiot little brother never did that."

A guilty silence spread through the apartment.

"He only transformed..."

"...when he was already too stressed."

"Or emotionally overwhelmed."

She sighed.

"So every transformation..."

"...was effectively his body forcing him to stop."

The manager slowly covered his face.

"...That sounds exactly like him."

"It does," Ziwei agreed quietly.

"He'd rather collapse than admit he needed a break."

FengXiao hesitated before raising a hand.

"...Can I ask something?"

"You already are."

"...Right."

He smiled sheepishly.

"How can you..."

He pointed between her muzzle and himself.

"...talk like a human?"

"And..."

"...not..."

He struggled for the wording.

"...wolf noises?"

The brown wolf actually laughed.

It came out as a warm rumbling sound.

"He also can."

Everyone froze.

"...Coach?"

She nodded.

"He can do exactly what I'm doing."

Six heads slowly turned toward the sleeping white wolf.

"..."

"...Then..."

WuYan blinked.

"...Why were we getting barked at all day?"

The brown wolf's eyes sparkled with amusement.

"You'd have to ask him."

JuHao suddenly frowned.

"I have another question."

"Go ahead."

"Coach's wolf..."

He looked at the tiny white bundle between her paws.

"...is small."

She nodded.

"Yours is..."

He looked at her.

"...medium-sized."

She nodded again.

"So..."

"...Is that normal?"

She opened her mouth to answer.

Then paused.

"...Actually."

She looked down at ZiQi.

"...No."

Everyone blinked.

"No?"

She narrowed her eyes.

"My little brother's wolf..."

"...is supposed to be bigger than mine."

Silence.

Her ears slowly rotated toward the little white wolf.

Her expression became dangerously calm.

"Wan Ziqi."

The sleeping wolf visibly stiffened.

He was awake.

He had been awake.

Very, very slowly...

One blue eye cracked open.

"...Jie."

His voice was quiet.

Sleepy.

A little hoarse.

And unmistakably human.

Every player jolted.

"...He can talk!"

JuHao whispered loudly.

"I told you he could," his sister replied without looking away from ZiQi.

Her eyes remained fixed on him.

"What."

"Did."

"You."

"Do?"

ZiQi sighed dramatically.

It somehow sounded exactly like the sigh he gave after reviewing a disastrous scrim.

"...Jie."

Another sleepy whine escaped him.

"I'm sick."

"I'm not talking to you."

"No."

She nudged his side.

Not painfully.

Just enough to make him look at her.

"Wan Ziqi."

"I need an explanation."

"Now."

The little white wolf dramatically buried his nose beneath one paw.

No answer.

She continued anyway.

"I need a reason."

"Why you didn't tell everyone..."

"...that you can speak perfectly well in wolf form."

The white paw remained over his face.

"And."

She lowered her head until they were eye level.

"...why you're a pup."

"...Instead of..."

"...well."

"...your actual wolf form."

The apartment became deathly quiet.

ZiQi's ears flattened.

"..."

"...I'm not answering."

"Wan."

She leaned closer.

"Ziqi."

The tiny white wolf squeezed his eyes shut.

"Explain."

Another pause.

"Now."

The little wolf made absolutely no attempt to move.

Instead...

He pulled his tail over his nose.

As though if he couldn't see his older sister...

She couldn't interrogate him.

No one in the apartment dared interrupt.

Because somehow...

The terrifying strategist who could dismantle professional teams with a single draft...

Had just transformed into the world's most stubborn younger brother.

The apartment remained silent.

ZiQi had perfected the art of pretending to be asleep.

Unfortunately for him...

His older sister had known him for twenty-seven years.

"Wan Ziqi."

No response.

She narrowed her eyes.

"You've hidden behind that trick since you were eight."

The little white wolf's ears twitched.

"...It stopped working when you were nine."

A defeated sigh escaped the tiny wolf.

"...Fine."

He slowly lowered the paw covering his face and looked at everyone except his sister.

"I..."

He paused.

"...like being this size."

Nobody interrupted.

"I know."

He glanced down at his tiny paws.

"...it's not normal."

"...But..."

His voice grew quieter.

"...it's comfortable."

His sister didn't say anything.

She simply watched him.

"When I'm..."

He looked at himself again.

"...small..."

"I don't feel..."

Another pause.

"...noticeable."

The players exchanged confused glances.

ZiQi continued before anyone could ask.

"I don't take up much space."

He gave a tiny shrug.

"If someone accidentally finds me after I transform..."

"They don't panic as much."

"..."

The room was completely still.

Ziwei frowned.

"...Coach."

"You think we'd panic because you're bigger?"

ZiQi looked away.

"It's easier this way."

"No one questions..."

He lifted one tiny paw.

"...this."

"They think..."

"A stray."

"A puppy."

"A lost animal."

"They're less afraid."

"And..."

He laughed quietly.

Though it sounded tired more than amused.

"...it's easier to hide."

The words settled heavily over the room.

He wasn't talking about convenience.

He was talking about disappearing.

About making himself smaller.

Less noticeable.

Less troublesome.

His sister closed her eyes.

"Oh..."

She sighed.

"...you absolute idiot."

ZiQi winced.

"I knew that tone was coming."

"You've been making yourself smaller."

She opened her eyes again.

"...On purpose."

He didn't answer.

Which was answer enough.

"You've convinced yourself..."

"...that taking up less space makes life easier."

The tiny wolf mumbled something unintelligible.

"What was that?"

"...Maybe."

"Wan Ziqi."

"I said maybe."

His sister let out another long sigh.

"You really are impossible."

"So I've been told."

She stood.

Without another word...

She walked over to him.

"...Jie?"

He immediately became suspicious.

"...What are you doing?"

She ignored the question.

Instead...

She gently took hold of the loose fur at the scruff of his neck.

"Jie!"

His front paws immediately left the floor.

"I am twenty-seven years old!"

"Correct."

"You can't keep carrying me like this!"

"I absolutely can."

"It's humiliating!"

"It builds character."

"It builds trauma!"

The players watched, completely fascinated.

Their calm, intimidating head coach...

Was dangling helplessly from his older sister's mouth.

"...Put me down."

"No."

"Jie."

"No."

"Please."

"No."

"...I'm sick."

"I noticed."

"It should earn sympathy."

"It earned you being carried."

The tiny wolf let out an indignant yelp.

It echoed through the apartment.

WuYan quickly bit the inside of his cheek.

Do not laugh.

His sister calmly walked across the living room.

Straight toward Ziwei.

The captain instinctively stood.

"...Um?"

Without ceremony...

She lowered her head.

And deposited the tiny white wolf directly into Ziwei's waiting arms.

"There."

Ziwei barely had time to react before instinct took over.

He adjusted his grip automatically, supporting ZiQi's back and hind legs exactly as he had the night before.

The little wolf looked up at him.

Then at his sister.

"...Traitor."

"I didn't do anything," Ziwei said helplessly.

"You accepted me."

"I was trying to stop you from falling."

"Details."

His sister sat back on her haunches.

"There."

ZiQi frowned.

"...There what?"

"You said..."

She nodded toward Ziwei.

"...you preferred being small because people wouldn't panic."

He blinked.

"So?"

"So."

She tilted her head.

"Look."

Reluctantly...

ZiQi looked around the room.

Nobody looked frightened.

Nobody looked uncomfortable.

FengXiao smiled brightly.

JuHao looked relieved that ZiQi was awake enough to complain.

LiuLang had quietly closed his notebook, simply watching.

WuYan leaned against the wall with an expression that was suspiciously fond.

The manager looked exhausted...

But also reassured.

Finally...

ZiQi looked up at Ziwei.

The captain hadn't loosened his hold even once.

He was holding him carefully.

Naturally.

As though there wasn't anything unusual about carrying a wolf that happened to be his head coach.

ZiQi stared for a long moment.

"..."

His sister's voice softened.

"See?"

"No one's panicking."

"No one ever was."

The little white wolf lowered his gaze.

For once...

He didn't have a clever response.

Only a quiet, thoughtful silence.

ZiQi remained quietly nestled in Ziwei's arms.

Whether it was because he was still weak from the fever or because he had finally accepted that arguing with his sister was pointless, no one could tell.

Probably both.

His older sister looked around the apartment.

Then she spoke with the same calm authority that immediately reminded everyone of ZiQi.

"There won't be any medicine."

The manager frowned.

"...None?"

She shook her head.

"Not unless his fever becomes life-threatening."

"His body isn't sick because of an infection."

"It's exhausted."

She looked down at her younger brother.

"He's been forcing himself to suppress half of what he is."

ZiQi's ears flattened.

"...Jie."

"I'm not finished."

The little wolf sighed dramatically.

"...I know."

She continued anyway.

"Medicine might lower the fever."

"It won't solve the cause."

"The cause..."

She nudged his forehead gently with her nose.

"...is him."

WuYan blinked.

"...Coach?"

"He has spent years treating every transformation like a disaster."

"Every time he became a wolf..."

"He immediately focused on becoming human again."

She looked at the players.

"Imagine spending years believing that half of yourself is a problem to be solved."

Nobody answered.

Because no one knew how to.

"He never let himself simply..."

She searched for the right word.

"...exist."

Her eyes softened.

"He only allowed himself to be a wolf when he had already reached his limit."

She looked directly at ZiQi.

"So now..."

"His wolf side only remembers exhaustion."

Silence settled over the room.

ZiQi lowered his head.

"...I thought..."

His voice was barely audible.

"...it was the responsible thing to do."

"It wasn't."

"It was lonely."

He didn't argue.

Which, somehow, hurt more.

"So what happens now?" the manager asked.

His sister answered immediately.

"For the next few days..."

She looked at ZiQi.

"You stay like this."

The little wolf's ears perked.

"...What?"

"You heard me."

"I have work."

"You have a fever."

"I have scrims."

"You have a fever."

"I have draft meetings."

"You."

She stared at him.

"Have."

"A fever."

"..."

"...Fine."

"But only until tomorrow."

"No."

"The day after?"

"No."

"A week?"

"You're getting colder."

ZiQi groaned.

"You've become cruel."

"I've always been cruel."

"Fair."

The players exchanged amused glances.

Even sick...

Coach still lost every argument against his sister.

She turned back to everyone else.

"He needs to stay in wolf form."

"By choice."

"Not because he's trapped."

"But because he needs to stop treating it like an emergency."

FengXiao tilted his head.

"...You mean..."

"He shouldn't immediately transform back?"

"Exactly."

"He needs to become comfortable."

"Sleep."

"Eat."

"Walk around."

"Just..."

She smiled faintly.

"...be a wolf."

The idea seemed almost absurd.

Coach ZiQi.

Padding around the dorm.

Sleeping wherever he pleased.

Joining reviews as a fluffy white wolf.

Yet...

Looking at the tiny animal curled in Ziwei's arms...

It somehow felt right.

"There's one more thing."

Everyone looked at her.

She glanced around the room before her gaze settled on the players.

"You."

She pointed with her nose.

"Are now his temporary pack."

Silence.

"...Excuse me?" WuYan asked.

She nodded.

"Until he recovers."

"He'll instinctively seek familiar people."

"He'll need reassurance."

"Routine."

"Company."

She looked specifically at Ziwei.

"And especially..."

"The captain."

Ziwei blinked.

"...Me?"

"You've already become his primary safe person."

His eyes widened.

"...Primary..."

"What?"

She nodded matter-of-factly.

"He accepted being carried by you."

"He relaxed in your arms."

"He responds to your voice first."

She looked down at ZiQi.

"He chose."

"I did not," ZiQi protested immediately.

"You absolutely did."

"I was delirious."

"You still are."

"I object."

"Overruled."

WuYan couldn't help smiling.

"...Coach."

"...Congratulations."

"You've been assigned to Captain."

"I wasn't assigned!"

"You basically were."

JuHao grinned.

"So Captain's our pack leader now?"

ZiQi looked as though he wanted the floor to swallow him.

"...Please stop talking."

"No."

The room slowly relaxed again.

For the first time since that morning, there wasn't immediate panic hanging over every conversation.

There was still concern.

Still uncertainty.

But now...

There was also a plan.

The manager began discussing practical arrangements with ZiQi's sister.

LiuLang took notes.

JuHao disappeared into the kitchen to prepare something simple that ZiQi might actually eat.

FengXiao quietly fetched extra blankets.

WuYan opened a window just enough to let in some fresh night air.

Ziwei remained exactly where he was.

Holding the little white wolf carefully.

Neither of them spoke.

After several minutes, Ziwei noticed ZiQi's eyelids growing heavier.

His breathing had become steadier.

The fever was still there.

But he no longer looked frightened.

Almost without thinking...

Ziwei lifted one hand.

Very gently...

He scratched behind one soft white ear.

Once.

Twice.

Three slow strokes.

The reaction was immediate.

The little wolf let out the tiniest contented sigh.

His eyes drifted shut.

Completely unconsciously...

He leaned into the touch.

Just enough for his head to press lightly against Ziwei's fingers.

The room fell silent.

FengXiao clasped both hands over his mouth.

WuYan looked away, trying very hard not to grin.

Even ZiQi's sister's tail gave a slow, amused wag.

Another few seconds passed.

Then...

ZiQi's eyes opened.

He blinked once.

Twice.

He looked at Ziwei's hand.

Then realised...

He was actively leaning into it.

His entire body froze.

His ears shot upright.

His blue eyes grew impossibly wide.

"..."

Very, very slowly...

He leaned back until there was a respectable amount of space between himself and Ziwei's hand.

He cleared his throat.

Or at least attempted to.

"...That."

He said with as much dignity as a tiny feverish wolf could manage.

"...Didn't happen."

From somewhere behind him, his sister coughed suspiciously.

"It absolutely happened."

ZiQi closed his eyes.

"...I'm going back to sleep."

"No you're not."

"...I am pretending."

"That," WuYan said with a laugh, "sounds much more like our coach."

The next morning arrived far too quickly.

Sunlight streamed through the apartment windows, casting warm patches across the living room floor.

ZiQi's sister stood by the entrance, adjusting the strap of her duffel bag.

She had returned to her human form before leaving, though everyone now understood that it was entirely by choice.

Before opening the door, she turned back toward the players.

"I'm leaving him with you."

Five heads nodded immediately.

She looked at each of them in turn.

"If his fever rises again, call me."

"If he stops responding, call me."

"If he transforms unexpectedly again—"

The manager blinked.

"...Again?"

She sighed.

"Call me."

Another nod.

"And..."

Her eyes settled on her younger brother, who was curled into a fluffy white ball on the sofa, pretending very hard not to be listening.

"Wan Ziqi."

One ear twitched.

"You are not allowed to work."

The tiny wolf opened one eye.

"...Mm."

"I'm serious."

"...Mm."

"I know what that 'mm' means."

"It means 'I heard you.'"

"It means 'I'll do whatever I want once you leave.'"

"...You know me too well."

"I raised you."

"You absolutely did not."

"I raised you emotionally."

"You traumatised me emotionally."

She smiled.

"Same difference."

The players couldn't help laughing.

She rolled her eyes before looking back at everyone else.

"Keep an eye on him."

"We will," Ziwei promised.

She nodded once.

"I know you will."

Then, after giving her brother one last gentle scratch between the ears—

Ignoring his indignant huff—

She left.

The apartment felt noticeably quieter.

For approximately...

Thirty-seven seconds.

"...Captain."

Everyone looked toward the couch.

ZiQi had lifted his head.

"We're practicing."

Five identical expressions of disbelief met him.

"...Coach."

Ziwei folded his arms.

"You have a fever."

"I had a fever."

"You still have one."

"I feel better."

"You transformed into a wolf yesterday."

"I'm still alive."

WuYan deadpanned,

"An incredibly convincing argument."

ZiQi ignored him.

"The split starts in two weeks."

Silence.

That part...

None of them could deny.

The new split was approaching quickly.

Scrim schedules were packed.

Every day mattered.

Even FengXiao sighed.

"...He's right."

JuHao nodded reluctantly.

"I know."

LiuLang had already picked up his tournament-issued phone.

"If Coach is supervising..."

"...We might as well."

The manager looked like he wanted to object.

Then he looked at ZiQi.

The tiny wolf was already staring at him.

Patiently.

Determinedly.

The same look he wore before every important draft meeting.

"...Fine."

The manager pointed a finger at him.

"But you."

"You are not reviewing."

"Not drafting."

"Not taking notes."

"Not moving around."

ZiQi blinked innocently.

"...Can I breathe?"

"Barely."

"...Cruel."

Ten minutes later...

Five tournament-issued phones sat neatly across the dining table.

Each player settled into their usual place.

The familiar loading screen appeared.

Five-man ranked queue.

The atmosphere slowly shifted.

Comfortably familiar.

Hero picks.

Lane assignments.

Timers.

Even without speaking much, everyone naturally slipped into the rhythm they'd built over months together.

Coach ZiQi...

Lay stretched across the sofa nearby.

Curled into a loose crescent.

His eyes appeared closed.

His breathing looked slow and even.

"...He's asleep," FengXiao whispered.

"I think so," Ziwei replied quietly.

"Good."

"He needs it."

The match began.

Eight minutes later...

"Dragon in twenty."

WuYan rotated toward mid.

JuHao invaded the enemy jungle.

"We have vision."

"I know."

"They're missing support."

"I know."

The game remained tense.

Then—

Thwap.

JuHao jumped so hard he nearly dropped his phone.

"What—"

He whipped around.

A fluffy white tail slowly withdrew.

"...Coach?"

The little wolf hadn't opened his eyes.

He looked...

Completely asleep.

"...Did..."

JuHao frowned.

"...Did Coach just hit me?"

Without opening his eyes, ZiQi's tail flicked again.

Thwap.

Right against JuHao's side.

A calm voice filled the room.

"You're going to get killed if you overextend like that."

Every player froze.

JuHao stared.

"...Coach?"

Another lazy tail slap.

"Go back."

A brief pause.

"And wait for WuYan."

"..."

WuYan looked between his own screen and JuHao's.

"...Actually..."

"...He's right."

JuHao reluctantly backed away.

Three seconds later—

Four enemy players emerged from the river bush.

"..."

JuHao swallowed.

"...I would've died."

"You would've exploded," WuYan corrected.

Another calm voice drifted from the sofa.

"Exactly."

Everyone slowly turned.

ZiQi still hadn't opened his eyes.

He hadn't even lifted his head.

"...Coach?"

"Hm?"

"...Were you..."

"...Watching?"

"No."

A beat.

"I was listening."

Silence.

LiuLang adjusted his glasses.

"...Listening."

"To the game."

"Yes."

"How?"

"The sound effects."

Another pause.

"JuHao also taps his screen harder whenever he's about to make a reckless decision."

JuHao looked personally attacked.

"...I do not."

"You do."

"No, I don't."

"You've done it for three years."

WuYan immediately nodded.

"...Actually..."

"...You really do."

FengXiao burst into laughter.

"I've never noticed!"

ZiQi finally cracked one eye open.

"There are four footsteps near red buff."

"WuYan."

"Rotate."

"You'll catch their marksman."

Without hesitation—

WuYan obeyed.

Five seconds later...

First Blood.

"..."

WuYan slowly looked back.

"...Coach."

"Yes?"

"...You didn't even look."

ZiQi yawned.

"I didn't need to."

Then he closed his eye again.

Within moments...

His breathing settled.

As if he'd genuinely fallen back asleep.

The room remained silent for several long seconds.

Finally...

JuHao looked at the others.

"...Is Coach..."

"...coaching us..."

"...in his sleep?"

Another soft voice drifted across the room.

"I'm awake."

"...Mostly."

By the third ranked game...

No one questioned it anymore.

"Enemy jungler started blue."

Coach's quiet voice drifted across the room.

His eyes remained closed.

JuHao frowned.

"...How do you know?"

"Support was late to lane."

"Mid cleared slower."

"Blue."

Three seconds later, LiuLang's scout skill revealed exactly that.

"...He's right," LiuLang muttered.

WuYan sighed dramatically.

"Of course he is."

Five minutes into the match—

"FengXiao."

"Hm?"

"You're holding your phone too tightly."

"...What?"

"Relax your thumbs."

"You panic-tap whenever someone disappears from the map."

FengXiao instinctively loosened his grip.

"...I do?"

"You've always done it."

"...How long have you known?"

"About eight months."

"..."

"...Why didn't you tell me?"

"You never asked."

Another minute passed.

"JuHao."

"...What?"

"You're smiling."

JuHao blinked.

"...How can you possibly know that?"

"I can't."

"...Then?"

"But I know the rhythm you tap your movement joystick with whenever you think you've found a winning angle."

JuHao looked horrified.

"...That's... oddly specific."

"You've been doing it since preseason."

WuYan laughed.

"So Coach really studies everything."

LiuLang quietly corrected him.

"No."

"I think Coach remembers everything."

The next match was even stranger.

Coach ZiQi remained curled into a fluffy white ball on the sofa.

Eyes closed.

Breathing slow.

Yet every few minutes—

"LiuLang."

"Your wave."

"I know."

"No."

"You don't."

"Look at top."

LiuLang glanced up.

"..."

"...Right."

He immediately rotated.

Seconds later, they secured the objective.

"Captain."

Ziwei looked up from his screen.

"You've started breathing through your mouth."

"...I have?"

"It means you're concentrating too hard."

"..."

Ziwei deliberately exhaled.

"...Better?"

"A little."

WuYan finally put his phone down during the loading screen.

"I refuse."

Everyone looked at him.

"I absolutely refuse to believe Coach isn't secretly watching us."

ZiQi didn't move.

"He isn't," the manager replied.

"I've been sitting here the whole time."

"He hasn't opened his eyes once."

WuYan pointed dramatically.

"Then explain."

LiuLang adjusted his glasses.

"I think..."

Everyone turned toward him.

"...Coach has memorised us."

Silence.

"The sounds."

"The timing."

"The way each of us plays."

"The tapping."

"The breathing."

"The heroes."

He looked around the room.

"He doesn't need to see."

"He already knows."

JuHao slowly lowered his phone.

"...That's..."

"...kind of terrifying."

"No."

Ziwei smiled faintly.

"...It's just Coach."

The final ranked game of the afternoon began.

The team settled into another familiar rhythm.

As expected—

Seven minutes in—

"Dragon in fifteen."

Coach's voice floated over.

Then—

"Support's hiding left."

"..."

"Wait."

"..."

"Now."

They listened.

The team fight unfolded exactly as predicted.

Victory.

Ten minutes.

"Back."

"Don't chase."

Another kill avoided.

Twelve minutes.

"Reset."

"Spend your gold."

Nobody questioned him anymore.

They simply listened.

And won.

Then...

Nothing.

At first...

No one noticed.

The game had reached the late stage.

Everyone was focused.

JuHao found himself overextending slightly.

Normally—

A tail would've smacked him.

A quiet reminder would've followed.

Instead...

Silence.

"...Coach?"

No response.

LiuLang missed a cannon minion.

Nothing.

WuYan took a risky angle.

Still nothing.

The apartment felt...

Different.

Ziwei was the first to look away from his screen.

"...Coach?"

The little white wolf hadn't moved.

He remained curled tightly against the sofa cushion.

His breathing was deeper now.

Slower.

More even.

Not the restless breathing from the previous night.

Peaceful.

Genuinely peaceful.

"Cover me for a second."

Without waiting for an answer, Ziwei stood and quietly crossed the room.

He crouched beside the sofa.

"...Coach?"

No ear flick.

No sleepy reply.

No sarcastic comment.

Just soft, steady breaths.

Carefully...

Ziwei rested the back of his fingers against the little wolf's forehead.

He paused.

Then checked again.

"..."

"...Manager."

The manager looked over immediately.

"What?"

Ziwei smiled.

It was small.

But unmistakably relieved.

"...He's cooler."

The manager was beside him in seconds.

He gently checked the little wolf himself.

Then let out the longest breath he'd taken all day.

"...The fever..."

His shoulders relaxed.

"...It's breaking."

Nobody spoke.

Not because they didn't want to.

Because relief hit all at once.

JuHao leaned back in his chair.

"...Finally."

FengXiao smiled so widely his cheeks hurt.

"I was really worried."

WuYan quietly set his phone down.

"...Me too."

Even LiuLang closed his notebook without writing a word.

The manager carefully pulled the blanket a little higher over ZiQi's sleeping body.

"He hasn't slept like this..."

"...since yesterday morning."

Ziwei remained beside the sofa.

Watching the tiny white wolf sleep.

This time...

There was no tension in his ears.

No frightened twitching.

No restless paws.

Every so often...

His tail gave a tiny, content flick.

Nothing more.

The apartment remained unusually quiet.

No one wanted to disturb him.

Not after everything.

For the first time in nearly two days...

Their head coach wasn't fighting himself.

He was simply...

Resting.

And somehow...

That felt like the biggest victory they'd earned all week.

The apartment was unusually peaceful the following morning.

For the first time in days, no one woke to frantic phone calls, panicked discussions, or an unconscious white wolf burning with fever.

Instead—

Soft paws padded across the kitchen floor.

ZiQi, still in his small white wolf form, sat beside JuHao while breakfast was being prepared.

"...Coach."

JuHao looked down.

"Yes?"

The little wolf stared pointedly at the eggs.

"You overcooked them."

JuHao blinked.

"...You can tell?"

"I have a nose."

"...Right."

FengXiao laughed.

"I think Coach's recovering."

"I'm recovered enough to criticise your cooking."

"That's definitely Coach."

The apartment filled with laughter.

It felt...

Normal.

Right on schedule, the doorbell rang.

Ziwei opened the door.

"Good morning."

ZiQi's older sister smiled as she stepped inside.

"Morning."

Her eyes immediately searched the apartment.

The moment they landed on the small white wolf sitting in the kitchen...

Her shoulders visibly relaxed.

"There you are."

ZiQi looked over.

"...Morning."

She crouched beside him.

Without warning, she placed a hand against the top of his head.

"...Hey."

"What?"

"I'm checking."

"...You're impossible."

"I've been called worse."

She gently felt around his ears before checking beneath his chin.

Then she smiled.

"The fever's gone."

The entire apartment seemed to breathe easier.

The manager actually slumped against the wall.

"...Thank goodness."

She nodded.

"His temperature's normal."

She scratched lightly beneath one white ear.

"And..."

She looked at her brother thoughtfully.

"...You've got more energy."

"I do."

"You even complained about breakfast."

"The eggs deserved it."

JuHao looked offended.

"I worked hard on those."

"They're still overcooked."

"...Rude."

"But."

The single word immediately caught everyone's attention.

Her smile became knowing.

"Recovery isn't over."

ZiQi sighed dramatically.

"I knew there'd be a 'but.'"

"There always is."

She stood.

"There is still one thing left."

Everyone waited.

She folded her arms.

"Wan Ziqi."

The little white wolf immediately became suspicious.

"...No."

"I haven't said anything."

"I know that tone."

"And the answer is still no."

The players looked between the siblings.

"...What's happening?" WuYan asked.

She smiled.

"It's time."

ZiQi groaned.

"No."

"...Time for what?" FengXiao asked.

She looked around the room.

"They've only ever seen your emergency form."

Silence.

"The pup."

Five players slowly looked toward the tiny white wolf.

Then back at her.

"...Emergency form?" LiuLang repeated.

She nodded.

"Yes."

She pointed at her brother.

"That isn't his actual wolf."

"..."

"...What?"

JuHao almost dropped his bowl.

"I told you yesterday."

"His wolf is supposed to be bigger than mine."

Everyone remembered.

They had simply...

Not expected to actually see it.

WuYan's eyes lit up.

"...Wait."

"...Coach."

"...You've been hiding your real wolf this whole time?"

ZiQi looked away.

"I fail to see how that's anyone's business."

"It is now," his sister replied.

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Absolutely."

The manager quietly took one step backwards.

"...I feel like I shouldn't be here for this."

"You absolutely should," WuYan whispered.

"This is family entertainment."

"Wan Ziqi."

"No."

"You promised."

"I promised no such thing."

"You promised to recover properly."

"I am."

"You are."

She nodded.

"And this is part of it."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"You're twenty-seven."

"I know."

"So stop acting like you're seven."

"I wasn't this stubborn at seven."

"You were worse."

"I disagree."

"I have photographs."

"..."

"...Low blow."

The players exchanged increasingly amused glances.

Ziwei had never imagined...

Ever...

That his calm, terrifyingly composed head coach could lose an argument so completely.

FengXiao carefully raised one hand.

"...Coach?"

"No."

"I haven't asked yet."

"I know what you're going to ask."

"...Can we see?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

WuYan joined in.

"Pretty please?"

"No."

JuHao.

"I'll cook better eggs."

"...Tempting."

"But no."

Even LiuLang spoke.

"...For scientific observation."

ZiQi stared.

"...Absolutely not."

The manager tried to hide a smile.

"You've got unanimous curiosity."

"I noticed."

His sister smiled sweetly.

"You see?"

"No."

"I literally do."

"I choose not to."

Five minutes later...

The argument had somehow become even more ridiculous.

"Wan Ziqi."

"No."

"Transform."

"No."

"You'll feel better."

"No."

"They're curious."

"They'll survive."

"I'll make you."

"You can't."

"I absolutely can."

"...Jie."

"What?"

"...You're embarrassing me."

She blinked innocently.

"I learned from the best."

"I regret teaching you confidence."

"You taught me persistence."

"I definitely regret that."

The room dissolved into laughter.

Even Ziwei had to look away to hide his smile.

Finally...

ZiQi let out the deepest sigh anyone had ever heard.

"...Fine."

Everyone instantly became quiet.

"...Really?" WuYan asked.

"No."

His sister looked at him.

He sighed again.

"...Fine."

"...Really."

She smiled triumphantly.

"I knew you'd make the right decision."

"I was emotionally blackmailed."

"Correct."

The little white wolf stood.

He stretched once.

Then looked toward everyone.

"...If any of you laugh..."

"No one will," Ziwei promised immediately.

The others nodded just as quickly.

"We won't."

"...Promise?"

"We promise."

ZiQi closed his eyes.

The apartment grew still.

A familiar shimmer spread across his white fur.

Unlike before, it wasn't unstable.

It flowed smoothly over his body.

His tiny frame began to grow.

Longer legs.

Broader shoulders.

His chest expanded.

His neck became thicker.

The soft puppy fluff settled into a dense, sleek winter-white coat.

His paws grew large enough that each one was nearly the size of a human hand.

His tail lengthened into a magnificent plume.

The transformation continued until—

The shimmer faded.

Silence filled the living room.

Where the tiny white wolf had stood...

Now stood an adult wolf.

He was taller than his sister had been in her wolf form.

Powerfully built without being bulky.

His snow-white coat seemed almost luminous in the morning sunlight, while his icy blue eyes remained unmistakably ZiQi's.

His ears stood tall and alert.

His calm posture radiated quiet confidence.

For a long moment...

No one spoke.

Then WuYan whispered the only thing that came to mind.

"...Coach."

The enormous white wolf looked at him.

"...Yes?"

"...You're..."

WuYan blinked.

"...Huge."

ZiQi sighed.

"I know."

"...This is why I preferred being a pup."

The players could only stare.

Their tiny, grumpy, blanket-loving "Coach Pup"...

Had been hiding a majestic adult wolf all along.

The next week passed in a blur.

ZiQi's fever never returned.

True to his sister's instructions, he spent several days willingly remaining in his adult wolf form whenever the team was back at the dorm. At first, it had been awkward.

Then...

It had simply become normal.

The players stopped jumping every time a large white wolf silently padded into the kitchen.

They stopped questioning why their coach preferred lying on the cool floor while reviewing scrim footage.

They even stopped being surprised when he calmly pointed out macro mistakes without bothering to transform back into a human.

Somehow...

Life adjusted.

And eventually...

ZiQi transformed back into his human form on his own.

Not because he felt forced to.

Because he wanted to.

His sister noticed immediately.

She didn't say much.

She only smiled.

Then went home.

Today...

It was tournament day.

The familiar sounds of the arena echoed beyond the waiting room walls.

Fans.

Announcements.

Production staff calling countdowns.

The muffled roar of the audience every time a previous match reached an exciting moment.

Inside the waiting room...

Everything looked exactly as it always had.

ZiQi sat comfortably on the sofa.

Human.

His usual glasses rested neatly on the bridge of his nose.

A clipboard balanced on one knee.

Several draft notes lay spread across the coffee table.

"If they first-pick Jing..."

He tapped the paper with his pen.

"We don't immediately answer with Lam."

JuHao nodded while sipping from a bottle of water.

"I remember."

"Good."

"LiuLang."

"Hm?"

"Your last three scrims."

ZiQi flipped a page.

"You've been rotating twelve seconds too late after clearing mid."

"I know."

"Fix it."

"I will."

WuYan leaned back in his chair.

"What if they ban both Lady Sun and Arli?"

Without looking up, ZiQi replied immediately.

"Then they have no intention of playing through bottom lane."

"Punish top."

"Simple."

"...Right."

The room fell into the familiar rhythm everyone knew.

Questions.

Answers.

Draft discussions.

Tiny strategic adjustments.

Completely ordinary.

FengXiao watched the scene quietly.

Then...

His gaze drifted toward his coach.

Black hair.

Neatly pressed team jacket.

Calm expression.

Pen tapping thoughtfully against the notebook.

Nothing unusual.

Nothing at all.

It was almost...

Strange.

"...FengXiao."

He blinked.

"Yes, Coach?"

"You've been staring at me for thirty seconds."

"...Sorry."

"What are you thinking about?"

He hesitated.

"...Nothing."

ZiQi looked at him over the top of his glasses.

"That's rarely true."

The room chuckled softly.

FengXiao rubbed the back of his neck.

"I just..."

He smiled awkwardly.

"...It's weird."

"Weird?"

"You look..."

He gestured vaguely.

"...Normal."

ZiQi stared at him.

"I would hope so."

"No."

"I mean..."

FengXiao struggled to explain.

"It feels like..."

He laughed sheepishly.

"...Last week didn't happen."

Silence settled over the waiting room.

JuHao slowly nodded.

"...Yeah."

WuYan leaned forward.

"I was literally thinking the same thing."

LiuLang closed the notebook he'd been reading.

"Our memories conflict with visual reality."

Everyone looked at him.

He adjusted his glasses.

"What?"

"You've made it sound like a science paper," WuYan sighed.

"It is an accurate description."

Ziwei smiled faintly.

"It does feel that way."

He looked at ZiQi.

"If someone told me we'd imagined everything..."

"I'd almost believe them."

The manager laughed quietly from the corner.

"I wouldn't."

Everyone looked at him.

"I still have scratch marks on my hoodie."

He pointed toward ZiQi.

"Courtesy of someone who didn't want to be carried."

ZiQi coughed.

"...I was ill."

"You were dramatic."

"I was dignified."

"You hissed at me."

"I object to the wording."

"You absolutely hissed."

"I expressed concern."

"You bit my sleeve."

"I expressed stronger concern."

Laughter filled the waiting room.

Even ZiQi couldn't completely suppress the smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

A comfortable silence settled over the room afterwards.

ZiQi returned to reviewing the draft.

His pen moved steadily across the page.

As though...

Nothing extraordinary had ever happened.

No one mentioned wolves.

No one mentioned fevers.

No one mentioned sleeping under couches or being carried around the apartment.

Life had continued.

Practices resumed.

Scrims resumed.

Matches resumed.

To anyone walking past the waiting room door...

It looked like any other professional team preparing for an important series.

A head coach reviewing strategies.

Five players listening attentively.

A manager checking schedules.

Perfectly ordinary.

But the people inside the room knew better.

Ziwei watched his coach quietly.

He noticed little things now.

The way ZiQi unconsciously tilted his head whenever he concentrated.

How his hearing seemed almost impossibly sharp whenever someone spoke near the doorway.

How he preferred sitting where he could see everyone at once.

Things he would never have thought about before.

Things that suddenly made sense.

ZiQi looked up from his notes.

"Our opponent likes contesting the second Overlord regardless of gold difference."

Everyone's attention immediately snapped back to the draft.

The conversation continued naturally.

As if nothing had changed.

Yet...

Everything had.

Because now, when they looked at the man sitting on the sofa...

They didn't just see their brilliant head coach.

They also remembered the tiny white wolf who had hidden under a couch because he thought taking up less space would make life easier.

And the magnificent adult wolf who had reluctantly stood in the middle of their living room after years of hiding.

Neither image replaced the other.

Both were simply...

Coach.

Exactly as he was.

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