Chapter 87 — Halloween
Today was Halloween.
Only then did Ethan remember—Penny was hosting a costume party at her apartment.
The party started at seven.
There were barely ten minutes left.
Clearly, there was no time to prepare any kind of costume.
He glanced down at his white lab coat… then at the stethoscope on the table.
"…Whatever."
What started as a joke had officially become real.
He slung the stethoscope around his neck and headed out.
After all, Halloween was about roleplay—
And being a doctor… was a role too.
To be honest, Ethan had never really understood Americans' obsession with Halloween.
In his mind, the true meaning of a holiday should be—
a day off.
Thanksgiving? Four-day weekend.
Christmas plus New Year? Easily stretches into ten days.
Even Memorial Day somehow turns into a long weekend.
But Halloween?
You dress up like a lunatic, party till midnight—
Then drag yourself to work the next morning with dark circles and smeared face paint.
And that counts as celebrating?
Oh—but then again.
Halloween did have one… very clear advantage.
On this day, women everywhere enthusiastically embraced "roleplay."
Students, office workers, good girls—
All transforming into characters like Nami.
Some even broke through "career boundaries" entirely—
Sexy cop.
Sexy nurse.
Sexy maid.
Sexy tutor.
When you looked at it that way…
Ethan suddenly understood the true significance of Halloween.
Objectively speaking—
This holiday probably made a meaningful contribution to birth rates.
And honestly, that might just be one of capitalism's better features.
It openly, unapologetically encouraged people to socialize, get closer… and let things happen.
Unlike back in his previous life—
Where even something like Singles' Day, originally meant for lonely people to connect—
Had been forcibly turned into a nationwide shopping frenzy.
Falling birth rates?
Hard not to blame corporations that would sacrifice the future for short-term profit.
Frankly, those businesses deserved to be punished.
Ethan drove back toward the Upper West Side, his thoughts drifting through these "grand social issues."
By the time he reached the apartment, it was already around 7:30.
Foreigners really did have that laid-back energy.
The party started at seven—
And yet at 7:30, only a handful of people had shown up.
---
The four-man group, however, was already fully dressed and stationed in Penny's living room.
Leonard had dressed up as Frodo from The Lord of the Rings.
Raj was Thor.
Howard was dressed as Peter Pan—though he insisted he was actually Robin Hood.
But the most incredible one—
Was Sheldon.
He had dressed up as the Doppler Effect.
Not Doppler the person.
The effect.
Ethan stared at him for two seconds, then sighed sincerely:
"You're officially the only one here who's abandoned even the concept of being human."
---
Ethan went home first, took a quick shower, rested a bit—
Then put his white coat back on and headed out again.
When Ethan returned to Penny's apartment again, the place was finally alive.
The crowd had grown.
Penny's outfit immediately stood out.
She looked like a sleek, sharp-edged Catwoman, dazzling even in a room full of costumes.
A short black jacket hung loosely open, revealing a fitted bandeau top underneath.
Her waistline was completely on display—tight, clean, and confidently unapologetic.
A black tutu-style skirt swayed lightly with every step, as if she carried her own rhythm into the party.
And the most eye-catching detail—
The bright pink choker around her neck, glinting under the lights.
Was that… a collar with tiny bells?
---
Ethan was still trying to figure it out when Penny rushed over and hooked her arm through his.
"Look! Aren't we the perfect match—dark Catwoman and light-side doctor!"
Sheldon, expressionless, cut in:
"More like the Black and White Impermanence from Eastern folklore."
Penny shot him a glare, stubbornly insisting it was a couple's outfit.
To be fair—
They did look good.
They did match.
And yes… they really did look like Black and White Reapers.
The party atmosphere ramped up quickly.
More people arrived, the music got louder, and the air filled with alcohol and perfume.
Penny's social circle was… enormous.
Especially the women.
There were a lot of them.
And they were dressed… very minimally.
An oddly high number of them were dressed as nurses and female doctors.
Which technically made Ethan feel like he'd found "colleagues"—
Except their style leaned more toward adult film aesthetics than anything remotely medical.
Ethan, meanwhile, stood there as the only one going full realism.
---
And so—
The only actual "doctor" in the room quickly became surrounded by a group of "movie-style nurses."
One after another, they closed in, their tones increasingly suggestive:
"Doctor, is there anything you'd like me to do? Just say the word."
"Doctor, I don't feel so well… could you examine me?"
Ethan: "..."
And Penny?
The one who had promised to "block trouble" for him—
Was now standing off to the side, watching the show with a grin.
She even pulled out her phone.
Absolutely zero intention of helping.
Among the remaining four guys, the most unexpectedly popular turned out to be—
Thor-version Raj
and…
Doppler Effect Sheldon.
Thor was easy to understand.
But Sheldon?
That was because no one understood what he was saying.
The girls simply assumed he was some kind of "awkward genius with social difficulties"—
And instantly activated full maternal instincts.
This party completely failed Sheldon's expectations.
He had originally assumed there would be:
A costume presentation segment
Judges scoring each outfit
Awards like Best Costume, Scariest, Most Realistic
He himself had been aiming for Best Visual Effect.
---
When Ethan told him:
"There are no judges. No scoring."
Sheldon went silent for three seconds.
"…Then what exactly is the point of this costume party?"
Ethan explained seriously:
"The core of a party is social interaction—meeting new people."
"The most popular individuals gain the most attention, the most choices—"
"And, from a sociological perspective, greater reproductive opportunities."
Sheldon was convinced.
Not because of anything romantic—
But because the moment you mentioned human reproduction and social stability,
he was always fully on board.
Leonard wanted to go talk to Penny's friends—
But had absolutely no idea how to start.
Sheldon adjusted his posture.
"I may be able to assist."
He began analyzing:
"Much like Jane Goodall observing chimpanzees, I've noticed that initial interactions appear chaotic and unstructured…"
"But over time, patterns emerge. They develop their own communication system."
Leonard leaned in, interested.
"And then?"
Sheldon continued:
"When a newcomer approaches an existing group, they typically say something like—
'Do I look drunk?'"
"And then the group responds with welcoming noises—something along the lines of 'bro'."
Leonard blinked.
"…And then?"
Sheldon shrugged.
"That's as far as my observations go."