"..."
Silence. In the girl's eyes, Kurosaki Satsuki—who had just taken off her top, wearing only a skirt and clutching Tybaulk in her arms—looked far too strange. She resembled one of those suggestive heroines from certain fanservice photo collections. Though those girls might simply pose for the sake of a photoshoot, could it be that she really...?
"..."
Silence. The white-haired girl remained silent as well. She had only felt a bit warm and wanted to take off her top before sleeping. Who could have known that the moment she finished removing it—while it was still hanging in her hand—Chu Lian would walk in? Even she had no idea how to explain this scene. Was she supposed to say she was just going to sleep? But then how would she explain taking off her clothes? Because it was hot? That made no sense at all.
"..."
Silence. Chu Lian wanted to speak, to break the bizarre atmosphere, but the sight before her was simply too suggestive. Her thoughts couldn't help drifting in strange directions. Did the girl really have some unusual hobby? Would being caught make her feel embarrassed? If she spoke and the girl darkened again and challenged her to another fight, that would be troublesome.
"..."
Silence. The white-haired girl desperately wanted to explain, yet she had no idea how to handle a situation like this. All she could do was remain silent—so silent that she didn't even know how to begin clarifying herself. A feeling of mortified humiliation welled up inside her. Had she become some kind of pervert in Chu Lian's eyes? The kind of girl so unsatisfied that she would vent her urges on stuffed animals? This was awful.
"..."
Silence. There was truly nothing but silence now. Was she not speaking because she was tacitly admitting something? She was admitting it, wasn't she? My heavens, why would you have such a strange preference? You actually... actually... you'd rather give it to a bear than to me. That's just outrageous! Ahem—I mean, why a stuffed bear? Wouldn't your hands be better?
"..."
Silence. Why did her gaze feel so strange? So she really thinks I'm a pervert, doesn't she? I never intended to do anything weird. I just wanted to take off my clothes and sleep. It's a bit warm right now—I can't help it. Although she knew very well the warmth came from being wrapped too tightly in the blanket, not from the temperature itself. If she said that, Chu Lian definitely wouldn't believe her.
"..."
Silence. Suddenly, she felt envious of those little stuffed animals. They actually got to engage in something suggestive with a flat-chested, white-haired, red-eyed emotionless girl. It really made one curious about what might happen next. But her clothes were still on, so it probably wasn't anything truly explicit... probably not. After all, stuffed animals couldn't possibly enjoy that sort of thing. And the white-haired girl's expression didn't look suspicious either. Maybe I'm overthinking it?
"..."
Silence. She knew that if this continued, the situation would only grow more and more awkward. But there was no helping it—her behavior really did look strange. It was inevitable that Chu Lian would imagine something inappropriate. Perhaps she hadn't understood such matters before, but after accepting Chu Lian's memories, it would be stranger not to understand. If I had known, I would have deleted all memories related to this sort of thing. How was I supposed to know that my predecessor was such an H person?
"..."
Silence. Chu Lian truly, truly wanted to speak. Time had already slipped by in this bizarre atmosphere. She was certain that if five minutes passed and she still hadn't gone downstairs to eat, her mother would demonstrate exactly what proper discipline meant. The five minutes she'd been given were not for calling Kurosaki Satsuki—it was a warning. If it wasn't resolved in five minutes, her mother would resolve her instead.
"..."
Silence. Why do I suddenly feel like hugging a pillow and hiding under the blanket? I clearly haven't done anything, yet under her gaze it's become something like this. It's nerve-wracking, okay? I'm not that kind of person. Wait—why am I even thinking of myself as that kind of person? Am I really a pervert?
"..."
Silence. This can't continue. If I keep thinking like this, all sorts of absurd ideas will surface. What if the girl gets hurt because of it? But what kind of injury is this supposed to be? The real question is whether she was actually doing something suggestive or not, isn't it?
"..."
Silence. I really was just hot. But now it suddenly feels chilly. Is it the night breeze, or am I just too exposed? Hmm... too exposed? Wait—I did just take off my top. So right now I'm only wearing white underwear?
"Ah!"
Realizing this at last, the white-haired girl could no longer remain silent. She yanked up the blanket to cover herself, her face flushed bright red. "Get out! I need to change!"
"Oh—oh..."
Chu Lian let out a breath of relief. Finally, the strange atmosphere had broken. Even a scream was better than that silent pantomime. If not for her excellent acting skills, she would have fled long ago.
Of course, since the girl told her to leave, she had to comply. Don't be fooled by Kurosaki Satsuki's expressionless appearance—she was in fact extremely shy about exposing certain parts of her body.
Going barefoot was merely a habit. Showing her thighs wasn't a big deal either. But anything above the midpoint of her thighs or below her shoulders—if exposed—would make her mortified beyond endurance.
"Well, once you're done, remember to come downstairs for dinner. Your body's still weak. Don't overdo it." As if suddenly recalling something, Chu Lian turned back and reminded her.
Smack—
A pillow flew toward her. Chu Lian quickly shut the door, letting it collide against the wooden panel with a crisp thud.
"Phew. As expected, she's embarrassed and angry..." Patting her flat chest, Chu Lian compared it to Kurosaki Satsuki's in her mind. Hmm. I'm only thirteen, and she's already sixteen and only an A. I can definitely surpass her!
"Honestly..." Lowering her head, the blush on Kurosaki Satsuki's face gradually faded. She bit her lower lip. "She absolutely can't let her say anything about this. Otherwise I..."
Otherwise what?
She couldn't beat her in a fight. She was living in her house, eating her food, using her things. Even her life had been saved by her—not once, but three times if including the rooftop incident.
She could practically be considered Chu Lian's personal property. As someone's property, resisting was already inappropriate. Becoming a rival was even more so—let alone raising a hand against her.
The rooftop incident had been unavoidable. Now she could control herself. If she struck again, it would be her own will. That would be repaying kindness with hostility.
"No matter what, let's just pretend it never happened." In truth, there was nothing else she could do. She could only hope Chu Lian hadn't overthought things.
"Forget it. Time to eat." She placed Tybaulk at the head of the bed, put her top back on, and glanced around the room. Barefoot, she stepped off the bed and picked up the pillow, setting it back in place.
"Tybaulk, I'm going to eat. Just stay here." She turned back to say this to the motionless teddy bear before closing the door.
Given her personality, she shouldn't have agreed so quickly. Unfortunately, what had just happened left her with no choice. Her sense of embarrassment was about to explode. If she stayed there any longer, she had no idea what absurd thoughts might arise.
The best solution now was to let the lively atmosphere downstairs wash away those strange notions. Even she didn't understand why such thoughts had appeared in the first place—or why, based on her predecessor's memories, her mind would wander to such mortifying ideas.
This was all Chu Lian's fault!
"Hm? Where's Satsuki?" Li Mingxue, who had been chatting and laughing with the girls, noticed Chu Lian coming downstairs. She glanced behind her and, seeing no sign of the white-haired girl, asked.
"She should be coming down in a bit. Let's just wait a little longer." Chu Lian kept her mouth tightly shut about what had happened. Whether it was real or merely her imagination, saying it out loud would damage the girl's reputation. She refused to do such a thing.
Of course, she was even more afraid that her mother would catch her with that dangerous smile and pull her into a merciless embrace. After all, her thoughts had been so outrageous that anyone would feel compelled to pry open her skull and see what exactly was inside.
A girl-and-bear taboo fantasy? Just how far had her integrity fallen for her mind to be this corrupted?
"Oh right, Mom—Anna said she wants to go to school. Is that okay?" Chu Lian still remembered what Anna had said earlier. Since she wanted to attend school, there shouldn't be any problem at her age, right? But the idea of her going to school together with her... a twelve-year-old girl calling her Mommy and attending classes alongside her...
What is this intense young-wife, young-mother vibe? Am I destined to be surrounded by lolis? I refuse!
"Mm, we'll enroll her next semester when school starts. For now, let her study properly at home. And she needs to adjust her temperament. With her current personality, she'll be easily isolated. No matter what, she's your daughter. If something goes wrong, it won't reflect well on you." After thinking it over, Li Mingxue agreed to Anna's request.
However, she had her own arrangements. The moment she voiced them, they were final.
So even if Anna's lips were already puffed out enough to hang an oil bottle from them, Chu Lian wouldn't try to change her mother's mind. Well, she wasn't the one who made the decision—Mother did. If Anna was unhappy, she could go talk to her. Mother would definitely have a "good" conversation with her.
"Um... I'm sorry..." After everything that had happened—and after absorbing that person's memories—Kurosaki Satsuki had matured somewhat. At the very least, she understood basic courtesy now. When she came downstairs and saw that no one had touched their chopsticks, she realized they had been waiting for her, and she felt genuinely apologetic.
"It's fine. Come, Satsuki, sit here." Li Mingxue smiled and beckoned for the white-haired girl to sit beside her.
Kurosaki Satsuki glanced around. The round dining table had ten seats. Only the two to Li Mingxue's right remained empty. With no other choice, she walked over and took the seat next to her.
"Alright, everyone's here. Let's celebrate Lian'er's safe return from her long journey." After saying a few words, Li Mingxue picked up her chopsticks first.
"Everyone eating together like this feels wonderful. If more and more people join us in the future, we'll probably need a bigger table. The rooms are spacious enough, though. It would be nice to fill those empty spaces with more people. I like this kind of life. I like a family being together." After what felt both distant and fleeting in that dungeon journey, Chu Lian sensed that her state of mind had grown.
An exciting life was necessary. But if one lived every day on edge, wearing a mask at all times, it would be unbearably exhausting.
She didn't want to live that way anymore. Returning to a simple, peaceful life—that was what she truly needed, wasn't it?