This night was perhaps a little different. At the very least, compared to the ones before, it held a few more traces of an unusual crimson hue.
In the room, Inori sat on the bed fiddling with her laptop. An animated film had just finished playing on it. Watching the characters and thinking about the plot, she could not help softly humming to herself.
One hand was raised in the air, moving up and down as though testing the notes. The tune she hummed was irregular, yet unexpectedly beautiful.
Before Chu Lian entered the Dungeon Space, Inori had been the kind of girl who would cling to her even while sleeping. But during the days Chu Lian was away, she had quickly learned to adapt to sleeping alone.
Even though she very much wanted things to return to how they had been back then, she knew now was not the time. She had monopolized Chu Lian's time for quite a while already. It was only right to let the other girls spend some time living with her too.
Besides, she could use this time to gradually learn about the world so that when she lived together with Chu Lian in the future, no accidents would happen.
Next semester, she also planned to attend Sudi High School. Although she was three years older than Chu Lian and the others and would be entering the second year of high school, at least she could be with them. That alone was enough.
The more she learned about this world, the more curious she became about Chu Lian. That girl almost seemed as though she did not belong to this world at all. Perhaps it was only her illusion, but that was how she felt.
But then again, she herself had crossed over directly in the flesh, while all the other girls without physical bodies had fallen into a long sleep. If Chu Lian had also crossed over from elsewhere, then she should not have had family. She should have been drifting around like a lonely ghost.
"No matter what, being able to meet Lian is the greatest fortune of my life." Closing the laptop, she picked up a pen and awkwardly began writing Mandarin characters on white paper beneath the lamplight.
She could understand Mandarin because Eve had copied Chu Lian's knowledge in that area to her, but that did not mean she could write it. That still required practice.
Yet the feeling of watching character after character take shape beneath her pen was truly wonderful. It was like discovering a new hobby, one that made her unable to resist sinking into it.
Her pink hair swayed gently with the movement of her hands. Her beauty was like a painting, like a song.
In the quiet stillness, Mana's soul suddenly appeared on her bed. Hugging her knees and tilting her head, she gazed gently at the girl who should originally have been her copy.
Now, she too had begun to possess a human soul, human emotions, and someone she liked.
Everything from the past had already vanished like smoke. From now on, she, Inori, and Eve would all be people at Chu Lian's side.
"What is it, Mana?" Seeming to sense someone watching her, Inori looked up. Seeing her gentle expression, she asked in confusion.
"I just saw a very beautiful future. Inori, may I come out often in the future? I don't need your body. A soul is enough."
Mana's eyes were filled with hope. Right now, she desperately wanted to use her own body to touch this world, but unfortunately, she could not.
Still, even without a body, she could move around as a soul. The strength of her soul had already condensed to a certain level. As long as it was not an especially powerful energy attack, nothing could harm her.
That being the case, walking through the outside world had become the next thing she wanted to do.
"You can." Inori smiled faintly. It would be best if Mana could come out. Once everyone had emerged in the future, they would no longer be strangers to this world.
"Honestly, what's so good about her? She always makes everything so troublesome. I'm starting to regret entrusting you to her in the first place. Just look at what the two of you have become now." A purple figure appeared amidst a faint glimmer of light. Before her form had even fully gathered, her voice arrived first.
"Eve, before you say things like that, you should remember that a lot of the trouble was solved because you stepped forward to help her of your own accord. You obviously care about her, so why act like this?" Hearing her words, Mana covered her lips and laughed.
"Hmph. Who told that bastard sword of hers to treat me like that? She ruined all my dignity. No matter what, I'm still the aggregate of the Apocalypse Virus and the world's consciousness. How could I not be angry after being bullied like that by her?" Was Eve tsundere? She was definitely proud, but not exactly coy. If she felt something was wrong, she said it outright.
"Well, you were the one who provoked her first. If you hadn't wanted to transfer the identity of the Apocalypse Virus' mother host onto Chu Lian, she wouldn't have gotten angry." Although Eve's words were not wrong, Seven Illusions had truly only been protecting Chu Lian.
"How was I supposed to know her body had such terrifying potential? Wasn't I worried that something might happen to her in the dangerous future you talked about? That's why I gave her the identity of the Apocalypse Virus' mother host. How was I supposed to know it would turn out like this?" Sitting on the bed in the duck-sit position, she stroked her purple hair with one hand and spoke in a dissatisfied tone.
"Lian's bloodline rank is very high." Strictly speaking, the Apocalypse Virus could also be counted as a kind of bloodline, and the rank of that bloodline was by no means low. At the very least, it would not be lower than third rank.
If a bloodline of that level were given to an ordinary person, it would be like ascending to heaven in a single step. Taking on mechas alone or cleaving a skyscraper in two with one sword would not be impossible.
But that did not work when placed on Chu Lian and the girls around her, because not a single one of their bloodlines ranked below second rank.
Although it was unclear why humans possessed such absurd bloodline ranks, it also proved one thing: Chu Lian's origins were absolutely not simple. Otherwise, it would have been impossible for so many "beloved children of the world" to gather at her side.
"I didn't know before, did I?" Eve shrugged. She had only been saying it casually just now. Entrusting Inori to Chu Lian was the most correct thing she had ever done.
To help her, there were times when Inori had not even asked for assistance before she appeared on her own. Even if it left her utterly drained, it did not matter.
That alone was enough to show just how much she cared about Chu Lian. In that respect, she was far more straightforward than the tsundere Cai Ya.
"Mana, you could try asking her whether there's some way to get you a body. I think as long as it isn't a body with an extremely high bloodline rank or talent, it shouldn't be difficult. Of course, if you do that, your future prospects will be limited. Breaking through later would be a bit troublesome."
Eve's suggestion made Mana's eyes brighten. This was indeed a way to regain a body, to stop residing inside Inori and once again use her own flesh to perceive the world.
"Let's wait. She's had too many troubles lately. Once those are dealt with, I'll ask her for help. If it's too difficult, then there's no need. After all, I don't want to trouble her." Mana was moved, but she would not burden Chu Lian lightly.
There were already too many matters entangled around her. She had only just managed to rest a little recently. If she became busy again because of this, Mana would feel bad about it too.
The fact that she could tease Chu Lian, or even hold the advantage in bed, did not mean she lacked consideration or failed to think about Chu Lian's circumstances. In the end, her nature was still that of a somewhat strange, yet very gentle big sister.
"I think she definitely has a way. Don't you know her other identity? Spacetime Traveling Merchant. That identity lets her move freely through the myriad worlds and trade with any sentient creature. As long as you tell her, she'll definitely keep an eye out for you."
Eve had persuaded Mana, yet for the time being Mana still did not want to leave Inori's body.
Because the energy of her soul was too powerful, entering just any body would cause that body to shatter. More importantly, if the physical body's strength was insufficient, it would limit her power and prevent her from displaying Heaven-rank combat ability.
Inside Inori's body, however, there was no such concern. Inori's body was naturally compatible with her energy. Even if the body's physical strength was not yet very high, there would be no problem at all with bringing out Heaven-rank combat power.
"I'll tell Lian." Just as Mana was about to say something more, Inori interrupted. Looking at the strange radiance in Mana's eyes, she said gently, "I want Mana to be able to come out freely too. At the very least, you won't have to be imprisoned here anymore, right?"
"Inori, thank you..." Mana did not refuse, because this was her dream. Whenever she saw the other girls moving freely through this world, she felt an envious longing. She wanted that kind of life too.
"It's only a small matter." Inori shook her head. She herself had thought about this before as well. If the girl had not been so busy, this matter should already have been under preparation long ago.
"Inori, you're becoming more and more like her." Mana tilted her head and watched her for a while, then suddenly burst into laughter.
"I think so too. Inori, no matter what, don't let Chu Lian's shamelessness, sharp tongue, scheming, tsundere tendencies, and lewd aura infect you in the future. Otherwise, I'll have to settle the score with her." The way Inori had spoken just now had been far too similar to Chu Lian. Both girls felt an overwhelming sense of déjà vu.
"I won't." Inori did not know why they were so worried, but she still shook her head. At the very least, she could not let them think that way.
"That's good." Actually, they were not truly worried about that. On the contrary, the more Inori became like Chu Lian, the more it meant she was becoming like a real person, and that made them very happy.
Still, well... if Chu Lian were not Chu Lian, there probably would not be many people who could tolerate that sort of personality. Of course, even if Inori really did become like that, it was not as though they could not accept it. They just still hoped she would have a personality of her own.
"She's probably gone off to flirt with those girls again. Honestly, even though she's a girl herself, she's more enthusiastic about this sort of thing than those restless boys." Eve's spiritual awareness was extremely high. She immediately sensed the situation around them. Frowning lightly, she sounded faintly disdainful.
"That's just the way she is. She likes this kind of thing." Compared to Inori and Eve, Mana had already thoroughly seen through and accepted this side of Chu Lian. What would a girl like that become under her training? It should be very interesting.
"Hah, forget it. The more I think about her, the more I want to beat her up." Eve shook her head. Only in front of these two girls, whose hearts were so attuned to hers, would she put down her proud mask and chat without reserve like she was with the people closest to her.
"Come to think of it, Lian's strength has been stuck here for quite a while now. I wonder what's going on. Her combat power keeps increasing, but her attributes and spiritual power haven't changed at all. It's really strange." As they chatted, the topic eventually turned to the changes in Chu Lian's current strength.
"I think it'll be resolved very soon." Eve possessed the highest strength of the three, so she could see this matter most clearly, and her words carried authority. "Although it looks like she hasn't cultivated at all these past few days, aside from fighting, I can still sense..."
At that point, Eve paused, as though organizing her thoughts. "I can sense that her strength is slowly settling into balance. Once it reaches a certain point, that balance will shatter in an instant, and her power will rapidly surge like a volcanic eruption. Her strength had always grown like this before. It's just that this time, because she's crossing ranks, it's been brewing for longer."
"Balancing the attributes of her body, combat experience, battle awareness, the condensation of spiritual power, and so on?" Although Mana possessed the ability of "foretelling," when it came to combat she was actually the weakest of the three. Still, she made up for it with the ease with which she could see through many things and understand them with a single hint.
"That's right. Once all of that is fully balanced, her strength will become like a fountain bursting through a sheet of ice, rising all at once." Eve nodded. She was looking forward to that moment.
"I see." After hearing those words, Mana fell silent for a while, then said to Inori, "Inori, once her strength reaches Earth rank, tell her then, all right?"
"All right." Inori was not foolish. After thinking for a moment, she understood Mana's meaning and nodded in agreement.
While the three of them were chatting, from another room came intense gasping. "Mmhn~" Soft, dreamlike moans layered together, as though signaling that something was happening.
Under the bright lights, on the wide bed, a blonde girl wearing only white stockings and a short-haired girl wearing only black stockings were wrapped around each other, kissing as their hands roamed over each other's bodies, taking what they wanted.
"Lux, you're going to lose this time. You'll reach the peak before I do." Leaning against her neck, Ruriko Nana wore a smug smile on her face. Looking at the flushed Lux beneath her, whose eyes were already closed, she felt deeply satisfied.
"Not necessarily." Opening her eyes and forcibly suppressing that sensation, the girl flipped her beneath her and pressed a kiss down with her red lips...
"Mmnh... y-you're cheating..." Feeling that something was wrong with her own body, Nana expressed her dissatisfaction with Lux's behavior. How could she do this?
"I'm not." Lifting her head, she licked her lips and simply refused to admit that what she had done counted as cheating.
"Mmph~" Her voice sounded like a plaintive sob. She was almost at her limit...
Yet at that very moment, their bedroom door was suddenly pushed open. Wearing only a nightgown, Chu Lian bounced cheerfully inside, then froze beside their bed.
"Ah, Chu Lian!" Although she already knew Chu Lian was aware of the relationship between herself and Lux, being seen like this was still terribly embarrassing.
Only Lux's azure eyes brightened. With one hand, she dragged Chu Lian over and tossed her onto the bed. Even as she jumped off the bed to shut the door, she did not forget to instruct Ruriko Nana, "Don't let her run..."
"Sorry, Chu Lian..." Reaching out to pin down the dazed Chu Lian, Ruriko Nana waited for Lux to return, then the two of them pressed her beneath them together...