Chapter 202. Now It's—Kiana Time!
"Hss... mm..."
Kiana opened her eyes. The faint sting in her head made her knit her brows; she couldn't help raising a hand to rub at her temple.
Just then, a soft groan sounded by her ear. A warm hand suddenly pressed against her cheek, shoving her head aside—thud!—it landed on something else that was soft yet faintly poked at her.
"Hm?"
The fall left her a little dazed, but Kiana quickly came to.
Someone's next to me?
She rubbed her eyes, and the corner night-light that flicked on at her movement bathed the living room in a gentle glow, enough for Kiana to see her surroundings.
"This is..."
In the spacious living room, a big floor bedding sprawled across the floor with several girls lying in a messy heap, all huddled together, snoring away. She was at the very edge; the hand that had just pushed her away had to be Sirin's beside her.
Looking at the obvious wet patch on Sirin's chest, Kiana instantly understood why her "pillow" had felt soft yet oddly pokey.
My bad, my bad. She's not that big to begin with—please don't let me flatten them.
She said a quick prayer in her heart, and her memories slowly stirred awake.
At Dr. Mobius's birthday party, she'd dragged Xander Masato, trying to get him drunk, and ended up zonked after two glasses herself. She had no idea what happened after that.
From the looks of it now, someone must've carried them back, right? Was it Xander?
Speaking of Xander...
She looked around carefully again—only girls, no sign of Xander.
It was still dark outside. Had he not come back yet, or was he upstairs?
Forget it—don't think about that for now. Seeing that big wet patch on Sirin's chest, this needed handling first, or Sirin would probably try to strangle her when she woke up.
She reached out, grabbed the hem of Sirin's dress, and tugged. With a little force, the knee-length dress slid off from the bottom up.
Sirin was dead drunk; even a move that big didn't wake her. Feeling hot, she rolled over and fumbled at the clasp of the only undergarment she still had on.
Kiana's gaze fell on the childlike, teddy-print underwear. A touch of pity flashed in her eyes. She reached out to help with the clasp at Sirin's back.
The feeling of release after removing the restraint made the sleeping Sirin's expression relax slightly. Like a little silver carp hauled onto the bank, she lay there pale and bare, rolled over again, and became still.
Finding it funny, Kiana pulled the blanket up over her and pushed herself upright.
She hadn't drunk much, but Kiana still felt a bit woozy. Lying down had been fine; the moment she stood, she swayed despite herself.
Holding on to things along the way, she slowly shuffled to the bathroom, splashed her face awake, then gripped the stair rail and climbed to the second floor step by step.
Xander's room—empty. Kaguya's room—empty. Elysia's room—still empty.
If nobody's here, then...
Her gaze passed through the window toward Eden's place. Seeing that building just as dark, Kiana started moving again.
...
"Mm..."
Before even opening her eyes, Mobius winced, drawing a sharp breath as the post-drinking stab of pain pricked her brain.
Red wine sure sneaks up on you.
She slowly sat up. Sleeping facedown on the table had left her whole body stiff.
A night breeze brushed her face, the coolness making her shiver and clearing her head a little.
She looked up. The pale moonlight lit the terrace like day, and she saw the three others sleeping soundly, also slumped over the table.
Empty bottles lay scattered in the middle of their circle; even now the rich scent of wine still hung thick in the air.
Memory returned quickly. Seeing Elysia stuck between Eden and Xander Masato, holding one hand of each, Mobius pursed her lips in annoyance.
And she said I couldn't hold my liquor? Didn't she pass out too?
Another gust of night wind blew, and Mobius rubbed her arms. She noticed Elysia give the faintest little shiver where she lay.
Late April had warmed up plenty, but by deep night the air dipped to around ten degrees; not exactly friendly if left like this. If nobody did anything, they'd all probably catch colds tomorrow.
"Tch."
Clicking her tongue, Mobius pushed herself to her feet. Palming her throbbing head, she steadied herself on the table, walked to the trio, and nudged Elysia's shoulder.
"Hey. Elysia. Get up."
After pushing her a bunch of times, Elysia—sleeping like the dead—didn't react at all. With every shove, her soft cheeks smushed on the tabletop, squishing forward and back.
Mobius frowned and raised both her voice and her hand.
"Elysia! Pink-hair! Fatty!"
She called and called; nothing. Seeing that drooling, silly face, Mobius clucked her tongue again, full of disdain.
Forget it. This was a birthday party arranged for her, after all.
Finding herself that excuse, Mobius pried Elysia's hands off Eden and Xander, bent down, and hoisted her over a shoulder.
Almost her full weight dumped on Mobius, making her stagger; she nearly toppled with the pink one in tow.
Heavy, aren't you, you pink fatty.
She cursed in her heart, adjusted her grip to make it more comfortable, and Elysia's head lolled onto her shoulder. Warm breath brushed Mobius's ear, sending a shiver through her.
Spotting a bedroom right off the third-floor terrace, Mobius aimed to dump the pink fatty there as fast as possible—when a faint mumble suddenly tickled her ear.
"I like you..."
"?!!!!!"
Mobius froze; she almost flung the pink-head away in fright. But then the second half followed:
"Xander, hehe..."
"..."
Could you not pause mid-sentence like that?!!!
Face flushing with a mix of shame and anger, Mobius shot Elysia a glare. Pity the girl was out cold and couldn't see it.
So the pinkie likes that guy that much, huh—still thinking about him even in her sleep.
Her interest in Xander Masato grew a notch, though she still muttered under her breath, "Pervert."
Given their ages, this did veer a bit into "older woman seduces younger guy" territory.
At last, she lugged Elysia into the nearest bedroom and dumped her on the bed.
She couldn't be bothered to change her clothes. As Mobius turned to haul Eden back next, she suddenly stopped after only a couple of steps.
She looked back at the pink-haired girl sawing logs on the bed, then narrowed her eyes.
Not long after, admiring her handiwork, Mobius put away her marker and finally let out a satisfied laugh.
A bunch of cute little turtles now dotted Elysia's face, with stripes for garnish—utterly ridiculous.
She snapped a few pics with her phone. On reflex, she wanted to post them on her blog for all to enjoy the fairy's disgrace.
For drawing her so ugly. For always picking fights with her. For managing to mess with her even in her sleep.
But when she finished typing and hovered over "send," her finger wouldn't go down.
As much as there was no end to the names she could call the pink-haired menace, Mobius had truly enjoyed tonight's party—and this surprise had surely been engineered by that same pink pest.
She pinched the soft cheek, twisting the little turtles out of shape, then closed the page, pocketed her phone, and stepped out.
Fine. I'll let you off this once.
Back on the terrace, she huffed and puffed, dragging Eden into a room, laying her down carefully, then loosening her clothes and unclasping her bra to keep her comfortable. The contrast with how she'd treated the pink-head couldn't have been sharper.
Eden was a friend Mobius genuinely respected—completely different from that pink nuisance.
Finally, she returned to the terrace and looked at Xander Masato, still face-down on the table—then hesitated.
What do I do with this one?
Over one-eighty tall and, while not obvious at a glance, solid with muscle to the touch—he'd definitely weigh more than the other two.
Leave him out here alone?
That didn't feel right either. She was quite intrigued by him. Even ignoring Elysia's angle, she felt she could get along with this guy.
Forget it. I'll try. If it doesn't work, I'll rethink it.
She bent down, about to give it a go, when footsteps suddenly sounded from the stairwell.
...
Whether it was the booze or something else, Kiana really, really wanted to see Xander right now—the kind of really that burned.
So, without much hesitation, she decided to check Eden's place.
The night chill made her shrink into herself as she stepped outside, but it also shocked her a little more awake.
The path was quiet. The lovely gardens that were so pleasing by day were swallowed by thick darkness now, all jagged limbs and grasping shadows, as if a monster might leap out the next second. Spooked, Kiana quickened her pace and didn't breathe out until she reached Eden's courtyard.
As a frequent visitor, Kiana's face was registered on the smart lock. It clicked open as she approached and turned the handle.
The living-room lights came on by themselves, revealing the post-party wreckage that hadn't yet been tidied up.
She checked carefully; finding no one, Kiana headed upstairs.
She'd meant to check the second floor first, but a sound from above made her pull back her foot and climb higher. Soon she was on the third floor.
From the stairwell, along the short corridor, her sharp eyes clearly took in the scene on the terrace.
Only two people there—Xander looked thoroughly plied with drink, slumped over the table, sleeping like a log. Beside him, a green-haired figure bent down, "intimately" wrapping him up from behind, even leaning in like she wanted to devour him whole.
"!!!!!"
Hey—what do you think you're doing!!!
The scene from earlier in the day flashed into her mind—this woman had said those things in front of all of them. So she hadn't been joking?!!
Can't beat Bronya and Elysia and the others—fine, they were later arrivals—but you, meeting him for the first time, and you're already trying to put a hat on him?
Where would that leave Kiana's pride?
No, no—Xander hasn't accepted her yet. She must've gotten him dead drunk and is trying to force him to become her star-whatever!
The more she thought about it, the wronger it felt. Heat shot to Kiana's head, and she charged straight in.
"Hey—what do you think you're doing!!!"
Her furious shout made Mobius look over. She didn't care what Kiana said; an extra pair of hands was a good thing right now. She turned, about to ask Kiana to help move Xander—when a flash of white streaked past and crashed to the floor with a bang.
She'd sprinted too hard and stubbed her toe on the doorframe. Kiana did an aerial spin and landed butt-first, kissing the hard floor with her rear.
Ignoring the sharp pain, Kiana scrambled up, shoved Mobius aside, planted herself between her and Xander, and stared her down, on full alert.
Seeing this, Mobius held back what she'd been about to say and watched with interest.
She flicked a glance at Xander, face-down on the table. She'd thought it was a party-hall illusion, but clearly this boy was neck-deep in peach-blossom debts. Interesting.
Catching Mobius's gaze past her, Kiana grew even warier. She spread her arms, blocking Mobius, and said gravely, "I won't let you lay a finger on Xander!"
"Is that so?"
Arms folded, Mobius smiled, meaning layered in her eyes. "But what if I insist?"
Green eyes flashed coldly as she stepped closer. The sheer pressure made Kiana take an involuntary step back. Realizing she'd retreated, she yanked her foot forward again in flustered anger.
"He's someone who can make Elysia lose control like that. So if I steal him away, wouldn't that be terribly fun? I really want to see the look on Elysia's face then~"
The slightly sickly lilt in her voice sent a chill down Kiana's spine. Her already wary face flared with anger. She glared at Mobius and shouted, "Enough! What do you take Xander for? He's not some tool for you to use against Elysia!"
Having someone she cared about reduced to that made Kiana furious.
"So what? It's not like the man loses out. He can use my body as he pleases."
Her fingers traced her enticing figure; the sultry look made Kiana's whole body tense.
"You!!! Xander won't submit!!"
"Won't he, really?"
Mobius didn't argue—she only smiled, secretive.
"But—calling her 'Elysia-sister,' hmm? My, how intimate~"
"What's it to you?" Kiana frowned.
"Oh, nothing. It's just that you're romantic rivals, yet here you are with all this 'sister, sister' sweetness. Isn't that amusing? Oh~ I get it. Put on the good-girlfriend act first, wait till her guard's down, then stab her in the back. Lovely tactic. Shall I applaud?"
"That's none of your business."
The accusation irked Kiana, but she wasn't about to explain herself to Mobius. Priority one was getting this dangerous woman away from Xander.
"Stop eyeing Xander. His relationship with Elysia is really close."
Mobius smiled and suddenly asked, "Always using Elysia as your excuse, huh. What about you?"
"Me?"
"Yup~"
Eyes narrowing, Mobius's smile broadened. "Elysia and he are lovers. And you—what are you to him?"
"Me? I..."
Kiana choked on the words, suddenly at a loss.
"Mhm~"
Sensing something fun, Mobius leaned in to whisper, sing-song at Kiana's ear, "Oh, no way, no way—don't tell me you don't have anything with him~"
"I, I..."
Truth was, for now, there really wasn't anything between Kiana and Xander. The thought made her chest knot up.
After stewing a long moment, she mumbled, "We're good friends..."
"Then why block me?"
Mobius's expression chilled. She straightened and asked coolly, "Am I pretty?"
"..."
"Is my figure good?"
"..."
"And I'm a first-timer, too. Tell me—would your 'Xander' really refuse a treat delivered to his door?"
"I..."
Kiana couldn't speak. Mobius wasn't wrong.
Exquisite looks, an outstanding figure, that snake-like hint of sin, and a conquering aura—honestly, if she were a guy, she wouldn't be able to refuse either.
"E-Even if you did anything, Xander wouldn't waver..."
Pressed hard, Kiana forced herself to meet Mobius's gaze and said through gritted teeth.
"That's none of your business. Move aside. He doesn't need you deciding for him."
As she drew level with Kiana, Mobius added, "And you don't have the standing to decide for him."
The flat tone made Kiana clench her fists, trembling all over.
With a cold snort, Mobius reached toward Xander—though she kept Kiana in the corner of her eye.
Kiana just stood there, as if she'd frozen, not reacting at all.
Giving up that easily?
Mobius's hand neared Xander. Disappointed, she was about to pop this little farce—when a hand suddenly grabbed her wrist.
"Hm?"
Mobius's smile flickered and vanished. She turned to Kiana.
"Y-You can't do that..."
Head lowered, her tight voice came out dry.
"Why?"
Interest bright in her eyes, Mobius watched as Kiana slowly raised her head.
Her face was burning red, but those blue eyes shone bright under the moon.
"I—I like Xander..."
The words seemed to cost Kiana everything. Teeth clenched, she shoved Mobius away from Xander and, shielding him, shouted as if to vent everything at once:
"Xander is mine. I will never—ever—hand him over to you!!!"
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