Early morning, inside a bedroom, on the bed.
"Mmm... uhn..."
Lumina felt as if her body were enveloped by an incredibly soft pillow, a sensation so comforting she wished time could stand still, allowing her to remain in this blissful state forever.
But of course, that was impossible. She would inevitably awaken.
A soft moan echoed through the quiet room as Lumina slowly opened her eyes, her gaze slightly dazed.
"Uhn... Is this Paradise?"
The first thing she saw was an immaculate face, flawless and jade-like in its perfection. Every feature seemed meticulously sculpted, from the rosy, translucent lips that begged to be tasted, to the tightly closed eyes framed by gently fluttering lashes, only enhancing their allure.
Still half-asleep and emerging from a sweet dream, Lumina stared at this flawless face and those tempting lips. For a moment, she wondered if she was still dreaming.
As if possessed by some divine whim, Lumina leaned down, her head dipping closer. She seemed to regard Ruan Mei's delicate pink lips as some succulent fruit, eager to bring her own mouth closer for a taste.
Hmm? Hmm!
Fortunately, the moment their lips barely touched, Lumina's hazy consciousness snapped back into focus. Her previously dazed expression cleared instantly as she registered the soft sensation against her mouth, and she jerked her head back.
Huff... Seeing that Ruan Mei hadn't stirred, Lumina breathed a sigh of relief.
Thank goodness I came to my senses at the critical moment! If I'd let that impulsive urge take over and Ruan Mei had woken up at the same time, I'd never be able to explain myself... not even if I had ten mouths!
Secretly counting her blessings, Lumina gathered her wits and surveyed her surroundings.
After a moment's observation, she finally understood what that incredibly soft pillow she'd been snuggling against earlier was.
It was Ruan Mei...
Though last night, when they went to sleep, Ruan Mei had merely turned sideways, her head resting on Lumina's shoulder, one arm draped across Lumina's chest and the other resting on Lumina's opposite shoulder, a few small accidents inevitably occur in sleep.
For example, Lumina, who had originally been lying flat on her back, had somehow ended up lying on her side.
One arm encircled Ruan Mei's slender waist, while the other served as a pillow, cradling her head. Lumina's palm gently rested on the back of Ruan Mei's head, pulling her close against her collarbone.
Ruan Mei's posture had naturally undergone a dramatic transformation as well.
Her soft breaths landed steadily on Lumina's collarbone, her head tilting slightly downward. Her hands were pressed against Lumina's chest, making her look every bit the delicate darling cradled in the arms of a domineering CEO.
Hmm... a delicate darling cradled in the arms of a domineering CEO?
Does that make me the legendary domineering CEO?
Ugh... never mind. Lumina doesn't particularly like that title.
Lumina lowered her head and continued observing Ruan Mei, pausing for a few seconds at one spot before withdrawing her gaze.
Hmm, beautiful. Exceptionally beautiful.
Her face...
Drowning fish, falling wild geese, veiled moon, shamed flowers... These phrases merely embellished Ruan Mei's appearance, incapable of capturing her true essence.
Because her beauty truly surpassed all descriptive words, leaving anyone who glimpsed it utterly captivated...
Hmm, Lumina gave every beautiful girl this same assessment...
Well, all beautiful girls are equal, so naturally, their descriptions should be equal too. o( ̄▽ ̄)ブ
But back to the matter at hand, Lumina realized that her current position with Ruan Mei was rather intimate.
Though being discovered wouldn't be a major issue—it was just a simple hug, nothing scandalous to hide—Lumina still decided to adjust their position before Ruan Mei awoke.
"Hmm..."
Just as Lumina gently tried to withdraw her arm, which Ruan Mei was using as a pillow, Ruan Mei's eyelashes fluttered slightly, and she slowly opened her eyes.
"Mmm... Lumina, good morning."
"I think that's what you're supposed to say, right?"
The moment Ruan Mei opened her eyes, she understood her current situation perfectly.
Yet she showed no concern whatsoever. Her serene, lovely face remained utterly impassive, betraying no emotion.
"...Mm, good morning," Lumina replied, suddenly tightening her grip around Ruan Mei's waist.
"I'm sorry, these... these must have been accidental movements we made while sleeping..." Lumina hastily explained, flustered.
But her hand remained firmly around Ruan Mei's waist. Perhaps the sheer awkwardness of the situation made Lumina forget to let go.
"It's alright," Ruan Mei replied, shaking her head slightly. "If you like it this way, we can do this again in the future."
"I don't mind."
Lumina: ...
Could you please not say things like that with such a straight face? It's so easy to get carried away!
If you ever ran into some bad guys, they'd probably eat you up and spit you out!
I swear, Ruan Mei is just plain clueless...
Even though Ruan Mei was a genius of the Genius Society, her perpetually indifferent attitude toward everything had earned her a spot in Lumina's mental category of "plain clueless."
"Hmm... did I say something wrong?" Sensing Lumina's discomfort, Ruan Mei's expression softened with a hint of apology.
"No, no! I was just wondering if you could show some other expressions?" Lumina quickly snapped out of her daze, forcing herself to meet the breathtakingly exquisite face before her.
She's just too beautiful!
"Some... other expressions?" Ruan Mei murmured, her eyes flickering with contemplation.
"Ah, I understand."
After a moment, she seemed to grasp what Lumina meant.
Under Lumina's questioning gaze, Ruan Mei slowly lifted the small hand resting on her chest, until her entire palm came to rest against Lumina's face.
On that timeless, unchanging face, a gentle smile gradually blossomed.
"Is this... alright?"
Lumina: ...
Seeing that expression, Lumina had to admit she was stunned by its beauty.
It was breathtakingly beautiful, exhilarating... utterly captivating.
"Alright..." Lumina's voice trembled almost imperceptibly.
"Then... you can look for as long as you like."
"I won't mind."
Ruan Mei's words remained the same, but the expression on her face was no longer the placid, utterly undisturbed mask she usually wore.
Now, her face glowed with a tender smile. Her rainbow-hued eyes, brimming with color, were completely absorbed by Lumina's exquisite face.
"Mm..."
With a soft murmur, Lumina felt the distance between them shrinking, growing ever closer...
Closer in spirit.
Of course, there was also the literal meaning.
Involuntarily, Lumina's head gradually leaned toward Ruan Mei's.
Ruan Mei didn't mind, remaining perfectly still as Lumina's face gradually filled her vision...
Ding-a-ling... Ding-a-ling... Ding-a-ling...
Just then, the ringing of a bell snapped Lumina back to reality.
"A call?" Ruan Mei tilted her head slightly, allowing Lumina to easily withdraw her arm.
Watching Lumina get up to answer her phone, Ruan Mei pushed herself up from the bed and asked softly, "Who is it?"
"Mm..." Lumina's cheeks flushed faintly, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she took deep breaths to steady her racing heart.
Within seconds, however, she had regained her composure.
"Phew..." Lumina exhaled deeply and glanced at her phone screen to check the caller ID.
"Uh..." Her heart, which had just returned to normal, began to pound again as she recognized the name.
Herta is initiating a video call with you.
-
"Are you still asleep? You just woke up after all this time?"
On the phone screen, Herta's expression darkened slightly.
But soon, as if she had noticed something, Herta's expression froze, then became even more displeased.
Or rather, it turned somewhat ugly, even hinting at a desire to devour Lumina whole.
"You... slept together last night?"
Herta had spotted Ruan Mei behind Lumina, on the large, soft bed, currently tidying her clothes. Her voice trembled slightly.
It was similar to Lumina's earlier tremor, yet subtly different.
At least, the underlying meanings were distinct.
"...Yes, I slept with Ruan Mei last night," Lumina replied after a moment of silence, glancing at Ruan Mei, who had resumed her usual emotionless demeanor. She turned back to the screen and answered Herta truthfully.
In this situation, there was no point in hiding anything.
Well, to be fair, nothing actually happened. Why would I need to hide anything?
Exactly. Hiding it would only make Herta misunderstand what Lumina and Ruan Mei had done.
In reality, Lumina and Ruan Mei had done nothing at all. They had simply spent the night lying in bed together, nestled against each other like close girlfriends.
So there was no need to overthink it. She would just tell the truth.
"You..." Herta stared at Lumina, utterly disarmed by her straightforward and nonchalant explanation. After a moment of silence, her mind raced, trying to process this.
While two girls sleeping together was perfectly normal...
Given Lumina's personality, how could this possibly be considered a "perfectly normal" situation?
"Herta, good morning."
As Herta struggled to find the right words, Ruan Mei, using her knees to scoot across the bed, crawled over to Lumina and wrapped her arms around her from behind, right in front of Herta.
Resting her head on Lumina's shoulder, Ruan Mei gave Herta a faint smile through the screen.
"Herta, good morning."
Lumina: ...
Herta: ...
Feeling the soft embrace from behind, Lumina's body stiffened momentarily before quickly relaxing. Her gaze shifted to the screen, studying Herta's expression.
Herta froze, a flicker of surprise crossing her face.
After a moment, she glanced first at Ruan Mei, then at Lumina, before finally fixing her gaze on Ruan Mei's face and nodding. "Mm, Ruan Mei, good morning."
Ruan Mei's expression remained utterly inscrutable, as if she were completely unaware of the intimacy of her current posture.
Faced with Ruan Mei's nonchalant demeanor, Herta found no grounds for reproach. After all, if neither Ruan Mei nor Lumina seemed to mind, what right did she have to object? She couldn't very well say she simply didn't like it, could she?
Suppressing further thought, Herta cast another glance at the composed Ruan Mei before shifting her gaze to Lumina. "Yesterday... you two really didn't do anything?"
"We just slept normally. What could we possibly have done?" Lumina sighed in exasperation, answering truthfully.
Lumina could openly and confidently state that she and Ruan Mei had done nothing intimate the previous night. There was nothing to hide.
If Herta were to ask if Lumina and Ruan Mei had done anything together, Lumina would be in a bit of a bind.
But after thinking it over, she realized it wasn't a big deal.
At most, they'd just hugged—nothing too embarrassing to mention.
So, she really didn't need to explain anything to Herta.
...
Umm...
Hmm...
Thinking further, Lumina realized another point:
Why would I need to explain anything to Herta anyway?
"Herta, I was the one who suggested we sleep together," Ruan Mei said with a faint smile. "It was a sensation I'd never experienced before—novel and quite intriguing."
"If you're interested, or perhaps simply curious, we could try it next time we meet."
"Try sleeping together, try embracing each other as we drift into gentle dreams."
"Feel each other's presence, listen to the voices of our hearts."
Upon hearing these words, both Lumina and Herta cast suspicious glances.
Then came a wave of concern.
Has Ruan Mei awakened some strange new attribute?
"Hehe, don't worry," Ruan Mei chuckled softly, pressing a lightly clenched fist to her lips as she sensed Lumina and Herta's gazes.
"There are some things I don't understand, but others I do."
"Sharing a bed, embracing, and drifting off to sleep while nestled together... isn't that something only close friends would do?"
"So, I'll only do it with Lumina, Herta... and, hmm, Yu Qingtu. Just the three of you."
"The others... I won't bother with them."
With that, Ruan Mei slowly got out of bed and moved out of the camera's view, not waiting for Lumina or Herta to respond.
"Hmm... well, that's that for now." Since Ruan Mei had already made her stance clear, Herta couldn't argue. She waved dismissively, her expression flat.
"Goodbye then."
Before Lumina could even say goodbye, Herta abruptly ended the call.
Little Herta seems to have something on her mind... Lumina mused, resting her chin in her hand.
Never mind. I'll think about it when we meet again later.
Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Lumina put away her phone and got out of bed. Turning to Ruan Mei, she began, "Ruan Mei, you... uh..."
Lumina froze mid-sentence.
Ruan Mei was doing the exact same thing March 7th had done earlier...