"You're leaving tomorrow?"
Happy, joyful times are always fleeting. In what felt like the blink of an eye, several days had passed.
The Wardance Ceremony hosted by the Luofu Xianzhou also concluded today.
That night, in a room, two beautiful girls sat on the bed, leaning against the headboard.
One, a black-haired beauty, rested her head on the shoulder of the other, a white-haired beauty. They were nestled incredibly close.
The white-haired girl held a phone suspended between them, both watching its screen.
Amidst bursts of laughter, Lumina received an answer she hadn't wanted to hear.
She asked again, just to be sure she hadn't misheard.
"Yes. My stay these past few days was entirely unexpected," Ruan Mei murmured, her head still resting on Lumina's shoulder as she watched the short video playing on Lumina's phone.
The Luofu Xianzhou had never been Ruan Mei's destination—not even a layover.
Initially, Ruan Mei had planned to arrive, speak with the three Generals, and depart on the same day.
She hadn't expected to find Lumina and Little Swarm here.
Even so, this didn't disrupt Ruan Mei's original plan. She intended to meet with the Generals, see Little Swarm, and then leave the Luofu Xianzhou that very day.
However, after clearing up the small misunderstanding with Little Swarm and accepting Lumina's enthusiastic invitation, Ruan Mei temporarily changed her mind. Leaving today or tomorrow made little difference to her.
So, she decided to stay one night with Lumina, spend some time with Little Swarm the next day, and then depart the Luofu.
But... that feeling from the night before had piqued her interest... just a little. So, Ruan Mei extended her stay for a few more days, accompanying Lumina and Little Swarm throughout the entire Wardance Ceremony.
Though Ruan Mei showed no outward change, deep down, she felt a slight reluctance to leave.
This was an emotion Ruan Mei had never felt before. She didn't know why it had arisen within her.
But she knew this feeling might be connected to Lumina...
At this thought, Ruan Mei's gaze shifted from the phone screen to Lumina's side profile, her eyes glinting with an unreadable light.
Though she said nothing, she pressed her body even closer to Lumina's.
"I see..." Hearing Ruan Mei's words and feeling her press closer, Lumina's earlier warmth faded.
Her fingers, which had been endlessly scrolling through short videos, slowed considerably.
It seemed Ruan Mei's impending departure was genuinely upsetting Lumina.
After all, the past few nights of snuggling together to sleep had become utterly intoxicating for her.
Having already molded herself to the shape of her "Ruan Mei pillow," Lumina would probably feel like something was missing every time she slept from now on, wouldn't she?
From now on, Lumina would never be satisfied with any other pillow... Hmm, except for other beautiful girl "pillows"...
Waaaah /(ㄒoㄒ)/~~ Without Ruan Mei, who else would willingly become my pillow?
In her inner world, the little figure representing Lumina's true personality shed a tear.
Don't initiate, don't refuse—this was Lumina's rule for interacting with beautiful girls.
So, even if she grew closer to March 7th and the others, they would never do what Ruan Mei had done unless Lumina asked first, right?
Though if she did ask, they would surely agree with delight.
After all, while she used them as pillows, weren't they also using her as a pillow?
But... because of her rule, Lumina would never, ever take the initiative.
In Lumina's mind, initiating = giving herself away for free.
And what did giving herself away for free equal? Of course, it meant being utterly dominated!
And being utterly dominated by beautiful girls was something Lumina had experienced far too many times.
It was absolutely forbidden, Lumina's absolute bottom line!
And Lumina's eternal taboo!!!
"You seem... a little reluctant to let me go?"
"Is it... my departure you can't bear?"
Ruan Mei slowly leaned her head closer to Lumina's ear, enunciating each word carefully.
Though her expression and tone were calm, devoid of any emotion, at such close proximity, the warm breath escaping with every word flowed directly into Lumina's ear along with the sound.
"..." Lumina's body trembled slightly. Under normal circumstances, even with close observation, it would have been nearly impossible to notice.
But with their bodies pressed together, even the slightest movement was instantly felt by the other.
Ruan Mei naturally felt the subtle tremor in Lumina's body. The corners of her lips curved upward slightly, but she did nothing more, simply waiting for Lumina to speak.
"A little, I guess..."
Lumina didn't miss the slight smile playing on Ruan Mei's lips. She knew Ruan Mei was teasing her, eager to see her squirm.
Though Lumina had no idea where Ruan Mei's sudden playful mood had come from, she certainly wasn't going to just sit back and take it.
First, she calmly admitted that she was indeed a little reluctant to see Ruan Mei leave, then offered an explanation: "After spending so much time with a big shot from the Genius Society, anyone in the Cosmos would feel reluctant to part ways, wouldn't they?"
After saying this, Lumina sighed.
Then, before Ruan Mei could respond, she launched her counterattack: "What about you, Ruan Mei? Do you feel..."
"I do..."
"Mmph..."
Before Lumina could finish her counter-question, Ruan Mei pressed a finger to her lips, silencing her.
"I'm very reluctant to part with you," Ruan Mei said, her smile radiant as she felt the warmth from her fingertip. For once, her calm, ripple-free voice carried a rare hint of genuine sincerity.
"Mmph..."
Lumina's jade-green eyes widened in awe as she gazed at Ruan Mei's smile.
This smile was different from the perfunctory or polite ones she'd shown before.
This time, it was truly from the heart...
The young woman's peerless beauty was fully revealed in that smile, so breathtakingly stunning that Lumina's fingers twitched, unable to suppress the emotions stirring within her.
"It's alright," Ruan Mei whispered, her voice soft as if she had read Lumina's thoughts. She pressed her body even closer to Lumina's. "You can do whatever you want."
"Consider it... my parting gift to you."
"..."
"Really... anything?" Lumina swallowed hard, her voice filled with anticipation.
"Yes, anything at all..." Ruan Mei slowly raised her hand, as if about to do something herself.
But before Ruan Mei could act, Lumina spoke first: "Then let's just hold each other and lie in bed together!"
Every night before, they had slept close to each other, but never in an embrace. They would only gradually end up cuddling in their sleep, which Lumina always found a little disappointing.
Given the nature of their relationship, however, she had always been too shy to ask for more.
Now that Ruan Mei had given her this chance, Lumina certainly wasn't going to refuse.
She spoke the words with eager anticipation.
Lumina wanted to embrace Ruan Mei from the very beginning as they drifted into sweet dreams!
Ruan Mei: ?
Hearing this, Ruan Mei's hand froze mid-air. Her flawless face registered a flicker of stunned confusion, as if Lumina's words were so far from what she'd expected that she couldn't process them for a moment.
"Pfft, hehe..."
A moment later, Ruan Mei burst out laughing.
Under Lumina's slightly bewildered gaze, she slowly lay back on the bed.
Spreading her arms wide, she urged with a hint of amusement in her voice, "Come on, then."
"Let's embrace our way into dreams as our farewell."