As sensation slowly returned to her body, Lynelle suddenly realized something was off.
Hadn't she only just entered Kiana's core a moment ago? How had Kiana's sleeping position changed so much?
Before Lynelle entered, Kiana had been curled against her, face buried in Lynelle's chest. But now, after just one trip into her core, Lynelle found herself completely wrapped in Kiana's embrace.
Feeling their bodies pressed tightly together, their soft, pale thighs entwined, a faint blush crept back into Lynelle's cheeks.
The delightful sensation of their delicate forms pressed so close sparked Lynelle's imagination, reminding her of the dream she'd glimpsed in Kiana's subconscious.
Though she'd only caught a brief look, she seemed to recall being held just like this…
Lynelle shook her head vigorously, as if trying to fling those strange memories away. After a moment, the guilt-ridden girl cautiously lifted her head to see if Kiana was still peacefully asleep as before.
But…
Lynelle's heart gave a sudden jolt.
She discovered Kiana was already awake, gazing at her with a mischievous smile.
"K-Kiana, you're awake? Wait, your eyes…"
It was then Lynelle noticed the eyes looking back at her weren't Kiana's pure blue, nor Sirin's noble gold, but…
Deep, amethyst pupils shaped like stars.
"You… you're…"
"What's wrong, my dear host~?"
Kiana—no, this should be called Kiana-chan—was watching Lynelle with a beaming smile.
"Are you unhappy to see me out and about~?"
"N-no, that's not it…"
Lynelle's face was full of disbelief. "You can actually come out?"
"Of course not."
The Kiana from the system, Finality Kiana, shook her head firmly. "I'm not really out right now either. I'm just taking advantage of a strange coincidence to briefly borrow this Kiana's body."
"To put it simply, you could say I've temporarily taken over Sirin's account… If it weren't for this particular Kiana's consciousness being completely open, plus Sirin being asleep, combined with you just having taken Sirin's soul out of the system—without all that, I wouldn't have been able to temporarily possess Kiana's body."
"Of course, it's only my consciousness possessing her. I can only use Kiana's own power, so don't expect to borrow my abilities to cheat~"
"O-oh, I see…"
Kiana's long explanation left Lynelle feeling a bit dizzy. "Then why did you come out this time?"
"Mmm~"
Instead of answering, Kiana silently tightened her arm around Lynelle's waist.
A captivating blush spread rapidly across Lynelle' cheeks.
Though Kiana had said nothing, her meaning couldn't have been clearer.
"J-just for this?"
"Who knows when the next chance like this will come… probably only after everything is over…"
Kiana blew softly in Lynelle's ear. "Besides, Lynelle, didn't you tell me just a few days ago, 'If you don't know, then just do it'~?"
"I was just saying that! And who knew a casual comment would come back to bite me so soon…"
Lynelle's voice grew quieter until it was nearly a soft pant. In her current position, practically her entire body was restrained by Kiana—it was pretty much a direct unlock of a 'defeated CG' scenario.
Even worse, this Kiana from the system, who seemed to have experienced a previous cycle, appeared to know every inch of Lynelle's body better than Lynelle herself.
With just a slight movement of her fingers, Lynelle had completely melted into Kiana's embrace.
"Just like before, I see…"
Kiana chuckled softly, lightly licking her fingertip. A transparent silver strand stretched between her finger and tongue—fluid that wasn't her own. "Well then, Lynelle, it's time to pay the price for your bold words~"
Soon after, a faint, pink-tinged citrus fragrance began to permeate Kiana's room.
--+--
The next day.
"Wah!"
With a startled cry, Kiana bolted upright in bed.
"H-how could I have such a dream… Wait, that's not important right now. Where's Lynelle? Oh no, don't tell me I accidentally said something weird in my sleep and scared her off!"
Kiana's face instantly turned pale.
It was all because of that dream she'd had last night… Even in the Far East, its content probably wouldn't pass censorship.
Hours of diligent 'farming,' liquids splattering everywhere… It had been quite a shock to Kiana's pure heart.
If she'd gotten too immersed in that dream and said something outrageous in reality, frightening Lynelle away… she'd have to flee to the moon overnight.
"But that dream felt so real… Wait, my sheets—were they changed?"
It was then Kiana noticed the sheets beneath her were completely dry.
That didn't make sense. After such a restless dream, even now, right after waking, Kiana was drenched in fragrant sweat. For the sheets to be this dry defied common sense.
Almost instinctively, Kiana glanced up at the ceiling. But there were no suspicious damp patches caused by Lynelle, unlike in her dream.
"What am I thinking… How could such a dream be real…"
Unable to sort out her tangled emotions, Kiana shook her head and began getting dressed, planning to ask Mei and Bronya if they'd seen Lynelle.
"Lynelle? She left early this morning."
Mei, preparing breakfast in the kitchen, casually fed Kiana a chicken nugget. "Hey, did you sleep restlessly again and wake Lynelle? I could've sworn you two stayed up pretty late last night."
"I, I…"
Kiana immediately felt a pang of guilt. Fortunately, Bronya came to her rescue.
"If you mean Lynelle, she probably went back home for something."
Bronya pulled up her terminal and showed it to them.
"See? A terrible Honkai eruption just broke out in Manila, Philippines. It's even affected the coastal areas of Shenzhou quite a bit. Lynelle might have been worried about her family or friends, so she returned to Shenzhou."
"Whew… so that's what happened…"
Kiana let out a sigh of relief.
"So, how did you sleep, dummy Kiana?"
Watching Kiana's peculiar expression, Bronya tilted her head slightly.
"Uh… pretty good, I guess?"
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.