"Long time no see, Sirin."
Gazing into the girl's golden eyes, so close and brimming with intense emotion, Lynelle smiled softly.
Then, she lightly flicked her tongue against the girl's sensitive earlobe.
This was a little weakness she'd discovered in the tiny Sirin back during the Babylon Tower days. She wondered if it still held true, now that Sirin was using Kiana's body.
"Lynelle, you're cheating!"
Sirin, jolting back half a step as if shocked, her face instantly flushed crimson.
Seeing this, Lynelle's smile turned into a mischievous grin.
When it came to Lynelle, Sirin had always positioned herself as the weaker one, inherently yielding an inch in presence.
The only reason she'd managed to gain the upper hand during the Second Honkai Eruption was partly because Lynelle had been in the wrong back then, and partly because Sirin, believing she was about to die, had cast aside any semblance of shyness.
But now… heh.
Armed with a wealth of 'confrontation' experience, facing a Sirin who was still a complete novice in matters of love… it should be a piece of cake, shouldn't it?
Lynelle was suddenly filled with confidence.
If it weren't for the bad luck associated with celebrating too early, she'd even feel like imitating Miss Black Swan.
"I think you're the one who's cheating, though? If I recall correctly, our Sirin used to be just a tiny little thing, right?"
"Managing to pull off a move like pinning me against the wall… you're completely relying on Kiana's well-developed body for that, aren't you?"
"Pfft… ahem! Sirin, I wasn't laughing!"
Kiana couldn't hold back a snort of laughter, but her consciousness was promptly shoved back down by Sirin, leaving the body sporting a pouty, puffed-up cheeks expression.
One had to wonder what Otto would think if he saw this scene.
After all, the mutual suppression of the two personalities within Kiana, which he had schemed so elaborately to achieve, was now happening as easily as blinking.
"Lynelle, you're mean!"
"Alright, alright, I'm mean, is that it?"
Lynelle laughed and raised her hands in a playful surrender. "So, what does our little Sirin want as compensation? If it's within my power to grant, I'll give you anything."
"Hehe… Then, can you stay? For good?"
Seeing that Lynelle had stopped resisting, Sirin finally buried her head contentedly into Lynelle's chest, nuzzling as she asked.
"Of course."
Lynelle gently patted Sirin's head. "After this inspection trip, I'll probably need to return to Oceania one more time to finalize the first batch of exchange students for St. Freya."
"After that, I'll be one of the accompanying teachers, staying here at St. Freya with them long-term."
"Wendy, as a former St. Freya student herself, will likely be semi-permanent here too… probably at least half the week."
"Huh?"
At this, Kiana popped back out. "That wheelchair pest is coming too?"
Ahem. "Well, she can't really do without me these days… I'm referring to tactical training."
Lynelle quietly averted her gaze.
"As fellow cases of humans trying to control a Herrscher core, you two should really exchange notes more. Get Mei involved too. With Welt missing, there are only a handful of Herrschers in the world you can discuss this with now."
"Oh… right, Lynelle. So, what's really going on with my situation?"
Hearing Lynelle bring up serious matters, both Kiana and Sirin set aside their distractions and focused.
"Hmm, wasn't it all explained pretty clearly in the memory packet I gave you?"
"That packet only explained my situation. It didn't explain Kiana's."
Sirin reminded her. "As for Kiana… I can guess some of what happened in her forgotten past, but since I'm not entirely sure, I haven't told Kiana about it."
"Let's not talk about that for now."
Seeing the confusion in Kiana's eyes, Lynelle offered a mysterious smile.
"I could tell you the truth right now, but the cost would be plunging both Sirin and myself into… uncertainties. And honestly, in this world, I'm not the best person to tell you this story."
"If my arrangements go according to plan, then by the end of this year at the latest, all your questions will be answered. And… it will be answered by someone you'd absolutely never expect."
"Why so mysterious…" Kiana muttered. "Is it my good-for-nothing dad you're talking about?"
"Mmm-hmm~"
Lynelle didn't answer, merely letting out a playful, non-committal hum.
"As for Sirin… there are indeed some things I need to entrust to you. But I'll implant that information directly into your core."
"The reason… you understand, right Sirin? As long as this information doesn't pass through Kiana's conscious memory, for the Fenghuang Down, it simply doesn't exist."
"I get what you mean."
Sirin nodded. "But, looking at it this way, it seems like Kiana is completely left in the dark… I feel like we owe her some kind of compensation."
"Eh? Sirin, Lynelle, don't worry about me!"
Kiana quickly shook her head. "You know how I am, usually a bit slow, and I don't really understand all this stuff anyway… and if it involves your safety, it's better to be safe."
"But if you really want to compensate me…"
Kiana suddenly seemed to remember something, a captivating blush instantly spreading across her face. But she quickly bit her lip, looking torn.
"Lynelle, Lynelle… tonight… can you hold me while I sleep?"
"Huh?"
Before Lynelle could even respond, Sirin was the one who lost her composure.
"You idiot! How can you chicken out at the critical moment!"
"You're one to talk! You're just as much of a coward, always pushing me out front instead…"
"That's only because you're the one who's all talk all the time! Every time you read those weird books and watch those anime, you go on and on with your grand theories, acting like such an expert! And this is the culmination of your training? Using Lynelle as a body pillow?!"
"Now, now…"
Watching the two adorable creatures suddenly bicker, Lynelle couldn't help but feel amused.
At the same time, the glimpse of 'spring scenery' inadvertently revealed during Kiana's moment of self-reproach reminded Lynelle of those strange things she'd encountered earlier while playing with Bronya.
And so… Lynelle, whose risqué nerves had been teased all evening, decisively wrapped her arms around the quarreling Sirin and Kiana.
With a startled yelp from the girls, they all tumbled onto the soft, large bed.
Two pale, lovely maidens tumbled across the bed, their limbs entwined. Then, as their breathing gradually grew heavier, Lynelle gently silenced the surprised gasps of the two souls sharing one body.
"Silly Kiana, if I'm not mistaken, did you have a rather… peculiar dream once?"
"Eh?! How did you know…"
"Hehe… Because, that might not have been just a dream, you know?"
A faint, excited blush colored Lynelle's cheeks as various strange objects began to materialize in her hands.
Most were crafted with pink crystal frameworks, supplemented by Lynelle's memory and data projection abilities. It was just that the power usually reserved for vanquishing foes was, for the first time today, being applied in some rather unusual places.
"Last time, 'you' had the upper hand. But this time…"
"Kiana, Sirin~ I've been sharpening my claws, waiting to get even with you two. So now… let me teach you both a thing or two about the knowledge of adults, shall we?"
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T/N: Blud's said this twice now, and she lost the first time
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T/N: I have a Patreon! 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.