Acheron spent most of that day just watching Sylvia, lost in thought.
When it came to life experience, Acheron wasn't lacking—it was just that she'd forgotten most of it. Except for the truly important things, the relatively insignificant memories had mostly faded away.
The reawakening of her emotions brought with it a faint sense of familiarity, but that was all.
After all, she couldn't very well draw her blade over matters like these.
This led Acheron to a vague understanding that her current state probably stemmed from 'possessiveness' and 'jealousy'.
Of course, such feelings weren't limited to romantic partners; they could exist between close friends, too.
So instead of overanalyzing the exact category her emotions fell into, Acheron focused more on how she should handle these unfamiliar sentiments.
The collision between the rationality and calmness from her fragmented memories and these almost alien emotions made it difficult for her to reach a satisfying conclusion quickly.
After all, this wasn't a battle—it wasn't a problem that could be solved simply by drawing her sword and striking once.
"Just a few days, and you've managed to trouble me so. In all these years, you're the only one."
Acheron gazed at Sylvia's retreating back.
Although her heart wasn't exactly at ease, even this kind of feeling was something Acheron was willing to savor.
After all, compared to the emptiness she knew so well, what she felt now was far more tangible.
It made her own 'existence' feel more real.
--+--
Back in her room, Sylvia finished a quick wash, settled onto the bed, and booted up the game. Her consciousness smoothly connected, heading off to meet Silver Wolf and see Firefly.
Meanwhile, Acheron, who had practically watched Sylvia's entire bedtime routine from the sidelines, finally materialized inside the room.
She set down her longsword, removed her gloves, and looked at Sylvia lying flat on the bed. Reaching out, she gently touched Sylvia's cheek.
Soft. Warm.
The familiar sensation brought a wave of comfort to Acheron's heart—a comfort that originated from the girl before her.
"...You're far too unguarded. Maybe I should scold you a little more."
Whether it was instinctive trust in Acheron, or because Sylvia's subconscious had never seen her as a threat, even with her consciousness immersed in the game and Acheron drawing close enough to touch her cheek, Sylvia showed no reaction at all.
Acheron smiled, yet felt a twinge of dissatisfaction at Sylvia's complete lack of defenses.
She'd always known Sylvia was unresisting to her touch, but still.
Perhaps it was a little unreasonable, but since there were no outsiders around, Acheron decided a little unreasonableness wasn't such a bad thing.
Seeing the slight smile on Sylvia's face, Acheron felt the urge to pinch those soft cheeks again.
But then she remembered she'd rushed over covered in dust and hadn't washed up yet, so she withdrew her hand and turned toward the bathroom, still filled with steam and the scent of moisture.
Undressing, she bathed.
She changed into a softer, Xianzhou-style nightgown. Droplets still clung to the ends of her bangs, and her slightly flushed cheeks looked so tender they seemed ready to be bruised with a touch.
Her long legs, freed from their usual tall boots, were exposed to the air.
The subtle, well-defined muscle lines, the flawless pale skin, and the few markings visible below the hem of her gown—somewhere between tattoos and sacred scars—all combined to radiate a startling allure.
Fresh from the bath, with her makeup washed away, Acheron seemed softer, more delicate than her usual sharp self.
A pity, then, that Sylvia wasn't there to see it.
Acheron brushed back a strand of her hair and returned to Sylvia's room, sitting down sideways on the edge of the bed.
Her eyes lowered, she looked at the still, motionless form of Sylvia, and reached out to gently brush aside a few stray hairs from her forehead.
Her gaze traveled downward, from Sylvia's forehead, past her closed eyes, finally settling on her hands, folded over her abdomen.
Compared to the alluring nightgown Acheron wore—the one Sylvia had bought for her—Sylvia herself was dressed in a simple, modest set of long sleeves and full-length pants.
When they'd made the purchases, Acheron hadn't given it much thought, leaving the selection entirely to Sylvia.
But now, seeing that only Sylvia's hands and feet were exposed, with just a hint of collarbone visible at the neckline, Acheron began to think that maybe she shouldn't have delegated that task.
As this thought crossed her mind, Acheron's eyes moved from Sylvia's form back to her own legs.
Now that she thought about it, earlier that day, that Master Diviner had seemingly alluded to Sylvia's... preferences.
Although the Master Diviner hadn't explicitly stated what they were, Acheron, observing from the sidelines, had clearly noticed that when Sylvia looked at her, her gaze often lingered on...
Well, on a pair of rather unremarkable legs and feet.
And after that, on the highly exposed back, crisscrossed with tied cords.
"...Are these Sylvia's preferences? But then why, when she's with me, does she spend more time looking at my upper half?"
Acheron's fingers lightly lifted the unconstrained curve of her own chest. She was well aware of where Sylvia's eyes tended to wander, though she'd never paid it much mind.
Of course, the finer points of such... categorizations were still a bit beyond Acheron's current understanding.
It wasn't ignorance, just a simple lack of personal resonance with the concept.
Complex thoughts swirled in her mind, then just as quickly emptied out.
She climbed onto the bed, her fingers gently hooking into Sylvia's loosely curled palm, then leaned back against the pillow and closed her eyes.
--+--
Meanwhile, inside the immersive virtual game...
Sylvia, dressed in the system's default frilly dress, had just met up with Silver Wolf and Firefly.
'She seems really gentle,' was Sylvia's first impression upon seeing Firefly in person.
Firefly wore the same in-game dress, but she was quite tall—probably about Acheron's height, and a bit taller than Sylvia.
In contrast, Silver Wolf, who was leading the way ahead of Firefly, looked more like a kid.
"Hello, it's nice to meet you. You can call me Firefly."
Firefly placed a hand over her chest and smiled courteously.
Her gentle, sweet voice carried a certain compelling warmth, almost like a soft, physical touch against one's cheek.
"Hello, just call me Sylvia."
Sylvia responded with a smile of her own.
But before the two could exchange more pleasantries, Silver Wolf shot Sylvia a look of pure disdain.
"What's with the basic fit? With all that cash, you didn't even bother getting yourself a decent outfit? It's ugly."
"I think the default outfit is quite nice, though?"
Sylvia looked down at herself. It was a relatively simple and elegant dress, not overly complicated, and it even came with a matching hair accessory. At the very least, Sylvia thought it was fine.
Silver Wolf couldn't hold back an eye-roll. Was the point here really about looks?
'This girl really doesn't think before she speaks—gotta get that contrarian remark in first, huh.'
Firefly watched their interaction, pressing her lips together to suppress a laugh.
She and Silver Wolf didn't usually have much to talk about, so today was the first time she'd seen Silver Wolf's emotions fluctuate so visibly.
"I arrived a bit early today. How about I take you around to look for a new outfit?"
"Really? That would be wonderful, thank you, Firefly."
Sylvia nodded without a second thought, completely ignoring Silver Wolf's grumbling from the side:
"Hey! Let her buy it for you! She's still got a huge pile of Credits I transferred sitting in her account!"
--+--
T/N: 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.