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Inside Clorinde's room, Navia sat directly on the floor and took out her card box.
"Come on, come on! Let's play Genius Invokation TCG!"
Lumine also sat down on the floor and said, "Alright, playing cards really is a great way to relax."
Just as Lumine was taking out her card box, the previously bright lights in the room suddenly dimmed without any warning.
Paimon hid behind Lumine, poking out half her head as she asked nervously, "W-What's going on!? Could it be… a power outage?"
Faced with Paimon's tension, Clorinde remained exceptionally calm.
After all, she had experienced situations like this many times when she was younger.
"Pretty much. The container behind the house that stores Pneuma–Ousia energy is probably empty, so the power supply got cut."
"When I was a child, my master often forgot when it needed replacing, and the house would lose power…"
Navia puffed out her cheeks in dissatisfaction and asked, "So what, we're going to bed this early? It's only a little past seven!"
Lumine suddenly thought of a good idea and said, "Wait a second—I think I have some lighting equipment. Hold on, let me look."
Lumine took out Liloupar and asked, "How about using this as a light source? It can float in the air."
Navia and Clorinde didn't know what Lumine had taken out, but Paimon and Shao Yun immediately recognized it—it was the Mother of Jinni, Liloupar.
Shao Yun complained, "You're using Liloupar as a lamp? If her consciousness ever comes back, I wonder what she'd think."
Upon hearing that this was Sumeru's jinni, Navia exclaimed in amazement, "So this is Sumeru's jinni? That's incredible…"
With a gentle release of Lumine's hand, Liloupar floated up toward the ceiling.
Moments later, a soft yet bright glow radiated from Liloupar, instantly illuminating the entire room.
"Come on, let's play cards," Lumine said as she took out her card box. "We're playing until we're satisfied tonight!"
...
Shao Yun sat off to the side, watching Lumine and Navia play.
After one round, all three of Navia's character cards had been wiped out by Lumine.
Seeing her loss, Navia looked at Lumine with admiration and said, "Whoa, Lumine, you're amazing!"
Paimon was even happier than if she'd won herself and said, "Hehe! Lumine's a card-playing expert!"
After organizing her cards, Lumine looked over at Shao Yun and said, "Next round… Shao Yun, you're up!"
Hearing that Lumine wanted him to try, Shao Yun immediately waved it off. "Me? I don't know how to play!"
Without another word, Lumine shoved her prepared deck into Shao Yun's hands and said, "Then learn now—I'll teach you. You can use my deck!"
...
Encouraged by Lumine, Shao Yun used her deck to play against Navia.
In the end, whether it was because Navia's skills were lacking, Shao Yun was under beginner's protection, or Lumine's deck was just too strong, Shao Yun won decisively without losing a single character card.
Seeing herself defeated by a complete newcomer, Navia immediately collapsed sideways, resting her head on Clorinde's lap as she pouted like a sore loser.
"Ahhh! Mr. Shao Yun, are you sure this is your first time playing Genius Invokation TCG? How are you this good!?"
Right after that, Navia sat up and wrapped her arms around Clorinde's neck, acting spoiled as she pleaded, "Clorinde dear Clorinde next round you play instead! Help me win back my dignity, okay~~?"
Being pestered like this left Clorinde looking rather helpless.
She gently pushed Navia away from her neck, but in the end still nodded lightly. "Alright, alright. I'll try the next round. But I can't guarantee a win."
As she spoke, Clorinde took out her own card box.
Before the next round began, Shao Yun explained to Navia why he had won earlier.
"I honestly don't know how I won either. It was just that I somehow rolled six Omni dice in the final round. Of course, without Lumine guiding me from the side, I definitely wouldn't have won."
Seeing Shao Yun push the credit onto her, Lumine immediately pushed it back. "That's not true! It was mainly your thinking—I was just giving pointers!"
Shao Yun suddenly asked, "Actually, I've always wondered—where do these character cards come from?"
Navia explained, "I heard Charlotte interviewed the creators. It seems they collaborated with the Adventurers' Guild. Some cards are officially authorized and paid for. As for monster cards, they just used them directly—I doubt monsters would object."
While selecting her deck, Clorinde added, "If I remember correctly, the earliest version of Genius Invokation TCG was monster-versus-monster. Character cards were added gradually later."
After hearing that, Shao Yun said in realization, "Oh, so that's how it is…"
Navia looked at Shao Yun expectantly and said, "I'm kind of looking forward to seeing Mr. Shao Yun turned into a card."
Hearing that, Shao Yun shook his head helplessly. "I feel like I'd end up as a skill card instead. Anyway, Clorinde, are you ready?"
...
It was Clorinde's turn to face Shao Yun.
Since Shao Yun was still using the same deck from before, Clorinde analyzed its weaknesses and played specifically to counter him.
In the end, as all three of Shao Yun's character cards were defeated, Clorinde revealed a faint, almost imperceptible smile.
"You lose."
Watching from the side, Navia immediately threw her arms around Clorinde's neck and, without any restraint, planted a loud kiss on her rosy cheek.
"That was amazing! Clorinde helped me win one back! You deserve a huge reward—kiss!"
Caught completely off guard by such enthusiastic affection, Clorinde froze for a moment.
She then pushed Navia away and shyly wiped the spot that had just been kissed with the back of her hand.
"Hey—don't mess around, Navia!"
Looking at the outcome, Shao Yun shrugged lightly and muttered, "Sigh, guess my luck's run out. I lost pretty badly this round."
Clorinde, sitting opposite him, comforted him politely. "Don't be discouraged, Shao Yun. Wins and losses are normal. It's just a game—having fun is what matters."
Shao Yun nodded in agreement, handed the deck back to Lumine, then turned to Paimon and said, "So, next up… is it Paimon's turn?"
...
The group kept playing cards in Clorinde's room until it was nearly midnight.
At that point, Navia let out a huge yawn, rubbed her eyes, and said drowsily, "Wow, time really flew by… it's so late already. No, no, I'm way too sleepy. We should hurry up and rest."
Seeing the girls about to sleep, Shao Yun stood up as well.
"Alright, sleep well. I'll go sleep on the couch."
As he spoke, Shao Yun naturally shot Lumine a look, signaling that it wouldn't be appropriate for him to stay.
Lumine understood immediately and nodded. She had planned to send Shao Yun to the couch anyway. "Mm, okay. Good night."
...
After leaving Clorinde's bedroom, Shao Yun went to the living room couch.
Once seated, he lay straight down, closed his eyes, and said, "Nice. Much more comfortable than sleeping against a wall."
...
Late into the night, when all was silent, Clorinde's living room felt especially still.
Cold moonlight streamed softly through the window, spilling across the floor.
At this time, Navia, Lumine, and Paimon were lying quietly on their floor bedding in the bedroom, their breathing light and even.
Shao Yun lay alone on the couch in the living room, fast asleep.
However, in his dreams, he vaguely sensed a gaze locked tightly onto him.
Shao Yun groggily opened his eyes—and saw a figure.
The silhouette stood motionless nearby, staring straight at him. In the dim light, that gaze looked especially eerie.
Startled, Shao Yun jolted awake completely.
"Holy—!"
Hearing Shao Yun's shout, Clorinde still didn't speak. She simply stood there silently, continuing to stare at him with that unreadable expression.
Once Shao Yun realized that the person standing there like a ghost in the middle of the night was actually Clorinde, his fear eased slightly—only to be replaced by annoyance.
"Clorinde? Why are you standing here in the middle of the night, staring at me like that?"
Wearing her pajamas, Clorinde put her hands on her hips and said confidently, "I couldn't sleep, so I came out to see if you were asleep. Looks like you're not, so can you chat with me for a bit?"
Hearing this, Shao Yun didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"What are you doing, are you my paralysis demon or what? Go back and sleep already!" He waved his hand impatiently, trying to shoo her away.
But Clorinde seemed to completely miss the point. Not only did she not leave, she replied seriously with an innocent look.
"It's fine. You sleep your sleep—I'll just stand here quietly and watch you. I definitely won't disturb you…"
Shao Yun glanced at her helplessly. Seeing no sign that she planned to leave, he simply turned over on the couch, facing away from her, and shut his eyes tight.
And so, Clorinde truly stood there without moving, staring straight at him.
Even with his eyes closed, Shao Yun could clearly feel that burning gaze on his back. There was no way he could fall asleep.
Finally, he sat up in one swift motion and glared at Clorinde with a face full of grievance.
"Hey! You keep staring at me like that—how am I supposed to sleep!?"
Seeing Shao Yun sit up, Clorinde naturally sat down beside him, forcing a faint smile as she softly asked, "Really?"
Under the night's dim glow, the slight upward curve of Clorinde's lips somehow sent a chill straight up Shao Yun's spine.
He shivered.
"Clorinde, why does that smile of yours look so creepy… Did a spirit possess you or something?"
Yet Clorinde didn't respond at all. She just sat there quietly, staring at Shao Yun, that faint smile never leaving her face.
The atmosphere instantly grew awkward and unsettling.
Shao Yun felt completely uncomfortable under her gaze, his scalp tingling.
Left with no choice, he nodded repeatedly. "Alright, alright, you win! What do you want to talk about in the middle of the night? After all this, there's no way I'm sleeping now."
Only then did Clorinde slightly restrain her smile and get straight to the point.
"When we were grilling at the beach today, didn't I ask you something? Why did you think Navia looked better in a swimsuit than me?"
Hearing her bring that up again, Shao Yun felt utterly helpless. What even is this situation…
"You're still hung up on that? I was just brushing you off back then. I was grilling, and you were in the way. Besides, don't you think that question was boring?"
"Not just me—ask anyone, and they wouldn't be able to choose between you and Navia."
When Clorinde heard the word "brushing off," she narrowed her eyes slightly and muttered softly, "So you were just brushing me off…"
"Does that mean Navia and I are equally attractive to you when we wear swimsuits?"
Shao Yun quickly added, "Friendly reminder: neither of you beats Lumine."
Clorinde didn't seem to care and simply said to herself, "Oh… I see…"
She then stretched lazily, stood up from the couch, and let out a big yawn.
With a sleepy look, she said, "Ah~ I'm exhausted. It's late. Good night—go tidy up and sleep too."
Watching her suddenly decide she was sleepy and head back to her room, Shao Yun nearly burst.
I was sleeping perfectly fine! You woke me up, and now you're sleepy!? Clorinde, are you seriously trying to be my f-ing paralysis demon!?
"You wake me up in the middle of the night just for something this trivial!?"
Clorinde stopped, turned around slowly, and explained calmly, "Yes. I don't usually care about whether I'm attractive—but the comparison was with Navia."
"Thinking about losing to her… I couldn't help feeling just a tiny bit jealous."
In other words, harmless jealousy and rivalry between best friends.
Shao Yun felt his liver ache with anger. Without another word, he flopped back down onto the couch with a thud and turned his back to her.
"Oh, my gods… why are you so childish? This is beyond boring! Please, I'm begging you—stop bothering me and let me sleep!"
Seeing Shao Yun so exasperated, Clorinde's lips curled into a subtle smile.
She softly said, "Good night," then tiptoed back into the bedroom and gently closed the door.
The living room fell silent once more, leaving Shao Yun alone on the couch—wide awake.
===BREAK===
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